Precious Time
Vogue Italia, September 2009
Photographer: Mark Seliger
Model: Isabel Lucas
Christian Dior, Fall 2009 Couture
Oh, and I’m an Isabel Lucas fan!
{Image via debutantes ball via musikdirne}
shades of black & white
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Happily Ever After :: Anne Hathaway
A simply luxurious life ~ Anne Hathaway gets caught up in a modern day fairy tale in Paris. She was photographed in iconic locations like the Crillon (she caused a major stir getting out of an antique car) and Maxim’s.
Once upon a time, in 1996, Anne Hathaway spent her fourteenth birthday behind the footlights at the Paper Mill Playhouse in her hometown of Millburn, New Jersey, where she was appearing in a stage version of Gigi, the 1958 movie musical that starred Leslie Caron as a little girl who grows up in the most delightful way. But Hathaway wasn’t playing the title role—she was just a kid in the chorus—and throughout the famous scene at Maxim’s, where Gigi makes her entrance as a woman, she had to sit with her back to the audience, hidden behind a prop.
Now, on a June afternoon in Paris, Hathaway finds herself front and center in the Art Nouveau dining room of the real Maxim’s for a Vogue cover shoot. Looking like a cross between Caron and Audrey Hepburn, Hathaway has spent the past two days gamely flitting about Paris wearing a series of dazzling creations and a staggering amount of diamonds. Here at Maxim’s, she stands in front of the camera in an embroidered Miu Miu top, her hair swept up into a lofty French twist. When she jokes with the crew (“It’s Holly Golightly meets Marge Simpson”), the photographer, Mario Testino, says, “Anne—less talking, more beauty.” Taking his cue, she gazes at the horizon with gentle melancholy, prompting him to say, “Just like that, just like that. Oh, darling, you’re perfect.”
“It was true glamour,” Hathaway says later. “Not just the clothes and the jewels but that feeling that glamour can produce in you, which is like a dream.” We are on our way to the Gare du Nord to catch a train to London, where she’s about to start filming the romantic comedy One Day, directed by An Education’s Lone Scherfig. But first the actress decides to pop into Hermès, on Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré. “I’ve never seen a Kelly bag or a Birkin bag in person,” she tells me, “and at my age, it’s about time.” As she strolls through the store, wearing blue patent leather Sonia Rykiel flats, a flouncy Zara skirt, and a short-sleeved Lanvin T-shirt with a pink silk rose on the shoulder that on her somehow look all-American, shoppers and clerks look up, their soigné indifference giving way to wide grins and low murmurs of “C’est Anne ’Atta-way!” It could be a scene from a sequel to The Princess Diaries, the 2001 cinematic fairy tale that transformed Hathaway, at eighteen, from an aspiring ingenue into Hollywood royalty.
Moments later, a salesman who, if this actually were one of the Princess movies, would be played by Hector Elizondo, oversees the arrival of a stack of boxes bearing the coveted items in various sizes, colors, and skins. First up: a small brown leather Kelly whose clean, classic lines exemplify the 1950s American glamour of its namesake. Hathaway oohs and aahs with appropriate reverence. But it’s the oversize Birkin, with its hippie-chic quality (and heart-stopping price tag), that really makes her gasp. “It’s Heaven,” she says.
If what we wear is an expression of who we are, then Hathaway is still exploring—mixing young, bohemian looks with vintage classics. Labels she likes range from 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rag & Bone, and If Six Was Nine to Céline and Isabel Marant. (She is also obsessed with Freddies of Pinewood, whose retro denim she describes as “my new magic jeans, sort of Marilyn Monroe in her off hours.”) With a bag in each hand, Hathaway steps in front of a mirror, studying herself as she turns from side to side. “I think the Birkin would suit me more,” she pronounces. “As gorgeous as the Kelly is, I think it’s something that you mature into.”
“You are young,” the salesman says.
Photographer Mario Testino and stylist Tonne Goodman cast Anne Hathaway in the center of a fairy tale for the cover feature of the November 2010 issue of Vogue.
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as Sweet as Honey
Louis Vuitton strikes gold with their stunning store windows, dripping gold & bee’s ~ featuring golden starbursts and dripping liquid gold, forming a pool of precious honey on the floor.
This spring {northern hemisphere}, Louis Vuitton is celebrating the first batch of honey produced from the three beehives installed on the roof of its Parisian head quarters back in 2009.
In April 2009, Louis Vuitton installed three beehives on the roof of its Parisian HQ on the rue de Pont Neuf.
Its first batch of honey is now ready for spring, celebrated through creative displays at many of its store windows worldwide till May. It is a nod to biodiversity. As Louis Vuitton tells it: ‘35 per cent of food resources in the world are insured by nectar- and pollen-gathering insects.’
Through 2010, 200,000 bees gathered 75 kg of nectar for Louis Vuitton.
The honey won’t be sold: it will be given to friends and family of the company.
Called “As Sweet as Honey”, Louis Vuitton shop windows worldwide feature bags and shoes dripping with the sweet stuff and surrounded by bees, inspired by the global need for sustainable development, of which nectar and pollen gathering insects play an important role.
The campaign has been in the works since 2009 when three beehives were installed on the roof of the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris. Throughout 2010 more than 200,000 bees gathered 75kg of nectar, from which the golden honey was produced.
Be drawn in by these dripping golden honey bursts
with shooting golden bees and LV logo/icons bursting all over.
As Sweet as Honey :: Louis Vuitton shop windows feature bags and shoes dripping with honey.
These installations are surrounded by bees, which highlights the global need for sustainable development, of which nectar and pollen gathering insects play an important role. The campaign has been in the works since 2009 when three beehives were installed on the roof of the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris.
Honey honey ~ Sweet indeed.
Passing by the LV shop of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & the Gold Coast,
I keep noticing the beautiful window display ~ a honey inspired installation.
Photos by Stephane Muratet for Louis Vuitton.
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it’s a McQueen world
McQueen continues to be celebrated ~ the MET’s Savage Beauty exhibition and gala opening, Daphne Guinness dresses in Barneys’ Madison Ave window, and oh, THAT Royal wedding dress.
McQueen’s legacy is his artistry ~ fashion is art, and that clothes can be layered in meaning and beauty.
I hope the extraordinary Alexander McQueen is relishing all the love in spirit…
Alexander McQueen
Savage Beauty
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the death of Alexander McQueen. The extraordinary designer hanged himself on the eve of his mother’s funeral. He was just 40 years old. McQueen had been battling depression, but few expected such a drastic turn from the young designer who was at the height of his very successful career.
mcqueen at the met
“I find beauty in the grotesque, like most artists. I have to force people to look at things.”
This week the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a retrospective of McQueen’s designs that span from his student work of the early 1990s to his last days. The exhibition celebrates the late Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary talent, featuring many of the designer’s iconic designs drawn from the Alexander McQueen Archives in London and Paris as well as private collections.
The Costume Institute’s ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is insanely beautiful, intensely dramatic, and — most importantly — profoundly moving. Spanning from McQueen’s Central Saint Martins graduation collection to his posthumous autumn/winter 2010-11 show, the exhibit celebrates an extraordinary and prolific career cut tragically short. feature many of the designer’s iconic designs drawn from the Alexander McQueen Archives in London and Paris as well as private collections.feature many of the designer’s iconic designs drawn from the Alexander McQueen Archives in London and Paris as well as private collections. Julia Rubin, Styleite
Take a walk through the exhibition with curator Andrew Bolton.
Vogue included six looks from the exhibition, all captured by legendary photographer Steven Meisel. The fantastic shots{some are below}, feature models who were friends of the designer, including Coco Rocha, Karen Elson, Stella Tennant, Karlie Kloss, Caroline Trentini, and Raquel Zimmerman.
Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. Approximately one hundred examples will be on view, including signature designs such as the bumster trouser, the kimono jacket, and the Origami frock coat, as well as pieces reflecting the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s that he crafted into contemporary silhouettes transmitting romantic narratives. Technical ingenuity imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at fashion’s vanguard. The Met
After reading the review by Julia Rubin, styleite re-posted below, I really want to jump on a plane to New York!
McQueen’s work gave us insight into a creative mind consumed by passion, beauty, darkness, and drama. While viewing clothes in fashion editorials and runway videos is often the way we experience his (and all) collections, it goes without saying that nothing compares to seeing the pieces in person. And for all the excitement of his runway shows, it is only through an exhibition such as this one that the clothing can be fully analyzed and absorbed. There is nothing quite like being greeted by two magnificent creations from the VOSSspring/summer 2001 collection, and actually seeing a dress made out of ostrich feathers and glass medical slides alongside one made of razor-shell clams. In photos, they impress; in person, they mesmerize.
For the most part, the exhibit’s curation veers away from gimmicky built environments, allowing McQueen’s exquisite craftsmanship to steal the show. The galleries are organized thematically, but there is a nice sense of chronology, with the first gallery including pieces from his graduation collection (Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, 1992) and the last featuring a row of mannequins modeling looks from the final collection he bowed (Plato’s Atlantis, spring/summer 2010).
One gallery is devoted almost entirely to the hats, shoes, jewelry, and bodypieces that McQueen both produced and commissioned to complement his clothes; Philip Treacy’s headwear and Shaun Leane’s metalworks are obvious standouts. Another gallery is narrow and mirrored with mannequins on revolving platforms, while yet another focuses on his “romantic nationalism” by showcasing his Scottish-themed collections (including autumn/winter 1995-96’s Highland Rape). There are pieces from his time at Givenchy, as well as a miniature version of the Kate Moss hologram from his autumn/winter 2006-07 Widows of Culloden show.
The soundtrack — largely orchestral with dramatic show music mixed in — only adds to the haunting nature of the work in question. Videos made for various runway shows are sprinkled throughout, and quotes from McQueen are posted alongside the gallery identifications.
Dress, Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006–7
“When we put the antlers on the model and then draped over it the lace embroidery that we had made, we had to poke them through a £2,000 piece of work. But then it worked because it looks like she’s rammed the piece of lace with her antlers. There’s always spontaneity. You’ve got to allow for that in my shows.” Lee Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton Talks McQueen
Designer of the moment, Sarah Burton spoke to Vogue about the vision behind McQueen’s most iconic collections. It’s a candid look at what it was like to work with someone as creative as McQueen, someone for whom dip-dying medical slides and sourcing horsetails from the Queen is not an unreasonable idea. But it was equally fascinating to hear that Burton’s own wedding dress was once a source of inspiration for the late designer.
Of McQueen’s “Widows of Culloden” collection (above), Burton told Mower:
“The collection was about the 1745 massacre of the Scottish Jacobites by the English, which Lee felt so passionately about because of his Scottish family heritage, which his mother had researched. The women were the widows of the slaughtered army. This dress was actually based on my wedding dress—I got married two years earlier. We had to figure out how to make lace work in the round with those ruffles because Lee hated gathering. So we cut out all of the flowers from the lace and reappliquéd it on tulle to make our own fabric. This is the collection most people remember as the one with Kate Moss in a hologram. Oh, my God, it was so beautiful. He loved that show.” Sarah Burton Reminisces About Alexander McQueen for Vogue via styleite
“Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” is on view until July 31 at the Met. For more, The Met has a great blog.
{Images via The Backseat Stylers, Olivia’s Obsession. Note: mannequin photos by Sølve Sundsbø, who shot ensembles from the McQueen archive on live models, then retouched the images to make them look like mannequins}
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Dresses Kate won’t be wearing!
Amazing Haute Couture creations not for a church wedding!
Jean Paul Gaultier’s organza and corsetry creation in his Spring 2009 Haute Couture collection.
Valentino designed tibetan lamb trimmed creation from the Autumn/Winter 2005-06
Chanel 2009 – well this one has a veil problem, but the dress is divine.
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Fit for a McQueen
If I was Kate Middleton I’d choose Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen to design my gown.
McQueen Fall/Winter 2011:
Sarah Burton Turns Out Royal Wedding-Worthy Collection when the McQueen Fall/Winter 2011 was unveiled.
Sarah is rumoured to be designing Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.
{Images McQueen Fall/Winter 2011 via MFD}
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Oui Lacroix
Burlesque Queen, Dita Von Teese wears an elaborate Madonna-inspired Christian Lacroix wedding dress.
Sinner and Saint
Saint Dita Von Teese posed for Harper’s Bazaar Russia, December 2009.
The Lacroix ivory-toned creation with yards of lace, gold embroidery and a jewel encrusted trim bodice and the headscarf is breathtakingly beautiful. Its bejeweled colourful roses and angelic, white headdress with a golf leaf design, hints at the Madonnas taken out on the streets during Spanish processions.
Dita Von Teese is all about appearance and make-believe, so I thought these images had a synergy with the focus on fairy-tale weddings this week.
Sinner and Saint: Dita Von Teese for Harper’s Bazaar Russia, December 2009.
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Starry nights with a sexy midnight blue dress
The spring/summer 2011 collections of Armani showcased the beauty of black and blue.
The blue nomads of the Sahara inspired an ethnic elegance at Giorgio Armani.
Chic pantsuits, sheer layers and satiny gowns were inspired by an African night sky.
The Tuareg peoples of the central Sahara inspired an elegant exploration of ethnicity in Giorgio Armani’s spring/summer 2011 collection at Milan Fashion Week.
Armani worked almost entirely in midnight blue, as deep as the night sky over the sand dunes, and based on the indigo robes and veils favoured by these nomads of the desert. The models, turbaned in silk, knotted and sashed to one side, paraded against a video backdrop of endless shifting sands, as the wind moaned.
The effect was dark, moody and mysterious, enhanced by crystals and sequins shimmering like stars on satin and brocade, iridescent tulle, and transparent cloaks and shawls, which shielded the face and body on entrance, but were drawn open to unveil a bow-detailed, strapless column or a high-waisted, long gown beneath.
The models carried jewelled “saddle-bags” over one shoulder, their arms embellished with grosgrain, jewelled cuffs, and their necks adorned with large, stone amulets, framed in fabric, fine braid or metal. They walked soundlessly in flat, plaited leather sandals, or fine, high heels.
The effect was dark, moody and mysterious, enhanced by crystals and sequins shimmering like stars on satin and brocade, iridescent tulle, and transparent cloaks and shawls, which shielded the face and body on entrance, but were drawn open to unveil a bow-detailed, strapless column or a high-waisted, long gown beneath.
Text by Hilary Alexander, The Telegraph
{Images via fashion inquisitive}
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