Boys boys boys on the shows ... literaly

Jean Paul Gaultier always puts on a show, and this time he decided to dig back to childhood.

Whether it was a family affair, dressed up for Sunday school with Afro/clownish hair, or a methaphore of growing up, the whole catwalk was a criss-cross reference to older days and sober values.

Paper-thin trench coats, Chelsea boots, twig-thin ties, lacquered shoes and pinstripe suits; all in blacks, greys and whites with a splash of block red - declined from child to adolescent to man (with the odd young mother-figure in a retro boyish trench).

A refreshing uptake on old times with pehaps a little too many classic cuts that Gaultier could have twisted around a little more unconventionally.

All in all a suprising show with a few good pieces, although I doubt all this nostalgia will start a new modern trend. Much of it has been seen before.

Sex appeal

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is the new face of sexy.

According to Agent Provocateur - and her boyfriend in her latest lapdance video for the underwear brand.



To be honest who could blame him? The collection immaculately sends sex signals, and the bondage, dominatrix hint is a well known male and female fantasy - in theory anyways.

Vivienne Westwood's son, Joseph Corre, the founder of the company has always been an advocate for making faux bondage acceptable and sexually forward women the essence of a post-feminism century.

Rosie is supposed to represent the new beauties of this season, although, I believe she lacks some edge to her features.

Maybe it is all about choosing a model who will not make the whole campaign appear like a sex-ad...

The calf dilemma

Today, after a stressful day at work I decided to treat myself to a Top Shop spree. (Working in Victoria street does indeed not help my wallet.)

I found a really nice skirt, very much in the sexy/smart tones of the season: black, under-the-knee, high-waisted, tight, with ruffles at the back. Oh and a sales price tag of £15.

All perfectly cut - Victoria Beckham style.

This is the definition of my dream skirt - or one of them at least: so what went through my erratic head to prevent me from running out of the changing rooms, buying it in all haste, smiling to an unimpressed and exasperated rush-hour crowd all the way home?

In a few words: I had a calf attack.

No nothing to do with my muscles melting following intense stiletto-wear. The dress made my calves look the size of my thighs.

I never really worried about my calves: they are toned, and usually barely noticeable. To be honest, I usually have a thunder-thigh panic instead of a thunder-calves panic. How ever even heard of that?

I am not the only one to worry about unusual parts of my body: there are more and more slim-lotions and creams to tone your arms, calves, back, neck and a myriad other places.

I am sure we are slowly sliding towards an LA beauty aesthetic: soon we are going to have to look like a movie star with bleached teeth, on a daily basis.

It is true, the Victoria Beckham cut - just below the knee - can be very unflattering if you have large-ish hips or short legs.

The waist looks fabulous (and so does the buttocks), but it is what I call a profile shape: it enhances you from a side point of view but often not from a front view.

It all depends on the shape you want to achieve.

A risky move: jeans and the office

I had my first day as an intern on the Westminster city council communications team today, and I made my first mistake: I wore jeans.

Denim is a tricky one, because it can be dressed up: add a black cardigan and sober heels to a dark pair of skinny jeans and you're in business.

However, most offices have a no jeans policy, which is understandable if they have a suit and shirt or suit and tie requirement, but it's often not that simple.

A woman can get away with wearing a shift dress or a purple skirt with patent heels, so long that it does not cry out "weekend style".

It might be because of the history of jeans: they were worn by workers (with a zip on the side) - because the material is thick is resistant against tears - up until the popular wave for informal-wear in the US in the 1970s.

And it is true that allowing jeans into the office could leave the door open to baggy, laid-back styles. I wonder though, with the new shapes and colours of jeans available now, if denim will ever cross the barrier to the 'formal' side.

It has already made it to 'casual chic' and designers have made denim-suits for both men and women - think Jil Sander.

Not that I am trying to justify my mistake - I will be wearing a secretary-style skirt tomorrow. Lesson learnt.

Go and check out this blog if your a fan, it has got some amazing info on jeans.

The origins of beauty: the history of fashion week as we know it.

Gazing at catwalk shows twice a year, in the hottest four corners of the world – by that I mean Paris, New York, London and Milan – is routine for fashion editors, journalists and buyers all over the globe.

Fashion Week is taken for granted anyone remotely aware of fashion, inside and outside the industry.

Shows are available online, almost instantaneously, ready to be blogged and commented about by trend fanatics. We know everything about catwalk shows: a day in the life of a model, backstage action, what the front row wears, what they eat, when they smile, everything. The history of the little black dress has been penned more times than models run the runway.

But there seems to be a major gap about the coverage of the event, and the big question is: where does it come from?

The French practically owned fashion up until the 20th century, so, predictably, the origins of the fashion show can be traced back to the French capital. In the 1800s, "fashion parades" regularly took place in Paris couture salons.

By the 1910s, the concept had been imported to the United States and large department stores were staging fashion shows to attract the attention of female shoppers. The monopoly was still French however, and the gowns displayed were either couture gowns from Paris or the stores’ own copies of them.

The first fashion week however was held in New York City in 1943 by an American fashion Publicist, Eleanor Lambert.

During the Second World War fashion insiders were unable to travel to a German-occupied France, and this is where Eleanor Lambert came up with the richest idea in fashion at the time.

She organised “Press Week”, an event in which American designers, previously overlooked, showcased their collections for fashion journalists.

No speeding from one tent to another, celebrities and champagne binges as we know them now, but the event still made a splash. It was a huge success; Vogue took up on it and American designers started to be promoted abroad.

After the war, the industry returned to previous fashion superpowers, namely Paris, London and Milan for the new fashion weeks that had emerged there, leading to “the big four” that still dominate the fashion calendar.

Fashion week as we know it now (with the media buzz and the tents), really started in spring 1994, after Fern Mallis, vice president of IMG (then executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America) centralised the New York shows in Bryant Park.

A chic victory for the fashion world.

Kate is getting old

It has been twenty years since Kate Moss started her modeling career, as the grunge blond turns 35 today. Quite an achievement to still be featuring on so many beauty and fashion campaigns at this age for a model.

For a quick history, Kate Moss was scouted at 14, in 1988. She first appeared in the magazine The Face at 15, shot by Corinne Day. She appeared on more than 30 magazine covers and created the waif look.

In my opinion, you either love her or you hate her.

We can only wait and see how her big 3-5 birthday bash will degenerate. She is supposed to be partying all week-end.
I was surprised however to see pictures of her from the 90s, here are a few:

Barbie is going to turn 50 in style

Barbie is turning 50 this year (on the 9th of March) and she is not going to be short of a wardrobe for the occasion:

50 designers are creating life-sized outfits inspired by the 11 1/2 inch doll, which will be shown in a full-scale fashion show held by Mattel during New York Fashion week.

Hopefully the designers don't make the clothes to fit the real measurement of Barbie if she ever were to be rendered in the flesh, which would be 36-18-38.

I always wanted a collectors barbie when I was a child and I remember spending hours, perplexed over my mother's sewing machine, desperately struggling to re-create the clothes I saw in my Barbie Newsletter (yes, I was a hardcore fan at the time, even if I had a tendency to make my dolls practice extreme sports).

I feel better now knowing dozens of designers did the same as children. Anna Sui admitted she started with dressing Barbie before dressing people.

Over the years Barbie was dressed by over 70 designers, including Burberry, Christian Lacroix, Versace and Vera Wang. She has an entire little family, and she looks damn great for her age.

She is one lucky mini-lady to have a round-up of designers perspiring at this very second to create for her a full Autumn/Winter 2009 collection.

Shoes, Chocolate and Love, the Westwood way

Imagine shoes that look like white chocolate, make you feel gorgeous minus the calories and with added glamour: sounds like heaven? It is Love in the Westwood way.

Her Lady Dragon shoes simply make my heart melt like a chocolate fountain and they are declined in milk, white, dark and coffee creme.

Even better news: they are affordable, with a generous price tag of £76. Okay, maybe not in my range for a late late late yummy Christmas present, but why not Valentines? They are better than a chocolate date in my opinion.

Maybe it is because I have always had something for shimmer and shinny, but they look surreal. Think Cinderella-glass-shoe charm.

They would team well with a 20s outfit, especially in approaching spring. A great alternative to patent party shoes.

Because of the shine and the plastic-tea-set feel of them, a pair of skinny jeans will show them off in their true glory at the office, or for a romantic date (think cut-out hearts).

DSquared is taking the new year with cat fists

And then there are those who chose to take the new year in full blow... literally...


I personally would not get into a fight with Naomi Campbell, but Linda Evangelista did not turn down the DSquared's new catfight spring/summer 09 advertisement campaign.

The supermodel wrestling, in strappy stilettos and bare-back loose dresses, would fit a Grecian vase with splendour.

It has a strange appeal to it, and Steven Meisel's still-touch shows us glamour in all its power.

Come and have fun with the robots

One of the best resolution of the year for kids - or anyone who loves toys for that matter - would be to drag their parents at Selfridges on the 22 of January for the taking over of Selfridges' Concept Store by Kidrobot.

Hold you breath: the store-gallery will sell everything.

Think signature toys like Munny and Dunny, Tshirts, hoodies and a collection of bags overflowing with original prints and toys.

It will also feature Kidrobot’s accessory line by Tarina Tarantino: Frank Kozik’s Labbit stools, and 20-inch vinyl toys customized by artists such as ilovedust and Jon Burgerman.

It all sounds like a bunch of big names, it actually is the promise of tremendous amusement and a trip down childhood lane with incredible graphics.

Well worth a detour.

Kidrobot will be at Selfridges, London Oxford Street, in The Wonder Room from January 22 to February 21, 2009.

Resolution 2: The Fad Diet

Well, it is an obvious one: everyone seems to want to lose a few pounds after Christmas excesses, starting with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Her resolution, according to Marie-Claire is 'To detox in January by doing more yoga, eating more organic foods, drinking lots of water and taking some herbal laxatives".

If you're up for no-food, a lot of unladylike time in the loo, and strange-tasting detox juices, go for it. I am not sure it is the best resolution though. It probably works, but at what cost?

The main problem is not celebrity's diet tips, it's always strangely sadistically satisfying to know someone out there is making oneself sick to look drop-dead gorgeous when we can simply read about it, take a healthy resolution for 2009 and get on with life.

The problem is all these opposing messages reaching out to us: scales sitting next to chocolate bars at the cashiers anyone?

Yes, it might be a sturdy resolution to lose a couple of pounds after all these mince cakes, but why not try cutting down on chocolate, skipping for ten minutes every morning (as, I grant you it is cold for a morning run) and eating more vegetables?

Everybody in fashion is probably already kick-starting every beauty plans they know in time for the approaching Fashion Weeks, but after all that stress a nice massage and a cup of green tea could be a start.

Then hitting the sales could be the workout option...

Teetotal

One of the things we tend to do in Britain is follow the all or nothing mantra.

So, after the festive season and gallons of pints of wine and party liquor in our stomachs, it seems a reasonable resolution to swear off drinking.

The teetotal craze is starting to hit our shores.

ELLE has a article about it, and newspaper columnists seem to swear by it. It is true that many people keep off alcohol for a month after taking the resolution.

The problem is that it is only a overload-party-effect. Who never uttered in a moment of drunken misery and brain-cell damage: "I am never drinking again"?

Teetotal is not an altogether bad idea: alcohol is intoxicating, it gives bad skin, doubles the recommended daily calorie intake (although a Starbucks cappuccino does too...) and can ruin a few stilettos.

But staying completely free of it might not be the best of ideas either, it's better to learn moderation. And after all, we need something to numb the pain of wearing high heels, and I have found in the past that a medium glass of white wine can do the trick.

Back for the New Year - Resolutions contents

It is Monday and Mondays have always been the best deem to redeem oneself.

I admit I have been on a little bit of a fashion sabbatical lately - I will blame it on the holidays - but I am back packed with ideas.

It is the new year and like everyone, I have made one serious resolution I intend to keep (or at least try to). Other than that I will live and let live like I do.

I am not going to follow the pointless one-month-lasting resolutions magazines push on us after the party season. Namely: fad-diets, living at the gym, going teetotal, spending less on clothes (WHY would anyone do that?!) or detoxing.

I am however going to blog about them: new years resolutions are my theme this week, so let's get going with fashion again. I don't like 2009 as a number combination (don't ask why, I just don't like 9s) but I sure am excited about a new year.