The FashEd and I are the first ones to extol the virtues of a fabulous fashion book. We are both inspired by them on an almost daily basis. However, this week I believe the ultimate alternative to the coffee table fashion book has been revealed. And that is the full, online archive of US Vogue. Admittedly, it is considerably more expensive than a book, but the wealth of fashion reference which a subscription to this service would provide is immeasurable. Not only can you scroll through each and every issue of American Vogue published since its inception in 1892 but the archive is also very searchable, thus providing a resource for tracing the careers of photographers, models, writers and editors from the past 120 years. The privilege of access to this amazing chart of fashion and social history will cost $1,575 (that's just over £1,000) but if you want to be a favourite with a lover of fashion this Christmas then this would be utterly perfect. I coudn't put the video here, but CBS news spoke to Anna Wintour and Vogue's Editor at Large, Hamish Bowles, about what it means to be in Vogue and the history and relevance of the publication, absolutely worth a watch.
'When I die, I want to go to Vogue' David Bailey
Me too.
I have a bit of an obsession with 90s music at the moment. This seems apt for today.
Welcome to the final fashion news round-up of 2011. It's been quite a year; the 'Who will go to Dior?' question has filled a spot most weeks since we began this feature back in June. We thought that the saga might be neatly tied up in time for Christmas when rumours began to circulate again earlier in the week...
Raf Simons, in stark white, couldn't be more different from Galliano (from anothermag.com)
On Tuesday, British fashion woke up to Dior and Raf Simons trending on Twitter- a sure sign that something was afoot. It turns out that WWD were reporting that the Jil Sander designer was near to closing a deal to move to Dior. As with Marc Jacobs before, it seems that the final details of the contract are still being fine tuned and we've heard nothing since Tuesday. Basically, we're not holding our breath. There's no doubt that if Simons is Galliano's successor then Dior will have a very different look about it to the old days of romance and excess. Watch this space.
(image from Huffington Post)
I think we all agree that Meryl Streep is awesome and talented and generally a top lady. This week, her amazingness reached new levels as she became the oldest woman to grace the cover of American Vogue.The cover shoot coincides with the release of The Iron Lady in which Streep stars as Margaret Thatcher. From what I have read so far, Streep's performance is quite outstanding. She has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and the consensus seems to be that Streep will dominate the awards season. And if not, Vogue has already named her 'America's Greatest Actress'.
This week, the shortlist for this year's Vogue Fashion Fund was announced. I find this a fascinating award because it is one of the only ways for designers to bridge the gap once they've left the likes of NewGen but before they become big businesses. It is a sad fact that due to keeping up with production demands, many designers do not then have the funds to grow again. The Vogue Fashion Fund has provided investment in the past for Christopher Kane and Erdem. They can use the fund to recruit new members of staff and move to better premises. Basically, it's the missing rung on the ladder. The only problem is that there can only be one winner so when the nominees include Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou and Roksanda Illinic the job of the panel is unenviable. We'll find out who wins in February when the March edition of Vogue is out.
Roksanda Illincic with models at her SS12 show (image from www.lloyd-evans.com)
Today, Phoebe English was announced as the winner of the Vauxhall Fashion Scout Merit Award. She will get her own full show at the Fashion Scout venue during fashion week in February. Phoebe makes beautiful clothes with an element of deconstruction. I've had my eye on her for her while now. Phoebe was previously a VFS 'One to Watch'. Big congratulations!
As the FashEd told you earlier, today is Christmas Jumper Day in our office. I feel like we are part of an obsession this year with making Christmas as anti-fashion (the more anti-fashion the more fashionable) as possible. Hence the Christmas jumper which was regarded as unbelievably naff and embarrassing gaining fashion points. Marc Jacobs has got in on all this naffness by asking his fans to send him their awkward family portraits, quite possibly inspired by all those 70s pictures of big families all in matching jumpers and scarves knitted by Grandma. Due to the relative coolness of his fans. most of the pictures posted so far are quite nice. So, I took it upon myself to find some truly awkward examples of the genre...
Two significant pieces of fashion business related news to report in brief now: firstly, Hermes, which is one of the very few luxury houses not to have been taken over by big investors, has secured a future free from takeover by creating a holding company which now owns 50.2% of the business. Yesterday, Michael Kors went public on the New York stock exchange. By the end of the day, the company's stock price had risen from the initial listing of $20 to $24.20 which is really very impressive.
If you thought models spent so much time travelling around the world that they would not get much time to attend to such things as home decoration then think again. Agyness Deyn's New York apartment is up for sale for $2.5 million. The pictures show an eclectic space which reminds me of a modern version of Diana Vreeland's apartment. We are particularly loving her Under the Sea bedroom...
A couple of sales to alert you to now...
Rainbowwave will be having a sample sale today (from 6 til 9) and tomorrow (from 12 til 3). Highly covetable brands like J.Brand, Husam El Odeh, J.W Anderson and Peter Pilotto will be on offer. It takes place at 146 Royal College Steeet, NW1 OTA (in London, sorry to any of you further afield)...you know you want to!
Circus 11 is on right now (until Sunday) at The Tramshed, 32, Rivington Street, EC2A 3LX. This is a unique kind of shopping experience. Shopping theatre. You can pick up all kinds of wonderful things from fashion to homeware to, er taxidermy. Tomorrow, Susie from StyleBubble will also be selling her wares.
One of the loveliest sustainable fashion companies about, Goodone, have also begun their seasonal sale with some brilliant discounts available. My favourites are the silk shirts and the blanket coat.
Finally, fashion film of the week award goes to L.Ady Dior. It's the fourth film which Marion Cotillard has starred in for the brand. Good fun and sunshine and satire of the L.A film star stereotype.
This Autumn/Fall has seen the re-popularisation of jumpers as fashion staples. So enthused are people about them that the fashion for them has overspilled into an ocean of nostalgia for novelty festive sweaters. As I write every single person in the office from which I pen this blog is wearing a Christmas Jumper. Lets flip back to fashion sweaters for a moment. Regular readers of this blog will know that in addition to fashion journalism for Grazia, POP, this blog and occasional forays into newsprint, the other string to my bow is as a trend and fashion consultant. I knew waay back in March 2011 that we would all be loving sweaters now. So since March I've had it in my mind that I wanted the "perfect sweater". In October after months of searching, and purchasing a few vintage duds, I found THE sweater at Austique, an independent fashion boutique in Marylebone. At first glance said sweater, from new brand Fine Collection, is an unremarkable waffle knit with droopy proportions. On the body it is a different story. The proportions are flattering; I chuck it on over shirts, blouses or dresses and it is a chic as.. Everyone asks where its from, and now you know! The label is French and designed by Ugo Bensoussan. Scroll down for entertaining and slightly surreal shenanigans.....
“Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette case in which, instead of tobacco, were carefully placed several mustaches, Adolphe Menjou style. I offered them politely to my friends: "Mustache? Mustache? Mustache? Nobody dared to touch them. This was my test regarding the sacred aspect of mustaches.”Salvador Dali
I found Marcel this morning. I LOVE Marcel. Marcel has millions of fans. She reminds me very much of my friend Brix. Only Brix doesn't sleep on slices of bread....
Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
Written by Dean Fleischer-Camp + Jenny Slate
Starring Jenny Slate as Marcel
I'm doing some creative research into how I'd like my redesigned website to look come next Spring when we relaunch. While meandering around online this morning I came across this film by the L.A based artist and sculptor Allison Schulnik, and was uttterly transfixed. It is brilliant, beautiful and sad but ultimately uplifting because someone created this, and that is a great thing. RIP Christopher Hitchins.
Credits:
Film by Allison Schulnik
Cinematography by Helder K. Sun.
"It's Raining Today" written by Noel Scott Engel, performed by Scottt Walker
It may be cold outside but there's nothing like a ice cream sweet new Louis Vuitton advert to brighten the day. After the merry-go-round setting of the SS12 show, the location for the ad campaign had to be equally evocative of innocent, childish fun times. And where better to go after a fairground visit than for a knickerbockerglory... And so Steven Meisel and Marc Jacobs chose an ice cream parlour as the setting for the campaign which only strengthens the message we got from the show- that is, you can't get too saccharine for Spring this year. The sweeter and prettier the better.
Image from fashiongonerogue.com
The models, a blonde and a brunette, are Daria Strokous and Kati Nescher. Both walked in the show back in October.Jacobs told WWD 'It is all very soft and very sweet, yet at the same time very bold and very graphic'. That boldness surely comes from the absolute commitment to sweetness which this collection, and these ads, show. There is also a lot of humour too, from the models' playful poses to the desserts waiting to be eaten. But there is still structure coming from those signature boxy jackets and, of course, the accessories. Oh Marc, you're clever!
Backstage at LV SS12 (Image from lloyd-evans.com)
Today's advent choice is a direct consequence of waking up to these images. I've always hankered after a Pashley bicycle and the Vuitton ads bring that wish back to the front of my mind. Apart from one of those Speedy or Lockit bags, a pink Pashley Poppy is possibly the perfect accompaniment to a Vuitton-like SS12 outfit. I say 'like' because I can guarantee that for those of us who can't quite buy into Marc's vision directly, there will be a wealth of choice on the high street for making your own version pastel-y loveliness. The Pashley will take you from fairground to ice cream parlour very nicely, without ruining the fantasy.
Louis Vuitton sent us these pictures showing some of the latest celebrities showing off their SS12 Vuitton. Although the dresses look beautiful, in a real life setting so much of that sorbet sugariness is taken away that these pieces take on a whole new vibe in my eyes. So basically, you can wear your LV SS12 on a Pashley in the sunshine, ice cream in hand. Or contrast its the lightness with a night time film premiere/ party- the choice is yours...
The ever elegant Cate Blanchett
The ever sweet Elle Fanning
Olivia Wilde (images courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Today's quote and video come from the most sugarly sweet character there ever was...
Last night in New York, Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewellery was auctioned. The £13million estimate was surpassed in spectacular fashion, the final total coming to £74.9 million, a proportion of which will go to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. As is always the way with the auctioning of celebrities' possessions, their value cannot be determined by carat charts or knowledge of the craftsmanship and rarity of the components. There is the star factor which is volatile and dependant upon who turns up on the day. Yesterday, buyers were clearly out not just to buy treasure, but the treasure of one of the greatest film stars ever.
The Taj Mahal diamond, given to Taylor by Burton on her 40th birthday in 1972
I have been captivated by the way this auction denotes the end of the material existence of the legend that is The Life of Elizabeth Taylor. Her jewellery collection (along with her eight marriages) meant that she was not just an actress but an almost unhuman, mythical figure, like Helen of Troy or even Cleopatra, whom she portrayed so famously in the 1963 film. It's funny how just a few rocks can have that effect on a person but the pieces she owned were, or became, part of the history of glamour, previously dominated by queens, princesses and aristocrats. Now though, in our more socially and economically mobile age anybody can rise from obscurity to myth, and that is exactly what happened to Elizabeth Taylor.
(Image from karipearls.com)
The evening's most profitable item was La Peregrina pearl which has its origins in the 16th century. It was sold for £7.6 million last night. The pearl was purchased for Taylor by her most famous lover Richard Burton in 1969. He paid £23,800 for it. Elizabeth succeeded the likes of Mary Tudor and Queen Isabel to the ownership of the jewel.
La Peregrina, mounted on a Cartier necklace commisioned by Taylor, image from Vogue.com
The diamond ring, another gift from Burton, which Taylor wore almost every day right up to her death (Image from graziadaily.co.uk)
Image from vogue.com
Taylor made her jewels her own, imbuing them with her own brand of legend. £5.7million was paid last night for the Elizabeth Taylor diamond ring. I can imagine that in 2211, the legend of the day, whoever that might be, could be the proud owner of the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, that name adding the kind of resonance which that of a royal from yesteryear might now.
And so to today's advent treat. I COULD show you a piece of Taylor's haute couture, which will be auctioned tonight. But I decided on a kinder option. This necklace is a completely beautiful piece of costume jewellery which will probably turn heads just as much as a Liz Taylor multimillion pound pieces (as long as you're not at a Royal Banquet or The Oscars), however it doesn't necessitate the constant presence of a security guard.
'I introduced Liz to beer, she introduced me to Bulgari' Richard Burton
The video below is the trailer for the film Cleopatra. I love how it alludes to the fact that the film has been much hyped and discussed, probably because of the romance between the film's stars.
First of all I must apologise for the woeful lack of Advent post yesterday- we are working on a big spread for Grazia's end of year double issue special next week and the day just ran away before advent could be attended to. So, to make up for it we have a double whammy of advent goodies for you today and both of them are cheap and fabulous!
I'm a sucker for some fab faux fur, to the point that I was confronted by anti- fur activist at the station a couple of weeks ago when I was wearing one of my favourite coats made of the stuff. I had to show him the label before he could be persuaded that my coat was not the real deal. So, today's picks are not even trying to look real. They will bring a pop of colour to your Christmas outfits. The muffler would make me feel like a little Russian princess while the orange trapper just tips over my usual boundaries of crazy, but it's Christmas so why not?
While I'm feeling Princess-y...
'Years of dreams just can't be wrong!' Anastasia
I can't believe we've held off until now to play you this song...
Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large
My first weekend job was as a denim grader for the vintage store Rokit. I've written about this here before, and I'm am planning a trip back to Rokit HQ in the New Year to see how its done today (probably not that differently, I'm guessing). During my subsequent decade and a half as a fashion writer and editor I've seen denim trends come, go and return again albeit utilising lighter more technical fabrics as befits the digital age. The current trends for coloured denim, skinny cuts and ripped up micro shorts mirror early 90s fashion pretty much to a tee. (The 90s are resonating now in music, fashion, protests, recession, even ecstasy is back in favour as a club drug.)
Through all of this I have been constantly evolving my taste in jeans and moving from one brand allegiance to another. Its quite a monogamous relationship I have with brands, I'm loyal with them until we split up; but it looks like I'm about to start an affair...
Apart from an ill-fated detour to Wrangler, the last few years belong to J Brand. I have moved through their Love Story flare to the skinny crop Bardot and combat style Houlihan. I'm now wearing the J Brand 811 candy pink jeans as much as is decent without being accused of being a style slut. The store, or rather I should say, the person who has seen me through all of this faddery, always on top of what is happening in the world of stylish denim, is Donna Ida Thornton owner of the denim boutique Donna Ida.
Donna is a dynamo. A ball of sunny Australian energy. She is a woman who refuses to call her husband Bobby by his first name "because its boring." So she calls him "Bobby Dazzler" instead. You've got to warm to a woman like that. When I first met her back in 2007 she had one boutique. Now she has four situated in all of London's Yummy Mummy enclaves, but this should not be held against her. I use her website Donnaida.com to buy replacements to existing jeans in my collection once I've worn them out. Recently, though, I've changed dress size, allowing myself to inflate to a size 10 after a decade as a size 8. In a battle between face or body, face wins. So now I have new denim needs: they need to slim my thigh and be high waisted so as not to emphasise hips. The leg cut has to be slim in order to create the impression of longer legs, and look cool as well as ultra flattering and subtle enough to befit the term "style staple".
I trust Donna, so along I went to her Elizabeth Street store (London, SW1), and she gave me the treatment. Namely Donna hustled me into a changing room and then stood outside passing in jeans from labels I know about, but have never tried or worn. The first was MiH, or Made in Heaven, a British brand which is the darling of fashionable women everywhere. The cut of the "Paris" jean was too square for me and made me look like I had bloky hips. Next she passed in leather J Brand jeans, which to my horror cost £875. They didn't fit me too well either. Apparently Donna sold 25 pairs of them the day they launched on the DonnaIda.com website. The other pair of J Brands I tried was the Jodphur, below, essentially a jean with a knee panel that flatters the leg shape. These were a contender until...
...Donna passed me in a pair of navy jeans by an Australian brand called Nobody out of Melbourne. I pulled them on, wriggled them up past my hips, zipped them up, and bejeezus if these were not the exact pair of my dreams! They instantly felt like a second skin, and did everything I needed them to do. I looked slim, leggy, with a feminine curved rear (not some flat shapeless butt), and I knew Donna had done it again. I would wholeheartedly recommend these jeans to everyone. I asked a younger girlfriend with a very different body shape to me to try them on also, and she loved them so much she went out the next day and bought some.
J Brand have got some competition at last. I would love to hear what your style staple jeans are. What jeans do you wear that always deliver and why? Here's a film that follows the story of the Nobody jean factory in Melbourne.
I like how the factory is so oldschool. I wonder if the blokes behind Nobody know just how damn good their "Cult of Nobody" jeans is? With a name like that, I guess they do.
There is something about Christmas which seems to make it OK to add a comic element to our outfits. I am actually all for this year round. Animals are my favourite; you will often find me wearing owls/ horses/ fish, usually in jewellery form, somewhere about my person. Charlotte Olympia, with her kitty faced slippers, heels and wedges, has done a fine job of be-catting the feet of even the most non-humorous of fashion consumers. I've spotted many a lady in a classic black jacket, perfect blow dry, beige trousers and, incongrousouly yet perfectly, velvety shoes with cats peeping out from above.
Charlotte Olympia designer Charlotte Dellal in her Tessa wedges (image from coolspotters.com)
These Tessa wedges are the ultimate in humorous luxury. So many mega wedges now just remind me too much of a stripper shoe to face wearing myself. But those sweet whiskers and pointy ears have so much of the kitten obsessed little girl about them that they could not possibly belong to a woman who is dressing just to look 'sexy'. These are shoes for girls.
Having struggled through T.S Eliot's The Waste Land, it's always a comfort to remember that he also penned 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', a set of poems, with lots of excellent words, which gives cats lives and personalities and which was eventually turned into 'Cats!' by Andrew Llloyd Webber. The below is from 'The Naming of Cats'.
'But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?'
And another famous literary cat, as interpreted by Tim Burton...
The Fashion Editor at Large blog is the independent work of Melanie Rickey, the views are my own. The Fashion Junior at Large is Bethan Holt. PORTRAIT: Neil Haynes
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