Revival

Myself before my Harper's Bazaar interview

Shirt by Rick Owens DRKSHDW

It's been a busy two months for me, but now it's time for me to get back into blogging and writing! A lot has happened in the fashion world since I've been away from the blogosphere - Nicolas Ghesquire leaving Balenciaga, Alexander Wang becoming the new Creative Director of Balenciaga, Yoko Ono releasing a line in collaboration with Opening Ceremony, Christopher Kane leaving Versus, The Little Black Jacket exhibition (here in Sydney too), the release of the Maison Martin Margiela x H&M line, the new campaign for Chanel No. 5 featuring Brad Pitt was released, Saskia De Braw cast as the face of menswear for Saint Laurent Paris, Gaspard Ulliel cast as Yves Saint Laurent in an upcoming biopic and Nicola Formichetti announcing that the upcoming issue of Vogue Hommes Japan will be the last... just to name a few haha!

Whilst I've been busy at college, I visited the Little Black Jacket exhibition, which I will blog about later, and finally, I had an interview for a journalism internship for Harper's Bazaar Australia! Unfortunately, I didn't get the internship but Clare (Fashion Features Editor) mentioned that I was one of the last two, which is an incredible achievement. I wish the other candidate all the best! I won't give up :)

Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 - Highlights Part 1

Fashion Month for this year ends with the Fashion Capital itself - Paris. As this week is the most anticipated week of the calendar for the fashion industry, expectations are always high, but in such a transitional phase of fashion, in regards to the change of designers and creative directors in both Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent and a wonderful opportunity for devotees of Nicola Formichetti and the first ever luxury bag collection released by Mugler in conjunction with their womenswear collection, there was a sense of both tension and excitement in the air.

The first 3 days of Paris Fashion Week included shows from prolific designers such as Guy Laroche, Alexis Mabille, Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Carven, Nina Ricci, Lanvin, Balmain and Ann Demeulemeester.

First of all, I must mention the opportunity that the wacky and wonderful Nicola Formichetti presented to loyal followers of the brand, where 5 followers of Nicola Formichetti on Tumblr got the chance to come into the Mugler showroom and preview the collection personally! What a humble way to bring customers closer to the designs at the heart of the time when none of their latest designs have been previewed by media.

Anyway, my favourite collections from the first 3 days are as follows:

Cedric Charlier Spring/Summer 2013

Meshing, minimalism and the intense hits of orange run throughout Cedric Charlier's latest collection

 Damir Doma Spring/Summer 2013

Damir Doma's design aesthetic has significantly evolved since its earlier days, transforming from a dark and brooding choice of aesthetic to one that is futuristic and sophisticated, letting go of its former architectural stiffness and embracing a more functional choice of fabrics. The latest collection from Damir Doma references the chic trends of the late 90s, with halter tops and leather capris making an appearance amongst its signature intimidating sunglass designs and contemporary minimal outfits. 

Felipe Oliveira Baptista Spring/Summer 2013

Felipe Oliveira Baptista effectively combines juxtaposing elements of maximalism and minimalism together, by splashing minimalist architectural garments with a variety of maximalist prints

 Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2013

Gareth Pugh is known as the Dark Prince of Fashion, but in his latest collection he takes off that persona and reveals a much more emotional side to himself and his designs. To me, this collection and runway show is one of the most emotionally charged I have ever seen - the show featured models walking ever so slowly to an eerily beautiful, heartbreaking melody, which complemented the make up of the models, who had fake tears running from bloodshot eyes, further adding to the atmosphere of the show and collection. Gareth always uses feminine flowing fabrics and have made very rigid garments conveying strength, but in this collection, he does not alter the material but place it on the woman's body to let the natural flow be seen when in movement, a sign of his diversity and immense skill. The appearance of blindingly beautiful red in this collection is indicative of a deep pain, in my opinion at least, which effectively brings people closer to the designs, as opposed to the past when Gareth's garments were more standoffish. 

Moon Young He Spring/Summer 2013

Moon Young He's panelled leather dresses may set to be a trend for this coming Spring/Summer season

Nicolas Andreas Taralis Spring/Summer 2013

Androgyny is certainly a trend of the times, with Nicolas Andreas Taralis presenting functional unisex garments that can even be used throughout the colder months of the year

 Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2013

It seems that Gareth Pugh is not the only designer of the darker streams of fashion to show his diversity in fashion design, and I'm referring to Rick Owens. The mysteriously humble designer is much the same as Gareth Pugh, often opting for a monochromatic colour palette and hard edged designs, but Rick's garments are unisex, androgynous, functional and futuristic. Rick has abandoned this aesthetic for this coming Spring/Summer season, with a womenswear collection that does not show any signs of ability for use by the opposite sex, as all of his collections always do - it is odd to think that such a pioneer of the androgynous, minimalist style has seemed to designed a collection exclusively for one gender. The collection featured lightweight tunics and off the shoulder dresses, some drawing inspiration from avant-garde depictions of angels and some reflecting those in ancient Mediterranean civilizations. Rick's ability to capture history and twist it into the future is undeniable, again showing his diversity in fashion design.

All images courtesy of Fashionising

All runway shows can be viewed on FashionTV and FataleFashionII's Youtube Channel

Vogue Hommes Japan #9 - Preview Day 2

The preview of the cover for Day 2

Day 2 of the Vogue Hommes Japan previews for Models.com featured the cover and editorial, "One Impression of Francis Bacon", shot by Tim Richardson, known for his amazing motion photography, and styled by the Creative Director himself, Nicola Formichetti. I was immediately impressed by the cover, effectively conveying the dark, brooding and haunting masculine atmosphere of the magazine to its audience.

The editorial explores the distortion of one's sense of reality, the juggle between what is true and what is false in our existence, represented by the figures captured in motion. These figures, being constantly in motion, force us to question their motive and role when placed next to the intimidating characters who are the embodiment of a man's obscurity and inner darkness, heightened by their piercing stares at the viewer, bringing one's claustrophobic fear to the surface. This editorial is both a conceptual and fashionable masterpiece, not seen in many fashion magazines nowadays.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL PREVIEW (EDITORIAL AND FILM)

Vogue Hommes Japan #9 - Preview Day 1

The preview of the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan on Day 1

Nicola Formichetti, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Hommes Japan, former stylist of Lady Gaga, Creative Director for  Mugler and Head Designer for Nicopanda, is set to release the most anticipated issue of Vogue Hommes Japan this September. The issue features photography by Hedi Slimane, the Creative Director of Saint Laurent Paris and eerily beautiful artworks by the alternative "it" girl at the moment, Grimes, but most of all the issue is a chance for men worldwide to see the Fall/Winter menswear collections in a variety of editorials complementing the garment and the dark punk atmosphere that Nicola has injected into the usually glamorous Vogue magazine.

As it is the eventful month of fashion of September, Nicola began a series of previews of the issue in collaboration with Models.com - with the covers, digital covers, fashion films, and stop motion versions of the editorial images for everyone to see. I selected a few images to share, as I could not help but do so as the previews of the magazine so far have signaled to me that this issue will probably be my most prized in my collection, if I manage to buy it!

First of all, the covers were released according to what was being previewed on the day. On Day 1, the cover (above) was previewed, along with the editorial that complemented the cover featuring Gryphon O'Shea, shot by Hedi Slimane, with Grimes' artworks - "Bleached".

One of the artworks by Grimes

There is no doubt that Gryphon would've been the perfect man for this editorial - a beautification of the dark subcultures of Goth and Punk, particularly London's punk scene, whilst drawing from elements of maximalism. Hedi Slimane has shot this editorial emphasizing the mysteriousness of many men within these subcultures, and has captured how this aesthetic is now praised within the fashion industry rather than isolated from high fashion. Grimes has added to the atmosphere with her abstract morbid artworks, a style she is best known for.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL PREVIEW FOR DAY 1

All images courtesy of Models.com