The Year That Was

Vogue Italia celebrated their 25th year with their 'Revolution" covers for the July issue

Another year over, and another wave of changes in the fast-paced fashion industry! A year in fashion encompasses many changes that reflect the evolving zeitgeist of society and the business's rapidity, spanning from music, art, film and of course, events. 2013 brought about comebacks from pop culture's fashionable icons, with Lady Gaga channeling a more demure self and bringing her little monsters back to the forefront with her album, ARTPOP, and Beyoncé collaborating with some of fashion's finest for her surprise visual music album, the first of its kind.

Lady Gaga brings a new era to her musical career - ARTPOP

Beyoncé gives us a taste of the future of music albums

Significant milestones in fashion journalism were celebrated this year, including the 25th Anniversary of Vogue Italia, marked by designers such as Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace curating the special edition July covers of the magazine, and the 15th Anniversary of Russian Vogue, with influential fashion editors giving their congratulations to the magazine and wishing Editor-in-Chief Victoria Davydova the best. A whole new array of new titles have also been welcomed - Vogue Ukraine, 10 Men Australia, 10 Australia and Elle Australia all releasing their first issues this year.

The first issue of Vogue Ukraine, released in March

10 Men and 10 Magazine's Australian editions were launched during the Spring/Summer season

The fashion industry is notorious for its extravagant events, particularly those during Fashion Week, and besides the fact that it was my first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia as official media/press, a few stood out in the worldwide fashion scene. The revolutionary Paris Fashion Week show of Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2014 collection broke the norm, using "plus-size" models, or rather dancers, to show off his androgynous designs down the runway, bringing him critical acclaim. The Met Ball for the respective annual fashion exhibition, this year based on the Punk movement - Punk: Chaos to Couture attracted the public eye's attention, especially the bold fashion choices of a few celebrities who attended the event. Finally, the opening of Prada: A New Place for Stories, a literary space in New York City where the designer label's short story competition winners were awarded and where their works will be available for viewing. 

A shot of Vanishing Elephant's Spring/Summer 2013 collection, shot by myself at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

Anne Hathaway and Valentino Garavani at The Met Ball

Rick Owens' Spring/Summer 2014 collection, modelled by step-dancers in Paris

The fashion film of the year brought about a new perspective of costume design, with the release of Baz Luhrmann's 3D remake of The Great Gatsby. Some of the hype that surrounded the film was created by the news of Prada, Tiffany & Co. and Brooks Brothers contributing costume designs, all presenting a modern interpretation of the greedy and roaring '20s. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in a promotional editorial for The Great Gatsby in Vogue Australia

Prada's costume designs for The Great Gatsby

The Gatsby Collection by Brook's Brothers

On a final note, some of the world's well-known clothing labels experienced shifts in direction, with Alexander Wang presenting his debut collection for Balenciaga, due to Nicolas Ghesquiére's departure from the historical label, who swiftly came back into the fashion scene this year with his appointment as Creative Director of Louis Vuitton after the shock announcement of Marc Jacobs's retirement from the label at Paris Fashion Week. Notable designers who have also left include Ann Demeulemeester and Jil Sander, both leaving their namesake labels. Unfortunately this year, we also had to say goodbye to the labels Nicole Farhi, Farrell and even Ksubi, all filing for bankruptcy.

Alexander Wang's first collection for Balenciaga proved to be a hit, this crackle jumper being the key piece

Marc Jacobs at his final show for Louis Vuitton

2014 is now here and the cycle of change is already happening... who knows what will change this year! Happy New Year readers!

Jil Sander at her final show of her namesake label

Images courtesy of Swide.com, Lady Gaga, Pierre Debusschere, Cacolyte, Fashion Bomb Daily, Highsnobiety, Design Scene, Esquire, DIY Fashion, Ellies Blog, Vogue Australia and Say I Love Mary

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly!

The Gareth Pugh Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Let's all celebrate the love shared between friends and family and of course the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ this joyful day! Remember to also keep those who unfortunately cannot spend this day with their loved ones and wish them well for their future.

Image courtesy of TrendsNow

Fabrications

Givenchy sweatshirt, Damir Doma trousers, Grenson boots

McQ by Alexander McQueen bomber, Givenchy shirt, Balmain trousers, Underground boots

The eerily surrealist painting style of LA based artist, Alex G. Paradise, has been utilised in the latest editorial for online fashion retailer, SSENSE. The paintings, drawing inspiration from the retailer's best selling pieces of the season rather than blatantly presenting the products to the customer, are an interesting series most likely aimed at showing how fashion feeds on other creative industries (art especially). What stands out the most is the anonymous figures who model the clothes, who in my opinion blanks out the delightfully distracting fashion models and highlights the beauty of the garments themselves, which fashion is ultimately about.

McQ by Alexander McQueen polo, Kenzo trousers, Raf Simons backpack, Mr. Hare shoes

Stella McCartney blouse, Dion Lee mini skirt, Marni flats

View the complete series of paintings at SSENSE.com

View more works from Alex at www.alexgparadise.com

Images courtesy of SSENSE

Sneakerboy Sydney

Sneakerboy, Australia's latest luxury footwear and streetwear chain, is opening in Sydney on Saturday, December 14th! If you don't know about these guys yet, it's mainly because the retailer has kept a low profile to the mass and has concentrated on their target market. The retailer allows Australian guys who have a taste for the luxurious but want to keep things urban a chance to get their hands on world-renowned labels and designer collections in a relaxed environment. 

Sneakerboy has hit a gap in the market in Australia successfully, with sneakers from coveted labels such as Givenchy, Raf Simons, Maison Martin Margiela, Rick Owens, Pierre Hardy, Lanvin and the legendary Alexander McQueen, being difficult to find in brick-and-mortar stores around Sydney and Melbourne. In sync with their launch in Sydney, the retailer has offered two promotions to customers! The first is a chance to WIN some of your favourite sneakers from the retailer and the second is FREE Sneakerboy denim at their Sydney launch! 

For details on how to win your sneakers wishlist and get free Sneakerboy denim, head to www.sneakerboy.com

Images courtesy of Sneakerboy

High Fashion Marge

Marge Simpson as Dovima with Elephant, photograph by highly regarded fashion photographer, Richard Avedon 

Marge Simpson as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

The Mother - a timeless icon of female strength, love and beauty. In the cartoon world, Marge Simpson is the epitome of the ultimate mother - a woman who loves her family so much she even conquered her fear of flying to ensure her family enjoyed their vacation. Now, she's the model for a series of fashion illustrations by AleXsandro Palombo, all reinterpretations of some of the most recognisable fashion photographs of all time. Being true to her signature blue hive hairstyle, there's no better model than Mrs. Simpson for this special commemorative series - showing her ability to transfigure herself to emanate the personalities of different female fashion icons, for she is one herself!

Marge Simpson as Carmen dell'Orefice by Richard Avedon

Marge Simpson as Mademoiselle Coco Chanel

Marge Simpson as Virginia Oldoini Countess de Castiglione by Pierre-Louis Pierson

View the complete series of illustrations HERE

Images courtesy of AnOther Magazine

Paintbox

Just another Taubman's Australia paint bucket you say? Think again, as once you open this bucket, a shirt lies inside waiting to be worn. They say fashion feeds on art, as controversially shown by performance artist Marina Abramovic and Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy via a nude photoshoot, but this collaboration makes this idea much more accessible. The Italian cotton tee features a brightly warped orchid print designed by Australian fashion royalty, Josh Goot, complementing his visually organic style and array of colours available throughout Taubman's Australia's range of paints.

Using colours from Taubman's such as Lavendula, Rouge Roi, Split Lime and Taffy Twist to create the print, the designer has managed to produce a tshirt that reflects the love of the tropics, summery weather and healthiness that Australians have. The tee is arriving just in time for the Summer of the Southern Hemisphere, being available in December 13 at the label's Paddington (Sydney) and Melbourne boutiques.

Images courtesy of Nadia Bailey, The Interiors Addict and Urban Society

Video courtesy of the official Taubmans Australia Youtube channel

H&M loves Australia

Karl Lagerfeld x H&M

Versace x H&M

The excitement within the local fashion-conscious community is rising as the first ever Australian H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) store is set to open in 2014. The fast fashion label, known for providing the mass accessibility to the luxurious fashion designs of Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Marni, Versace, Maison Martin Margiela and more recently, Isabel Marant, have a little surprise for keen Australian fashionistas...

Maison Martin Margiela x H&M

News has hit that the multinational Swedish label will release a specially designed collection for Australian customers, aptly named "Australia Exclusive". The collection, according to the press release, has been designed to suit the outdoorsy lifestyle of Australians. The pieces will only be available at the Melbourne flagship store, meaning Melbournians will be in for a fashion riot worth seeing, if of course they aren't there amongst the chaos.

Isabel Marant x H&M

The Australian H&M Flagship store will open in 2014, with menswear, womenswear, underwear and home wares available throughout.

Images courtesy of H&M

The Family Tree

Where would we be without family? Our family is an intrinsic part of our lives and all of us rely on the love and care of those closest to us. Families are also an integral image associated with the Dolce & Gabbana label, with most of their seasonal campaigns featuring family members in a luxurious setting. Now let's get real, families aren't always dressed in regal Italian clothing, but at least we can now part-take in a celebration of the realness of family life in the label's latest project - #DGFAMILY. 

The project allows us to upload a family portrait and customise it using the iconic D&G logo, giving us a chance to immerse our family into the world of Dolce & Gabbana. The fantasy of the unattainable is common in all, or most, of us, so let's all join in and add a touch of Italian glamour to our beloved family portraits!

Join the #DGFAMILY Project now at www.dolcegabbana.com!

Images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana

Replicated Memories

A completely sensory experience that is worth capturing is what creates a life full of memories, and sometimes, the scents of the environment are one of the most memorable of that moment. The renegade luxury fashion house of Maison Martin Margiela has decided to use the contemporary spaces of Galerie Jousse Entreprise to allow people to rediscover the wonder of the moments that we live, which is unfortunately undervalued in today's techno-driven society. The Maison has asked various worldly artists to share memories close to their hearts, inspired by the "Replica" fragrance. A simple, yet touching, way to show that the moments we live every day are not to be taken for granted.

The #smellslikememories exhibition is now on in the Galerie Jousse Entreprise, Paris, France.

Images courtesy of Maison Martin Margiela

Organic Psychedelia

The marriage of Fashion and Art is built on the foundation of collaboration, continually wowing enthusiasts of both industries - now, the extremist styles of two prolific figures in their fields have come together to release a collection of truly wearable art pieces. The regally macabre Alexander McQueen has called on the legendary artistic talent that is Damien Hirst for a collection of luxurious scarves.

Not only is this a celebration of these two highly influential creative industries, but a nod to the iconic Skull print  scarves by Alexander McQueen, first appearing 10 years ago. The scarves, made from either Chiffon, Pongé, Twill or Cashmere, feature atmospherical and non-conventional animal prints that undeniably show the talent and skill of both Hirst and the McQueen label. Prints full of insect life by Hirst are carefully designed to stay true to the McQueen's orderly interpretation of Medieval-Christian pattern work, Surrealism and Op Art.

The combination of Mr. Hirst's illustrations of organic psychedelia and the regality of the religious, dark and historical themes within the Alexander McQueen aesthetic will definitely boost the enthusiasm of loyalists, but also spark the interest of those who appreciate the rarity of such a collaboration. The scarves are available from the official Alexander McQueen website and boutiques worldwide from November 15, check out the complete collection via the below sites.

Images courtesy of T Magazine, Glamour.com and The Telegraph

A Place For New Stories

Earlier this year, Prada launched their Prada Journal project, focused on allowing rising or unrecognised literary talent from around the world to submit a story based on the concept of the eyeglass in the aim of getting the recognition they deserve.

Miuccia Prada called on the reliable Italian publisher, Feltrinelli Editore, to open up the world of words amongst the highly image driven industry of fashion. To accompany the launch of the Prada Journal gallery, the winners of the contest were announced on the night, giving these promising writers a chance to read their work to the literary, journalistic and fashion elite to revel in their stories. 

Amongst the abundance of entries, five writers emerged as the best. The five winners include Mattia Conti from Italy, Leisl Egan from Australia, Angel Mario Fernandez from Argentina, Sarah Harris Wallman from USA and Peng Yang from China. These five names are surely going to be known in the publishing and literary world, and congratulations to them!

For more information on the project and gallery, FOLLOW THIS LINK

Images courtesy of Prada