balenciaga, suzy menkes, London, Nicolas Ghesquière, Jil Sander, +J, Uniqlo, J Plus, raf Simons, International Herlad, Belgium, Europe
In Icon, designer, style on June 7, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I was drawn to Jil Sander before I had an intellectual grasp of high-fashion. The times I’d read Vogue (not even half as vehemently as I do now) introduced me to Jil Sander advertisements with models over-posed in minimalist pieces in vibrant, and very digestible, colourways. Definitely not as pungent as a Lacoste ad, but not as dramatic as Fendi or Prada. I suppose Sander was my introduction to fashion appreciation. And she was safe, much like my fashion personality at the time(or maybe lack thereof). Naturally, in later years, as my gravitational pull towards elaborate ‘statement’ designers like Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga took hold, Sander was buried in the back of my fashion psyche in favour of the extravaganza of fashion, rather than the practicality of it.
When I lived in London, Japanese brand Uniqlo was no where near my radar of interest. It just wasn’t. I found it bland, unattractive, and too colourful (a shirt is a shirt is a shirt). And sure, Uniqlo’s ads were somewhat okay – and plastered in every tube station - but I never bought a stitch. In a city like London where fast-fashion is served like McDonald’s, the competition was stiff,(Urban Outfitters was more me, and American Apparel was so much cooler).
I’ve come back full circle with my love for Jil Sander. The woman behind the namesake has long left the brand, and in her place is the just as stark Raf Simons. And now that I can conceptualize fashion, I’m fascinated by Belgium, even professing that should I go back to Europe, Belgium is at the top of my places to live (considering the talent that reaps throughout the country).
I’d paid slight attention to the real Jil Sander launching a collection for Uniqlo. But after reading a heart-felt piece by Suzy Menkes for the International Herald Tribune, my heart – to say the least – is in a different place. Sander and her former self are now two completely different entities, and she’s apart of something so much bigger than her name.
I’ve yet to see a Uniqlo in Toronto. But, there’s a truth to be told. If I go back to Great Britain, back to good ‘ole London, it’ll be just in time as the line hits stores in September. And I guess, I’m a bit relieved. I say that because this collaboration, +J for Uniqlo, will be the one time I will be able to afford a piece of something from someone who in a way, cultivated the way I view fashion today.
1966, Andy Warhol, David McCabe, Detroit, Donyale Luna, Factory, Federico Fellini, Harper's Bazaar, London, Mia Farrow, Michigan, Model of the Year, Otto Preminger, Playboy, Queen Nefertiti, Rome, Salvador Dali, Satyricon, Skidoo, Thames, The Luna Year, Time Magazine, Twiggy, Vogue
In Fashion, Good Look, Hidden Gem, Icon, Legend, New York, Oddly Unique, culture, history, model on March 22, 2010 at 1:07 am
Donyale Luna’s best asset was her body. Endless, lanky and hovering at 5″ 10 1/2 (she was exaggerated to be 6″2) with looks beyond the small-time Michigan, Detroit, photographer David McCabe caught her leaving an audition and snatched her up. Heading to New York to model, the Big Apple was the scene to thrust her into supermodeldom, but it also destroyed her spirit and ultimately took her life.
Adorning blue, green, violet and purple contacts with five different wigs – some of them blond, her groovy attitude towards her ethnicity gave many the impression that she was insecure about her blackness. It was noted that the freckle-faced beauty was half-mexican. Who knows! But imagine going for a breakfast in a London restaurant with Mia Farrow at 5Am and being ask to leave for no apparent reason. Let alone being referred to as a “pretty negro model” her whole life. Donyale was a young, black girl in an overzelous modeling world. You know, it’s hard to believe Donyale was trying to break any moulds, though. To me, she was just the embodiment of the glamour-puss she always wanted to be. As Donyale once said, “They saw me as something different but I’m sure it has nothing to do with my colour. I never think of myself as a brown-skin girl.”
In the infamous 1966 article by Time titled ”The Luna Year,” the magazine said that “for she is not really beautiful; but like her namesake, the moon, she is different in every phase, yet always recognizably the same and herself.” But I beg to differ. Salvador Dali referred to her as the “reincarnation of Queen Nefertiti” and gracing the cover of Vogue,and Britain’s Queen (now Harper’s Bazaar), it was clear cheek bones and elongated neckline – better yet – her whole existence was that of a beautiful creature. I’d like to think of her as the black Twiggy - like a chameleon and immensely versatile. The way she slithered and bended looked effortless.
Donyale was apart of Warhol’s Factory, she won Vogue’s Model of the Year (`66), she dated – and married – cool artsy guys. But when the pit of New York scene’s started to surface, she fled to the Europe’s safer haven.
At a rate of 60 an hour, she kept a London apartment looking over the
Thames, but professed that ” I make about a thousand dollars a week but often there are a couple of days at the end of the week when I find myself broke again.” And she landed some bit parts in French films directed by
Otto Preminger (Skidoo) and
Federico Fellini (Satyricon). Close to the end, she also posed for
Playboy (1975). I wonder if it had more to do with needing the money than the glamorous title.
Around 1979, feeling sick, she entered a Rome clinic on a Tuesday and died on a Thursday. Some say it was an accidental drug overdose. Again, who knows. She was 33. “She didn’t like to pay her bills,” claimed a fellow black model. Who does? I don’t think that was the whole of it. It was more like life didn’t like what she had become.
Emma Bell, Fashion Designer, London
In Fashion, London, One to Watch, designer on November 18, 2009 at 4:11 pm
It’s common ‘practice’ for people to gain notoriety on one end of the planet yet be virtually unknown on the other. If you read her bio on her website, British fashion designer
Emma Bell seems highly notable, and quite frankly, has the resume to back it up. But maybe it’s just that her fashion isn’t quite digestible here; certain not in a small-town hick city (compared to the rest of the fashion capitals) like Toronto.
Ms. Bell’s line is best described as the good little girls and boys with an insidious streak. Clothing meant to charm you with pretty graphics and colour palettes; seductive on the exterior but filled with vigour and squander. While the line is pretty, it is more along the lines of a ‘niche’ brand (I haven’t seen it get a review on the glossy Style.com posts’ yet, and I doubt I ever will. But what’s wonderful about this collection is that it’s anti-pop glamour, and relishes in being glamourous for the everyday woman who’s daring enough to wear it.
20th Anniversary, jade jagger, London, party, Reebok
In Fashion, In the Know, London on November 17, 2009 at 6:19 pm
If you’re in the London area and you love sneakers, there’s a party happening. But not just any party, it’s the sneaker party of all sneaker parties. Sneaker head honcho Reebok is celebrating 20 years of pump in a super exclusive party happening in East London.
Word around town is that there’s free drinks and a DJ Set from Jezebel Soundsystems AKA Jade Jagger & Dan Williams. Good luck getting in though, it’s strict invitation only and you’ve gotta be on the list. Prissy heels need not apply!
Who: Reebok
What: Celebrating 20 Years of Pump
When: Thursday, November 18. 8PM to 12AM.
Where: Reebok Lounge. 6-8 Great Eastern Street, London, UK EC2 3NT.
More info visit: Reebok.com
Canada, Erdem, Fashion Designer, London
In Canadian, Fabric, Fashion, I heart, London, colour, designer, dress on October 29, 2009 at 10:28 pm
His real name is Erdem Moralioglu but his collection is known simply as Erdem. He’s a Canadian-born, London-based Fashion Designer known for exploded floral prints on Victorian-style dresses. He’s also one of the few to capitalize off of the fact that Canada has definitely got talent – though we tend to go quite un-noticed in the mainstream world. Either that, or once we reach a certain peak, we tend to leave our Canadian roots at the border replacing it with a more internationally recognized migration status.
But Erdem has been one to watch since 2005. And thanks to his immaculate eye for colour and grandeur, he’ll be one to keep an eye on for a long time to come.
Fashion Designer, H&M, London, London Lite, matthew williamson, The London Paper
In I heart, London, colour, designer, dress, girly, pretty, sexy on October 29, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Matthew Williamson’s designs caught my eye while I was flipping through The London Paper (or was it London Lite?) while living in London last year. A news story had broken that he was collaborating with high-street powerhouse H&M on a collection of sequins and floral pieces for a very limited release. I had no idea who Mr. Williamson was, but I knew that I wanted some. It’s only through H&M can woman like myself afford to taste high-end luxury.
Well, I never did get anything as they were his collection sold-out as soon as it went public. But I can never forget the exquisite, and highly modern disco-esque line. There were splashes of blues, and fuchsias and greens. They were sixties styles cuts, with a `70s edge.
If you’re passionate enough, you’ll be able to see that you can tell a lot about a fashion designer by the clothes they construct. Obviously, Mr. Williamson is glamorous. But he’s also cultured and influenced by more than the superficiality of dramatic high-fashion.
I have a great feeling that he’ll shock the fashion world in 2010.
Browns Fashion, Canada, Fashion Designer, London, Mark Fast
In Canadian, Fabric, Fashion, I heart, London, designer, dress, knit, sexy on October 29, 2009 at 5:38 pm
There’s nothing sexier than actually feeling sexy. OK, I take that back.
The key to unlocking a woman’s self confidence lays within the garments that accentuate her curves. There, that sounds a lot better.
Yes, this is indeed true. There are many women that believe to wear less is to attract more men; Mark Fast designs with less cloth for women who want to feel more sexy.
The Canadian-born couturier designs body-hugging knitwear blending Lycra, viscose, angora and wool fabrics, with results that sway, sashay and wrap around the silhouette.
There’s a lot of legs and bare shoulders to spare. There are plunges, drapes and slits for the bold and the reckless. There’s a minimalism in Mr. Fast’s designs, but it’s juxtaposed with fierceness a la the fringe and sheer effects.
Be advised that the prices are high, stemming into the 1,000 (GBP) area and up.
I guess that also means that you better keep up your membership with the gym and be comfortable with at least four inch stiletto heels.
I love this collection. And you’re damn right I’d wear every ounce of it. I’ve been wearing skin-tight American Apparel dresses for a while now, I’d like to switch it up a bit.
Available at Browns Fashion
