We’ll Always Have Paris...

So, Paris fashion week Spring/Summer 2009 begins on Monday. Are you ready for it? As George Bernard Shaw once said, “A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic,” so be sure to pack your Echinacea. To be stylish is a lot easier than being fashionable. Style is classic, continuity, longevity. Fashion is knowing the trends and the hot spots before they become public knowledge. This can be equated to the illegal practice of holding inside information on stocks and shares. However, instead of trading on the stock markets, we are trading on the social strata, the fashion Stasi, the Mafiosi mode, in an attempt to gain the social favours and recognition that such wisdom brings.

The fashion crowd can be compared to a swarm of bees. Unlike in nature, we have several queen bees, but distance between them has to be maintained otherwise things could really get nasty & stings could appear. Anna Wintour really excels in her queen bee role. Not only does she spot fashion and publish it accordingly, she actually makes fashion: the designers value her opinions. (Whispers across the globe however that this queen bee’s supremacy may be on the wane: American Vogue is getting thinner by the day, and cover leads have resorted to tabloid-y headlines – Jen Aniston: “What Angelina Did Was Very Uncool”. With the launch of India Vogue in September 2007, could this nation’s publication be the daughter queen of Anna’s elder?)

Paris fashion week is celebrated for its haute couture, its attention to detail, and its fantastic displays of self-worth. What have we got to look forward to come Monday? Well, we can expect there will be the usual size zero debate to keep the media hounds happy, but these discussions are considered weary & unfashionable by those in the know: give the models a burger & a BMI test & we’ll all be happy. Attendees of shows naturally have to come dressed in the designer of the day, but the easiest way to approach this is to choose an all-black ensemble. This way, if you haven’t got the contacts to get hold of the collection’s latest wares, at least you’ll blend in & no-one will notice that your clothes may in fact be a few weeks old, or *gasp*, off the hanger.

Being a celebrity, it pays off to choose your shows carefully. The PR doyennes for both fashion houses & celebrities are working top speed to align their aesthetics and synergise their choices so that the final image projected to the international media is apt. Last year, as mentioned in previous posts, we had Emma Watson’s Coming Out Parade, with her attendance at shows such as Chanel, Dior, and Sonia Rykiel. Maybe this year will be the turn of Julia Robert’s niece Emma Roberts, who attended Fashion Week-New York but a few months ago.

Weather forecasts for Monday predict heavy rain in the French capital. One thing we can be certain of is that the queen bees and the fashion darlings will remain dry as a desert in Arizona: only the pack get rained upon.

If the dress fits...

Purple haze: fashion shows never take place on time, & this is one of the reasons why – there’s a hell of a lot of preparation to do...

Is the light right?

Chanel is synonymous with pearls. Coco Chanel herself infamously remarked that a lady should always wear a string or two of pearls around her neck to light up her face. Here, the concept of pearls is revisited through bronzed beads:

French ingénues: Ludivine Sagnier & Julie Depardieu, Paris fashion week 2007:

Keeping an eye on the prize: celebrities front row Spring 2009 include Mario Testino, Claudia Schiffer, Emma Watson and Clemence Poesy:

Lilly looking ladylike for Paris: even the ciggie fits in here:

First time designers premiering their collections in 08/09:

Lanvin, backstage, Fall 2008:

Quotes

GB.Shaw: http://www.best-quotes-poems.com/fashion-quotes.html

Picture Sources:

Purple backstage & domed light backstage: www.modeaparis.com

Ludivine Sagnier & Julie Depardieu 2007, Lilly 2007, celebs front-row spring 2009: http://www.zimbio.com

Turquoise dress, getting prepped: www.myscoop.us

Chanel “Pearls”: adrianasassoon.wordpress.com

List of designers: http://www.modeaparis.com

Lanvin; big hair pic-Dior: http://frillr.com

Black dress w/ blue choker: www.canada.com

Cause Celeb

Yeah, so we get it, Obama may not necessarily live up to all the great expectations that are usually reserved for placing pressure upon Greek Gods, superheroes, and Finchley sixth graders studying for the 11 plus. But you know what? At least he does it in style. Before him, the risks city traders took in gambling away our credit was nothing compared to the risk they could have gone into the office sans tie. Before him, Hart Schaffner Marx was just your everyday all American tailor.

Fashion and choice of suitable attire on the campaign run can always be a fun and experimental time. Come election day, while many doors open, one door gets shoved, locked and bolted. No longer is it acceptable to don clothes in the public arena that have not been designed by the hand of your fellow countryman. In fact, it is deemed positively unpatriotic. Jackie O, née Kennedy, fiercely championed Oleg Cassini, purveyor of shift dresses and kid gloves. In spite of this, one of Jackie’s favourite designers actually resided in Paris: Hubert de Givenchy. "Mrs. Kennedy was the first political wife to understand the power of magazines and television. She loved Paris fashion, but she had to give it up for political reasons,” says Pamela Golbin in the Herald Tribune. Would the relationship between politics and fashion have developed into international bedfellows had Jackie chosen differently all those years ago? Would Carla Bruni-Sarkozy have explored slightly further afield than her beloved Yves? Heck, she was an international supermodel, she surely has the contacts to get hold of some Oscar de la Renta to indulge her 1950s prom queen, or some Miuccia for her quirky side.

Everyone seems to be championing Michelle Obama’s wardrobe du jour, but let’s not get carried away here. She does seem to have a knack for picking some classic shifts, pearls, and bouffants, but to label her iconic so early on may be a little bold. Afterall, Jackie came into her own in the 1980s, reinforcing her love for the big-O sunglasses, crisp white shirts and black capri’s.

Michelle certainly has potential: flair, grace, and panache. But longevity is key. Will she be able to pull it off, ten, twenty years from now? ...To Be Confirmed. Can she pull it off today?

Yes, she can.

Jackie as a Kennedy:



The Later Years: Jackie in New York, paparazzi fodder:

Ron Galella became a furiously dedicated snapper of Jackie, to the point where Jackie bought an injunction against Galella in 1972 after a very public trial.

With the Reagans, 1986:

The New First Family:

Quotes:

Pamela Golbin: http://www.iht.com/articles/2002/11/19/fjackie_ed3_.php

Picture Sources:

Leading Obama pic: www.daylife.com

Jackie in Peach dress: www.metmuseum.org

Men’s suit: http://www.hartschaffnermarx.com/mensstore/

Carla with Queen pic: www.people.com

Michelle in orange: www.sanfrancisosentinel.com

Michelle with the kids: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/

Michelle in purple, with Barack: www.bet.com/Lifestyle/

Michelle in ruffle neck top: http://www.swamppolitics.com

Obama family: http://www.donkeydish.com

Jackie in check suit: http://beautyblabber.com

Jackie with sunglasses, close shot: http://img2.timeinc.net

Jackie in white: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/

Jackie with The Reagans: http://en.wikipedia.org

Ron Galella/Jackie pic: http://hangten.typepad.com

Young Lady, You Will Not Leave The House Looking Like That!

Taylor Momsen, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears: all continually lambasted for their age-inappropriate, racy ensembles. But what about the other end of the spectrum? It’s one thing to dress your age and not your shoe size, quite another to dress like you’ve been through a DUI, seen through several minor recessions, and partied through numerous hot nights at (former speakeasy) Club 21 in midtown Manhattan before you’ve even reached your fifteenth birthday. Hang on a sec. What if - can you even visualise this? It might be just a bit disturbing in a parallel vortex sort of way – instead of dressing older than you are in pursuit of presenting a provocative facade, dress as to impress at a board meeting or the school run.

Yup, Hayden Panettiere didn’t let fame go to her head. (Well, let’s put aside the minor embarrassment, say, of her dating Laguna Beach alumna Stephen Colletti, for...how many days did it last? Each to their own). Ironically, she actually gets criticised for dressing like she’s in her mid-twenties/thirties. Hell, what’s wrong with a pencil skirt, a bit of rouge and a chignon?

Over on this side of the river, guess who's soon to graduate from Hogwarts? (- hold your breath, there’s still another Harry Potter film due for the publicity junket this summer). Emma Watson, hoping to attend a liberal arts college in the US next year, currently feeds her love of style and fashion in an extremely grown up way. She even attended last year’s Paris shows suitably attired from head to toe in the key colour of the season & the city. (Black, need you ask?) I hope she has a ticket for this year’s shows. Starting next week, I hear they’re selling out fast...

In Dior, & then Chanel:

Follow these guidelines & you’ll be sure to attain that haute elegance & icy exterior that previously only the elder (read: wiser) of the fashionistas could exert. Of course by then you might want to revert back a few years to a youth forgotten: no one could forget the bikini pic of 2008.

Helen Mirren looking fantastic at 63:

Babe Paley, fashion editor of Vogue and swan of Capote, once said (& I’m paraphrasing here) that a lady should always dress a couple decades older than her actual age. That way, when said age was reached, no-one would be any more the wiser.

Suitable at every age: Hayden in a classic trench

Signing autographs, Emma wears Chanel:

Want to show off an asset? Do it the classy way, from behind. Hayden at the Berlin Film Festival, 2008:

A girl’s gotta keep up with her philanthropic work: Hayden at the 5th annual Innovation and Inspiration gala, hosted by the Alfred Mann Foundation at Vibiana in Los Angeles:

Sorry, how old are you Scarlett?

Picture Sources:

Hayden in Berlin: www.contactmusic.com

Hayden inTrench: www.hollywoodgrind.com

Hayden headshot, red lipstick: www.thebestdamnthingever.blogspot.com

Hayden in Pencil skirt with blouse by Nu Collective; at Vibiana; Scarlett Johansson: www.instyle.com

Emma in Chanel, leading pic: www.emmawatsonphotos.blogspot.com

Emma in Dior; & in Chanel: www.people.com

Helen Mirren pic: www.northstandchat.com

NB: For legal purposes, I can’t guarantee that Emma Watson wore Chanel when signing autographs in Paris, but it sure looks like Chanel to me! Post a comment if you think otherwise!

All The Girls Love Alice

Alice bands. Of property formerly belonging to the leggy ladies gliding around Sloane Square, Mayfair & cetera, keeping their static blonde manes intact with a thick velveteen band. Currently residing with the Noughties Girls, who reclaimed possession somewhere around the locale of the Upper East Side in NYC. Yep, CW’s Gossip Girl miniseries brought back the band.

Of course you don’t have to be established of title & light of foot to enjoy this trend: pretty much anyone can join in. For the lithe & svelte, alice bands bring a touch of the ballerina to one’s face, sweeping unkempt hair back into place.

For the really brave, take the highway out past Grunge and head towards the 1950s with a touch of satirical irony, following Ashley Olsen, Katy Perry & Lilly Allen in a nod to a somewhat twisted version of the all American stay-at-home mum.

For the art-ier Shoreditch-ly partial, hair bands of the plaited variety earn a sprinkle of Grecian stardust to bring sparkle to the spirited troops treading the puddles of Hackney Road and beyond.

From Helen of Troy to Hell of a Hairstyle, Diane Kruger steps up her game:

Leighton Meister, as Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf, preps up her outfit with a punch of cherry red kid-bows:

Recreate the look at a fraction of the expense with Credit Crunch prices:

Sportier and more athlectic aesthetics at the Lagerfeld shows:

Yep, Natalie rocks the same hair-band, different outfit:

Scarlett Johansson, MET ball 2008, wears Dolce & Gabbana:

Picture Sources:

Blair Waldorf pic: www.fashiontechnews.blogspot.com

Diane Kruger & Natalie Portman pics: www.instyle.com

Emmy Rossum & Natalie Portman, & Ashley Olsen pic (part of montage): www.people.com

Lagerfeld: www.thefashionspot.com

Scarlett Johansson pics: www.beautyaddict1one1.blogspot.com and www.thefashionpolice.net

Sandra Bullock, Sarah Michelle Gellar & Gwyneth Paltrow pic: www.thebaglady.tv

Zooey Deschanel pic: www.hairfinder.com

(She’s a) Fashion Darling: Sophia Bush

How do you get a front row seat at Fashion Week? It’s easy if you’re Sophia Bush.

All publicity = good publicity? Not so if you’re a fashion designer. At your fashion show you want the front-rowers to represent the image of your brand, be it cool, young & hip, or elegant & preppy. Many fashion designers have a whole bunch of muses nowadays – check out Marc Jacobs with Kirsten Dunst, Sophia Coppola and Rachel Feinstein Currin. The substitute for a muse, however, is the Bright Young Thing who needs the publicity as much as the designers. Case in point: Sophia Bush.

Less than two years ago, the young actress was predominantly known for her role as the psycho-slutty teenager in the US drama series One Tree Hill. Now she is more likely to be snapped at fashion shows, premieres & red-carpet events looking enviably styled, chic, & polished to go-go.

This rebranding has boosted the star’s presence no end. Most fashion editors now recognise her image, even if they don’t know her show. She has established a more serious niche for herself in the world of fashion. She may not push the boat out with outré and unconventional ensembles, but her effort & variety gets an A plus.

Looking cute in a Lela Rose twinset, snapped at the designer’s fashion show, Spring 2008, with Brittany Snow:

Dressed to impress, in Hervé Léger:

Taking care of rehydration the Starbucks way: bug-eyed sunglasses with a cool jersey dress help to keep it serene on those long summer days:

Left to right: Reem Acra, Jill Stuart, Ports 1961, Malandrino:

Saccharine buttercup: in BCBG:

Global Green USA:

Picture Sources:

Headshot: www.profashionelle.com

Lela Rose show & jersey dress pics: www.my.opera.com/mystyle/blog/index.dml

Global Green USA: www.grannypantscouture.com

Hervé Léger dress: http://shoes.about.com/od/imagegalleries/ig/Celebrity-Shoes/Sophia-Bush.htm

BCBG pic: www.people.com

Reem Acra, Jill Stuart, Ports 1961, Malandrino montage, plus Rock & Republic dress & motorcycle jacket: www.instyle.com

NB. For legal purposes, I can’t guarantee that the striped black/white dress is a Hervé Léger, but it certainly looks like one to me! Post a comment if you think otherwise!