MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM FEAL

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

It's nearly time to hang up our stockings and settle down to Love Actually, Quality Streets and just one more turkey sandwich. Before that though, I'll whizz you through the week's fashion happenings...

There'll be no Givenchy couture show in January, the Parisian house announced this week. However, that doesn't mean there'll no representation of Riccardo Tisci's designs on red carpets as commissions will continue to be taken for celebrities and other special clients.

Cate Blanchett  in Givenchy Couture

The Beckham fashion world takeover continues with plenty of stories from the family this week.  Not only is Romeo the star of Burberry's SS13 campaign but his Mum is launching an e-commerce site in the New Year while David has apparently bought his wife some silky Olivia Von Halle pyjamas for Christmas. Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman was quick to point out that Romeo doesn't meet Vogue model standards so a cover is a little way off yet.

Gwen Stefani graces the cover of American Vogue's January edition. She's wears Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent, which is quite a statement of support for the collection which caused such a drama when it was shown in September. Fashion observers are now labelling Saint Laurent as the go-to for musicians while Raf Simons' Dior is for princessy actresses apparently.

Gwen Stefani images via Vogue.com

In other ad campaign news, Prada has switched from the usual course of telling stories in its ads- recall the models at the petrol station, or playing chess?- and gone for a series of pared back images for SS13. Steven Meisel is, as ever, behind the camera. Prada say the new approach is about reflecting "confident individuality". Meanwhile, I would love to know the story behinds Marc Jacobs and Juergen Teller's SS13 Marc by Marc Jacobs ads which feature grafitti and a toilet. 

Prada SS13 (Image via Prada)

Marc by Marc Jacobs (image via highsnobette.com)

Finally two big publishing industry stories this week which you should certainly cast your eye over. Thailand and Ukraine will get their own Vogue editions next year, which can only mean one thing, reports Jess Cartner-Morley. Also this week, Vice Media bought i-D magazine. Andrew Creighton, Vice's President said "What i-D has not necessarily done, by accident or design, is move into the digital area in a big way." Watch this space.

Melanie and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and New Year. Thanks for helping us have an awesome FEAL year, bring on 2013. We'll be back in January

XXX

SS12: UNDER THE SEA

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

JW Waterhouse's The Mermaid. This season's collections are moving the image on

As one might expect from Spring/Summer collections, we have seen a myriad of references to all things seaside related during this fashion season; Mulberry took us on a seventies day out at the British beach, Daks (amongst others) was all fifties riviera, Craig Lawrence used sand as his starting point and Jonathan Saunders was all about Miami. But in Milan and Paris, some of the key collections have left the familiarity of the waterside and plunged to the mythical depths of the ocean to draw inspiration from sea creatures, shells and mermaids. 

Givenchy SS12

At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci served up a streetwise version of mermaid-ness. There was the irridescence of a pearl scattered seabed and a scaled effect which echoed a translucent ocean dweller but the addition of a blazer and flash of leg meant these did not descend into being unwearable back on dry land.

Givenchy SS12

At Versace, Donatella referenced her brother's signature baroque prints and presented a sexed up modern mermaid,who looks like she might be off to the Marine Bar to sit on a shell and scout out the sea horse talent.

Versace SS12

Versace SS12

Versace SS12

At Alexander McQueen, it was all about drawing comparison to the textures of coral and pearl for Sarah Burton. Padded hips and fishtails, not unfamiliar features of a McQueen collection, leant themselves to the creation of  a mermaid silhoutte. The lace caps, called fetishistic by some, emphasise the other worldly, sea bed effect.

Alexander McQueen SS12

Alexander McQueen SS12

Alexander McQueen SS12- This looks like it's slicked in sea water

Finally, at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld drew on one of the house's most important symbols, the pearl, and paid homage to its oceanic origins not only in the clothes but also on the pure white, ocean floor set. The pièce de résistance was Florence Welch, singing from inside a giant clam shell, 2012's incarnation of the Mermaid fantasy. 

Chanel SS12

Chanel's ocean floor set at the Grand Palais

Florence serenades the audience from her shell stage as the models encircle the set, spines encrusted with pearls.

All images, aside from The Mermaid (from JWWaterhouse.com), from Catwalking.com