The most worn and blogged about fashion item of this Spring has been the Prada satin-collared bomber jacket covered with colourful chunky stones. During the catwalk shows I lost count of the number of people - both male and female - who owned one, and each individual jacket seemed unique to the wearer. That is the power of a gem; they become part of you. It is also the power of Prada. Every time I saw one on someone I become mesmerised to the point of childlike awe; I need one of these jackets in my life, as entertainment if nothing else.
Miuccia Prada tends to roll out an influential corker for the summer season, and a more commercial collection for winter. This summer's Prada collection may have revved up the high street with its Vroom-Vroom car iconography but it also, it turns out, has influenced the most directional catwalk designers for Autumn from Lanvin to Vuitton, Nina Ricci to Versace, and we're not talking about the cars, but the hundredweight of bling. Miu Miu and Prada carried on showering chunks of rock onto their clothes for Autumn.. but scroll down and you will see how the rest of the high fashion firmament lost themselves to the power of opening fire with equivalent of an AK 47 loaded with crystal ammo.
This all marks the return of bling, something the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - who are all in the throes of a boom time, will love and indulge to the max. In the Western market partaking in this trend will be done with more than a sense of irony.
THE PRADA JACKET
Prada
More Prada
Even more Prada
You guessed it...
Street style blogger Hanneli Mustaparta mixes Tom Binns bling with a varsity jacket
More Tom Binns.. (All the above photos by the inimitable Tommy Ton for Style.com)
AUTUMN/WINTER 2O12 GEM-TASTIC OFFERINGS
Prada AW12 (image from www.jasonlloyd-evans.com)
Dolca and Gabbana AW12
Lanvin AW12
Lanvin AW12
Marni AW12
Nina Ricci AW12
Versace AW12
Louis Vuitton AW12 (all catwalk images from www.catwalking.com)
Its been a funny old weekend. While I am out in Paris my other half is getting written about in the press, then by extension my personal life has been dragged into the tabloids too. Surreal to say the least. At this stage of Paris (i.e the very last leg of the month long fashion show caravan that began in mid February in New York - it all ends Wednesday), everything is getting surreal anyway.
Haider Ackermann's show this weekend (via style.com)
In fact it has got to the stage where I don't say hello to all the people I know anymore because, well, we see each other every few hours at shows, so a nod will do. Even with work colleagues I'm at the stage of necessary conversation only, and companionable silence is preferable. This is how it is for all of us doing this job right now.
Need I say more: Haider Ackermann kills it for Fall/Winter 2012
There were some truly magical fashion shows in Paris over the weekend. On Friday night Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz celebrated his 10th anniversary at the house with a raucous show and party, well covered by mainstream online media. Then, on Saturday morning, came Haider Ackermann. Regular readers of Fashion Editor at Large will know this is one of the few labels in the world that make me come over all fan girl. I profiled Haider a year or so ago for POP, (scroll down to the second page of the link to read the full profile) just before his current fashion fame, and knowing so much about him, gives me even more delight in his aesthetic and his success.
Over 15 years, I've seen a lot of fashion. Not as much as the true veterans of the runway circuit, but long enough to know when something is not just good, or great, but truly awesome in a shivers-up-the-spine and an emotional reaction in the pit of the stomach kind of way.
(via catwalking.com)
This happens at every Haider show; its a lot to do with the music he chooses, often a very moving classical piece; he loves a bit of Schubert... Here's an excerpt from my piece that explains:
What is happening with the cult of Haider now is that the American press and store buyer corps are obsessed with him. They love him; they sing his praises by releasing a torrent of lyrical prose to explain how they feel about his idiosyncratic clothes with their elongated silhouette, that music, those intense colours. Haider's is an aesthetic that splices North Africa and Belgium, but its the emotion they are reacting to as much as anything. Here is a little more background to explain..
Last night I was eating dinner in my hotel restaurant when I got chatting to a fellow solo diner, who happens to be a prominent American department store fashion director with an eye-watering budget to spend on clothes for her all-American woman. She told me, "It is all about Haider. We believe he is the man setting the fashion agenda for the way American women want to dress. The nipped jackets, long tube skirts, opulent fabrications and his vivid colours - the pumpkin, dark purple, russet - are pretty much the template for how we will move forward. Plus he is influencing a swathe of designers who are following his every move.."
We talked on, I was enthralled by the power a buyer and director of a large store group such as hers has, and with the simplicity of how such a seemingly complex and multi-layered vision like Haider's could be rendered so simple and commercial.
Haider Ackermann (via The Daily)
Until now Haider Ackermann has been the insiders secret; but if the current spike in interest follows through beyond the current hype come Autumn 2012, he could begin to reach the critical mass of his potential audience. That I would very much like to see.
This week we start you off with a delightful preview of the award winning documentary about Bill Cunningham the original street style photographer; the film has its British premier on February the first. Bill is a living legend.
"Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life."
Bill Cunningham
Chanel is off to Japan! Lagerfeld and his team have planned three events as a special treat for their Easternmost fans. In March, there will a winter couture show, a pop-up shop and an exhibition entitled 'The Little Black Jacket'. The exhibition, on for seven weeks, coincides with a book of the same name which Lagerfeld is working on with Carine Roitfeld, showing celebrities and other brand favourites, in their Chanel jackets.
Chanel waves the flag for Japan
More bumper business news from across the retail spectrum this week as Burberry, ASOS and Primark all posted recession defying results. At Burberry, there was a 22% increase in sales with particular strength, unsurprisingly, across Asia. It's the brand's stalwart pieces which are performing best- coats and luggage. While it is well-acknowledged that luxury labels aren't suffering as much as might be expected from the global downturn, word on the high street has been somewhat bleaker; Peacocks was the latest store to go into administration this week. However, Primark and ASOS are proof that the fittest survive. Primark announced a 16% leap in profits for the last quarter while ASOS saw an 18% increase in its share price after profits rose 10%, thanks in the most part to its global reach.
Cara Delevingne and Eddie Redmayne in their trench macs for the SS12 campaign (image from fashiongonerogue.com)
After much wrangling amongst the organisers of the big four fashion weeks, the clash of dates which looked set to overshadow the SS13 season has been resolved. For attendees, this means that fashion month will kick off earlier than usual with the New York shows beginning on September 6th. Steven Kol, CEO at the CFDA rightfully pointed out that 'there's no value for the cities to compete'. So, there will be no choosing between Katrantzou and Gucci, or Pilotto and Versace for those who skip to all four events.
Piero Tosi with director Luchino Visconti and Dirk Bogarde on the set of Death in Venice in 1971 (image from vogue.it)
Louis Vuitton has teamed up with Rome's Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Italian National Film School) to bring the worlds of fashion and film closer together. Over three years, there will be a number of projects to support Italian film and young filmmakers, such as workshops and scholarships. One of the first schemes to get underway will be a costume workshop focusing on 17th century design, with Italian costume designer Piero Tosi acting as a key participant. Like Tods, which is in the process of taking on responsibility to restore the Colosseum, Vuitton has taken it upon itself to contribute private money to protect another integral part of Italian culture, at a time when the public purse cannot stretch to such limits.
Hatmaking at the film school (imae from WWD.com)
On January 24th, a Prada museum will pop-up in Paris for 24 hours. Conceived by Francesco Vezzoli and the AMO Think Tank it could have the potential to create a bit of a 'moment' as its brings together films and sculptures which represent iconic women including the likes of Lady Gaga. The event will kick off with an exclusive dinner and club night before opening up to the public, who will now doubt rock up early to see the invited guests tumbling out. The three museum spaces, historic, contemporary and forgotten, will provide the backdrop for Prada and Vezzoli's message about femininity now. It may sound a bit obscure, but anything with the Mrs Prada stamp on has got to be fab. Talking of Miuccia, she got herself in hot water this week when she appeared to criticise the Met's new exhibit which will compare her with Elsa Schiaparelli. She told WWD:
“It’s too formal; they are focused on similarities, comparing feather with feather, ethnic with ethnic, but they are not taking into consideration that we are talking about two different eras, and that [Schiaparelli and I] are total opposite,” said the designer before her show on Sunday. “I told them, but they don’t care,” she said with a shrug, resigned rather than upset.
A statement was later released by Prada which claimed her comments were 'taken out of context' and that she was 'honored and proud to be taking part in the exhibition'.
Miuccia Prada on the cover of iD in April 2009, designed by Francesco Vezzoli (image from designscene.net)
After last week's quick dip into the sartorial goings-on in the US Presidential election, FEAL's world news radar turns to the Olympics where a row has broken out among the boxing community. The point of contention is whether female contenders should wear shorts or skirts. And it's not just a question of what is the best performing item, it does actually come down to the 'fashion' element. Skirts were first worn so that spectators could differentiate between the boy and girl boxers. Polish and Romanian coaches say that skirts should be worn because they create 'a more womanly impression' and are 'more elegant'. We're not sure that elegance is the first priority of any sportsperson looking to win a title so we're supporting Elizabeth Plank's petition for boxers to able to choose, just like every other girl can!
The Menswear season is in full-swing, moving to Paris yesterday after Milan earlier in the week. At Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones fused Japanese and Parisian influences; the work of illustrator Antonio Lopez was cited by the designer as a starting point. Further along, the Okujun silk spinning was used to create an ivory suit. The technique is UNESCO protected, and only 20cm of yarn can be produced in one day. The Vuitton show also mirrored a wider trend which began in womenswear to use more Asian models on catwalks.
One of the Asian models who walked at Vuitton (image from WWD.com)
Love this high shine parka/anorak, a nod to Japan on the belt (image from WWD.com)
Lanvin is launching its first eyewear collection and has made a video to underline the artisan approach it's taken to the range. Along with De Rigo, Lanvin has applied the same levels of artistry to the glasses as it would to its clothes. While the video may not have the catchiness of the dance of late 2011, it serves to remind us of the level of craft which sets designers like Lanvin apart. The question on everyone's lips, which ones has Alber ordered?
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...
One of the biggest trends which seems to be emerging from the SS12 shows is what we at FEAL like to call 'the new easy'. Essentially, this comprises beautifully cut basics in luxury fabrics which you can throw on to feel instantly glamourous and dressed up but also super comfy too. On Saturday, I viewed the new collections from silk shirt stalwarts Equipment and L.A girl about town label Joie (which counts Rachel Bilson, Blake Lively and Kate Bosworth among its fans) Both, in their own ways, have nailed this New Easy. At Joie, there are riviera stripes, jumpers perfect for throwing on over denim shorts on a Summer evening and pleated sundresses in lots of hot colours.
Joie
Joie- These two pieces make a perfect L.A kind of casual summer outfit
Meanwhile, Equipment offers something altogether more classic but still totally lustworthy- the Fash Ed could barely contain her excitement when I told her about their pyjamas for day which come in their own fabulous silk pouch. In my own Summer holiday fantasy, I would mix up the pyjama top and bottom options, throw on some heels and diamonds before hitting the bar for cocktails with Coco Chanel and Elizabeth Taylor.
A pyjama really does sum up this new easy and seems to me to be a very welcome off-shoot of the twenties and thirties references which are threading through many of the keys shows. One look at Greta Garbo or Joan Bennet in their easy, chic pyjama-y get-ups and any sane designer would see they had an instant woman pleasing hit on their hands.
Greta Garbo (Image from Rex Features)
Joan Bennet (image from hollywoodheyday.blogspot.com)
A smattering from the catwalks:
From this morning's Stella McCartney show (image from guardian.co.uk)
Silky nightdress at Lanvin (from catwalking.com)
Sheer at Richard Nicoll (catwalking.com)
Unless otherwise indicated, photos are by Fashion Junior at Large.
Street style blogger Hanneli Mustaparta mixes Tom Binns bling with a varsity jacket
