Of Eye Shadow and Politics

You may think that there's nothing behind Karl Lagerfeld's sunglasses except powdered ponytails and Beloved Baptiste, but Aunty Karla surprised me by whipping out his Shu Eumura eyeshadows for this sketch to commemorate President Obama's  second term in the White House. A little clicking later yielded more unusual subjects like the portrait of Steve Jobs. Of course there were the usual ones of Chanel, I liked that one where Chanel is talking about the mini - obviously, Chanel is a mouthpiece for Aunty Karla's own thoughts by now - Lagerfeld is Chanel!  

SLUT!

Let's all pray (to the fashion gods) that this controversy never dies down!

Robert Pattinson wore Gucci

Robert Pattinson wore a Gucci  micro houndstooth, two button suit, shirt and tie. Pat Pat is looking impossibly dapper and dry browed isn't he? At the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 premiere in LA Live in on November 12. 

Four Movies and a Flight

On a recent trip, I buckled down with the goal of watching four movies by the time I got home, flying not being one of my favourite things to do. I don't like anything about flying do you? These were the four movies I watched: 
To Rome With Love

He's taken us to London, Barcelona, Paris and now Woody Allen has landed us at yet another luxury-tourist European capital, Rome. It's pretty and escapist and great in that honeyed sunset lighting and picturesque and familiar setting kind of way. In this ensemble/omnibus movie (it's got Judy Davis, who's always so droll!), not all the jokes come off, but on the whole it is engaging, undemanding fun with gags that are one-liners but milked for slightly more than its worth. It's a warm, slight movie, far from the greatness of his earlier ones, but fun nonetheless. I want to highlight that Allen's movies are always nicely styled, and all the actors look prosperous and attractive. I was especially thrilled to see the patrician Flavio Parenti (below), whom I first discovered in I Am Love in this movie playing the activist/lawyer Michelangelo. And Jesse Eisenberg who plays the architecture student is creamy-cute!

Bel Ami

Pat Pat and Kristin Scott Thomas

Can you resist a costumer with Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas? Robert PatPat plays a pale, vampiric Belle Epoque social-climber with greasy hair under his hat and suggestively poufy breeches and seduces both Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Of course I had to watch this! Adapted from a novel by Guy de Maupassant, the unsympathetic protagonist, a would-be journalist, Georges Duroy clambers clumsily from a roach-infested garret to the poshest salons of literary Paris. I've never read the book, and the movie doesn't make me want to, as the script seems sketchy and cliched and none of the characters seem particularly sympathetic or indeed interesting. I think the story's point is that Pat Pat  is both foxy and self-deluding, but Pat Pat just comes off as petulant and sulky and in need of a good shampoo. Pat Pat always looks clammy and unwashed and I'm sure Ms Scott Thomas (who seems to be in a separate, better movie) must have fought the urge to bury her nose in a hanky doused with Jicky. There's lots of Pat Pat's white, thickly-fleshy body in this movie if that's what you are into.
No judgements!

Farewell, My Queen

This much lauded period piece about the French Revolution is told from the perspective of a servant to Marie Antoinette in Benoit Jacquot’s rather claustrophobic film. Most of the film is situated in smallish chambers or hallways and seems unfamiliar, a sort of 'fresh take', I suppose, but one does like a bit of grandeur and pomp in period movies, doesn't one? Sidonie Laborde (Lea Seydoux) is the queen’s devoted “reader,” and Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger), who spends most of her time considering patterns for new dresses and dithering over her infatuation with the beautiful Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen in too brief an appearance) seems mostly bored out of her wigs. It's not escapist fare and I clutch at the introduction of  a handsome gondolier (Vladimir Consigny), who isn't even necessary to the plot. How sad. This movie could be of special interest to history buffs, who will appreciate the “behind-the-scenes” speculation, but I'm not sure this is all that good an idea for in-flight entertainment. Much has been made of Ms Kruger's portrayal of Marie Antoinette, but I almost want to say I prefer KiKi Dunst's in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. 

Magic Mike 

Could I have missed this?
This is the perfect movie to watch just before you land because it's silly fun, and you can rush through it with your finger on the forward button and still enjoy it entirely. Inspired by Channing Tatum's stint as a male stripper, director Steven Soderbergh's comedy uncovered Alex Pettyfer for me, and that's enough. He's dreamy and a Brit and if you can hug his image all the way to the hotel like a double cashmere coat . Matthew McConaughey is the big daddy stripper, and despite the chocolate bar abs doesn't register as sexy. There's just a hint of erotic energy (unapologetically targetting the reliable gay dollar)- there's ample, if unthreatening, man candy, of course, fit for the mainstream. The script isn't polished or strong on character with no narrative originality or emotion, you don't really care about the girlfirends, and the poverty and drugs never seems real. But you can almost read this movie as a bromance because it seems more about male camaraderie and the buddy element is the emotional core of the movie. If anything, the friendship between Tatum and Pettyfer is the main narrative - it's Brokeback Lite. The Chinese uncle sitting next to me was so riveted by the stripping scenes that he actually leaned over and asked me what I was watching - I told him, pointing to the title in the the menu, and then he turned it on, put on his headphones and studiously ignored me me for the rest of the movie. Well, at least one person enjoyed the flight.

V for Very Nice

What a fresh and inspired cover by Jean Paul Goude (styled by Carine Roitfeld) and it does so say Hitchcock and Psycho at the same time, which is what effective communication should be? Pity though that you can't quite tell that she's supposed to be Scarlett Johansson?

“I think that something needs to be weird in order to have a real beauty. Beauty can be quite boring, especially if you’re talking about beauty that doesn’t last. And what lasts is exactly the thing that maybe wasn’t pretty at first — it comes over time to be beautiful or interesting or exciting.”— Carine Roitfeld

Sayonara Vogue Homme Japan

If you see certain young (and not so young) people of varied genders (wearing bowl cuts and Rick Owens boots) sighing and wringing their wrists in despair, you will know the reason: Their style bible, Vogue Hommes Japan will cease publication following its September 2012 issue. 

They all think a naked torso and rubber gloves = edgy but one needs to ask  "why"?

Launched in September 2008 as the geisha counterpart to the long-running and L'Uomo Vogue, Condé Nast Japan has pulled the plug on Vogue Hommes Japan to shift its resources to launch a Japanese version of GQ Style. GQ Style will, similarly, be a semiannual standalone entity (first issue September 2013). Masafumi Suzuki, the current editor of GQ Japan, will oversee the publication.
Vogue Hommes Japan fashion director Ms Nicola Formichetti (also the creative director of fashion house Mugler, the long-time collaborator of Lady Gaga's and the fashion director of high street store Uniqlo), said Condé Nast had decided to switch its men's publication globally from Vogue to GQ Style. The Chinese, Brazilian and American editions of the publication all met a similar fate, folding within five years of their launch. 

How creative is this? Batman mask and lipstick? Black and white picture?  Naked guy? 

Ms Formichetti sighed: "I loved the issues we made. Each issue was a chance to collaborate with the best creatives in the world. Our goal was to push the boundaries of fashion and oh boy did we take it there!" If indeed they were the world's best creatives, then the world is a poor, desolate place, because besides bringing a certain narrow camp, theatrical aesthetic to light, I don't see what the magazine's virtues are. Certainly, none of it is particularly groundbreaking or relevant, given the excesses already familiar in all sorts of Japanese media. 

Ms Formichetti also hinted that he is set to pursue a new print venture (horrors, roll eyes) with two of his colleagues from Vogue Hommes Japan. 

Calvin Klein As One

Last week, Calvin Klein fashion was reunited under one roof with its underwear and jeans division after fashion group Phillips-Van Heusen agreed to buy rival Warnaco for USD 2.9 bn (£1.8 bn). The deal comes 15 years after the CK underwear and jeans businesses were licensed to Warnaco. 
The entire Calvin Klein universe will now come under the control of Tom Murry, who has been in charge of Calvin Klein at Phillips-Van Heusen. Having global control of the two largest apparel categories for Calvin Klein – jeans and underwear – will allow Phillips-Van Heusen to unlock the full potential of this powerful designer brand. Phillips-Van Heusen bought the Calvin Klein brand in 2003, which was established by Mr Calvin Klein in the late 1960s, it went on to transform the men's underwear market in the 1980s and propelled its advertising models to fame. The sale will be finalised next year.

Balenciaga, Goodbye

What is the fashion world coming to? Balenciaga is said to be in advanced negotiations with a successor to its star designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, 41, whose surprise departure has rocked the fashion industry. A shortlist of candidates already exists, as the label's designer of 15 years would leave on 30 November, promising that this transition will not be the drawn-out one like the recent drama at Dior. Dior took a year to name Raf Simons as successor to its disgraced designer John Galliano.

Ghesquiere's parting with Balenciaga was unexpected to say the least. The company’s announcement said that the parting was “a joint decision”. Ghesquiere is one of the darlings of fashion, and unarguably one of fashion's biggest talents whose collections for Balenciaga received critical raves. He has designed for the label since 1997, reviving the label and making Balenciaga relevant for a new generation.

Originally founded in 1937 by Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga, the house was known for a sculptural use of volume, sharp suits and colour, until Balenciaga retired in 1968. Ghesquière gave these codes a modern touch and was one of the first to dust off an iconic house and introduce a whole new generation of fans to the brand.

THE KATE MOSS EXPLOSION

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." - Kate

I haven't been this excited over a magzine all year! December's Vanity Fair brings to us a Kate Moss explosion: with the stunning cover, and the news is that a new coffee-table book dedicated to Kate, 38, is now in bookstores. Kate: The Kate Moss Book is a deluxe retrospective of the work of the world's most famous model (by the predictable roster of photographers Mario Testino, Karl Lagerfeld and Hedi Slimane), it is co-edited with Jefferson Hack, her ex and the father of her daughter, Lila Grace, 7.

With Christy Turlington (the unlikeliest BFFs?)

We've been staring at Kate's face for over 30 years now, and we're still staring at her covers and campaigns. Meanwhile she's been raking in her millions – as of now, she's still one of the highest paid models in the world – and that means one of the highest paid models of ALL TIME. But what she really thinks and really feels, is closely guarded, as sphinx-like, she rarely grants interviews or comments to the press; Is this a strategy to keep us all interested? Because the silence surely increases the impact of some the most facile of her revelations.

Why do I fond her fascinating? I think it has to do with the triumphant durability of the one least likely to succeed - the little flawed one that could and did. Kate has achieved the longevity - the permanence - that no other model before her has despite not being the most beautiful or amazonian. She is snaggle-toothed, bow-legged, wonky-eyed. Yet, she has worked in fashion for over three minutely-recorded decades: in that time, Kate launched trends, defined styles, became an icon, the very definition of what it means to be a model. Other iconic models have been frozen irrevocably as the definition of an era – Twiggy will always mean the 1960s, Lauren Hutton the 1970s, Jamie Dickenson the 1980s. Linda Evangelista the 1990s – and though they enjoy pop-up revivals, only Kate represents the constantly evolving face of fashion. Three decades in fashion is a long time.

She was the scrawny face of grunge in the early 1990s, and her name became synonymous with heroin chic by the mid 1990s. At the turn of the Noughties, she morphed into a rocker chick. Her wide appeal enabled her to appear in ad campaigns for brands pitched at every segment of the market from Rimmel to Louis Vuitton. She has sold everything to everyone.

Kate became a celebrity in her own right. Celebrity culture, as the internet took hold, made Kate a star: her appeal flourished in a thousand stylish outfits with nary a wardrobe malfunction in sight. Or rather, her wardrobe malfunctions became style signatures. It was her personal clothes, her choices, rather than any particular label, that people noticed and coveted. This was quickly parlayed into profit in 2007, when she collaborated with Topshop on a line for which she was reportedly paid £3m. She launched her own perfume, published a book, and designed for Longchamp.

Candid images from her life, which are ubiquitous, had as much impact as her ever-growing portfolio of magazine covers (more than 400). Pictures of Kate with her various boyfriends including Johnny Depp, the pasty Pete Doherty, the effete Jefferson Hack, her husband (Kills musician) Jamie Hince are commonplace, as are images of her living the model life in Glastonbury, Ibiza or Phuket. Whether at her local or the Ritz,

Kate was always a newsmaker: back when she started, she was criticised for promoting anorexia. Her association with heroin chic continues to dog her, and exploded in the 2005 scandal when The Daily Mirror ran photos of her apparently snorting cocaine. Although she was never charged with any drug offences, she retreated to rehab at The Meadows, after losing lucrative contracts with H&M, Burberry and Chanel. But in no time, she staged a blazing comeback with Burberry and Chanel and within a year, her earnings reportedly doubled from before the scandal.

Basically, the Vanity Fair interview could have been titled "Poor Thing Kate": it purportedly is about how sad  her early experiences in the fashion industry were, and how vulnerable she really is/was. For instance, at the July 1990 cover shoot for the Face that launched her career, with late photographer Corinne Day, Kate locked herself in a lavatory and cried because she was asked to go topless. Fabien Baron, then creative director for Calvin Klein's controversial ads, gave her an eight-year contract for the company because of those pictures. But for shooting a set by Herb Ritts, in which she posed with Mark Wahlberg, Kate had another melt-down. "It didn't feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn't like it. I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die."

These revelations feel inauthentic, and disingenuous, because Kate's entire ouvre seemed to be one big orgy of exposure. What's your take on Kate's fascination?

Robert Pattinson's Halloween Special

This may not strike you as a particularly happy marriage but Robert Pattinson has reportedly (LA Times) signed on as the new face of men's fragrances for Christian Dior Parfum. The alleged deal would fetch the always greasy and unshaven Pat Pat around $12 million over three years for multiple ad campaigns.This would be the first significant endorsement for Pat Pat, as he's focused primarily on staying as white as a lump of unwashed whale fat sweating is a dank underground chamber. Let's hope Pat Pat will do a Mrs Brad Jolie in those Chanel No 5 ads and give us another good reason to turn up our noses. I can't wait.

Naked Men Exhibition Causes a Reaction

If you've always suspected that the nude male form is a work of art, you're more unique than you think. Vast swathes of the world are still afraid of the nude male body - which seems rather strange given social media and fashion mags which proliferate with such images.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Shepherd Boy (Tank Top), (2009)

The prestigious Leopold Museum in Vienna has sparked controversy with Naked Men, an exhibition on the theme of... naked men. Posters advertising the show around Vienna have been covered up with red gaffer tape and some have been removed altogether.

The show includes works spanning the period from the Enlightenment until the present, supplemented by important reference works from ancient Egypt, Greek vase paintings and works from the Renaissance. In other words, nothing that you won't immediately see once you log onto the internet. Beginning with Ancient Greece, the exhibition addresses the depiction of men through the ages. Another focus is on the nude self-portraits of the Expressionists Egon Schiele and Richard Gerstl as well as the change in the perception of naked men after 1945. On display are works by Albrecht Dürer, Peter Paul Rubens, Paul Cézanne, Auguste Rodin, Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Giovanni Giacometti, Egon Schiele, Maria Lassnig, Andy Warhol, Alfred Hrdlicka, Günter Brus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Heimo Zobernig and others.At the turn of the century, Klimt believed that nakedness and truth coincided and Egon Schiele began to make his own body the object of his paintings. Expressionism brought with it a radical examination of the self, which saw the artists exposing themselves both physically and existentially and exploring the use of their own nudity.


The exhibition unites examples of many different genres and is on until January 2013.

Brad Pitt in Chanel No 5 advert

Those who are determined to be kind, or merely politically correct, will focus on the millions of dollars that Mrs Jolie has earned to make and market this commercial. I'm not one of those. I'm a fan of Chanel perfumes and their iconic commercials, of which there have been some fine ones over the years - but this one I find a right howler. Whatever Mrs Jolie's making is too, too much for something so crushingly dull and inane. It's no mean feat to be so boring in the short 30 second film (and I suppose that is a talent in itself). But unless you're an orphan waiting to join the Jolie household, you will be quite bored, click on the the video and yawn for yourself? Wasn't Mrs Jolie once the hottest cameo alive circa Thelma and Louise? At which point did he degenerate into this leaden, crusty number in the Jolie entourage? Did Jennifer Aniston have something to do with it? Not only does this commercial not add to, or explain Mrs Jolie's appeal, it hardly adds anything to the mystique of the planet's best-selling perfume. 

How I miss the signature jazz tunes of the classic Chanel ads and the iconic beauties. My all-time favourite has to be the Ridley Scott one starring Carole Bouquet.  Now that's a commercial! 

A FASHION FAIRYTALE: NOTES ON THE MEN

Adam Tan: 

He was initially thought to be around 35, but I think as I wrote him, he became a bit older in my mind. I had in mind the owner of a fashion retail and distributing company, but really, the image is of a 'suit' figure. I think in my mind's eye, he really is made up of all the suits I have known, the money men, the bankers and etc.

It is assumed that Adam Tan got to know Dana Lee through fashion events and parties through the years, definitely on a professional level a few years back before the story started. 

Eventually I got a sense that Adam probably was in love with Dana from the very beginning of their relationship. In fact, the first drafts of the story had Adam as Dana's college friend, so the relationship certainly isn't new and seemed likely to work. 

Later Adam, became a bit more of a prosperous banker type, a lady's man, confident with a practiced charm. There's always something slightly negative about his wealth, something a bit vulgar. I think I got that from the global financial crisis and the feeling that it is caused by the money men of the world with their rapacious greed and amorality. That he eventually, and quickly switched from Dana to Bella shows just what he is made of. 

I think Dana Lee does get rather seduced by the ease and luxury of his world, coming as she does from fashion and all its materialistic concerns; But I think Dana rather romanticises this aspect of Adam, and doesn't truly know very much about him.

Eli Kee: 

Eli is the younger man, I never thought how much younger, but perhaps Eli is about 30? 

He's very talented, a musician, and of course he's very beautiful, which is what sparked Dana's interest in him. She first comes across him at a photoshoot and he's lit like a vision. I always thought of Eli more as a cellist; the piano playing thing came from Jay Chou! 

Dana doesn't know, doesn't even think that Eli is from a wealthy family, so her passion and emotion for him is 'true'; she yearns of course for the real (talent, beauty, etc) because her world is of the surface, the superficial. Her longing for nature comes from the same place. 

I couldn't let Dana end up with a pauper, so I gave him a lovely old rich family and a vast garden where hopefully they will be married.

Of Saint Laurent Paris

“Hedi Slimane did a remarkable job. I liked last Monday’s fashion show very much: the Saint Laurent collection exceeded my expectations. The house needed both a renovation and a return to its roots and, with Hedi, we have started down that road. I totally stand by the house of Yves Saint Laurent and the decisions made by its teams or its artistic director, and I didn’t appreciate that some people tried to use me by linking my name to chatter about invitations or the seating of this or that person,” - Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of PPR, parent of Yves Saint Laurent

One of the purportedly stolen Yves Saint Laurent erotic drawings

In further Saint Laurent related news, WWD reports that Saint Laurent's business partner and long-time lover Pierre Bergé, who seems unwilling to let the late couturier lie in peace, is alleging that a portfolio full of personal items (including a journal, a portrait of his mother he did as a teenager and several "erotic drawings") was stolen from the Saint Laurent apartment several years ago. They are now in the possession of an anonymous German businessman who claims to have received it from one of Saint Laurent's former lovers, Fabrice Thomas, his chauffeur of that time.

Spring 2013: Surprise, Surprise!

After thinking about the Spring 2013 season for a bit, I must say that a few collections really surprised me with their strong showing. These are labels that I don't habitually like (ie, not my sacred cows!) but this season, there seems to be new energy, cohesiveness and creativity in their designs - which leads me to think that maybe they hired new assistants?

Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci has always been too 'trendy' for me, with a too-cool-it-hurts hype that doesn't seem to have any connection to his actual designs. Besides I never liked the gothic aesthetic (usually marketed as "Italian Catholicism" - whatever). But this season seems refreshingly different, and I liked it on first sight, the clarity, lightness and reduction. Also Mr Tisci's take on this season's key trends looked the most relevant, attractive and light, including the smoking, ruffles and minimalism in tunics and shifts. The baby blue is so pretty!

Alexander Wang
Gone were the "downtown hipster" cliches of his reputation and instead what seemed to be an army of ideas came pouring down and yet the vision was cohesive and the execution accomplished. There was nothing of the amateurish in this collection, no awkward or ungainly gestures, just inspiring and technically polished. The overall vibe actually made me recall the American great Geoffrey Beene.

Marc Jacobs

Shockingly coherent and all of a piece, the stripped down 'clean-slate' aesthetic is bold, lean and elegant and packs a more powerful punch than the usual excess. 

Movies To Watch Out For

Out in November (not that type of 'Out'): Ang Lee's Life of Pi is adapted from Yann Martel's 2001 bestseller, looks like an Aesopian fable with cutting-edge 3D technology. I never got down to reading the book (the premise seemed worryingly sanctimonious), and now I don't have to.

 Baz Luhrmann's 3D adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby is now scheduled to open next May (2013) for a summer season. Starring the always interesting Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan (I'm not sure about the fit),the movie was originally scheduled to open this Christmas 2012 but was pushed back to allow more time for postproduction. I've been looking forward to Ms Luhrmann's version of the story, not only because of the Prada (women) and Brooks Brothers (men) costumes but because this is one of my most loved books, and I liked the Mia Farrow in the 1974 movie. 

Not properly a movie, but still of immense interest to me is HBO’s upcoming TV movie The Girl which stars Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren. This will purportedly chronicle the making of The Birds, director Alfred Hitchcock's iconic birds gone wild movie that made Ms Hedren, now 82, a star in 1963. Of course I hope that the opening scene where Ms Hedren is in a boat wearing a mink coat when a seagull attacks her, as well as the scene when she is trapped in a phonebooth as angry birds lay siege to a small town, as well as the climax where she is locked in a room full of birds of prey tearing her to shreds as she screams and struggles will be recreated, because one does so want to see Ms Miller shrieking with terror. Of course this spectacle can also be very enjoyable with either Gwyneth Paltrow or Nicole Kidman. Why don't they do it with all three and make it a mini series?

ARE YOU MISS WU?

"Instead of just doing 'Jason Wu-for-less,' the idea is to explore the other side of myself. I always see Jason Wu as my aesthetic, my design sensibility. Miss Wu is my personality. It was really fun to explore that facet of who I am - slightly more downtown, and with a more relaxed attitude." - Jason Wu

First Lady Mobama is actually the first person to be photographed wearing a dress from Miss Wu, the Jason Wu diffusion line slated to hit Nordstrom stores January 2013. It's a big endorsement for something very dubious. I like the name Miss Wu, but I'm actually not sure if there's a need for another line from this designer when his eponymous first line still seems so immature. Has Wu a "design sensibility" or "aesthetic" yet? 

One rather wonders what it is. 

A USD 680 satin clutch from the Miss Wu line: The owl logo is cute, as cute as Mr Wu is, but is it as cute as USD 680?

Spring 2013: My Sacred Cows

CHANEL
One of the few collections this season that probably deserves to be studied up close, and seen worn on a moving model because the bounce and energy isn't evident in the still images. This aristocratic collection by Karl Lagerfeld actually throws up a vast array of ideas and propositions for all hours of the day - something that can't be said for many of the collections. There were brisk day dresses, easy suits, cute knits, elegant tea dresses, regal cocktail numbers and dignified formal gowns.
The tweeds were truly standouts, and beautifully coloured.

You just need to look pass the hula hoop bag, the Elizabethan pearl studs, and those plastic sombreros (which  even I don't understand!).

Bottega Veneta

A lovely, reduced collection from Tomas Maier. The burnt palette of batik colours is sensual and sultry and coupled with the romantic styling, brings to mind a story set in the tropics in the 1940s. Although these dresses glanced back at the past, they don't look dusty or cliched, just rich and intelligent.Of course the workmanship and fabrics are special, but every look bears Mr Maier's imprint and that is a true auteur's work.

DRIES VAN NOTEN
Pure romance and so perfectly balanced: This is the textbook case for the combination of soft and hard, tailored with flou, masculine with feminine, rich and poor, western and eastern. And easy to wear too!

BURBERRY PRORSUM
Christopher Bailey is tirelessly genius and this collection is wonderfully accomplished as usual, and on top of that deliciously, energetically coloured and very shapely!

Comme des Garçons
Rei Kawakubo is a true original and this collection could be a comment on the no-meaning place that fashion is at now, just a jumble of everything thrown together. A very romantic vision and what would you rather wear?

LANVIN
In a season when all you year is YSL (or any one of the handful of names we must now refer to the label), Alber Elbaz put out the definitive modern YSL collection. This reminds me that I've always thought that he was the best man for YSL. Beautiful.