Dior Secret Garden, Versailles

In light of Paris Fashion Week's recent couture statement from the House of Dior, courtesy of Raf Simons, I re-invite you to view this Dior promo video with a post-show perspective :) 


Consequently I will be heading here Friday to see Beethoven's 9th in time to celebrate the 14th July. 


Pics à suivre.

Shockingly Good- James Long Mens and Womenswear

Long first trapped my notice having been awarded the TopShop Emerging Talent award at London Fashion Week, February 2012...

The man himself has long (haha) been producing an interesting and original line of knit and menswear for a while now and  I think he deserves the recognition he has gained. 

Having completed his Menswear and Accessories training at the Royal College of Art, the sky is now the limit for Mr Long. 


I recently had the pleasure to have a chat with the man himself at Paris Fashion Week London Menswear Showrooms in July 2012. Post-discourse, I was left yet more with the impression that the pieces this guy creates, and his design ethic, is something to experience with joy. 

Here are a few of the star-dazzled exerpts that I remember from our conversation: (image credit: Sarah T Skinner...)

Kat: What inspires you as a designer?

James Long: I have been interested in the mentality brought alive by the New York set in the 70s, people like Patti Smith and complementarily, Robert Mapplethorpe, for a while now. The idea of DIY, no reservations, just a singular, intense and quite innocent exploration of art and design. The freedom is something I try to re-create at my design house.

Kat: You began graduate life as a mens and knitwear designer. What first encouraged your forays into womenswear?

JL: Since my first collections came out I received a lot of good attention for the pieces I produced, which were primarily for men. As womenswear forms such a huge and important majority of the fashion world, however, it didn't take me long before I started listening to the clamours of female fans also looking to wear a bit of Long. So I slightly adapted some of the more popular menswear pieces for girls and this is where it's led me.

Kat: How important is it to come to Paris to showcase your designs?

JL: Paris is really important for all new designers like me. We aren't so established as to attract   buyers specifically to London to see us so this is one of the unique ways in which we can broadcast ourselves to a wider audience. It's also a great way to see the city!

With these thoughts in mind, I present to you a small selection of Long's latest link in a rapidly-growing chain of great ideas. Particularly check out this collection's signature cut of short, with an innovative and gorgeous pleated front which makes me reflect on origami and the samurai.

Designer Profile: Shaun Samson

This young designer struck me at Paris Fashion Week Showrooms for a mix of his vision, and his personal philosophy... 


Since being picked up with MAN during SS12, the young San Diego native has gone from strength to strength, eventually bringing him to the Paris Showcase where we crossed paths. Samson was there to tout trade and interest from the key Parisian market-  building on the interest shown to his previous collection, when stockists such as Selfridges, Joyce, Opening Ceremony, Trading Museum and Comme des Garcons Japan decided to get a piece of the action.


The crux of what it is that Samson seeks to create has been described as ‘Men’s Modern Street Wear.’ Something wearable, effortless and special, this house speciality mix has been well translated into his latest collection for SS13, which makes use of his signature needlepunch technique: a way of marrying together vastly different textures to an effect which makes the two fabrics seemingly grow out of each other...

Felting is something that Samson currently has a lot of time for. He coordinates his plans for total couture domination from his studio in London, and this young designer has plenty of wind in his sails for the moment due to the support he receives from many areas.
As a result of this, the young maestro will stick with his own label for the time being; and is soon to move onto yet bigger and better things.

Check out his site here

Press Link here 

And his soundcloud (which by the way, is pretty rockin') here

;)

Couture Roundup: Raf Simons' First Turn as Dior Creative Director

The wait ended on Tuesday at 14h30. The Fashion world literally lined up to attend what was surely one of the most-anticipated creative hookups in years; prodigious designer Raf Simons' premier collection as Head of the House of Dior, which manifested itself in the form of his SS13 Haute Couture presentation in Paris this week.

The front row was almost as glittery as the creative offerings themselves; from actresses like Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Lawrence, to an array of faces normally confined to the other side of the catwalk curtain- we saw Marc Jacobs, skirted and booted, Donatella Versace and her junior, Allegra and Haider Ackerman, modern titans who had come to witness the first fruits of the relationship begun between the stately House of Dior and a smart, understated and visionary Belgian.

The collection was presented in truly sumptuous house style, played out across three rooms filled with a million colour grouped flowers.
This dramatic backdrop was maybe the only gesture that made made a viewer think directly of the 'old days'- the flowers displaying a level of decadence that the Dior chief's controversial predecessor might well have approved of.

Against this colourful background, the collection came out. And such is the dissidence between this new designer's collection and previous offerings chez Dior, that at first it was hard to adjust- leaving many, including myself, feeling confused at first glance.

But Galliano Syndrome- that is, a dependence on the glitz of coquettish frou frou- is just something that we have been conditioned to expect after a decade of seasons presided over by the ex-Dior head.  As such, to appreciate the new direction of the label, it is essential to approach Simon's efforts with an open mind.

As soon as you do this, everything changes. Simons has thrown down the gauntlet with this first showcase, in more ways than one. Dior's stock pastel colours, for example, took a backseat to some of the primary hues which marked one of the two most distinctive features of this collection. Lemony, structured, masterful dresses, were intermixed with bold pieces in vermillion and cerulean as well as ample, ample black and printed, multishade silk. There were light colours- but despite this inclusion the froth and frivolity seen in previous Dior collections was notably subdued in favour of a more distinctive, elegant and minimalist silhouette of a modern woman... one that will not have disappointed fans of Simon's previous output, renowned for these features.

The wish to draw a line under the work of his controversial predecessor didn't stop at cut. Simons' inclusion of a unique texture resembling cut wool or even balled tissue paper reflects the direction this designer wishes to take in his new role. To fill the gaping legacy left by Galliano is no mean feat for even the most experienced of couturiers, and what Simons does through the usage of this kind of fabric technology is to set out his mission statement: unafraid to mould the brand to reflect the personal, innovative and highly developed style which has already won him so many admirers, and probably his new seat at the head of this house.

The only concern I'd take away from this otherwise well-executed new chapter in Dior's history is that we might start to see a monopolisation of Simons' time as the head of this label, which could divert him away from his original creations with his eponymous line. If we're really lucky, Raf will follow front-row attendee Marc Jacobs in continuing to successfully produce his own line alongside his responsabilities at Dior. We'll see.

Kat Rutherford in Paris.

find them empty

The theme of this shoot was influenced by a mix-up between Victorian and Native American themes. We tried to marry the two on a patch of heath near our homes...

 

Alexander Wang's pastel shell ribbon dress makes me very excited. It's definitely an item of the season:)! Vivienne Westwood Anglomania coat, Stella McCartney Bra, Alexander Wang Heels, Nina Ricci maxi-skirt, and ring courtesy of Mod-Cloth.com

This is one of the more Victorian-influenced looks of the shoot.

 

Prevalent design influences included lots of Anne Demeulemeester, Vivienne Westwood of course, Dior, McQueen, ksubi and Comme des Garcons.

Flare magic

Flares are everywhere this season. Available in a range of sweet colours they make for a great Summer wardrobe piece and help complete a huge range of different looks, from crazily free hippy individual (given a futuristic twist at Topshop Unique, main picture) to creating a casual albeit elegant silhouette (as seen as Etro and Blumarine).

Topshop Unique, Blumarine  x2, Pucci, Etro.

My instinct with them was to play it casual, that's what the essence of the free-flowing, loose and baggy trouser is to me... so I pulled out a crumpled beige pair which remind me so so much of the trousers worn by Belgian guys- Brussels is full of them.
 Proof that inspiration really can come from anywhere (for once Belgian men are practically style pioneers :P)

I transposed some of the following shots over shots from my trip to Brussels last Summer. The perfect trousers for Summer rain...

Parc de Bruxelles

pleated pleasures ss/11

Guess the pleat trend is pretty hot this Spring Summer, with variations seen across the catwalk from Chloé to Kane. It's easy to get a piece of this crinkly pleasure, and they're summery and versatile enough to brighten up any outfit, working with a vast range of existing pieces.

As far as girly trends go (and I'm no girly girl) this one is without a doubt a workable winner, even for the the eternal tomboy.

Clockwise from top: Chloe x2, Derek Lam, Nicole Farhi x2, House of Holland (all SS11).

My interpretation centres round a summery jumper paired with the pleated dress you can see underneath. For walking in sunshine on windy days!(of which we seem to have many.)

she's stella

The changes in the environment in the last few days have left a spring in my step. There are flowers coming out everywhere, each one a miniature work of art to touch, smell, appreciate.
This perennial fascination with perennials is something for which the fashion world is renound, and the beauty around right now obviously hasn't been lost on Stella McCartney. Her SS/11 take on florals features an interesting mix of the artistic and anatomical, evoking traditional Italian artwork against a fresh, almost scientific arrangement.
A fruit I won't be forbidding myself!

My take on this revolves around using bright floral accessories together with a more neutral, timeless and structured piece. Something that Stella always respects is the wish of her women to look chic, but in a comfortable way.