We've had so many responses to yesterday's post about the 'blogger' trend via comments, tweets and e-mails. We thought we'd have have a bit of fun today so have put together our view of the top 10 most blogged about items right now. Obviously there are so many blogs out there that we have no idea if this is statistically true but we've asked around and looked at what people have been mentioning so far. Do you agree? If not, what would you have gone for?
1. JEFFREY CAMPBELL SHOES
These clumpy platform boots have gained a rep as the bloggers' favourite boot. Nobody wears them better than Stella from Stella's Wardrobe. She's rarely seen with her Jeffrey Campbells.
Stella in her Jeffrey Campbell boots (image from stellaswardrobe.blogspot.co.uk)
Stella's studded Jeffrey Campbells (image from stellaswardrobe.blogspot.com)
2. PRADA- EARRINGS AND COATS
Prada always produces a hit piece or seven. At the moment it's anything bling from their SS12 collection, especially the earrings and jackets. For bloggers who want to get this look, there are loads of guides showing you how to make your own versions. These make your own guides are probably worth a blog post in themselves at some point- watch this space!
Susie in her Prada chandeliers (image from stylebubble.co.uk)
Meg Gray, whose site is Gray Gardens, in her Prada crystal jacket, as introduced to us by Susie Bubble (image from Tommy Ton on Style.com)
3. MICHAEL KORS WATCH
Need I explain? A big watch is de rigueur when you're looking for max impact in shots.
Yes you read right, we have identified a season defying trend quite simply called "blogger". Gone are the days when just having a blog was trendy enough, now it's all about getting the look of a blogger. That is, piled high with as many designer pieces- preferably borrowed from the catwalk collection- as is physically possible. Where once, one stand-out item would have done, it's now time to adopt the mantra, 'Why wear one, when you can wear five?'. Where a few years ago Kate, Sienna et al made it fashionable to look like you hadn't actually tried too hard, that you'd sort of just thrown on skinny jeans and ballet shoes and made them look stylish, now it's all about being high maintenance, blatant and unashamedly fashion mad.
Susie Bubble with her clashing patterns and cute accessories (image from style.com by Tommy Ton)
Bryanboy with brilliant trousers, shoes, clutch, sunglasses (image from www.bryanboy.com)
There are three solid examples from across the fashion industry which confirm to us that the blogger look is proving to be just as influential as catwalk shows when it comes to setting trends. In fact the blogger look is a new way of dressing, a whole attitude change.
CASE IN POINT #1: River Island's Blogger trend for AW12
River Island held their press day last week. At these events, we're told what the store will be doing for coming season. Alongside the big, to-be-expected trends inspired by the catwalk shows (e.g. Baroque and Futuristic Goth) was another called, quite simply "Blogger". The press release describes this look as 'organised chaos' and 'freestyle'. The words 'exaggerated', 'fun' and 'clashing' all feature- 'it's disorganised but carefully put together'
Pile it on was the message at River Island
Of course, these boots must be worn with above cap if you're to work the blogger trend in the right way
By pointedly using this as a seasonal mood, is River Island saying this is a moment for the so-called blogger- I prefer 'street style star' but it's not so catchy- look? Or is it here to stay as a code we use to style ourselves?
CASE IN POINT #2: Vogue loves bloggers
When one of the world's most authoritative fashion magazines commissions a shoot on a trend, we know it's important.
I am a camera... from British Vogue, February 2012 (image from thebostonbazaar.wordpress.com)
British Vogue's February issue (image from thelicenciate.com)
(image from thebostonbazaar.wordpress.com)
CASE IN POINT #3: Anna Dello Russo designs for H&M
ADR works her version of 'blogger' (image from guardian.co.uk)
Until now, H&M has collaborated with some of the most influential designers in the world-Versace, Stella McCartney, Lanvin.... So the fact that their latest project is not with a designer but a person, Anna Dello Russo, really means something. It's a sure sign that H&M believe that the Vogue Nippon Fashion Director, blogger and street style favourite has the same wide ranging appeal as a big designer label as well as the look that everyone wants to get. It's interesting that what Dello Russo wears has become so attached to her rather than the labels she wears. It's how she wears it which H & M are packaging and selling as a commercial product. It's also highly astute from a business perspective because in order to get the Anna look, customers will have to buy several pieces. ADR seems to be acutely aware of what's going on, she said last week, "this is the sign of an important evolution in fashion and I am both thrilled and humbled to be the one chosen to lead it".
Some of the items which will form the collection (image from telegraph.co.uk)
Anna models her designs (image from telegraph.co.uk)
Do you agree that this is really how bloggers dress? Will you be wearing "blogger"?
There have been plenty of goings on in the world of fashion this week- I've just been catching up on many of the stories myself having been out at press days for most of the past few days. This week we have more news from the Dior saga, fur bans and much more... Enjoy!
Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz never fails to make fashion seem fun and accessible- see THAT video. So, his new project might not come as a huge surprise- Elbaz is to pen a book which charts the development of a Lanvin collection from start to finish. The book will be around 700 pages long so we are sure to get a super in-depth view of every possible nook and cranny of the collection. This will also be an insight into the designer's personal process; the first few pages of the book are blank to symbolise Elbaz's starting point!
Elbaz backstage (from lovelanvin.tumblr.com)
Today, the plot of the Dior saga has thickened once more after fresh doubts were cast on the apparent certainty that Marc Jacobs would be announcing his move there from Vuitton any day. We reported last week that news had reached us that Jacobs would not be leaving his current post but pace has now gathered behind that assertion. It seems that it could just be to big a wrench for Jacobs to take the Dior job when he is so content at Vuitton. Furthermore, Phoebe Philo is understandably reticent about moving from Celine to Vuitton (as many had suspected). Could the only way out of the mess now be for Bernard Arnault to go back to Galliano, as Franca Sozzani and Manolo Blahnik have suggested?
A gratuitous picture of MJ's muscles from vipstills.blogspot.com)
The Versace for H & M collection was never going to be quietly put into stores without a big song and dance to hail its arrival, was it? Thus, this week fashion people and celebrities flocked to NYC for a launch conducted in typically flamboyant Versace fashion; there were performances from Prince and Nicky Minaj while guests included Linda Evangelista and Jessica Alba- all decked out in pieces from the collection of course. WWD reported that the show 'must have set a record pace for 43 looks. The models descended on the maze-like runway like speeding bullets coming at you from all directions'. Although the clothes were the pretext of the evening, the speed of the show is telling because once it was over the real business of demonstrating the glamour which identifies the Versace brand could really crank into action with high octane performances at the specially decked out venue. It wasn't til much later, apparently, that the guests could get their mitts on the clothes.
Donatella in one her designs for H & M
Nicky Minaj (images from telegraph.co.uk)
Last Saturday came the sad news that Loulou de la Falaise, a woman instrumental in the success of Yves Saint Laurent had passed away aged 63. Somewhat unusually for a muse, de la Falaise also had a key creative role at the house, overseeing the costume jewellery which is now one of its strongest signatures. Bronwyn Cosgrave wrote this excellent obituary which is a must-read no matter how much you already know about Loulou de la Falaise.
Loulou de la Falaise (image from nickverreos.blogspot.com)
'At some point, all these shops have used graffiti culture as a commercial image, riding the trend without being a part in the least and for which the only point is to make some cash. All I say to them is “hello”; if these brands really like graffiti, I only give them what they like, so what if it’s beautiful or ugly. We gotta stop these brands from dictating a culture that belongs to us'
If that wasn't sufficient warning for the Celine people then we don't know what is!
Juergen Teller's images for Celine SS11 with Daria Werbowy (image from highsnobiety.com)
The Celine store in Paris, plus SK8 courtesy of Kidult (image from www.highsnobiety.com)
The new Muppets film, in which Miss Piggy will be playing a French Vogue Editor, is out here in February. She has been getting into fashionista character by talking to OUT to give a 'snout out to the gays'. These snout outs includes 'Thanks, but no spanx' and 'You can call me a diva- just don't call me a ham'. See the fashion commandments according to Miss Piggy here, and bring on the film- Emmanuelle Alt had better watch out...
Not exactly the style we have come to expect from a French Fashion Editor... (image from www.out.com)
There is plenty of information out there to deter consumers from buying fur but in most places it is still a personal decision, despite the vitriol which those wearing fur will undoubtedly face from some they encounter. However, in West Hollywood authorities are taking deterrence a step further by voting to ban the sale of items made from fur in the area. Ed Buck, from the group Fur Free WeHo which prompted the decision, said '"We made history. We're the first place in the world, I believe, certainly the country, to take that step and ban fur". However, retailers are worried about the potential losses they will incur if they cannot meet their customer's demands. After all, this is just a small area of Los Angeles which is full of shops so fur lovers won't have to go far to fulfil their needs. And those people do have have considerable spending power; the Fur Information Council claims that fur sales in the US rose by 3.1% last year to $1.3 billion in the US. Is West Hollywood patronising its residents by making this decision on their behalf, or are they an example of the future for fur as fashion?
Marlene Dietrich in an image which undoubtedly glamorises fur, WeHo is saying that is a notion they can no longer sanction
A tip off now about an upcoming sample sale. Here are the deets...
Dates: Thursday 24th November, Friday 25th November, Saturday 26th November and Sunday 27th November 2011. Location: The Old Truman Brewery, Shop 14, 15 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR. Opening Times: Thursday 13.00 – 20.00, Friday 12.00 – 20.00, Saturday 12.00 – 19.00, Sunday 12.00– 18.30. Some brands you'll find there: See by Chloe, Joseph, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Belstaff, Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, DKNY Jeans,Missoni, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, D&G, Lanvin, Moncler, French Connection, Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo and many more. Happy Shopping!
The new Harper's Bazaar (image from harpersbazaar.co.uk)
Finally, our video of the week is the long-awaited collaboration between Duran Duran, a smattering of 90s supermodels, Dolce and Gabbana and Harper's Bazaar magazine. Girl Panic! shows Naomi Campbell, Eva Hervigoza, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen and Yasmin Le Bon become Duran Duran for the day. The cover of December's Harper's Bazaar features 'The Supers' in classic high glamour style. It's all happened at the The Savoy and is a prime example of the hedonistic effect of combining music and fashion. Look out for cameos from Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. A perfect ten minute escape, shot by Jonas Akerlund...
Towards the end of the Kate Moss for TopShop collaboration, you could almost feel the braincells at the Arcadia Group (which owns TopShop) head office exercising over what to do next.
Designer collaborations are one thing. A collaboration with a "stylish person" quite another. A "stylish person" is not and will never be a designer (except for Kanye West, showing at Paris Fashion Week in September so I hear), and there is only so much steam to generate before it all peters out.
So, what next? Curators, of course! Every major fashion boutique has a curator, a custodian who manages and oversees their institution, your Mrs B (Browns), or Carla Sozzani (Corso Como, 10) figure. Strictly speaking the term should apply to someone who manages a library or museum, as has been pointed out to me on Twitter, but fashion has nicked the term for its own ends.
On the world stage of high street retailing TopShop were first past the post with the idea. Earlier this year they set up their "Edited by" space at their flagship Oxford Circus store, a normal room-sized area for the design team to put their selection of what they consider to be the key fashion pieces. That idea was OK, (though I would always just head to the Boutique section of the store for my Top-shopping) but they really hit pay dirt a few weeks ago when "Edited by" got its first curator in the shape of the visionary young stylist Katie Shillingford from Dazed & Confused. (I still sigh with happiness everytime I so much as think about the divine wedding pictures from her August 1st nuptials.)
Instead of creating a collaborative collection, just get someone with an amazing, unexpected fashion insider's eye to edit what's already out there, across basics and higher end product, down into an easy to digest package. Eureka! Not only do you get the vision of one unique person wrapped up, it also means you don't have to trawl the entire shop to find something that will jolt you out of your own fashion and style zone into a fresh new area. Katie's edit re-framed micro-mini dresses styled with Quentin Crisp jaunty coloured hats and animal prints, as more high fashion than high tart.
It makes so much sense, you wonder why the high street haven't done it before. “We needed to update the collaborations idea – mostly because everyone from Debenhams to Asda are doing it,” says Andrew Leahy, head of press at TopShop told me. “People are getting bored of collaborations. We even found with our designer collections that people – especially through our .com - are buying into key pieces, the add-on elements that are not signature pieces from the designer don’t sell because they don’t resonate with the customer.”
The next "Edited by..." curator is Susie Lau who will bring her magpie eye to TopShop from Sept 1. For London Fashion Week, from 16th September, the curator will be my friend and Fashion East impresario Lulu Kennedy. I can't wait for either Lulu or Susie's edits to hit TopShop in both London and Manchester flagship stores and online, definitely a reason to shop.
TopShop are not alone in this though. Second past the post with a curator concept is H&M who have hired MisShapes DJ and all round fashion muse Leigh Lezark to help launch their shop-in-shop at Selfridges next Thursday. The Selfridges store is also an "Edited" concept, and they too have taken on a curator and it's the first time H&M have gone into a store without their name above the door.
Leigh and the Misshapes
Coat: Curated by Leigh
Dress: curated by Leigh
Striped top: curated by Leigh
Jacket: curated by Leigh
If you want, you can even meet Leigh next Thursday, August 25th at Selfridges Oxford Street from 9.30am. Personally I look forward to seeing H&;M's rolling list of curators for this project. Let's hope that between them TopShop and H&M keep this new curatorial chapter interesting.
The Versace clan back in the day: Santo, Donatella and Gianni
This morning the fashion world is all a-Twitter with the news that Donatella Versace has stepped up to the plate as the next H&M/high end design collaborator. Following on from the sell-out success of last season's Lanvin collection, it has been announced that Versace will produce 40 pieces for the international high street heroes, except this time the approach will be slightly different to H&M's previous collaborations. Instead of more 'budget friendly' versions of a designer's contemporary work, Donatella has explained that instead, she will be revisiting some of Versace's most iconic pieces from the archives. ‘For me, this is an opportunity to show to a very, very big audience... what Versace has been, and what Versace is now,’ she explains, in the vid below.
In fact, Donatella is so excited about this project that she wore one of the H&M pieces to take her bow at the end of the menswear show in Milan yesterday. That's dedication to the cause!
Always on the pulse, the Fash Ed was only saying yesterday how all the coolest kids are wearing vintage Versace shirts, revelling in all their baroque 80s glory. Fashion blog Zone 7 Style has some choice examples of Gianni Versace's finest work:
We can only HOPE that Donatella dusts off those 80s prints like these for the H&M range, which is also set to include homeware for the first time. Can you imagine a bed spread in one of these colour combos? With a bit of chain print edging and maybe a Medusa head or four? FULL. ON.
