JUST BECAUSE THE LADY LOVES CHANEL...

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

This is for all my friends who get more excited by new Chanel accessories than by anything else. This season they have more reason than usual to be under their spell, as these renditions of - in particular - the 2.55 bags take the trend for luxe prettiness into another stratosphere, leaving everything else trailing behind. The clogs are a wickedly humorous touch too, and they are so flattering to wear. Which I was NOT expecting. Enjoy....

Mmm. *Sigh* These beauties are arriving at Chanel boutiques in the next few days.

Find your nearest Chanel store here....

MY NEW CROWN PRINCE OF STREET STYLE BLOGGING

Tommy Ton of Jakandjil.com photographing Sally Singer of US Vogue in Paris

I have always been a street style watcher. A fashion stalker. A lot of my trend ideas come from seeing what people choose to wear, how they wear it and where they are when they're wearing it. It is a language all on its own. I was checking into The Sartorialist long before it became a cult blog, providing pithy captions for his subjects in my head, and then whenever I saw the man himself, Scott, at the shows or outside the Paris hotel he and I used to stay in (not together) I loved to watch how he blatantly sized men and women up on the street. He got away with it because he had a camera around his neck. Lucky.

Recently, I have added another fashion-stalker street-snapper to my love list. It's Tommy Ton from Jak & Jil  who has an eye for a picture that makes me think he is a beauty editor, accessories editor, fashion editor and art director all rolled into one. He loves an amazing shoe and bag, and has an eye for the more unusual composition that I find stimulating in my fashion head.  

This week in my mothership publication, the wonderful Grazia, I did a piece on Tommy Ton with a selection of pictures, but we could only fit in one. Because Tommy so kindly gave us several pictures to use, I thought it would be a shame to waste them, so I am showcasing them here.

What I like is that Tommy is capturing this Dior show as we journalists see it from the front row, complete with photographers, standing people, PR's, show producer's, discerning couture clients and of course the beautiful model in her Christian Dior Couture finery, in view.

When I tracked him down for Grazia I spent ten minutes outside the Chanel couture show on Rue Cambon asking hooded figures with cameras around their neck, are you Tommy Ton? Finally the real Tommy revealed himself.  And here is Tommy! How cute?

Tommy is wearing Alexander Wang boots

Later that day I interviewed him on the phone while he was trying to tap into some free wi-fi on the streets of Paris so he could send his pictures from the day to his blog. And he told me his story. He is 25 years old, and lives in a suburb of Toronto called Oakville with his Vietmamese parents. He started Jak & Jil four years ago, documenting the “not very glamorous” local Toronto nightlife because he was bored. "There wasn't much going on in Toronto." So he decided to spread his wings; "I wanted to take photos in the fashion capitals at their fashion weeks," he says. So that's what he did. I remember him in Paris a few years ago asking all us fashion editors if he could photograph our shoes. (He has a shoe fetish, how perfect and shiny are his Wang boots above?).  His perseverence has paid off; his talent has been spotted and he has been adopted by none other than Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld who has given him a page in this month's Paris Vogue. Not only Carine, in fact, but Anna Wintour too who is tapping him for the relaunch of Vogue.com later this spring. “At the Dior show I was sat behind Anna Wintour, and she turned to say “Hi” to me,” he says in amazement. He deserves the recognition. His pictures are beautifully composed, yet surprisingly he is not a trained photographer. “I just click away and hope...” he says, being modest. He definitely has the fashion eye; and he is in love with with fashion. “Fashion is everything to me; it’s all I care about” he says. Aaah.

I am anti-fur by trade, but even I have to admit that coat with those shoes on that bike with those glasses and the turban looks amazing.

THANKYOU SO MUCH TOMMY!
Melanie xx
Photos (not of Tommy Ton) are by Tommy Ton for http://www.jakandjil.com/
Tommy Ton photos by an as yet unnamed friend....

TRENDS THURSDAY: TRANSPARENCY SS10

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large

Today we are giving a lesson on the trend for sheer fabrics and transparent layers that came up from the SS10 catwalks and our favourite designers including Alber Elbaz and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel. You might normally avoid clothing of the see-through variety because it's so, well, revealing (warning: model boobs ahead). But fear not - there are so many creative, beautiful and subtle ways to do it - the key is all in layering, accessorizing and underwear. Take notes from these looks and imagine the fun you'll have messing about with tulle and chiffon this summer...

Lanvin - Note the chunky gold chain sitting under rippling sheer fabric - loving this as a new way to showcase accessories.

Jonathan Saunders shows us a more subtle and wearable way to do transparency. Sheer paneling is the easiest way to embrace the trend without revealing too much.

Antonio Berardi - Me thinks ASOS may have been taking inspiration from this corseted piece. The heavy crystallised embellishments are masterful.

Chanel - Holy jeez this is gorgeous - all those lengths of chiffon billowing in the model's wake.

John Galliano at his theatrical best. Long sheer dresses were the most popular way to show the transparency trend on the SS10 catwalk. Big (but sexy) pants vital.

Giles - Patterned leggings would increase the wearability of this fierce and fabulous dress tenfold.

Alexander McQueen - A true artiste no? All those translucent ripples and folds are bubble-like. It's all very sci-fi.

Prada - This fabric holds its shape beautifully, creating a clean modern version of transparency.

Valentino - Barely there lace netted trousers? They're not classically Valentino, but these layers of wispy fabrics are looking really fresh and pretty. The Fashion Editor at Large loves this!

Prada owned the transparency trend, even extending the see-through theme to a whole season's worth of  great accessories. Can't wait to wear..

Prada - At the press day we discovered this bag was inspired by chandeliers which play with light and throw out rainbow reflections (it comes with an opaque inner bag to keep your valuables hidden). Truly lovely.

 

Chanel prove sheer can be innocent. Wrapping yourself in a chiffon wrap like this is an easy and economical  way to tap into the trend.

Love Sex Money - Don't know this label but this looks so sexy, and the styling is great with the multi-strap platforms, the looped leather belt and the satin shorts. You would have to have a stomach like Britney circa 2002 to wear sheer fabric as clingy as this though. A little black vest is essential.

Giles - How playful was Giles feeling this season? Hoop underskirt, berzerk tulle upper, and fem-bot bustier = pure genius.

Photos courtesy of Catwalking.com / Chris Moore

REVENGE ON THE FASHION WANNABE'S

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

There is much fuss being made in the corridors of power in fashion about un-schooled interlopers crashing the scene. And there is a back atcha element to the exchange too, as bloggers get het up about fashion editors getting het up about them.

The online fuss that came out of fashion blogger Tavi's head bow obscuring the view of my colleague Paula Reed of Grazia made me realise that there is some genuine animosity towards fashion professionals from the fashion writers in the blogosphere. WHY???  I can't fathom it. We trained, earned ourselves jobs in fashion, carry them out professionally and are doing our jobs when we attend shows. We also promote fashion bloggers, read them, and support them. In my case I've become a fashion blogger too! What IS the problem?

So, I had to laugh at the gall of these two muppets, opps, I mean two posh prep school kiddies whose attempt to foil New York Fashion Week by hacking databases and putting themselves into the seating plans of major New York fashion shows got foiled.

I have to hand it to Becca Shumlin and Remy Renzullo (above), though, their ticket request letter was pure (misguided, yet twistedly correct in its structure) genius!

Hi [redacted],

This is Remy Renzullo, requesting an invitation for Alexandre Herchcovitch's Fall/Winter 2010 show. I work as a freelance stylist, currently working with the future first lady, Deborah Shumlin, of Vermont for the campaign trail and hopefully elected office. More information can be found here: http://www.shumlinforgovernor.com. In addition I have been signed on to contribute to a new fashion magazine, FUTURE. I would love to have seats or standing if available for myself and Rebecca Shumlin, the magazine's editor-in-chief and daughter of the future governor and, myself. Please let me know if this will be possible.

Thanks so much for your time,

Remy Renzullo

Read the full, hilarious story from Gawker here. Then worry that the future of fashion could be in the hands of the Remy's and Becca's of this world, and with PR's who want to give show tickets to people with those kind of credentials!



Photo credit: Getty Images.

In the mood for ACNE (can't help it, I'm a super-fan)

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

When it comes to ACNE, mood is as important as fashion. Which is as it should be. So in an aroma drenched former tramshed on East London's Rivington Street we attended ACNE's first ever fashion show. There were no ringside seats, and therefore no front row. But the fashion junior (fresh from her backstage chats, see below) and I positioned ourselves at the very front right corner of the stage to bring you the best view we could offer. As you can see from the above shot, the set created by Charles Koroly was atmospheric...

                

The show didn't have a catwalk as such, either. A large curtain was strongly backlit and you saw the models' shadow before you saw the model, who then swung around to stand in the line of a laser beam and pose for the inevitable lookbook. It was all very Star Trek. The above photo, by the way, shows the best trousers of the collection; a slim-leg jean completely covered with patches showing mystical symbols, including a keyhole, Ying Yang and a labyrinth.

  

                  

                                  

                 

                  

The clothes were ACNE at their loose, sexy, tough-chic best. In a tight palette of colours ranging from soft grey and buttermilk (this pale palette is the Next Big Thing in fashion, peeps) midnight navy and black the collection was a direct evolution of their spring range. There were two distinct trouser shapes: tight, skinny and ruched or loose washed silk with zips. Both shapes were topped with a fold-over collar shearling biker jacket. Likewise the hemlines came one of two lengths: very long or very short. Washed silk jumpsuits were a key outfit builder; I liked the way these were studded with the collaborative work of London-based jeweller Husam El Odeh. As always with ACNE there was copious amounts of leather of a distinctly Mad Max look and feel; and a utility multi-pocket element. Predictably my favourite pieces were a baggy graffiti printed trouser, and the shearling jacket seen below centre.

Talking to ACNE creative director Jonny Johansson after the show, I was amazed to hear that they were packing up the entire shebang and shipping it to Stockholm where it will be shown tonight as part of Stockholm fashion week. He also told me the show was inspired by The Clone Wars film, a favourite of his young sons. But I was more interested why he wanted to do a show in the first place, does ACNE need a show? It has sales and fans (I am a die-hard, as you might have gathered).

"I'm kind of scared of shows, especially catwalk shows. But I thought the trick was to do it before everyone else! Also the more you mature as a designer, and work with your medium you become more comfortable and confident with it," said Jonny.

So what is his ambition with ACNE clothes? "For me it has to be wearable. It's my Swedish functionality and purity coming through. I am always going to be stepping out of that box. It might be ordinary, it might not."

And the boots? There were some ridiculous boots on that runway. "In Sweden in winter it is all about a crazy boot," Jonny quipped.

A telling moment for me came when I asked what animals he was using to create his clothes. "It's all sheepskin; they treat it in new ways which gives it a lot of colours and textures. I did actually make a piece using fox. But it became too luxe. It didn't fit with what we are doing, and we did not include it."

That sums up ACNE for me. we wouldn't want to go all bourgeois now, would we?

PS. I met my major model crush Iris Strubegger last night after she modelled in the show. She is so beautiful. This Blackberry shot doesn't do her justice, especially with her silver space-age forehead make-up. I will share my Iris photo gallery with you soon! Oh, OK, just the one then...

                      
Catwalk photos: Fashion Junior at Large
Mood shots: Fashion Editor at Large
Me and Iris by Caireen Wackett

ACNE AW10 SHOW: AVATAR INSPIRED MAKE-UP

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large.

The lovely Shinobu (no last name. I like her style and am seriously considering being known simply as 'Esme' from now on) filled me in on the bold make-up for Svart Sno - copious glitter and circles of metallic copper, green and silvery blue.

' Last season we used lots of liquid gold eye-liner, and this time around we wanted to extend that same idea. Jonny had lots of thoughts centred around space and we looked at science fiction movies like Avatar for inspiration. Most of the models have bleached eyebrows, which seems to be a trend at the moment, and this just added to the other-worldly alien feel of the make-up, the clothes and ultimately the entire show'.

Snap-shots tapped to the banister for reference. 

More last moment mayhem before full dress rehearsal. 

The metallic circles on the model's foreheads coordinated with the hues of the collection. 

ACNE AW10 SHOW: POST-APOCALYPTIC HAIR

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large

I managed to catch up with James Pecis, god of ACNE hair, behind the scenes and this was what he had to say about the look him and his team created for the Svart Sno show:

'There's a post-apocalyptic feel to it. The inspiration behind this look came from Star Wars and Mad Max, a very futuristic aesthetic. ACNE makes a bold statement with their minimalism, and we wanted to stay true to that with the hair styling in this show. The model's hair is long and blow dried straight, with skinny plaits through the crown and framing the face. It works to contrast the strong make-up'

Check out the plaits James talks about. This seems a very hard style to replicate for a gal who never even came close to mastering the French plait as a youngster. 

A work in progress...

Doesn't this just encapsulate the backstage mood perfectly? All hands on deck for that one late model (there's always one!)

HANGING OUT BACKSTAGE AT ACNE

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large

Bad news - The Tramshed, venue of Svart Sno (or Black Snow) ACNE's AW10 show had a distinct lack of wireless access, which means that this report is coming to you a couple of hours later than previously stated. Nevertheless, as promised, here is the backstage coverage as seen through the lens of the Fashion Junior at Large (expect a vital opinion on the full collection from the Fashion Editor at Large tomorrow PM)

This sea of pink ACNE gift-bags contained a large dark bottle of perfumed room spray. The fragrance was created in collaborated with Stockholm based BYREDO especially for the Svart Sno show in the hope that attendees will 'remember this space and the night when you smelled it' (Jonny Johansson).

Here are the models in a pre-show run through. The atmosphere was tense but alive with excitement and creativity. (Check out the MOD - Model Off Duty - looks).

The girls wore ACNE AW10 shoes for the run through to practise walking in those spindly heels and super-size platforms.

  ACNE founder and creative director Jonny Johansson and stylist Michelle Jank oversee the direction of the show.

I've got ACNE

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

This is the Fashion Editor at Large's absolute favourite look from SS10 ACNE

Love the label ACNE. It's the acronym for Ambition to Create Novel Expression and this intention sums up a philosophy to work that is as good as it gets.

Tonight ACNE are having a catwalk show in London. It's their AW10 show. This show will be held before any other mainstream catwalk show in New York, London, Paris or Milan. So, quite a bold move. But if you think that Stella, Celine, Givenchy and a large number of other fashion houses have shown their pre-collections already in Paris we can see that ACNE are in a comfortable place. Their clothes are the equivalent of a giant pre-collection without the mainline to go along with it. In this, as in so many things, ACNE are on another plane of thinking when it comes to conducting their fashion business.

ANYWAY. I adore Jonny Johansson the man behind ACNE fashion, we have enjoyed some fun dinner conversation and I have a sense of wonder for the way his mind works. 

So when I read the below, it made me even more intrigued for the show tonight.

"When I was playing football with my sons, I approached this man who was wearing the most incredible shoes. I had seen him previously walking by my apartment in the most amazing creations - and I was super intrigued as to who he was - it was only later when talking to him that I found out he was Ingmar Bergman's set and costume designer and I realised I loved his work as much as his look."

Turns out Jonny is talking about the legendary Charles Koroly, one of the most successful costume and set designers in Sweden. When we get access to the show venue later it will be Koroly's set design serving as a backdrop to ACNE'S AW10 catwalk show. I wonder if he will be there wearing his incredible shoes.

Love, love, love this dress! Might have to battle with the Fashion Junior at Large for it. Or maybe we can wear on alternate days.

This jacket is Garth Brooks-tastic

This dress will become wearable on the last day of my greek holiday this year, I hope.

Shop the collection here:
http://shop.acnestudios.com/default.asp
Check back later for reports from the show!