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

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

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

Vroom Vroom!

Girls with guns always love shoes and cars... according to Harper's Bazaar USA's March editorial, "V Room". At first it may be hard to decipher the link between automotive design and fashion design, but there are similarities, believe it or not. The mechanics, production, and skill in the design of these polar opposites and their interrelation were made clear with the "Car Shoe", designed by Gianni Mostile in 1963.

The Car Shoe were shoes designed to enhance adherence to car pedals and to be worn when driving, especially luxury sports cars. More recently, designers have caught onto the automative influence on footwear, such as Prada in their S/S12 collection and the checkerboard clad Louis Vuitton S/S13 collection by Marc Jacobs. Whether this editorial by Dan Forbes is a homage to the Car Shoe is up to you, but this is an editorial that caters to fashion and vintage car lovers alike, particularly those who have a knack for Mercedes-Benz.

Images courtesy of Trendland

Prada and Tiffany's Great Costumes for Gatsby

The Great Gatsby - the Great American novel and Fashion Film, is one of my favourite stories of all time. The moral of the story resonates deep within all society, making clear that corruption is only fuelled by materialism. More so than a fashion film, The Great Gatsby is a psychological exploration into how much power money and thriving for more has over a person and those around him or her.

Miuccia Prada, is the designer for the much anticipated film's costumes, with a strong focus on the femme fatale that is Daisy Buchanan. Drawing inspiration from the archives of Prada and Miu Miu, her wardrobe for the film does not emphasize the glamour of the roaring twenties, although there are hints of it, but rather the dwindling prosperity of Jay Gatsby and the doomed economic state of the world in the '30s-40s.

Some of Prada's costumes for The Great Gatsby were inspired by the "Chandelier Dress" in Prada's Spring/Summer 2010 collection, according to British Vogue

The suprisingly modern dresses for The Great Gatsby is a pure reflection of Prada's contemporary vision of fashion and how a time period's ethos can be presented in a way that relates to the situation of the world today. The costumes bare resemblance to flapper and party dresses in the '20s but "almost none were meant to be Twenties", as Prada herself states in an interview for Women's Wear Daily. 

Daisy Buchanan's famous crystal headband, designed by Tiffany & Co.

Luxury has exceeded its limit as Tiffany & Co.'s crystal pieces are paired with the costumes. Again, the pieces are seemingly more modern than what you'd expect from a film set in the '20s. The piece that tops off the Gatsby collection is Daisy's crystal headband, featuring a crystal feather - a sign of the wealth she delicately holds. Besides that, Tiffany & Co. has designed cuff links, pendants and earrings for the film (as seen below).

The Zegfeld Collection by Tiffany & Co. for The Great Gatsby

Images courtesy of British Vogue, Backseat Stylers and LollieShopping

The Great Gatsby will premiere worldwide on May 10th

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