New range new direction

image: net-a-porter APC cotton smock dress £150

Net-a-Porter have added APC to their wide selection of clothes, shoes and accessories in keeping with their expansionist policy! Are they attempting to take over the clothing distribution empire. Well for those of you in London town don't forget to shop local and find a lovely selection of APC at Shop Maison Bertaux

Criminal style

Now I'm being a bit naughty and duplicating my Fashion and Film post on Make Do Style not because I'm particularly lazy but it was worth sharing.

The film set in Italy made me fast forward to S/S 09 hence my previous bag post. So here is the edited version (you only miss my preamble of what I normally do on a Saturday, so you are saved the vanity of all about me!) On Saturday, I drove over a 100 miles to Warwick Arts Centre to attend a screening of Plein Soleil (1960) a French film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley. Highsmith commented that Plein Soleil was "very beautiful to the eye and interesting for the intellect", although she took issue with the ending.
Adapted and directed by René Clément, Tom Ripley is played by Alain Delon. The screening of this film was in the context of a talk by Stella Bruzzi and Pamela Church Gibson on fashion and film criminals entitled 'If Looks could Kill'.

Alain Delon is pure evil in the film but equally he is pure male beauty. It is a stark contrast to Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) as Tom Ripley is extremely cold and also the most beautiful person on screen, compared to Minghella's where Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Dickie (Jude Law) are the eye candy.

The talk focused on the typical cinema criminal most notably the gangster and their appropriation of the suit, how a gangster is obvious with their flamboyant use of dress and the vanity associated with dress. The gangster always admires himself in the mirror and will always see his tailor upon release from jail before his 'gal'. The narcissistic quality of dress is integral to Plein Soleil and Alain Delon's portrayal of Tom Ripley, being a French film you can imaging the quality of the style right down to the very Italian Riviera white leather Gucci loafers which are so soft and delectable you can almost feel their quality from the screen. The cinematography and colour is outstanding in this film

Highsmith was disappointed with the film's ending, calling it "a terrible concession to so-called public morality." However Clement had constructed such a cold, evil, narcissistic and beautiful Ripley in Plein Soleil it seemed the creator needed to reign him in.

Start saving for spring!

I will never lose my love for designer handbags and this one is top of my Spring 09 wish list given I'm already over A/W 08!

Bottega Veneta Multicolored leather crochet bag (image: Style.com)

Suits you!

The first criticism of Michelle Obama's dress in the UK surfaced in the Daily Telegraph, which is hardly surprising given the Telegraph's right wing leanings.


Now in my Access to Contemporary Fashion lecture where half the class didn't show post election night, the other half (myself included) were bleary eyed or asleep on the desk (really one person was!) we discussed the dress a lot, after swapping 'our' night stories, everyones included drink apart from mine which was just emails between Observationmode and me. Our lecturer who is wonderful but formidable, she is French, always comments on any late attendees. But after the result she was joyous, all manner of student sloppiness was tolerated and forgiven. In fact at every available moment she wanted to discuss 'that dress'. Why we even dropped Foucault and entered into discourse on the meaning of the choice of dress. Our deconstruction can best be summed up by these comments from AFP:

"The Italian daily La Stampa dubbed the dress "the look of victory" and said the black symbolised mourning for Obama's grandmother, who died on the eve of the election, while the red was for passion.
A contributor to the website of the German newsweekly Focus also suggested there was hidden meaning in the colours, perhaps red for the political left and black for the first African-American to win the US presidency.
"It is more about the symbolic effect of the colour combination red/black. Because the daughters were also in red or black. Very unusual and surely no accident," the reader said."



Whatever meaning we think was intended or speculate about one thing is for sure - she didn't wear a suit! How glad am I. nothing drives me to distraction more than a suit - look what it did for Hillary. I'm sorry but modern day wearing of the suit has too many connotations with the word 'professional'. The suit has been appropriated by white collar workers, the world of business and corporate companies. The suit, a male outfit, that symbolises certain values, values that don't mean kindness or love or care, think money, status and power. There is nothing wrong with a suit, think Chanel, think Jackie Kennedy but it has lost its cache as a style item and become a way of dressing to represent certain values as I've mentioned above. With the collapse of banking, the uncovering of the vagrancy's of so called professional jobs it is time the suit was reclaimed by workers (think teddy boys for those of you able to access Tuesday's British Style Genius) and make it something stylish again that doesn't just mean smart or professional or relate to a job.



Which is why Michelle Obama got it right, a dress was the perfect showcase for the modern women, a woman with intelligence, vanity (come on looking good is important) and a sense of others. Her choice of dress was stunning, it was vibrant and well cut. The cardigan kept it from being showy given the occasion. When Michelle chooses to wear a suit in a formal setting I'll be taking notes because it will convey something.

photo: Red Carpet Fashion Awards

Feel good factor

Fellow blogger Wee Birdy and I met early this evening to eat cake in celebration of the monumental US President election result at Patisserie Valerie in Covent Garden. Mine is the chocolate gateaux !

WAH!

Well there's nothing make do about today nor do I give one fig for fashion today. Today belongs to Barak Obama, to the people of America and to the world. Change is a great thing and humanity has been given a new chance.

Eat cake be merry!

Nail biting stuff

I dunno 'bout you but I'm on the edge of my seat with today's monumental Presidential vote in the USA.

I'm doing anything to distract myself from thoughts which veer from gloom to hope. My view of gloom is McCain and hope is of course Obama. I will spare you all a rant but the historical value of an Obama victory is overwhelming (spare a thought for Hillary today as she too could have been the same force for change).

Instead I give you Kate Winslet's bottom which couldn't be further from the events of today.

I quite like the Catherine Deneuve Belle de Jour tribute not least because I hope to write about the film and Yves San Laurent as the costumier. But it is interesting that a seminal French Film is chosen to portray a Hollywood star. I think the hair styling isn't quite perfect but what do you think?

images: Vanity Fair & The Daily Telegraph

Well it's my own fault...

I suppose the mere whiff of the word slow fashion tends to take some souls along a certain track so it is no wonder I've been bombarded with all manner of emails regarding items to be considered. Now far be it for me to be dismissive I do think the fact something isn't high fashion or fashion of the moment, doesn't mean it is good or stylish or that it is to every ones taste and more importantly as writer of this blog - my taste.


When I received an email and question from Radici - whether I thought their handmade snow scarf would make the grade i.e. is it worthy slow fashion item, I thought no! It doesn't make my personal choice grade. Not least because of the design. Let's be clear it is the design, the cut and the use of cloth that gives an item a certain cache to have design value. But of course I couldn't resist a snoop and thought actually the website has some interesting items that will appeal to some. The scarf comes in white, grey black and a almost YSL use of colour for the red/pink/orange number - at £140 it is hardly a make do item or Etsy prices but if you shop at Per Una then I suggest you go back to basics, wear white tee and jeans and add drama with a scarf like this instead.

Oh go on!

Now you'll know I'm not a big fan of Boden and really Johnny I know you don't give a fig for my views but you need to sort out your sizing and cuts. I also think their catalogue needs an edgier feel but hey ho Johnny is doing alright (currently) and am much as I love a top designer in my alter bank balance world I'm giving you a top tip for the perfect going out coat to see you through many an evening for the next few years. Go on call it investment dressing why not! Seriously this Bright Lights Coat (yeah no gagging over the name) is a winner - it says chic, understated but still keeping up standards despite the c word (that's credit crunch, if only I was Sister Wolf it would mean a whole lot more!) and more importantly won't break the bank.

At £95 its not a steal but it does beat a few others I could name. There's no drama with this coat but it is versatile, you could even wear it as a dress with a statement belt! Three great colours to choose from, black, magenta or marine, I can't believe it's Boden!

Exhibit inspires design

Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Braque: Aimé Maeght and His Artists is an outstanding exhibition at the Royal Academy until 4 January 2009. This article in The Independent gives more background information but nothing beats seeing it for yourself.

Art was a huge influence on Yves Saint Laurent and his collection was amassed over many years with Pierre Bergé. The influential cubist painting he so loved will be auctioned early next year.

Now if I were a fashion house designer I'd be hot footing it to the Maeght collection exhibit to inspire my next collection and when one does emerge you'll know it was my top tip!