Jean Paul Gaultier  

Another day, another master of couture at Paris Haute Couture Week.  

Wednesday was Jean Paul Gaultier’s turn to take centre stage. The show opened with tough denim pieces adorned with jewels. Shoulders were rounded, legs were wide, and the busts were sculpted to perfection with characteristic Gaultier sexuality.  

Hats were key to the show; with tasselled pirate hats, wide-brimmed worker hats and elegant feathered hats complimenting matching ensembles.  

The show did not exhibit any cohesive theme, but that didn’t matter. Each look showcased Gaultier’s expert craftsmanship. There was a crisp white skirt suit, finished with mesh detailing, that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Lady at Ascot, followed by a simple blue shift dress topped off with a structural head piece befitting the Statue of Liberty. Pirate looks featured heavily, as well as tasselled Pocahontas inspired pieces.  Indeed, there was a real melee of influences apparent in the quick succession of ensembles.  

What connected them all though was a certain Gaultier je ne sais quoi. From the palm tree headgear, and the leather tasselled skirt, to the sculpted breast plates and pirate earrings, every look was instantly identifiable as Gaultier because of the heady mix of eccentricity and sexuality.  

Elie Saab  

Happy ever after was the theme at Elie Saab. The show opened with a fairy princess dress straight out of a little girl’s fantasy. It was fit for a queen, with the widest of skirts, printed in a gorgeous array of pastel shades.

Saab’s collection featured extravagant but soft, feminine pieces suitable for any occasion of high-importance. In delicate shades of grey, nude, cream and dusty rose, his lace gowns complete with flowing trains were literally floating on air.  

With iridescent appliqué flowers decorating the sheerest of gowns, and lots of shorter length mini-dresses, his pieces captured all the innocence and beauty of the girly ingénue. But Saab also delivered womanly pieces with high voltage sex appeal. This was evident in the slashed-to-the-thigh pieces, or those dresses with sculpted busts that gave to die for cleavage.  

In summary, Saab created a collection with all women in mind, and delivered a crowd-pleasing array.  

Valentino  

Avatar, the screen phenomenon du jour, was something of an inspiration at Valentino.  

It was visible from the flashes of blue war paint. It was also spotted in the tribal wrap garments, made of delicate chiffon woven around the body as a scanty covering. The colour palette was of acid lemon, shocking magenta and vivid aqua, creating the feeling of a futuristic warscape.  

Bandage wrapping was used on cigarette pants and body-con bodices. Stripes of contrasting colours also gave a warped camouflage effect. There were burnt orange chiffon jumpsuits with flounces of excess material, and jazzy beaded mini-dresses paired with bejewelled tight trousers. The beading gave the appearance of scales when combined with super-tight body-con pieces.  

To conclude, it was all very out of this world, and a complete contrast to previous Valentino Couture collections from Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. 

All images from Style.com 

Becky Cope

Edited by Mini Bear - 30 Jan 2010 at 11:41am

Stefania Borrás

There was more than a hint of the Chanel effect evident in the Stefania Borrás show. The blushing milk maid of the Parisian house’s SS10 collection was back, with a soft halo fuzz surrounding her extra long plaited hair and her feet shod again in heeled clogs. But Borrás wove an additional equestrian theme through her clothes with the use of pony skins, black leather riding boots and jewellery made from horse girdles, giving her milk maid a harder edge. The strange blood spattered bullet hole pattern that worked its way onto simple silk shift dresses, woollen tights, body suits and skinny jodhpurs also removed any last trace of whimsy from this collection.

 

Krizia Robustella

Sometimes fashion weeks need a shake up; a sudden jolt to the jaded fashion journalist’s system to make her sit up and take notice. Opening her collection with a rockabilly waitress languidly puffing on a cigarette to the tune of Pharaoh Monch’s,“F*ck You”, Krizia Robustella aimed to do just that. Long waistcoats in candy stripe colours, arcade jackpot print suits and shiny frilled capes all made an appearance – and that was just on the boys.  Sportswear influences also crept in, with jogging bottoms paired with parkas and anoraks. Granted, it wasn’t the most cohesive collection - some pieces were so oddly put together it is a wonder why they were included at all - but it was fun. Even the models were laughing by the finale, which saw them shooting toy guns at the photographers scrum. For a new young designer, that’s a pretty amazing feat.

 

Cardona Bonache

This collection, a booming voice told us, was “Lesson 2: Darts – The Beginning of Volume”. Not hard to see what the focus would be here, then. Victor Cardona Marqués and Israel Frutos Bonache sent models down the runway with poker-straight hair covering one eye, a sleek contrast to the voluminous folds protruding from their clothes. Using ribbed wool bodysuits in black, grey and aquamarine green as the foundation, layers were then added – seamless masculine felt blazers, collarless leather boleros, high-waisted wool pencil skirts and silk shift dresses, which all included the crucial dart detailing. Thin glistening silver chains hung down the back of the jackets - a superfluous feature in an otherwise clean silhouette.

All images courtesy of 080 Barcelona Fashion

Edited by Mini Bear - 29 Jan 2010 at 12:51am

Chanel

Tuesday saw day two of the Paris Haute Couture shows, and of course Chanel came out in full force.

Pastels and futuristic hues competed for the limelight. The classic wool suit made a delicious appearance in sweet shop shades of pale blues and pinks. Yet the end looks were in metallic shades of silver and gold. The bow combs in the hair played with the traditional iconography of the House, while rose and camellia decoration also crept up in many looks, typical of Chanel’s back catalogue.

The collection was further modernised in the finer details. The jackets featured crystal buttons, and simple shift dresses were decorated with strips of perspex on the bust. When accessorised with steel bangles, fingerless gloves, chunky silver shoes and iridescent hosiery, the clothes achieved the future plateau of science meets fashion.

But lest we forget that couture is always about the gowns. Layered tiers of floating chiffon looked like lightly whipped candy floss. The delicate lace capes coming away from evening dresses created a whimsical, princess feel, evoking a turn of the century ball. Sheer chiffon gowns were emblazoned with crystals and some used camellia brooches at the neck with exquisite results. Elegant, column gowns and Oriental draping are just waiting to be snapped up for Hollywood Award Season. The show finished on a high, with the bride, a vision of cascading waves of a white train and delicate cut out sleeves, escorted down the catwalk by a disco-suited groom.

Givenchy
The 70's influence on Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci was evident from the opening masculine-influenced looks to the closing sequined show stoppers. Finding his stride with couture this season, Tisci’s collection bravely looked back into the Givenchy archives for the first time, finding inspiration from the saucy Parisians of the 70's.

The ostrich feather t-shirt tops flamboyantly defied the tailored jackets and trousers accompanying them, adding a va-va-voom to a simple silhouette. Sheer bodices with underwear peeping through also captured a daring side of femininity. Next came a dress of tornado-like whirls of white organza topped off with a boxy hat, followed by rock n' roll fur gilets and feather skirts. 

The show stoppers were the black lace jumpsuit, the midnight blue column dress with accompanying basque and flowing cape, and the bejewelled Studio 54 jumpsuits and dresses that came in emerald, amethyst and sapphire. The final full skirted, cut to the thigh evening gowns were sumptuous in deep violet with bejewelled busts and flounces of cascading fabric. Parfait.

  



























































































Stéphane Rolland 

Although it is difficult to compete with two big hitters as big as Chanel and Givenchy, another highlight of the day was Stéphane Rolland.

Innovation was the key to the young Frenchman’s success. He manipulated paint in order to reduce it to a light enough consistency to hand print silk and satin, and used plexiglass to create a sculpted armour effect on shoulders and hems. The results were dramatic and decadent gowns in both rich dark hues and striking white shades, showcasing a great new talent in couture.

Edited by Mini Bear - 12 Aug 2010 at 9:54pm

Meet the brand spanking Apple iPad, a high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display gadget which can browse the web, send email, upload photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read e-books and much more. At just 0.5 inches thick and weighing 1.5 pounds, it is thinner, lighter and more convenient than any laptop.

Imperatively, the technology giant has ensured that the iPad is environmentally responsible. Made of highly recyclable aluminum, the LED-backlit display is energy-efficient, mercury free and made with arsenic-free glass.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” commented Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs. “iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” 

Yeah, yeah, Steve. Gimme.

The iPad will be available worldwide in late March, starting from $499. Visit here for a guided tour.

To mark the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence, the Nehru Centre in London will showcase acclaimed photographer Andrew Farrar’s beautiful images until January 29th. Originally exhibited in the underground crypt of St. Andrew’s Church in Holborn under the name “Holy Cow”, the series has been renamed "Happy Days" for its run at the Centre, part of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

The highly evocative images were taken during Farrar’s visit to India last year. It is those most effected by the push of Western advancements and the pull of Indian heritage that the series focuses on - highlighting the social, economic and psychological dichotomy of India, rather than the accepted clichés of Indian society. Although evocative and moving, Farrar does not allow victimization, nor seek pity for his subjects. Instead, each image portrays personal empowerment, and the celebration of one of the most diverse countries in the world.

For more information and directions to The Nehru Center, visit here. For more information on Andrew Farrar, visit here. 

Manuel Bolaño

“I remember a little bear. A little teddy bear in camel colour. A cold, gray winter morning in a trip to the ‘Castros Gallegos’. My mother, dressed in wool and silk in pink, was holding my hand, and I wondered…why does everything have to be pink?”

These are not my words. These are the musings of Barcelona-born designer Manuel Bolaño. And if you think they’re odd, you should see his clothes. From head to toe, Bolaño had envisioned a look that was part nursery rhyme playful, part Tim Burton twisted fairytale. The unnerving tinkle of the jewellery-box music was the first allusion that all was not right. A first glance would take layers of pastel shades forming cupcake silhouettes, Little Miss Muffet puffed shoulders, adorable geeky candy-stripe glasses, oversized bows and cute Purdy cuts. Closer inspection would reveal Quasimodo leather humps sprouting from wool cocoon coats, McQueen-inspired wooden hoof wedges, and mutant pig and mice heads mushrooming from models’ bodies. Bolaño created a collection of theatre, that was as grotesque as it was surreally beautiful. 

 

Karlotalaspalas

If ever there were a collection that epitomised the words ‘smart’ and ‘casual’, then this would be it, as the almost-eponymous label of Karlota Laspalas served up an unusual mix of references which encapsulated both. First came the public schoolboy in the Serengeti; belted bush jackets, collarless shirts and deftly turned up tailored shorts were layered in cream, beige, khaki and camel, naturally topped off with safari hats. The mood was than altered with a simple substitution to black – the schoolboy had grown up into a moody teenager, rebelling with a 70s wide brim fedora atop long hair, slouchy trousers and a slouchier attitude. A full range of Karlotalaspalas accessories would be a lucrative sideline; her canvas and leather holdalls and parcel-like wallets were the perfect finishing touches.

 

Tim Hamilton

Tim Hamilton takes menswear very seriously. His sombre-coloured minimalist designs were in complete contrast to Juan Antonio Ávalos’ cheeky multicoloured offerings yesterday. With a thick layer of deathly white pan makeup coating their faces, Hamilton’s models were sculpted into living mannequins, intensely pounding the floor of the catwalk with weighty biker boots. The collection concentrated on clean lines and heavy layering - a black double-breasted blazer over a cobalt raincoat, for instance, was paired with navy tracksuit trousers and a balaclava. The standout looks were those featuring Hamilton’s leather pieces, such as his soft black leather motorcycle trousers. But it was his fitted hooded leather jackets that were the real highlight - Rick Owens better watch his back.

All images courtesy of 080 Barcelona Fashion.

Our good old Pirate friend Danny Sangra is a few careful footsteps away from launching his long-awaited knitwear label AMS (A Minute Silence). Partnered with his good knitwear-guru friend Lynda Needles, fans will not be disappointed by what they have in store. Produced by the British heritage knitwear company Corgi, the quality of the knits are top priority. And talking about quality, I've been told every garment comes in a hand-made moth bag with an original piece of artwork; not a screen print, a real hand drawing.

Here is a short video made during production of the look book.