Wednesday 7 November 2012

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 Maison Martin Margiela PARIS

15th November 2012




It's nearly here! I remember obsessing over the Margiela exhibition at Somerset House a few years ago and some of the incredible innovative deconstructed reinvented items. Now with the help of H&M we can  get our hands on some re-released archived pieces. I have already shortlisted my favourite items:

Fusion of two jackets
High top in white
the oversized peacoat
circle shirt
candy wrap clutch bag

and many many more! 








Monday 13 August 2012

Fashion Britannia

Is it bad that the most exciting thing about the Olympics was the end? and not only because of the Spice Girls but for the excess of fashion that featured in the entire ceremony. Especially the British supermodels catwalking simultaneously in gold like a new fashion Britannia. 

Lucinda Chambers was responsible for the styling and she put her Vogue touch on Lily Cole (in a leaf brocade and lace  by Erdem), Karen Elson (in  Burberry), Lily Donaldson (in a sequinned corseted gown by Vivienne Westwood) and Georgia May Jagger (in Victoria Beckham). Jourdan Dunn was wearing a Stephen Jones headdress and dress by Jonathan Saunders. Stella Tennant in a trouser-suit by Christopher Kane. David Gandy in a rather dissapointing gold, almost lurex, suit by Paul Smith. Kate Moss and Naomi Cambpell in Sarah Burton for Alexander Mcqueen, stolen the show and both looked flawless.  





I must also point out that i nearly freaked out when the Pet shop boys came out in origami chariots wearing Gareth Pugh. 



The black lace tail dress by Giles Deacon that Victoria wore, looked amassing in motion but i was disappointed it did not film well, the long shots did not do it any justice. The rest of the spice girls should have asked for some help from Lucinda, embarrassing does not cover it, but we always love your fashion vulgarity from the very beginning. 

Now the Olympics its so like yesterday we can all move on and nurture those Olympic blues. 

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Anna Piaggi

1931-2012

The one and only fashion eccentric Anna Piaggi has passed away today in Milan aged 81. Another true style icon, always colourful and avant garde, she defined the 80s and put fashion into Italian households with her work in Italian Vogue "D.P. Doppie Pagine di Anna Piaggi". A muse for Karl Lagerfeld and responsible for discovering many designers and making them into international brands, such as D&G.

I am so glad that i managed to see the Piaggi: Fashion-ology at the V&A back in 2006. An exhibition dedicated to her "art of fashion".

Goodbye Anna, or more appropriate Ciao!


Thursday 2 August 2012

FANTASEA




My summer, well my "British" summer soundtrack has been Fantasea by the one and only musical NYC obsession Azelia Banks. 



Well major anthem for me is track 07. Fierce. You know when you are walking down the street and you are working the house! well if you see me walking and working the house its because i work it god damn it!



"I used to think I was fierce cause I was in all the houses I won trophies I used too much trade for dollars too let's see I'm fiercer now cause I got a job, I got an education and I got somebody waiting at home for me god damn it now one queen ask me the other day was it, she told me: miss thing you think you're fierce? I said: of course she said all queens think their fierce i said don't missthing all queens at me"

Synchronise your calendar
1. better get your ass queen and download the album 
2. educate yourself with "Paris is burning" by Jennie Livingstone. You can watch it in full here. The fashion is so relevant it hurts! 



see you at the ball! 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Balmain p/e 2013

Simply outstanding mix of denim military tailoring with accents of biker leather. As i have already mentioned on twitter Olivier Rousteing has created another amassing collection to salivate obsess and envy about.





I nearly died when i saw the hand-woven raffia jacket inspired apparently from the Havana cafe seats which for me it is the best jacket i have seen this season and i wish i had the money to put my name down.

So roll up the sleeves of your jackets sorten the hems of your pleated trousers.

Thank you olivier and if you read this please can i have the raffia jacket.  

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Alexander McQueen p/e 2013

Just a quick post about the other must haves for the p/e 2013 the dragonfly printed bomber or the dragonfly embroided dinner jacket or even the dragonfly wing printed trench. Nothing more to say but I am seriously obsessed. 







Thank you Sarah and McQueen studio. 

Thom Browne p/e 2013 " the lobster, the whale and the wardrobe"

First come pairs of silver brogues on the grass of a garden square in paris, then come the silver Fauns, then come the large fabric covered coils that place themselves over the silver brogues and finally the reveal of the model wearing another insane printed and mad textile combinations. According to the videos not a lot of people were clapping after the simultaneously revelation of all the models. It seemed to me either not excited or mesmerized by the theatrics. 




Whale prints and lobster prints on trousers and vests in an ironic and playful Thom Browne way.

For a moment you forgot why you were there while intrigued in the madness of his fashion show. 

Sunday 1 July 2012

Givenchy p/e 2013



Holly Givenchy! 



Ricardo Tisci has gone back to his religious Italian routes. The Virgin Mary, also known in Italy as Madonna, is featuring heavily in his prints.



He was inspired by what he called the “cult of communion”. He took the communion gown layered it and printed vestigial faces gave it a touch of pank and send the models out of an archway that was covered heavily by white lilies! The flower that is closely associated with the Virgin Mary! 




I love the playful references on religion and the heavy religious imagery printed clothing. 



Dior homme p/e 2013


Dior homme went navy for p/e 2013. Kris Van Assche introduced a collection strongly naval with military precision. 



It was again a very tailored collection with strong blazers with metal buttons but a particularly favorite of mine were the rope print striped tops. He also deconstructed tailoring down to the "bones" by removing piece by piece and replacing it with sheer fabric.To be honest if that was the uniform of the British Navy I would be down tomorrow enlisting! 


MUGLER p/e 2013



MUGLER for p/e 2013 went aquatic. Nicola Formichetti with the help of Romain Kremer managed to take men’s tailoring and eject it into another level or submerse it underwater even. He sliced, finned, pleated and pocketed sharp suits. His palette was based on oyster, sand, coral and what he called sea-foam blue. The short shorts are my favorite as well as the cutout tops that looked like a shellfish exoskeleton.



The music was insane but I was not very happy that he did not stream live as usual and we all had to wait for the full show. We let him off as he did post the show for all of us to enjoy over Sunday breakfast.


Sunday 24 June 2012

METALLICS

It is Milan fashion week and I have fallen in Love with the use of the metallics for p/e 2013! Versace &  Burberry Prorsum were overflowing in coloured metallic fabrics. 

Versace p/e 2013





Versace p/e 2013 





as I have already posted on twitter the versace show for me is:
"if roman empire had a love child with 1980's American tailoring and dipped it into coloured liquid metals that's the  men '13 p/e"


Burberry Prorsum p/e 2013





Burberry Prorsum p/e 2013




I want more metallics please! i can't get enough!

London Collections

It is the glorious time of the year when the tendances de mode for p/e 2013 are set! So far Men collections have been positively surprising and Technicolour fascinating. 


These are some of my London Men Collections highlights:


Topman Design (Love the Californication jock looks)





 Jonathan Saunders (love all the digital print tailoring)







Richard Nicoll (Love the precise geometry and futuristic sport modernity) 



Meadham Kirchhoff (Love the coloured squat after party looks)



Friday 22 June 2012

How to be a gentleman


Going through my old fashion magazines I came across Another magazine's interview with Tom Ford and his five easy steps becoming more of a new age gentleman. So please read, take notes and act accordingly! if I see another man wearing illfitting Havaianas and drugging his feet of the ground in the city I will cry. 



Tom Ford's five easy lessons in how to be a modern gentleman:

1. You should put on the best version of yourself when you go out in the world because that is a show of respect to the other people around you.


2. A gentleman today has to work. People who do not work are so boring and are usually bored. You have to be passionate, you have to be engaged and you have to be contributing to the world.

3. Manners are very important and actually knowing when things are appropriate. I always open doors for women, I carry their coat, I make sure that they're walking on the inside of the street. Stand up when people arrive at and leave the dinner table.

4. Don't be pretentious or racist or sexist or judge people by their background. 

5. A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.

Please just because its summer you don't have to share your fungal toenails with the rest of the world!

Monday 11 June 2012

Rumour has it



Maison Martin Margiela is rumoured to be collaborating with h&m. Nothing has been confirmed yet but I bet you a de-constructed blazer that it is true. 

That only means one thing, well more than one. A much-anticipated release day, frantic online shopping that will only bring the site to a stand still, long queues of fashion fanatics outside every store, some of them even overnight with the hope of getting their hands on one of the must have pieces of the collection.

These are some of my favourite pieces from the Margiela a/i 2012, I hope their collection contain aspects of all their previous work, weird and expensive fabrics and leathers together with simple but perfect tailoring.
 Shaved sheepskin trench coat worn with a wool smoking, a padded plastron shirt, a shaved sheepskin bag and metallic effect leather loafers. 
 Cotton suit with visible seams worn with a knitted camel hair sweater, a silver bracelet and metallic effect leather loafers. 
Wool, alpaca and mohair coat worn with a detachable leather jumpsuit, zipped leather gloves and sting ray ankle boots. 


Next collection that will hit the stores around the end of Paris Fashion week is the ADR for h&m, a collection of accessories by Anna Dello Russo fashion director of Vogue Japan. A series of clutch bags, jewellery, sunglasses and shoes with her signature opulence and maximalist style. Lots of Gold, turquoise, embellished lizards and snakes. 

We have only one person to thank for all this, h&m creative advisor Margareta Van Den Bosch.

What do you think about all these collaborations? 

does it take the edge of owning pieces from big fashion houses?

or high fashion accessible to the masses? 





Friday 8 June 2012

Yves Saint Laurent

The weather outside at the moment is hideous for June the 9th













so I am already thinking about autumn. 

It is like the eve of sales determine the end of the fashion season and the beginning of the next, and yet it is only June, the official first month of the summer season. 

Recently I have been obsessing over the YSL collection for the a/i 2012. The leather blocking, the tailoring with the bondage undertones, those insane mocassins with the metal embellishments its all I think about! The wool/silk blend jackets, the black plonge leather trousers, the cashmere pull-overs with the leather details love love love! Must have the black pull-over with the white razor blade print! 




Stefano did it again, and very well i may say! It felt like an creative eulogy, he departed from the YSL house leaving shoes so big to fill that I cannot wait for Hedi Slimane's collections. I should point out that the whole press-not-allowed buyers-only debut is killing us.

I will miss Stefano's complex and passionate designing!

Stefano Pilati