Tuesday 8 November 2011

JAPANS FASHION NIGHT OUT

jAPANS FAHION NIGHT OUT HIT OF WITH AN EMOTIONAL START WITH A SPEECH FROM CONDE NAST INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN JONATHON NEWHOUSE ABOUT THE TRAGIC TSUNAMI THAT STRUCK IN MARCH.

"We have come here from all over the world because we care deeply about Japan," Newhouse said. "The Japanese love for beauty has inspired artists, architects, poets, film makers, fashion designers and editors. It is perhaps the reason why historically, Japanese people are the foremost consumers of fashion and luxury goods in the world. We come here to show our respect for Japan, to give support to Japan, and to say thank you to Japan for inspiring us." 

THE NIGHT STARTED WITH THE WORLDS TOP FASHION EDITORS WALKING FROM STORE TO STORE IN THE Omotesando and Aoyama SHOPPING DISTRICTS. ON THE WAY THEY VISITED THE SPECIAL EVENTS HELD SET UP BY DIFFERENT LABELS.

THE CROOKES PLAYED FOR BURBERRY SHOPPERS AS CHRISTOPHER BAILEY SIGNED TRENCHCOATS AND CHATTED TO FELLOW FAN WORSHIPPERS. OTHERS LIKE CAVALLI CHATTED AND STUART VEVERS FOR LOEWE HELD A DJ SET FOR THERE FANS IN THE NEWLEY OPEED BOUTIQUES IN THE AOYAMA DISTRICT.

VOGUES ANNA DEL RUSSO STYLED A MASS FASHION ARMY OF MANNEQUINS IN THE PRADA STORE. TOS CREATIVE DIRECTOR DEREK LAM GAVE A MOTHER DAUGHTER THEMED TALK IN HONOUR OF HER LADYSHIP ANNA WINTOURS VISIT TO THE COUNTRY WITH HER DAUGHTER BEE SHAFFER. MICHAEL KORR PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS BYU INVITING ALONG SINGER JENNIFER HUDSON TO SING AND SIGN TOTE BAGS WITH THE DESIGNER 

Thursday 3 November 2011

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Female musicians with endearing voices and an acoustic guitar seem to be dime a dozens these days. Standing out from the crowd, Lucy Rose is the talented London based artist with Bombay Bicycle Club as her biggest fans.
Hailed as one to watch by several major publications, her addictive voice and powerfully close to home lyrics have many watching her every footstep. Self-releasing her own material with a further two singles recorded with Charles Watson of Slow Club, the future seems bright.
A quiet yet comical and clear-headed young musician, Lucy Rose is beginning to see the rewards of hard work and dedication to her art. Currently touring with Ben Howard and looking forward to releasing her debut album next yet, Lucy Rose’s simperingly seductive voice and talent across an array of instruments will see her far.
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How would you describe your sound, and what inspires you when you write?
I find it so difficult to describe my sound, I like to think that it’s cinematic, but probably somewhere around acoustic/folk/pop. Everything inspires me to write music, but I do find it hard when I’m busy to write, the best time is alone with no plans or things to worry about.
You’ve mentioned that you only write about personal experiences, have you ever found it hard to share your intimate thoughts with an audience?
Every time I write a new song, I find it really difficult to play it for the first time to an audience because I immediately feel vulnerable. But I believe the best songs are the most honest.
You are on tour at the moment, how is it all going?
I’ve been on tour with Bombay Bicycle Club for over 2 weeks now. It’s our final show at Brixton Academy tonight, which I’m supporting as well, so I’m really excited. Touring is brilliant, I have always loved it. I start touring with Ben Howard tomorrow as well, so I feel very lucky at the moment.
Is there anywhere in particular you have enjoyed playing, or look forward to playing?
I really enjoyed playing Bestival this year. It was a really special gig. I’m definitely looking forward to playing in Ireland.
You’ve been getting a lot of exposure recently, has there been any moments that have stood out and if so which?
I try not to look at the things written about me but I was really pleased that my song went to number 5 in the hype machine.
You started out by self releasing and gigging a lot, what can you tell us about this experience and how it has shaped you as a musician?
I’m still self-releasing my music and gigging a lot. Nothing has changed there. I think it’s important to do a lot of the work yourself and play lots of shows. Word of mouth is very important and I’m very much relying on that at the moment.
You first made a name singing on Bombay Bicycle Clubs ‘Flaws’, how did you find that experience?
I was friends with BBC at this point and Jack had just invited me to his house to sing some music with him. Then we starting recording a song in his bedroom and that became ’Flaws’.
Laura Marling also started out in this way with Noah and the Whale, would you say that she is an inspiration to your music, and if so in which way?
Laura Marling is an amazing musician. I haven’t got any of her albums yet, but I know I’d love them.
You can play quite a few different instruments, which is your favourite and why?
It used to be the drum-kit but recently starting playing bass, which I’m loving!
On your website you have ‘Builders Grey Tea’ as a merch item, what was the idea behind it?
I love tea! Every time I made a cup of tea, I’d put an Earl Grey and English Breakfast teabag in the teapot to bet a blend of them both (it’s best that way). So I thought I’d make my own brand of this tea and see if anyone else liked it.
Your second single is out in physical format next month, is there a debut album on the cards?
I really hope so, that’s pretty much the dream - to be able to record an album. I’m hoping to get started in January.

Monday 31 October 2011

VOGUE.COM

VOGUE.COM UK will launch Online Fashion Week for the first time in December this year.
Following the hugely successful Fashion's Night In online event in November last year - which raised over £40,000 for charity in six hours by encouraging readers to shop the best, exclusive buys on the web via a blog on VOGUE.COM that ran from 6pm until midnight- this year's event will involve more online retailers, include more high fashion styling advice, feature even more exciting exclusive content and - hopefully - raise a good deal more money for charity over the course of a full working week.
From now until December 5, we'll be liaising with retailers to plan top secret, exclusive offers, one-time-only collections and never-seen-before content. Then, from 9am on December 5 to 6pm on December 9, we'll reveal all by blogging constantly to direct you to the best events happening across the web - allowing you to put together your own Christmas wish lists, plan your Christmas shopping and generally join the action as we celebrate all that is fashionable online.
Brands from Alexander McQueen and Chanel to Topshop, and from Prada and Miu Miu to H&M, are already on board and are currently planning their activities for a week of virtual events. Cheryl Cole's new collection of shoes is set to be unveiled during OFW;Burberry's pioneering online department is already planning something bigger and better than ever for the Week; VOGUE.COM blogger Livia Firth has already signed her Eco Age boutique up; whilst shops including Browns, Net-A-Porter and Matches are preparing to bring their many international designer names to OFW.

Fashion week: Why does Central Saint Martins produce so many designers?

Fashion week: Why does Central Saint Martins produce so many designers?


A large number of the designers showing at London Fashion Week have passed through Central Saint Martins. But why does this school dominate?
Even if you're not hugely into fashion, chances are you'll have heard of Stella McCartney, John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen.
They're fashion superstars, celebrities of haute couture, newsworthy personalities in their own right, as Galliano's recent trial for racial slurs showed. But what also unites them is their alma mater, as all three studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
To name drop a bit more, its fashion alumni also include Katherine Hamnett, Bruce Oldfield, Jenny Packham, Matthew Williamson and Christopher Kane.
But it has not just spawned great British designers. Riccardo Tisci, the Italian creative director of Givenchy womenswear and among those tipped to take over from Galliano at Dior, went there.

Others include American Zac Posen, worn by Natalie Portman and Beyonce among others, and Greek-born Mary Katrantzou, whose print dress adorned Keira Knightley at this year's Venice Film Festival.
Only the fashionistas will have heard of Kane and Katrantzou, and only the hardcore will have heard of the Central Saint Martins designers who don't have their own label but who help power the world's biggest fashion houses, such as Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
CSM, as it is known to staff and students, has been around a long time but its reputation as one of the world's top fashion schools was forged in the 1980s. Its fees are in line with other fashion schools but it is notoriously hard to get a place, with the MA in fashion receiving 600 applications for 50 places.
The Daily Telegraph's fashion correspondent Hilary Alexander says the school nurtures the free-thinkers, the mavericks, the people who think outside the box.
It would be impossible to put a monetary value on the school's contribution to global fashion, she adds."The training is very anti-establishment. But that is underpinned by a knowledge of pattern cutting and how clothes hang. It's not an anarchic free-for-all, there's a rigour in terms of the disciplines that go towards making a designer."
"It must be millions and millions when you think of the influence, inspiration and sales of people like McQueen, Galliano, Williamson, McCartney... the list goes on and on and on."
It is undeniable that Saint Martins has produced more than its fair share of big name individuals.
Out of the 86 brands showing during London Fashion Week (LFW), 41 involve CSM designers. It is also the only college deemed professional enough to have its own show at LFW.
Savannah Miller is one of the many CSM graduates preparing for this year's LFW, which kicks off on Friday 16 September. She runs her Twenty8Twelve label with her actor sister Sienna Miller.
The fashion designer Miller, who specialised in knitwear and graduated in 2004, says it has a very hands-off approach to its teaching.
"They leave you to get on with it and that made you so free. There were people who couldn't handle that kind of freedom - they wanted classes and structure but you only saw a tutor once every two weeks.
"I was in from 8.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night. There was a handful of us doing that and it was those people who have gone on to do well. "
And if she wasn't studying, she was working at the McQueen label.
"We didn't have any free time to hang out in the pub. We did have fun but fashion is a competitive environment and you had to put in the work."
Of course, one might argue that the school benefits from a virtuous circle. It produces the top designers so it garners the attention that helps it produce top designers.


Its professional reputation also means global brands, such as Puma, are keen to sponsor projects providing both industry experience for the students and revenue for the college.Its reputation enables Saint Martins to attract the best tutors and talent, as well as interest and investment from the industry. Its alumni feed back into the college, with former students returning to give talks and offering work experience.
Fashion consultant Andrew Tucker says there are plenty of other fashion schools in the UK, such as the faculties at the University of Brighton and Newcastle University, the Royal College of Art (RCA) and London College of Fashion.


"Central Saint Martins is genuinely brilliant and I think that's particularly down to the course directorship of Louise Wilson. It's a bit like Fame and someone like Louise is almost a celebrity in her own right. You get people who just want to go there and nowhere else.He says each has its strengths and there is no resentment about Saint Martins having the highest profile.
"It is the place for someone who is very individual, who wants to be a fashion designer, who has their own message."
Head of MA fashion Prof Wilson is adamant that her job is not to produce labels but to teach her students the skills they need to succeed wherever they choose to pursue a career in the fashion and wider creative industry.
"British Fashion Week is the bane of my life. I've got far more students all round the world in high positions of the fashion industry which is far more satisfactory."
Former CSM student Bruce Oldfield's client list includes everyone from the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Rania of Jordan to Jemima Khan and Rihanna.
He contemplated going to Kingston, Saint Martins or the RCA as they were the "most hi-vis colleges where you would be noticed if you had something to say".
Naomi CampbellStella McCartney's graduation show included a few of celebrity friends
Oldfield says he wasn't very sociable, kept his head down and grabbed all the opportunities Saint Martins offered. He found the atmosphere and language a "bit precious".
"I floundered on some of the over-intellectualised projects that I do recall. I just got on with designing what I wanted to do and they seemed happy enough with me."
Jenny Packham's dresses are worn by Hollywood A-listers and royalty - the Duchess of Cambridge has worn three of her creations this summer - and she says it was "survival of the fittest" at CSM.
She describes the teaching style as "passive aggressive" and says the tutors are all "without exception committed and enthralled by their subject".
"One day in one of our history of fashion lectures I sat in the front row. I turned round to find that out of a class of 30-ish I was the only one awake. The lecturer was so passionate about his subject that he had just continued."
CSM is currently in the throes of moving to a new base in King's Cross. Many of its old fashion graduates have been lamenting the loss of its Charing Cross Road building, which was deep in the heart of fashionable Soho but a complete dump internally, by all accounts.
Despite the buildings decrepitude, the crumbling corridors fostered an array of talent.

Just Warming Up

AMY HALL'S statement knitwear designs were in public demand before she even decided to launch her eponymous label.



HAWTHORN"I was taught to knit by my mother and grandmother as a child and have been knitting ever since," Hall told us. "As someone who was always seen with a pair of needles in her hands, I was always getting asked by friends to teach them how to knit and about five years ago, I started to teach knitting in Peter Jones and then Liberty in London. As I gained confidence, I started experimenting more. I began to veer away from following traditional patterns and created increasingly dramatic pieces which I wore around town. I kept getting stopped in the street and asked where I bought those knits and after this had happened several times, I decided to get to work on my first collection which I launched last year."


London-based Hall originally trained a photographer before realising knitwear design was her forte and undertaking a summer course at Central Saint Martins. Now in her second season, the designer's work is defined by her use of British-sourced, extremely soft wool and ability to manipulate it into feminine shapes, with colour block, cropped jumpers, luxurious coats with thick ribbed sleeves, high-waisted skirts and body-con dresses with cable knit panelling.

"Now, more than ever, I feel that wool has a central part to play in fashion," she explained. "In an increasingly synthetic industry, it is the best renewable fibre we have. It is important to use natural yarns where possible and if wool is properly looked after, it will last you a lifetime. It keeps you warm, it's versatile, comfortable - it's simply a wonderful fibre to work with."



Despite the annual celebration of Britain's best loved fabric during Wool Week, backed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Hall still thinks there is room for improvement within the wool industry.
"It's definitely picking up again now, but it could be better," she said. "Wool just doesn't sound terribly sexy to a lot of people - to many it's a functional thing rather than something that could make you look chic. Wool Week raises awareness of the brilliance of wool and knitting with it. Knitting and crochet are still seen as activities for elderly ladies, despite people of all ages getting in to it."

London Farewell

   Not all of the fashion crowd left London in time for the Gucci show yesterday - plenty stayed in town for London Fashion Week's Menswear Day, which has gone from strength to strength over recent seasons. Two designers who also showed on the womenswear schedule earlier in the week, JW Anderson and James Long reappeared on the menswear schedule, whilst British institutions Topman and Aquascutum also presented their spring/summer 2012 collections. One of the day's highlights was Fashion Fund-nominated Patrick Grant's E. Tautz collection, a bold athletic collection with plenty of his signature relaxed elegance.
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At just twenty-five, Central St Martins print graduate, Flaminia Saccucci is turning heads with her debut collection of floral printed latex pieces. Inspired by her Italian roots and installation artist Paolo Canavari, Flaminia’s highly covetable garments juxtapose the femininity of flowers, with the masculinity of rubber tyres to great effect, earning her the prestigious L’Oréal Professionel Young Talent award.  Following her graduation in June, Flaminia’s collection of clean cut floral designs have been snapped up by Browns and will be under the spotlight once more as part of their window display during London Fashion Week.
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Hi Flaminia. Could you tell us where you’re from and where you studied?
I come from Rome and I’m 25. I moved to London when I was 19 to study fashion at Central St Martins. I never studied fashion or textiles in high school because in Italy it’s a very different system. My background is actually more in Philosophy and Greek. St Martins is an amazing creative environment. You have the freedom to do what you like, without being scared of peoples’ opinions or being judged.
You grew up in Rome. How has this influenced your work?
One of my greatest influences comes from my Italian background in the History of Art. When I was younger, I lived very close to the modern art gallery in Rome. Ever since I was a kid I used to go there every afternoon after school and I spent entire evenings just staring at the artwork.
Did you always want to study fashion?
I’ve always loved fashion. I have a great passion for fabrics, history and society and fashion combines all of that for me. I was always sketching on my classmates’ diaries at school, but it wasn’t until I found out about St Martins that it became a dream for me.
Can you describe your graduate collection for us?
My collection is made mainly out of printed latex. I was inspired by tyres after coming across the work of Italian artist Paolo Canavari. He makes these huge installations out of tyres & rubber. I wanted to create ‘wearable’ tyres so I used latex, which is more practical yet still has the feeling of rubber. My main focus was to use latex not in an expressly sexy way, but instead to make it more feminine. I wanted to create something as far away from the idea of ‘sexy’ as possible. The collection is very feminine but there’s also a dark side to it.
Do you have a favourite piece in the collection?
The suit!
Talk us through the design process.
The latex is screen printed.  It’s a really difficult process because it’s a material that shrinks a lot when you print it. It’s also difficult to match the colours as there are four colour separations. My biggest challenge was to find the right kind of ink that would stay on the rubber. It can be frustrating at times but I never give up once I have the idea in my head!
Is latex going to feature as a signature in your work?
I’d like to explore other materials. I don’t want to get pigeonholed with latex. I’d like to experiment with silk and leather, continuing to play with masculinity and femininity.
Tell us about your personal style? What are you wearing today?
My personal style is clean and minimal… and always black! I like to be comfortable and sharp. I’m wearing shoes by Alexander Wang, black skinny jeans from Cos and a long silk shirt I just bought from Liberty.
You’ve interned at Alberta Ferreti, Balmain and Viktor and Rolf. Can you tell us how these experiences have influenced your work?
My style is a bit of a mix of everyone. You’ve got the femininity and softness of Ferreti, the strength of Balmain, and the artistic influence of Viktor and Rolf. I took a bit from each of them because they were very different experiences.
Which other designers you admire?
Raf Simons at Jil Sander, Ricardo Tisci and Phoebe Philo.
What do you love/hate about working in fashion?
I love the beginning of a collection where you are really free to do research and you can just experiment loads with different fabrics and designs. The difficult part is narrowing it down!
Do you feel there’s a lot of pressure in the industry?
No, that’s the way fashion goes and you know what you’re getting yourself into. Fashion is different from art in that it’s much quicker.
What are you working on currently?
At the moment I’m designing a collection specifically for Browns, which will be on display during London Fashion Week. It’s an elaboration of my graduate collection but with a bit of jersey and leather thrown in! After that, we’ll see. I think it’s too early to start my own label just yet. I’ve had a really great offer from a French fashion house so I might be moving to Paris!
Last but not least, what advice would you give to young designers trying to break into the industry?
Never give up! Be really focused and love what you do

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Imaginative and contemporary awareness are the words, which in short, epitomize Steffie Christiaens’s work. Through experimenting and observing the world around her, Steffie creates striking garments that altogether capture the metamorphoses of “Mother Nature.”
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Steffie grew up in a little village in the south of the Netherlands. As the place was so remote, far from sophistication and modernism, Steffie started contemplating and amusing herself with the elements of nature around her at quite an early age. She became intrigued by its natural, organic and distorted phenomena, which together felt inspiring and adventurous.
As a teenager, she began photographing “the changes in the seasons and the sky” and would build 3D shapes out of wood and metal to set them and picture them in the wild. One day, while filming a cherry tree covered with netting, she finally came to realise her “elemental inspiration.” Steffie says that from growing up in the countryside, she realised that one can find influences everywhere in the world, “it doesn’t have to be enormous or beautiful.” A few years later, those inspirations evolved into a design process where the arts meet fa
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High School and travelling made her want to explore more. Steffie applied to ArtEZ, Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands where she was trained in the fields of fabric design, 3D construction and printing. On graduating in 2008, she then moved to Paris for a postgraduate diploma at IFM, Institut Français de la Mode. Above her strong personal sentiment towards the city of Paris, Steffie says her love for the fashion houses based there was a strong motivation. And when Steffie sets herself some goals, she seems pretty good at reaching them...
Between 2007 and 2010 Steffie successively became ‘collection assistant’ at Maison Martin Margiela (2007) and Atelier Balenciaga (2009 - 2010), and collaborated in the design of a shoe collection with Louis Vuitton in 2008. In the meantime, she was also selected as a finalist at the prestigious Hyères festival in France and produced a short silent movie ‘Deliquesce’ in conjunction with the launch of her website. In 2010, Steffie Christiaens established her studio in Paris and managed to get her label represented by TOTEM, one of the leading young designer Press Offices in Paris. The young designer then went on to hold her first runway collection at the Monnaie de Paris in March 2011 during the official ready-to-wear AW1112 schedule.
The collections “personify” the asymmetry of nature and the movement of wind, water and fire. The clothes are indeed conceptual, body conscious and rather fluid with somewhat of a futuristic twist. The colour palette is deep, contrasting with very light, nude tones. So far, the shades range from charcoal, dark purple, piercing blue to delicate creams and powdery ash. Alongside with cashmere and silk, Steffie tailors with luxury materials such as exotic skins, crocodile and nubuck python. Her intuitive approach to the human body is definitely reflected in her provocative, wavy but at the same time, sharp silhouettes. The construction of the garments is also definitely technical. Talking about her dream and given her successful debut in the fashion industry, Steffie remains utterly down to earth considering her young age: “I would love to create an appreciated fashion house, achieved with the people with whom I’m working with closely. Together with them I would love to fulfill the desire of bringing every season a new collection that satisfies the expectations of the people who wear my clothes.”

Dress made from yak nipples that shocked London Fashion Week

A BRIT designer has been slammed as “sick” after her show at London Fashion Week included dresses made from yaks’ NIPPLES.
Models wearing Rachel Freire’s creations – fashioned from 3,000 nipples – paraded down the catwalk at Somerset House on Monday.
The 32-year-old designer – who has worked with stars such as Christina Aguilera and Courtney Love – said she was excited about the two dresses and bras made up from body parts given to her by a tannery.
The controversial show also included an elaborate bra made from protruding nipples.
But animal rights campaigners and MPs lined up to attack the Liverpool-born designer.
Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock told The People he found the bizarre items “wholly inappropriate and disturbing”.
And Labour MP Kerry McCarthy blasted: “It seems to me absolutely grotesque. I think most people will find it sickening and repulsive.”
Justin Kerswell of animal rights organisaton Viva joined said: “Isn’t the way we treat farmed animals bad enough without turning their dead bodies into a runway freakshow?”
But Freire – who is preparing to exhibit at Paris Fashion Week – defended her clothes. She said: “They really make you aware of the animal itself.
“I create fashion using material that would otherwise end up on the scrap heap.
“What I am doing is recycling. The people criticising are clearly clueless about the amount of leather wasted on a daily basis."

LONDON NOT SO BONKERS ANYMORE

London's reputation as the home of bonkers fashion may be on the slide. After a week in which British design talent has embraced bright colour and pattern, the capital of print might be a more accurate description.
At Mary Katrantzou's show, it become clear that London, more than any other of the fashion cities, – New York, Paris, Milan – now owns print. Throughout the week many of London's most talented designers, including Jonathan Saunders and Peter Pilotto, produced heavily printed collections. Even the trenchcoat maestros Burberry featured bold African prints.
Katrantzou is not a name that is well known away from the bubble of the fashion industry, but the Greek-born designer is already hugely influential even though her label is just three years old.
Despite never wearing anything other than black herself, Katrantzou's collections always use explosive colour. In previous shows the designer Рwho once studied architecture Рhas used ornate interiors, Ming vases, and Faberg̩ eggs as inspirations, to unique effect.
Before the show started, it looked as if flowers, specifically carnations, were to be the basis of her explosive prints. A carpet of red, yellow and pink carnations, planted neatly in blocks of colour, dominated the centre of the catwalk. Sure enough, carnation prints that looked almost hyper-real featured in the show and were best on a beautiful stiffened trouser suit.
This was not some retro flower-power suit; this was a modern piece of tailoring with a powerful and unexpected print.
Other motifs that featured in the collection – some obvious, some pixellated – included fish, plumage and coral reefs.
But it was not just nature that inspired the designer – industrial materials also figured in the show.
The skirt of one dress was constructed from hundreds of crushed tin cans and car parts.
Backstage after the show, Katrantzou commented on the American artist John Chamberlain, whose sculptures are created from crushed steel and old cars. "I wanted to make metal beautiful in the same way that flowers are," she explained.
Roksanda Ilincic is a label that was once little known beyond the fashion industry but which has recently received a boost as a result of being worn by Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron. In Ilincic's collection , featuring hot colours such as saffron and fuchsia, there was evidence of some first lady pandering. A couple of the designer's more muted and less dramatic dresses looked destined for a certain No 10 closet. But it is rather unlikely that Ilincic's newest catwalk accessory – a couture-style beanie hat knitted from thick strands of raw-edged silk – will segue easily into Cameron's wardrobe, even with her best fashion ambassadorial will in the world.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

IZMAYLOVA



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Ever checked out the Izmaylova website? No? Well you should. The motion graphics are of clouds, as if you’re travelling through them like a pilot flying his plane. There are also statistics in the right hand corner of the destination you ‘wish’ to travel to. There is a choice of Moscow, London and Paris. Why those three cities? Well, the two creative forces behind Izmaylova, Antonina Izmaylova and Nathaneal Gam, hail from Moscow and Paris, and now have a common habitual ground of London. So there you have it, locations and bearings indentified.
So what brought this pair, who are separated by 4,100 miles, together? Was it fate, destiny, serendipity? It’s slightly simpler than that, it’s just two individuals who share the same creative vision to constitute modern luxury. Perhaps you could call it destiny, if you take into account that Antonina’s graduate collection at Central Saint Martin’s was what merged her vigor with Nathaneal’s, who is accountable for International Relations and promoting British Fashion Worldwide within the British Fashion Council.

Antonina has been compelled to textures and the perfect silhouette of the female form since a young age, which are reminiscent of trips to stylish boutiques accompanying her mother. Her forte is not only in fashion; she also possesses qualifications in Art, Sculpture and History. Whilst Parisian Nathaneal, continues to drive his ambition to develop Izmaylova into a luxury lifestyle group, all whilst protecting their image, beliefs and principles.

Upon realizing they shared the same ideals, objectives and dreams, the idea for ‘Izmaylova’ was conceived. A trip to Florence helped fortify their intention of wanting to translate a feeling of desire and emotion through fashion. They drew stimulation from Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’, Michelangelo & Leonardo da Vinci at the Uffizi Gallery and adhered to the idea of art inspiring fashion.

Their latest campaign for AW10/11 is aptly named ‘Edge of Darkness’, though I don’t think they are referring to the lack of seasonal sunshine. “Set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, far beyond the realm of our imagination. This is a journey beyond fashion, as it exists in the present, taking the customer into an extraordinary experience. Fashion and craftsmanship teleported through time to a parallel universe; where the iconic woman is finally fashioned into ultimate perfection; a fusion between tough independence and ladylike poise.”

This correlates well to their resolute ambition and a good understanding of commerce, “One of the dreams we had was to redefine what is considered luxury. Luxury is about being subtle it is not about being overt rather the detailing and finish the garment should speak for itself” says Izmaylova. “We’re influenced by a new era with a distinctive futuristic sensibility, grandeur, grace and careful attention to detail” and these are all evident in this new Russian inspired luxury brand. Well there’s always Louis Vuitton and Fendi should you need something with a brash logo, I suppose.

They don’t believe in one-hit wonders that are relentlessly duplicated by the high street either “The brand epitomizes a combination of couture expertise and wearable elegance in a graceful style that is made to last. Using only the finest materials, each piece of IZMAYLOVA is hand crafted to the highest standard, every detail gently completed by our skilled couturiers. Delicate in design and completed with longevity, IZMAYLOVA garments are timeless pieces that can be treasured for years to come.”

You could look at this as an anti-thesis to the status of ‘fashion’ and ‘trends’ today. There is such a fast turnaround of what is available at our disposal now; that the sentiment of buying something that lasts is now a distant memory. And hey, if you didn’t catch it the first time around, surely there will be something similar next season?

Designers don’t only bring out main season collections, there are the ‘cruise’ collections, the collections ‘for when it’s kind of sunny, but not quite rainy, but you definitely need a coat’ collections...and in the midst of all this, Izmaylova offer something that maybe, just maybe you could pass down to generations after you. This craftsmanship is not to be discarded to the back of your wardrobe after approximately 6.5 weeks, it’s the kind you store in acid-free tissue inside moth proof bags, and bring out to wear again and again. Imagine the complimentary mints you receive after a rich, heavy meal where you probably indulged in excess, and now let’s revel in the refreshment the fashion world has been craving for a very long time.

ole yde


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Reincarnating classic femininity and shedding some monochromatic light on the elegant woman, Ole Yde has me positively salivating with his distinctive fashion-meets-18th century-art-in-a-dark-Danish-fable aesthetic…
Born out of a “dream of attempting to bring back the gentle, strong and above all elegant woman” Yde is the industry’s unhinged, dream designer, sending the world of apparel into a modern-romance tailspin.

From polar ends of the fashion spectrum, Yde has been representing the extremes of Danish fashion since 2005, churning out demi-couture juxtaposed with clothes for every woman, causing a mass breakout of contagious excitement with each innovative collection.

It’s always been a rocky road for fashion and fantasy, but Yde has easily smoothed the path and lead the way for an ultra-modern, ultra-sophisticated union of reality and the fantastical. When the Dane designs, it’s about more than just clothes. There’s a multitude of twisted yet tantalizing universes created in relation to each collection, generating a unique fashion fusion of nostalgic retro with a contemporary spark.

Focusing on elements of history and tradition could be a recipe for fashion regurgitation disaster, but not when Ole Yde is at the wheel, steering the brand above and beyond the realms of convention. “The goal is not to make a nostalgic copy of the past, but to have the light of the past shine upon both the present and the future.” Whether it’s a fur-stoled moll in her gangsters sharply tailored jacket and oversized velvet trilby, a vulnerable private eye in a sleeveless skirt-suit, or a femme fatale in a sensuous silk evening gown, there’s always a character straight from a storybook with an elaborate Yde twist. Standing up against the trend bullies with seasonless creations, Yde has filled a void in womenswear, turning the banal humdrum of tanks and t-shirts into untamed silhouettes and matchless intricities.

But it’s not all enigmatic film noir inspiration and folk tale musings. There’s timeless staples, clean lines and empowering precision tailoring too. And with a boutique as unconventional as his label, a collaboration with Georg Jensen and an Illum Design Award under his career belt there’s seemingly no end to the Copenhagen resident’s talent.

Exceptionally minimal or extremely complicated, Yde is bringing femininity to the forefront of fashion in an elaborate couture manner – think Marlene Dietrich glamour meets Marie Antoinette promiscuity in an enchanted forest after dark. An uncompromising pallet of black and white might intimidate most multihue enthusiasts, however, elaborate embellishment, exquisite draping and splashes of brushed gold and burnt orange are enough to penetrate the gloom. With bordering-on-fetish leathers, dangerous micro-mini’s and sensuous sheer blouses, the fairytale king has proved that femininity doesn’t stop at twee and fantasy doesn’t have to look like Alice in Acidland.

Long live the king!

NEW designers on the scene

i started trying to scout out new up and coming designers from all over the world to see where this post post modernism is going. i found a few designers i thought where worth mentioning :)

first is CHARLIE MAY






Charlie May is one of the new breed of fashion all-rounders. She is a designer/blogger hailing from Devon who does photography on the side. At just 23 years old, Charlie has achieved what many young fashion commentators aspire to- writing a successful blog, being photographed by fashion press for her personal style and launching her first collection. Her style,designs and work ethic are all something i found great about charlie. She is definitely inspired by the 1990s and the huge minimal thing with Helmut Lang and Calvin Klein which is still filtering through and evolving.  Also by Ann Demeulemeester  and her very clean line, long silhouette and layering.  Colour isnt a important factor in her designs, when you keep colour simple it shows off the design more.





Thursday 1 September 2011

COUNTDOWN

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Sunday 27 March 2011

5. MUGLER




Im gonna start this with the shoes because these are just AMAZING. works of art in my eyes. STUNNING 
AND I KNOW IM A GUY BUT FUCK ME ID WEAR THESE ALL DAY .....EVEN TO BED!

Saturday 26 March 2011

4. LOUIS VUITTON

the new autumn/ winter collection is just druel worthy lets face it. no expense spared at the show and it turned out to be true beyond measure. Whatever you want next season, you can have it. When it comes to sex, that is. French maids, men in uniform, women in uniform, S&M, little girls playing grown-up games, blind folds, bondage, crystal handcuffs – whatever takes your fancy, it’s all on offer for the right price – and the show closed with Kate moss smoking a post-coital fag on her way around a glossy black catwalk. Who knows what Marc Jacobs will have paid for her, but who cares – he’s the Mr Moneybags of fashion.


Let’s start with them: block-heeled Mary Janes, side-zipped platform heeled rubber wellies in red or green; huge LV-stamped bucket bags, smaller clutches of cream patent, shoulder bags in teddy bear fur, classic vintage hand held ones, wide patent obi belts, the aforementioned blindfolds – all of which were then printed in sequins onto high-waisted, full-skirted dresses with Peter Pan collars, subversive innocence personified.