// Fade to #C5C5C5

More Fantasy than Reality

It has been a while that reality TV shows being occupied in people daily life since a decade ago when Big Brother introduced to our life. Then came the pop reality show in 2002 which brings onto another level. I couldn’t agree more when I read the quote somewhere recently refers as ‘reality TV shows bring people back to human-to-human / human-to-beast arena fight around the Roman time’. However, after nearly a decade of pity fight in all kinds of angles, the reality recalls our basic instinct as human being, looking for a hope. And the ‘hope’ which was the last thing remained in Pandora’s box generates more fantasy thoughts.

In 2010, we see fantasy taking in all different art forms, from movie to fashion to illustration.

Avatar is no doubt the number one fantasy sci-fi movie for 2010. The colours (especially the deep crystal blue), the technology (new camera technology evolved just for the film), the message (save the planet)…all of which are quite fantasized.

Then never mention the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Trailer sounds like a sequel story of Alice ‘returning’ to the Wonderland.

Alexander McQueen brings back the imagination of lost land ‘Atlantis’. The alien-reptile print, the hoof shoe, the titanic heel…

McQueen SS10 show

Clothes become more dreamy for Spring/Summer 2010. Vogue UK February 2010 reports the ‘Pretty Chic’…Natalia Vodianova is looking fresh.

Fashion editorial and illustration are focusing on this romantic power too.

Vogue February 2010 issue

and that reminds me an old illustration I’ve done back in the university.

and again…discovering Reed and Rader’s portofolio

and illustration from Banshee Beat

At the end this simple point of view slowly formed in my head—Reality is from human’s nature and fantasy is from interactions between human intellectuals and the surrounding environment.

Tags: Alexander McQueen, Alice in Wonderland, Atlantis, Avatar, Banshee Beat, British Vogue, Fantasy, Fashion Illustration, Natalia Vodianova, Reed and Rader, Romantic

Live show – Burberry A/W 2010/11

Time for the final live show of the day, Burberry Prorsum. Right now the stream is up and running at GQ’s website, the venue is slowly filling up and the show should start soon.

Photo source: Live stream at GQ.com

Tags: Burberry, milan menswear fashion wee

Live Show – Emporio Armani A/W 2010/11

Second show being streamed live today is Emporio Armani. Right now the stream is up and running and the venue is slowly filling up. The show can be watched at the Emporio Armani website.

square, rhombus, circle, triangle, rectangle

Go see the show now!

Photo source: screenshot from emporioarmani.com

Tags: Emporio Armani, milan menswear fashion wee

Live Show – Dolce & Gabbana A/W 2010/11

I really love how more and more fashion houses are now starting to stream their fashion shows online. The Dolce & Gabbana Menswear show in Milan is about to start in a few minutes and fashion lovers can follow it online at this site.

Right now they are showing what’s going on backstage on the live feed. The models lining up, Domenico Dolce putting on the last touches.

The label is celebrating their 20th anniversary with menswear and apparently the show will feature 100 looks on 100 models. Emporio Armani, Burberry Prorsum, Prada and Alexander McQueen are other houses that will stream their A/W mens shows this season. Go watch it now!

Update: A video from the show can now be watched by following the same link. Also make sure to check out Alex Fury’s brilliant review over at SHOWstudio.

Photo source: Screenshots from dolceandgabbana.com

Tags: dolce and gabbana, milan menswear fashion week

Links à la mode – 14th January 2010

I’m just so excited that our post about Marchesa Luisa Casati was selected by Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) for their links à la mode feature this week. Each week IFB ask their members to submit their best post from the past week. An editor then chooses the 20 best entries and highlights them in a weekly roundup post. This week ‘s editor was Julia over at Fashion Pulse Daily. Thanks for selecting us Julia!

links a la mode

Edited by Fashion Pulse Daily

This week, some of us looked back at icons of the past, such as // Fade to #c5c5c5‘s Marchesa Luisa Casati, Fabulous Finds Gal ‘s Horst photography post, and Cafe Fashionista‘s take on Diana Vreeland’s famous quotes, while others looked at how far we’ve come, such as The Curvy Fashionista‘s plus size fashion observations and A Dress & A Bike ‘s thoughts on what it means to be sexy. Each post brought a unique angle to the subject at hand, and raised important topics of self-expression, style, adaptation, trends, individuality, and acceptance. It’s fascinating to examine our own fashion-related introspection, and think about how our inner selves, thoughts and feelings, are reflected through the clothing choices we make, the pairing of certain looks, and of course our writing and blogs.

As expected, there was a fabulous round-up of links in the forum as well, all worthy of your eyeballs!

Links à la Mode: January 14th

• // Fade to #c5c5c5 – Marchesa Luisa Casati inspire artists, designers and authors till this day, more than 50 years after her death
• A Dress & A Bike – Discussion of the trends of ‘sexy’
• Alice in Stilettos – Runway Review: The Colors for Spring!
• Bonnie Vie – Discussing retail hell and how both customers and sales associates can contribute to better shopping experiences for everyone.
• Cafe Fashionista – Why Don’t You…? In the spirit of Diana Vreeland; a post featuring luxurious things one can do to make themselves feel fabulous!
• ’cause I’d rather waste my life pretending – Bites sized interview with Stephanie J, Editor In Chief of N.E.E.T Magazine
• Cool Mama Style - Is there an ideal pair of panties?
• Dedicated- Gets downright nosey with Nadia Izruna of the gorgeous & girly indie label Nadinoo
• Denim Debutante – teaches you about discrepancies in denim sizing
• Dramatis Personae – How to Custom Order Goods from Your Indie Friends
• Fabulous Finds Gal - Horst photography is a study in elegance, style and rarefied glamour that spanned 60 years
• Fashion Pulse Daily - Finds the Habillees series on the Sundance Channel to be the perfect elixir for another hectic fashion week soon approaching!
• Fasshionaburu – Reviews an indie label from Australia she discovered called Evil Twin
• Independent Fashion Bloggers- How to cover fashion week….when you’re not there.
• Le Quaintrelle - A collection of Hermes-inspired outfits from my own closet.
• M.I.S.S. – She’s Crafty – Safety Pin Epaulets & Fringe Lapel Pin
• odetoawe - Love for the movie Cry-Baby, and how to get Traci Lords’ rockabilly look
• Rags to Reverie - Fantastic plastic to slip on your fingers
• Skinny Buddha - Sending out some love to the artists creating handmade items
• Style Symmetry - Interview with Audi of Fashion For Nerds
• The Coveted – Snow boots? Winter comfort or style?
• The Curvy Fashionista - Plus size fashion has picked up major steam, inspiring both yeas and nays for the latest in V magazine- stating it just a trend- or is it?

Marchesa Casati – A dash of eccentricity

Earlier we’ve blogged about how art inspires fashion, but how about when the artistic inspiration is a person – a muse? One such person, the Marchesa Luisa Casati, has inspired many writers, painters and also fashion designers .

The Marchesa was born into a wealthy Austrian-Italian family in Milan in 1881. A patron of coutouriers such as Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny and Erté and jewellers like Lalique, Casati astonished European society for the first three decades of the 20th century with her eccentric personality and outrageous style. In his autobiography Erté described her as the “the most extravagantly odd woman I have ever met”. She would wear living snakes as jewellery, throw parties where her servants were covered in leafed gold from top to toe and parade her pet cheetahs around in Venice on leashes covered with gold and diamonds whilst wearing nothing but a fur coat. Her hair was a dyed a deep henna red, her skin powdered pale white and her eyes heavily kohled.

The Marchesa painted by Augustus John to the left. Carina Roitfeld as Casati, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld.

More after the jump

» Read the full post

Tags: Carine Roitfeld, Chanel, Christian Dior, Couture, Giorgio Armani, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Marchesa Luisa Casati, muses, Tilda Swinton, Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent