Issue One S/S 2009 Mirror Me.indd 1
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Let’s make it clear here, high-street shopping has always been highly successful as it is where fashion is at its most innovative and affordable. Remember that overly sexy waitress you saw at the pub last night? Topshop dress. The fabulous pair of shoes worn by the girl dancing next to you in the club? New Look. That to die for leotard worn by the fashionista behind you at the supermarket’s cashdesk? American Apparel. Most women have always enjoyed shopping on the high-street, even when times were better and money was more prominent in our purses. And the credit crunch we are forced to live with is not what brought us to shop on the high-street, it only reinforced the idea of high-street shopping’s fabulousness. With shops such as Topshop (our British emblem), River Island, New Look, to name the British ones but then also Zara, Mango, H&M, there is more than a vast choice for women out there shopping. As Matthew Williamson observed during GFW, “it’s a difficult time for the industry (…) you have to know who you are making the clothes for”. And nowadays more than ever all women are shopping on the high-street, not only as an answer to the ever-present I-have-no-money-this-is-myonly-solution but more of a waouh-high-street-shoppingreally-has-the-best: quality, originality, inventivity. And as we’re not all just shopping lovers and like to make our brains work, Mirror-Me is also about culture and the world going on around us. Living is observing. And not only what goes on in high-street shops. This month, a special focus is put on our capital and its treasures. London has lived many changes throughout the year but the financial crisis is probably what made its inhabitants mentality change the most, so let’s enjoy the new, more positive side of it. This issue is made for all young women in search of fashion, culture and fun. Enjoy!
Contents Page 4. Editor’s letter Page 5. Contents Pages 6 & 7. Around the world Pages 8 & 9. The 80s. Fashion’s influence on music Page 10. Little Boots. Album cover analysis Pages 12 &13. Cultural Guide Page 14. London Focus Pages 15, 16 & 17. Money isn’t chic anymore Page 18 Everyone hearts Oxford Street Pages 20 &21. To Market, To Market Pages 22 & 23. Topshop focus Pages 26 & 27 Barbara Hulanicki Pages 28 to 33. Summer views Photoshoot. Pages 34 & 35. Istanbul Focus Pages 36, 37 & 38. Trend report Page 40. Terry Richardson and H&M Page 41. Lily Donaldson Pages 42 and 43. High-street’s love affaire with celebrities Page 44 & 45 Garance Doré Pages 46 to 53 Sunglasses Photoshoot Pages 54 & 55. American Apparel / Uniqlo marketing Page 56. Greek holidays Page 58. Zara trend report Page 60. High Street fashion week Page 62, 63 & 64. It accessories Page 65. 12 reasons not to do anything this summer.
Thank yous and Mercis (this is the cliché bit) Maman, Papa, Camille and Pierre, merci d’etre la, tout le temps, je vous aime. Noula you’re simply the best and none of this could have been done without you. Anais et Jeanne, vous etes irremplacables, les seules, les vraies. Mais aussi / But also Chaton (d’etre insupportable mais je te kiffe tellement), Solenn (de partager mon avis sur l’insupportabilite de Chaton et de m’avoir tant aide), Rapha (de ne pas m’avoir tue quand je t’ai mis la honte devant tes collegues, mis la misere au Yams. “it still isn’t over between us”), Yiannis (for your ideas and for wanting a baby with me), Julia (for all the wine and confidence shared) Valentin (par rapport au fait que tu es mon equivalent machinal), Julien (tawords le fait que tu m’as quand meme un peu aide) Jen and Alice for the best ride of our lives, wasn’t it? And the rest of the MA crew, especially the Golden Boys Shi and Jakub for this year shared together. Terry, Paul, Daryoush, Rob (for all the experimenting on my photographs) and Damian for helping us get there! Contact details Leah Chablin, 26 vallon de virebelle, 13600 La Ciotat Lelou05@hotmail.com tel: (00 33) 6 47 36 48 93
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Around the world Background Forms Beauty and wonders of nature, trees, plants, flowers have always inspired artists and architects. Ever since the 1960s, the evident degradation of the environment and the effects of global warming urge them to find quick answers to these negative changes that are taking place. Radical Nature is the first exhibition ever to gather artists of different generations and their work, sometimes utopian, such as a wooden USB stick! Still, they all offer solutions to help our planet that keeps changing. All of them aim for a changing planet through nature. Some of them, designers, feed themselves from narrative and romantic novels, they are inspired by bewitched forest, fairytale, pictures from heaven…The others, architects and artists sculpt nature with one goal: protecting it , thanks to experimental constructions, organic materials…So, each of them under a specific angle, two London exhibitions concentrate on the art of forms and volumes. In all cases, designs of top-level have reunited, whether it’s furniture and objects from Marten Baas, Tord Boonte or even Niels Van Eijk at the V&A, or systems, scale models or Joseph Beuys, Robert Smithson, Ant Farm or Simon Starling’s work at the Barbican Gallery. Presented since the 14th July, the ‘Telling Tales’ exhibition assembles around fifty objects including furniture, ceramics, light fittings and large scale installations. Daydream, mockery but also the anguish of death are inspirations to these designers. Represented by tord blabla….The exhibition is divided in three big atmosphere, ‘The Forest glade’, ‘The Enchanted Castle’ and ‘Heaven and Hell’. According to Gareth Williams, the exhibition’s organizer, “The exhibition wills to show a new way of designing that has appeared tin the last few years. These objects all have a story to tell and we wanted to present the most creative and innovative examples of all and show the themes they have in common”. “Telling Tales”, until the 18th October, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, www.vam.ac.uk and “Radical Nature”, until the 18th October at the Barbican Art Gallery, www.barbican.org.uk.
Kate Moss in Paris Hundreds of pictures, notice boards explaining her life from her birth until now, after nineteen years of career. Kate Moss will finally have an exhibition dedicated to her at the museum of les Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The exhibition aims to explain, with photographs and her entourage’s account of things how the woman become a true icon of fashion. “It’s one of the best known and recognized faces in the whole world; she is very linked to the world of advertisement”, underlined Béatrice Salmon, director of the Arts Décoratifs museum (fashion and textile, advertisement, decoration), at the press conference on the museum’s programming. The Kate Moss exhibition will be held from the 26th November 2009 until 25th April 2010. “ The exhibition is a great opportunity for people to understand the Kate Moss phenomenon and the how and why she has become one of the most famous model of our times” explains Béatrice Salmon. And Kate Moss is said to totally agree with the idea of the exhibition. It will be the first exhibition on the British model in France according to the museum. Kate Moss entered Madame Tussaud’s museum in 2007, the same year, a series of hundreds of portraits were carried out by fashion photographers and then
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Woodstock in stock Grouped together at the Idea Generation Gallery in London for an exhibition but also for a book, hundreds of pictures, vintage documents, singer’s account of things, but also Michael Lang’s (the event’s organizer) enable us to relive the event, or if not, seize the thrilling energy of the Woodstock festival that took place forty years ago. This major event, synonymous of the sixties and their social, political and artistic impact Even if rock festivals proliferate each and every summer, none of them can compare to Woodstock’s – close to New York – in 1969. Some festivals are now cultural institutions, while others are and were emblems of the hippy counter-culture. 50 000 spectators were expected at Woodstock but 450 000 turned up to come and listen to Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, The Who, Montana, Grateful Dead, among others. This is a great occasion to see exclusive documents and understand how festivals we go to now can’t even compare! Woodstock Experience, from the 5th to the 30th of August at the Idea Generation Gallery in London and at Genesis Publications.
Sacred Monsters For the first time ever, the MoMA , New York’s museum of Modern Art will have the honour of presenting a complete exhibition dedicated to Tim Burton’s whole graphic work. From the 22nd November 2009, until the 26th of April 2010, more than 700 pieces that he has produced in the latest 27 years will be exhibited at the MoMA. The exhibtition’s organisers have programmed to project Tim Burton’s 14 movies, but also short-films and movies he directed before becoming famous. Nice monsters, marginal, big-hearted abandoned creatures, solitaries: fed by Edgar Poe and fantasy movies, Tim Burton’s universe, joyfully morbid, gravely eccentric, is filled with misunderstood people. “I’ve always had a soft point for outsiders, those you think are bad when in fact they are not. They’re very engaging characters, very interesting to explore”, he claims. Crazytales more than fairytales, his movies, that swing between laughter and poetry, madness and emotion, celebrate the victory of the weak, in a world essentially stimulated by performance. What remains is that even though this good grounding escapes soppiness, it’s mainly because the film director is an unparalleled artist, whose gifted hand and brush create characters, a scenario, that have nothing to envy to what the camera does. Draughtsman, painter, caricaturist, animation movies author, poet, marionette designer, photographer…His imagination is as free as bulimic and goes from one media to the other, richness and diversity of documents can be discovered next Autumn at the MoMA: not only will you find sketches, images, notes, storyboards with familiar echos, abounding backstages of Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the chocolate factory, Sweeney Todd, Beetlejuice, Batman, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, but also some of the mock-up and scenarios of unfinished projects, drawings from his youth, his first amateur movies, etc…Master imagery, ecstatic, inspiring. Tim Burton, from the 22nd Novembre 2009 to the 26th April 2010 at the New York MoMA.
Twiggy at the National Portrait Gallery London’s National Portrait Gallery is devoting a series of eleven portraits to Twiggy, the ex-model and symbol of the Swinging sixties. The portraits will be some that were taken from when she started to 1965. Not only does it give the opportunity to see the evolution of the woman whose boyish haircut, doll eyes and symbol of the miniskirt designed by Mary Quant left her mark on her time, it will also give us the opportunity to rediscover fashion in the 60s. Called Twiggy: A life in photographs, the exhibition will start on the 19th September 2009, on Twiggy’s 60th birthday and finishes on the 24th March 2010. Twiggy: A life in photographs National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
exposed at the National Portrait Gallery. A statue made out of gold was also shown at the British Museum from October 2008 to January 2009.Love her or hate her but one thing you have to admit is that she has her very own spot on the fashion scene. Décrypter le phenomena (Decypher the phenomenon) Les Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
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FASHION MUSIC & 80’s A gangly body, scarily skinny, tattoos all over it, a hornets nest on top of her head, expressionist eye-liner, nothing a priori could have destined Amy Winehouse to become the fashion icon she now is. Still, less than two years on, she has been the object of all fashion attentions, inspiring Lindbergh for a Vogue photo shoot, hair styling at a Chanel catwalk show… Because Amy, her escapades, her exposed pain, her possessed voice, it isn’t only music, it’s the world of fashion that is left gaping, but also greatly inspired. Now that a new wave of itwomen singers has arrived in Britain, the same thing is happening all over again, their individualistic styles are inspiring all girls around the country, and not only because of the lyrics of their songs, more thanks to their fashion attitude.So, is music, helped by fashion thanks to the merchandising of style of these singers?
Breaking-up with monotony and good taste, fashion this year, likes to play with 1980s reminiscence with its flashy colours, oversized shoulders, animal prints, with most women wearing lycra. The latest muses of this look are embodied in the likes of La Roux, Little Boots and Lady-Gaga. Fashion and music have always had great influence on each other, and even the Beatles were asked more questions about their hair than about their music at the beginning! Or look at how all girls in the world wanted to dress like the Spice Girls. Trends of the present, mainly the one influenced by the 80s is already been worn by them and you can only recognize that these women are trendsetters in terms of beats but also in terms of fashion. FASHION IN THE 80s Everything old is new again, a wise man once said. Fashion in the 1980s signed the era of “cash and show-off”. It was the decade when fashion really inspired music. In the fashion stakes, outfits were high in colour, wardrobes abandoned their wise outfits to make place to deconstruction, eccentricity, and even provocation. Without subscribing to any kind of code or a unique trend, fashion displayed itself as multiple and mixed. Fashion from 20 years ago is back and is overly present on the shelves of high-street brands but also directly on the street with a tendency towards loud and flashy. Lady Gaga’s leotards, La Roux’s wet leggings, Ladyhawke’s colourful sneakers. And fashion isn’t just about what you wear, it’s also the accessories and make up, if not the attitude. Look at Lady Gaga’s crazy geometric hats, colorfoul ‘and sometimes a bit too crazy) make-up. La Roux is seen with huge pendants around her neck and gold and silver smokey eyes to go with them. What all artists emerging now all share is an inspiration from the pastAll also wear colorful make-up, geometric patterns, chains, huge pendants, sneakers, polka dots…Look at La Roux ‘s gold-
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and-silver smokey eyes, wild hair that go along with the strong shoulders and overlapping clothes. Tim Jonze is probably the one who described it best when writing in The Guardian, that “the synth-vixen from Brixton was done up like a new rave Tilda Swinton fresh from mugging Flock of Seagulls for their frindge” when talking about La Roux’s 80s inspired look. TWENTY SOMETHING WOMEN WITH STRONG INDIVIDUALISTIC ATTITUDES La Roux, as you already know is the British electropop sensation of the moment. And her look isn’t the only thing inspired by the 1980s, her music is too. She told the BBC, “It was so epic in the 80s and no one makes epic otherworldly pop music anymore. There’s an endless amount of stuff to find in the 80s. I can’t seem to move on to modern music because there’s so much stuff from the 80s that I’m still discovering”. She has been linked to the new wave in fashion that has seen singers influenced by fashion for their music, the colours of the decade enabling them to bring colour and originality to their beats. Recreating the pop sensation of her clothes into her music, simply go and have a look at her Bulletproof video and all of the description above will be represented through image! La Roux’s style is obviously one that amazes for its originality and 80s influence but Lady Gaga’s style is often the one to be considered as carrying the most crazy outfits of the moment. Lady Gaga, who sees herself as “a piece of art”, with a very particular idea of what sexy is and can be, admits to being inspired by a “future world”. She is recognized for her music which combines fashion, art and techonology but also because she is said to have reinvented latex, 80s bodysuits and has made them sensual and futuristic accessories. Very bodyconscious, low-cut, she encircles her outfits and brings back to life colours such as strong red and green. But the 80s weren’t just synonymous with crazy and bright colours, it was also the era of oversized builds and Lady Gaga also works on them: shoulder pads, conic or rectangular effects on her dresses, geometric shapes are overly present. Another emblem of her style are her glasses, whether they’re large, rectangular, strict, or you feel like they’re out of a science-fiction movie. You will have understood it, Lady Gaga’s style is a mix between the 5th element, C3PO and Gwen Stefani in her Alice in Wonderland style and it’s a very important part of her show. She even claimed in an interview for MTV: “When I’m writing music, I’m thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It’s all about everything altogether — performance art, pop perfor-
mance art, fashion. For me, it’s everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us.” Gaga’s fashion is very linked to her music with strong beats, making us move on the dance floor non-stop for more than a year now with “Just Dance” or “Poker Face” making it straight to number in the UK charts when they came out Each of her outings makes it to number one too: the front page of tabloids, thanks to her fashion sense. She too belongs to the special kind of girl who, just like Ladyhawke, isn’t afraid to show what she is, likes and believes in. Ladyhawke is also part of the 80s revivalist group whose fashion sense seems to influence her music. Her music is considered as profoundly eccentric – just like her style – Her unique style makes her customize most of her outfits, adding pieces to a pair of jeans she’s bored of or removing the sleeves of a shirt, the woman who admits giving priority to style rather than fashion, adds her own unique twist to any garment. She was named the sixth coolest persons on the earth lately by NME and it’s true: she does it well. Not only does she look undeniably individual but her voice is one that could be right here, up in the fashion charts as well! This woman refuses to wear women’s clothes and admits to finding most of the items she wears in Topman. She isn’t afraid to claim ““I don’t lose any aspect of my femininity by wearing boys’ clothes” in an interview for Mypark magazine. Particularly inspired by the 1980s too, her songs remind us of artists such as Blondie or Kim Wilde. Her songs are designed for the dancefloor, throwing us back into the 80s while what through Ladyhawke back to the 80s is her fashion sense more than anything. Wearing fluorescent accessories in her hair for her concerts, she reminds us of Bjorn Borg, the tennis player of the end of the 70s. A style (some negative people might say, a lack of style) that is most shocking at a time when the way singers dress sells as much as what they sing. She links both perfectly, making her influences of the past decades obvious. You may love all of these new-comers in music or just one but what you cannot take away from them is that these new sensations have made it to the top. And their style probably has a lot to do with it. All of the 80s influenced chick prove once more the trend will be huge next season and you may also love it or hate it, you’re going to have to live with it and with these artists music!
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1. Lindsay Lohan’s eyes If you look closely at OK!, you feel you’re looking at Little Boots instead of Lindsay Lohan. Same strawberry blonde, same black defined eyes, same glossy lips, half-open to show little white teeth ready to eat anything. If both have appeared on the pages of the same tabloids, it’s because Victoria got herself known at the age of 16 when she appeared on Pop Idol. She then gained her musical credibility by proving she knew how to sing, play piano and even tenori-on (the Japanese synthesizer) in a few bands, before going solo with her album Hands.
1. Alison Goldfrap’s haircut
Little Boots, Big beats
But who is Little Boots? Victoria Christina hesketh is a British electropop singer, born on the 4th May 1984. She’s therefore only 25 years old, even though on the cover of her first album, Hands, she reminds us straight away of the more mature Alison Goldfrapp (who, at 43, could be her mother). Blame the overworked haircut and the complicatedly pleated blouse. Ust like her elder, Little Boots has a very clear taste for fashion and its eccentricity, quite far from your street corner’s H&M but not so far from Topshop’s Boutique. Musically, the comparison is less obvious: Little Boot’s voice is less operatic than Goldfrapp’s one. As for her tunes, New In Town and Every Little Earthquake, they’re cool but have nothing to do with Goldfrapp’s great Train or Strict Machine.
Geek, mischievous, neo-psyched, this 25 year old British girl blows out an eccentricity wind in electropop
1. Pink Floyd’s pyramid 1. Romantic clouds And the dark clouds that pile up behind her, what do they forecast? Maybe Little Boots is not as simple a concept as it seems. First, her patronymic is not only a reference to what she likes to wear on her feet. Here, it is a translation of the latin Caligula, and Victoria got the idea of reviving it after seeing, when she was very young, Tinto Brass’s sulfurous movie. But what were her parents doing?! Victoria is also trash in her choice of friends, because her two best official friends are Perez Hilton, the crazy blogger, and Brandon Flowers from the Killers. So, will Little Boots become big?
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Very weird, the pyramid behind Vic! It reminds you straight away of Pink Floyd’s mythical album Dark Side of the Moon, from 1973. So what? Is Little Boots attracted to a progressiverock slope, not to say psychedelic? Is she going to lay conceptalbums that claime themselves mystic-philosophic? When you listen to Hands, you realize such an option can not be. Here, you’re more somewhere between La Roux (for the electro fluidity), Lady Gaga (for the mainstream intuition) and Ladyhawke (for the indie touch).
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culture guide
Fly “Up” An entire room full of adults that cry during the twenty first minutes of a cartoon: we had never seen such a phenomenon, even in Cannes!
Fluo panther
But it’s easy to admit that the new Pixar movie has what it takes to move even the hardest hearts of all, even if it forces us to wear these funny glasses to watch it. “Up” takes us back to the 1930s, where Carl, poor little boy, is going to age seventy years in thirty minutes of film. Death, eviction, poverty, denunciation of real estate agent’s greed…easy to say that this movie is anything but soppy, even if it gets better later without falling into any clichéd social convention. Faerie points its nose on board a house that flies off thanks to thousands of balloons and an obese companion not very comfortable in his own skin. His goal is to show that the abuse of junk food is bad for your health and that it will not be easy to transform burgers into by-products from the movie, and an unexpected humour takes its toll. Each and every family member will watch it differently according to his age, but without a risk of making a mistake, “Up” is definitely a movie to be watched by everyone.
“An explosion in a colour pencil factory”: this is how The Guardian appropriately described Ebony Bones. The 27 yearold new British and trendy musical sensation is not a stranger: after having played in Family affairs for seven seasons, the child-star has changed register. She’s now a singer and signs a first wild album where the feline scratches on a tribal and hypnotic electro-rap with its punk jolts. Between Kelis and Santigold, ebony Bones imposes one of the most fascinating CDs of the year, exuberant and multicoloured, just like her look. Her mother – who worked with Yves Saint-Laurent was obviously not consulted! Ebony Bones is at each and every summer festival this year, you cannot miss her! Album: “Bone of my bones” (PIAS)
Inglorious basterds
Get swooned over by Paolo Nutini Do you remember Paolo Nutini? The Scottish guy with a staggering groove, the one discovered three years ago? He’s back with “Sunny Side up” (Atlantic/WEA), his second album. Verdict? Paolo has changed. And we love it. Because… Paolo has grown up. He was 19 and already had a raucous voice, but now, at 22 years old, the amazingly good-looking man he now is has matured and even cut his hair. Result: We’re free to admire his breathtaking smile and these cobalt grey eyes. Sound and image! Paolo is cool. “Whatever happens, there will always be someone who sells more CDs than you, who will play the guitar better or be better when playing live” he admits, rolling his ‘r’s just like in a Ken Loach movie. Philosophy according to Paolo! Paolo is happy. From the warmth of the sound arrangements to the video of the first single “Candy”, filmed in Cuba, “Sunny Side up” is an album that brightens up your day and your I-pod. His twelve songs have the same effect as a shot of endorphin.
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For weeks now, the Inglorious Basterds cast has been going around the world’s capitals to present the movie (and its amazing cast), not only are Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger beautiful but when Brad Pitt decides to bring his wife on the red carpet, paparazzis don’t know where to shoot anymore. Still, is the movie as good as its gorgeous actors? Years go by but Tarantino remains the same: a kid overexcited by his job, never jaded and happy to be at his level as master entertainer. During the last Cannes festival, big Quentin spent his time on the red carpet, smiling to the camera, not only to present his latest opus, but also to discover his workmate’s movies. Which is normal as for Tarantino, cinema has always fed itself from cinema and the master’s whole work is a great mixture of influences. From pop, to serial-killers and history, too often forgotten by basic cinema which prioritizes making money at any cost, without a real story to follow . The title of the movie comes from an unknown bad B serial and Inglorious Basterds imposes straight away its vast reference territory and appetizers for people obsessed with the 7th art. More than anything, it gives movies an unknown power, capable of changing destinies and tighten an ambush around Hitler, until changing the course of history. The new Tarantino takes place in the middle of WW2 in an
occupied France where you follow two vengeful fictions. On one side, Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), young cinema owner whose Jewish family was exterminated by the dreadful SS colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). And on the other side, the “Inglorious Basterds”, autonomous group of soldiers led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and specialized in Nazi massacre – scalp being their brand mark. These two plots intersect very little but participate to the same anti-SS attack whose explosive conclusion will very logically take place in front of a cinema screen. Because, as has already been said, cinema links each thread with a very surprising construction, that not only respects the Tarantino touch (perfect dialogues + violent explosions), always manages to renew its forms. Speech, for example, becomes some kind of cruel snake that slips in and out of French, German, English languages, wraps itself around the characters to hound their failures and finds its most venomous interpreter in the character of SS executioner, Hans Landa. Christoph Waltz’s performance, whose polyglot fury threatens to go beyond the screen’s frame at each and every one of his apparitions, proves once more Tarantino’s talent in discovering unknown actors. He mixes in a breaking move: pure and impure, elegant classicism and contemporary projections, historic accuracy and gore detonation. All of this with the only goal of organizing for his spectator hosts, the best cinematic experience ever. Tarantino is crazy. All for the better.
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london focus
Money isn’t chic...
Everything moves, everything changes. And this is nowhere more obvious than in London. The last few years, especially since the financial downturn, have forced people to live differently and adapt to a new type of life, with less money but more pleasure. The truly cosmopolitan city has greatly changed since 2000, there are new museums and grand reopening). There are brilliant new restaurants and handsome old cafés. There are the twisted nightclubs and the tranquil Royal Parks. And, above all, there are street events, amazing shopping streets and stores, crazy fiestas and music festivals breaking out all over town, almost every weekend. London, at the moment is a fantastic city to be in so read carefully the following articles on the new changes London is facing but also the gorgeous places to visit and amazing things to go to. Without forgetting the best places to shop at!
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In the streets of London, the atmosphere has changed. For the last twenty years, it had been the ‘Bling’ capital.
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All city workers were wearing Rolex, driving Bentleys, were strolling down the streets in a “have-you-seen-me” style and were great amateurs of frantic consumption. London lived at the stock exchange’s rhythm and ran like crazy after big money. But with the subprime crisis, a mental revolution has taken place in just a few months. Last 30th March, workers from a well-known London bank even received a very unusual note that mostly said: “we ask you to come and work in jeans-sports shoes and if possible, a camera in your hand”. The strategy was to pretend traders were tourists in order for them not to get attacked on their way to work. At that time, the financial crisis had known its first big peak (2700 more unemployed per day in the country). And, as the G20 was in full swing, the whole of England was pointing at the alleged responsible: the mean bankers! The anecdote might seem harmless but did mark the end of a reign, the one of easy money and the wild stock exchange. Ever since, golden boys aren’t welcome everywhere. At some of the trendy clubs in East-London you can even read at the entry: “Bankers in their suits are forbidden”. “I have to admit we deserve it, says David, a 33 year old trader. For many years we played with huge amounts of money without caring about anything else without knowing where these millions came from or what consequences our activity could have.” The crisis weakened a future that seemed kind of assured to him. Ok, let’s not pity him but look at the results of his life reevaluation. “At first, I was really scared, he admits. And then, for the first time, I asked myself if I was really following the path that interested me and if it wouldn’t be better if I could do something to help our society”. Good question! WAKE UP! The illness that has lately invaded England, isn’t a physical one like the flu, it is more of a mental one, a conscience crisis, a need to change their set ideas. After a huge money orgy, the City and its inhabitants have woken up with a helpful hangover and have started to re-evaluate their value system. They have discovered other interested that they had left behind: family, friends and others in general. Duncan Cheatle owns a successful youngs’ entrepreneurs club , the Supper Club. “We’re not really affected by the crisis but we wanted to do something that could be good for everyone”. He therefore created a website at the beginning of June: www.thanksto.com. The goal? Thank a person that has had a decisive positive impact on our lives
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but doesn’t know it. The initiative aims to give value to people we forget too easily: teachers, doctors, social workers. Then, Duncan will think about how to point up those whose names are often written (distinctions, mediatisation…) For the moment there is no sign of this website winning a penny. “It’s not the goal, he says. What we’re looking for here is more sense and less individualism”. All together now We have to admit that even thought the situation seems hard to exit, the British capital has a huge reinvention capacity. Local magazines are full of stories about new collective initiatives that have been set up to face the most difficult problems. For example, not having any money Is not an enough reason to stop drinking. That’s what Dawn Kolpin, owner of the Marksman pub. A few months ago, he wanted to give a new start to his pub but didn’t have enough money to do so. She made a pact with one of the regulars: drinks in exchange of a helping hand to repaint the place. And that’s how the idea of regular exchanges between her and the clients started. Every month she puts her ‘needs list’ on her website (CDs for the juke box, organic cleaning liquid or scrabble) and those who are interested come and knock at her door. “Two weeks ago, a young (and poor) designer came to celebrate his birthday (diner + champagne) with five friends. In exchange, he designed two very stylish chandeliers with recycled material.” But in the East London, exchanging skills isn’t the only action going on: a few recessionistas created a group ‘the swapaholics’. Every week, they organize hype but discreet Rendez-Vous during which they renew their wardrobe without spending a penny. “It’s a good chance of going and help myself in another girl’s wardrobe. Why should I deprive myself of this?”, claims Jessica, one of the members. In short, everyone brings a few designer pieces that are in a good state and leave with the same amount of stuff, just different items! “We give the stuff no one wants to charity shops”, explains Tracy one of the organizers. “And when I’m in need of something else than clothes I go to Brick Lane”, explains Sam, a press agent. It all started a few months ago, young people without any cash have invested the Brick Lane alleys (that used to be reserved to professionals) to give their stuff and take other stuff back home. “Last week I sold a DVD collection and a wok. I then managed to buy a Liberty bed cover and cook books, she explains very gladly. This is the only way I shop nowadays”.
DIY The other tendency that Londoners share lately is DIY. Having hands is a good thing but using them is an even better one. Especially when it helps you save money. That’s what Miss Jones, a stylist who dresses a few music groups (The Killers, Scissor Sisters…) claims. She associated with Oxfam in order to open a trendy second hand clothes shop. “When I was young, my father used to take me to charity shops on weekends, it felt like looking through a grandma’s cupboard and when I found one good piece I felt I’d found a treasure. It was like a game. And it’s this playful link to fashion I want to give young people”. Retro wallpaper, colourful decoration, on the opening day Miss Jones even gave a tutorial on how to transform an old not-so-trendy clothing item into a season’s musthave. “It’s important to learn how to do things yourself”, she pounds. It’ s a point of view that Alex , a fashion writer shares. “You become less lazy when you have less money”, she says. A lot of my friends have started gardening, cultivating fruits and vegetables in their little gardens (or at their parents’ houses). She doesn’t have a garden herself but regularly goes to London’s City Farm, fourteen little farms where anyone who wants can go and cultivate land, feed animals and leave with fresh products. “It’s the kind of activity you’d never thought you’d be doing a year ago but that attracts everyone now.” The good hunt “This crisis’s advantage is that it gave us ideas” says Emma, an osteopath. When you look at her with her smile, trendy “East London” look – colourful glasses, liberty skirt, jean jacket – you’d never imagine she’s in need. Still, she lost half her clientele in the last six months. “I started to limit all the money I spent. But there are things you can’t live without.” One day, Emma’s fridge died, “I had only 30 pounds to spend to replace it. I could already see myself put my fridge at my window, pray-
ing it would be cold until June (which, honestly is not really something you can doubt in good old England)…” She sent an SOS email to her friends asking them if they had an idea to help her. At lunch time, her friend Melissa walked in front of a electrical goods store that was offering 70% off until the end of the day. “She warned me. I ran there and found a small fridge for 27 pounds. Unbeatable!”, she explains. Ever since this day they have created a kind of forum on the internet where everyone puts a list of items she needed and what good deals she found. “The only thing we have to do is to REALLY open our eyes when we walk or look at websites such as Dailycandy. com, a discount addresses specialist. And to be honest I find it amusing!” adds Emma. Lately, London is full of sales, brands sell their unsold items for nearly nothing. In general, they don’t last long and the only real thing you have to do is quickly go to the store. “We created a group on Twitter. We send each other information as soon as we know anything special and we find anything we need half priced. I just ask myself how we didn’t think of this before…”. Ok, the crisis doesn’t only have positive sides to it, but it has liberated a youth that was in need of more space and ideas. Ideas that are now different to the ones they had when trapped in their golden cages.
“We’re not really affected by the crisis but we wanted to do something that could be good for everyone”
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Everyone hearts Oxford Street London’s fashion strength comes from her high-street brands The most cult: Topshop (400 Oxford Street)
The less expensive: Primark (499 Oxford Street)
Favourite section: the ground floor, the one with the cheap bags (bags in imprinted cloth, pouch made of sports clothes material and with chains added, funky shopping bag…). At the basement, the ballerinas and trainers section (loads of very girly and original models at £20) and of course the labels section with Dahlia, Markus Lupfer, Emma Cook…
Primark is the it-scene for fashionistas who aren’t afraid of general hysteria scenes, endless queues and cheap finishing. Primark is the temple of cool clothes at unbeatable prices. Animal print skirt at £4, trousers overall at £12…What is mostly recommended is the accessories section on the first floor with cloth bags at £1, ballerinas at £4…In short, loads of good deals and a strong hydrocarbon scent (Inevitably, most of the shoes are made out of plastic!)
The most ‘too-much’: Miss Selfridge / River Island / Dorothy Perkins (Miss Selfridge, 400 Oxford Street; River Island, 484-504 Oxford Street; Dorothy Perkins, 189 Oxford Street) These brands’ motto isn’t subtlety: you mostly find three different trends on one item: shoulder-pads + studs + bows. In the fashion stakes, these are mostly wearable in London and not in Bath for example. But if you take it one piece at a time, the result will be different and you’ll find a lot of jealous girls when going on holidays as England is one of the only places where you can find such crazily original but loveable items of clothing. The shoes prices vary from 30 to £70, going-out dresses from 40 to £60 and leather bags around £60.
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The most conservative: Warehouse / Oasis / Marks and Spencers / Whistles (Warehouse The Plaza, 120 Oxford Street; Oasis, 334-348 Oxford Street; M&S, 458 Oxford Street; Whistles, 318 Oxford Street) More sober, more ‘womanly’, more ordinary, these brands don’t play in the babydoll/fashionista stakes. You can find pretty basics that will last more than just one season, lots of very wearable going-out dresses. A nice bustier dress with fashion finishing (zips, fishnet back, ‘ball’ hip…). NB: When shopping at M&S, go straight to the “Limited Edition” which is more fashion.
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To market, to market A guide ton London’s markets to let you know what’s best
Brixton Market (Brixton station), Exotic Trip
The Clash made people in the 70s because of their “Guns of Brixton” song but the area has nothing to do with what it was before nowadays ,under the covered market and its adjoining streets you can find a market with Caribbean- Nigerian- Portuguese with exotic fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. Favourite spots Rosie’s Deli Café: Beautiful Rosie cooks homemade pies, salads and sandwiches made of products from the neighbor stall. 14 Market Row, www.rosiedelicafe.com Franco Manca, an “organic pizzeria”, presented as a common meal for all the guests. Special mention of the tomato, chorizo and mozzarella (£5.90), 4 Market Row, 0207 738 3021, www.brixtonmarket.net Opening times: Everyday except Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Broadway Market (Aldgate East station, 25 minutes walk), Cool attitude
A district market that has become THE East End’s spot, a fifteen minutes walk north of Brick Lane. Vintage shoes, 50s dresses, a few pieces of furniture and objects at very reasonable prices and a lot of little cafés and stalls of exotic cuisine (falafels, Indian thalis, German hot dogs with sauerkraut….). Stylish mix and ultra-nice atmosphere. Favourite spots Merito Coffee: in the middle of the market, to drink a fruit juice around small Green wooden tables. Vaudeville à la Burlesque:: inspiration 30s and 50s designs (around £40 foe a dress), 31 Broadway Market. Opening times: Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm approximately.
Brick Lane Market (Aldgate East station), flea Market
The less ‘pro’ out of all these markets, each and everyone can come and sell what she/he wants. The result? A lot of junk, but also treasures at teeny tiny prices…and an very young and festive atmosphere, in the middle of the Indian street. Favourite spots Fika: an UFO among all the curry restaurants: a tea house/ Swedish restaurant on the top of Brick Lane, open continuously from lunch until dinner. 161A Brick Lane, 0207 613 2013. At the corner of Brick Lane and Sclater Street, on the floor, organized in a rush: old dishes, ribbon, small objects…always something to be found and bought. Opening times: Sundays from 9am to 6pm.
Portobello Market (Notting Hill Gate station), Antique chic
North of Portobello Road, the most treasurable area now is located after the air bridge, on Golborne Roads’ side: furniture and vintage fabrics, antiques at Portuguese bars. Favourite spots Andrew Hirst’s stall: stocks of ribbons, buttons and lace from all times, a dream for all the DIY girls. In front of the 286 Golborne Road. Lisboa Pastries: all Portuguese meet up there, so does North London’s hype and trendy people, to eat pasties de nata. 57 Golborne Road. Opening times: Saturday mornings from 8am.
Borough Market (London Bridge station), Foodies paradise
It’s the chefs favourite market and also the most impressive by the number of people, the noise, the abundancy and because you want to eat everything you see! Vegetables are beautiful (yes, yes), cheeses are fat and sandwiches and breads are ones that have never been seen before! Favourite spots Tapas Brindisa: the best Spanish-Italian tapas in London in this bar on the corner of Southwark and Stoney Street. The Ginger Pig: London’s best butcher! Their Cumberland sausages are amazing. 8 Southwark Street, www.boroughmarket.org.uk Opening times: Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Times change.
Columbia Flower Market (Bethnal Green station), Flower Power
You’ll find flowers and plants that come from everywhere in England and end up in the best London’s florists. A great show goes on there: the florists sell their flowers through what can be seen as auctions and when you go up the street o the right, you’ll find a lot of small cute boutiques that sell ancient jewellery, vintages sweets, fashion items… Favourite spots Vintage Heaven: a large choice of teapots and vintage china. It has a lovely tea-room at the back of the shop. 82 Columbia Road, www.vitageheaven.co.uk (at the beginning of the market on the right) The Flea Pit: the nicest bar-coffee place and the best lunch (omelette, curry thaï, falafel, organic juices) of the market. Just in front of the place: amazing and low-cost flowers. 49 Columbia Road, www.thefleapit.com Opening times: Sundays from 8am to 2pm.
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topshop
focus
Geri did it before us, Kate Moss made it trendy : the Union Jack is now everywhere but who better than Topshop to represent the Britishmania going on throughout the world ?! Topshop is the best fashion ambassador around the world, for its Union Jack bags and jackets but not only. The store’s success makes it well known throughout the world fashion sphere and appreciated in that sense. Even the store opened earlier this year in NY is one of the only British stores to have had any kind of success across the Atlantic. Still, taking the success for granted is a bit too easy to do as one important question remains: How did they get to succeed so well? Topshop sells anything and everything their customer could ever want in order to be fashion-wise up-to-date with prices relatively affordable going from 14 to 140 pounds for a garment. Despite its prices, Topshop stands tall among its competitors which are, H&M, Zara, River Island, Mango, mainly. The tone is now set, Topshop wants to be innovative, ‘avantgarde’ without too much of copying the catwalk. They are looking to be unique and that’s how the brand’s own designs line is called ‘Unique’. Topshop is ever since 2005 sitting on the benches of Central Saint Martin at the end of each year in order to find new talents to design for the brand. Sophia Kokosalaki notably started by designing for Topshop. Topshop doesn’t do mass-production, the brand’s pieces are produced in limited number Have you ever wondered how Topshop manages to attract us? What makes us want to go back to the store? More than just their promotional offers (the student discount…), their stores offer a variety of facilities with a nail bar, coffee shop (in the Oxford Street store), lots and lots of sweets (!) and of course, the music is very appropriate to the target group. And let’s not kid ourselves: Kate Moss DOES make us want to go to Topshop. Customers want to be serviced and entertained in the best way possible or shopping on the internet would take its toll on stores and a unique and memorable shopping experience is what will persuade us to go inside and return back to the store. It is obvious, even to not-so-economics-awarecustomers that stores are fighting to keep their customers coming back. For a store like Topshop – especially the one on Oxford Circus, London- Visual Merchandising (VM) and displays are the promotional tools that will make any customer want to come back, he/she will want to relive the memorable experience the artistic and creative displays offer. VM includes lighting, colour, furniture, paintings, accessories and a variety of objects that will be striking and correspond to the theme of
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the store. What the customer doesn’t always realize is that VM unconsciously gives them the store image, the brand identity and gives information about the latest trends: the whole shopping experience will be affected by the VM. Advertising is not what makes you want to go to their stores, their incredibly innovative Visual Merchandising strategy is what does. The store’s windows and displays inside the store are usually changed every month, it can even happen twice a month for special occasions such as the Fashion Weeks, new collections from famous designers inside the store. Updating the windows is very important as it shows Topshop’s vital role in the fashion sphere. Around February the windows are full of love messages and very colourful displays as Spring is about to arrive and the ‘darkness’ of Winter is all gone. Analyzing each and every colour and message would be boring to you, the main idea is to know that nothing is left unstudied: you will get trapped by Topshop’s strategy too! Just remember that a beautiful and optimistic window IS what will convince you to come inside first – and then, yes, that dress you wanted. Topshop sells you a Utopia in its windows and their open-back windows that make you see the inside of the store are the second ‘trap’ that makes your boyfriend kill himself as he hears ‘OMG, have you seen that baaaaaaag!’How many times have we girls felt like entering Topshop is comparable to entering Disneyland… and this is all due to the fantastic settings creating the fantastic (and costly, to us) world. Settings include the mannequins which inform us of the new trends and suggest new ways of wearing the clothes: you forget your problems and your only goal is to be wearing what the silhouettes suggest. So let’s concentrate on what the mannequins do suggest for the trends to come! They are divided into 4 trends: Glory Days, Memphis, Sport Nouveau, Witchcraft. These include one of this Summer’s and most certainly, Autumn essential: the boyfriend denim trend, worn with or without the bandage top, the big trend for whichever body type with its fetish inspirations. The perfect ending to such an outfit would be high ( and when I say high I mean, the highest) or fringed boots (although the heat of the London sun lately would leave you quite sweaty and this is not the main goal). The oversized jewellery, the oversized t-shirt and the print leggings are the most comfy, yet trendy things you could wear for a day out. The night out will be different and you will need to wear a sparkly dress over the lace leggings and the high heels. Whatever you wear, accessories are the it-piece lately: hair, neck, wrist, anywhere it can be seen and for it to be more than seen but envied, wear it oversized. Always.
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BIBA
From the swinging sixties to the hippy seventies, a few years were enough for Barbara Hulanicki to give life to “The most beautiful shop in the world” and leave her unique mark on the fashion world. The V&A pays a tribute to the designer by showing a preview of Louis Price’s documentary BEYOND BIBA. Return to a fashion myth.
A long time before Kate Moss was said to have initiated vintage style, Barbara Hulanicki, the woman whose brains, style and talent enabled to create BIBA, was initiating and forming the most evocative, iconic and often provocative fashions from all eras. And in true high-street style, she never set her designs at star prices, her boutique was anything but expensive. Teenage girls, but also girls in their 20s knew BIBA’s designs would fill all their needs and desires. Thanks to the boutique, that breed of women could finally wear something else than the grey and stuffy clothes other shops offered. The 60s in Britain are synonymous with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the pill, the miniskirt, but also BIBA. As BIBA is now seen as the 60s Topshop and is still being talked about. Talking about Topshop, Barbara Hulanicki designed her own line for the highstreet brand 2 months ago. She was approached during her London exhibition – The art of Barbara Hulanicki – and she admits it was with great pleasure that she said yes and adds “What an honour to be able to design for such a famous and trendy brand!”. And it is easy to admit that we owe her a lot in terms of fashion already: mythical silhouettes of the 70s with their smoked dresses, blurry, blueberry blue, red-brown, plum and that she still has a lot to say. Affordable prices, mass distribution, freedom of expression…a lot of common points with her very own BIBA that have convinced Barbara Hulanicki to associate herself with Topshop, for one season. Her Topshop collection is a mix between vivid colours, that Hulanicki uses in her interior decoration work and different research around prints and illustration. The pieces that have been created are very strongly branded with the BIBA spirit (even though the stylist prefers talking about a influences from the 40s mixed to the beach party spirit) where smocks, liquid fabrics and diverted graphics are in the limelight. By the way, the animal print reinterpretation is very well achieved , while the outlines of the faces – very characteristic of the Hulanicki style – are drawn all over items or strategically placed, therefore transforming what should be a ordinary jumpsuit into a desirable arty dress…In the heart of the collection, two designs have particularly had our attention, the one the designer admits she prefers: a short suede jacket, supple and structured, and a short coral dress with shoulder-pads, deliciously in the spirit and trends of our times. Pieces don’t exceed £100, in true BIBA/Topshop high-street style. Still, it all started for Barbara, after winning a beachwear design competition. She became a freelance fashion illustrator for Vogue and had to create minimalistic styles that could easily be reproduced for mass publication. That’s
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how big kohl-rimmed eyes and false eyelashes entered the limelight. What was missing from her lifestyle, though, was clothes, “but unless you had them made, there was nothing to spend your money on”, she says. That’s when she met her soon-to-be husband and they decided to make the daring clothes that were missing for the young generation. They started by launching a mail order label from their Kensington flat and got their first success with a pink gingham dress with a round hole in the back and a matching headscarf that sold thousands of units and allowed them to open the BIBA store that became an icon of the hip 60s and 70s in London. It attracted an amazing number of customers, that were women of course, little wonder why the Rolling Stones and David Bowie were always there! Marianne Faithful was also among the regular customers.Cheap, trendy, mixing inspirations from Hollywood of the 1920s, from “Old films. Garbo, Dietrich and of course Audrey Hepburn’s minimalism “, Barbara admits, but also her childhood memories, especially her aunt’s dressing room – a very chic fashion icon – BIBA’s clothes make up a unique look, heart of a multiple entries universe: to feminine fashion, men’s collections, children, young girls, accessories, decoration, a gastronomy section (with baked beans, marmalade, chocolate ice-cream…even Normandy cheese!) but also makeup with very forward flashy colours, “all the products were ones that I personally needed or wanted and that I couldn’t find anywhere else”, she adds. It’s the same if a customer suggested an idea: BIBA designed it and then offered it in the store. A strategy that pushed the walls of BIBA and find somewhere bigger. Between 1966 and 1969 , each house (or shop) moving became some kind of giant “happening”: the BIBA girls making the rank twist and turn, the stockmen…in the streets of London, in a joyful fashion parade where partying was the main goal. The Sunday Times qualifies the Big BIBA as the “most beautiful store in the world” with hundreds of kilos of marble, thousands of mirrors, antiques, ornaments, panther skin an feathers everywhere, exotic garden on the roof…an inspiring universe. In 1975, after the oil price shock, BIBA is forced to shut down but more than 30 years later, the BIBA girl remains a reference to all fashionistas. “I think all the influence everyone credits me with is due to the fact that our collections were very simple and very feminine, Barbara Hulanicki analyses. Colours and accessories were coordinated. Everything was natural, nothing was designed or decided by marketing teams.” High-street fashion, to her in Britain is “Very fast and very confusing to the public. It really needs a lot of editing”. She has now converted herself to interior design, but she keeps an eye on fashion: “I like Alexander Wangs work but I have to admit that Yesterday’s BIBA girl would dress in Topshop today. She could look like Chloe Sevigny and be like all these girls that have an eccentric view on fashion.” And that, in the end look like this tall blonde girl heroin of the Beyond BIBA documentary, presented as a preview in one of the biggest and most serious British museums, the V&A museum. She also admit “I would like to design ANYTHING. I am already designing handbags for Coccinelle in Italy”. Myths never die.
“YESTERDAYS BIBA GIRL WOULD DRESS IN TOPSHOP TODAY”
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A SUMMER OF LIFE AND COLOUR BY JULIA MODESTI
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TRAVEL
istanbul The Turkish capital is one of the international places that is now more than ever bursting with activity, where fashion design and art reinvent themselves all the time. As Istanbul gets ready to be 2010’s European capital of culture, Mirror-Me’s team went to look for romance and riches in Turkey’s capital to let you know the best places to go to when visiting the place in search of art (and ok, a bit of shopping), next year. Sumptuous excesses A 4700 square meters mall has been built in Istanbul this year and is a kind of metaphor for the new Istanbul: rich and optimistic. Thanks to its political stability and its strong currency, Turkey is thriving and Byzantium is waking up as a fashion-addict. Socialite events are numerous in this exciting city where the most wealthy entertain each other in yalis (lavish houses made out of wood that follow the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea). Even though you’d find it hard to get an invitation to these, young fashion lovers party at the Babylon (a small redish club that saw Marianne Faithfull and Jane Birkin shake their booty on their dancefloors) and on the bank of the Bosphorus, during Summer, eyes looking at the stars. The shore of Ortaköy, that used to be a fishermen’s’ village on the European side, is now filled with restaurants, clubs, and open-air bars. Istanbul’s amazing light gives itself here without any kind of restraint, soft luminance of dawn or brightness of the grey sky after sunset. From there you can tranquilly contemplate the Seven hilled city, its many skyscrapers roofs and arrows of minarets. Still, in this euphoric and consumerist enthusiasm, the past is never forgotten. Thirty years-old develop their Ottoman heritage, mixing Western rigour with an oriental relaxation, a whit decadence.
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Cultural choc At one end of the city, people wander about just like they would in Paris or Milan, while fifteen minutes from there you can see hawkers pushing unstable trolleys full of pide (little bread) and you feel like you’re lost in East Anatolia. Fatih Akin, the famous film director admits: “the most indecent wealth rubs elbows with the strongest poverty of all. Istanbul is a culture shock that has petrified throughout the centuries.” Thrown between Europe and Asia since 1973, the Bosphorus Bridge is a hyphen between different civilizations. Fatih Akin’s movie on Istanbul’s musical universe was therefore called Crossing the bridge. The movie is about those living in Istanbul that are building a new bridge, this time towards the future, motivated by their city that has become a fashion metropolis, but also one of design and contemporary art. The Santral museum, inaugurated in 2007 in a former electrical power station is already propelling the old Constantinople into the world network of contemporary art. It is therefore no surprise that Istanbul will be the European capital of culture in 2010.
Aesthetical elegance Stimulated by its 12 million inhabitants, of which half is less than twenty years old, Istanbul is moving at high speed. Look at Bëyoglu and its sloping alleys, area of ill fame in the 1980s, that has now become the local Soho, built around the commercial lung that Istiklal Caddesi is. All generations are seen here, between an Orientalised Mc Donald’s and a very Turkish restaurant that serves imam bayildi, a local aubergine dish. Between old buildings and Baroque architecture, a debonair red tram links the two ends of the avenue. A small old woman walks up and down the street trying to sell her five gums, while on the same pavement hordes of young girls with (dyed) blonde hair and lips pierced wander about, laughing and go put some make-up for free at MAC.
The Balkans’ New York On the middle of the avenue, at number 309 on Istiklal, Istanbul’s heart beats wildly. On seven floors, a photograph studio, a theater, an art gallery called Galerist and a restaurant coexist. The restaurant, 360 istanbul has the most amazing and unsurpassable panorama. Proud of their city, this is where all young party-lovers from Istanbul go, looking at the view with loving eyes, until the end of the night. Another amazing view is the one offered when you go on the Istanbul Modern’s terrace. Straight ahead: the historical peninsula with the Topkapi palace, Ste Sophie and the Blue Mosque. Behind you: Turkish modern art in the museum. Sometimes a light breeze comes from the sea and strokes your cheek, all the while cleaning the much polluted air. With the exhilarating sound of the muezzin, that mixes itself well to the festive energy of the place, Istanbul, in constant movement, reveals itself as a fabulous place to be and go to.
How to get there
There are 2 flights available per day from London Gatwick or Luton to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. Return fares start at £100 if taken well in advance.
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Where to stay
“The memory of this place was to follow me everywhere, inscribed in my memory (…) I’ll go out until the end of the night. And the next day, I won’t get up early to write.” – Nedim Gürsel, Turkish – French writer, on Istanbul.
The Grand Hotel de Londres, (so you won’t get too homesick. No really, no link to Britain in this hotel, its name was chosen because of the English were one of the first Occidentals who explored the Turkish region). The hotel was built in 1892 and is one of the very few buildings to have survived so long and despite a lot of renovations; the hotel still reflects the elegant atmosphere of the 1900s. The place is truly unique and exceptional and as Time Out Istanbul puts it: “This hotel is one of the most popular and famous of Istanbul, and most certainly one that is the best in terms of quality and price. Its decoration is imbued with taste and originality, with an alliance of weird and unusual objects such as parrots, gramophones, but also stoves of portable coal! The hotel attracts ‘show-offs’ and other personalities such as writers (in 1922, the hotel welcomed Hemmingway), artists and actors. The standard rooms are clean and the suites are absolutely sumptuous, equipped with Jacuzzis and decorated with beautiful thick carpets.” To book, call (90) 212 2450670. OR For a younger feel and to meet new people from all over the world, visit http://www.chillouthc.com/. It is mostly for bohemian, poor but lovely youth in search of culture and art in the Turkish capital. All hostels are placed in the center of the city and have a lovely atmosphere to them.
Where to eat
“Tanavarasi”, it is located perpendicularly to the Istiklal Cadesi (on the European side of Istanbul, the modern part. It’s a big pedestranised street, where all nights out start). Its address is Asmali Mescit Sokak 26, once you get there, get into the building, go up the elevator to the last floor and no further description is needed. It is simply fabulous. Or “Kardesler”, at the end of the Siraselviler street (parallel to Istikal), right after the German hotel. Ok, it doesn’t look amazing from outside but once you go inside and try their fabulous lahmacun (Turkish pizzas), you’ll understand. Then go on the porch and happily savour their ayran (the most undescribable but amazing Turkish drinking speciality) Go and walk around Besiktas, in the center there is a fish market and a lot of fish restaurants (they all look the same and frankly all taste the same). Eat your fish and drink Raki. Do not go to restaurants on the Galata bridge, they’re just here to trap tourists like you! Go to their bars though, it gets very romantic when the sun goes down. There are also good bars around Taksim, when you go down the Istiklalor around Tünel or Beyoglu.
What to do
Classic and cliché but has to be done: small cruise on the Bosphore, visit of the Blue Mosque, of the St Sophie Church and having a drink at the Pierre Loti café… To know what will be going on for the cultural season, visit http://www.istanbul2010.org/en/
Where to go out Bars: “Peyote”, it has three levels with a club on the first floor, concerts on the second one and a balcony on the third. The address is Imam Adnan Sokak 24, near the Nevizade Sokak, the street with loads of bars and taverns… “Balkon”, it’s a bar on the last floor of a building with an amazing view (some say, the best view…), you can also eat there, it’s at Îki köprü Arasi (in the Tünel area). In the same street you’ll find THE Istanbul club: Babylon… “Dogstar”, in the Kartal Sokak (very close to the Galatasaray high-school), it’s a very pleasant bar with a softened red atmosphere with amazing music, especially on the third floor, where the view is also amazing. “Araf”, a dance-bar with Balkan music, at the end of the Nevizade Sokak. Clubs: “Indigo”- electro type, after the Galatasaray high-school, it’s the second to the left “Babylon” - for its concerts “Machine” – house/trans type, just after the Araf when you go down the street it’s on the right Trendy bars (expensive but beautiful – beautiful view, new cuisine)
Shopping Fashion in Istanbul is different from anywhere else on the whole world, after living there for a month you can easily distinguish who is a local and who isn’t. There are a lot of wealthy people on Istanbul but as we all know, money doesn’t buy you style and this is the main problem! Most of the wealthy girls are the epitome of kitsh: they mix styles and the result can only be described as weirdly funny, the current silhouette being sports trousers worn with high-heels and a Fendi bag. The type only Carrie Bradshaw could get away with. The most popular style is very rock n’ roll for girls, a pair of boyfriend jeans worn with Converse, accessorized with many many tattoos and piercings (maybe a way of keeping the overly flirty boys at bay?). Seven out of ten women wear this type of style, even 40 year old women still do - which can be as shocking as the Fendi bag with the sports trousers. Go to Nissantasi: anything can be found there. It’s one of Istanbul’s most fashionable area and is special because it combines everything: big brands can be found but also Zara, Topshop (although please don’t tell me you left England to go into a Topshop in Turkey). It’s not only interesting for its shopping but for its atmosphere, on one of the streets you can buy a 400euros t-shirt and drink a coffee for 7 euros, while in another one you can easily find a 3 euro t-shirt and a 1 euro coffee. It’s a beautiful mixed place where fashionistas love to go. A lot of tourists go there to visit the place so it has a very European feel to it.
The 360 or the Leb-y-deria, situated in Istiklal
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SILHOUETTES
80s forever
A/W 2009 trends Nowadays, designers are looking for and doing something else than just assembling key trendy pieces, conceptual catwalk shows or designs that have no link with reality and that no one would ever want to wear. The financial crisis has forced each and everyone in the fashion world to concentrate on what is essential and for this to work, high-street designers have concentrated on offering key pieces that are right on trend but still dissociate from other brands by their creativity. Even the biggest Parisian houses have decided to recenter subtly their DNA, the hippest brands have drawn commercial silhouettes for their catwalks and designers are now more and more “readable” and wearable by everyone, all of their designs being largely inspired by the 80s. High-street brands take great inspiration from the catwalk and for the 09-10’ autumn/winter collection, here are the biggest trends to remember and where to shop for them.
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The dominant trends of the 1980s were the working woman, at the beginning of the decade, with her suit with their prominent padding. Then the explosion of the new wave inspired a rock and gothic tendency that was both chic and sexy: black imposes itself as the colour of the decade, while jeans are worn teared up. Pop replaced disco and brought its tangy and satin set of colours, in a “Flashdance” spirit. The rise of urban life, at the time, brought its set of comfy clothes and lycra was created. More than anything, fashion at that time was made to be noticed. If you’re a purist of the 1980s and still want to wear fashion from that decade, the best solution is to go to vintage shops. But if you’re just one of the many fashionistas who will want to follow this trend for the following season, the first thing you’re going to look for as an indicator of the era, is shoulder-pads, it was definitely the career woman, 9 to 5 look of the day so don’t hesitate to go for big thick shoulders! You might also want to look for the kind of bizarre or even tacky (excuse my language) patterns. If you’re not one to love the oversized look, go for off-the-shoulder tops, it is really easy to find that kind of “Flashdance” look on the high-street nowadays. Atthe end of the decades, vintage band t-shirts were appearing, going from Billy Idol to Madonna. Leg warmers, belts are accessories that fit very rightly to that era, but really, any kind of oversized and plastic jewellery will do too in order to complement your outfit. Belts are worn in order to really emphasize the shoulder pads and large shoulders while the waist is kept tiny. British girls didn’t really wait for the 80s to come back as leggings worn with an oversized jumper have been on our streets for a long time now. Items to be bought: Dresses and jackets with shoulder-pads (Go to Zara to buy items influenced by this trend and have a look at the article on the Zara collection, prices vary, they start at £60 and can go up to £100), leather or denim bleached tulip skirts (Tulip miniskirts are amazing in Topshop where you will find leather ones but not only, printed, colourful and more than anything: out of the ordinary, from £20 to £30), a short and strict suit (anywhere on the high-street at around£40 but most possibly for free in your mum’s wardrobe), flashy accessories (pouch, plastic jewellery – go to Claire’s accessories, it’s the cheapest you can find on the high street and the choice is vast), and finally go to Topshop for anything that concerns t-shirt or any kind of top with 80s inspiration, whether it’s prints or flashy colours, the store will be your very own Disneyland and prices will vary between £8 to £25.
This season, all girls will have to go for the hieratic oversized build as it’s present everywhere on the high-street and it will fit even the most unfit of girls. Just don’t overdo the effect by wearing all items of this trends at the same time, you would risk looking anything but stylish and more like you’re dressedup.
Military girl Balmain set the trend on the catwalk for the 2009 summer with its Brandenburg jacket and now the uniform trend is all over the high-street, jackets have gold buttons and sign the androgynous look of the season. Jackets are tight-fitted, military boots are out and captain caps will be everywhere! Colours for these items are mostly grey, brown and can be associated to blue or pink. Air hostesses and women in the army will be lucky enough as to wear their work clothes anytime and be trendy on the street! Still, the main goal is to divert the trend from its initial nature, again, don’t overdo it by wearing the jacket and the cap at the same time! Items to be bought: Treggins and zipped leggings (this trend has been taken by all high-street brands but the vastest choice is in River Island where all fashionistas agree that quality and originality are the best, all approximately £40), studded accessories (it can be anything, from shoes to jackets, flat ankle-boots or pointed and studded. You’ve probably seen the Louboutin ones on each and every red carpet but let’s save our money and go to New Look: the best shoes on the high-street. Go for Ranger boots too if you haven’t done the jacket and cap combo at the same time) bleached jeans or destroyed in grey or black colour (again, River Island with prices around £40) perfecto jacket with or without any sleeves ( Topshop is the best high-street brand to shop from for jackets items, prices go from £30 to £50), oversized necklace with silver chains, fingerless mittens (both can be found at Claire’s again, don’t spend too much money on the small stuff and really, Topshop’s jewellery is overprized) Never forget, if you decide to follow this trend, to never ever wear all items at the same time and turn them away from their original authoritarian function.
Parisian chic If at the beginning of ready-to-wear, fashion workshops copied patterns from haute couture Parisian fashion houses, it wasn’t without any kind of reason. Ever since Rose Bertin (one of the first French fashion designers), Parisian chic has always been considered as an extremely certain value. Still, when money isn’t flowing anymore and some fashion houses are finding it hard to survive, fashion really needs results and sales. This brought a lot of high-street brand to do the same as these houses: work on key pieces from any French girl’s wardrobe and create essential pieces to be worn by everyone. Wardrobes are more sophisticated and “precious” with velvet silhouettes, dark colours and satin materials. Women wearing men’s suits is a trend that is back in business. Simplicity in all items designs but chicness in their materials is what should be prioritized. Keep it simple.
Items to be bought: little tweed jackets (Mango offers a wide choice of very up-to-date jackets that can be found at £30), blouses with oversized sleeves (Zara is the best place to go to for this trend, all items are around £20), leather bags (quilted) with a chained hanse (River Island is the best high-street store for bags, prices start at £30, depending on the size), cardigans (Topshop is the king of cardigans, they are in any colour, shape and size and between £20 and £30), loafers (New Look again for the shoes, best quality and price, around £20), big bows and socks (Claire’s of course). By recentering themselves on the essential, high-street brands have mostly delivered collections that go greatly with elegance. A notion that had been a bit forgotten by some who were carrying more of an investigation of fashion, than keeping its simplicity. COLOURS
Nudes This winter, nude colours will take over the world. This summer, they enabled rosé-beige to become a hip colour and the blush range hasn’t finished sprinkling next season’s silhouettes with its melancholic pigments that carry overly-chic accents. Rosé-beige is more than anything a colour that has managed to have the most mediatised rebirth of all. After years spent at the senior’s sections, it is now time – before it becomes the ‘new black’ – to let the colour know what it feels like to be worn at the same time as a stiletto or a laced thighboot…
Ultra purple fashion Despite oversized shoulders, stretch miniskirts and leather that seems to be everywhere these days, the 80s years have also given Autumn/Winter collections, one of their most loved flashy colour: purple. Still, it hasn’t stopped her from being transformed into a very 2010 colour… If you want to compensate for your lack of sobriety, and incorporate purple to our everyday silhouette, look at Zara. You’ll learn how to moderate colours that seem too bright by wearing them with others that are more ‘lifeless’, they will enable to create silhouettes full of luminous elegance.
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Mutation of shoulders
MATERIALS
Velvet paw
It’s not a trend anymore, more an obvious fact: shoulders are growing in size, shoulder-pads appear, forcing all women to take on shoulders that could well belong to Grace Jones’s wardrobe. The assimilation had to be made very rapidly as designers were preparing the ground since last winter and high-streets are now filling all their stores with this trend…
Exactly in the spirit of times, velvet has invited itself on the 2009 Misses. This watered material is also enough to magnify any type of allure, therefore becoming a real advantage on the quest of the right trend, chic and elegant.) In the end, velvet has clearly signed its great return. It comes out of history books, 18th Century lounges and Sunday silhouettes to convert all young fashionistas, thirty-years old with items that are more chic than classy-destroyed and more generally, women with a more consensual elegance to fall for this exceptional material.
Shiny Obviously, collections haven’t finished leaving shining stars behind them. Tribute to the 80s or 24 carats fantasy, wardrobes twist in sequin and lurex fashion. What now needs to be studied is how to soften these razzle-dazzle fabrics in order to incorporate them to our everyday silhouette. The secret of shiny is in our capacity of making it slip. In order to make it work, the association of charcoal/aluminium monochrome , matte materials and a more hazy than structured look.
STRONG POINTS
Thighboots Thighboots are without any possible doubt the queens of this season: as soon as they were seen on catwalks, they were already on each and every fashionista. They have been seen, ever since their media coverage, on each and every leg at the Fashion Week. Conceptual, sexy, or simply extremely desirable, they give us no choice: Winter will not happen without them.
Zara’scollection is very much influenced by this trend and have a look at the article on the Zara collection, prices vary, they start at £60 and can go up to £100 On the ‘build’ level, the most sober ones will probably be the most complimented ones. Indeed, even though Balmain irradiates literally each and every catwalk, on the street you’ll prefer pieces that are shouldered but that swap extravagance for a good dose of casual.
Maxi coats Who would have thought that the maxi coats that were introduced by Max Mara would one day become emblematic and appear in all high-street brands? Surely not the actual generation, for who that kind of overcoat goes with American soap-operas and over-brushed heroins. Still… Coats look best at H&M and again, even though they will only last one winter, you won’t care because you have different coats in different colours that only cost you £40. True, the result can be quite Grandma-ish, that’s why a less classical choice should be better. Remember that whichever style of maxicoat you choose, it cannot be worn with flat shoes as it would press down any silhouette that chose to bet on large shoulders and other heavy items.
New Look is the best high-street brand to shop for shoes as not only do the shoes look perfect but their price is also perfect, from £30. What remains to be seen is what dress code should be worn in order not to make everyone that sees you on the street go crazy. The duo harem pants/ thighboots seems like the most promising and less risky of all (despite its obvious unsexyness!)
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Terry for H&M
Terry Richardson, most known for being a controversial photographer who loves sex, provocation and humour in the pictures he takes, is collaborating for the second time with H&M for their campaign. He was born in 1962 in New York and after a very tumultuous childhood and adolescence he fell into sex and drugs. This part of his life is what has influenced his porno-chic tendency, still, he he is now seen as one of the most compelling photographer of his generation. He declined his trash universe into adverts for prestigious brands such as Gucci or Miu Miu and fashion magazines such as Vogue and I-D. In Richardson’s photographs you can find porn stars (Vanessa Del Rio), models (Kate Moss), celebrities (Catherine Deneuve or Chloe Sevigny), transexuals, animals, friends of his. The man can be inspired by anything and the result is always stunning, just look at his website www.terryrichardson. com and have a look at his images. TERRY RICHARDSON’S SEXY EYE
The photographer is mostly known by everyone for his collaborations with big brands for their advertising campaigns. He started working with H&M for the Cavalli campaign in 2007 with the shooting taking place at the time at Cavalli’s hilltop home in Florence where models and friends of his were photographed in his garden, making the pictures look like they were ones taken at a party rather than for an ad campaign, but that’s what makes his charm: pictures that will attract draw The people to them, unconsciously. Terry Richardson is now working for H&M again, shooting Sasha Pivovarova and Eniko Mihalik for the Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 campaign. For this collection, Terry Richardson put his obvious sexual and party tendency aside to shoot a very modest campaign, with only two models and a white background. Still, the result is beautiful, thanks to the photogenic aura of the models, but also of the eye and perfect command of the photographer. The pictures from the advert show the models with a cheeky-childish and charming side to them.
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H&M may have a very mass-market profile and some sections of its stores, that, at the end of the day, look more like a battlefield than like a trendy prêt-à-porter store, it doesn’t stop the Swedish brand from associating their image regularly with the biggest names in fashion. This time it has managed to have two of the most popular models shot by THE it-photographer of the moment, that Terry Richardon is. Thanks to its ‘masstige’ (understand, massive and prestige collaborations with models, designers and photographers of the fashion world), H&M has managed to develop its very own status at the heart of the mass consumption market. And, indeed, even though the clothes offered by the brand go from very average to very amazing, at always a very reasonable price, the Swedish brand seems to have no trouble in attracting the best of the fashion sphere into its net for its campaigns and collaborations. Pioneers in the mixing of low-cost and famous, they have managed to convince nearly all the beautiful people of fashion to build the new face of fashion attitude with them, think about all the collaborations with famous designers: Stella Mc Cartney, Comme Des Garçons, Matthew Williamson and soon Jimmy Choo, but also artists such as Madonna or Kylie Minogue. These last few years, H&M has not only associated with highprofile designers and models but also famous photographers in the world of fashion, before Richardson, Camilla Akrans, who previously shot the Hermès, Tommy Hilfiger and Missoni campaigns. H&M, which is a high-street brand therefore manages to give itself a high-profile side, attracting all sorts of customers, but mostly ones that are fashion aware. Not everyone knows Comme des Garçons and will queue for hours to buy their designs. Their goal is to give an aura of chic to their inexpensive range of clothes. All their latest campaigns have managed to create a buzz around them, making all fashionistas talk about them. Their marketing strategy is one of the most successful on the high-street with the Swedish brand surrounding itself with the most famous names around in the fashion sphere. The brand has therefore found the key to ultimate success: famous models, famous designers, famous photographers and inexpensive designs. An equation that has all the chances of making us keep on shopping on the high-street!
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Despite arguments over their effectiveness, collaborations between high-street brands and celebrities are still going strong. They create additional product lines and increase store traffic that eventually always leads to an increase in sales. Attractiveness, credibility and a meaning of transfer between a clothing brand and a celebrity are the key to success, a rise in sales and therefore a lot of extra cash. Kate Moss is our generation’s most famous fashion icon. You think Topshop, you think Kate and vice versa. And the collaboration was no surprise as Topshops all over the UK are filled with garments that emulate Moss’s signature look of skinny jeans, waistcoats, tight vests and hotpants (still so hot for the Festival season, four years on). The twice a year Kate Moss collections for Topshop may often be seen by critics as not good enough, that doesn’t mean they don’t succeed and women are still fighting for pieces on the first day they are put on Oxford Circus’s store! KATE, PENELOPE and SCARLETT Designer collaboration with high-street brands create special occasions to draw people into their stores and help them differentiate themselves from competitors. Moss’s Rock n Roll look sells, it has boosted the young fashion businesses’s sale by £3.5 million when it was first launched in 2007. But what also sells is Penelope (Cruz, for those who really asked themselves the question) and her amazingly Spanish sex-appeal accompanied by her grown-up sophistication. The Spanish brand had found the most appropriate brand ambassadors in Penelope and her sister Monica, keeping them designing a clothing range and advertising the brand for four consecutive years, until this year. Still, in Woody Allen’s latest movie, the sensual ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’, Penelope fights for her man against another woman who is none other than…Scarlett (Johansson, again for those who live on a planet far far away). And the story repeats itself on the fashion high-street with Scarlett stealing Penelope’s status as Mango’s representant. Penelope seemed like the perfect Spanish ambassador of the Spanish clothing brand but a Scarlett was needed to boost sales on the other side of the Atlantic as the Cruz sisters weren’t selling enough over there. Americans apparently recognize themselves more in Scarlett Johansson physique than the Cruzs. The official version is that they chose the ‘beautiful’ Johansson for ‘her extraordinary personality, which embodies the ideal of the urban, independent and cosmopolitan woman Mango wishes to dress. A woman who is serene and elegant, yet fun-loving and youthful all at the same time.’ Funnily enough, very few women buy the ‘we chose Scarlett for her brains rather than her blonde locks and youth” and the autumn/winter season to come will tell us if their change in beautiful women to feature in their adverts has made a change in sales.
in the ‘real’ sense of designer, not the Moss designer. Even being a high-street shopping lover doesn’t take away the fact that if designer fashion becomes affordable and is sold at H&M, than why not buy it?! And as the latest news has it that Jimmy Choo will be collaborating with H&M for the Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 season, our excitement couldn’t get any greater! As Magnus Olsson , H&M UK’s boss puts it, “We surprise customers each time we have done one [a collaboration] and they get very excited about it. He jokes: “Our security team is worried.” They even admit in their annual general meeting that, they show great respect for the economic downturn, but at the same time their successful business concept and financial strength has made them well prepared to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities. In the UK only, 17 more stores were opened and sales increased by 10%. Signing-up a famous designer or celebrity does cost brands a lot of money, Kate Moss’s collection, for example, is said to have cost Topshop £3m in the first year, making most of these collaborations rather expensive and risky for the brands. Still, the investment is worth it and more and more retailers are associated with famous names of the fashion industry to help increase their sales.The tactic of collaboration with high-profile celebrities and designers is one that has proved successful for many years now. As these become more and more common, the awareness they created at the beginning is not as big anymore, it is becoming the usual thing to do and customers aren’t really impressed anymore. To stay successful and continue creating the buzz, the seasonal collaborations with designers will have to be increasingly distinct from the main collection and reflect the designer’s signature style, for women want to want to keep purchasing these “special” fashion pieces.
H&M COLLABORATION
High-street shopping lovers shop on the high-street because it is fashionable, any style can be found, and the experience of shopping on the high-street is a very pleasurable and memorable one. But more than anything shoppers go shop on the high-street as it is affordable and what could be better than be able to afford designer fashion or if it isn’t designer fashion, fashion associated to a big fashion or Hollywood star? Competition on the high-street is furious, this is what forces high-street shops to be very innovative in terms of who they associate with, how, when and where. Everything is meticulously planned in order for customers to come once and want to always come back to the same store. A case study on Highstreet brands such as Topshop, H&M, Zara and Mango has shown that the clientele is from 16 to 32 years old, she’s stylish (whatever style that means) and cares a great deal about her lifestyle, more than anything she is young, fresh and hip with a love for clubbing and socializing. Most of them love Kate Moss and fashion icons that ressemble her (although not so much their boyfriends, apart for the rock star status).
H&M have the most uncontested strategy thanks to their longterm partnering with fashion designers and celebrities. All the collaborations they have made in the past have created a huge buzz around their brand and have attracted more and more customers over the years. Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor and Rolf, Comme des Garçons, Matthew Williamson, all these are just a few designer names that have collaborated with H&M to design affordable pieces for fashion loving women all over the world. All of the collections issued have proved instant sell outs, with no possible comparison to even Moss’s Topshop collection. Women are attracted to designer fashion
Numbers show that associating with a high-profile designer or famous star can only help increase the sales as the young women we are need to identify ourselves with someone who itself can be associated to the brand image. Mango, for example has seen its sales increase of 35% thanks to the Cruzs. And how ironic to think that the shop that was once called ‘Flopshop’ is now the best selling shop across the whole of the UK as they managed to differenciate themselves from H&M and Mango in the sense that they are and what they do is a bit more unexpected. So designer shopping? No. Celebrity endorsement of high-street shopping? Why not!
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celeb high street
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There is no doubt possible anymore: high-street style has become one of the most important sources of inspiration to the fashion sphere. As street-fashion photo blogs, but also online glossy weekly magazine publish, sometimes daily, an impressive number of photos taken on the street of very personal styles of very regular people. Still, very few of these “photographers” equal The Sartorialist in terms of quality, one does though: Garance Doré, the French equivalent of Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist. At 33 years-old, The illustrator Garance Doré has rapidly become one of the bloggers whose opinion counts in a fashion world in search of tutors that are close to the street and therefore, to high-street fashion. “A piece of clothing , she says, is the best way of showing her creativity.” This pretty brunette, who never found fashion superficial, can see green ‘it bags’ at red lights and manages to sense in one blink of the eye who has the boldest combination of dress. Compiler in the spirit of times, style eater, bulimic confident? Her job cannot really be classified. Heavy weight of the bloggers world, Garance Doré posts ultra-light messages on her blog, simply entitled garancedore.fr. There are pictures, texts, drawings, that accompany the feelings of the sylphs she passed by during her perenigrations between New York, Stockholm or Paris. With 26 000 visitors per day, and hundreds of daily comments, sometimes as unmoving as “Don’t worry Garance, I’m in need of strong colours too at the moment”. It’s when a sales woman from a high-street brand tells her, in 2007, that a photo published on her blog caused the sales of a jumper to explode that Garance Doré realizes the impact of her success. All women’s magazines have eyes on her and the new bloggers community. And at 30 years old only, here she is, in the limelight. The eye is one of a style hunter who photographs people she doesn’t know when she meets them. Still, she isn’t only attached to the stylishness of these men and women, her pictures capture the subject’s personality and put the emphasis on the intensity of their eyes. Determined, shy, nostalgic, extravagant: Garance Doré’s portraits act like revealing character traits of these men and women. Therefore, the writer often offers two pictures of the same person: one with a tight framing that focuses on the face, and
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a full-length one that gives away an allured silhouette. Through this, garance Doré reminds us that style isn’t just how clothes are worn, as Coco Chanel once said “On a night out, if you tell a woman: what a beautiful dress! It’s that her dress is a failure. But if you say: what a beautiful woman! It’s that the dress is a success.” The line is one of a former illustrator who deals beautifully with colours and drawings. Her thin lines sketches women with amazingly big eyes, Betty Page’s mouths, small noses, sharp chins and minimal eyebrows that look like circumflex accents. Kiraz Parisians that run away in the 2000 years with their boyfriend jeans and walking in their overly high heels. These line-women stop smoking, go weak at their knees for an it-thing, wax, forget to remove their make-up, talk about their childhood heroes as much as about Gossip Girl…They are the initiators of light discussions, with a claimed futility , in an atmosphere of confessions post-girly-diner.
Garance Doré... a girl like me
“A girl like me”, subheading of the blog, maybe means these creatures that are drawn , in which each and every girl can recognize herself… The quill is one of a sensitive , yet sharp, who doesn’t take herself seriously. Humour often bursts under crossedout sentences , a writing that flirts with the spoken world, a sense of formula, funny onomatopoeia and the multiplication of exclamation points. Fashion advices are plentiful but without giving any kind of lesson or without seeing herself as an self-proclaimed fashion advisor. Sometimes, a more sensitive sentence takes its toll and Garance Doré writes about her flight from Autralia: “The long hours spent in a secret alcove where, alone, disconnected, you can watch reality slip away. Saying goodbye, collecting memories, rewinding emotions and wrap them up very tightly , to keep them available, living, closer to you”. Garance Doré unveils herself in the way she writes as she is naturally: terribly enthousiastic, receptive and engaging, for the great pleasure of a conquered readership. If there was only one fashion blog to read it would have to be this one, as Garance Doré is French but also writes in English.
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shoot
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in from the shade
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There’s nothing understated about these classic sunny delights. Grab a pair and go on holidays. Now. A magazine focusing on “real people” could not have an unrealistic shoot in it and all these pairs are from high-street brands. Here, Julia Modesti gives us a view of you, me, any of us in the summer. She’s a 23 year-old photographer, attracted by the aesthetics and beauty of people she meets, capturing their mood, their feelings and personality in one shot. As it’s still summer and we want the positive feeling it brings to us to be kept alive, here’s a bit of sea and sun, a special shoot, one taken by the sea in the South of France. Garance Doré, you now officially have competition!
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Unique Apparel
« Shocking, unattractive, hot, outrageous, rude, dodgy, disgusting, unique, impressive, stupid, clever ». These are the typical reactions you get when you ask London American Apparel (AA) aware shoppers what their opinion on the brand’s advert is. I expect you young fashionistas to know about American apparel, the Los Angeles based brand and its We-can’t-live-without-basics. The story starts with the brand’s CEO, Dov Charney, the man who can be seen as amazingly crazily intelligent in the way he deals with the brand’s marketing strategy. A clear example of the man’s craziness (or fabulousness?) is the fact that he attends most of the brand’s meetings, not in expensive suits, no, he would rather wear AA underwear, ‘just to try the product on’ as he says. American Apparel is the largest clothing manufacturer in the US and is not only known for its forward thinking marketing strategy but also its progressive policies that include promoting immigrant rights and labor policies qualified of ‘sweatshop free’ by the company. Even the facility in LA has a gigantic poster that states clearly what the brand believes: ‘AA is an industrial revolution’ with what is called a vertical integrated business, meaning that they integrate all aspects of production with Charney claiming ‘a garment could be designed on Monday and be sold in London the following week’. The basic cotton knitwear factory employs 4000 people who can produce up to one million t-shirts per week. The brand’s marketing strategy is so successful that it makes you - and me, and anyone, really – forget the fact that even though you won’t find anything that exceeds £80 in their
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stores, the garments really are expensive as there is nothing innovative in terms of design, although some pieces are vintage inspired and help revive classical fashion. More than anything, AA t-shirts are preferred for their simplicity and fine knit by bands, celebrities and promoters for screen printing. The brand doesn’t believe in or want any celebrity endorsement, and they don’t have to because they wear it anyway and help increase the sales. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN In the year of the supposedly ‘Credit Crunch’, Apparel not only survived but its revenue in the UK has doubled and is now of £14 million and in the US, the only brand that remains first as ‘retail merchandiser’ is Victoria’s Secret and this could have a lot to do with women walking half naked on catwalks and out of planes. Maybe this is why Dov Charney decided to ‘frequently drop my pants to show people my new products’, to get to number one! What could be a problem is in fact a subject of controversy and most certainly one that helps increase the sales: its porn-chic ads following the new fashion advertising trend that wants to shock. Kept clean and simple, colourful yet not flamboyant, directly targeted to you (young people), the ads maintain emphasis on the brand rather than the product itself. The best part is all ads displayed embrace the male and female body as it is: perfect in its imperfections and the pictures could have been taken by non-pro at photoshop like you and me. So, porn? Nobody is shocked by the ads anymore (apart for the US of As citizens but no surprise here) as sex is something our new generation is accustomed to because of its massive exposure and accessibility on the web. Sexy is being shown honestly by AA and this is exactly what we expect from a company like AA, nothing less. UNIQLO, The sport of life
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Uniqlo on the other hand is a Japanese brand in the same vein as AA in the sense that it’s a casual wear designer that creates its own clothing and sells it exclusively. It wasn’t successful from the beginning like AA has been and still is, Uniqlo has had to adapt to the new trend of celebrity designers and endorsements with the latest being the adverts for their Sportswear line and Agyness posing in them for the ads after she admitted Uniqlo is ‘her favourite high-street store’ and you can now just imagine her running in London for the bus in her trademarks DocMartens and Uniqlo silhouette! Image had always been a problem at the beginning foe Uniqlo, it was more of a C&A of the East that didn’t know how to sell itself but now Japan has acquired cool and edgy designers to update the brand image and make it fit to today’s trends. Even though it will never be as striking and talked about as AA’s, they are starting to make their name on the high-street and renewed their success. Richard Perks, director of retail research at Mintel sees a disconnect between the endorsement of the trendies and the merchandise. “Trendy isn’t the Uniqlo way of doing things. It’s good-quality, well-made basics. It doesn’t even have the cachet of, say, an American Apparel. There’s no reason why Uniqlo can’t build that reputation over here; I’m just sceptical that it’s doing the right thing at the right time.”
an ultra-rational style as each element, from advertising to the new logo, to the shop floor is designed to reflect this fusion and the clothes themselves. The plan when the brand came to the UK, was to blow Gap, M&S and Topshop out of the water. Their marketing strategy is making the brand getting more and more exposure in the country where it is sold (including France and the UK in Europe) but are their products as good as the marketing strategy? That remains to be proved. The trendy and edgy clientele of London and the Uk in general will most certainly pay more to represent a bit of AA rather than Uniqlo…It is most definitely unsure whether the Uk consumer, beyond metropolitan areas, will get what it is about.
The marketing strategy is not limited to their ads or websites, what they do is bring rising design stars to design a special tshirt in a limited edition and in the UK, their stores are always packed with well-groomed twentysomethings browsing the limited edition t-shirts. Their style is beauty conscious with
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GREEK HOLIDAYS Now that Glasto’s over it’s time to think about real holidays, as in the ones where you lie on the beach and do nothing but drink Mojitos (after the festival-beer overdose). What are you supposed to wear now that you’ve spent all your money on that all inclusive hotel in Mykonos?! The hottest shop with the hottest dresses of all kinds has to be in Notting Hill and goes by the name of Appletree Boutique. I’m not saying you’ll be able to buy each one of these beautifully designed dresses but their prices are no more higher than those in Topshop and do make quite an impression as they’re mostly a one-piece off. Don’t be afraid to show your legs, it’s too hot on the islands anyway to think of wearing anything that would hide your body. Mamma Mia! Get leggy, and while the heels and bikini combo is getting more and more accepted, although very wag-like and only really seen on Cheryl Cole or Lampard’s now long gone flame, it can be accepted. Though if you’re planning on shaking your booty at Cavo Paradiso, I’d recommend nothing (on your feet) as the chances of you falling in the pool you’re dancing next to until 9 am are very high. The latest high on the fashion chart has to be the Havaianas. A lot of controversy goes on when you start talking about these flip-flop fans’ favourites: they’re $2 in Rio and most of the time more than £20 across Europe. Unfair? I’d say yes but they’re a must-have and no one would dare to be seen in a pair of nothing flip-flops anymore. Especially when you learn that Selfridges has launched a pop-up shop where you can customize your own Havaianas with over 100 colours, Swarovski crystals (if you’re gonna wear a pair of £20 flip-flops, they better be diamond incrusted), and you can just imagine this is the first step to being able to create your own pair of Manolos in a few years. The biggest question when leaving for your Summer, flesh-showing holidays is the bikini. There are two categories of women, those who decide to buy ONE very expensive Dolce and Gabbana bikini that will assure them of their own originality and chicness on the beach. And then you have us, us mortals who go to H&M and think that at £10 the bikini, you should take advantage and buy loads, only to end up having 4 other women wearing the same bikini as you on the same day at the beach (true story, and quite mortifying frankly). So I’d say, not H&M, but why not Topshop? It isn’t in France, Spain or Greece (it is in Turkey, though, beware tourists!) so the risk of you ending up with other fitter and more beautiful women wearing YOUR bikini on the beach is close to zero. Technically speaking now: the cropped top. Let’s be honest here, it’s a no-go, apart if you’re Daisy Lowe and somehow manage to get away with it. Most probably because of your famous parents. And certainly not because of wearing it with a pair of shorts. Such a combo is not acceptable. Conclusion: Keep it simple, spend most of your money on your flip-flops and bikini (just not at H&M or mix and match) and find a good looking man at Cavo Paradiso to get the free drinks (although a straight one will be hard to find, or will already have tried to touch your ass). You are now ready to Swagger in style. And for those who are not inthe-place-to-be enough to understand all those youngsters speaking at the pub, swagger means a person’s style: the way they walk, talk and dress. So, swagger fabulously now fashionistas!
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zara piece For the Autumn/Winter 09-10’ season, the Spanish brand seems to have designed its best collection ever since it has existed. Incisive and terribly chic, Zara manages to deal with revelance with this season’s must-haves. Their designs therefore give us an intelligent interpretation of Autumn’s chief fashion flow and are inspired by the greatest ones from Balmain, Fendi, or even Burberry…
In addition to this, most of the collection’s trends are inspires by the extravagant 80s but Zara manages to give them a suiting and unexpected sobriety by treating them in filigree. You can therefore find chic trousers with the 7/8 length, white shirts for androgynous working girls, thin draped skirts, but also elegant coat dresses made out of wool with rounded endings.
If some of you still had doubts about the fashion viability of shoulder-pads’ come back, today, they can only change their point of view. Indeed, this is not a time for questioning, more for appropriation as all the big brands – following Zara’s example – have all sided on the maxi-build’s side. Balmain had prioritized this trend for the last three seasons and has finally managed to influence the mass market…
Even though the 80s tailoring part of the Zara collection is the most convincing of all, their Western wear theme, referencing Ralph Lauren’s 1978 collection is also appreciable.
Zara’s stylists have therefore worked on the up-to-date duet of shoulders/volume. Yet, despite the risks of the exercise, results are convincing. The pieces go beyond clichés of so-called quarterback fashion and the new collection offers designs where mastery wins over trendy extravagance. True, shoulders have widened but the rest is so minimalistic with its black or grey colour have enabled the fashion item to go beyond anecdotal and favour ready-to-wear. Waisted blazer and LBD, both inspired by Goldorak prove themselves as more classical than was imagined at first.
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That said, by wanting to give their version of one of the season’s must-have, Zara commits a fashion no-go. Indeed, thigh-high stiletto heeled boots do look chic on Calvin Klein’s ex-muse Toni Garn, they end up looking really cheap on the brand’s website. That’s when we try to forget that Zara has been trying to sell skinny ripped jeans for the last few years, their worse idea ever… It all leaves us with the fake fur numerous pieces (that refer to the Fendi collection) which look really amazing on the David Sims photos but will have to prove their potential in the brand’s stores. Despite these light flats, the 2009-2010 Zara opus proves itself as highly desirable. Just look at any fashionista girl’s wish list and you’ll realize: shouldered jacket, overall with lamb sleeves, woolen blazers, bonnet stolen from the men’s section and the Balmain inspire LBD…
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TIGHTS Under the impulse of many fashion designers, tights are about to become one of the hit accessory to have this winter, and just not any pair of them. Whether they’re ultra-feminine or warmly-chic (our of wool and oh so comfy), they can be worn with each and every trend to come next season, from neo-Parisian to preppy. And even though opaque and transparent still have the ‘right’ to be worn on city-dwellers’ legs, you’ll have to dare to bare all the fabulous tights that are new in town. We mostly not have the will nor the money to follow what Vogue recommends to buy but tips are always welcome and Emmanuelle Alt, Paris Vogue’s fashion editor advises to associate tights to your Summer look. Fashionistas have had a hard time doing it for the moment – especially because we’re in August and it’s psychologically difficult to wear tights – minds may change in September. Indeed, from then on, tights will have to be your silhouette’s ally in order to give it a new twist and be very up-to-date. In the trendy elastane universe, what needs to be remembered is that there are two schools of mind: semi transparent imaginative tights and structured opaque tights. These are the two examples of trends to follow.Through the boudoir spirit of the moment (which brings back draped silk and thin lace), tights will also flirt with the lingerie theme and become more feminine and sophisticated than ever. Be careful, though, not to buy tights with a very Buren touch (Erin Fetherston) that surf on the rest of the animalprint trend. Indeed, these could really marginalize the look of those who risk it. SO don’t do the panther look. While opaque tights will be more easy to wear than those made of veil thanks to their coziness. And of course you’re allowed to wear the very black ones, especially because fashion trends of the winter will have us wear loads
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of colours on our 80s silhouettes but don’t hesitate to be a bit less conformist in your choices. You could even play it Chanel style and chose to wear white tights, woolen making them more fashiony than the elastane ones. And not only for fashion but also for our legs to stay warm the whole winter! Colourful tights, that Marc by Marc Jacobs introduced are a fresh, simple and joyful choice that New Yorkers will adopt very easily, followed closely by us Londoners! Between Gossip Girl and 60s inspiration, that type of outfit has to be reproduced to the infinite as not only are you stylish, but also very fashion matter-of-fact. What should always be remembered -
Don’t choose overly flashy colours, keep them to go to the gym
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If you choose to wear the laced version, keep it light and simple on the rest of the silhouette
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Those with Autumn colours are perfect to pretend you’re Leighton Meester on the Upper East Side
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Embroidered tights, thanks to their subtle and simple sides will be perfect with anything you choose to wear. And oh so romantically perfect.
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it accessories Here are now the it-accessories to complement your wardrobe in order for it to look absolutely fabulously trendy. ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES HATS If there is one accessory you have to have this winter, it has to be a hat, it was on all catwalks: he is therefore back and it’s official. You can chose any you like, any that fits you really as everyone on the high-street is selling hats again, you can have it as a decoration or you can have the classic woolen hat, even just a headband could do, the essential thing is to have something on your head! - Felt hat (Uniqlo has a neverending choice of hats that are right on trend, £20) - Headbands or anything shiny to go on your head (even if it looks like a crown! Topshop, again, thank you. From £8 to £40, depending on how much jewellery you want on it!) BELTS All it looks of the winter to come are belted and cinched. Whatever your styles and preferences, folk, crazy coloured or 80s fashion in Dynastie styles: the 2010 belt is preferably quite lqrge and worn high. - Bling/rock/80s fashion belt (River Island’s section has the best choice and is the most crazily original but fabulous section of all, prices start at £5) JEWELLERY Jewellery will be very present this winter, quite often oversized and golden, they decorate each and every look and can even be part of you hair styling. The most accessible trend and one that doesn’t look like you’ve tried too hard is wearing a pair of oversized earrings. Themes are birds, all have been declined into earrings from cute ones (butterflies) to not so cute ones (spiders). Oversized rings are also very acceptable and why not try when in the shape of a tiger’s head? Or a huge (fake) diamond? In you hair, go for gold headbands, feathers or any kind of jeweled accessory. - Oversized jewellery (Topshop has the widest choice of jewellery, especially if you chose to go to the Oxford Circus one, prices vary depending on the piece but start at £8) - Brooches, medals…(Topshop, again for its wide choice despite it’s a bit too expensive prices, from £10) SCARVES AND GLOVES Let’s be clear here, not only will you be looking ultra glam this winter, you’ll also be warm! Gloves will be very long, sometimes going as high as the elbow
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and in leather, wool or fake (always go for fake) fur. Scarves will be voluminous and very thick, there will loads of wool and fake fur large collars to come this winter. Let’s now hope the season will be very very cold to be true fashionistas without sweating! - Leather gloves (the biggest choice of gloves has to be at Topshop where you will mostly find fake-leather ones but who cares, they’re cheaper) - Huge scarfs (Uniqlo or American Apparel are the best place to go for these winter essentials, from £10) BAGS Let’s make it short here as you probably already have tons of bags at home but the ones to carry this winter are python and crocodile materials. Velvet is also back on the high-street and all will have chains and studs (preferably). - Tweed bags with chain hanse (Bags are very trendy in Mango, Zara and sometimes H&M, go and find one there, it’ll be a lot cheaper than what you find anywhere else. River Island is also well-known for its bags, just don’t be afraid of it shining a lot!) - Any type of studded accessory: bags, shoes, bracelets…(this trend is huge next winter and after having been around all the high-street brands: you can find anything anywhere!) SHOES Boots are the one essentials to have this winter, they are back each and every year in all kinds of colours and shapes but this winter’s will be thighboots, if you’re afraid of wearing them high-heeled, flats will do. There are also ankle-boots that are often accessorized with studs buckles. Low boots, Mary-Janes for a night out and fringed ankle boots are also part of the scene for the season to come. - Thighboots (New Look is the best high-street brand to shop for shoes as not only do the shoes look perfect but their price is also perfect, from £30) - Brogues (again, New Look, £12) - Rock and roll ankle-high boots or with a rangers spirit (New loooook!From £20) And don’t be afraid to wear all these shoes with an apparent pair of socks! - Socks that show (Topshop, from £8) Or tights! - Lace leggings and tights (again, EVERYWHERE! I’d say, even Marks and Spencers!)
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high street fashion week Now please forget about New York, Paris or Milan : London will be hosting what seems like the most exciting event we have seen for a long time: a High Street Fashion Week, in September this year. Londoners usually see Oxford Street as a tourist trap or a place where unimaginative shoppers go. Needless to say you wouldn’t want to be going or seen shopping there anytime soon. Especially on a weekend. Still, this High Street fashion week will be launched on September 7th and will act as a prelude to the “real” London Fashion Week (from 18th to 22nd September) and you definitely should be part of it and go to Oxford Street for once! The event is said to be organized in order to promote the diversity and affordability of high-street fashion and it’s quite obvious to add it also has ben organized for you to spend a bit of your money in the stores that have agreed to associate with the event: Uniqlo, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Topman (most certainly followed by other members of the Arcadia group, Topshop, Miss Selfridges…).
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In true elitist Fashion Week style, only the fashion elite usually enjoy the excitement of London Fashion Week. So, Oxford Street’s High Street Fashion Week will also bring the buzz of fashion week to the everyday shopper, just like you and me. There will be a wide selection of events and promotions throughout this special week in London, on Oxford Street. Events will include the exhibiting of stores’ A/W 09 collections in a virtual fashion exhibition that will enable us to see high-street fashion as even more special (even though we had no doubts about high-street fashion’s wow factor). There will also be fashion and beauty workshops for everyone. Shops will be open late and you will be able to enjoy champagne drinking, proving once more that there is no better place to shop than London’s West End (just not on a Saturday) During the month of August, Oxford Street shoppers will also be asked to vote for their favourite celebrity “High Street Queen”, whose winner will apparently play a major role this particular week…Want to place a bet? Go shopping on Oxford Street and for more information about the event, visit http:// www.oxfordstreet.co.uk/.
style focus: Lily Donaldson’s face is one that cannot be forgotten after appearing in adverts for Dior, Burberry, Dolce&Gabbana and Jil Sanders. With such a CV, no need to add she’s one if the it-models of the moment. US Vogue has even placed her in the ‘most promising models’ dream-team with Raquel Zimmermann, Jessica Stam and Hilary Rod. She is now considered as one of the most desirable model in the fashion planet, in terms of sales. It was therefore no surprise when Lily Donaldson’s look at the premier of ‘Taking Woodstock’ – leather miniskirt, transparent top, flat shoes, all in a harmonious black coal colour – was seen as the hit-look to wear as it combines all the trends of the dress-code to be worn right now. Simple, yet very efficient, this total charcoal look is evidently one of the keys to our wardrobe of today, but also of tomorrow. All high-street brands offer the Donaldson look and most of us should be wearing it soon. And as dress codes may change, some things never do. Indeed, if heels aren’t a must-have in the world of shoes at the moment and if indecent transparencies aren’t considered as a fashion no-go, black keeps its non-colour status and stays in poleposition in the hall of fame of elegance. WE LOVE BLACK Whatever the season, it is always of the best taste to be able to know how to decline themes of the moment in black licorice
lily in order to deal in the best way possible with the trends and bare an up-to-date silhouette without being considered as a fickle fashionista who changes her taste and wardrobe at each and every change of fashion. Black is more than ever any fashion-lover’s favourite colour but still has to be treated with subtlety in order not to risk transforming yourself in a very bad Catwoman or a ‘depressive girl’. Indeed, the trio of skinny jeans/ballerinas/tank top in its black version is only flattering (in general) on young women with Erin Wasson’s body type, while others will have to prove themselves a bit more inventive. This season you will have to deal with the hit materials such as leather and transparent ones to magnify not only the black colour but your whole silhouette. The idea is to illuminate this nocturnal tint by handling it in different materials and by alternating matt and sheen. In practical terms it means: surfing on the grungy wave with a little bit more lightness than usual, don’t overdo the look and please forget about t-shirt with holes, worn-out jeans and biker boots in order to give way to a neo-ingenuous rock n’ roll look and not a I-want-to-kill-youand-myself-afterwards look. By temporizing her leather miniskirt with a pair of wise Derby shoes and by playing things down concerning the shamelessness of her t-shirt thanks to casual lingerie, Lily Donaldson demonstrates perfectly what a total black look should look like. In September, the only thing she’ll have to do is add a pair of embroidered tights and a thin coal-coloured shouldered jumper in order to continue being right on trend.
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12 reasons not do anything this summer 1. You feel fat 2. Each and every year it’s the same thing: you fall in
love with a boy who lives on the other side of the world and you will never see again apart from on his Facebook pictures. Gain time and chat men up in front of your computer.
3. You’re scared of flying, you’re sick when on a boat
and whenever you travel by train you always end up next to the guy who sweats the most, eats only garlic bread and snores.
4. You’re finally going to be able to go to all these ex-
hibitions you haven’t had time to go to these last few months. What? You feel it’s a consolation price?!
5. True, your mother offered you to come and spend
a few days in Cornwall in your family house. You can already imagine your parents fighting over the electric gate that should be repaired. So, when you think about it, Sunburn (well, at least you wish in bloody cold England) + moral blow and low would be way too hurtful for you to get on that stinky train.
6. Everyone says: being in the sun is dangerous for
your health. And do you know why? Because the sun always makes you crave Rosé wine, fresh Martini, if not Tequila. Short way of putting it: the sun is dangerous for your liver.
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7. You’re poor. 8. No one offered anything. Which is hard to imagine
because you’re so cool during the holidays. Visits of the St Georges chapel, potholing escapade, when you’re in, there is no time-out. You organize a very rich timetable, for everyone and to the minute. No really, when you think about it, how weird that you don’t have any plans for the summer.
9. You didn’t dare buy your ticket for Ibiza. Yes, it’s
your very own coming-out: the only thing you find tempting is dancing like a bimbo on a table, wearing a miniskirt while drunk listening to a really bad club tune. The only problem? You’re 25 and alone.
10. Freedom is a great concept that enables you not to do the same thing as everybody else. Even though what everybody else is doing looks really cool.
11. You can always go and see the romantic comedy of the summer with Sandra Bullock. Or not.
12. Ok, so for the moment you’re a little fat and a little
not too rich. But if you stay at home all summer, drinking only green tea, you can be sure you’ll be the most beautiful one of all your friends in September (and you won’t be broke) to go party.
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