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2010-03-10_Alexander_McQueen.zip (782 KB)

Yesterday the last collection by Lee Alexander McQueen was presented in a very intimate and private show in Paris, France. Comprising of 16 pieces, McQueen’s fall/winter 2010 collection drew influences from Byzantine art and paintings by the Old Masters.

To say each garment was beautiful and intricately crafted would be an understatement. It can be very difficult to put into words how one feels when fashion is turned into an art form, and finding the right words to express how McQueen’s collections have altered and shaped my views on art, beauty and fashion, season after season, over years is somewhat an insurmountable task – even if I could put my feelings on paper it wouldn’t do him justice.

He will be greatly missed. Rest in peace.

Images from Women’s Wear Daily

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2010-03-09_Yoji_Yamamoto.zip (792 KB)

The plus side of blogging about Paris Fashion Week, or other fashion weeks outside of Toronto for that matter, is that one doesn’t usually have trek to an out-of-the-way venue to discover the catwalk show is being held in a freezing school gymnasium; this is what many attendees at Yohji Yamamoto’s fall/winter 2010 collection had to endure.

Many fashion writers and editors associate the setting and vision of Yamamoto’s latest collection with his business troubles of 2009; he came near to declaring bankruptcy and had to close several retail stores including one in New York.

Somewhere in between this time and the showing of his fall/winter 2010 collection, Yamamoto must have taken a vacation on a fishing trawler with a bunch of uniformed students since his inspiration and references seemed to be pulled from the two this season.

A sombre collection majority in navy and black with sporadic appearances of white was the main colour palette. For the most part the garments were shapeless and oversized yet were juxtaposed with tailored double breasted jackets and deconstructed coats with frayed hemlines.  

The collection was simplistic and understated in its presentation and silhouettes, most likely reflective of Yamamoto’s search for the familiar while surrounded by uncertainty of what the future holds. The asymmetrical dresses, knit wear and mesh shirts provided visual and tactile contrasts from the outerwear heavy collection.

Images from Style.com

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Fashion in the News is a collection of articles and blog posts found online that catches my attention, and is in my humble opinion worth reading. Enjoy!

Todd Lynn, fall/winter 2010 collection

               

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2010-03-08_Todd_Lynn.zip (164 KB)

Candid Cameraman (BiLT magazine) – Canadian fashion blogger, Tommy Ton answers a series of Q&As discussing how he got his start and the state of fashion blogging – article via Final Fashion.

Gareth Pugh Denies Talks to Succeed Alexander McQueen (The Cut) – Rumours of Gareth Pugh taking over the reins as Creative Director at Alexander McQueen circulated over the weekend... and then were quickly stopped.

The 10 best... fashion bloggers (Guardian UK) – In their opinion, the Guardian UK has published a list of the 10 best fashion bloggers. It’s not an earth shattering list nor does it provide you with any epiphanies within the blogosphere.  What do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down on this one.

Stop getting low balled as a blogger (IFB) – Fellow IFB member, Ashe Mischief provides insightful advice and a guide on how to stop getting low balled as a blogger and how to begin monetizing your blog. 

Fashion guest bloggers Great Constantine: Tales from New York Fashion Week (National Post) – Canadian design duo, Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, blog about their trip to New York during fashion week as they present their label to industry buyers for a guest blogger series for the National Post.

London calling: Canuck designers take centre stage during London fashion week (Toronto Life) – So far, the year 2010 has been packed full of momentous occasions for Canada, such as winning 14 gold medals at the Vancouver Olympic Games. Overseas, in the U.K., we are making waves in the form of three upcoming Canuck designers. They are: Erdem Moralioglu, Todd Lynn and Mark Fast.

Images from Style.com

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Way back in 2009 (can’t believe we’re in March of 2010 already), I made a promise to myself to be an equal opportune blogger and highlight more men’s clothing and accessories. I haven’t done such a consistent job of this... actually close to nothing. Therefore, I’m making it up to the gentlemen by dedicating this week’s Shoe of the Moment to them.

Shoe specifications:

• Colour, light gray
• External, suede with silver hardware and a lace-up front.
• Rubber sole

Why I chose this shoe: John Varvatos’ Filmore Chukka Boot comes in various styles and colours, but I’m attracted to this version in grey which is a great option to neutral shoes that usually come in standard black and brown. The design of the Filmore Chukka Boot has clean and soft lines, and has a dressy-casual feel making this a versatile shoe.

Image from Bergdorf Goodman

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A few days ago I tweeted about a blog entry published by Samantha Murphy of The Y's Choice regarding a Sephora ZoomShop kiosk where travellers can purchase their favourite Sephora products on the go. I am utterly fascinated with this idea and felt compelled to share this with you.

Developed by ZoomSystems, these kiosks us touch screen technology and provide step-by-step video instructions walking customers through the shopping process. Here, customers can purchase their favourite Sephora products such as Bare Escentuals, Smashbox, NARS and fragrances from Juicy Couture and Dior thus creating a “mini beauty paradise that makes it easier for local Sephora fanatics to find their favourite products and brands close to home.”

The Sephora ZoomShop was initially tested in several U.S. airport terminals such as Las Vegas and San Francisco, and also in 20 J.C. Penney stores.

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Once a year, the M.A fashion students of Central Saint Martins’ College of Art and Design take the stage during London Fashion Week. This event is known to create a lot of buzz, because it is where the next crop of talented designers are scouted and are often plucked from the classroom by the fashion industry. Prestigious alumni from CSM include Christopher Kane, Hussein Chalayan and the late Lee Alexander McQueen.

I’ve always had an unexplainable fascination with the Brits, there’s something about the people, the country and culture that creates intrigue. For CSM’s fall/winter 2010 collections, there was an array of silhouettes, styles and artistic visions accompanying all 22 collections.

For me, two collections which stood out were Lilly Heine’s layers of fabrics and Rok Hwang’s sheath dresses with star shaped accessories. Both designers made geometric shapes an influential part of their fall/winter 2010 collections.

Lilly Heine, Harrods Award winner

           

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2010-03-02_Central_Saint_Marti.zip (177 KB)

Towards the end of the catwalk show, Jackie J.S. Lee and Lilly Heine were awarded the Harrods Design Prize, and Rok Hwang received the L'Oréal Professionnel award.

Rok Hwang, L’Oréal Professionel Creative Award winner

             

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02010-03-02_Central_Saint_Marti.zip (211 KB)

Images from Style.com, Central Saint Martins and video from YouTube

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Erdems_fallwinter_2010_collect.zip (587 KB)

One wouldn’t normally associate flower and leaf prints, and splashes of vibrant colours to adorn clothing worn in the colder months of the year. However, London based-designer and Canadian born, Erdem Moralioglu took the contrary and made his fall/winter 2010 collection into a collage of light and dark, warm and cold – winter has never looked this appealing.

Erdem isn’t known as the “prince of prints” for nothing, here he melds foliage from all four seasons by using prints, embroidery and appliqué on bell skirts, dresses and shirts showing a dramatic and stunning interpretation of fall and winter.

The only time the collection seems to go off track was the use of grey which put a bit of damper on the otherwise lively garments.

Images from Style.com and video from YouTube

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Shoes_of_the_moment_Pradas_cle.zip (141 KB)

Footwear for spring/summer 2010 has gotten a whole lot more um... interesting.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, plastic
• Interior, plastic
• Heel height, unknown

Why I chose these shoes: the moment I saw these shoes from Prada’s spring/summer 2010 collection what ran through my mind is a passage from Chris Rock’s 2006 HBO special titled, Never Scarred where he talks about clear heels. Here’s a brief excerpt to provide you with some context:

Daughter: Daddy, can we talk?

Father: Hey, I’m watching the game!

Daughter: I’ll show you! I'm gonna to dance naked to Mötley Crue records and I’m gonna change my name to Cinna Buns! And I'm gonna wear clear heels!

Chris Rock: when did clear heels become the new whore uniform? When did that happen? Was there a big ho convention and all the hos got together and said, “We need something new. Something that just says nasty” ... And one girl said, “I got it! Clear heels!” “Uh, girl you're disgusting!” 

Miuccia Prada’s inspiration for the label’s s/s 2010 collection and its footwear came from the idea of going from “business to beach.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but if someone were to wear clear heels into the office you would instantly label it as inappropriate attire.

While I like Prada’s designs it’s difficult to shake off the imagery and context Rock (and now much of pop culture) has associated with clear heels. You can dress it up with colour and accessories, throw a high-end designer name on it but you still have to overcome the stereotype of wearing clear heels.

To watch part of Chris Rock’s Never Scared segment which talks about clear heels click here.

Images from Obsessedwithshoes.com

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Joe_Fresh_Style_kicks_up_their.zip (551 KB)

Today, Joe Fresh Style^TM launches a revamped website complete with some new bells and whistles, such as an iPhone application that mix ‘n’ matches Joe Fresh^TM outfits, a desktop widget that offers daily suggestions for weather-appropriate attire from coast-to-coast and a lifestyle blog that offers up-to-date fashion trends, events and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

Craig Hutchison, senior vice president of marketing at Loblaw Companies Limited says, “We want to ensure our new and loyal customers continue to find valuable and entertaining content each time they visit. Ultimately, we want joe.ca to be a top-of-mind fashion resource.”

To add to this customer friendly website, Joe Fresh Style^TM is also allowing visitors to submit their own dares for daily online polls for a chance to win great weekly prizes and a grand prize of a $500 shopping spree.

Pictures courtesy of Joe Fresh Style^TM

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As a member of the Bata Shoe Museum I look forward to its monthly podcasts which provide insightful commentary into the museum’s one-of-a-kind footwear collection. The podcasts tell the related historical and cultural influence of the particular shoe highlighted during the month and is a great way to brush up on your shoe knowledge.

Podcast description: for the next nine months, the podcast series will highlight our newest exhibit "On a Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels." Each month, Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack will tell the story of one pair of shoes from this extraordinary exhibit. What is the history of each exceptional artefact? What makes it special? And how does it help illuminate the social history of elevating footwear? Join Elizabeth every month and learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit.

Click here to listen to the podcasts.

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