It's nearly time to snuggle into your Christmas jumper and be done with proper fashion for a week or so, but before that we mustn't forget that the next round of collections- Pre-Fall 2013- is trickling in slowly, giving us a little taster of how we might be looking a year from now. In traditional FEAL fashion, I've got out the Big Head to demonstrate how I might possibly look in some of my favourite looks so far...
1. GUCCI
Checks and tartan are looking strong for next Autumn. Gucci's woollen dress has a strong, pulled together silhouette with a hint of kilt, the perfect balance of chic and traditional.
2. 3.1 PHILLIP LIM
This is quite possibly the archetypal example of what a Pre-Fall (or Resort) collection is all about; it would be quite perfect to put on this entire look, walk out of the studio door and go live life, rucksack slung over shoulder. You'd be wearing key, hard-working wardrobe pieces with a fashionable but not slavish hint at trends. Winter Turquoise is looking like a big thing, following on from the Celine coat of AW12.
3. PROENZA SCHOULER #1 and #2
As a simple styling concept, Proenza's concoction feels bang on- take a monochrome colour block sweater, add statement skirt and simple heels. Done. It feels like a wearable, day to day move on from the final looks in Raf Simons' first Dior collection- the black jumper with iridescent ballgown skirts. I couldn't decide between the artsy blue optical skirt or the burnished gold so I stuck my head on both.
4. ALEXANDER WANG
Will we be seeing grey marl sweats on the Balenciaga catwalk? Possibly not, but Wang's Pre-fall draped luxe sport get-up seems rather fabulous to me although not sure I'd wear the whole look all together. The easy but versatile sweatshirt would be top of my list.
5. THEYSKENS' THEORY
Oh dear, I'm going to make another Dior reference, but don't you think this sheeny dress coat is a little bit like those updated Bar jackets which Simons did? It's glitzier and comes with what looks a bit of a nasty belt however it fits perfectly into the idea of wearing a jacket as a dress which is really sexy in a Roxie Hart kinda way.
6. CHANEL
I really ought to have picked my tartan choice from Chanel's Paris -Edinbourg collection, however I by far prefer Lagerfeld's interpretations of Elizabeth I attire, all virginal white gowns with ruffs at the neck. If only I had the photoshop skills to transport the intricate plaits which Sam McKnight created for the occassion onto my own 'do.
This has been a huge fashion week... Here's all the news you need to know.
ALEXANDER WANG HEADS TO BALENCIAGA
The murmurs (read, Twitter frenzy) began yesterday but this morning- as Nicolas Ghesquière began his last day- it was confirmed by WWD that one of New York's most successful and best-loved young designers is heading to Paris to design at Balenciaga. Here's what the fashion industry thought...
Congratulations to Alexander Wang for the Balenciaga gig! A new era...
Alexander Wang is off to Balenciaga (image via wmagazine.com)
JW ANDERSON TO DESIGN FOR VERSUS
Following the end of Christopher Kane's work at Versus, it was announced on Wednesday that Jonathan (JW) Anderson will be the first young designer to collaborate with Versace's sister brand as they head in a new, digitally focussed direction. We'll get to see the result of the collaboration at a New York event in March or April 2013. JDubz and Versus have given us a hint of what's to come, releasing this fabulous image by Bruce Weber starring Stella Tennant, from 1996. This photo has apparently inspired the collection. Bring on the New White Jean.
JW Anderson's Versus inspiration (Image via fashionologe.com)
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CHRISTOPHER KANE?
So now we know that Kane won't be heading up Balenciaga, but has got more time on his hands thanks to the end of his Versus deal, there is increasing specualtion that he might be getting ready to take his own brand to the next level. He is rumoured to have held talks with PPR who were behind the expansions of Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen's label. A Christopher Kane shop is something we would REALLY like to see. Watch this space...
SUZY MENKES
Whilst we all get our knickers in a twist about what the Balenciaga version of a Wang Rocco bag will look like, or what a Wang version of a Lariat will be, Suzy Menkes has been summing up the state of fashion now in her inimitable, concise and searing way. Her piece "Dirty Pretty Things" from today's New York Times is well-worth a read. Find out more about Menkes' approach to fashion and her career in this interview from AnOther.
Suzy Menkes has been guiding us through the current fashion upheaval (image via Anothermag.com)
J CREW OPENS IN LONDON
This is ridiculously exciting- J Crew is opening on Regent Street sometime next year- I've heard conflicting reports as to when. Some say March, some say "late 2013". I'll be saving my pennies judiciously. It's part of bigger expansion plans for the fashion meets preppy brand beloved of Michelle Obama.
J Crew SS13 shoes from this week's day
JUSTINE PICARDIE'S NEW HARPER'S BAZAAR
Sienna Miller graces the cover of January's Harper's Bazaar, the first issue under the new editorship of Justine Picardie, find out more about the writer and journalist- who penned last year's brilliant Coco Chanel biography- in her interview with the Evening Standard. The magazine will be out to buy on Monday.
THE BRITISH FASHION AWARDS
Stella's jumpsuit attracted many admiring/envious comments (image via telegraph.co.uk)
Stella McCartney was the big winner at the British Fashion Awards on Tuesday evening, taking home Designer of the Year and Designer Brand of the Year. Here's the winners list in full and a few videos to give a taste of the proceedings. As with all the very best formal events, everything didn't quite go to plan, The Telegraph's Luke Leitch summarised the evening's gaffes and standout moments.
The BFA winners...
British Style brought to you by Vodafone: Alexa Chung
Outstanding Achievement in Fashion: Manolo Blahnik CBE
Emerging Talent Award – Ready-To-Wear: J.W. Anderson
Emerging Talent Award – Accessories: Sophie Hulme
Emerging Talent Award – Menswear: Jonathan Saunders
Special Recognition: Harold Tillman CBE
Red Carpet Award: Roksanda Ilincic
Accessory Designer: Nicholas Kirkwood
Designer Brand: Stella McCartney
Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator: Louise Wilson OBE
New Establishment: Erdem
Model: Cara Delevingne
Menswear Designer: Kim Jones for Louis Vuitton
Designer of the Year: Stella McCartney
VOGUE'S DOCUMENTARY
You've seen The September Issue, read Grace Coddington's book. Why not make it a hat trick with Vogue: The Editor's Eye, a totally fabulous looking new documentary which will look at how the stylists at Vogue, including Coddington, get those thrilling shoots which sum up fashion moments. If you have access to HBO then set a reminder for December 6th, if not then we shall have to patiently wait for a UK release date. Tell us now, please!
VALENTINO AT SOMERSET HOUSE
Valentino; Master of Couture opened this week at Somerset House, making the stately building beside the Thames the ultimate place to be this month, what with the Tim Walker exhibition, ice rink and Christmas Arcade. Be sure to book your ticket soon. In the meantime, get a taster of what's to come with the second and third installments of the documentary about the exhibition. I posted the first film a couple of weeks ago.
In my relatively short time working in fashion, one thing (of the many things) I have learnt is that the industry can really pick its moments when it comes to potentially huge news stories. There's none of the bang-in-the-middle-of-the-working-day punctuality of, say, the Leveson report. Take the frenzied rumour that Christopher Kane would be moving to Balenciaga, that all kicked off bright and early on a Saturday morning while confirmation of Raf Simons appointment to Dior was announced on a Bank Holiday Monday. I really wouldn't be surprised if some major development weren't revealed while we're sitting down for the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day. In fact in the time it has taken me to write that paragraph, it has been announced that J.W Anderson will be the first designer to work with Versus on their new approach of collaborating with young talent. Meanwhile, in the middle of last night, Cathy Horyn published a piece which suggested Alexander Wang is set to take over at Balenciaga when Nicolas Ghesquière leaves in a few days time. The FashEd's comment on that snippet is "So Alexander Wang would give up his own successful business in NYC to be a salaried employee of PPR in Paris to design Balenciaga?".
Schiaparelli pink (image from vogue.com)
Another ongoing fashion rumour is that LFW favourite Erdem Moralioglu might be getting ready to take up the reins at the newly revived Schiaparelli. Diego Della Valle, who owns the label, has pushed back the relaunch from January to June which means there are only a couple of months at the most before a designer needs to be appointed. Unlike Balenciaga, where whichever designer is chosen will have the immediate legacy of Ghesquière to contend with, as well as the codes of Cristóbal Balenciaga himself, Schiaparelli has been a dormant label since 1954. As well as creating madly fun and beautiful clothes, Elsa Schiaparelli employed her surrealist aesthetic with jewellery. Her Uncle was astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli and she would apparently sit with him and study the stars as a child, maybe looking at all those sparkles in the sky prompted her to branch into making shiny things of her own? Her pieces were kinds of sophisticated satire on conventional jewels, using the usual materials but crafting them into vaguely unnerving pieces. The bug necklace below, for example, was meant to create the illusion of the wearer being inundated by hundreds of insects.
Schiaparelli Lobster brooch (image via debutanteclothing.com)
Schiaparelli floating insect necklace (image from brooklynmuseum.org)
The lovely Erdem, perhaps in preparation for his Schiaparelli role if we allow ourselves to get utterly carried away with mere hearsay, has created a capsule accessories collection for online retailer MyTheresa. To be even more tenuous, the range includes chunky crystal earrings and necklaces not so very dissimilar to Schiaparelli's mid-century designs. Is it just me or do you see an element of bird in the earrings? The range only launched a couple of days ago and some pieces have sold out already. Whether you're into speculating on fashion comings and goings or not, there's no denying that a Christmas stocking full of Erdem x MyTheresa would go down a treat.
Nicolas Ghesquière by Irving Penn (image via Vogue.com)
PPR has this afternoon announced that Nicolas Ghesquière, who has been Creative Director at Balenciaga since 1997, will be leaving at the end of this month. Despite his long tenure, the news comes as something as a surprise after fashion's recent period of "musical chairs" seemed to have settled down. Indeed, amid the excitement of the debut collections from Raf Simons at Dior and Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent last month, Nicole Phelps ended her glowing review of Balenciaga SS13 with a statement underlining the house's importance in the Paris mix...
"What Ghesquière did today was a reminder to us all that Paris fashion isn't a two-man game."
SS13 flounces from Nicholas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga
Rumour has it that Ghesquière has been holed up in New York during the Sandy chaos and was spotted shopping in Barney's and "holding court in [the] tea room" (via @JillKargman). There has been plenty of praise for Ghesquière from key industry figures as news broke...
Nicolas Ghesquiere unarguably one of the biggest talents in fashion leaving Balenciaga where he has been incredible
There is already speculation that Stefano Pilati, who recently left Yves Saint Laurent and had landed a post at Ermenegildo Zegna might be a prime candidate to take the reins. Watch this space...
Most of you reading will be familiar with terms like "having it all" and being a "super woman" which are used unsparingly across the media to describe how females in the 21st century could/should live our lives. No matter whether it is article in a women's magazine advising readers how to fit having a gazillion children around training for ironman triathlons and running a business or a scaremongering piece in a certain daily newspaper warning of all the awful things which happen to society when women work, there has never been more debate around the merits of living up to Helen Gurley Brown's ambition of women "having it all". Inevitably, fashion has picked up on this notion with an ever growing cohort of designers aiming their collections at women who are occupying roles both at home and in a work environment- see Lauren Cochrane's insightful piece in today's Guardian.
Frank Miller's neo-noir Sin City (image from wikipedia.com)
Pencil skirts and perfect black trousers are all very well, but we can flip this on its head and make everything that little bit more FUN. That's because alongside the office appropriate dresses and mid heels which are the absolute practical investment this season, there is a bit of cartoon wonder woman wit being introduced into the equation by the likes of Nicholas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga and Phillip Lim. Through his AW12 and pre-fall collections, Lim has become the poster boy for comparing the wonder women we all want to be (with a little help from our clothes) with the comic super heroine who's right up there with Batman and Superman . Lim told Style.com that "Everyone wants garments to be superheroes. This 'fill in the blank' should save your day, your week, your year."Thus, he gave us fabulous black/white tailored slacks and a completely chic, wear-everyday tweed coat but also threw "ka-pow" knits and accessories inspired by Sin City and V for Vendetta into the mix to make his own cocktail of literal comic book heroism and metaphorical wardrobe wonders.
Mr Lim mixes up his superhero comics with his his superhero clothes for pre-fall '12 (image from style.com)
Lim has taken his comic book fixation a step further for Vogue's Fashion Night Out. He's teamed up with Jan Duursema, a comic book artist with a speciality in Star Wars, and comic strip writer John Ostrander to produce Kill The Night which touches on all those issues of multi-dimensional lives but in a properley super heroine kind of way. It is described by Lim's people as a "A story of duality and metamorphosis, day and night, black and white, love and betrayal. Things are not what they seem. Look again."
Ghesquiere's concept for Balenciaga AW12 made the brand a corporation with models transformed into IT workers and Vice Presidents. While the idea was grounded in the reality of modern office life, the notion of something a little more cosmic entered the collection via a series of highly covetable sweatshirts with slogans like "Join a weird trip" emblazoned on the front alongside sci-fi imagery of skyscrapers and far off galaxies- a landscape which a be-caped superhero could fly into at any moment.
Balenciaga AW12 (catwalking.com)
While being a 'have it all' woman might be made out to be a pretty stressful role in life, I love that Lim and Ghesquiere are turning this on its head and imbuing us with a sense of wonder woman can-do attitude. This is by no means fashion's first foray into comic book fun. I've been doing some delving around and speaking to an absolute expert on the subject so tomorrow there will be a second installment with full on geeking out on fashion's relationship with cartoon superheroes.
Jonathan Saunders AW12 is shown against the backdrop of the London skyline (image from magazine.motilo.com)
It began in London on the Sunday afternoon of fashion week when most people were probably at home enjoying the final remnants of the weekend. For the fashion crowd, it was time to work and Jonathan Saunders underscored this by ushering us up sleek escalators and speedy lifts to the the 20th floor of the Broadgate tower to watch his AW12 show. It may as well have been Monday morning, had it not been for the setting sun which greeted us upon arrival in the floor-to-ceiling-glazed showspace. As we waited for the show the to begin, the sky was a soft orange and London’s skyline clearly visible from within the clean, corporate surroundings. A stunning venue.
Berenice Abbott's City Arabesque, 1936 (from Flickr.com) Her images encompass all that is evocative about the huge buildings which tower over us in cities
The very next day, Saunders’ contemporary, Christopher Kane, also chose a shiny modern office building as the location for his show. Fashion is not akin to associating itself with these almost spaceship like behemoths of capitalism, but it seemed like Saunders and Kane were interested in introducing them to their fashion equation. Maybe some of their biggest customers work in these places?
Chloe AW12
In fact, the overarching theme of the Paris collections that designers clearly more concerned with dressing the working woman, as opposed to the socialising women - though of course party dressing is always a bit part of fashion. Over Paris Fashion Week, the big players have been showing collections aimed directly to the heart of professional women and her wardrobe including Lanvin, YSL, Stella McCartney and Celine to name a few.
Stella McCartney AW12
Yves Saint Laurent AW12
Balenciaga's uniformed ushers (image from Jessica Michaults' Twitter)
In Paris last Thursday, Balenciaga overtook a space on the 27th floor of a tower in the Beaugrenelle area for their AW12 show. The vision of kane and Saunders was this time extended; attendants in Balenciaga uniforms guarded the entrance to the venue, as if to ensure that no spies from rival corporations were allowed through. Nicholas Ghesquière had apparently spent months with his in-house artist Dominique Gonzalez- Foerster to perfect his reimagination of the historic French house as a corporate machine.
The fogged up view across Paris from the Balenciaga venue (from Emily Sheffield's twitter)
Suited, booted and gloved corporate clones (Image from Vogue Turkey's Twitter)
He told Style.com that he has become obsessed with the time in the late seventies and early eighties when ‘France became Modern’. Perhaps when the private sector is promised as our only hope for economic recovery, there is a renewed fascination with how vast companies operate, both now and in the past, and the aesthetic which their hugeness entails- the uniforms, the logos, the company colours and dress codes. I know from friends who work in the city that they often end up wearing the same clothes and eating the same food as their colleagues, simply because of the culture which exists in their companies.
The corporate mood ran right through into the clothes, where Ghesquière used concrete grey, cobalt blue and black as the colour anchors. The shapes were sharp, futuristic and, all importantly, architectural. There were also sweatshirts with superhero cartoons emblazoned on the front, these emphasised the fantasy element of Balenciaga Inc.
Balenciaga AW12
Balenciaga AW12
Balenciaga AW12 (All catwalk images from catwalking.com)
Whilst in Paris this weekend, I found time between shows and showroom appointments to visit the Berenice Abbott exhibition which is currently on show at the Jeu de Paume (a mere hop, skip and a jump from the Tuileries show venue used by numerous designers).
Canyon Broadway and Exchange Place by Berenice Abbott, 1936 (image from www.artblart.wordpress.com)
Abbott, a photographer who died in 1991, has a varied repertoire which reflects her desire to show ‘the whole American scene’. Some of her best and most fascinating photography was done in New York in the 1930s. She undertook an almost decade long project to document how the city was changing during this time. Her images sum up what is really awesome about the huge sky scrapers which are now familiar sites in most major cities- the precise architectural thought plus the end purpose of providing a place from which hundreds of people gather with the collective goal of making insane amounts of money.
Broadway to the Battery by Berenice Abbott, 1938 (image from lalettredelaphotographie.com)
The Flatiron building, 1938 by Berenice Abbott (from www.photographersgallery.com)
Abbott said that 'New York is the most phenomenal gesture ever made'. Arguably, the period in French history which Ghesquière looked back to would have been quite different without New York's sky scraper prototypes. Right now is not so different- we may not be building these towers in the quantities of previous decades, but they are symbols of what got us into the financial crisis and what will probably end up getting us out of it too. In fashion specifically, there is now more than ever, a kind of admiration for designers who turn their creativity into good business. So who can blame them for having that on their mind when they pull a show together? There aren't many better ways of getting the message across than by holding your show in an elegant, corporate space rather than an old car park. Plus, as Abbott's work shows, these places are really quite beautiful.
Happy Friday Fashion lovers and welcome to the first Week in Fashion of the year. It's certainly no slow start to 2012...
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is up for a design award (image from Alexander McQueen)
It will be the resounding fashion image of 2011 and this week Sarah Burton's design for Kate Middleton's wedding dress was among the nominees on The Design Museum's longlist for its Design of the Year award. In further recognition for Alexander McQueen, the Savage Beauty exhibition (which is still on track to come to London in the not-too distant future) also appears among the contenders.
Miu Miu SS12 (image from fashiongonerogue.com)
A few interesting announcements on new brand faces this week. We're loving Mia Wasikowska for Miu Miu. The star of 'Jane Eyre' and 'Alice in Wonderland' fits perfectly with the dark kookiness of their SS12 collection. Not so cool though is this morning's news that Kristen Stewart (yes, she of Twilight megastardom) will be the face of Balenciaga's as yet unnamed perfume which will be released in the Summer. It's not that I actively dislike Kristen, it's just that she doesn't Wow. She follows in the footsteps of the aspirationally chic Charlotte Gainsbourg which kind of makes it worse.
Charlotte Gainbourg for Balenciaga (image from lafascination.com)
While us fashion press might have our opinions about Crocs, the ultimate 'ugly' shoe, it seems the world's love affair goes on. It was reported this week that the plastic clog company has raked in $1 billion revenue this year, a peak in its ten year existence. If any of us were sort of hoping they might quietly disappear then then we will be sorely disappointed to hear that they have gone from 'a casual fashion trend to a phenomenon with staying power'.
Rick Santorum is claiming the sweater vest as his 'thing' (image from latimes.com)
For Britain, 2012 will be the year of the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In the US, it's election year and Barack Obama is seeking a second Presidential term. Just a week into election year and we already have TWO fashion stories to report. First up is Republican candidate Rick Santorum who is responsible for reintroducing 'the sweater vest' back into the collective consciousness. He has hailed the sleeveless jumpers as central to people starting to notice him, he claims they give him 'power'. And should you be inspired to follow Santorum's sartorial lead, then you can purchase your own sweater vest from his website. Unfortunately, this also means you'll be contributing to his campaign, hence I'm not posting a link.
A cute photo of the Obamas on their wedding day (from instyle.com)
Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard in We'll Take Manhattan (image from dailymail.co.uk)
Shrimpton and Bailey (image from dailymail.co.uk)
On January 26th, a new film, We'll Take Manhattan, about the relationship between David Bailey (played by Aneurin Barnard) and Jean Shrimpton will be shown on BBC4. Shrimpton is played by Dr Who star Karen Gillan and there is thus plenty of buzz about its screening. From the images released this week, it looks set to be a visual delight. As part of the renewed interest in 'The Shrimp's' career, images taken by Ronald Falloon- a friend of Bailey's- have gone on sale here and they are quite gorgeous.
Jean Shrimpton by Ronald Falloon (image from vogue.co.uk)
It's hardly unusual for celebrity offspring to venture in their parents' footsteps- see the Geldofs and Jaggers for prime examples- but the moment when transformation from child to it-teenager takes place is quite intriguing. This week, Meg Matthews tweeted a photo of her daughter Anais, whose Daddy is Noel Gallagher, taken by Mario Testino. Although she's only 11, the image will surely get model agencies excited at the prospect of the dynamite combination of beauty and famous genes. Watch out Anais and enjoy being a little girl a while longer, however hard that may be when you have Mario Testino taking casual snaps of you. We suspect Noel was a bit pissed off.
Anais Gallagher by Mario Testino (image from Meg Matthews via Daily Mail)
As big fans of anyone who take it upon themselves to support young design talent, FEAL was happy to hear about the new H&M Design Award, details of which have been announced this morning. The winner of the International Award will receive a very helpful 50,000 euros plus the chance to show at Stockholm Fashion Week which, as judge Hilary Alexander says will 'catapult them straight to the front line of fashion'. Other judges include London design genius Christopher Kane and Head of Design at H&M, Ann-Sofie Johannson. You can follow the progress of the designers from Europe's most prestigious design schools (including London College of Fashion and St Martins) at the project's site. The winning designer will be announced on February 1st.
The awards season is getting under way already.Last night, the Critics Choice Awards took place and The Artist, my cinema choice for this weekend, swept the floor. Nevertheless, Meryl Streep is set to be the actress of the season and so all eyes will be on her designer choices- she's been loving Stella McCartney thus far. Yesterday, the FashEd bumped into Christopher Di Pietro of Vivienne Westwood, who revealed that the brand was in the final two for Meryl's Golden Globes dress. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled. And before you ask, Meryl is sorted for the Oscars apparently.
Christopher Kane styled by Francesca Burns for SS12
New season Jil Sander styled by Francesca Burns for British Vogue
We are loving some of the fresh approaches to showing the SS12 collections. Two standout favourites this week are British Vogue's 'Spring Forward' SS12 Spring Collections story by new Fashion Editor Francesca Burns, which is fresh with just the right smattering of quirks, and Steven Meisel's IVC film (a pun on QVC) for Italian Vogue. You can see it for yourselves below, but I completely love how they take a tired, outdated yet consistently cheesy and hilarious form of shopping and pop in the coolest, most desired new pieces in place of fish poachers and slankets.
A sale tip-off now: Hermes are having sales today and tomorrow of their Men's and Women's collections plus accessories. It's taking place at: Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London, W1K 5AB until 7 today and 8 til 6 tomorrow. Judging by Francesca Burns' twitter pic this morning, most of you are already there.
The Hermes queue, courtesy of Francesca Burns' Twitter
On Wednesday evening, I went along to the launch of Smile for London's new project for London Underground, Words in Motions. They've teamed up poets and animators to create short films which will be shown from Monday in tube stations. They were some brilliant performances from London poets, particularly fab were Salena Godden and Musa Okwonga. If you're not in London, or just fancy a sneak peek then press play below...
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