The Masters of Fashion

Oscar de la Renta

The hub of fashion film, ShowStudio, and the luxury London department store of Selfridge & Co. has unveiled a collaborative campaign which pays homage to the 12 most accomplished fashion designers of our time. The video campaign features pieces from all of the designers and labels from The Masters project - a six month creative exploration of these dictatorial designers and the timelessness of their work.

Paul Smith 

Set in a plethora of different environments that symbolise a different fashion master, each scene centres on the specially designed garments for the project. Although illusive as to which scene represents which designer, a keen fashion enthusiast would definitely seek out whose is whose. I admit, I jumped with glee when the Dries Van Noten, Paul Smith, Rick Owens, Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto caught my eagle eye.

Marc Jacobs 

These designers are the dictators of what is worn, the trendsetters of what is liked and loved in the moment, the most revered fashion forces in the world. Ok I'll stop with the over-admiration. But, it can't be helped when the campaign is this visually pleasing and targeted right at those who appreciate the work of these designers.

 Azzedine Alaia

All outfits and pieces featured in the film are available on www.selfridges.com

WATCH "THE MASTERS" HERE

Images: ShowStudio

Source: ShowStudio

The Fun of Fashion

Through the chaotic atmosphere of the multitude of things that are occurring within the fashion industry, it is unfortunate that the seriousness of it all overshadows the fun that is fashion. Now, there is no doubt that there is always one collection that stands out amongst the rest, and Prada proved to be the one that will lead the way in the Spring/Summer 2014 season. The fashion house's latest womenswear collection is a colourful expression of the gaiety that is often missed within the more playful streams of fashion, featuring portraits of cartoon women, vivid bedazzled dresses and outerwear, elements of the now strung out Hawaiian trend and the risqué leg warmer. Although the campaign features the models donning mundane expressions and conservative poses, the film (watch below) is nothing but an extension of this season's ideology, with all the models emphasising the visually entertaining clothing by being entertained themselves. The house has hit the spot by not relying on exotic locations, unnecessary poses and photographic enhancements, to an extent, to present their collection to the fashion-conscious mass.

Image courtesy of We Are So Droee

Video courtesy of the official Prada Youtube channel

Dance of the Dior Man

Dutch-English men's fashion journal, Fantastic Man, and Kris Van Assche for Dior Homme have collaborated for a series of hip-hop and pop-jazz dance videos as part of their campaign for the fashion house's Autumn/Winer 2013 Menswear collection. The series, called "Rotation" is an obvious hit at the younger luxury fashion conscious market, especially with the use of energising EDM music produced by Simon Britton and Cliff Randall.

Another element that contributes to the series' appeal to the younger generation is the titles of each film. They all have one thing in common - they inspire. Titles including "100% Every Day", "Whatever It Takes" and the awe-inspiring "Work Hard, Change History" push the no doubt young gentlemen who watch to achieve their ambitions and dreams, a positive message amongst the negative impression fashion sometimes gives.

Follow this link to watch the films

Images and videos courtesy of the official Christian Dior Youtube Channel

Home Shopping with Margiela

Maison Martin Margiela never ceases to discreetly attack particular elements of contemporary society and culture, and this time around the label has taken a stab at the bleak repetitiveness of home shopping commercials. The film features anonymous white-coated individuals, synonymous with the label, demonstrating the benefits of each item advertised, accompanied by a lifeless voice explaining them.

Rolling hourglass

Cotton Letter Stationary

The film presents various pieces, including a waterproof cotton envelope to carry clothing, a wireless glowing night light, knife rests carved out of antique bottle stoppers and hollowed out chicken eggs containing "fortunes". The objects seem very unnecessary, and the Maison have deepened the meaning of this parody by exposing the overdone marketing for items which are useless.

Travelling Pouch for delicate clothing

Fortune Eggs

Wireless night-light

The only useful object out of all is the Luminious Night-Light, a wireless glow-in-the-dark replica of 1930s' lightbulbs, reflective of the need to save energy in the current state of global weather and movement to reduce the carbon footprints of the mass. Even though the main purpose of the film is to show the ridiculousness of home shopping marketing, another thing is clear throughout the film - Maison Martin Margiela has drawn design inspiration from various eras, and warped these objects specifically for the film, which the Maison also does throughout their fashion collections.

Follow this link to view the film

Images courtesy of Another Magazine and Totokaelo

Tales of the Cold

The bitter cold may be a thing of the past here down under, but as the Spring/Summer 2014 collections are being showcased, simultaneously, gear for the long Winter is filling the shelves of stores in the Northern hemisphere. Fendi's new fashion film, named "Neverwinter Tale", is an injection of calm before the cold hits. The slow-motion cinematography of the film manages to emphasize the cuts, details and materials of the individual pieces of the illustrious label's Autumn/Winter 2013 menswear collection. The colour palette of the collection go hand in hand with the visuals of the film, perfectly reflecting the sallow blues of the colder months. Allow the soothing film fill your mind below...

Images courtesy of HipHopPotHead and Selectism

Video courtesy of Highsnobiety

The Woman Behind Chanel

The incomparable contributions of Gabrielle Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld to not only the fashion industry but women's leases on life worldwide are monumental, and starting on September the 12th, a celebratory recount of these two icons of fashion will take place. Five fashion films will be available to view online, revealing the truth behind the legends, so make sure to keep your eye out for these exclusive films in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the trailer below offers an insight into the films.

Images courtesy of Blend Bureaux and WhoDesignToday

Video courtesy of the official Chanel Youtube channel

Real or Fantasy?

Prada has always upheld the underdog position within the luxury fashion world, with their obscure marketing complementing the unique and clean-line aesthetic of the collections. The "Real Fantasies" campaign is back once again, which always manages to comment on how the trends within fashion reflect the rapidity of change in society, and linking it back to the ethos of the collections featured. The Fall/Winter 2013 "Real Fantasies" campaign is a projection of the undeniable bleakness and surprisingly strung-out trends that are becoming nothing but dare I say, boring. The cinematography is derivative of Marc Forster's mind-bending films such as Stay, thus making the bleakness of life as depicted in the campaign contrasting to the eccentric minute details of Prada's Fall/Winter collections. 

Image courtesy of FashionVertigo

Video courtesy of the official Prada Youtube channel

The gN Project | Zegna

The gN project, started by Italian luxury label, Ermenegildo Zegna, has been around for quite some time now. The elusive campaign has no doubt forced myself and Zegna loyalists what this campaign is trying to convey to us. The photographs and videos of projections of words such "Album", "Gesture", "Dichotomy", "Pure" and "Aesthetic" must hint to more goings-on behind the scenes of the renowned Zegna label.

Further on in the campaign, it was revealed - the project is a lead up to the anticipated debut of Stefano Pilati as the Head Designer for the label. Stefano Pilati is a well-respected man throughout the fashion industry, having spent many years as Head Designer for Yves Saint Laurent before Hedi Slimane infamously changed the name to "Saint Laurent Paris". 

Significant organizational shifts have occurred in the last few years in the fashion industry, and it's easy to understand why this campaign ever started - to help non-Italians pronounce the "GN" in Zegna. This campaign has been for the sole purpose of educating and visually enthralling possible customers and loyalists ahead of the revamp of the label to be seen worldwide on June 22nd. Will Stefano Pilati stay true to the Zegna aesthetic or rule with his signature style? We'll have to wait and see....

Images courtesy of The gN Project by Zegna

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The Dior Man

The Dior man is quintessentially an embodiment of the Dior woman - modern, sleek, and contemporary, with a shadowy rebelliousness both seen and unseen. Dior Homme's latest fashion film brings us an intense insight into the style, personality and world of this man.

Kris Van Assche has conveyed his message of what a Dior man truly is - casual and cool. Of course, "cool" changes according to context, but how can impeccably tailored and structural style not make one so? The Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2013/14 collection brings this man's style into your wardrobe, allowing to channel your alternatively cool side simply through well-made clothing. Don't hesitate, walk into the world of the Dior man...

To view the Dior Homme Fall/Winter 2013 fashion film, head to the official Dior Youtube channel HERE

Images courtesy of Esquire, GQ, Fandiz and Metatube

The First Screen Test

A collaboration between the punk Versace diffusion line, Versus, and renowned British fashion designer, J.W. Anderson, has been tightly wrapped for a while now. The diffusion line has been inactive for a quite a long time, and it's been interesting to think such an eccentric label such as Versus by Versace would be revived by a strictly minimal designer. But at last, the first "screen test" has been released, giving us a preview of the clothes in the collab collection and a look at the models who are going to be the faces of the collection. 

Just from the preview, hints of Donatella's influence over the design of the clothing is already noticed - the wild, hypnotic black & white print being the standout so far. The rawness of this Andy Warhol x Calvin Klein Jeans style ad is the type of advertising that is missing in the fashion industry nowadays. This type of ad allows us to relate to the people who are representing the collection and look at the clothes - without all the flash and extravagance. Here, take a look for yourself:

THE COLLECTION AND WEBSITE IS DUE FOR RELEASE ON THE 15.05.13
http://www.versusversace.com/

For a closer look at the collection, CLICK HERE
Images and videos courtesy of Models.com and Dazed Digital

Gucci x James Franco for "The Director"

James Franco and Frida Giannini in Harper's Bazaar, photo by Douglas Friedman

The official trailer and poster for the fashion documentary focused on the illustrious label, Gucci, named "The Director" has been released. The film is produced by Hollywood heartthrob actor-director James Franco, who recently interviewed the Creative Director of Gucci, Frida Giannini for Harper's Bazaar. 

The poster for "The Director", the upcoming film focused on the world renowned fashion label, Gucci

Much like Valentino: The Last Emperor and Karl Lagerfeld: Confidential, the film is centralised on the Head Designer and Creative Director of the label and how their vision has manifested for the benefit and progression of the brand, the evolution of its design aesthetic and how those around them have supported whilst on their climb to the top. The much anticipated film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival, and will be in cinemas soon, but for the meantime, you can watch the trailer below:

Images courtesy of Harper's Bazaar and HollywoodReporter

Video courtesy of the JoBlo Movie Network

Read the James Franco interview of Frida Giannini, HERE

Prada's Spring Fantasy

Prada's Real Fantasies campaign has definitely been an intriguing campaign, that has been ongoing for 3 years. This seasonal campaign is a collaboration between various famous and understated creative forces, producing a surreal but simple campaign for the world-renowned label. The label's last campaign (Autumn/Winter 2012) was a space-aged, somewhat terrifying look at the future, but the Spring/Summer 2013 campaign (pictured, fashion film below) is a much more relatable and calming look at the "Asianisation" of the world (ready-to-wear) and forwardness of the Minimalist fashion stream (menswear). The label states that Prada has addressed these two changes in the world and how it has influenced fashion with the runway shows, but this campaign brings both collections together, formulating a holistic insight into her inspirations behind the collections. The cinematography by AMO and music by 3o enhance the simplicity and calmness of the campaign, lookbook and ultimately, the garments, whilst also highlighting the undeniable hints of mundaneness.

Images courtesy of Prada

To view the lookbook, designers' statement and watch the fashion film, please go to the official Prada website

Provocations

Calvin Klein is utlizing their man-of-the-moment model, Alexander Skarsgard, to revamp the edge which the brand has always epitomized in their latest campaign film, "Provocations". The mesmerizing film is directed by Fabien Baron, the Editorial Director for one of the world's top magazines, Interview. The film is an ode to the ever increasing technological dependence of the world, the loss of love in times of rapid change, and the need for closeness to others which seems almost impossible nowadays. The film somewhat reflects the settings and storylines of films such as Gattaca, Aeon Flux and even The Island - a mix of Sci-Fi, Romance Film Noir and Drama. This intoxicating film is one of the best fashion campaigns I have witnessed, further deepening my loyalty to the Calvin Klein label.

Video courtesy of the official Calvin Klein Youtube channel

Note: one can change the story via the youtube channel, create your own Provocations narrative