Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unknown   12.27   Comment  

Karl Lagerfeld strikes again!

Back in 1957. October 14th. Coco Chanel landed in Dallas, Texas for a twelve-day journey at the invitation of Stanley Marcus who led luxury retailer Neiman Marcus. Even though the French rejected Chanel's comeback collection after World War II, he awarded her with the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the field of fashion, the highest appreciation in fashion at the time. 

"I admire and love America. It's where I made my fortune. For many Americans, I am France." - Coco Chanel

On December 10th Chanel returned once again to Dallas for the Métiers d’Art (a.k.a. pre-fall) show. A tribute to craftmanship, heritage and manufacturing skills of the artisan workshops who collaborate with Chanel for decades including a milliner, shoemaker and glovemaker. "I can't do it on my own, to work the ideas out you need great people. Every detail is important. Everything has to be elaborate, refined and beautifully done. We are lucky we have the companies to do it," said Kaiser Karl.

They're lucky indeed. Everything looked stunning!
It was truly an epitome of Texas and American culture in general. "It's an idea of Texas, but not the common place of Texas. I didn't want the cowboy that everybody knows. It's a mix of refined American culture from the early years of the 19th century, but put into 21st century."

"Fashion is an idea, a feeling." - Karl Lagerfeld 

"You can have a local etnic inspiration, but at the same time it has to have an universal touch and not to be something folkloric," he said. The Chanel suit has become more oversized and it's worn with suede boots.  Cowboy hats. Little-House-on-the-Prairie-inspired dresses. Southwestern tapestry ponchos. Lariats. White feathered headdresses. Lots of denim and miles of fringe. The pattern from cowboy boots were put on tights. "It's a reinvention of something out of my mind, that's my job."

Before the show nine hundred guests collected at the Dallas' Fair Park for the première of The Return, the new movie by (who else but) multi-talent Lagerfeld. Dakota Fanning, Lily Collins and others gathered at a drive-in movie theater, complete with 74 oldtimers. The after-party was held at a saloon with a mechanical bull and a performance by British electronic band Hot Chip.

Earlier that day it was announced that actress Kristen Stewart is the new face of Chanel's western-inspired collection. The campaign has been shot by Karl Lagerfeld and will be released May 2014.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, but it doesn't get bigger than Karl's take on the Lone Star State.

Hard Out Here

Hard Out Here

Unknown   14.00   Comment  

Lily Allen is back!

You have probably heard of Lily Allen's long awaited comeback. Yes, she's back in business. Better than ever, I must say. Her dry wit and irreverence always makes me happy!

In 2009 it seemed that Lily wouldn't make a return in the music bizz. Ever. But in June 2012 she tweeted that she was working in the studio with Greg Kurstin on new music. "I'm just throwing shit at the wall and seeing if anything sticks."

Forget your balls and grow a pair of tits / It's hard out here for a bitch Lily sings on Hard Out Here, where she gives her view on sexism and double standards in the music industry. The video starts as she lies on a stretcher, getting a liposuction surgery and being criticized by her male manager for her post-baby weight. That's only the beginning. What follows is a parody on the music culture a.k.a. hip-hop video clishés containing twerking, champagne bottles, half-naked dancers, gold bars, product placement and a Rolls Royce. Oh and she also takes aim at the use of the word 'bitch' by (over)using it several times.

The video has caused quite some fuss on the internet. 

Some are questioning her decision for women of color as twerking background dancers. Sounds familiar? Miley got criticism after her VMA performance for using her black dancers as probs. Apparently the 'teenage tragedy' didn't care as she did it again at the EMA's this month. The double standards were also confirmed in this discussion. Miley told that 'no one's talking about the man behind the ass', Robin Thicke. I'm (certainly!) not a fan of Smiley, but she's absolutely right in this case! Lily Allen is making fun of mister Thicke as well. Lily dances in front of huge, silver balloons that says 'LILY ALLEN HAS A BAGGY PUSSY'. In Blurred Lines a model dances in front of 'ROBIN THICKE HAS A BIG DICK'. That's a huge difference to say the least. 

I think it's good that Lily shows the downside of the music industry by enlarging it. It's distressing, especially for young women, that there's a picture of how women are supposed to be. Misogyny is still a hot topic, even in the Western society. How often do you see that young and sweet girls turn into lust and/or sex objects (Britney! Miley! etc.)?

I can only applaud Lily for making this statement!

Lily Allen is hoping to release her third album next March. I just can't wait!

Confirmed: Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton

Confirmed: Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton

Unknown   07.49   Comment  

hot off the press

It was only a matter of time, but it's officially confirmed (finally!) that Nicolas Ghesquière is the new artistic director of Louis Vuitton. The appointment came almost a year to the day he exited Balenciaga. Therewith he's taking over of none other than Marc Jacobs who left the label last month. "I have a lot of respect and admiration for Marc Jacobs. He made Louis Vuitton relevant in fashion and will always be known as the first designer of the brand. I'm very proud to succeed him." In early October it was already leaked that Ghesquière was appointed. The news made the headlines on Twitter, but was consistently denied by LVMH.

But now the word is out! Ghesquière will bring "a modern, creative vision to the house's women's collections, building on the values of refinement, savoir faire and extreme quility," says Vuitton. When he left Balenciaga there were rumors that he was in talks with LVMH to do his own line. Ghesquière told Suzy Menkes that it's something he will always think about, "one day maybe I do my own name, but not now when I was asked to do something so fantastic."

Because he did things at Balenciaga we must not forget
(if we ever could),
here are some of his highlights:

The designer will show his first collection for the fashion house next March. He said he will not give any interviews until that time "to keep it a surprise". The show will take place in Paris monument Cour Carrée du Louvre.

I have no doubt he'll do great at Vuitton.

What about you?

FW #3: Narciso Rodriguez

FW #3: Narciso Rodriguez

Unknown   05.58   Comment  

Narciso Rodriguez
never does anything wrong

Is there something like too much perfection? If so, I would like to give this award to none other than Narciso Rodriguez. In an interview he told his hope that the new collection is better than the last one. Oh yes, dear! Look what you've done now!

Every season Narciso's blowing my mind with his easy-going yet constructive designs. This time round the new length was really short. Look at these super mini skirts. Super sexy, to say the least.
And another thing: the layering. Ever heard of double-skirting? Well, now you do!

For this collection Narciso Rodriguez has been looking down a microscope for inspiration. "There's never one source of inspiration, but I had these microscopic pictures of water, rock formations and crystals blown up. It's amazing what you find then." The collection was also a continuation of resort, he said. The play with texture and detailing to enhance the simple lines was clearly visible.

Then this:

can I please have your attention
for these amaaazing heels?

...

... Thank you!

Breaking News: Third Time's (Not) The Charm

Breaking News: Third Time's (Not) The Charm

Unknown   07.15   Comment  

I just received the news that

Jil Sander leaves Jil Sander again

The designer will leave the fashion house for 'personal reasons'. In February last year Sander made, after an absence of eight years, her third comeback at her eponymous label, which she founded in 1968. In 2000 she said goodbye and then returned in 2003 and left shortly afterward. 

‘On behalf of the group I want to thank Jil Sander for her remarkable contribution to the brand over this period,'  lets chief executive Alessandro Cremonesi know. ‘Her outstanding design and creative leadership have been crucial in reinforcing the brand and positioning it to foster further prosperous growth.’

Her last collection was for spring-summer 2014. The fall-winter 2014 collection will be designed by the brand's in-house team. Unless Jil Sander has a fourth comeback in store ;)

FW #2: Delpozo

FW #2: Delpozo

Unknown   08.15   Comment  

All eyes were on the show of

Delpozo

 Delpozo is a fashion company founded by the Spanish designer Jesús del Pozo. After the passing of it's founder in August 2011, the company named Josep Font as the new creative director in 2012.

His aim was to turn Delpozo into an international luxury brand. With only three collections under his belt Font is doing quite well. 

For this collection he was inspired by two themes. The first one is the painting  La Zingara by Corot. His second inspiration were the windows of gothic cathedrals."Seperately they seem very opposite, but when they came together they created a very inspiring image that influenced the whole collection."  

I'm very delighted with the creative and innovative designs. They're made with such precision.

The Balenciaga-esque shapes were oustanding. I love how Font plays with these unexpected volumes. He showed respect for the heritage of Delpozo, but made sure it looked thoroughly modern. For an ultra feminine touch there were traditional craftwork details like lace, embroideries and floral appliqués

The collection consisted of volumious skirts, off-the-shoulder tops, ballgowns, pallazzo pants and flower dresses. All in a color palette of lavender, green, pink and beige.

Breaking News: Marc Jacobs leaves Louis Vuitton

Breaking News: Marc Jacobs leaves Louis Vuitton

Unknown   10.41   Comment  

Marc Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton after a 16-year partnership to concentrate on his own eponymous line. 

After weeks of speculation the news was confirmed by LVMH.

Jacobs' presented his last collection for the label this morning. 

His successor at Louis Vuitton is expected to be announced shortly. Nicolas Ghesquière is considered to be the front-runner.

FW #1: Calvin Klein

FW #1: Calvin Klein

Unknown   08.34   Comment  

Let's start my Fashion Week chapter with one of my favorite shows in New York:

Calvin Klein

His 10th anniversary at the helm of Calvin Klein gave Francisco Costa the oppotunity to explore and experiment. In his new collection he seem to deconstruct everything he's done and then put it back together again. 

Costa found inspiration in Peter Bialobrzeski's photographs of the slums in Manila. The shacks are made from any available material. The mix of different fabrics, as seen on the cottages, was clearly visible. This season he found beauty in the unfinished and improvised. I think it's a beautiful turnaround of all his work for the label we've seen in the past.

The base of the collection are simple shapes, like the men's t-shirt and XL tank tops. But then explored in many diffrent places. "We create this technique to fray the fabric." Almost all the fabrics in the collection were handwoven. 

"We live in a multicultural world, you can't ignore that. I hope you see this diversity in the collection." I did. Not only in the choice of fabrics and colors, but the diversity was also seen on the catwalk (thumbs up, Francisco!).