01|05|2016
“If I could wear any label forever it would be Burberry. It covers a huge span of stuff. You can’t go wrong with a classic trench and a pair of jeans.”
Emma Watson
TRENDS
TREND OF THE MONTH
TRENCH COAT
Image: Erik Torstensson
TRENDS
ACCESSORIES
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: WOOL-JACQUARD WRAP
Alexander McQueen’s wool-jacquard wrap is decorated with a graphic snake motif set against a contrasting gray background. This cozy piece is sizable enough to be worn as a scarf, poncho or even used as a travel blanket. We’ll be wearing ours with monochrome looks.
Image: net-a-porter.com
FASHION SHOWS
THEMES
TRENCH COAT
Themes from Fall | Winter 2016 | 2017 Collections
Carven
Isabel Marant
Images: style.com
SHOPPING
THE BOOK
ELLE FANNING: VOGUE AUSTRALIA MARCH 2016
Image: Boo George
MUSE
ELLE FANNING
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, We Bought a Zoo, and as Aurora in 2014’s Maleficent.
In 2011, Fanning starred in her breakout role as Alice Dainard in J. J. Abrams’ sci-fi-drama, Super 8. For this role she received positive reviews and was often cited as one of the film’s best aspects.
She received nominations for a Saturn Award, a Young Artist Award, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, a Teen Choice Award, a Scream Award, an MTV Movie Award, and more including a special Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
Image: Elle Magazine
BEAUTY
FRAGRANCE
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: MCQUEEN PARFUM
Alexander McQueen has teased us with some allusions about the new fragrance for already quite a while: they have been sharing information about ingredients on their website and even counting days till its launch. Now we can finally speak about this mysterious McQueen Parfum which is available on the official website for purchase.
According to the perfume creators, “McQueen Parfum is for the woman who blooms in the dark.” The composition is built around three seductive night blooming flowers: Jasmine Sambac, Tuberose and Ylang Ylang.
“Sambac Jasmine is the essence of power and romance. The flower opens under the moon, exuding a sweet and complex aroma until the morning. Tuberose is the warm, intoxicating heart of seduction. A rare and deep extract, it is both regal and forbidden. Ylang Ylang is the mysterious scent of a perfect morning. Most fragrant at first light, its exotic, yellow flowers are potent with a sense of renewal and transformation. ”
Additional notes in the top feature clove, pink and black pepper, as well as vetiver in the background.
image: fragrantica.com
NEWS
“HAUTE-À-PORTER,” A NEW EXHIBIT OPENING IN BELGIUM, CONSIDERS THE BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CUSTOM AND READY-MADE CLOTHING
Borders are a hot topic these days: At the same time that walls are being erected in Europe and being debated among Republicans here in the States, they are being broken down in fashion where fluidity—of gender, of access, of category—is currently the rage. “Haute-à-Porter,” a timely new exhibition opening April 2 at the Fashion Museum Hasselt in Belgium, charts the flow of inspiration and the changing boundaries between couture and ready-to-wear. Included in the show are garments and photographs by dozens of creators from the 1980s to today. The accompanying catalog includes interviews with leading tastemakers and journalists, including Vogue Runway’s own Nicole Phelps. It’s curated by Filep Motwary, who has worked as a (costume) designer, blogger, photographer, stylist, editor, and journalist—“I’m doing many thing at the same time, this is who I am,” he says—and brings this real life experience into a museum setting. (Yet another threshold crossed.)
Years in the making, “Haute-à-Porter”grew out of Motwary’s observation that the prêt-à-porter has moved forward. “It’s really something else than what it was before,” he explains, something more closely aligned with luxury and haute couture, which historically is the highest form of fashion, made by hand, to measure, and aimed at the 0.001 percent.
In the not so distant past, trends trickled down from couture to dressmakers, home sewers, and manufacturers of licensed (or pirated) copies. Then around came Yves Saint Laurent. In 1958, while at Dior, he added Beat touches to his collection and was lambasted. But less than 10 years later, he became a pioneer of ready-to-wear fashion when he launched Rive Gauche in 1966. Today, ready-to-wear is serious business, and it’s these collections that are copied by the fast fashion retailers.
As the prêt-à-porter grew, couture’s dominance was diminished, its relevancy questioned, and its role changed. Couture became a showcase for craftsmanship, fashion’s “lab,” a place for image-making and experimentation, as well as a brilliant marketing tool. In recent years it has even experienced a revival, according to Motwary, who points to a designer like Giambattista Valli who segued from success in the ready-made realm into that of couture. “You see [couture] designers . . . creating clothes that have a dream,” says Motwary. “I think that at this moment when the whole world is going through a depression . . . all this sadness around, I think that fashion is escapism.”
“Haute-à-Porter” demonstrates that fantasy can be found at both ends of the fashion spectrum, and it proves that nothing in this field is ever static. The industry’s prime mover, says Motwary, is social media. “I think this transition is forcing the creators to be more creative in terms of being photogenic.” Asked to define a successful fashion photograph, Motwary replies: “[One] that you want to put on your wall and look at every day, or be the person in the photo.”
Image: vogue.co.uk
