Monthly Archives

August 2008

Gola x Christian Lacroix Colab

Gola x Christian Lacroix ColabGola is having a bash at the ubiquitous colab. The Great British sports brand has perhaps a real ACE of a colab in a sea of mediocrity, by colaborating with Christian Lacroix. Gola Trainers are a true British classic in every conceivable way. The brand is indelibly printed in the consciousness of every sports mad Brit on the planet and today this classic brand is set to shares its history, style and innovation with the rest of the globe — luckly old globe!

The Gola by Christian Lacroix collection for SS09 takes its inspiration from the designer’s house pattern ‘Torero Cape’ and comprises two men’s and two women’s styles. The luxurious designs offer a twist on classic sport footwear by incorporating elements and techniques signature to the French fashion house, such as rich leathers, intricate embroidery and embossing. The collection will be sold globally through selected stores in 20 countries as of January 2009.

Christian Lacroix commented: “In a way, trainers are to the 21st century what shimmering ties and multicoloured vests were to the dandies of the 19th century – a distinctive sign, a personal signature. That is the perspective from which I prefer to view fashion, rather than that of uniformity. Given carte blanche by Gola, I took the opportunity, with much gratitude, to bring the modernity of a contemporary and popular brand together with the timeless baroque of an iconic design of our Couture House: the embroideries of a torero cape.”

Burberry Prorsum A/W 2008

Burberry Prorsum A/W 2008Two great winter picks from the Burberry Prorsum A/W 2008 Collection, include:

Oversized duffle coat with large hood and four chunky horn toggles with leather fastenings. adjustable cuffs with large buttons. self fabric belt with leather covered buckle. two large pockets at sides with flaps. gun flap on right chest. unlined. wool mix. dry clean.

And, single breasted wool military jacket with chunky black lacquered button closures. two front patch pockets with buttonable flaps on chest and two on waist. epaulettes on shoulders. single hook and eye closure on collar. fully lined. pure wool. dry clean. made in italy.

Acne Clothing

Acne ClothingThis season the women’s and men’s Acne collections have been on separate journeys, inspiration-wise, although they keep the playful and irreverent take on fashion that is so important to Acne. Similarly, Acne wardrobe concept is in constant focus, allowing the wearer to pick and choose from a palette filled with exotic textures, unusual fabrics and unexpected colours, with the intention of creating a look entirely one’s own.

Gwyneth Paltrow Wears Tod’s Fur

Gwyneth Paltrow Wears Tod's Fur“Gwyneth Paltrow in the new Tod’s ad is draped in fur! PETA is already up in arms, and they’re trying to hit her where it hurts by bringing Apple into it. The organization told the Independent: “Gwyneth Paltrow won’t be the apple of her daughter’s eye if she continues to flaunt fur.”

PETA says it hasn’t received a response from Paltrow, even though they’ve sent her letters and videos “showing how animals suffer for fur.” So apparently they’re not coming up with new tactics to make people feel bad about fur. The vegetarian charity Viva! is also upset with Paltrow. Its spokesperson says: “There is nothing feminine about inserting an electrode into the anus of a terrified and struggling fox and then electrocuting it. Ms Paltrow is an actress — and seemingly a particularly stupid one at that.”

Alrighty then! Guess who else is supposedly “furious” with Paltrow? Stella McCartney, a vegetarian and friend of Paltrow’s who doesn’t use fur in her designs. Indeed Gwynny has lots of famous veggie friends, like Moby the vegan. Her hubby, Chris Martin, was even voted the world’s sexiest vegetarian, making Gwyneth’s fur modeling that much more peculiar. But whether or not we’re anti-fur, we have hard time knocking a girl who does whatever she damn well pleases.”

Amy Odell

Colette to get a Face Lift

Colette to get a Face LiftConcept boutique Colette in Paris on Monday unveiled its newly revamped interior, designed by Japanese interior designer Masamichi Katayama. The fashion emporium also re-launched its online boutique, which sells quirky one-offs and limited edition items. The key look of the store is a graphic interplay of white walls with glass, steel and black leather merchandising units and tables, which artistic director Sarah Lerfel told Womenswear Daily is more a cosmetic enhancement than a radical departure from Colette’s original look.

“The interior was already timeless. We wanted to make it lighter and create a dialogue between the different universes; to have less of a break between the shop floors,” she said gesturing to the new, brightly lit steel and mirror beauty counters flanking the fashion area on the first floor.

The 8,000-square-foot Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré shop closed for renovation on July 7 with shoppers rerouted to an ephemeral Mini Colette in the neighboring Place du Marché Saint Honoré, as well as the retailer’s online shop. The remodeling marks the first time changes have been made to the store’s interior since it opened in 1997.

A raised merchandising perspective greets visitors on the ground floor, dedicated to streetwear culture, from an aquarium-like glass and steel structure situated at the store’s entrance — housing rails of hip T-shirts — to a glass wall of rectangular shelving units showcasing the store’s ever-rotating, flashy range of collector sneakers. Colette’s new shoe for Adidas, Consortium, is among the selection.

“We wanted to encourage customers to spend as much time shopping downstairs as they would upstairs,” said Lerfel.

The store’s electronic gadget tables now stand in the former book area, while corners dedicated to the streetwear brands A Bathing Ape, Original Fake, A Life and BBC/Ice Cream line the right wall. A Bathing Ape’s mosaic-floored corner section features raised steel and glass display cabinets that resemble fish-and-chips counters.

According to a spokesman, Monday’s bestsellers included pieces from the new streetwear corners, as well as Marc Jacobs’ black bowling bag for Colette, priced at 67 euros.

Key features of Colette’s freshly streamlined basement Water Bar, meanwhile, include integrated steel refrigerators, Colette-blue aluminum chairs and a black leather banquette.

Stella McCartney Lingerie

Stella McCartney LingerieStella McCartney Bra Used in Fur Ad, Stella Goes ‘Ballistic’ by Jessica Coen

“There are really only two facts you need to know about the personal proclivities of Stella McCartney: One, she’s a Beatles progeny, and two, she’s hard-core PETA — an ardent supporter of animal rights and a strict vegetarian. She’s rumored to give her fur-wearing famous friends like Madonna a hard time, and she refuses to use any fur or leather in her designs. So you might imagine how McCartney may have felt when she saw London fur boutique Hockley using her lingerie, without permission, for an ad in the latest British Vogue. She was, ahem, not pleased: The Daily Mail reports that she was “ballistic” and “disgusted” to see her product featured alongside a £6,450 (that’s over $12K) mink coat. The designer demanded that Hockley drop the ad; they complied, agreeing not to run it again (of course, it’s already in all those copies of Vogue circulating).

As for McCartney, she needs to think of a system to ensure this kind of mishap can be avoided — like a microchip sensor or something embedded in all of her clothing. And if her pieces exploded in red paint any time one of them got within six inches of an animal product, that’d be kind of messy fun! Oh hell, we’re probably behind the curve on this one. We bet PETA has already developed the thing and is working on infiltrating Anna Wintour’s closet as we speak.”

What next! Perhaps Roberto Cavalli will get one of his male models to sport a leopard skin thong and a pair of NOHARM shoes!

Acne Clothing, Autumn/Winter 08

Acne Clothing, Autumn/Winter 08Acne Clothing continues to evolve and is well deserving of a place in the fashion world’s top eschalons. The brand is confident enough to be genuine and avoid the pitful of pretentious postering, so common amongst its contemparies. Hats off to Acne and its Autumn/Winter 08 collection.

Paul Smith x Paul Weller x Olympics?

Looking at this photo from the Paul Smith website you might be persuaded that Paul Weller and “that guy” from The Fast Show have become cyclying olympians. Nice one fellas! We all need a release for our pent up physical energy…

Paul Smith x Paul Weller x Olympics

Bradley Wiggins won the gold medal in the Olympic individual pursuit final and the Men’s team pursuit this morning. Paul Smith would like to wish Bradley and his Team GB cycling colleagues the best of luck with the rest of their races. Wiggins has the opportunity to win a further medal in the men’s madison tomorrow.

Seven Jeans Go East!

Seven Jeans Go East.As the Western economies hit rocky roadies, more and more companies, including fashion companies, are going East. Seven For All Mankind Jeans is the latest to pack their wagon. Whether this is a mad gold rush which will ultimately leave the new panners out of pocket only time will tell.

Seven For All Mankind Jeans, the Los Angeles-based premium denim label, owned by manufacturing giant VF Corp., said this week that it had reached a distribution agreement with South Korea’s Cheil Industries Inc. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but include the planned opening of six shops-in-shops in major department stores this year.

“Cheil Industries has over 50 years of experience in the fashion and textiles industry, as well as the motivation to build a strong retail business for us in Korea,” said Giuliano Sartori, Seven For All Mankind Vice President.

D&G Jeans Off Please!

D&G Jeans Off Please!So Dolce & Gabbana are big Beach Soccer fans!

“We have just recently discovered Beach Soccer and we instantly became fans of this sport, which is the sumer version of soccer.” Domenico Dolce & Sefano Gabbana.

First of all guys, it ain’t called “soccer”. It’s called Football and……… the summer version of Football…….. is called Cricket and, not some sub-standard homo-erotic ball slapping fest on the beach. Sorry guys, we love you both dearly but ‘beach soccer’, FORGET IT!

Giorgio Armani Clothing – Spring/Summer 2009

Giorgio Armani Clothing - Spring/Summer 2009Giorgio Armani Clothing – Spring/Summer 2009, verbiage:

Fusion of cultures, crossover of tastes, interplay of contrasts: creating an unusual equilibrium between jackets that verge on the formal and comfortable lightweight trousers in shantung. In this juxtaposition of styles that brings to the city a relaxed and elegant savoir vivre, the jacket – always deconstructed but perfectly tailored – favours Prince of Wales checks and chalk stripes, fabrics that may seem traditional but actually emphasise the precise structure of the garment. Worn over a double breasted waistcoat, maybe with a loose untucked shirt or a light chemise in the oriental manner. Perfectly in tune with the lightest of trousers, varying in style from the Indian, to the Balinese or Malaysian, sometimes with printed patterns, always in generous dimensions.

A change of direction is also apparent in the traditional Armani classics, featuring darts for a slim midriff and legs that taper lightly towards the hem, imparting élan to the figure: an effect that is reinforced by the reappraised dimensions of the jacket, slightly shorter and slimmer than recently. Replacing the belt, a casually knotted scarf at the waist adds a witty touch of nonchalance.

Subtle shades of colour prevail, including a green that is almost grey, a grey that approaches beige, putty, twine, with softly blended hints of violet and rust, bringing a more intense and stimulating aesthetic quality to this collection. Even the knitwear, including jackets with the relaxed fit of cardigans, displays the same cultural mix, presented in hopsacks and carpet fabrics. Scarves sit lightly on the shoulders – epitomising the fluid and dashing look of the season. Shoes come in a choice of snakeskin, crocodile and woven hopsack, or laced in the oriental style for the ultimate in lightness.

William Rast clothing

William Rast by Justin TimberlakeDoes the name kill the brand? William Rast just doesn’t sound right for a fashion brand, even with Timberlake’s mega-celebrity profile to support it? Perhaps a change to Rasta Williams is the key.

Justin Timberlake will have not one, but two shows during New York Fashion Week. Not only is he performing at Fashion Rocks on Sept. 5, but the singer plans to rock the Roseland Ballroom on Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. as models take the catwalk decked out in the latest looks from his clothing line, William Rast. This won’t be the first time Timberlake has shown his collection — he first presented it in Los Angeles back in October 2006. Despite the fanfare then, the collection never took off and Timberlake, along with his business partner-childhood friend Trace Ayala, decided to scale back. Last fall, Marcella and Johan Lindeberg were named creative directors of the line, and the first effort was shown off during a presentation in February in New York. Round two comes in September.

Justin Timberlake x Givenchy

Justin Timberlake is the face of the new men’s Givenchy fragrance campaign. The scent, aptly called Play, comes in a bottle that much resembles an iPod, with “forward”, “rewind” buttons, and even a tactile, rubber diffuser which is as addictive to play with as the iPod wheel once was. The fragrance features top and base notes of bergamot, mixed with vetiver respectively, mandarin and pink pepper.

“I gotta be honest,” said Justin in an interview in this month’s issue of GQ, “I don’t wear a fragrance. If you can get me to wear it, it’s gonna have to be good. If you can win over a guy who doesn’t wear fragrances, it’ll be something fresh.”

“Beyond his huge celebrity appeal, we have chosen Justin Timberlake because he is a world recognized trendsetter who redefines modern elegance,” said Alain Lorenzo, President and CEO of Parfums Givenchy.

Burberry Clothing A/W 2008/09

Burberry Clothing A/W 2008/09Shot in Kensington Gardens, one of the Royal Parks of London by Mario Testino.

The images capture British actor Sam Riley and British model Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

The mood of the Autumn/ Winter 2008/09 collection and shoot was inspired by the attitude, silhouette, colour, texture, nostalgia and poetry of the evocative paintings by British Northern artist L S Lowry.

Terrorist Clothing by Joe Corre

Terrorist Clothing by Joe CorreThe son of punk pioneers Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Corre has launched a new menswear boutique in East London devoted to selling his “Terrorist” clothing line and a range of collected artifacts. First question has to be why Corre and not McLaren-Westwood?… and the second question: is this an extension of his father’s Great Rock n Roll Swindle? Come on Joe, that’s even too obvious for the the dumbest of the dumb… but hey, if you can pull it off good luck to ya!

“I suppose I’ve always grown up around the idea of starting a shop in order to start a scene,” says Corre, whose designer mother has been on the edgy frontline of fashion for decades and whose father managed the Sex Pistols.

When Corre is asked how it is he thinks that people will want to wear garments bearing the label “Terrorist,” he rolls his eyes and fires back: “because it just sort of signifies that they’re awake.”

“It’s just a word that’s used to describe the enemy. You know, who they don’t want you to like today, but maybe those same people they wanted you to like yesterday,” Corre said.

The 40-year-old punk progeny says the fact that he was given his paternal grandmother’s surname has been an advantage as “both of my parents names are a lot to live up to” but if anything, he has built on the family tradition of combining fashion with attitude.

When Corre was offered a royal honor in 2007 to recognize the success of the Agent Provocateur luxury lingerie chain which he co-founded with his ex-wife, he rejected the title, saying that the then Prime Minister Tony Blair was “morally corrupt.”

When his mother decided to use her return to London Fashion Week earlier this year to protest against the U.S. government’s continued use of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to detain foreign suspects, Corre’s lingerie chain designed underpants for the lead model which read “fair trial my arse” across the backside.

Corre insists he hasn’t been intimidated by moving into terrain that has traditionally been his mother’s turf.

“She’s been down to this store and she loved it,” he said. “Essentially, at the root of all that’s where I come from, where she comes from. It’s the idea that you lead a much more interesting life when you dress up.”

BOGEYMEN

The clothes themselves are the work of designer Simon Armitage, better known by his nom de plume “Barnzley.”

“I wasn’t particularly enamored with calling it Terrorist at first but after a couple of days of rationalizing…I kind of understood it,” Armitage said.

The word now adorns the label on the inner collar of traditional Teddy Boy’ suits, day-glo camouflage jackets and t-shirts bearing the images of some of history’s bogeymen such as Geronimo and Napoleon.

Armitage also helped with the design of the store, built to resemble a Victorian slum and named ‘A Child of the Jago’ after the 1896 bestseller by Arthur Morrison.

“We wanted to do something that was relevant to the history of this whole area,” says Armitage, motioning towards the large mural of William Hogarth’s Gin Lane’ on the back wall.

Situated in the shadow of a new skyscraper and next to a construction side for a new Underground station, A Child of The Jago does stand apart from its surroundings.

Armitage said they deliberately decided not to launch a Web site for the label in order to draw people to the store.

“If people want to buy some clothes from here they can come here and buy the clothes from this shop,” he said.

“It never stopped me as a little kid going to Vivienne’s shop (on the Kings Road) to buy punk rock gear…I lived miles away. London might as well have been on Mars when I was a little kid.”

Corre said that everything today is too available and reveled in the eclectic assortment of items he has collected from a chain mail suit to a prosthetic leg previously worn by a member of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang.

“We’ve got an original Eskimo, Inuit bow and arrow,” Corre said from a spot in the shop between a stuffed boar and the second hand books section of the shop.

“We have a Hell’s Angel’s leg here. They’re terrorists right? They cause mayhem and frighten everybody,” Corre said.

Corre insists the store is no vanity project and that the shop needs to sell its unusual wares to survive.

“This is not some kind of scout’s hut shop for us to just have a bit of fun in,” he said.

But wild success with the sale of such unusual one-off items could put him in a bind of a different kind.

Evisu – S/S 2009 Collection

Is the Evisu journey entering turbulent waters. The brand which arguably started the Japanese denim phenomen in the West has lost of of it’s credibility in recent years with many denim and fashion fanatics reminiscing about the good old days. Let’s hope the brand can reclaim some of it’s old start quality. Here’s the lastest offering:

Evisu Deluxe tailoring is inspired by Japanese naval details, such as the shaped patch pockets, a high-buttoning reefer jacket, sailor collars, and wide-legged cuffed trousers. We’ve exclusively used fabrics woven in Osaka Japan by Takisada Mills (Est Nagoya 1864, four years after Kanrin Maru’s maiden voyage), including a soft herringbone fabric woven from cotton and bamboo. As usual all canvasses are fully handstitched under the collars and all buttons and linings are hand stitched.

Our Evisu Heritage is inspired by Tairyouki (big fish flags). These are brightly coloured flags that Japanese fishermen fly from their boats when they have a good catch, to show the families on the shore that they’ll have a good dinner. Each village will have their own flags, decorated with different fish and sea creatures, waves, rising suns, and celebratory kanji. Ebisu, the budhist god from whom we derived our name , is usually depicted with a fishing rod and fish, so he is sometimes also shown on Tairyouki. This season Evisu Heritage is also inspired by a deeply researched homage to another great jeans brand- Lee. The HD Lee Mercantile Co was founded in Salina, Kansas, USA in 1889. Our denim maniac followers and others amongst you who don’t get out much will spot a lot of subtle Lee references and details.

In Spring 2009, Evisu Heritage uses four newly developed selvage denims, including No13 LEFT, a Japanese woven close reproduction of the early denim used by Lee from the 1910s onwards. Jeans cut from to13LEFT denim have the leather patch sewn on the left side of the waistband. The focus is on fit, fabric, production and detailing.