A LITTLE BIT OF CRUISE FASHION FANTASISING

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

It's that time of year again when snow is forecast and, almost perversely, Cruise collections hit designer shops on the assumption that we will of course be escaping somewhere sunny to escape falling temperatures and dark days and will need a new wardrobe for the occasion. Whether you really are flying off on a jet plane- Gucci call it "soar(ing) towards a sun-soaked horizon”- or not, there's definitely no harm in a little fashion fantasising as we get into the festive season proper. That’s probably why Cruise remains, even though the traditions it was built upon barely do.

This is where the power of a brilliant style prop comes in. That little thing can become your shortcut to another time and place, make you a more glamorous and exotic version of yourself. A bit like a really fabulous tardis really.

Take Gucci's shimmering silver clutch bag which forms part of the accessories offer in the new Cruise collection. It’s like a portable disco ball; this bag could start a party wherever it goes. Frida Giannini thinks of “Jerry Hall beaming with breezy style”. Imagine picking it up and immediately you feel a little bit transformed, perhaps with a dash of Bianca Jagger attitude or Diana Ross glamour.

At that point, it's almost irrelevant whether you’re dressing for dinner in Rio or for mulled wine in London, your prop takes you wherever your fashion fantasies want to go. Ta-da.

Gucci's shimmering silver clutch bag

*This post was sponsored by Gucci*

PLAYING PRE-FALL DRESSING UP

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

It's nearly time to snuggle into your Christmas jumper and be done with proper fashion for a week or so, but before that we mustn't forget that the next round of collections- Pre-Fall 2013- is trickling in slowly, giving us a little taster of how we might be looking a year from now. In traditional FEAL fashion, I've got out the Big Head to demonstrate how I might possibly look in some of my favourite looks so far...

1. GUCCI

Checks and tartan are looking strong for next Autumn. Gucci's woollen dress has a strong, pulled together silhouette with a hint of kilt, the perfect balance of chic and traditional.

2. 3.1 PHILLIP LIM

This is quite possibly the archetypal example of what a Pre-Fall (or Resort) collection is all about; it would be quite perfect to put on this entire look, walk out of the studio door and go live life, rucksack slung over shoulder.  You'd be wearing key, hard-working wardrobe pieces with a fashionable but not slavish hint at trends. Winter Turquoise is looking like a big thing, following on from the Celine coat of AW12. 

3. PROENZA SCHOULER #1 and #2

As a simple styling concept, Proenza's concoction feels bang on- take a monochrome colour block sweater, add statement skirt and simple heels. Done. It feels like a wearable, day to day move on from the final looks in Raf Simons' first Dior collection- the black jumper with iridescent ballgown skirts. I couldn't decide between the artsy blue optical skirt or the burnished gold so I stuck my head on both. 

4. ALEXANDER WANG

Will we be seeing grey marl sweats on the Balenciaga catwalk? Possibly not, but Wang's Pre-fall draped luxe sport get-up seems rather fabulous to me although not sure I'd wear the whole look all together. The easy but versatile sweatshirt would be top of my list. 

5. THEYSKENS' THEORY

Oh dear, I'm going to make another Dior reference, but don't you think this sheeny dress coat is a little bit like those updated Bar jackets which Simons did? It's glitzier and comes with what looks a bit of a nasty belt however it fits perfectly into the idea of wearing a jacket as a dress which is really sexy in a Roxie Hart kinda way. 

6. CHANEL

I really ought to have picked my tartan choice from Chanel's Paris -Edinbourg collection, however I by far prefer Lagerfeld's interpretations of Elizabeth I attire, all virginal white gowns with ruffs at the neck. If only I had the photoshop skills to transport the intricate plaits which Sam McKnight created for the occassion onto my own 'do. 

ADVENT: THE FASHION FAIRYTALE OF AW12

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Each catwalk season, post shows the FashEd and I absorb ourselves in teasing out every trend, theme and nuance from what we've seen. For AW12, it was all about a fairytale. Looks jumped out at us like characters off a picture book page, scary and sweet in equal measures. While it may be the case that the Autumn/ Winter collections are an almost a disappearing memory, with the start of the sales and the arrival of Resort collections in shops, it actually only just feels like the right time to be really getting excited about these looks; the opulent decorations, the sumptuous velvets and ostentatious embellishments are properly about Winter luxury and legend. So for FEAL's Advent contribution, we will be revisiting an AW12 look every few days along with allusions to the myths and folklore which they seem to allude to, before they vanish forever into a fairy dust haze of Spring/ Summer graphics and brights. We hope you enjoy them and have a very merry festive season.

Love,

Bethan and Melanie xx

Gucci's Swashbuckling Musketeer

“My son, be worthy of your noble name, worthily borne by your ancestors for over five hundred years. Remember it’s by courage, and courage alone, that a nobleman makes his way nowadays. Don’t be afraid of opportunities, and seek out adventures. My son, all I have to give you is fifteen ecus, my horse, and the advice you’ve just heard. Make the most of these gifts, and have a long, happy life.” 

From Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

HAS THE HIGH STREET COPYING OF CATWALK DESIGNERS WORK GOT OUT OF HAND?

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

The latest press release email from Red Hot PR, representing Goddiva

Yesterday, a press release email pinged into the Fashion Editor at Large in-box. Its title? 'Gucci Copies.' Amazingly, the fashion company in question, Goddiva, has instructed its PR company to send out press releases promoting the fact it is copying dresses from the current Gucci collection; dresses that are in the shop right now. Goddiva even shares with us the catwalk shots of the dresses they are copying in the release!  Goddiva would do well to read up on how litigious Gucci is. Only this week it was awarded $4.7 million from Guess over infringement of its G and red/green stripe trademarks, and it is stepping up its brand protection around the world as a result.

This type of email - and I get a lot of them - makes my blood boil. Bethan, Fashion Junior at Large, has even seen me pick up the phone to some PR companies to question them for the sending out of such emails. I know it sounds a bit batty, but really - they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. It especially annoys me when the copying involves ripping-off young British and international designers who don't have the funds to hire a lawyer to defend their Intellectual Property rights.

What you see above is a blatant example of how rampant the copying of fashion designers work at high street level has become. Crazier still the brands doing it actually promote the fact. Copying is against the law. Fashion designers and brands can - and do as we see from Gucci's case this week- successfully sue for this kind of thing. Elsewhere on the high street designers' original work is being tacitly raped and pillaged and passed off as the work of the retailer - and to my mind it is getting worse by the week.

I do understand that the high street takes inspiration from catwalk and street trends for their fashion offerings, its the nature of the beast; everyone from Marc Jacobs to Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga takes inspiration from something, but really it has gone too far. Which is why I am glad the young law American law student Julie Zerbo of the fashion blog Fashion Law, which was recently covered by the Wall Street Journal, is succeeding in highlighting the problem. A few weeks ago Zerbo brought to attention a Chanel bangle, which looked very similar to one already on the record as being by young NYC based jeweller Pamela Love. After her post was picked up by Fashionista.com, Chanel withdrew the bracelet with immediate effect. It was an elegant way around a problem senior designers at Chanel  probably didn't even know they had. Chanel prides itself on originality.

Last week a friend of mine who is also an editor sent me a couple of Blackberry-Cam shots of items that looked very familiar...

Seen at Karen Millen

Have you met your twin? Erdem Resort 2012 on Net-a-Porter. In fact if you type "Erdem blue lace dress" into Google, the third thing that comes up is "Erdem blue lace dress copy" and the listing takes you to Kate Middleton related sites..

Seen at Marks and Spencer

Hmm..looks familiar. Jonathan Saunders SS12 collection (photo: Catwalking.com)

Have you seen any blatant copies out there? What do you think?

MFW AW12: GET CAPE, WEAR CAPE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Given the amount of angst which capes cause when they're in the shops ("Where do you put your bag?", "The wind's blowing up it!") one sometimes wonders why designers persevere with them. But then you see them in their purest form, hung upon models with hands empty, perhaps save for a clutch bag and on a warm, wind free catwalk and we are once again seduced. This happened in Milan where capes popped up all week. There were long, swooshing cloaks and cute short capelets, plus everything inbetween.We love the grand, dark capes offered up by Dolce and Gabbana and Gucci, but Marni and Moschino showed a cape doesn't have to signify doom and gloom....

At Dolce and Gabbana, there were capes in all guises but they all contributed to the show's take on Catholic opulence- a cape hints at priests' cassocks and nuns' habits.

Dolce and Gabbana AW12

Dolce and Gabbana AW12

Gucci was goth with glamour. The capes were styled with jodhpur trousers, even if there were embellished with a ton of crystals,  and riding boots. These looks make me think of the  'Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse'.

Gucci AW12

Gucci AW12

Marni and Moschino offered up brighter versions of the trend. Marni's red belted version is modern day Little Red Riding Hood while Moschino is blinged up 60s Park Avenue Princess- the mandarin collar is a sweet detail.

Marni AW12

Moschino AW12

Etro's capelet, with Tudor red ruffle neck, is more structured. If you're not sure about the swooshing required of a larger cape, this is a nice compromise. This is what, one hopes, Elizabeth I would wear if she were alive now.

POP: THAT GUCCI GIRL

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Just before Christmas, the lucky Fash Ed got to spend a day in Rome with Gucci designer, Frida Giannini. The resulting feature is in the new issue of POP which is out now. As we looked through the shoot this morning, we thought there was something very AW12 about the look of this collection, like it skipped over SS12's pretty pastel girliness and instead acts as a precursor to the dark, gothic elements which were so strong in Milan.

And the interview, though I may be biased, is a must-read insight into Frida's ability to combine the archives at her fingertips with the commercial edge for now.

All images from POP SS12 edition

NANCY CUNARD: A RELUCTANT FLAPPER & GUCCI'S UNLIKELY MUSE

Guest Post by Victoria Loomes

Nancy Cunard

At the Gucci show yesterday, Frida Giannini’s show notes - which cited her inspirations in detail - made for some interesting reading. Her Roaring Twenties homage was, she wrote, an attempt to “explore an optical side of femininity by creating a sculptural glamour for the Gucci woman”. But jarring against the easy jazz age familiarity of Louise Brooks and Man Ray, one name stood out ­– Nancy Cunard. The surname comes with connotations of luxury cruises…but Nancy? Who’s she?

Gucci SS12

Of course she was rich. Her father was Bache Cunard, the heir to the Cunard shipping business. Of course she was beautiful. During her youth, her beauty captivated writers and artists. In Anne Chisholm’s extensive biography, David Garnett recalled her “skin, as white as bleached almonds, the bluest eyes one has ever seen, and very fair hair. She was marvellous.” Later in life, Nancy became obsessed with primitive art, and wore African ivory bracelets stacked up each slender arm from wrist to elbow. Anthony Hobson recounted how “conversation was punctuated by their rhythmic clashing.”

Nancy, a woman who liked a bangle, and a finger wave

Michael Arlen based Iris March, a character in his best-selling novel The Green Hat (1924), on Nancy. Aldous Huxley, in the throes of unrequited passion sealed Cunard’s fate as ‘muse’ in Antic Hay, in which Myra Viveash owes more than a passing resemblance to Cunard. But it was in Paris that Nancy found her calling, becoming increasingly involved with provocative and fashionable artists. Her influence among the Dadaists led founder Tristan Tzara to write and dedicate Mouchoir de Nuages to her, sculptor Brancusi immortalised Nancy in Jeune Fille Sophistiquee. It was the Surrealists however, who truly captured Nancy’s attention, notably co-founder Louis Aragon, who was to remain a close friend for much of her life.

Nancy posing against a very this season polka dot screen

Yet Nancy was much more than a muse. A published poet, founder of the Hour Press, publisher of avant-garde and experimental literature, she was a passionate journalist, and a fearless traveller, but her greatest, and most controversial, achievement was Negro. Published in February 1934, this hefty tome (almost four years in the making) recorded ‘the struggles and achievements, the persecutions and the revolts against…the Negro peoples’ as she herself wrote in the foreword. In a limited run of 1,000 copies, Negro included around 250 contributions from over 150 writers, and was born out her relationship with Henry Crowder, an African-American jazz pianist who hailed from Georgia – a relationship that almost caused her mother to disown her.

Gucci SS12

Recently, shades of the uncompromising personality that Nancy personifies have crept onto the catwalk – these strong women coloured their lives with a splash of assured glamour, a little decadence and an unwavering self-belief.

It started at (where else?) Prada, last year. Spring Summer 2011 saw Miuccia send her models down the runway sporting the distinctive finger waves that Nancy favoured throughout her life. Styled by Guido Paulo, hair was teased into waves around the face, curved round the ear and moulded to the head, throwing the features of the models (themselves chosen by Miuccia for their striking distinctions) were thrown into sharp relief. 

Prada SS11

Fast-forward a season and Mary Katrantzou chanelled the strength and spirit of these women, albeit from a different source. Her striking interior prints were indebted to the stylish apartments of Cunard, Chanel, Vreeland, Paley et al – and their eclectic living spaces were simply an extension of their strong-willed personalities.

Nancy Cunard may be an unlikely fashion muse, but her particular blend of pioneering fearlessness is one that captivates contemporary designers. Her refusal to be defined by glamour and class may now seem inconsequential, her list of achievements overshadowed by an impressive roll call of lovers, yet a remarkable and enduring legacy remains.

Nancy died on March 17, 1965, aged 69, in a Paris hospital where she was being treated for mental illness and alcoholism after being found on the street, destitute, a few days earlier. She weighted 26 kilos. In her healthier, happier days would have recoiled from the epitaph of style icon, but there’s no denying that she is one, and it’s time she took her place among the greats.

Find more of Victoria Loome's writing at http://www.girlsdofilm.wordpress.com/

Photographs of Nancy taken from Nancy Cunard: A Biography by Anne Chisholm