FRIDAY CATCH UP + FILM CLUB

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Bethan is out and about in the countryside today working with a brand, while I am off on my first trip to The Hay Festival with Mary who is speaking there tomorrow, (5.30pm at Barclays Pavilion if you're interested). She is presenting, in my humble opinion, her best lecture on the true nature of value in modern British society. I never fail to be moved and inspired by it. This afternoon I'm booked in to see Andrew Marr speak, followed by my secret intellectual crush Alain de Botton presenting short "How To" lectures from his School of Life series.

This follows an inspiring night with Ari Seth Cohen and his bevy of couture clad, peacockishly glam grandmas to launch his Advanced Style book, a spin off from his fabulously original blog of the same name. It was fab to see Sasha (Liberty London Girl) and her mother, Victoria; Navaz (Disney Roller Girl), Fred (Fred Butler Style), Allison (Thats Not My Age) at the launch which was at Mary's House of Fraser store on Oxford Street. Photos and chat with Ari to come. In the meantime, I wanted to share this truly awesome and inspirational fashion film from Nowness.com by Santiago and Mauricio Sierra with you.

Have a happy weekend!



THIS IS A TEASER..FOR THE FULL FILM GO HERE (Via Nowness.com)

She’s Electric

Santiago and Mauricio Hit the Gas in Their High-Speed Neon Short

Pop photography and filmmaking siblings Santiago and Mauricio Sierra take us on a high-octane night ride starring a vamped-up Alana Zimmer in their latest short, She’s Electric. Looking back on growing up in the 80s, the brothers drew inspiration from Japanese anime, Atari video games and Disneyland’s Space Mountain attraction to create the retro imagery. “We remembered watching ET and Back to the Future, and when our dad got the first Mac,” says Santiago. “It was an interesting time where new technology was shaping the vision of the future.” Previously creating color-bursting fashion shoots and sparkling campaigns for the likes of Interview magazine and Dior, Santiago and Mauricio cast otherworldly Canadian model Zimmer as their “perfect future 80s character” to sport the head-turning spring/summer beauty looks from makeup artist Romy Soleimani. “What we do isn’t film, it’s images in motion. It’s the new photography,” explains Santiago of their post-production-heavy technique. Adds Mauricio: “People can recreate entire universes out of nothing, and that’s one of the things we love to play with.”

(nowness.com) 

MYTHERESA.COM: CLEVER SHOPPING FOR FASHION OBSESSED BARGAINISTAS

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large 

One of my favourite online fashion shopping destinations is MyTheresa.com. They always have the iconic editorial fashion pieces of the season in stock; mainly because their rather awesome fashion director Justin O'Shea recognises a key fashion piece on sight, and then has the savvy to buy them in quantity. 

In actual fact, I've just bought the Givenchy silver biker sandals I've had my eye on all season from MyTheresa, and at a very agreeable price too as their 50% off summer sale began today. Right there in the above sentence is another reason why I love MyTheresa. Price is a key factor: they buy fantastically edgy fashion pieces from labels you don't often find online, and even charged at full RRP the item will be slightly less than the cost in GBP/££, so once in sale they become too good a bargain to pass up!

The Munich based high fashion website grew out of a bricks and mortar shop named, appropriately enough, Theresa, which is owned by husband and wife team Susanne and Christoph Botschen. Theresa launched 24 years ago; locally the Botschens were seen as pioneers for bringing luxurious European and American labels into Munich. Now, internationally the site is known for its great selection of brands and eye for European style that swoops across from Balenciaga accessories to Miu Miu, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent runway collections with much more besides. A lot of what you see on the site feels like a rare find because many of the luxury brands will only agree to sell online if the website also has a bricks and mortar store. If you haven't switched on to MyTheresa yet, I suggest you give it a whirl. Here is what I would be buying right now if I wasn't somewhat physically compromised due to being pregnant.  Givenchy glittery sandals will have to keep me going until then....  

Carven dress £234 from £333

Mary Katrantzou blazer £1,404 to £983

Dolman cashmere cardigan £359 to £252

Givenchy sandals £513 to £330

Erdem blouse £550 to £385

Marchesa Notte cocktail dress £702 to £422

Peter Pilotto shirt £504 to £353

Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony skirt £437 to £263

Samantha Sung blouse £269 to £189

Jason Wu jumper £719 to £432

FIRST LOOK: LOUIS VUITTON X YAYOI KUSAMA... THE DOTS ARE HERE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

It's here! We brought you news back in January that Louis Vuitton would be collaborating with Japan's greatest living artist and queen of polka dots, Yayoi Kusama. Now, we've seen Tate Modern's brilliant exhibition (which finished yesterday but is now going to New York) and we were getting tad impatient to see what Marc Jacobs and Kusama had come up with for the collection which is a continuation of Vuitton's work with artists, we all remember Murakami and Sprouse, right?

Well, I was poking about online earlier and came across these images on Trendland which finally show us what the Infinitely Dots collection is going to look like. Dots are what we expected and dots are what we get, whether they're in muted colours on a structured tee or bold, bright and classically Kusama on bow ballet pumps and perspex bangles.

I love that there is a dot interpretation for every taste- there's in-your-face pieces which play to Kusama's almost childlike obsession with the bright colours and bold graphics of the spot. But then there are more pared back, luxe interpretations like the monochrome sunglasses (in the top picture) with their round, sixties shape and gold detailing. Whatever guise they come in, if you know Kusama's work then you'll recognise her input in each piece.

It's a bit puzzling that the collection's official website doesn't show the product yet, despite the fact that it's on a couple of websites. Nevertheless, the site does give those new to Kusama an insight into her life and there's also an interview with Vuitton main man Marc Jacobs whose idea it was for the label to collaborate with artists. He says '"It continues something I began when I came here which is the idea of art and collaboration, or collaboration with artists. For many people who don't look at art or go to galleries, or maybe they're not aware of Kusama's work, there will be a new venue, a new place to see this work and to come to appreciate it through the eyes of Louis Vuitton."

If you remember the previous collaborations, then you'll know that part of the deal is that the distinct LV monogram gets a makeover from the artist- in these images we can see that Vuitton's luggage bag styles have been covered in dots and made in shiny, tactile fabrics.

Self Obliteration (1967) by Yayoi Kusama (image from www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern)

Also, is it weird or fabulous that the images feature a model who looks like a younger version of Yayoi? She has frequently used herself in her work and that fringe is pretty iconic- I think the photos are really fun but it also feels a bit like they're trying to recreate a Yayoi original.

The first drop from the Infinitely Dots collaboration is out on July 11th- it'll be mostly pyjamas, trench coats and jewellery with the second drop in October. Prepare for dot mania!

All images from www.trendland.com

MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY FEEL THE CFDA FASHION LOVE IN NEW YORK

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

It was the CFDAs last night. or Council of Fashion Designer of America Awards. Yeah, the acronym is much easier. Just wanted to point this out really.  Also that for the first time ever, the CFDAs are available from right about now to view on Style.com, with my friend and neighbour Tim Blanks hosting from the red carpet. According to the CFDA itself, the actual digital broadcast “will feature the awards ceremony from red carpet highlights and interviews through the final bow of the night."
It's a big deal in NYC, and always interesting to see who wins what, even just to understand the politics of the occasion. The winners are below, and definitely reflect the more populist format it has adopted with Style.com. Interesting to see Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and his girlfriend Garance Dore  win a joint award for their separate blogs. Also the billionaire former child star twin sisters Mary Kate and Ashley were deemed worthy of the Womenswear Designer of the Year title for their luxury fashion brand The Row. The last item of theirs I loved was a white leather rucksack with gold hardware which cost $17k. I didn't buy. In Britain the equivalent award last year went to Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. Hmm. I like The Row stuff, and the Olsen's have fantastic taste, but Designers of the Year? Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garcons picked up the International Award, but the designer considers awards as irrelevent, so didn't come to pick it up.

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row looking very chuffed with their award last night (via myfdb.com)

THE CFDA WINNERS

Womenswear Designer of the Year Award: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for the Row
Menswear Designer of the Year Award: Billy Reid
Accessory Designer of the Year Award: Reed Krakoff
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear: Joseph Altuzarra
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Menswear: Phillip Lim
Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessory Design: Tabitha Simmons
The Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Tommy Hilfiger
The Media Award, in honor of Eugenia Sheppard: Scott Schuman and Garance Doré
The Fashion Icon Award: Johnny Depp
The Founders Award, given in honor of Eleanor Lambert: Andrew Rosen
The International Award: Rei Kawakubo

CULTURE VULTURE: FIVE EXHIBITIONS TO SEE NOW

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

There are still two days left of our extra long bank holiday weekend, so we thought we'd let you know our top picks of fashionable things to see and do in all this magical free time we've been granted. If you should you need a break from all the union jack waving and cupcake eating, here are our suggestions of things to see in London right now...

DESIGNING WOMEN: POST WAR BRITISH TEXTILES

Following the rationing and hardships of WWII, Britain's textile reinvention is brought to life in this exhibit at The Fashion and Textile museum in Bermondsey. It focuses on designers Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler whose work is about as much of a departure from floral, cutesy, quintessentially English prints as is possible. A great tie-in with this weekend's 1950s nostalgia but from a less overdone angle.

Designing Women is on at the Fashion and Textile Museum until 16th June

Lucienne Day and her quirky textile designs (image from www.fetchingthings.com)

PICASSO AND MODERN BRITISH ART

Anybody vaguely art literate will be familiar with Picasso's work. Tate Britain presents a new angle by examining the influence his work has had on Brit artists such as Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Henry Moore.

Picasso and Modern British Art is on at Tate Britain until 15th July

One of the works on show... Picasso's Three Dancers (image from http://swowen9.blogspot.co.uk)

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

You don't get more iconic than a Louboutin red sole, it's hard to believe that they've been around only twenty years, so ingrained is his aesthetic. What was a world without the ultimate red sole even like? The definitive exhibition for lovers of footwear full of glamour and va va boom.

Christian Louboutin is on at the Design Museum until 9th July

Dream shoes... Louboutins by Khuong Nguyen (image from www.searchingforstyle.com)

BRITISH DESIGN: 1948-2012

One of the V&A's big exhibitions this year and another nod to the Jubilee celebrations. The FashEd has seen this and tells me it's a must-see. Spanning everything from the 1948 'Austerity' Olympic Games through to 70s Punk and 90s Cool Brittania as well as much much more in-between this is a comprehensive look at the defining design concepts to have come out of Blighty since a little before the Queen came to the throne.

British Design: Innovation in the Modern Age is on at the V&A until 12th August

Sex Pistols' punk iconography (image from fastyling.blogspot.co.uk)

THE BODY ADORNED

Walking around London, it soon become pretty obvious that around every corner a new culture and its influences can be discovered. This show, which forms part of the Culturl Olympiad, at the Horniman looks at many of the ways Londoners chose to express themselves and the cultures they identify with, whether that's wearing  sari, getting a tattoo or having our nails done.

The Body Adorned is on at The Horniman until 6th January 2013

Urban Street portraits by young people, part of The Body Adorned (image from horseman.ac.uk)