Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
As if by magic, David Bowie is staging a hype inducing comeback just as a major exhibition about his career is set to open at the V&A, coincidence? You can bet there'll be plenty of questions on that subject at the press view. Where are we now? came as a mahoosive surprise when it was released back in January but now we know there's a new album which will be released in a few weeks- The Next Day. Then today we woke up to a brand new video for one of the tracks on the album, The Stars (Are Out Tonight). You should know this has absolutely nothing to do with Take That's Stardust soundtrack. Actually, it's directed by Floria Sigismondi and shot by Jeff Cronenweth, and is a feast of cool, creepy, clever brilliance for weary, wintered-out souls. Melanie is calling it an "androgynous wet dream". Tilda Swinton stars as Bowie's wife with male model Andrej Pejic- as a girl- and Saskia de Brauw-as a boy- as naughty influencers leading the dogooding marrieds astray from their quietly humdrum suburban life. It's stylish, perverse and brilliant and at FEAL towers we are watching it on a loop. Look out for Dominic Jones' terrifying claws which almost rip off Mr Bowie's beautiful face...
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
OSCARS 2013: THE FEAL AWARDS
Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
So the Oscars happened last night, did you know? You'll have seen all the best dressed, worst dressed etc. by now. However, there is a bigger story behind some of these dresses, believe it or not. To explain further, we have awarded some super-specific awards to some of the headline gowns of the night.
BEST FOR HIGHLIGHTING DRESSMAKING TECHNIQUES
Oh Anne Hathaway, we salute you for pushing your boundaries a little bit and going for a lovely pale pink Prada. Unfortunately, the whole thing was somewhat overshadowed by #LesNipperables. The thing the world needs to know is that these are not nipples but darts. If anything good can come of this debacle then it must be that the the humble dart has had its moment in the fashion limelight.
BEST ADVERT FOR INTRODUCING "POPEMOBILE" TRANSPORT
So Helen Hunt decided to help H&M promote their eco collection by wearing a navy silk gown- along with $700,000 worth of jewels. The slight issue was that the dress had become hopelessly crumpled en route to the event. The solution? Actresses in dresses which might crease should be provided with Popemobile type vehicles for their arrival. Alas, this doesn't solve the lap crease which so many were suffering by the end of the night.
BEST FOR SIGHS OF RELIEF (ALMOST)
Considering that Jennifer Lawrence has been wearing Dior almost exclusively this awards season, thanks to her Miss Dior contract, she really should have been a surer bet for Best Dressed. However, there were serious nerves after the Screen Actors Guild gaffe in which her dress slipped apart. Raf Simons and his atelier really stepped up for Oscar night though with a properly modern ballgown for the night that their girl won the Oscar. The gown also multi-tasked as an advertisement for Dior's bridal offering. We'll forget the little trip Lawrence had as she stepped up to collect her award. It was sweetly clumsy, ok?
BEST BIG BREAK FOR A YOUNG DESIGNER
Hats off to Naomie Harris who took quite the risk in letting an unknown designer create her Oscar dress after he had won a competition for the honour. Michael Badger, who has been mentored by Vivienne Westwood, designed an environmentally friendly gold dress for Naomie as part of the Green Carpet Challenge.
BEST FOR STICKING TO HER OWN THING
Her beautifully multicoloured Valentino at The Grammys will forever be a standout Adele look, but last night's Jenny Packham displayed the virtues of sticking to what you know you feel comfortable in which is not a quality to be underestimated when the eyes of about 40m people, not to mention a room full of glitzy celebs are all on you. Also one of the few examples of a British designer on the Oscars red carpet.
BEST CUT OUT BIT
There's a big trend for cutting bits out of dressed like little triangles round the midriff or sections of the lower back. Armani conjured up the twinkly number for Naomi Watts with a quite fascinating and fabulous half chest cut-out.
BEST COUPLE
For mixing up black and navy, for looking really classy and event appropriate without being remotely try hard and for graceful ageing... It's DDL and his wife Rebecca Miller.
So the Oscars happened last night, did you know? You'll have seen all the best dressed, worst dressed etc. by now. However, there is a bigger story behind some of these dresses, believe it or not. To explain further, we have awarded some super-specific awards to some of the headline gowns of the night.
BEST FOR HIGHLIGHTING DRESSMAKING TECHNIQUES
Oh Anne Hathaway, we salute you for pushing your boundaries a little bit and going for a lovely pale pink Prada. Unfortunately, the whole thing was somewhat overshadowed by #LesNipperables. The thing the world needs to know is that these are not nipples but darts. If anything good can come of this debacle then it must be that the the humble dart has had its moment in the fashion limelight.
 |
| Anne Hathaway in Prada (vogue.co.uk) |
So Helen Hunt decided to help H&M promote their eco collection by wearing a navy silk gown- along with $700,000 worth of jewels. The slight issue was that the dress had become hopelessly crumpled en route to the event. The solution? Actresses in dresses which might crease should be provided with Popemobile type vehicles for their arrival. Alas, this doesn't solve the lap crease which so many were suffering by the end of the night.
 |
| Helen Hunt in H&M (dailymail.co.uk) |
 |
| The standing position afforded by a Popemobile could really come in use for Hollywood actresses (image via huffingtonpost.com) |
BEST FOR SIGHS OF RELIEF (ALMOST)
Considering that Jennifer Lawrence has been wearing Dior almost exclusively this awards season, thanks to her Miss Dior contract, she really should have been a surer bet for Best Dressed. However, there were serious nerves after the Screen Actors Guild gaffe in which her dress slipped apart. Raf Simons and his atelier really stepped up for Oscar night though with a properly modern ballgown for the night that their girl won the Oscar. The gown also multi-tasked as an advertisement for Dior's bridal offering. We'll forget the little trip Lawrence had as she stepped up to collect her award. It was sweetly clumsy, ok?
 |
| Jennifer Lawrence in Dior (vogue.co.uk) |
Hats off to Naomie Harris who took quite the risk in letting an unknown designer create her Oscar dress after he had won a competition for the honour. Michael Badger, who has been mentored by Vivienne Westwood, designed an environmentally friendly gold dress for Naomie as part of the Green Carpet Challenge.
 |
| Naomie Harris in Michael Badger (dailymail.co.uk) |
BEST FOR STICKING TO HER OWN THING
Her beautifully multicoloured Valentino at The Grammys will forever be a standout Adele look, but last night's Jenny Packham displayed the virtues of sticking to what you know you feel comfortable in which is not a quality to be underestimated when the eyes of about 40m people, not to mention a room full of glitzy celebs are all on you. Also one of the few examples of a British designer on the Oscars red carpet.
 |
| Adele in Jenny Packham (vogue.co.uk) |
BEST CUT OUT BIT
There's a big trend for cutting bits out of dressed like little triangles round the midriff or sections of the lower back. Armani conjured up the twinkly number for Naomi Watts with a quite fascinating and fabulous half chest cut-out.
 |
| Naomi Harris in Armani (vogue.co.uk) |
For mixing up black and navy, for looking really classy and event appropriate without being remotely try hard and for graceful ageing... It's DDL and his wife Rebecca Miller.
 |
| Daniel Day Lewis and Rebecca Miller (vogue.co.uk) |
Friday, February 22, 2013
THREE LONDON FASHION WEEK THEME THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
Boohoo LFW is over but hurray it's the weekend! While we might all have been making mental check lists for what we need to buy for AW13, there's plenty to get on board with right now, this weekend in fact. Here are three things to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into this weekend and you'll be oh-so AW13 by Monday:
1. GET RAINBOW HAIR
So colourful hair is nothing new but there's a totally fresh and bold way to do it, courtesy of the most memorable model of LFW, Chloe Norgaard. Her multi-coloured look makes pink hair seem boring. Clash, match, layer do whatever. I quite fancy an aubergine/ lilac combo myself... see this selection . Chloe uses semi-permanent colour-jamz and Manic Panic for the green bits. And have a peak at Chloe's Tumblr.
2. RIP YOUR JEANS
Not so much a catwalk trend but practically every single usually polished and preened fashion editor did ripped jeans at LFW, some with spiky stilettos, others with Celine-y Vans. For a properly authentic look, rip your own. Follow this video guide...
3. GEM UP A CLUTCH
Mawi's giant gem clutch bags (a new venture which they began for SS13) were a huge hit at the LFW exhibition and have already popped up in a few street style pics and adoring blog posts. Find a tired clutch, buy in a load of cheap as chips plastic jewels and some glue and get your own fancy bag thing going on.
Boohoo LFW is over but hurray it's the weekend! While we might all have been making mental check lists for what we need to buy for AW13, there's plenty to get on board with right now, this weekend in fact. Here are three things to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into this weekend and you'll be oh-so AW13 by Monday:
1. GET RAINBOW HAIR
So colourful hair is nothing new but there's a totally fresh and bold way to do it, courtesy of the most memorable model of LFW, Chloe Norgaard. Her multi-coloured look makes pink hair seem boring. Clash, match, layer do whatever. I quite fancy an aubergine/ lilac combo myself... see this selection . Chloe uses semi-permanent colour-jamz and Manic Panic for the green bits. And have a peak at Chloe's Tumblr.
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| Chloe does Whistles |
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| Chloe at Roksanda Ilincic... N.B Green cape not her own |
2. RIP YOUR JEANS
Not so much a catwalk trend but practically every single usually polished and preened fashion editor did ripped jeans at LFW, some with spiky stilettos, others with Celine-y Vans. For a properly authentic look, rip your own. Follow this video guide...
3. GEM UP A CLUTCH
Mawi's giant gem clutch bags (a new venture which they began for SS13) were a huge hit at the LFW exhibition and have already popped up in a few street style pics and adoring blog posts. Find a tired clutch, buy in a load of cheap as chips plastic jewels and some glue and get your own fancy bag thing going on.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
IS IT OK TO WEAR FUR NOW?
Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
I only ask because there is so much of the stuff appearing on the catwalks this Autumn. The fuzzy effect is in practically every major collection but what is so striking is the number of designers who are using real fur to express that idea.
Let me say early on that I am not necessarily pro or anti-fur. In fact, I find the whole issue profoundly confusing. I don't quite understand how anyone who eats meat can then make judgement against someone who chooses to wear fur. As recent news events show, we never truly know what meat it is that we're eating, unless you always buy from a local, trusted butchers who prepare cuts themselves. It is far too black and white to say that leather is fine because it's a by-product of the meat industry and fur is not because those animals die purely for their skin- see this Guardian piece for more clarity on that point. What is definitely true is that leather is commonplace whereas fur is laced with- depending on your viewpoint- glamour, disgust, fascination, beauty and otherworldliness.
Last year, I was on my own quite late at night at Waterloo station waiting for my platform to come up. I was wearing a very warm, authentically chocolate brown but nevertheless very much fake fur jacket. A man approached, lurched towards me and began to shout abuse at me for wearing fur. This made me wonder, is there so much of difference between wearing fur that is authentic looking but ultimately fake and the real thing? Aside from cost, to the onlooker you are portraying the same message whether it's fake or not.
Back to the catwalks. A certain kind of lady, maybe best represented by Anna Wintour, has never stopped wearing fur and certain brands have never stopped using fur. The American Vogue editor has endured very public confrontations with PETA protesters but has stoically carried on wearing her pelts because that's her thing. Then Miu Miu SS13 came along; shamelessly, extravagantly offering up fur coats and stoles alongside denim pencil skirts and dust coats. Miuccia Prada was making a statement by being so blatant with fur a. By using it in her supposedly younger Miu Miu line and b. By pairing it with a casual fabric like denim. The casual/ luxe mix is a key part of this fur story. That man at Waterloo station (and his ilk) is of no concern. The most simple explanation is that designers like Prada and then everyone using fur this season- Joseph Altuzarra, Christopher Kane, Marc Jacobs- are simply answering demand. Jacobs even put a cartoonish fox face on his creations, mimicking the the unashamed way women in the 20s and 30s would wear animals with faces and tails still intact. Fur sells now- the industry has almost doubled in value since 2000 from £5.7 billion to £9.4 billion- and so that is a very good reason for designers to use it in their collections, if they can get round the ethics.
Obviously some will not use fur, either because they simply prefer the look of faux, cannot afford to work with the real thing or have their own ethical problem with animal hides. Simone Rocha's 'Respect your elders' collection was an LFW highlight, inspired by her two Grannies. She used verging on kitsch leopard fake fur to trim collars and make entire sweatshirts and coats. In a really great way, you would never mistake Simone Rocha's girl as wearing the real deal. Away from the fashion weeks, Stella McCartney has just unveiled the newest version of her Falabella bag. McCartney famously eschews leather and fur in her collections but has still managed to tap into the furry mood with the Itsy Bitsy bag, so named after two of the sheep in her very own organic flock whose fleeces have been used to makes the bags. If the horsemeat scandal has made us think twice about the origin of our food, then Stella's option is the fashion equivalent of getting conscientious; good welfare provenance assured.
I only ask because there is so much of the stuff appearing on the catwalks this Autumn. The fuzzy effect is in practically every major collection but what is so striking is the number of designers who are using real fur to express that idea.
Let me say early on that I am not necessarily pro or anti-fur. In fact, I find the whole issue profoundly confusing. I don't quite understand how anyone who eats meat can then make judgement against someone who chooses to wear fur. As recent news events show, we never truly know what meat it is that we're eating, unless you always buy from a local, trusted butchers who prepare cuts themselves. It is far too black and white to say that leather is fine because it's a by-product of the meat industry and fur is not because those animals die purely for their skin- see this Guardian piece for more clarity on that point. What is definitely true is that leather is commonplace whereas fur is laced with- depending on your viewpoint- glamour, disgust, fascination, beauty and otherworldliness.
 |
| Joseph Altuzarra AW13 |
 |
| Marc Jacobs AW13 |
 |
| Simone Rocha AW13 |
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| The kindest way to do the tufty trend: Stella McCartney Itsy Bitsy Falabella £1,150 |
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
LFW AW13: WHEN VINE CAME TO LIFE
Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large
Do you remember a world before Vine? A world where the mere Twitpic reigned as the way to share photos easily on Twitter. Obviously, we're not forgetting Instagram, but following some kind of techy bust up there was no easy way to share those vintagey shots with your Twitter followers. Then 24th January came and the Twitter bigwigs officially unveiled Vine, a new app where we could record six second, stop motion mini films. Conveniently, this came just as the fashion industry was gearing up for a big month of AW13 shows which basically meant an excellent opportunity to pioneer the use of Vine in a fun fashion context. There was big competition to live up to as well, after Calvin Klein created some genius Vine posts showing man supermodel of the moment Matthew Terry working out in CK underwear during the Super Bowl. At NYFW, fashion got into the Vine groove with some great videos, the best ones being posted from the front row (any further back and people's hair gets in the way) and backstage. The Cut put together the edit of the best New York fashion week Vines.
At the press conference which opened London Fashion Week, Caroline Rush and Natalie Massenet spoke about their six point plan for British fashion. One of those focuses is digital innovation, and in the next breath Rush was telling us about Net-a-Porter's hook-up with Matthew Williamson, who would be giving previews of his show and behind the scenes snapshots using the Vine app and #MatthewMagnified. Now, Matthew Williamson rather savvily recently recruited Rosanna Falconer, formerly of the BFC, as his Head of Digital which somewhat explains why he was so quick to jump on and exploit the new app. Topshop got on board too, a move which is hardly surprising given that it is pushing social technology in every possible way. It's not just designers who got behind Vine at LFW; us journos and bloggers had fun with it too. Some of LFW's most prominent Viners included The Telegraph fashion team, i-D, Pop, The Times' Hannah Rochell, Business of Fashion and Charlie Porter. I even had a go at a few shows. There are frequent complaints on Twitter about the blurry pics which people post from fashion shows- why bother if you can't see anything? Is it just to prove you're there? Those very same problems arise with Vine. I've also found that although six seconds might not seem like long, the best vids have at least three "takes" rather than just one lasting the whole six seconds. Or is that just a terrifying indication of the brevity of my attention span?
Here is a nice selection of LFW Vines. Have you seen any better ones? Will you be using Vine?
Do you remember a world before Vine? A world where the mere Twitpic reigned as the way to share photos easily on Twitter. Obviously, we're not forgetting Instagram, but following some kind of techy bust up there was no easy way to share those vintagey shots with your Twitter followers. Then 24th January came and the Twitter bigwigs officially unveiled Vine, a new app where we could record six second, stop motion mini films. Conveniently, this came just as the fashion industry was gearing up for a big month of AW13 shows which basically meant an excellent opportunity to pioneer the use of Vine in a fun fashion context. There was big competition to live up to as well, after Calvin Klein created some genius Vine posts showing man supermodel of the moment Matthew Terry working out in CK underwear during the Super Bowl. At NYFW, fashion got into the Vine groove with some great videos, the best ones being posted from the front row (any further back and people's hair gets in the way) and backstage. The Cut put together the edit of the best New York fashion week Vines.
Since the lights are still out... http://vine.co/v/b1iiiiUz5uq #SB47
At the press conference which opened London Fashion Week, Caroline Rush and Natalie Massenet spoke about their six point plan for British fashion. One of those focuses is digital innovation, and in the next breath Rush was telling us about Net-a-Porter's hook-up with Matthew Williamson, who would be giving previews of his show and behind the scenes snapshots using the Vine app and #MatthewMagnified. Now, Matthew Williamson rather savvily recently recruited Rosanna Falconer, formerly of the BFC, as his Head of Digital which somewhat explains why he was so quick to jump on and exploit the new app. Topshop got on board too, a move which is hardly surprising given that it is pushing social technology in every possible way. It's not just designers who got behind Vine at LFW; us journos and bloggers had fun with it too. Some of LFW's most prominent Viners included The Telegraph fashion team, i-D, Pop, The Times' Hannah Rochell, Business of Fashion and Charlie Porter. I even had a go at a few shows. There are frequent complaints on Twitter about the blurry pics which people post from fashion shows- why bother if you can't see anything? Is it just to prove you're there? Those very same problems arise with Vine. I've also found that although six seconds might not seem like long, the best vids have at least three "takes" rather than just one lasting the whole six seconds. Or is that just a terrifying indication of the brevity of my attention span?
Here is a nice selection of LFW Vines. Have you seen any better ones? Will you be using Vine?
Holographic beads lighting up @CaraDelevingne's last look#MatthewMagnified http://vine.co/v/br9Q2unqAXn
Vine 50,000 dominoes at #anyahinmarch! http://vine.co/v/b66t2XjVDp3
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