Haute Couture Revival

Dior

At present  haute couture is the most modern way to dress because it's very individual," says Pier Paolo Piccioli, who with Maria Grazia Chiuri designs Valentino's ethereal gowns. "It's like customizing your life; it means uniqueness."

The current state of couture has emerged from the ashes of economic turmoil. "Couture seems more relevant now than it was in the boom years," says designer Donatella Versace, who this season returned Atelier Versace to the official couture runway after eight years of low-key presentations. "The global downturn has made people think about the value of things. Couture may be expensive, but as a reflection of the designer's art, and as an expression of pure creativity in fashion, it is unsurpassed."

This evokes a culture very different from that of traditional haute couture: wealthy socialites in grand dresses from designers such as Jeanne Lanvin and Christian Dior. For many years, that's certainly what it was. Now, they stand in stark contrast to the discreet shopper of today, it's difficult to find women who so openly display their membership to the couture club.

Couture seemed to hit rock bottom in the middle of the last decade, when Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent, Emanuel Ungaro, and Balmain all showed their last collections. For the labels that remained, couture became a way to stand out amid the clutter of hundreds of ready-to-wear lines. For the likes of Dior, Valentino, and Chanel—which all typically reserved a sky's-the-limit budget both for dramatic staging and the collections themselves.

As haute couture undergoes the process of revival once more, its insular and quintessentially Parisian nature is changing. Perhaps it's only fitting for what appears to be couture's ever more global future.

reference: WSJ

Ice Skater

Jil Sander

Christian Dior

Stella McCartney

Marco Bologna

Clothes recalling the leotards worn by Carolina Kostner during her performances, while details are enthused by the chilly reflections of ice.

Close-fitting body suits worn with ample circle skirts: Christian Dior lights on fire red tulle, while Jil Sander picks a dress in powder pink tones that brink on being nude.

Stella McCartney shows a damask number with embossed embroideries inspired by the medieval tradition, a celebration of acanthus leaves.

A luxury detail: the necklace by Marco Bologna whose cone-shaped blue stones remind of stalactites on winter caves.

Givenchy Fall/Winter 12-13

Givenchy's Fall/Winter 2012-2013 campaign depicts a clash between different dimensions, looks, and motion, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott with the brand's creative director Riccardo Tisci. The campaign is intense and has a strong impact to anyone who sees it. 

The campaign,  styled by Carine Roitfeld, former director of Vogue Paris, stars Joan Smalls,Stella Tennant,Rodrigo Braga, Daniela Braga, Jarrod Scott,Simone Nobili and Stef van der Laan. Hair and make up by Lucia Pieroni and Luigi Murenu.

Axel Dumas to Head Hermes

Axel Dumas the next boss of Hermes|nytimes.com

PARIS— Cementing its grip from larger foe LVMH, the founding family of luxury-goods maker Hermès International SCA named a member of its sixth generation to become chief executive next year,.

Hermès, the 175-year-old maker of equestrian-themed silk scarves, horse saddles and Kelly bags, said Axel Dumas, the 42-year-old chief operating officer, will take over from Chief Executive Patrick Thomas, who will be 65 in a few weeks.

The change in administration returns the pedals of the company to the family, which in 2010 had a backseat position before the unfolding drama with LVMH.

The first nonfamily member to run Hermès, Mr. Thomas, who was boss since 2006, steered the company through its standoff with LVMH. Yet the avuncular boss was seen the family as a surrogate member of the clan.

The younger Mr. Dumas emerged as the most likely successor to Mr. Thomas over the past year, since he was named chief operating officer. The dark-haired manager, who started his career as a banker in New York and China, entered the family business in 2003, working in various divisions, such as jewelry and leather goods.

"I am glad a member of the Hermès family has been brought in to succeed me," Mr. Thomas said in a prepared statement.

Paillettes

Chanel Ad

Born as an embellishment, paillettes have become an element that characterizes a piece or an accessory in order to attain the shimmer of a jewel

Dazzling, shimmering, colourful, and beaming with light: paillettes are the bona fide protagonists of the night. Useful not only on clothes, they are a low cost adornment for every kind of jewel, giving birth to the era of costume jewelry. The origin of these embroidery accessories, both valued and prosperous of imagination, or not, comes from a series of political and social turmoil that shook Europe in the 18th Century. At that time, with the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality, the lower classes showed interest towards luxury objects, that until that time had been a privilege of a few.

The prominent company in this field is Langlois Martin, founded in 1919, specialized in the manufacturing and development of high quality glitter, which offers a vast assortment of paillettes of any form and color to suit the needs of the consumer: concave or flat, shaped as a "soleil" or "demi-soleil", in fluorescent, pastel, or metallic colors.

Paillettes make black shine, make any color more bold and vivid, they sweep shoulders with gold and silver and let white shimmer like the dress of a fairytale character.

Hermes Counterfeit Ring

At least a dozen people were arrested by French police as part of the dismantling of an international crime ring which produced fake Hermès bags while Two Hermès employees have been released as a result of the probe; however the luxury goods company considers that present members of staff could also be concerned.

Police discovered a workshop filled with precious leather skins and estimated that one branch operated by the crime ring contained sales worth around €18 million.

The bags were found to be manufactured in France and apparently disseminated through distribution channels in the US, Europe and Asia, with one branch of the ring’s sales estimated to be worth $22 million alone. 

"This operation concludes a one-year investigation following an Hermès complaint based on clues and abnormal behaviour identified through the house's internal monitoring systems," Hermès said in a statement.

Hermès chief executive officer Patrick Thomas recently estimated that eighty per cent of objects sold on the internet under the Hermès name are fakes, a statistic he branded "an absolute disgrace".

reference: WWD

Yves Saint Laurent to be Rebranded

Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent Paris

Yves Saint Laurent has confirmed they will drop the 'Yves' from their name

The fashion house will be rebranded Saint Laurent Paris, though the iconic YSL logo will still be the same. This shift is not completely new, majority of luxury fashion houses go by a singular surname - Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Prada and many more.

Newly-appointed creative director Hedi Slimane is eager to "thrust Saint Laurent into a new era modern", and feels taking out the founder of the brand's first name from the famous moniker is the way forward.

Slimane, when he was appointed - the former creative director of Dior Homme - was given "total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections" and is said to be "recapturing the impulses that inspired the founder to launch the Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line in 1966 - among them youth, freedom and modernity."

Color of Designers

Emilio Pucci at work via lifeinitaly.com

Every designer marked an age in their own way, a particular cut, an element, or an innovative material. This happened also through the invention or the choice of a particular color that even inherited the name of the designer, making them immortal.

It was Jeanne Lanvin in the 20s to have the first color bearing her name: Lanvin Blue. It was a pale cobalt blue; rumors said that Madame Lanvin was inspired by the sky in Beato Angelico’s frescos.

During the mid-30s an Italian woman shook the Parisian bourgeoisie with her creations: Elsa Schiaparelli. Her clothes were surreal and provoking and so was her fragrance. The bottle, designed by Léonor Fini, inspired by Mae West’s curves and sold ina box of an extraordinary bright shade, in the color of Fuchsia flowers; it was lively, striking, and brazen. It was renamed Shocking pink, like the perfume itself.

Within the 50s another Italian became famous for his use of color, Emilio Pucci. He was shocked by the dreadful quality of color palette presented by print works; therefore he produced the first summer collection in 1949, which was entirely in black and white. He designed swimsuits, sundresses, shirts and trousers with ground-breaking and convenient shapes, but he felt he had to add colors. Therefore in the following season he made up by creating his own touch, among which the Capri Blue, inspired by the colors of the Blue Grotto in Capri and the Emilio Pink, dedicated to the bougainvillea that decorated every little street of the island.

While Valentino’s legendary Red appeared in the 60s, the story set offs during his Parisian training period, while he was on holiday in Spain. One night at Barcelona’s Liceu Theater, the fiery red costumes in a scene struck him and thought that any woman, if entering a room wearing that color, could have the same paralyzing effect. It then became his unmistakable signature, in any collection there was at least one item in that color and it inevitably entered the most important wardrobes in the world.

In 1972 the Biagiotti White was established, one that the Lady of cashmere’ showed at a runway at Palazzo Pitti in a collection of few white clothes which were wearable and adaptable to any moment of the day, a modern way of dressing but also a symbol of simplicity and peace that is a classic Laura Biagiotti.

Ethical Fashion

webun.tv

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil —“Good Business Models for a Sustainable Future” by the International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative took place June 17th 2012 as part of the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, hosted by the United Nations Global Compact.


 Just before presidents, prime ministers and other world leaders meet in Rio de Janeiro to agree on a way forward for sustainable development, the United Nations Global Compact will host the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum. Within more than 60 sessions focused on key sustainability issues, there is one that, perhaps, you would not normally expect: “Good Business Models for a Sustainable Future” organized by the International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative.

Speakers at this fashion session incuded Brazilian theologian, Leonardo Boff and a Fendi with an obsession for plastic carrier bags — or, more accurately, an obsession with how to reduce the mountains of them leaching carcinogenic dioxins into hotchpotch neighbourhoods of the world’s poorest people.

The session aims to demonstrate that it is, indeed, very possible to do good while making profits. Joining Boff and Ilaria Venturini Fendi will be Aminata Traore, who hails from Mali, dresses to turn heads and advocates for making the global use of cotton more fair, alongside Auret van Heerden, president of non-profit group Fair Labor Association, whose political consciousness was forged in opposition to apartheid in his native South Africa. Then there’s the American, Willa Shalit, who, by treading softly, continues to lead some of fashion’s biggest names through the complex challenges of working in Haiti.

But the purpose of all this goes beyond letting some people with good accessories vent for an afternoon. The stated aim of the session is to produce a “roadmap” — free to use — to help big global fashion business become more fair, more green, more inclusive yet never less chic. The panel will be led by Simone Cipriani, who helms the Ethical Fashion Initiative of the International Trade Centre (ITC), a United Nations agency.

Nike Unveils Suit for USA Track and Field Team

trackfocus.com

Nike unveiled its Turbospeed suit, the official apparel for the USA Track and Field team for the London Summer Olympics alongside ex-Oympic champions Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carl Lewis, and Michael Johnson.

Designed for the London Olympics, Nike’s new Rocket Red track uniforms and trio of medal stand jackets seem as fit for action movie heroes as for athletes. The brand claims these uniforms are its “swiftest track apparel to date”. Nike says the suits could shave up to 0.023 seconds off 100-meter sprint times.

“It felt like the right time to go red,” explained innovation creative director for Nike, Scott Williams. “It’s very bold, and that inspiration came from talking to our athletes about what they were feeling in competition.”

Sheer Angel

They recall the dames of the French imperial court dressed in Empire-cut muslin gowns. Ethereal and impalpable dresses playing with sheerness and nude hues. Natural yet bold is the result of those lunar hues

Alberta Ferretti presents a totally sheer, long pleated white dress enhanced by adornments on the collar creating a bold statement of precious jewels.

The powder pink silk dress by Sonia Rykiel resembles a men’s nightgown, it creates a 3D effect thanks to the delicate lozenge pattern of the fabric.

Sensuous and feminine sheerness as proposed by Emilio Pucci for the silk evening dress with embroideries in cold lunar pale.

Goldsign chooses palazzo pants in silver lace to wear with  the sheer blouse by Tara Giarmon. Once again the jewel-collar creates an element of contrast with the lightness of the sheer and impalpable fabrics.

John Galliano gets inspired by the vestals for the ample and destructured, a flowy pearl gray long dress.

Wang Files Official Denial of Sweatshop Allegations

fashionista

Alexander Wang Inc. officially filed a denial in court. The denial rebuts the statement of former employees Wenyu Lu and Flo Durante, who filed class-action lawsuits against Wang alleging that they had to work up to 16-hours a day in an unventilated room.

In March, the former employees filed a lawsuit against Wang’s company to the tune of $450 million,alleging that they were forced to work under sweatshop-like conditions and put in overtime hours without compensation.

Wang’s official statement said that his company “complied with all applicable wage and hour and leave laws, and there is no basis whatsoever for plaintiffs’ frivolous and entirely unsupportable accusations that defendants have harassed them or discriminated against them on the basis of their race, or on any other protected basis.” 


Court documents filed by Wang’s camp go on to state that the defendants are “two disgruntled former employees with axes to grind” whose goal is to “exact a substantial settlement from the defendants, and that the two have misjudged their former workplace as a hovel, while attempting to portray defendants as ‘sweatshop owners.’” Wang claims that the studio is large and brightly lit, and that the two defendants were paid $22 and $25 per hour respectively, and were given breaks, paid vacation, paid sick days, insurance, and benefits.

reference: WWD

Crinoline

V Mag

Crinoline, from protecting infants to becoming stylish element in fashion, and distinguishing the clothing of aristocrats. In our modern world it brings a regal connotation.

The crinoline is a circled underskirt out of stiff horsehair fabric, which it took its name; it puffed, held and formed the heavy skirts of 19th century gowns. Its triumph comes from the farthingale, which was used as a "shield" for the womb of pregnant women.

There was a period when the law was not put down on how tight a dress fits, but for its volume. It was said, that there was once a competition between Queen Elizabeth and Empress Eugenie to see who had the broadest skirt. It seemed extreme. But fashion is at times, how time and again is created and developed by want. 

Empress Eugenie

The crinoline replaced the convenience of the farthingale in the '800s, which was worn placed over lower than the corset, right at the navel. Charles Frederick Worth started this trend, which was first worn by Empress Eugenie the wife of Napoleon III who was the trendsetter of that time.

Then all women began to emulate her. Gradually more voluminous skirts won over courts but also among commoners in the streets. The crinoline was, in fact, one of those accessories that gave rise to the phenomenon of fashion, because it did not distinguish. A "respectable" woman of the Victorian era had to wear it and show it in dresses in somber colors and with scrupulous cuts. The crinoline, besides making the dress puffy and enhancing the bell shape, made dames’ movements elegant.

Over time, these items grew increasingly with their proportion, reaching even 7 meters in circumference in 1865. This was the time their decline began, Charles Frederick Worth himself, replaced them with the demi-crinoline, an asymmetrical crinoline: flat on the front and puffed on the back. The reason for its decline can be traced in the discomfort it caused, because it made it very hard and difficult to move. The discomfort is to be found mainly in the materials with which it was made, which transformed it into a real cage.

As it is known, the aristocratic and feminine style has always been a favorite, women love to wear it and men love to see it, and this is why crinoline has made a comeback in modern fashion shows, but in greatly reduced sizes.

Winter's Unwithered Flowers

A touch of Spring also for Fall/Winter 2012-13 with romantic micro-patterns and abstract macro motifs

Saturated colors inspire the skirts by Burberry Prorsum to be paired with the patchwork-effect, 50s-style coat by Antonio Marras.

If you are dreaming of the sea in winter,Peter Pilotto chooses a tropical pattern in vibrant colors. The floral print top by Manoush is inspired by Brazilian flouncy dresses.

Don’t forget the more ethereal and natural version: the woman by Comme De Garcon is wrapped in her impalpable coat with flowers, worn with the necklace by Roberto Cavalli.

Peach-hued flowers are a favorite among designers: casual denim for the floral print pants by Goldesign, strapped shoes by Chie Mihara.

Diamond like flowers are also present, Corto Moliedo’s clutch bag and Bluegirl’s seablue belt adored with a shimmering bloom.

Gucci Employees "Tortured"

reuters.com

Employees of luxury brand, Gucci were subjected to "torture", standing for 14 hours a day, paying for stolen goods and forced to asking for toilet breaks.

Allegations of questionable management at a Gucci outlet within Shenzhen, has led to two managers’ replacement.

"It was a kind of torture for us to stand for more than 14 hours a day," the letter detailed. "No short rest, water or food was allowed even for a pregnant employee.” claimed in the open letter by workers at the Gucci outlet.

Severity of the ill-treatment led to claim of some workers experiencing miscarriages as a result.

Accusations against Gucci having overtime pay withdrawn are also ongoing. Five signatories claimed their managers, whom left the company, refused to give the thousands of dollars in unpaid wages of overtime, in spite of holding them in the outlet up until 2am, several nights to make stock controls. When luxury goods were stolen the staff had to cover for their replacement despite thefts being enclosed by insurance, the letter said.

A Gucci representative said: "Gucci has proactively engaged external consultants to conduct a comprehensive review to support ongoing actions that can enhance our organizational structure, the welfare and training of our people, talent recruitment and retention and other business practices in China."

The claims against Gucci come at a background of workplace abuse and poor working conditions. Foxconn, the group that creates components for Apple's iPhone, suffered a chain of suicides amongst employees thought to be related to poor working conditions.

reference: telegraph.uk

Robotica

Metallics reflecting the light for a basic austerity, details inspired by a 20s metropolis. Inspired by  Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang, woman becomes an eclectic android in all forms.

A multi-hued metallic pattern for Chanel that redefines the details of a classic coat in gray cloth.

Metallic plates embrace the female silhouette, like Co Te and their metallic skirt. Punk-like metallic fringes for the dress by Ambre Babzoe.

Metallic plates embrace the female silhouette, like Co Te and their metallic skirt.

A yellow riveted armor for the detailing by Versace, as if just welded into its steel structure.

The cult detail: the shoe boots by Andrea Chaves: simple nude pumps closed into a 3D-effect metallic structure.The same mood seen at Meier Bruecher that choose an almost space-age revisitation for a golden scaled glove while Giussepe Zanotti designs a necklace with the same feel.

Luxury Brand Revival

belstaff.com

Paris,France — A new business trend phenomenon in the fashion industry: major luxury groups appear to prefer reviving fashion houses that has placed its roots, rather than setting up new brands.

LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault obtained the rights to Moynat known for its leather bags  and began to rouse the fashion label from its extensive hibernation, for the past three decades the brand was dormant.

Berluti, a French men’s shoe company established in 1895 by an Italian cobbler. LVMH acquired the luxury brand in 1993. But formerly this year, at men’s fashion week, while shoes were still at the heart of the collection, latest designer Alessandro Sartori, previously for Zegna, expanded the brand into a completely foreign area to the Berluti heritage, including tailored garments and leather coats and suits.

Harry Slatkin, Reinhard Mieck,
and Tommy Hilfiger

Then there’s the case of Belstaff, which was acquired by Labelux, in copperation with Tommy Hilfiger and Harry Slatkin. Founded in 1924 in Longton and known for its tied at the waist water repellent fabrics and signature four-pocket jacket, the label has all the right ingredients to threaten established British heritage brands like Burberry. At London Fashion Week, Belstaff relaunched with an Autumn/Winter 2012 collection by Martin Cooper, former design director for Burberry, where he worked for more than 16 years.

The reopening of the Elsa Schiaparelli, the fashion house founded by the designer with the same name, who was born in Rome and who later moved to Paris, ceasing activity in 1954. The brand, purchased in 2007 by Diego Della Valle, will be opened during the famous party organized by Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue.

Courrèges significant influence in fashion history was in 1961, with innovative and forward minded designs that were later known as the fashion cosmic or atomic era, due to the space-age style. With a profitable performance of the brand of €20 million last year, plus expanding its distribution in London, New York and Milan, and opening an e-commerce site. In addition they will relaunch the fragrance Empreinte and Eau de Courrèges as an advertising strategy, followed by a new line of shoes, bags and sunglasses.

With the recent moves, that gave fresh personalities to aged luxury goods labels, prompts a critical question: given that obtaining the rights and getting top design talent come with major costs, why not launch new fashion brands? Why not invest in a young designer? About a decade ago, Gucci did just that, launching Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. But at present, these cases are tremendously rare and financial support is more likely to pour towards fashion brands with a history. Why?

The answer lies with: authenticity. In an age of rapid globalization and fast paced fashion, when street vendors sell instant copies of the latest runway trends and designer collaborations abound with cheap-chic chains, consumers hunger after what is authentic. And an authentic history cannot be faked.

“As reality is qualified, altered and commercialized, consumers respond to what is engaging, personal, memorable — and above all, authentic.” argued James Gilmore and Joseph Pine.

And when the key item that distinguishes one luxury brand from another, is the narrative behind it, buying a prosperous history that’s ripe for revival is much easier than building a new one. It’s authenticity that’s hardest to capture.

references: fashion.walla.co.il, d.repubblica.it

Insects

Fresh shapes inspired by the structure of insects: rigid armors and shiny textures dress women for Fall/Winter 2012-13.

JC de Castelbajac for their red and black leather coat seem to be inspired by the perfect geometrical structures of the ladybug that embrace the female body

Softer architectures follow the body's movements in the eggplant leather ensemble by Haider Ackermann inspired by insects’ wingspan.

The woman by Gareth Pugh daring to go with a leather dress that is reminiscent of a black beetle's shell. 

A more refined creation by Fendi, clad in her micro-textured fur little dress that recalls the nuances of the honey bee.

Hats for little armors, shielding the head: in black and beige leather by Super Duper, while Aurora Azma chooses to cover the head with lots of black and white toned scales.

New Paradigm Shift in the Luxury Brand Domain

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe

Today’s customer spending pattern has changed. Seeing that high-end clients worldwide have abruptly suppressed their craving for luxury goods, what was once considered a recession-proof industry had been struck hard. Whilst Chanel recently declared the layoff of 200 temporary employees — only more than 1 percent of its 16,000-employees, the daily newspaper “Le Parisien” called the news a bombshell.

No category in the luxury brand domain has been spared a significant drop in sales including fine spirits, watches, clothing, jewelry and yachts. Suddenly, the perception on the street is that luxury goods are considered a sign of immorality, superficial and ostentatious. Restraint and modesty are in. A French trend expert described the changes as nothing less than “a revolution in values.”

Alain Némarq, the chairman of Mauboussin, the prestige jewelry firm, said in an interview that saving the luxury industry should be a national priority since it employs 200,000 citizens in France and has become part of the French heritage.

Rather than demanding to keep the machine going by pumping out high-price hand bags, shoes and other goods, he proposed the impossible: the entire luxury industry should slash prices. “We need a return to reason, decency, discretion, beauty and creativity — in other words, to true values,” Mr. Némarq said.

“This whole crisis is like a big spring housecleaning — both moral and physical,” Karl Lagerfeld, from Chanel, said in an interview. “There is no creative evolution if you don’t have dramatic moments like this. Bling is over. Red carpety covered with rhinestones is out. I call it ‘the new modesty.’ ”

In keeping with the new national mood — and in respect to the hard economic reality, designer Nathalie Rykiel will show the new Sonia Rykiel collection not with a grand spectacle for 1,500 people in a gigantic rented room, but with two small 200-guest mini-shows in her boutique on the Boulevard St.-Germain.

“It’s a desire for intimacy, to go back to values. We need to return to a smaller scale, one that touches people. We will be saying, ‘Come to my house. Look at and feel the clothes. ” she said over lunch at the Café de Flore.

reference: nytimes.com, jdrazure.wordpress.com