prêt-à-reporter - my take on the world of fashion by Ben Evans

The power of flowers turns sour.

2006-12-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

September’s S/S 07 catwalks were awash with the blooms one would expect to develop for spring leading into summer. But did they bring the joy one would expect from the gift of a bouquet? Maybe, but not as straightforwardly as you would think.

Fresh flowers hanging-out causally of simple market-stall plastic shoppers at Louis Vuitton and stuffed in voluminous ball-gowns at Alexander McQueen were by themselves examples of girlish naiveté, but were shown teamed with frays, volumes of fabric and sullen faces that gave a more sinister and mature awareness of the life of a woman behind the decorative flora. The knowing sense of thinly disguising melancholy was an extracted version of the no-two-ways-about-it gothic darkness of autumn 06. S/S 07 has seen a heavy use of traditionally winter colour-schemes teamed with metallics, sequins and pastels that give the effect of a slower rise out of hibernation, and a less simple sense of summer joie-de-vivre that does -for once- show a memory of the season just past and an awareness of the winter that is never that far away. At Yves Saint Laurent, the runway was in fact a strip of the countryside, in full bloom with vibrant lilacs. Very pretty, you may say and in truth, it was: however, such beauty was repeatedly pierced by model after model armed with two stiletto-blades each. The evocation was of the city thoughtlessly forcing itself upon nature as well as telling us the apparent beauty of things, by their true nature make themselves available to be a means for destruction. Is this an allegory for global warming? The presentation harked back to the painful beauty of Tom Ford’s A/W 03 collection for Gucci where harsh heels pierced a bed of delicate rose petals. Such contradiction is given oh so judiciously by Tom Ford in the name of his first fragrance Black Orchid.

Fashion is definitely in an intellectual state of mind right now with cuts, colours and volumes that don’t make it immediately easy and flattering for any woman’s figure and require an attitude that does not come off-the-peg. Whether this pressure of thought and concept shows itself to be a sign of true modern-feminist clothing, or merely pretentious, that is for the customer to decide.

An easy way wear this mood without grabbing the nearest bouquet and Sylvia Plath anthology? Pull on a moodily-coloured but well-cut sack dress in any stone-like colours of grey, beige or brown, slip into a casual ponytail and add a Gucci ‘Flora’ bag. Voilà.

Pictures courtesy of vogue.com

Christian Dior Haute Couture

2006-07-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Christian Dior.
John Galliano's shows for Dior Couture have been the most talked about show of the week for many seasons. His extravagant creations and broad field of inspiration have made for what some call an event that is more a show with fashion than fashion presented in a show. Either way, the acres of newsprint earned by the arresting images his shows produce show that he has created a dream, a dream that can be bought into at the price of a lipstick.

The feast of jewel-like colour seen in many of the outfits walking precariously down the paved-courtyard runway betrayed both last season's macabre French Revolution-inspired show- a feast of blood red, Gothic black and bleached white (season-to-season thematic consistency is not one of Galliano's famed talents) and the black and white 1942 film Les Visiteurs du Soir that formed a heavy basis for the collection. The film, a light folly of minstrels, damsels, barons and elegant topiary set at the end of the 15th century provided endless inspiration for outfits. Yes, even topiary made the cut. A section of 4 hedge-like dresses of intricately pleated and woven chiffon reminiscent of his Egyptian-themed collection of S/S 04 edged up the catwalk in a scene many likened to Alice in Wonderland or, worse still, a possessed lettuce. Humour, of course, is one of Galliano's famed talents.

A somewhat jarring section of black and red outfits of stiff shapes and even more unmovable sullen expressions on the models could be viewed as either a method of smoother transition from the previous collection to the current, or a modern interpretation of a Mediaeval world of iron maidens, torture chambers and the black plague, all via punk-fuelled S&M.

The shape of exaggerated New-Look hips is one that Galliano constantly revisits. Impossibly neat suits (with equally neat and gorgeous Stephen Jones-created hats) that embodied this form appeared in colours (lime-green, amethyst and lapis lazuli blue) seen only in the jewellery box of a queen -of Egypt or 'Dark' Ages France, it's hard to tell. Fashion is a world of contradictions and Galliano a master, and the antithesis of this aesthetic ideal appeared too, in the form of puffed out fur jackets, raven-black feathers and skinny legs clad in cut-off black leggings all complete with harshly cut bleach-blonde hair. This section was reminiscent of cool, young London street-style and Gareth Pugh's recent collection shown in London Fashion Week and provided the antidote to out-and-out megawatt glamour.

As the last section of vast lacquered swagged evening gowns (complete of course with a single arm of armour and helmet à la Britannia herself), we had seen one of Galliano's most swashbuckling collections to date. Ransacking both the history and mythology books (with attention only to the detail he wanted) and time itself, he proved that the rules of space were no barrier. As the background changed halfway through the show from the elegant grounds of an ancient aristocrat's estate to a hypnotically twirling zodiac, the vastness of Galliano's inspiration began to clarify. For his discerning clientelle with sky-high wardrobe budgets, he could offer nothing less than the universe.

Unsurprisingly when we talk lightly of splashing out £30,000 on a dress, excess is an important part of John Galliano's (and all) couture, and excess can be cited as a direct theme in this collection. Be it in brilliance of colour, attitude, volume or fabric, excess to impress was the mission for this season.

For previous seasons, Galliano has gone to Egypt, the Far-East and Himalayan Asia on reconaissance trips for the couture collection. At the end of the show, he appeared (ahem) trepidly in an astronaut's suit, complete with helmet. He had looked to the far reaches of the universe and time itself for this collection, how else was he going to do his research?

Picture from www.vogue.co.uk

Dior drama

2006-07-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Okay... somehow my post on Christian Dior Couture that was posted before Lacroix has completely gone without a trace. I think I must have messed up when I was editing it. 600 words just gone, I cannot begin to describe how annoyed I am... It wasn't saved on my computer, no. I'm so stupid, I just wrote it up online and posted it, I was really damn pleased with it. Anyway... I'll try and do another one.

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture

2006-07-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Christian Lacroix.

This July sees the 20th anniversary of M. Lacroix's first Haute Couture collection, and his winning formula of rich embellishment and embroidery and a no-fear attitude to colour has given him a clientele that return to spend astronomic sums of money on his creations season after season. It is perhaps surprising, then that black was such a heavy feature in his Autumn/Winter 2006 collection. From puffed-up feathered coats to slinky smocked column dresses and even the samurai/sumo-wrestler bob, black is definitely back for the king of couleur.

After a foray back into colour during the early 2000s in answer to the grungy, androgynous, monochrome-dominated 90s, black is feeling its power surge back after nods from influential A/W06 collections from Marc Jacobs, Viktor & Rolf, Raf Simons at Jil Sander and of course Miuccia Prada. In this case however, black was often used as a catalyst. The rich baroque colours when teamed with a heavy splash of black seemed to have a greater potency. While some outfits -like the one shown- were entirely in black, most still refrained from using more than 2 or 3 colours, however unpredictable the combination. In reserving his use of palette in combinations such as a highly dramatic black and gold coat with black lace skirt and embellished red hosiery evoking a cheeky Spanish toreadora and a beautifully delicate ruffled champagne silk dress with gold beading and embellished hose (this time in blue), Lacroix suggested that he had taken a certain boldness from his recent post at print-house Pucci.

Haute Couture is the unrivalled domain of astoundingly intricate embellishment. Ateliers such as Lesage that provide such exquisite decoration are masters of their craft and are put to use in outfits for top couture houses that demand man-hours for certain pieces that often go into the hundreds. However, after recent seasons that have seen fashion right down to the high-street piling diamanté, beading and all else that glitters on, we are now starting to see a more careful and thoughtful approach. Tone-on-tone, pleating, ruffles and intricacies of cut are pushing us toward a more intelligent approach, pushing dressing as women rather than girls.

A mediaeval note, as seen at Dior Couture was seen at Lacroix too in heavy brocades, tassels, fur trim and the red velvet puffed sleeves of Lacroix's marieé outfit, as modelled by Lily Cole. Don't think that his damsels are in distress, though. The kohled eyes and a regal air show that a Lacroix lady is not to be messed with. Unless one has to run in one's outfit of 10 yards of antique lace and 5-inch satin heels, that is.

Haute Couture Week.

2006-07-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

I think I'm a little late in talking about the Milan and Paris Menswear weeks (fabulous though they were- and I'm talking to you especially, Messrs. McQueen and Bailey!), so I'll start with the recently ended Haute Couture Week.

The Week:
I'm a little sick of hearing talk of the 'imminent' demise of couture and the dwindling client-base. I think it detracts from the creative merits of the week and all I will say is that those who look at, and judge Couture Week merely as a business in itself fail to realise either the way in which the Haute Couture lines represent a part of a much larger business, and also the astounding levels of publicity received each season.

The nature of couture has changed through its decandent history and I think we'd all be a little sorry if it hadn't. Whereas in its younger days, it was the driving force of fashion as a whole, its influence has become either diminished or less obvious and straightforward, depending on your viewpoint. The schedule for Autumn/Winter 2006/7 included 10 official members of the Fédération Française de la Couture, 2 correspondant members and 7 guest members. See www.modeaparis.com for the full list. So numbers do not even scrape those of any of the International Colections, but this gives a more refined and crystallised view of the week.

Here's my lowdown on the big-hitters of couture week:
All images from www.vogue.co.uk

Here we go

2006-07-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well this is it... after a lifetime of wanting to share views on fashion and having brilliant friends that unfortunately do not share my level of enthusiam, I'm bringing myself into the 21st Century with my very own fashion bolg, Prêt-à-Reporter. I'll tell you a bit about me and what I hope to acheive with this blog.

Me:
I am 18 and live in East Sussex in the UK.
I have just finished my A-Levels, and am taking a year out to work and maybe travel before taking up a fashion course in London in September 2007.
I have been interested in mens and womens fashion for as long as I can remember and habitually read up on all the UK press and magazine shelf and the internet have to offer me.
My dream, if I'm going to be specific is to be Fashion Edito of the London Times, a post Lisa Armstrong, who I greatly admire, holds now.

My blog:
I'm mainly going to use this blog to write my musing on collections and other things in astyle that I feel suits me best which is an extended version of the fashion reportage of broadsheet newspapers.
Sourced from information from a variety of internet articles and print sources too, I will share news that may not yet have reached everyone and open up things for discussion.
Fashion does not exist in a vacuum (and, what you may ask, does?) and other elements of style, history and maybe even politics will be drawn into the whirlwind.
I'm sure the blog will develop and expand, but for now, my purpose is to set up a space where I can share my view on fashion and give others the oppurtunity to too.
Well that's pretty much it, save to say I hope you enjoy reading my blog!