THE BEST DRESSED AT LAST NIGHTS MET BALL 2012 -

Posted by Melanie Rickey & Bethan Holt - team FEAL

There are more than enough red carpet events throughout the year to satisfy our need to award hits and misses to various celebrities' ultimate version of modern fantasy dressing. But the Met Ball is the fashion biggie. The outfits are not on the sideline here, but the the main attraction, and this is where we judge the actual FASHION not yet another interpretation of 'Hollywood Glamour' . Some choose to approach it exactly how they might the Oscars -  hello, Scarlett Johannsson dressed like an actual Oscar statuette. Others use it as an opportunity to try something a little edgier - I'm talking to you, yes you Coco Rocha in your on-trend trousers.

Last night's event launched the 'Prada and Schiaparelli: Impossible Conversations' show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this years successor to Savage Beauty/McQueen blockbuster of 2011, which will run throughout the Summer. There was plenty of Prada and a number of nods to Schiaparelli, and in some instances both - nice tcouch Anna Wintour. But also a variety of new riffs on the red carpet vibe. Diego Della Valle also chose yesterday to announce that he'll be reviving Schiaparelli although the rumours from a few months back that Galliano might be designing seem to have come to nothing. Though we are very much looking forward to what Diego does with the brand, as his revival of the house of Roger Vivier has been beautifully executed by his team and the brands Creative Director Ines de La Fressange.

Here are our picks of the looks which best represent how trends were worked into the looks of the night. This is a barometer for where red carpet fashion will be going in the coming months...it is also, in some cases, a barometer of where real fashion and trends are going. You will be appropriating some of this into your look someday soon.....

MELANIE'S HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada

A very grown up was to do pastels - more futuristic than sugar sweet.  And short! Also, excuse me, but how hot is her body? If that's what two hours a day with a Tracy Anderson trained PT can give you...

(image from Dailymail.co.uk)

2. Kate Bosworth in Prada

One of many to wear very dark lips- there was definitely a goth mood in the air but Kate's made it less severe with a shorter length dress, definitely looking fresh. expect to see LOTS of short in the next collections.

(image from Popsugar.com)

3. Lily Collins in Valentino

Lily and SJP (below) both look serenely beautiful in high-neckedVictoriana style, Valentino.There was barely an inch of flesh in sight and it made the women all the more alluring. This is something we're seeing a lot of now. Covered up is the new chic.

Image from dailymail.co.uk

4. Sarah Jessica Parker in Valentino

( image from www.popsugar.com)

5. Milla Jovovich in Prada Autumn/Fall Winter 2012

Image from dailymail.co.uk

6. Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci gave us two versions of his Gothic fashionista with his designs for Rooney Mara and Gisele. Pale-skinned Mara's gown combined lace and leather, and along with her dark burgundy lips she looked sensational, definitely where we will be taking our look this Autumn/Fall. With her athletic body, healthy glow and sequinned bling Gisele's play at the woman of darkness thing offered a more Hollywood interpretation. Both get the thumbs up from FEAL.

image from dailymail.co.uk

7. Gisele in Givenchy

image from dailymail.co.uk

8. Scarlett Johansson Dolce and Gabbana

Ms Johansson giving us a delicious taster of Dolce Gabbana's wonderful fairytale, baroque splendour which awaits us for Autumn. though we love this, it isn't quite as directional as it could have been, given the occasion.

image from popsugar.com

9. Jessica Alba in Michael Kors

Another sampler of Autumn/fall's forthcoming opulence-fest - it really is going to be special.

Image from www.ibtimes.com

10. Coco Rocha in Elizabeth Taylor's Givenchy trouser suit

By far the most INTERESTING and fabulous choice of the night. Rocha went completely against the tradition of having a custom dress and instead wore the outfit she'd bought at the auction of Elizabeth Taylor's wardrobe. I think both Mrs Prada and Mrs Schiaparellii would have approved. Coco's independence of spirit is admirable in the face of Vogue diktats and 'suggested' (aka subtly enforced) dress-codes.

Image from Popsugar.com

11. Miuccia Prada, the guest of honour

Here is Mrs Prada being brilliant in jacquard trousers and tunic and stomping big, gem heels.

image from vogue.com

FASHION JUNIOR'S HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Arizona Muse in Erdem

The evening's best look from a Brit designer, and Erdem is looking pretty hot too.

Arizona with Erdem (image from vogue.com)

2. Anna Wintour in Prada

I love how literal and diplomatic this is: a Prada dress with classic Schiaparelli lobster motif.

image from dailymail.co.uk

3. Lana del Rey in Altuzarra

Ok, so Lana does look a bit miserable but I don't know why because Jospeh Altuzarra's chainmail gown and long, black cape do that goth thing but with a glamorous, via-the-dancefloor sort of vibe, and capes and chainmail are so on-trend for Autumn/Fall. Game of Thrones lovers, take note!

image from stylelite.com

4. Solange Knowles in Rachel Roy

I have a huge style crush on Solange at the moment. The buttercup brightness and peplum detail look chic but not too serious plus that 'fro is the best accessory ever.

image from dailymail.co.uk

5. Marc Jacobs n Comme des Garcons

We can't leave without showing you Marc Jacobs in Comme des Garcons lace, boxers and buckled shoes from his women's mainline collection ... Yeah, baby.

image from graziadaily.co.uk

THE WEEK IN FASHION: 30th APRIL- 4th MAY

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

It's been another busy week in the fashion world, so before we head off to enjoy our three day Bank Holiday weekend, here's the round-up of all the need to know news from the past seven days...

It's the start of the month which means a flurry of new covers are coming in ready for our enjoyment. Kate Moss (who was apparently drinking at The Groucho until 7am this morning-what a woman) is the incarnation of Versace's modern mermaid on the cover of British Vogue's Gold issue. She was shot by Mert and Marcus, complete with very fat rope (previously seen in a Beckham shot) and underwater-esque background. It's the stuff fashion dreams are made of.

Kate Moss on the cover of June's Vogue (image from Vogue.co.uk)

Meanwhile, iD have two particularly genius covers amongst the eight on offer for the Summer 'Lights, Camera, Action' issue. Julia Restoin Roitfeld is not the first woman to show her bump on a magazine cover but this interpretation of the genre is rather kookier than usual- with Julia clutching a teddy and wearing sexy lingerie in a sumptuous boudoir.

Another cover shows newly appointed Dior designer Raf Simons sheltering from the camera beneath a selection of flowers. The image seems just right for the moment, the flowers symbolising Dior prettiness while the grey and Raf's slightly hidden face hint at the newness and rethinking which is surely to come at the label. There's an accompanying interview where Raf talks about his final Jil Sander collection and what motivates him as a designer. The issue is available next week on the iD site and at shops soon after.

Helena Bonham Carter is having a bit of a moment this month. She has modelled some totally beautiful McQueen and Westwood gowns for Harper's Bazaar's June issue... Here's a Behind the Scenes video from the shoot...


Daniel Radcliffe, with whom Bonham-Carter worked on the Harry Potter films, has interviewed her for, er, Interview. Well it's more of a conversation really, with insights into the lives of both actors. They cover everything from the pressure of having an amazing family to Helena having to audition to be in her quasi-husband (they're only not married because of 'laziness' she says) Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd musical to wearing odd shoes to the Golden Globes. My girl crush on Helena Bonham Carter continues.

Helena Bonham Carter styled by Katie Grand, photographed by
 Peter Lindbergh (from  www.interviewmagazine.com)

All 19 Vogue International editors came together this week to launch their new Health Initiative which will mean that they endeavor to only use healthy models (i.e ones who aren't suffering from an eating disorder) who are over the age of 16 on their pages. Alex Shulman writes in her Editor's Letter that 'as one of the fashion industry's most powerful voices, Vogue has a unique opportunity to engage with relevant issues where we feel we can make a difference'. As the FashEd pointed out in a tweet yesterday, we really hope this excellent policy extends to celebrities as well as models. I wrote more about this issue a few weeks ago. Bravo to Vogue for taking a stand. 

Excitement is building for Monday night's Met Gala which will open the much anticipated 'Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations' exhibition. Of course, US Vogue is leading the build-up by looking back at galas in years gone by. First up, Andre Leon Talley, the magazine's rather awesome Editor-at-Large, has chosen his top 10 outfits. He seems to have a predilection for black taffeta and frou frou fairytale given his choices. We're excited to see how Miuccia Prada will play the red carpet celebrity dressing next week. Her AW12 collections showed a serious trouser moment so maybe Mr Leon Talley will be disappointed on the big ballgown front.

Andre's favourites: Rihanna in Dolce and Gabbana in 2009

Andre's favourites: Doutzen Kroes in Zac Posen in 2010 (images from vogue.com)

And in case you haven't been invited, Vogue has given us a peek of how our invite would look if we were on the list. For this year's exhibition, they've nodded to Schiaparelli's association with Surrealism with a lip design. I love the image used on the invite for 2010's 'American Woman'.

Will we get in if we print this out and put on some Prada? (image from vogue.com)

The invite to 2010's 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity' (image from Vogue.com)

Australian Fashion Week has been taking place in Sydney this week. We've been enjoying Susie Bubble's posts which are a brilliant mixture of catwalk reports and snippets for getting to know the Australian fashion scene. A We Are Handsome swimming costume is top of my summer shopping list so I was very pleased when this image from their show pinged into my inbox.

We Are Handsome AW12

Romance Was Born AW12 from stylebubble.co.uk

 Speaking of fashion weeks, street style favourite Anna Dello Russo has become the latest H&M collaborator. Fans of the Vogue Nippon editor will get the chance to emulate her style with a selection of blingtastic accessories.  There'll be more on this next week on the blog but it's rather fascinating that it was a stylist/ editor whose look seemed the most relevant to H&M to bring to the masses, rather than another big name designer. The range is out on October 4th, just after fashion month ends

Anna Dello Russo modelling some pieces from her collection (image from telegraph.co.uk)

There was a glimmer of hope in the continuing race to save Aquascutum this week as it emerged that exclusive talks were underway to sell the business to Hong Kong based YGM Trading. Unfortunately this doesn't provide much hope for those who were left out of work after the Corby factory was shut. There are separate talks being held to sell that asset. If the brand loses its Made in Britain element, it will be a great shame.

Last night there was a party in Paris to celebrate 30 years of Guess. Those who worked together to create some of the brand's most iconic images were there...

Ellen Von Unwerth and Claudia Schiffer at Guess's 30th Birthday bash (image from THE LOVE magazine's twitter)

The Sunday Times' annual Rich List was released last weekend. It helps confirm what we already know from the trickle of news and figures which we see each week... luxury is still booming but retail is a hard environment. Mulberry owner Christina Ong rose 53 places to 61, but Britain's biggest retail magnate, Phillip Green lost £900 million of his fortune last year, ouch.

Karl Lagerfeld has been brought in to redesign the exterior of the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo. Reaffirming that he is a man of many talents, in case there was any doubt. To whet our appetite for the unveiling of the first phase in July, Lagerfeld has released some frescos starring his favourite male model Baptiste Giabconi...

Inspiration for the new Hotel Metropole (image from telegraph.co.uk)

Manish Arora has mysteriously ended his thus far successful tenure at Paco Rabanne it was revealed today.  The label had become relevant trend wise as well as gaining attention thanks to Lady Gaga wearing some pieces at the MTV awards in 2011.'Revisiting the Paco Rabanne fashion was a very enriching experience and an exceptional artistic and human adventure. I am, today, happy to have accomplished the mission I was trusted with in order to cast this iconic brand back into the spotlight', Arora told WWD.

We leave you with a gorgeous backstage video from Alexander McQueen's AW12 show... Happy Weekend!

GIRL CRUSH: BEAT(S) AND GRIMES

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

We all know that fashion magazines exist both as businesses to bring in advertising, and creative organs to share inspiring visuals and the latest news - shopping or otherwise - on the subject. And we know that sometimes the advertising can pollute the content, and vice versa. Well, the same goes for music (and for that matter, all) magazines, which is why I am an admirer of journalist and DJ Hanna Hanra who last year created an independent, and free, music magazine called BEAT which tomorrow launches its fourth issue around the UK, and at two New York locations, though content can also be found online.

Hanna created BEAT with the assistance of Katie Grand who is its associate publisher, because "there is no music magazine that isn't entirely self-conscious, too earnest or too driven by advertising. I wanted to create a magazine where only properly talented and relevant people are featured. I would never put someone in the magazine if they looked good but were actually shit. I don't want something inauthentic." Hanna is a girl after my own heart.

Grimes, photographed by Clare Shilland 

BEAT is, for me, the real deal of what a music magazine should be, her contacts and her anntenae for the most important new talent and music is to my mind spot on, especially when viewed through a culture and fashion lens. Hanna popped in for tea with a PDF of the new issue last week, and I was basically in awe of the calibre of music talent she has gathered together, not to mention the world class photographers she called on to take pictures. "I guess I just know all these people that do music, take pictures and do fashion," she says, shrugging. "So I just kinda did it. I don't have a title on my mag. Basically I do everything."

The new issue has four cover options, Grimes (you saw her on the blog last week) and The Gossip, both photographed by Clare Shilland. Zulu photographed by Alasdair McLellan, and Girls shot by Ryan McGinley. Yes, the Ryan McGinley (yep, fangirl right here). 

Chris from Girls, photographed by Ryan McGinley

Grimes was not jazzed up in Givenchy as she was for Dazed and Confused's most recent magazine cover, but rather as herself. "She would never wear Givenchy in her real life, so we shot her in a T-Shirt."

Photographed by Claire Shilland 

It is to the ethereal yet tough Grimes that we return, with Jack Sunnuck's interview with her from the new edition of BEAT.

The best way to describe Grimes’ ethereal, kind of nuts music is in her own words: “Pop through a different circuit”. Grimes, just about the most hyped artist around right now, is Claire Boucher: a tiny, frenetic, husky-voiced Canadian girl who, on her new entirely self-produced album, Visions, whispers and wails her way through beautifully electronic songs such with names like Oblivion, Genesis and Circumambient. In the flesh, her appearance is just the same as her stage persona - like a space girl who just dropped from the sky.

Beat: You’re a big fan of Korean pop music, which for those that don’t know, is like Britney on wild hallucinogens, accompanied by futuristic videos. What’s your favourite K-pop song?

Grimes: Probably Love by FX. I mean, they’re all kind of the same song.

Totally. Part of the appeal is that you can’t understand what’s going on until they shout something vaguely coherent in English for the chorus. Was that mysterious kind of vibe an influence on your new album?

Yeah, definitely! I mean, my songs are about stuff, but one thing I really like about K-pop is that it’s just, like, “Blah blah blah LOVE blah blah blah HEART!” These tropes of pop music, it’s almost like a mantra. You get so used to hearing them, your brain is like, “I understand.” And not so much for this record, but for other records, that was something I wanted to do. I would use weird sounds so it wasn’t even like I was speaking English. The aesthetic of how it sounds is way more important to me than the actual meaning. When I first heard K-pop I was like, “Aha it sounds like Grimes.”

You’re also a big R&B fan and love TLC, but I guess you’re not trying to tell a story in the mode of Waterfalls.

No not at all, it’s not about the story. I was thinking about TLC the other day, wondering if they really thought they had a message and started making music, or started making music and thought they had to have a message.

What kind of clothes do you like to wear? You always look like you’re from another future. I can tell you’re into furs from the delicious one you’re wearing now.

I especially like furs that are falling apart. I wear a lot of military shit; combat boots and all that. I like sci-fi meets military.

On Twitter you wrote that you’ve got a kind of synesthesia, where you look at a person and see what kind of animal they would be. What kind of animal is Grimes?

A hyena and a beluga. The hyena’s crazy - female hyenas have penises! And they laugh all the time - like Puck, they’re the holy fool of the animal kingdom. And the beluga is kind of the same; it’s always smiling, huge and fat but beautiful and glowing white. It’s the lava lamp of the sea.

The beluga swims in pods. What other bands do you feel a kinship with?

Current bands would be Blue Hawaii, How To Dress Well, Picture Plane. These are like my friends. I mean, I’m kind of friends with all the bands I really like. I used to live with Blue Hawaii but then there was a third wheel situation because they’re dating. They’re also really clean and I’m really messy. So that had to end. But I love them forever. All the gear I use they showed me how to use. Historically, I love Marilyn Manson.

It’s only three years since you started making music, which seems a pretty steep curve to where you are now. How did you progress so fast?

I mean, I live in Montreal and my rent’s $200 a month. I live right by a bunch of bulk food places and a bunch of very plentiful dumpsters. And I ride a bike. I incur no costs. And I don’t work; I dropped out of school, so all I do is work on music. That’s all I do. Everyone in Montreal does music all the time. There’s a huge downside too - it’s -40 for half the year. I got frostbite in my house last year because it was so cold.

As well as the music you also directed the video for your song Vanessa, which features lots of writhing women. Is directing something you like and want to do more of?

I’ve actually shot five videos! Vanessa is the only one that’s released. Be A Body [a song on the new album] I’ve edited and directed all myself. That’s my favourite. I demanded that one. For Oblivion I did football video. The Grimes brand is about doing pop through another circuit.

I’ve had so many opportunities to shoot videos with mainstream directors but my friends just do a better job. It’s so much better to work with small people who care than people who’ll throw money at it. It’s so much better to break into a fucking football field and get chased out! SO much better. Because then you’re like, ‘We’ve only got one shot let’s make it great’.

From looking at Vanessa and hearing you talk about these other videos, you seem a bit obsessed by the physicality of dance and sports.

I mean, girls. Women. What is the most beautiful thing? What do people want to see all the time? It’s girls! It’s always been that way and always will be. Like, the film Melancholia, I was wondering why it’s so magnetic to watch. And it’s because Kirsten Dunst is naked! With Vanessa I was like, what do people want to see? Girls, obviously. So I got all my hot friends to be in it. For Be A Body I went back to Vancouver and I got two ballerina friends from there to come. They’re really well trained and covered in tattoos. The only costs for that were the two hundred dollars we spent on lights. We went and shot everyone in pitch black using straight-on lights, so it’s these incredible, tattooed bodies moving in the pitch black. Quite rave.

What’s your favourite futuristic film?

The Fifth Element! I have the tattoos on my hand! Everyone’s like, ‘that move sucks’, but it doesn’t matter when it looks so good.

Oh my God it’s mine too! Growing up I really fancied Bruce Willis.

Yeah, I loved Leeloo.

What are the best shows you’ve played?

Every time I’ve ever played on E it’s been great! But there are different kinds of good shows. This one time, I played a show in Chicago, and it was flawless. People danced - I love people dancing. Another time I played this show at a rave in some woods near Portland and it was definitely not flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fucking fun. So that’s two kinds of good shit. 

You’ve just got back from a little sojourn to Berlin, how was that?

Great. My friend’s little brother lives there, and he’s very handsome, and he’s going to drum for me when I do a show there in May. We’re going to wear nothing but black body paint.

I love your song Crystal Ball. If we were to look into your crystal ball, what would it say about the future of Grimes?

I want the visual presence to be flawless. And just crazy. I want to work on the visual half not as promo, but as art. Really good art. Oh, and start working on the next album. Obviously.

You can pick up BEAT in various record stores and vintage shops of the Rough Trade/Beyond Retro ilk throughout the UK, as well as Marc Jacobs on Mount Street, and Dover Street Market, Opening Cermony and Supreme in the US. It's also available in all Diesel stores and from the BEAT website.

www.thebeatjuice.com

IN GRAZIA THIS WEEK: FASHED MEETS JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

All our regular readers will know that the FashEd has been to Paris a few times of late to catch up with legendary designer Jean Paul Gaultier as part of his project designing bottles for Diet Coke. She got the scoop on the news that he'll be designing some of Madonna's costumes for her forthcoming tour. In today's issue of Grazia, you can read the full story, including some really interesting, and quite touching defence from JPG of his controversial Amy Winehouse tribute in his January Couture show- the Daily Mail has even picked up on the story this morning. 

Happy Reading!

CHRISTIAN BLANKEN'S ANTHOLOGY OF MODERN SPORTSWEAR

Posed by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... being a fashion geek is a pretty important part of getting anywhere in this industry. And the very best way to increase your geekiness is to find someone with their own particular kind of geekiness and get them to share it with you. So it was that in mind on very rainy morning last week, I spent a couple of hours with designer Christian Blanken, who not only has his own label which sells at Harrods and shows at LFW, but has also worked with American design stalwarts including Michael Kors and Diane Von Furstenberg. Blanken is currently working on a book, which he's hoping to publish next year, which will be an  anthology of modern sportswear. The tome, sure to become a fixure on the coffee table of many a fashion devotee, will trace the development of easy, wearable, revolutionary design from Chanel and Vionnet right up to the likes of Alexander Wang today.

Blanken in his showroom

It's a cause which has been close to Blanken's heart since he was studying a the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnem, Holland during the late 80s. "All my peers seemed to be obsessed either with the Japanese designers, like Comme des Garcons, or with that Vivienne Westwood/ Galliano look' he tells me, 'but my obsession was Halston, which is quite different'. His own aesthetic may have set him apart from the vibe of the time, but that didn't stop him getting on to the Central Saint Martin's Masters course. 'After that, Michael Kors was the guy I wanted to work with, he was the person doing what I was most interested in at the time" Blanken explains. By a stroke of luck, Kors was looking for an Italian speaking designer to work on his Kors range which would be produced in Italy. Thanks to his childhood moving countries every few years, Blanken had the linguistic credentials Kors was looking for and so he landed the job.

Great silver trousers in Christian Blanken AW12 (image from catwalking.com)

He eventually made the move to New York where it sounds like life got rather fun. He worked at J. Crew in the design room alongside Jenna Lyons, who is now the brand's very cool Creative Director. Blanken also joined Diane Von Furstenberg at a time when the brand was being 'reined back in'. Even better, he was hanging out with the likes of Terry Richardson and Chloe Sevingy, just when Marc Jacobs was marking her out as the coolest girl in New York. Despite launching his own label over there, Blanken eventually decided to return to London which he describes as 'less homogenous' than New York. Before re-opening his label here, Blanken worked with Sue Whiteley at Harvey Nichols on the store's private label collection. The two sought to create 'a really good wardrobe' which gave the HN customer 'new options'. In 2008, Blanken relaunched his own label.

Christian Blanken SS12 (from catwalking.com) You can buy online here or in Harrods

His is quite a CV. He seems to have touched base with so many of the key players in his particular nook of the industry at some point in his career that he seems ideally placed to be working with Bloomsbury publishers on the anthology. For me, the most interesting thing to come out of our conversation was the realisation that sportswear represents such a seismic change in women's lives. It reflects the new found political freedoms which were gained in the 20s and follows the course of those freedoms extending into every other aspect of our lives... work, family, relationships and lifestyles. Basically, it was radical. It seemed like Blanken really got that; he is all about fashion being 'intelligent but democratic'. It's telling that he originally wanted to be a painter but was attracted to the 'chronic output of fashion. It's not whimsical, like giving a part of you to people to put on their wall. It's about seeing people wearing what you design and using it to live. I really like that part of it'.

I don't want to ruin Christian's book for you. He is currently holing himself up at Central Saint Martin's library in every spare moment he has between commuting to and from Rome (where he works on various design projects) and working on his next own label collection. So here is a taster (in his own words) of some of the earlier designers (from 20s through to 40s/50s) he'll be covering- there are many, many more to get us to the present day. And there's still lots of thinking going on about who is the ultimate sportswear designer right now. Blanken says that "Alexander Wang is the most interesting proponent of modern sportswear coming out of New York. He ticks all the boxes' However, Europe is harder to pin down; 'I'm really interested in Raf Simons. It may be him, but he's very cerebral. Isabel Marant really hits a chord too. Her look is sexy, like how every girl wants to look'. I can't wait to see what Blanken decided when the finished work comes out next year, hopefully during LFW in September.

CHANEL

From the research file: Chanel in her own design, beside an image from the Edwardian era. 

"Coco Chanel was so fresh, plus she was a great ambassador for her brand- she lived the life and was really active. She may have used the 70s to reaffirm her brand but the blueprints were all created in the 20s, like the tweeds which were inspired by her fascination with England and her relationship with the Duke of Westminster"

Chanel with the Duke of Westminster (from chanel.com)

JEAN PATOU

From the research files: Patou with his American competition winners

"I think Patou was actually a better designer than Chanel. He created this genius product- Huile de Chaldee- which was the first tanning oil. That was such a sign that things were changing. It was fashionable to be tanned, rather than pale, for the first time ever. It was also fragranced, making it even more glamorous. Patou recognised the appeal of America- he held this X Factor style contest where he picked six American girls to come to France and represent the brand"

Making tanning glamourous (image from fr.hprints.com)

VIONNET

From the research file: Vionnet's patterns, and a small image of her working on a mini mannequin

"Vionnet is really interesting- she was very studious and mathematical. Obviously, she introduced the idea of the Bias cut. And she did all her work on mini mannequins, like dolls, so she could be as exact as possible. Azzedine Alaia cites her as grand influence"

A classic Vionnet bias cut design (from vogue.co.uk)

MAINBOCHER

From the research file: Gloria Vanderbilt in Mainbocher

 "Mainbocher is like the bridge between France and America. He worked at Vogue in Paris as an Editor but grew his couturier business alongside that, then took the label to New York. He would use sensible fabrics like gingham and linen and make luxe garments from them. Gloria Vanderbilt was a big fan. I think of Tom Ford as a kind of modern equivalent; he's all about discreet, simple, ultimate luxe clothing"

From the research file: Mainbocher inspired by Vionnet

CLAIRE MCCARDELL

From the research file: McCardell wearing one of her denim ballgowns

"She was really ahead of her time, not just in terms of design but also because she was such a shrewd businesswoman. Her designs were mass produced by Townley but her name was on the label at her insistence. It looked good for the brand too who knew the pull she had. She was obsessed with Vionnet and would buy pieces and pick them apart to study their construction. One of her standout designs was the monastic dress- a really simple shape which could be worn any way around"

From the research file: the 'wear it any you like' monastic dress