Even the biggest of closets can’t hold all the clothing and accessories that are thrown a celebrity’s way. Plus, let’s be honest, when your life is in the public eye, wearing the same dress to more than one party won’t earn you points with the paparazzi. A celebrity’s wardrobe is continuously evolving and there are always things that need to be tossed, or in the case of Paris Hilton, sold to new owners in the name of charity.
High-fashion thrusts tattoo art onto the runway and into the spotlight
First it was Ari Marcopoulos’s short film “No Way Back” for Yves Saint Laurent men’s spring/summer ‘11 collection, featuring famed tattoo artist Mark Mahoney in action. Then – or perhaps simultaneously – it was tattooist-to-the-fashion-elite Scott Campbell’s SS’11 collaboration with Louis Vuitton, and the accompanying “video diptych” part one and part two.
Karl Lagerfeld is many things: a German living in France, a white-headed wonder, a style icon, obsessive curator & head designer of Chanel, Fendi & his own line. The movie Lagerfeld Confidential, released in 2007, followed the prolific designer & gave an insight into his daily life, & in 2006 he starred in Signé Chanel, a reality show about the creation of one of his collections. He is also a photographer, illustrator & world traveler. But it’s as if the man never sleeps, because on Tuesday May 11th of 2010, Karl Lagerfeld makes his directorial debut!
Every season, there are trends which come to the fore & cause us to crinkle our foreheads in confusion. Why is this in fashion? Who is really going to wear it, & if so, why? So many things seem to be designed with the intention of being “interesting” as opposed to flattering. While this certainly happens in high fashion, it seems to be even more prevalent within the realms of young indie designers. Sometimes I look at what’s on sale & wonder, really wonder, why? With that, I present to you some trends which I have mixed feelings about.
Clogs. Karl Lagerfeld, head evil genius at Chanel, sent clogs down the catwalk late last year. Since then, they have popped up on the tootsies of both Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen as well as countless other celebrities. Since fashions usually trickle down from celebrities to the high street, it’s a fair bet that we’ll soon be seeing only the backs of our friends feet for a while.
I remember being in primary school when black studded clogs worn with white ankle socks were all the rage. I didn’t do it then and I definitely won’t be doing it now! This new incarnation is a little less clunky, more streamlined & mostly designed to give you serious height. Take your currently fashionable wedge bootie and lop off the back, and you have the modern clog.
So, what do you think? The perfect shoe for summer or an unfortunate trend?
If clogs are a-callin’ to you, Teen Vogue has a list of “must have” clogs for Spring. Also, may I suggest exfoliating your heels thoroughly?
For most of us, the day of the first Spring blossoms is one of the best days of the year. It signifies an end to the bone-chilling temperatures & incessant layering-up, & beckons with a finger full of promise. The end of dumpling-wear! Rejoice! With this, of course, come the questions. What can we expect to see ourselves in this season? After all, no matter how little you like fashion, what is in style dictates what is available for purchase. The recent Spring 2010 collections shown in Paris are the best indication of where the industry is at. So, where is it at?
Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld’s “neon baroque” collection for Chanel will surely be a huge influence. He has taken what was already mid-revival — say, studded footwear & oversized hair-bows — & simply done it better than everyone else. While most of us have just been wearing a big floppy bow on the side of our heads, he has made them ornate & frothy, & placed them smack in the middle of a heart-shaped bouffant. He has combined a high-heeled bootie with a studded platform (two huge trends in & of themselves), but made the shoe entirely silver with an extravagant heel & jewel-encrusted buckles. While Chanel’s immaculate & easily identifiable cuts are still there, they’re in frosting hues: pastel pink & sweet lavender, with glittery silver & shimmering grey-blue. Just like a couture cupcake.
What do you do when you feel that your work has been ripped off — not by another artist, or even another store, but by one of fashion’s most influential houses?
If you’re Carmen Colle, you file a $3.7 million lawsuit. The social-worker-turned-seamstress started her business, World Tricot, in 1987, with nothing but a crochet hook. Her vision? To employ & establish a sense of pride in some of the illiterate female refugees in the small town in eastern France where she lived. Like a fairytale, it all came true. World Tricot is one of the many suppliers that the large couture houses use to provide them with the intricate handiwork they use in their garments. Called petites mains, these suppliers work with feathers, beads, lace & crochet which are then used by the likes of Dior, Givenchy & Chanel. In 2005, World Tricot’s profits exceeded almost 3 million dollars.