// Fade to #C5C5C5

Favourite Part of a Female

No…not a question from Dr.Hannibal, but when you look at a female, which part would you notice first.

Many people would say eyes as they are said ‘the window to heart’, how much can you see a person from looking into the eyes. Christian Dior’s least favourtie part on a femal is actual the knees. And that is the reason he always had all his skirt length to be ‘just over the knee’. He obviously quite prefer the female waist and therefore invent the ‘new look’ with cinched in waistline. However, Coco Chanel thinks that was a backwards move since she freed women’s body from corset by dressing them in cotton jersey which is at the time a common material for mens underwear.

I personally favour John Galliano’s choice, the back view of a female. It could speak so much attitude with a simple back view. Johnny Depp admits when he first time saw that beautiful female back in a Paris hotel lobby, he knew he had found the one—Vanessa Paradis.

And that’s why so many designers are focusing details on the back. Australian designer Willow had this quite cleverly done on a ready-to-wear day & night dress.

It’s romantic, yes it’s powerful too.

Tags: Chanel, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis

The 10 best fashion covers this decade

While we’re on the subject of magazine covers, this brilliant discussion thread on tFS made me think about some of my favourite fashion covers from the past 10 years. Here’s a small collection of some of our favourite ones. We’ve tried to choose only one from each year.

First row features Vogue Russia (2001), Kate Moss in Dior for British Vogue (2006) and Kate Moss for Numéro France in 2004 (this cover was reprinted three years later for the first issue of Numéro Korea). The second row features Kate Moss for Vogue Paris (2005). This was one of four covers, all featuring Kate. The next cover is from V Magazine (2009) and features style diva Grace Jones. The third and last is the first issue of British Vogue in 2000 – The Gold Issue. The last issue in 1999 was silver. Third row features Vogue Italia (2007), The Face with Stella McCartney and Vogue Paris (2008) with Kate and Naomi.

And the favourite cover from this decade? Find out after the jump!

Tags: grace jones, kate moss, nick knight, stella mccartney

Hey Helena

So glad to see a real model on magazine cover these days instead of those familiar Hollywood faces. 

Especially ELLE these days seems only with actress on cover, even more artistic magazines like Vogue and Numero are constantly having non-model covers. Therefore, January issue of ELLE looks ‘fresh face’. I always like Helena Christensen, think she’s the ultimate first model who doesn’t just own a pretty face. She’s an thoughtful photographer,Her exhibition A Quiet Story, curated by Jim Cook, premiered in Rotterdam in 2006. Chanel Tokyo’s NEXUS Gallery is scheduled to mount the exhibition in 2010. Also an edgy boutique owner, Christensen has an antiques shop in Manhattan and sells some of her clothes in her mother’s Yo-Yo Second Hand Shop in Christianshavn. She was a part of Nylon magazine as the original creative director. 

Since so many Hollywood actress are continuously branding their ‘cool’ by claiming ‘addiction to sex’, her quote is actually quite amusing…’Whenever my head is like a maze, I turn to the easy things in life, the things that mean the most to me: Sex and cheese. These things are connected. Truth be told, I love all cheese’. Simply brilliant!!!

Tags: ELLE, Helena Christensen, Numero, Nylon, Vogue

Mr. Kenzo

Kenzo is one of my three admirable Japanese designers. (other 2 are Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons) First time seeing his interview in fashion magazine was in early 90s and inside interview it shows, that the designer has an international mind and global taste. His most remarkable skill is to recreate different illustration and patterns of flowers for more than 1001 versions. His collection path shows a string of tribal vibes from Japanese to Russian to African. All colours are softly merged together, kind of soothing your eye-balls despite the global village influence. Then minimalism and punks and futuristic comes and goes. No one seems to be noticing Kenzo that much until this SS2010 collection came out.

Although Mr.Kenzo has now retired from his company, new design team has very well inherited Kenzo’s spirit and SS2010 collection, I have to admit, is my most favourite show of the season.

Fashion is about fun, about mix and match. Anyone can look great in an amazing dress, however, how to pull layers and layers of clothes together correctly, that requests some fine taste and balance.

I simply love the grey boxy suit jacket with sequin-embellished top half, teamed with soft lantern-shape crop trousers.

Soft rusty colour soft bomber jacket over draped chainy cocktail dress.

Bleached denim jacket cover crème goddess maxi. (even check on those Japanese style jewelled belt. It’s mixed with stone, jewel and gingham fabric and rope)

Most ground-braking item is the little number of camo vest, with burnt-out camo patterns mixing with sequins, luuuuush!!!

The collection even makes oversized madras check and Islamic architect patterns looking so feminine and chic.

And also here full of tiny styling tips like mixing skinny scarves with different weight of chains.

It’s turning out to be my SS10 styling bible. So chic but so casual. You can easily walk in a cocktail party after a day-work in these chic looks.

After seeing the collection you realise that sequins and glitter don’t just exist for Christmas party and evening. Lady Gaga recently said, ‘Glitter could save the world.’ And I can’t see anything wrong with that catch phrase in coming 2010!!

Tags: Kenzo, Lady Gaga

Love like winter

I am absolutely in love with this editorial shoot from the latest edition of Dazed & Confused magazine. It was shot by Norwegian-Pakistani photographer Benjamin Alexander Huseby, styled by Katie Shillingford and features Hannah Holman and Antonella Graef.

Hannah in jacket by Celine, worn over hooded coat by Gareth Pugh.

More pictures after the jump.

» Read the full post

Tags: Antonella Graef, Benjamin Alexander Huseby, Calvin Klein, Celine, Commes des Garçons, Dazed & Confused, Emporio Armani, Gareth Pugh, Haider Ackermann, Hannah Holman, jil sander, Katie Shillingford, Kenzo, Todd Lynn, Valentino

The sound of Spring/Summer 2010

There’s no doubt that choosing the right music for a fashion show is important. I once read an interview with a designer who said that it can be compared to selecting the right soundtrack to a movie. It not only sets the mood, it also helps the spectators understand the designer’s vision and inspiration. I’ve compiled a list with some of the tracks used by designers for the spring/summer 2010 shows. Listening to some of these songs makes me wonder – what do these songs tell us about the collections? The inspiration? The person who buys them? Or even the label or designer?

1. New Order – Perfect Kiss (Dunhill, Paris Menswear Fashion Week)
2. Phoenix – Lisztomania (Yigal Azrouël, New York Fashion Week)
3. Deadmau5 – Ghosts n stuff (Versace, Milan Fashion Week)
4. Lil’ Mama – Lip Gloss (Prada, Milan Fashion Week)
5. The Beloved – Sweet Harmony (Jil Sander, Milan Menswear Fashion Week)
6. Metronomy – Hearthbreaker (Diskjokke remix) (Balenciaga, Paris Fashion Week)
7. Little Boots – Mathematics (DKNY, New York Fashion Week)
8. Gossip – Dimestore Diamond (Max Azria and Nicole Miller, New York Fashion Week)
9. The Kooks – Sofa Song (Burberry Prorsum, London Fashion Week)
10. Peaches – Downtown (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) (Etro, Milan Fashion Week)

I’m not sure, but judging from the sounds of it, spring/summer 2010 doesn’t only look good, it sounds good too!

Photo source: Style.com / Marcio Madeira

Tags: balenciaga, burberry prorsum, DKNY, dunhill, etro, jil sander, kasia struss, max azria, nicole miller, prada, versace, yigal azrouël

Fashionomics

The past three months have been insanely busy, so I haven’t had the opportunity to post much. However, I have been writing a few drafts in this period that I will try to wrap up and post in the coming few days. First one up – Fashionomics!

There’s an economic theory that says that hemlines rise in good economic times and drop in poor times. If one was to judge by the hemlines at some of the fashion show weeks this season, the economy is definitely skyrocketing next year and the recession will finally be over.

Yulia Kharlaponova in Lanvin.

» Read the full post

Tags: anja rubin, Chanel, ginta lapina, lanvin, lisanne de jong, prada, proenza schouler, spring/summer 2010, versace, yulia kharlaponova

The Fate and Consequence between a Glitter Jacket and Michael Jackson’s Death

Way before the memorial day when MJ’s death suddenly happened as a shuttered global news, people who’s working for high-street fashion were busy predicting about what would be the hugest trend in AW2009 among all high-street. After working in UK fashion industry for many years, you are sort of having some 6th sense on what’s coming on next.

There was this photo-shooting of Paris Hilton in a Fushia Pink jacket with shining patent skinny trousers on early issue of 2009  Nylon magazine and my instinct told me that this look was sort of new. An initial storyboard with a going-out mood was created for first Autumn Story 2009 and this story then later became ’80’s Manhattan’ which is at the beginning confused all fashion buyers and consumers with question such as ‘why would you wear glitter in early autumn before Christmas’.

I guess the fashion world is a bit of a ‘Butterfly Effect’ in some way, which means everything and absolutely anything could effect the current trends as well as the future ones going out on the fashion world. Look now, MJ’s death has brought him back in world centre attention and this final stir naturally rocks the glitter story sky high.

Fast forward last year when Lady Gaga released her first album, at least that was the time when I started to show my interest to her. Before, I always thought that she’s just a manufactured music figure with no difference to Britney Spears. Then I read about somewhere that she’s actually a very creative person and that she collaborates with some friends of hers to create her on-stage looks and outfits. This instantly drew my attention to her, because not only that music needs to be strong enough to convince me, but also equally important is the visual performance to finish the whole ‘Package’. Her visual ‘Package’ led me to listen her songs and realize ‘they aren’t that bad at all’. Lady Gaga is such a good example of modern 21st century of pop/perform artist.

Back in early 90s being a teenage in China with no internet and limited sources of anything from outside world, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain was one of a few big names spreading around China. Without enough visual images, Cassettes and CDs were the only art forms to represent an artist. There were very limited images within CDs and from which you had to use quite a lots of own imagination to create the personalities of the artists. Of course Michael Jackson stood out. Sure he offers much more as he ticks all the boxes, from imagery to the sound of music to the technology he brought into music video world. Today, same for Lady Gaga, with so much technology and so much competition, how do you stand out? Gaga is doing an amazing job. She brought lots of glitters and leotards back to our life and yet we were still experimenting the looks, she’s already move on to another level. She claims that, ‘When I’m writing music, I’m thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It’s all about everything altogether – performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me it’s everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste the lick every part of us.’

Pop music must take the next-coming-trend on board to catch people’s attention to make the most possible impact. When you were crazy buying the come-back-80s-look early 2009, think about La Roux…when you rocking a dark jazzy look, think about Amy Winehouse. And now just a few days left before 2009, girls… when you slip on that black sequin blazer out partying and twirling around, think about MJ for one last time, I’m sorry to see you go, but at least you passed away at a damn right timing…

Tags: La Roux, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton