I know, I know, this is loooong overdue, but it's here now and it's one hell of a post. I might have overcharged a bit on this one, but I didn't want you to miss out on anything. Beware of browsers crashing on picture-overload (don't tell me I didn't warn you). I'll keep text to a minimum -this post is long enough as is. The shows were allright, not bad, not super-amazing either. Let's just say there wasn't anyone that REALLY stood out. But well, let's see some pictures, right?
1// ALEXANDER McQUEEN This is Alexander McQueen's last work, it was about 80 percent finished when he died and it's spectacular as ever.
2// BALENCIAGA I think this is a love it or hate it collection? I'm not sure I love it yet, but most Balenciaga collections have to grow on me before I really like them. It might just be the really light & pastel colours that look a bit off at first though.
3// CHANEL I don't know if you've seen it, but for his fall/winter Chanel show, Mr. Lagerfeld ordered a huge iceberg to grace his catwalk. Apparently he wanted to make some sort of a climate statement? Seriously Karl, that's a bit too much... Anyway, the first few looks were hideous fur outfits (yes, hideous) and the rest of the show was a bit of a letdown as well...
4// CHLOÉ It seems as though Hannah MacGibbon is sticking with her beige. Not very innovative, but why change when she's gathered such a large following? I like that grey look with the black bow, even more after I saw what an amazing illustration Kris Atomic made of it. (click!)
5// DRIES VAN NOTEN This is probably one of my favourites of all the shows. It wasn't his best collection, but it was still really really good. I'm already trying to recreate that look with the grey crewneck & skirt, I'm just looking for a nice crewneck + skirt (oops).
And yes, I even put up some detail shots! Loving the sunnies, yum! (Dries Van Noten collaborates with Linda Farrow for his sunglasses(GO CHECK THEM OUT!), as do many other designers, but his are always my favourite)
6// GIVENCHY
This was ok, not wow, but I had to post this because I really (REALLY REALLY) liked the red blazer.
7// HUSSEIN CHALAYAN These were just too funny not to post :)
8// ISABEL MARANT I really liked this collection. I'm not the biggest Isabel Marant fan (not because I don't like her designs, I do!, but because I sometimes feel she's a bit overrated? I don't know) but this collection was nice: lovely designs & great styling.
9// JASMINE DI MILO I'm not that familiar with this brand, but I thought it looked quite nice.
10// LANVIN Ooh yes, if you've followed this blog for a while you'll know I'm a big fan of Alber Elbaz's work. I wasn't really into it at first, but the more you look at it, the better it gets. I see a lot of one-shouldered pieces, lovely, and the last few feathered pieces are just too fun! (I do realise you'll look as if an ostrich just crashed into you if you're wearing that last dress, but who cares)
11// MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA This collection wasn't as innovative as previous ones, but I wanted to at least show you the last few pieces of the collection. I thought they were the most 'Margiela'.
12// MIU MIU I think this is the sweetest collection of all the ones we've seen. I loved it.
13// NEIL BARRETT Again, this is a designer I'm not that familiar with, but I noticed he made an awful lot of great jackets.
14// STELLA McCARTNEY I already loved her prefall collection for its simplicity & wearability, her main collection is no different.
15// VALENTINO A lot of ruffles, yes, but I think it works?
16// Viktor & Rolf Our favourite Dutch design duo. Yep, these boys know how to create a spectacle. If ever I were to attend a fashion show, I'd love an invite to theirs, just because they always have such a great concept going on at their show. What did they do? Well, take one model, dress her up in all she can wear, let the other models pass her on the runway while you (= the designers) gradually take clothes from the main model and use them to dress the passing models. (Yes, Viktor & Rolf were on stage the entire time, styling away!) Next, when your main model is only dressed in a pretty leotard, the process starts over again but in the other direction. Piling it all on. The last looks are the last few shots from the show, you can see the model on the bottom row, left, wearing a skirt, that was then put on the main model (middle) and voila, resulting in the picture on the right!
All pictures from style.com
I hope I didn't lose your interest halfway through this post, but well, that's it for the fall/winter 2010 season!
I'm sure you'll all have heard about Alexander McQueen's passing by now. I still can't really get over it, this is way too soon. I loved McQueen's work, if not always wearable, it always felt right to me. Well, I can't really explain it, but I do hope you know what I mean. Rather than showing you some of his greatest works, I'd much more love for you to read this interview. It's an interview (appeared in The Guardian a few years ago) between Joyce McQueen (his mother, who passed away just a week ago) and her son. It's pretty long but reads like a train, I'm sure it'll move some of you to tears. Hope they both rest in peace. Goodbye mister, we'll miss you very very dearly...
Put on this song while reading the interview, it's 'Philip Glass- Glassworks', McQueen talks about him in the interview and it suits the atmosphere just right.
Joyce McQueen: I would have liked to have invited the late Peter Ustinov for dinner, for his wit and conversation. Who would you like as a dinner guest and why? Alexander McQueen: What, if I could choose anyone? JM: Anyone in the world. AM: Elizabeth I ... JM: Why would you want Elizabeth I? The history maybe? AM: 'Cause she's an anarchist. JM: She's an anarchist? AM: She was an anarchist, yeah. Do you want to have a bit of debate on this? JM: Well, not at the moment, no. AM: Because, y'know, she kind of founded the Church of England under her father, with all the upheaval from the French and the Scottish ... JM: Who are your other ones? AM: Jesus of Nazareth, to check if he really exists, and it's not just we've been reading some Peter Pan book for the past 2,000 years. Or Mel Gibson, to be there if Jesus wasn't true.
JM: If you could live and work as a designer in any era, which one would it be? AM: Any time? Future as well? JM: Future as well. But particularly the past. AM: Let's stick to the past then. I'm thinking cavemen and loincloths. JM: What about Tudors and Stuarts? AM: Er ... I'm answering the questions! Most probably ... JM: What about - AM: I'm thinking ! Fifteenth-century Flemish, Netherlands. My favourite part of art. Because of the colours, because of the sympathetic way they approached life. JM: Simplicity, you mean. AM: I'm not going to get into a big art debate with you. JM: No, I'm trying to get to the bottom of why you like that. AM: 'Cause I think they were very modern for their times, in that period and in that part of the world. JM: You spend as much time as possible in your beautiful cottage in the country. Do you find that the inspiration you get down there features in your work? AM: I don't find inspiration there - it gives me a peace of mind, Mum. Solitude, and a blank canvas to work from, instead of the distractions of the concrete jungle. JM: Right. So it does inspire you in some ways then. AM: Not technically. Not country life or bobbing rabbits. It's the peace and quiet.
JM: As you know, I'm a Simply Red and Elton John fan. Who are your favourite artists? AM: As in singers? JM: Yeah, well, y'know, groups, whatever. Because at one time, you were very much into classical music. AM: Beyoncé. No, I'm only joking. JM: He was about, what, 15. I know because I've still got them at home. AM: I think composers. People like Michael Nyman, who compose an original piece of music - believe it or not, the artists today are inspired by people like Michael Nyman and Philip Glass, who come up with unusual sounds. JM: I know, I know, that's where pop music comes from ... AM: Nah, it's like the architect who designed the Gherkin [Norman Foster and his Swiss Re tower in London] inspires people, or Alexander McQueen does a collection that inspires other people to do different things and move things forward. Rap music's been around for too long now to be inspirational. The words are, but the music isn't. JM: You haven't given me an answer there. You haven't come out with a group. AM: I have - Philip Glass and Michael Nyman.
JM: All right, then. I'll ask another question. You have travelled extensively around the world but still have not been to the Isle of Skye, which is the root of your McQueen history. Will you ever visit that area? AM: Mmm ... yes. JM: In the near future? AM: Yes. JM: Right. And that follows on to my next question: what do your Scottish roots mean to you? AM: Everything. JM: Well, where do I come in? AM: [laughs] Oh you're from the Forest of Dean, yeah. What do you mean, where do you come in? JM: Well, your Scottish roots mean a lot to you. So where does your mother's side come in? AM: What does my mother's side, the Welsh side, mean to me? JM: I'm not Welsh! I'm Norman! AM: All right, Norman! Where does this Norman come from? JM: Well they come from Viking stock. AM: That answers a lot for an awful lot of people, I think. I feel more Scottish than Norman.
JM: You recently got your deep-sea diving certificate, didn't you? AM: Yeah, underwater diving. JM: Well, two of my family discovered the wreck of the Marie Rose, deep-sea divers. Just explains that you've taken up deep-sea diving as well. It's a follow-on really, isn't it? AM: So from the McQueen side I've got anarchy, and my mum's side, underwater diving. JM: The calm part. You are often described as an architect of clothing, and I know that you have a keen interest in architecture. What is the most breathtaking building you've ever seen? AM: Ronchamps, by Corbusier. JM: What do you think of the modern buildings in London? AM: I love the Gherkin. JM: You do? AM: I think it's fantastic. JM: But you don't like any of the old architecture in London? AM: Well, yeah, but it's not as nice as it is in Italy or Paris.
JM: If you hadn't trained on Savile Row, how would you have entered the fashion industry? AM: I'd have slept my way there. JM: Or, I don't know ... AM: Other ways. I'd have found other ways of getting into it. JM: Do you look at something else and say, "I could have done that as well"? AM: Photo-journalism. It's art for the modern times. I think it captures a moment in time that is spontaneous and that reflects where we are. The one I couldn't have done is be an architect, because I don't have the brain capacity or the patience. JM: No, you haven't got the patience, have you? You mix with VIPs, celebrities, aristocracy ... How does coming home and being the baby of the family make you feel? AM: I'm never fazed by it, because whenever I get home, Dad will always ask me to make him a cup of tea. So it's just normal.
JM: If you were prime minister or in government, what policies would you implement to make the UK a better place to live? AM: More politically correct police officers on the streets. And more focus on the north of England instead of just the south, on not so developed parts of the country. JM: What do you mean, "politically correct police"? AM: Well, not homophobic police, not racist police, you know? The police need to come down to street level. JM: Success has brought you financial security. But if you lost it all tomorrow, what would be the first thing you would do? AM: Sleep. I'd be pleased. JM: I said you'd go on holiday. AM: What with? I'd lost it all!
JM: When you received your CBE last October, you told me and Dad that you locked eyes with the Queen and it was like falling in love. What was it about her presence that captivated you? AM: I made a pact with myself that I wasn't going to look into her eyes. JM: But you did. AM: I did. There was a simultaneous lock, and she started laughing, and I started laughing ... JM: It was a nice moment, wasn't it? AM: It was. We caught it on camera where we're both laughing at each other. She asked a question, "How long have you been a fashion designer?" and I said, "A few years, m'lady." I wasn't thinking straight - because I'd hardly had any sleep. JM: You were nervous. AM: I was really tired. And I looked into her eyes, it was like when you see someone across the room on a dancefloor and you think, "Whoa!" It was like when I looked into her eyes, it was obvious that she had her fair share of shit going on. I felt sorry for her. I've said a lot of stuff about the Queen in the past - she sits on her arse and she gets paid an awful lot of money for it - but for that instant I had a bit of compassion for her. So I came away feeling humbled by the situation, when I wouldn't have even been in the situation if it wasn't for you. JM: I thought it was a great honour. AM: I didn't want to do it. JM: It was an honour for you ... AM: Yeah, but I had my views on what it stands for.
JM: What is your most terrifying fear? AM: Dying before you. JM: Thank you, son. What makes you proud? AM: You. JM: Why? AM: No, no, ask the next one: "What makes you furious?" You! [laughs] JM: No, go on, what makes you proud? AM: When things go right, when the collection goes right, when everyone else in the company's proud. JM: What makes you furious? AM: Bigotry. JM: What makes your heart miss a beat? AM: Love. JM: Love for children? Love for adults? Love for animals? AM: Falling in love. Source: guardian.co.uk
These are a few portraits I found in the october issue of Vogue UK. My scanner is giving me a hard time (well, it isn't exactly MY scanner so that probably explains that), so these 'scans' are of questionable quality. Nevertheless, the pictures are beautiful portraits of 4 leading british designers: Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Christopher Bailey and (Dame) Vivienne Westwood, all shot by Vogue UK's favourite photographer, Tim Walker.
Here's the last from Paris fashion week. I'm a bit disappointed by the few 'wow'-moments I've had during this season. Some of the shows I featured aren't really my favourite but I just wanted to share them with you (I couldn't JUST post Lanvin, now could I?).
I hope some of you managed to catch the live streaming of Alexander McQueen's show? Though if you didn't, fear not, click here. Go on, take a look! OK, the clothes may not be very wearable (the shoes DEFINITELY aren't, and if you ask my honest oppinion, I don't like them) but the prints are some of the most exquisite I've ever seen. The 1st & 3rd dress are actually kind of the same shape but it's really lovely, it has great movement when worn, just look at the video at around 4:22 and you'll know what I mean. Tight on the front and loose on the sides & back, now that's some serious pattern construction!
Phoebe Philo's back, after her exit at Chloé a few years ago, here's her first runway show, for Celine this time. Phoebe on the collection: "I just thought I'd clean it up. Make it strong and powerful—a kind of contemporary minimalism," Fine with me.
Next up, our favourite Dutch designer duo, always up for something crazy, Viktor & Rolf! Their latest venture: cut-away tule. I'm still wondering how they managed to cut a hole through the tule... Oh and Roísín Murphy was performing, she did a great job covering up her pregnant belly with a ginormous pouffy skirt.
Over to Louis Vuitton then. I'm not even going to bother showing you looks of the show because I'm not really getting it. I mean, afro's & clogs & pink furs make for some awkward combinations. Yeah maybe awkward is the only word to describe it. But, but... The bags looked fun, the colour combinations were very OK and the shapes were refreshing (minus the LV monogram, mind you).
And lastly, 2 more, Valentino & YSL. Both weren't that amazing but oh well...
Sorry if I sound a bit too harsh/very un-excited, but is there anyone very satisfied with the new shows? Do share.
