Salt Autumn/Winter 2011

lIgHT Of THE WORld with helena ChRistensen, toM dixon, niCholas kiRkwood, Ron aRad, alexandeR MCQueen…

Plus aRMani, laCRoix and the eveR-exPeRiMental genius oF hussein Chalayan

SHINE ON THIS WINTER with Zaha hadid, hussein Chalayan, giles deaCon, david RoCkwell, konstantin gRCiC, doshi levien, MaRios sChwaB, antonio BeRaRdi, tokujin yoshioka…

Plus an aPPReCiation oF alexandeR MCQueen

MOMENTS OF WONDER SPARKLING SHOPPING EXPERIENCES 6112 Wattens, Austria, Tel. +43 (0)5224 51080 www.swarovski.com/kristallwelten Open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Last entry 5.30 p.m.

Closed 2nd and 3rd week of November

CONTENTS

Above, from left S Russell Groves’s ‘Crystalline Icicles’ chandelier; pearl drape dress, made with Swarovski Elements by Marios Schwab and ‘Glamour Pearl’ ring made with Swarovski Elements

by Philippe Ferrandis

Quick Response (QR) codes can be found throughout this issue, enabling the reader to view additional multi-media content via a smartphone.

To scan the code, simply download one of the many available QR apps, such as QR Reader

13 THE CUT Swarovski news from around the world, beginning with launches and award events

28 ColoRS oF iNdiA Philippe Ferrandis’s sparkling and richly hued jewelry inspired by the Raj

14 NEWS The latest global news, including wedding jewelry and the costumes for Thor

31 NEWS Icons of pop and retail, Duran Duran and Harrods both collaborate with Swarovski

16 NEWS Captivating corsetry, an extraordinary exhibition and a royal commission

32 SpARkliNG FooTWoRk Nicholas Kirkwood brings a little piece of heeled heaven to Mayfair

18 STAGE CRAFT Celebrating the relationship between the Academy Awards and Swarovski

35 TRENd TAlk The latest looks, hot off the runway: Victoriana, sheer luxe and more

20 MATERiAl GiRl Salt magazine steps into the fearlessly imaginative world of Yasemen Hussein

36 REMEMbERiNG MCQUEEN A review of the poignant Alexander McQueen exhibition

22 ModEl FUTURES Helena Christensen goes in search of the new faces of tomorrow

38 CHiNA pEARl Dazzling pieces from the Swarovski World Jewelry Facets preview

24 bRiGHT yoUNG THiNGS A look inside the Central Saint Martins/ Swarovski design competition

40 All THAT GliTTERS Swarovski lights up award ceremonies, including the Oscars

26 NEWS Swarovski Crystal Pearls and the new men’s jewelry range with rock ’n’ roll at its heart

42 STAGE pRESENCE How Swarovski adds glamor to stage shows around the world

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CONTENTS

44 joint work Premier designers such as Rodarte and Jason Wu continue to inspire with their latest creations using Swarovski Elements 58 light relief Crystal is put to astonishing use by the designers in the Swarovski Crystal Palace, who include Ron Arad and Tom Dixon 62 best on show Swarovski celebrates its 10-year partnership with the CFDA’s pinnacle award ceremony 66 collective genius Fashion designers apply their creative powers to crystal jewelry 72 playing with light Swarovski designers turn their attention to that grand scatterer of light, the chandelier, with breathtaking results 74 amazing grace With parallel levels of dedication and skill, Swarovski’s link with ballet is historic 78 not just a pretty face Swarovski commissions British designer Karen Beauchamp to create its new range of opulent luxury wallpaper

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82 chatelaine of chic This season’s dresses tease the eye with daring cuts and Swarovski shimmer 94 elementary magic The latest shapes, cuts and colors from Swarovski Elements 104 their bright materials Armani, Ferragamo and Zegna are among the world-renowned fashion houses collaborating with Swarovski Elements on menswear 110 hussein chalayan Lisa Armstrong sings the praises of the sensational designer whose shows are as legendary as the clothing he makes 114 city slick The results of months of research from the Swarovski Elements Trends team. Salt showcases their predictions for next season 120 swarovski stockists Swarovski store locations and contact details worldwide 122 a trick of the ice Nick Smith on sun dogs, the natural yet magical effect of ice crystals on solar rays

Above, from left Antique silver blouse made with Swarovski Elements by Jason Wu; ring from Atelier Swarovski by Mary Katrantzou; Swarovski Element from the Graphic Family

Armani Hotel Milano opening Fall 2011

welcom e to salt

Welcome to the Autumn/Winter 2011 issue of Salt, celebrating the use of Swarovski Crystal in the worlds of jewelry, architecture, design, film and stage.

This magazine demonstrates the evolution of crystal from technological precision and masterful cutting to striking a chord within some of the world’s greatest creative minds.

In this issue we profile long-term collaborators such as fashion designers Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen as well as celebrate recent partnerships with a diverse range of talents such as Nicholas Kirkwood and Mary Katrantzou, who beautifully demonstrate inspirational examples of how crystal has been used in groundbreaking ways.

At Swarovski we have a passion for innovation and experimentation and are committed to nurturing new talent and championing unsung heroes, such as the many design partnerships we have formed through our ongoing Swarovski Crystal Palace and Swarovski Elements at Work Projects. We are continually amazed by the avant-garde results of our partnerships and we hope that you are, too.

Nadja Swarovski Member of the Executive Board

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giuseppe zanotti design

shop at www.giuseppezanottidesign.com

automne-hiver 2011 2012

CONTR IB UTOR S

Salt SHOW MEDIA +44 20 3222 0101 Ground Floor, 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP info@showmedia.net www.showmedia.net

Graeme Montgomery

Clare Coulson

Michelle Duguid

Matthew Shave

Photographer

Writer

Stylist

Photographer

Graeme Montgomery has established a reputation as a leading photographer of luxury fashion items.

He splits his time between London and New York, with work appearing in Arena Homme Plus, GQ, The Sunday Times, Tatler and Vogue.

Clare Coulson is fashion features director at Harper’s Bazaar, and before that, she was fashion editor of The Daily Telegraph. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, InStyle and Marie Claire.

Michelle Duguid lives in London and is fashion editor at Russian Vogue. Previously fashion assistant at British Vogue, she has worked with photographers such as Paolo Roversi and Lachlan Bailey.

Her work has also appeared in international publications including Flair and The Wall Street Journal.

Matthew’s first commissions came while he was studying at Central Saint Martins, when he shot two iconic covers for ES Magazine and a poster campaign for MTV. He has also featured in Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and The Sunday Times Style.

Editor-in-Chief Peter Howarth Creative Director Ian Pendleton Managing Editor Abby Rawlinson Art Director Dominic Bell Designers Helen Delany and Hillary Jayne Picture Editor Juliette Hedoin Picture Research Leonie Morse Chief Sub-Editor Chris Madigan Sub-Editors Sarah Evans, Tanya Jackson, Gill Wing Editorial Director Joanne Glasbey

SWAROvSkI CRyStAl BuSINESS Member of the Executive Board Nadja Swarovski Fashion Communications Director Pascale Montaner Fashion and Corporate Communications Executive Meghan Kay SWAROvSkI ElEMENtS vice President Global Marketing Christoph Kargruber Director of Branding and Communications Andreas Brakonier Senior Communications Manager Vera Klotz

Nick Compton

Melanie Rickey

Olaf Wipperfürth

Nick Smith

Writer

Writer

Photographer

Writer

Nick Compton is features director of international design magazine Wallpaper*.

He has written on business and lifestyle trends as well as design, photography, film, fashion and architecture for magazines such as Details, i-D, The Observer Magazine and The Independent on Sunday Magazine.

Melanie Rickey is the fashion editor-at-large of Grazia, with a blog at fashioneditor atlarge.blogspot.com. She has been writing about fashion since 1997, and has, over the years, written for Vogue, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Evening Standard and The Daily Telegraph.

Olaf Wipperfürth is a German photographer, based in Paris since the late Nineties. He regularly shoots for French and Italian Vogue, GQ Style, Muse and clients such as Cartier, Garnier and Nike.

Olaf ’s personal work explores the ‘cinematographic moment’ and the theme of absence, as shown in various book publications and exhibits.

Nick Smith is a writer and photographer as well as a former editor of Geographical magazine and a fellow of The Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society.

Nick contributes to The Daily Telegraph, and his latest book, Travels in the World of Books, was published earlier this year.

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Salt is published in Chinese, English and Japanese. Translation by Etymax; www.etymax.com Colour reproduction by FMG; www.wearefmg.com Printing by Stige SpA; www.stige.it Salt is published on behalf of Swarovski AG, Droeschistraße 15, 9495 Triesen, Principality of Liechtenstein by Show Media. © 2011 Swarovski AG. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

TOD’S BOUTIQUES: TEL. 020.74932237 - 020.72351321

swarovski stories from around the globe starting with stellar awards events and dazzling launches

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sTar oCCasions From launch events to award ceremonies, 2011 was a star-studded year for Swarovski. Highlights included the launch of Swarovski Elements Wallpaper collection, which took place at the 18th-century splendour of London’s 33 Portland Place. In May a host of famous names attended the opening of Nicholas Kirkwood’s first standalone store on Mount Street in London. Stateside, Swarovski hosted an exclusive preview and dinner at Mr Chow to celebrate the first West Coast exhibition of designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.

In July, Swarovski celebrated their 10th anniversary of sponsorship of the CFDA Awards and then honored Hussein Chalayan during Paris Haute Couture Week for the debut of his retropective exhibition ‘Récits de Mode’ at Les Arts Décoratifs.

FAMOUS FACES Clockwise from top left: Jakob Oertle, Daniel J Cohen, Mathias Margreiter, Nadja Swarovski, Robert Buchbauer, Markus Langes-Swarovski at the Swarovski Forum, Tenerife; Michelle Alves at the MOCA Awards, Los Angeles; Lady Gaga at the CFDA Awards, New York; Elijah Wood at Mr Chow, Los Angeles; Nadja Swarovski at the CFDA Awards; Dasha Zhukova at MOCA, Los Angeles; Cat Deeley and Nicholas Kirkwood at the Nicholas Kirkwood flagship store launch, London;

Anna dello Russo and George Cortina at the launch of Hussein Chalayan’s exhibition at Les Art Décoratifs, Paris; Nadja Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg at MOCA, Los Angeles; Hussein Chalayan at the launch of his exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris

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W EDDING JEW ELRY AND cRYstALs thAt LIGht UP thE scR EEN

giRls on FilM

Clockwise from right: Scene from Jason Wu’s film; Rene Russo in Thor; Necklace

by Cecile Boccara; Scene from Marios Schwab’s film

in a bid to bring fashion and film together, Swarovski has joined forces with dazeddigital.com to create two short films with Swarovski’s designer collaborators: Jason Wu and Marios Schwab. taking inspiration from liliana Cavani’s cult classic movie The Night Porter and Bianca Jagger’s iconic Vogue cover in 1974, Serge leblon has created a moody and cinematic piece, which captures the imagination through the use of moving stills, showcasing Schwab’s innovative use of crystal.

Wu’s short film is a collaboration with Kt Auleta and explores his Autumn/ Winter 2011 theme of baroque-meetssportswear. Both films can be seen at www.swarovski.tv

a day To sHinE A wedding day requires jewelry that is extra-special, and Swarovski CryStAllized™ has launched two brand-new bridal collections that are just that. Swarovski elements sparkle in ranges by Parisian designers On Aura tout Vu and Cécile Boccara. Flying dreams from On Aura tout Vu mixes crystals and resin with mother of pearl powder and white bronze-plated brass accentuated with silver details to create delicate pieces. Meanwhile, Parisian chic meets sunny Marrakesh in Cécile Boccara’s nature-inspired jewelery, in which crystals, silk, feathers and lace combine to create a uniquely elegant look. And should you need still more inspiration, Swarovski elements’ beautiful coffee-table book Unbridaled examines the marriage of tradition and the avant-garde in bridal designs.

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in THE spoTligHT in a collaboration with Oscar- and BAFtA-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne, Swarovski ensured Kenneth Branagh’s blockbuster Thor sparkled. More than 45,000 Swarovski elements and 70 crystal transfers were used to adorn character Frigga’s (rene russo) ceremonial dress and cape, and loki’s (tom Hiddleston) chainmail skirt. in the story, the powerful but arrogant warrior thor reignites an ancient war, and as a punishment is cast down from the fantastic realm of Asgard to earth and forced to live among humans. But thor soon has the chance to become a hero again.

THE CUT

BE JEW ELLED BR ASSIER E S AND R ETAIL THER APY

lUxE lingEriE On April 1 the much-anticipated La Perla lingerie autumn/winter 2011 collection took to the catwalk in Moscow’s iconic Gostiny Dvor building. Among the spectacle of liberty lace designs, sparkling fringes and animal prints, all eyes were on the debut of the exclusive parure Crystal Limited Edition, the latest project born from a creative liaison between La Perla and Swarovski Elements.

Swarovski’s collaboration with the Italian luxury fashion house sees traditional lingerie designs, including the guêpière, the brassiere and the corset belt, brought to life through the beauty of crystals.

sTorE THing Clockwise from above: La Perla autumn/winter 2011 collection; a set of lingerie from the Crystal Limited Edition collection; gold-plated necklace from Aurélie Bidermann; pink bracelets from Philippe Audibert

Luxury Florentine retailer Luisaviaroma collaborated with Swarovski Elements last Christmas on a series of limited-edition creations from prestigious fashion houses, as well as housing a breathtaking installation, ‘Crystal Lovers’, by international artist Felice Limosani. ‘I was totally absorbed by this project because it allowed me to express my personal fascination with crystals,’ says Felice. ‘I wanted to underline the fact that crystal is as multifaceted as life itself.’ And across the world in Tokyo, Swarovski was bringing some Christmas sparkle to the capital’s luxury shopping precinct Omotesando Hills, with a number of exciting collaborations (Swarovski Elements gift-wrapping and Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates to name but two) as well as dazzling festive decorations.

PR ECIOUS COUTUR E ON DISPLAY AND CRYSTAL CANDLELIGHT

ligHT work Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace is undergoing major restoration, and Swarovski has developed a unique lighting system to bring the historic interior to life. Combining LED technology and crystals, Swarovski has been able to recreate the natural effect of candlelight in the palace’s largest room, the Great Gallery.

Mimicking the impact of hundreds of candles, the soft and flickering light is both authentic and incredibly energy efficient.

LED technology developed by Swarovski has also been used in the state rooms of the Palace of Versailles.

From top: the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna; Natalie Portman at the Oscars in February; Rodarte: States of Matter exhibition at MOCA, Los Angeles

iT’s sHow TimE Rodarte and Swarovski are longstanding friends and collaborators, and when designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy decided to hold their first West Coast solo exhibition, it was only natural that Swarovski become the sponsors. Debuting at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (MOCA), Rodarte: States of Matter will exhibit exquisite pieces from their collections, and original ballet costumes designed for the Oscar-winning film Black Swan – Natalie Portman even wore Rodarte with Swarovski embellishments at the 2011 Oscar ceremony. Swarovski Elements have been part of Rodarte collections since 2007, and the design duo were the recipients of the CFDA Swarovski Award for emerging talent for Womenwear in 2009.

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Stage craft

The task of creating the set for this year’s Oscar ceremony fell into the capable hands of Steve Bass, whose imagination was facilitated by materials and sponsorship from Swarovski wORDS Melanie Rickey

From the Swarovski tiara Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Marilyn Monroe’s glittering ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ gown, Swarovski sparkle and Hollywood glamor are as entwined as a double helix.

As in any long relationship, and this one stretches back 75 shiny years, to keep it

alive requires constant imagination and enthusiasm plus much healthy innovation.

Luckily, carrying out the above is the great passion of the company’s Vice President of International Communications and Creative Director, Nadja Swarovski.

‘We are constantly looking to challenge the status quo and work with designers from ever-evolving industries – those who are situated on the cusp of cutting-edge creativity,’ says Swarovski. Indeed, under her inspired stewardship, hundreds of emerging young fashion, costume, arts, lighting and set designers from across the world have been granted unlimited access to Swarovski Elements,

IN THE ROUND Above: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards stage, designed by Steve Bass, glistened with over 55,000 crystals.

Opposite, top to bottom: The 2011 Governors Ball sparkled with

more than 10,000 crystals; Natalie Portman in Black Swan shines in Swarovski Elements; Anne Hathaway wears a crystal-studded dress to the Oscars; Atelier Swarovski bag

by Cate Adair

enabling them to push and expand the boundaries of what is possible when working with crystal.

The magic of this creative synergy is the driving force behind the power of the Swarovski brand. ‘We feel we are master cutters, but we rely on people who have a vision of how the product can be implemented in a beautiful way,’ she says. The outcome is that, rightly, Swarovski is now a byword for innovation in the creative industries. From Hussein Chalayan using Swarovski crystal ‘pollens’ that float in the air for his A/W11 fashion film Kaiokiu, to the production designer of Black Swan commissioning six Schonbek crystal chandeliers as a key visual motif of the film, anything seems possible. ‘We have a long history within the movie industry so to now be proactively working with costume designers and set designers makes absolute sense for Swarovski,’ says Nadja.

This goes some way to explain why the evening of February 27, 2011, at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre was such an extraordinary one for Swarovski.

On this Oscar night, years of creative endeavor came together to show that without sparkle and glamor Hollywood would be a very dull place.

Many of the attendees, including Elisabeth Banks and Jessica Biel, wore gowns showered in Swarovski Elements, carried Atelier Swarovski by Cate Adair bags or wore vintage Swarovski. Earlier that week, many of the guests, who included actors, stylists and designers, attended a dinner to celebrate 75 years of Swarovski in Hollywood hosted by Nadja at LA’s exclusive Soho House. The week followed with the opening of Rodarte: States of Matter, a Swarovski-sponsored exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA).

Rodarte is the fashion label co-designed by Californian sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, and as soon as the young sisters emerged onto the New York Fashion Week scene in 2007, they were invited to use Swarovski Elements in their catwalk collections. Their ongoing work with the crystals meant that when commissioned for their ballet costumes for Oscarnominated Black Swan, it was second nature for them to use Swarovski.

‘It was natural for us to use feathers to create the swans [dresses, as worn

by Natalie Portman’s character], and it was just as natural that we would use Swarovski crystal,’ Laura Mulleavy reveals in an interview. ‘Crystal allows you a dynamic way of reflecting light,’ says Kate Mulleavy. ‘You may see something that reflects light but within it are silvery, clear and alabaster whites – which create something that is optically very beautiful.’

WENN

The final feather in the cap of Swarovski’s amazing Oscar night was the event itself. For the third year in a row, and the fourth time in total, Swarovski sponsored the set design. The 2011 set was modest in comparison to the 2010 Oscar stage set created by David Rockwell – a 60ft-tall, 100ft-wide crystal curtain that comprised 100,000 crystals – but it shone and bounced light around just the same. ‘There’s such an intimate and intricate beauty to the crystals, that we wanted to use them as foreground rather than background pieces,’ says Steve Bass, the 2011 Oscars set designer, who covered the stairs and platform of the stage with giant crystals. ‘Fundamental to the design is the idea of projection and light. We captured that with a centerpiece on the floor that every award-winner will stand on. It represents the light of the projector in a movie theater, but also the light that emanates from the winners.’

Melanie Rickey is fashion editor-at-large for Grazia magazine

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material girl

An unhindered imagination and a profound understanding of her craft make Yasemen Hussein an icon among designers WORDS Bronwyn Cosgrave

Yasemen Hussein creates beautiful, boldly avant-garde body jewels. The 40-year-old artist describes her intricately crafted work as ‘wearable sculpture’ and, lately, they’ve been seen on some of the highest-profile entertainers on the planet. A pair of ruby-red Swarovski-encrusted ‘skull shoulders’ by Hussein, for example, sparkled on Britney during the ‘microphone sequence’ of ‘Hold It Against Me’. Released in March, the music video for the second song on Spears’ hit album Femme Fatale was shot by Jonas Åkerlund, renowned Swedish filmmaker and video director. His wife, stylist B. Åkerlund, created Spears’ look for the production, which the performer described as, ‘one of the best [videos] I have ever done.’

Shortly afterwards, in an April episode of American Idol, more than 25,000 Swarovski Elements shimmered from a neck piece and shoulder pads, sculpted by Hussein, were worn by Katy Perry while performing her hit single, ‘E.T.’ with a hologram of Kanye West. Hussein’s pieces gave the perfect enhancement to Perry’s white catsuit, already embellished with hundreds of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

‘Copper bends as though I’m drawing with it,’ she reflects. ‘I love to weld it. You cannot stop me trying anything’

In the apartment above Hussein’s atelier – a chic, live-work domain occupying a remote patch of outer London – this gifted artist attempts to explain why and how she makes her extraordinary work. Although, clarification eludes her, due to the energy she exudes (comparable to a whirling dervish). First, out come photos of an eclectic array of recent projects, including gilded body adornments she has made over the past five years for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show; burnished gold armor she conceived for will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas to wear to the 52nd Grammy Awards (he chickened out and ‘wore it on tour’, apparently); and sinuous wigs of blackened copper produced for a Summer 2010 Museum of London exhibition, juxtaposing lavish Georgian dress with elaborate Philip Treacy millinery. ‘The perfect example of when fashion worlds collide,’ observed The Daily Telegraph’s fashion critic Hilary Alexander of the alluring display.

Meanwhile, Hussein’s explanation of the background contributing to her burgeoning career proves to be as unending and tangled as the copper-wire wig she created as an homage to Rapunzel for Toni & Guy’s proprietor, Anthony Mascolo.

The story begins with Hussein’s early desire to become a performer (which was thwarted by her strict Turkish-Cypriot parents, who sent her to art school instead), and also involves a road trip across America with a younger man sporting a cowboy hat, a sojourn of sculpting in a Devon farmhouse, an encounter with actor Rupert Everett (who has bought her work), and a glass statue of a mermaid she sold to a Chicago night club owner for $4,000. She ‘stuffed the cash in [her] bra’, before leaving town.

In the mid-Nineties, on graduating with a BA Honours in glass from the University of Wolverhampton, Hussein was awarded a scholarship to study at Illinois State University. At its College of Fine Arts, while completing a Masters specializing in glass sculpture, she also embarked on a series of courses at the

Penland School of Craft, which she completed in 2004. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, this legendary craft school was established in 1929 and, from the Sixties, has attracted students from around the world. Graduates include the ceramicist Alice R. Ballard, the glass artist Richard Ritter and the pioneering blacksmith Elizabeth Brim. ‘Everyone who studies craft knows about Penland,’ explains Hussein. ‘It was heaven.’ At Penland, it seems, Hussein became fearless about her work, developing a ‘love [of] the smell of steel’ and copper.

Today, she collects copper from scrap yards and charity shops, and in her deft hands, the junk becomes jewels. ‘Copper bends as though I’m drawing with it,’ she reflects. ‘I love to weld it. You cannot stop me trying anything.’

Hussein describes herself as an ‘engineer – a problem solver’. She is also a natural performer, who could moonlight as a stand-up comic. With an irreverence that belies their originality and expert finish, she brandishes the body jewels she has made for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Curvaceous gilded feathers hug her right arm and left hip and then up, over her head, she lifts an impressive shoulder pie ce. Hussein’s petite proportions are slight compared to the rangy beauties who model her work.

Nevertheless, she test-drives all the pieces she makes to ensure ‘everything fits perfectly’, and works it all to a soundtrack she mixes on her ‘old school’ stereo. Sifting through the stack of CDs next to it, she adds: ‘Adele, Chapel Club, Interpol – I DJ myself.’

Although art does not immediately spring to mind when conjuring the Victoria’s Secret show (it’s more like playful supermodels flaunting lacy underthings), Hussein’s gilded works are as fit for the Victoria & Albert Museum as they are for Heidi Klum and Adriana Lima. swarovski-elements.com

Bronwyn Cosgrave writes for Vogue and is the chair of the Dorchester Collection Fashion prize

WILD THINGS Opposite: Yasemen Hussein in her London studio This page, left: Britney Spears sparkles in Hussein’s

crystal-covered skull shoulder pads. Above: Katy Perry makes an impact wearing Hussein and CuteCircuit

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Model futures Helena Christensen teams up with UNSIGNED and Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ to launch an exciting new project WORDS Sarah Deeks PORTRAIT John Akehurst Supermodel, beauty queen, photographer, Victoria’s Secret ‘angel’ and clothing designer, Helena Christensen has an impressive résumé. In her latest venture, UNSIGNED, Christensen returns to the modeling industry – this time as mentor. In a collaboration between international online fashion resource F.TAPE and Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™, the UNSIGNED competition aspires to scout out young, undiscovered models and give their careers a firm foothold in the industry. Christensen gives Salt the lowdown on the contest.

Q: What are the aims of the UNSIGNED project?

A: We hope to discover some incredible new faces. And we want to make sure that we really nurture these young models so they are ready to enter the industry.

Q: What are the models ultimately competing for?

A: The two winners – one male and one female – will become the new faces of the spring/summer 2012 Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ campaign. It’s an incredible opportunity and a great platform for them. I’m particularly excited as I’m the campaign photographer!

Q: You’ve made a smooth transition from top model to top photographer – how did you do it?

A: I was a photographer before I was a model, so it was really the other way round. I never felt I had to separate the two, or make any kind of transition. Photography is a personal and ongoing project for me, and modeling is something I’m still inspired by, and am lucky enough to be able to keep doing.

Q: You’ve worked with some incredible designers.

Who has been your favourite?

A: Karl Lagerfeld is someone who always amazes me whenever we work together. I admire him for so many reasons, not least his drive, intellect and huge talent. Marc Jacobs is someone else that I always feel comfortable around, someone I’m inspired by, and furthermore, he is someone I feel totally at ease with. His sense of humor is pretty awesome.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring models?

A: I think you know intuitively when something is right for you, and it’s important to listen to that. Don’t fret if you get turned down a lot, because lots of now-successful models only made it after several years. But if it seems like it’s not working out, and you have to be very realistic about this, then leave the modeling business behind and don’t look back. Only very few make it to the top, and even at the top you will be turned down. But having said that, if you have the desire and the drive, then go for it. I have had so many incredible experiences in the past 20 years. I still cannot believe all this happened to me.

MODEL MENTOR Helena Christensen wearing ‘Fergie Collier’

by Dannijo made with Swarovski Elements

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BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS Celebrating its passion for emerging new talent, Swarovski has established successful partnerships with fashion and jewelry students worldwide WORDS Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni phOtOgRaphy Nathan Pask

Swarovski remains king of crystal and continues to be an industry leader through its evolving relationship with fashion and jewelry. Nadja Swarovski claims that a few of the secrets behind the symbiotic partnership include a ‘thoughtful approach and respectful sponsorship’. But Nadja is forgetting to mention herself and her considerable vision, which is charged with the idea that ‘the student of today is the designer of tomorrow.’

Indeed, ever since the talented visionary joined the Austrian-based family business in 1995, the company has forged an unfaltering reputation for nurturing emerging talent, such as designers Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Joseph Altuzarra.

Swarovski’s ongoing project with Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design (CSM) is the perfect platform for supporting young designers.

2011 marks the ninth year of its Jewelry collaboration, which started in 2002, with the eccentric and inspirational Isabella Blow as one of the judges. As a sign of the success of the project, Swarovski has extended its sponsorship in 2011 to include second-year Womenswear students.

INNOVATIVE DESIGN Above: Percy Lau’s design was winner in the Romantic category.

Below: Tomasz Donocik and Nadja Swarovski judged the Central Saint Martins students’ creations

Nadja Swarovski seems to require little encouragement to enthuse about CSM, famous for spawning international talents such as Céline’s Phoebe Philo, Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci and McQueen’s Sarah Burton. ‘It’s just so cutting edge with great, open-minded professors,’ she says. ‘Being half-Austrian and half-American, I also appreciate the melting-pot aspect.

I like that there are students from all over the world, offering different cultures and creativity.’ Meanwhile, Swarovski wins fervent votes from CSM management. Giles Last, senior lecturer of the Jewelry department, refers to the collaboration as being ‘effective and generous’ and ‘very important to the students, giving them insight into the industry.’ On the other hand, Willie Walters, director of Fashion, stresses the reciprocal side of the project. ‘Just as our students are lucky to work with Swarovski Elements, something they couldn’t usually afford, Swarovski are lucky to be working with our wonderful pool of talent,’ she proclaims.

Swarovski also supports students internationally, including Donghua University in Shanghai, Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, Shenkar College in Israel, Universität für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna, the Royal College of Art in London and Istituto Marangoni in Milan.

This year’s entrants were first treated to a presentation at the Swarovski offices just off Regent Street, where they learned about the company’s history and were presented with all the different crystals that would be available to them. Among those were jewelry students Beatrice Bongiasca, Maprang Vajrodaya, Lola Tsiroukis and Sarah Narici.

Following this, the jewelry students were given their competition brief, described by Nadja as ‘guidelines according to our Swarovski Elements new season trends’. The themes, which are original concepts created by Swarovski, include conceptual ideas: Romantic (Countryside/Kingfisher), Glamour (City/Horse) and Harmony (Winter Landscape/Snow Rabbit).

Narici was impressed by how Swarovski encouraged practicality when it came to realizing the designs in the marketplace. ‘It was good to be given a commercial point of view,’ she affirmed. Walters was equally pleased by

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Swarovski’s choice of both new and classic for her students to use. She added that the use of classic gives rise to a challenge, which is always the best way to create fashion.

Choosing the ‘Countryside/Kingfisher’ theme, Narici took an insightful, fun approach and decided to distort nature to make a tentacle-like ring covering the three main fingers. After casting the ring in wax, then metal, Narici plated it with black gold before adding the crystals inside the tentacle’s suckers.

When the CSM jewelry judging event took place at the CRYSTALLIZED™ Lounge on Great Marlborough Street, London, Sarah Narici was declared the winner. Nadja Swarovski was won over

by Narici’s ‘thoughtfulness and how her ring was comfortable to wear.’ Designer and fellow judge Tomasz Donocik said the piece felt quirky and clearly reflected the brief. He praised the 20-year-old student’s ‘bold way of composing and fusing crystal together with metal’.

Donocik, himself a CSM graduate, found judging a difficult task. ‘All the contestants showed remarkable creativity. Unusual materials were fused with traditional metals and juxtaposed cleverly with cr ystals,’ he said. Giles Last also enthused about Narici’s fellow students.

‘Bongiasca used rubber and cable ties to lash the crystals into geometric patterns; Vajrodaya submerged them in a resin fox-head mask; Tsiroukis set them through a rubberised fabric neck form; and Bella Mung’s stones protruded from a wooden form held in a fist.’

The womenswear students’ designs were equally dynamic. ‘Some have gone romantic, others innovative and others are creating shapes with crystals,’ says Walters. But the course director warns to expect the unexpected. ‘They’re young and very free in thought,’ she smiles.

With such innovation from the next generation, Swarovksi’s contribution to cutting-edge design is set to continue.

CLASS ACTS Clockwise from top: Sarah Narici and her winning ring; Beatrice Bongiasca’s design was named Best Use of Crystal; the students select Swarovski Elements for their creations; a resin fox-head mask by overall runner-up Maprang Vajrodaya

Swarovski has forged an unfaltering reputation for nurturing emerging talent, such as Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Joseph Altuzarra

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cool new cufflinks, pe ar ls on the catwalk and swarovsk i at london jew ellery w eek

THE missing Link Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ launches a brand-new collection for men at the end of this year, and there are some exciting collaborations afoot with designers such as Laura B, Anton Heunis and Ian Flaherty. Leading British designer Stephen Webster has created two sets of incredibly stylish cufflinks for Swarovski – a gap the industry has been crying out to have filled. ‘Men are choosing to be more experimental with their accessories and enjoy the luxury of newer products,’ says Webster. ‘One of the designs for Swarovski is a gothic, rock’n’roll style – very much in the Stephen Webster aesthetic. The second is a less structured, asymmetric cut of stone, which has a lustrous look too it. It’s unusual, but still something a man would feel comfortable wearing instead of standard cufflinks.’

PEARL divERsE Pearls are a dominant trend on the autumn/winter catwalks this year, with designers Giles Deacon, Holly Fulton, Marios Schwab and Roksanda Ilincic all using Swarovski Crystal Pearls in their collections to eclectic and stunning effect.

Made with a unique crystal core and silky smooth pearl coating, Swarovski Crystal Pearls have a flawless natural luster and are a perfect imitation of genuine pearls.

Available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, the Crystal Pearls are ideal for beading, weaving and sewing.

Clockwise from top left: Marios Schwab Autumn/ Winter 2011; Stephen Webster cufflinks; a model wears Atelier Swarovski at London Jewellery Week

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fAiR of fACET This year’s London Jewellery Week was as successful as ever, with hundreds of jewelers and institutions holding events, workshops, exhibitions and seminars all over the city. Swarovski and Swarovski Gems are proud partners of the annual festival, and Swarovski Atelier pieces were part of London’s most exciting exhibition of contemporary jewelry, Treasure. The flagship event of the week, it showcases visionary design, cutting-edge technology and the best new talent in the field.

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Colors of india

Dazzling crystals and rich-hued stones are inspired by the opulence of the Raj in Philippe Ferrandis’s designs PHOTOGRAPHY Andy Barter

With innovative concept stores in London, Shanghai and New York City, Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ offers a platform to emerging talent, in addition to world-renowned names in jewelry design. This season Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ presents collections from 21 designers working with Swarovski Elements, alongside its own customizable jewelry line and range of loose crystals. All stores (also in-store at Austrian boutiques) have exhibition spaces, ideal for showcasing these curated collections. And Swarovski has scoured the globe to find the most exciting talent, working with Camila Klein from Brazil, Melissa Kandiyoti from Belgium and acclaimed Parisian jewelry and accessories designer Philippe Ferrandis. His Maharadja collection evokes the exotic glamor of India’s maharajah palaces, and his earrings (pictured) with sparkling crystals set against glass stones embody this sentiment.

‘I wanted to create something bohemian, but which still felt opulent and glamorous,’ he says of his collection. ‘The combination of semiprecious stones and crystals recall the splendor of the Raj.’

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a gem of a compendium, swarovsk i elements go pop and shimmer ing shop w indows

Clockwise from right: Gem Burst

by Melanie Newton and JD Lorenz; sketch for Harrods’ 2011 Christmas window display; Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes on the set of the ‘Girl Panic’ video

ICE GEMS Swarovski Gems has launched the annual Gem Visions 2012 trend and design book – a luxury compendium of the inspirations and influences set to shape the tone of fine jewelry for 2012. The new edition charts a watershed in contemporary jewelry design, as the industry moves away from nostalgia and looks towards the future for inspiration. Outlining five key trends – Studio, Fantasy, Fiction, Luminescence and Nouvelle Vague – Gem Visions 2012 aims to stimulate the imaginations of designers and manufacturers all over the world to interpret the trends in individual and original ways.

MODEL BEHAVIOR It’s been 21 years since George Michael’s infamous ‘Freedom! ’90’ clip (directed by a young David Fincher) dispensed with the conventional notion that a pop star had to appear in his own video and deciding instead, to cast five supermodels to mouth his words. Now, more than two decades on, Duran Duran have collaborated with Swarovski Elements and revived and expanded an exciting concept with a new short film for their single ‘Girl Panic!’ to be released in November 2011.

stephanie pistel

ICOnIC COLLABORATIOn The iconic windows of Harrods in Knightsbridge will have a little extra sparkle this Christmas, courtesy of Swarovski. From November 4 right up until December 26, Swarovski’s history of tradition, innovation and creativity will be interpreted through a series of spectacular window displays on London’s famous Brompton Road. And the collaborations don’t stop there, as Swarovski Elements comes together with renowned designers and brands – Anya Hindmarch, Crème de la Mer, La Perla and Kurt Geiger to name but a few – to create unique and limited-edition products, exclusively available at Harrods.

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Sparkling fooTwork Currently flashing their heels in his new store in Mayfair, Nicholas Kirkwood’s dazzling designs have swept fans off their feet, whether they be Swarovski-encrusted roller boots or a pair of timeless courts WORDS Clare Coulson ILLUSTRATION Mat Maitland

There aren’t many young Brit designers who could land a coveted and incredibly imposing corner spot on Mayfair’s most sought-after fashion street. ‘We were really, really lucky to find it,’ says Nicholas Kirkwood of his flagship store in a plum spot on Mount Street. He trawled Mayfair at weekends looking for empty spaces and couldn’t believe his luck when this one became available, despite several international brands being in hot pursuit of the site. ‘I suppose, being a younger designer, I offered diversity,’ says the cobbler of his recent coup. ‘It is very chic.

And as a base for the brand it sums up where we want to be going.’

Having just turned 31, Kirkwood’s career trajectory as one of London’s most talked-about shoemakers has been swift and uncompromising. He started as an apprentice to Philip Treacy, where he worked for six years before branching out on his own after realizing that there was a gap in the market for extraordinary shoes, just as there had been for his mentor’s fantastical hats. After setting up his label in 2005, Kirkwood quickly gained a reputation for sculptural, cutting-edge heels – and his catwalk collaborations, which now include Rodarte, Erdem and Peter Pilotto among many others, have won him serious fashion kudos. Not to mention celebrity endorsement from Sarah Jessica Parker, Grace Jones, Sienna Miller and a whole troupe of It-girls.

While he is already considered a serious player in the fashion world, building a serious brand is now key to his future.

‘I can’t do a show, so putting out a visual image of the brand is difficult, but a shop allows us to do that,’ says the designer, fiddling with his ever-buzzing BlackBerry in the studio of his Mayfair HQ. Having his own store allows him more one-to-one access with his customers so he can start to refine what they need

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in their shoe closets. ‘We are trying to make more everyday pieces,’ explains Kirkwood, whose latest collection includes low-heeled riding boots, simple courts and glossy flat loafers.

‘People don’t necessarily know us for that. Not everyone wants to buy a shoe with a triple platform and 70 pieces of fabrics.’

The new ‘everyday’ pieces sit alongside the more directional shoes for which he is known – this season that means superhigh heels in luscious jewel-toned silks with contrasting silk platforms or calfskin boots with equestrian-inspired buckles and a Mohican of goat hair around the ankle or even the elegant shoes that sit on a circle of black crystal pearls.

He has worked with crystal from the start and Kirkwood’s fascination with engineering the most creative shoes possible makes it a natural collaboration. ‘When we started, it would be about covering a heel in crystal or making butterfly wings, but then I started to think about different ways we could work,’ explains the self-confessed shoe geek. ‘There are amazing things we can do with Swarovski Elements and I think the Keith Haring pieces have really taken it to an insane level.’

This is of course, Kirkwood’s much talked-about project inspired by the bold, pop aesthetic of the late Eighties artist.

Just after we meet he is taking the collection to Arnhem’s fashion biennale, where he will exhibit alongside Miuccia Prada and fellow Londoners Preen. But today the dazzling pieces are showcased in his Mayfair windows.

‘I grew up admiring Haring’s work, but then I watched a documentary about him and was really taken aback, so I thought it would be a really interesting project.’

Kirkwood has applied Haring’s signature shapes to chunky platform boots, graphic courts and platforms. Two of the pieces are entirely made in Swarovski Elements – one with 100,000 pieces. ‘I wanted to use his designs in a multimedia way with different textures and layers, so using the crystal was a challenge.’ Wearing the pieces will also be a challenge to anyone who chooses to debut the latest designs.

His most newsworthy design is a pair of thigh-high crystalencrusted boots on baby pink roller-skates. ‘I don’t think a pair of thigh-high roller skates are going to be a big seller,’ laughs Kirkwood. But for Lady Gaga? Perhaps.

Clare Coulson is fashion features director of Harper’s Bazaar

To watch a video of Nicholas Kirkwood at work on the Keith Haring pieces, scan this QR code

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TREND TALK

Bold prints, daring sheers and racy laces pervaded the catwalks this season. Salt picks the six trends destined for your wardrobe words Sarah Deeks

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01. Autumn hue Color is in. Choose autumnal tones, but keep them eye-popping.

Think glowing amber, burnt orange and rich plums and clarets.

The boozier the better.

Lanvin, autumn/winter 2011

02. Victoriana Lace has had a winter make-over.

It’s dark, gothic and glamorous.

Long-sleeved blouses work for daytime, but come nightfall high-octane, revealing gowns are show-stopping.

Giles, autumn/winter 2011

03. Go graphic Stand out with bold prints – make the most of photographic flowers, lions, ink swirls and dots-a-plenty where all is on show. And the fashion pack are clashing theirs.

Givenchy, autumn/winter 2011

04. Heavy metal Stay centre of attention this party season with darkly shimmering metallics. Bronzes, pewters and purples were catwalk favorites.

Wear yours on thigh-skimming mini dresses to create the ultimate impact.

Balmain, autumn/winter 2011

05. Textural Whether it’s tactile ruffles, folds, pleats or drapes, touch-me fabrics are hot for autumn/winter. Opt for neutral colours and simple accessories to let the texture do the talking.

Dior, autumn/winter 2011

06. Sheer luxe Barely there fabrics can still be luxurious. Blouses in nude or pretty blush give a sophisticated way to enjoy the trend. If you’re feeling daring, opt for full length or sheer panelling.

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Sonia Rykiel, autumn/winter 2011

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REMEMBERING MCQUEEN Visionary, genius, tortured soul – 18 months after Alexander McQueen’s suicide, his creative legacy continues to inspire and amaze WORDS Sarah Mower

For his friends, there’s still no way of knowing how to honor Alexander McQueen adequately. Such was his genius and his scope, and so brutal and recent his suicide, that even after a spectacular exhibit of his work at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, those close to him are still reeling with emotion.

That is likely to have been Philip Treacy’s state of mind on the morning of May 1, as he walked into the press preview of Savage Beauty, a show commemorating the work of his friend, mentor and collaborator, displayed together for the first time. It was a powerfully overwhelming sight for any visitor, let alone for anyone so close to McQueen. ‘This,’ Treacy breathed, ‘is heavy.

Everything he did…’ Wonder and pain running across his face, he stopped short in front of a niche in the Cabinet of Curiosities room. There, displayed in pride of place was the ‘Bird’s Nest’ headdress that Treacy and Shaun Leane made for the seminal autumn/winter 2006 Paris catwalk showing of Widows of Culloden.

Leane’s duck eggs opulently embellished with pavé-set Swarovski Gems in blue Buick Topaz and Smoky Quartz. But something was wrong. The mallard duck wings Treacy made to swoop up above the handwoven oxidized silver nest had been bent out of their original position in transit. ‘OK,’ muttered Treacy, plunging his arms into the display. ‘Maybe the alarms will go off, but I’ve just got to do this.’ With a gentle tweak, he restored the feathers to their full glory – rearing up like a bird fiercely defending its nest from attack.

The headpiece was the opening look of a collection renowned for its inimitable beauty and technical prowess. It was the second time McQueen had returned

to his Scottish roots since his Highland Rape collection of 1995 – a collection inspired by the Scottish Highland clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries; although its often-misinterpreted title caused wide controversy.

An entire room of the Met exhibition was dedicated to Widows of Culloden and its Victorian-influenced tartan dresses, exquisitely inset with lace. It was the first time the public, or even the fashion press, had had the opportunity to appreciate the incredible quality of McQueen’s work up close and in stillness. His clothing, revealed in the brief rush and drama of his runway, left only a fleeting, general impression of how extraordinary it might be. Now, the majestic skill and couture finesse of the clothes could be studied and absorbed in an intense personal encounter. Just around the corner from the Culloden dresses was a miniaturized version of the glass pyramid that had formed the centerpiece of the show. Inside it, Baillie Walsh’s figure of Kate Moss appeared and disappeared in the romantic, wraith-like hologram that had left the audience gasping and moved to tears in 2006.

Savage Beauty broke all museum visitor records by such numbers that the Met extended the show from the end of July into August, and opened, exceptionally, on a Monday, to cope with demand. Paying homage to McQueen moved people to such an extent that even walking into the museum became an occasion. Dolled up to the nines, crowds queued for hours to immerse themselves in his work – a phenomenon captured in a New York Times photo-documentary. Savage Beauty had become a pilgrimage.

Tragic as it is that this major acknowledgement of McQueen’s achievement has come posthumously, he would perhaps have been satisf ied to think he has been so appreciated. Always obsessed with death – as his macabre use of skulls and various other memento mori (often made by Shaun Leane) proved – he often also thought about his legacy. ‘I’ve had an amazing career. I don’t think anyone could wish for more,’ he once said. ‘I was at St Martins, started on Savile Row and ended up as the chief designer at Givenchy – it wasn’t the greatest period of my life, but it was the most valuable.’ According to Philip Treacy, learning couture techniques from the petites mains in the Givenchy ateliers was one of his greatest delights. ‘He was like a kid at Christmas when they opened the embroideries, the feathers and the beading they had done for him.’

Among the exhibits was McQueen’s final collection, which he had physically draped and cut on the

stand. It showed the battle between dark and light: Hieronymus Bosch’s visions of hell versus gilded angelwomen. His earliest collections were also on view – extraordinary feats of tailoring bought by his muse and promoter, Isabella Blow. It was Blow, who, in 1999, introduced Nadja Swarovski to McQueen, thus signaling the beginning of a decade-long creative relationship that Swarovski credits for re-establishing the brand at the forefront of fashion.

For more than 18 years, McQueen harnessed his dreams in ways that often transcended fashion to interlock with the culture that spawned Nineties Brit Art and Britpop. His use of performance, video and the internet in communicating to the masses showed off his restless, thrusting desire to push the boundaries of fashion via technology. Being the master of superb cutting techniques didn’t satisfy him. According to everyone around him, it was the importance of the show, the theater, creating the one-off impact that people could not believe what they were seeing.

It meant asking his team to do the seemingly impossible: Shalom Harlow being spray-painted by car-painting robots shipped in from Fiat; a runway bursting into flames for a Joan of Arc show; girls walking through water, or skating on ice. Once, the audience entered an empty bare-boarded music hall that was suddenly filled with models and dancers, performing a specially choreographed ballet by Michael Clark based on the film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

But Alexander McQueen’s significance in the long sweep of fashion goes even further than that. History is full of designers, but only a handful have had the power to change the way a whole generation dresses: Christian Dior, with his 1947 New Look; Coco Chanel’s cardigan suit in 1954; Mary Quant’s miniskirt in the Sixties and then McQueen, with his super lowcut Bumsters in 1993. ‘I wanted to change the way women looked, just by cut, to make a longer torso.

But I was taking it to an extreme. The girls looked quite menacing, because there was so much top and so little bottom, because of the length of legs.’ And women have been walking around in low-rise pants ever since.

McQueen’s talent let him pull the impossible and the beautiful out of any situation, although it came at a cost. ‘There is something sinister, quite biographical about what I do,’ he said. It took him, and his audiences, to dark places – but he also touched the sublime.

‘Hopefully,’ he reflected in a calm moment after a show, ‘I will go down in history as a point in fashion.’ Without a shadow of a doubt, that hope has been fulfilled.

Claire robertson; jason lloyd-evans

To see how Shaun Leane, Philip Treacy and Swarovski collaborated on headdresses for the McQueen show, scan this QR code

ENLIGHTEN ME Clockwise from right: ‘Bird’s Nest’ headdress from Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 2006 show; backstage at the spring/summer 2009 show; the headdress on display at the Metropolitan Museum, New York

His team created the seemingly impossible: runways bursting into flames, models walking through water or skating on ice 37

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china pearl

At the Swarovski Elements World Jewelry Facets Exhibition in Shanghai, fashion houses and designers mingle in crystal heaven PHOTOGRAPHY Andy Barter

Modern China is a country in constant flux, and no city is more representative of the creativity inspired by this rapidly shif ting urban landscape than Shanghai.

As the country’s prosperous residents push the market for luxury goods into overdrive, brands are taking an increasing interest in the historic port city and current economic center, where timehonored traditions and modern flair mix with often inspiring results. What better place, then, to bring together the world’s top fashion houses and designers for an exhibit of c u t ti n g- e d g e j ewe l r y creations than the former abattoir turned art, dining and nightlife hotspot, 1933, on Shajing Road?

The opening of the Swarovski Elements World Jewelr y Facets Exhibition saw more

than 80 internationally renowned designers gather to light up the night and bear witness to a dazzling display of innovative jewelry made from Swarovski Elements. The roster of contributing designers and fashion houses reads like a list of the who’s who of the international luxury fashion scene, with pieces on display from established icons such as Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Loris Azzaro and Jacques Fath and trailblazing newcomers and rising fashion talents such as Manish Arora, Philippe Ferrandis, David Mandel and Ben-Amun, Andy Farrow, Claudia Arbex, Roberto Cavalli, Catherine Malandrino, Martin Grant and Alexis Mabille, to name just a few.

Two of China’s top models – former ballerina and the first Asian face to grace the cover of Paris Vogue Du Juan and the stunning and elegant Danni Li – strutted the runway adorned with an array of over 40 crystal designs from the shimmering imaginations of the cream of the jewelry designer crop, from oneoff couture creations to carefully constructed pieces from 2010 autumn/winter collections. ‘It’s truly a rare opportunity to view in one place the virtuosity of some of the greatest contemporary jewelry designers,’ said Swarovski Elements Senior Vice President of Marketing, Markus Lampe. And all this in a setting that perfectly encapsulates the fusion of modern design and the country’s economic vibrancy.

Curtain up on the World Jewelry Facets exhibition in Shanghai – to watch the movie, scan this QR code Necklace by Philippe Ferrandis

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TALK ING POINT

All thAt glitters

Now a regular feature at film award ceremonies worldwide, Swarovski’s relationship with the big screen goes back to the golden age of cinema wORDS Josh Sims

‘We need to support the institutions that recognize the kind of talent that works behind the scenes’

James Franco and Anne Hathaway on the 2011 Academy Awards stage, glittering with Swarovski crystals

The proceedings might have been dominated by a man of gold, but when this year’s Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre, it was not just the Oscar statuettes that caught the light. The stage set, designed by Steve Bass, sparkled with 55,000 Swarovski crystals, providing a centerpiece as dazzling as some of the starlet’s dresses.

But, like Meryl Streep, Swarovski is no stranger to the Oscars. This was the fourth time its crystals had been used by the event’s design team to put some razzle-dazzle into the ceremony. Back in 2007, for example, they were used to make a 34ft-high, one-ton crystal curtain. And last year designer David Rockwell topped that with a three-ton version that required 100,000 crystals – not forgetting the 30,000 more that adorned the dancers’ costumes. A ‘glittering affair’ may be a clichéd way to describe a bash for the rich and famous, but in this instance the show really did.

‘Swarovski crystals are a great product for any occasion that wants to shine, that craves that extra sparkle,’ says Nadja Swarovski, the company’s VP of International Communications and Creative Director. ‘They reflect the light in the way jewels do on a woman – up to the face, placing the spotlight there. It’s celebratory. You can’t do it with diamonds – that would be OTT – and tinsel just isn’t the same. Crystal works because often you don’t see it – you just see its impact through light.’

Indeed, Swarovski’s provision of a starry backdrop to star-studded events has pedigree: the company has long provided filmmakers with crystals as stand-ins for diamonds, from Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Wizard of Oz through to, more recently, The Young Victoria, Burlesque, Black Swan and Die Another Day, for which the script was amended to include a scene in which

a bed is scattered with the precious rocks. It is also an active part of business.

Swarovski has become the go-to company for set designers, with its crystals having been used not only for the Oscars but also the Art Directors Guild Awards and, for the first time this year, the Golden Globes.

Another layer to Swarovski’s involvement in the awards world is also developing.

Increasingly the company is looking not only to set the scene – or even, in the case of the British Independent Film Awards, provide the trophies themselves – but to be more active in the support of specific awards. It already sponsors the Best British Newcomer Award at the BFI London Film Festival Awards and the Costume Design Category of the BAFTA British Academy Television Craft Awards.

Consideration is now being given to further sponsorship – particularly with more grass roots, less obviously glamorous events, ‘where talent needs most encouragement, and where an award can be a real boost and lead to the kind of public recognition that can have a huge impact on a career,’ as Nadja Swarovski puts it.

‘It is very important for us to support institutions that recognise talent,’ she affirms, ‘especially the kind of talent that operates behind the scenes, which can really make or break an artistic project – precisely because, as a company we’re reliant on that kind of creative vision, too. It’s all well and good making great crystals, but they have to be used aesthetically and innovatively to have purpose. Someone has to apply their talent to them in a new way – that is something we have discovered over the past decade.’

Josh Sims is a style writer for Financial Times, Esquire, The Times and Wallpaper*

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STAGE PRESENCE

Theater set and costume designers are choosing Swarovski crystals to ensure maximum visual impact wORDS John Arlidge

up to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies. The infatuated Phantom dresses his true love, Christine, in a hand-cut Swarovski pendant. The jewel later becomes a magnificent choker, made with over 900 hand-set cr ystals by Swarovski. Details such as these can bewitch and tr a nsp o r t a n audie nce, suspend disbelief and inspire the imagination.

London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. There are no finer stages for actors. Each year Britain’s and America’s finest crisscross the Atlantic to play to packed houses. But, of course, theater and musicals are about so much more than just acting. Costume has always been key and it’s an area where Swarovski shines.

For Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical, the action starts on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. A giant, glittering shoe sits above the Palace Theatre’s awning, giving a taste of the spectacle to follow. On Broadway, where the show opened on February 28 this year, 2,500 Swarovski Elements adorn the production’s star set piece – a dazzling red killer heel. Tim Chappel, winner of the 1995 Oscar for Priscilla’s costume design, says crystals were integral to the show.

‘Swarovski is a brilliant tool for arresting the audience’s attention.

Nothing coruscates as brilliantly, and the range of colors and textures allows you to create a wide variety of moods from the heights of giddy ecstasy to dark and delicious poison.’

Much more than simply decorative, Swarovski’s collaborations on theatrical costumes help to build the drama, emotion and old-fashioned razzle-dazzle that can make or break an opening night.

Take Sister Act at New York’s Broadway Theatre, which opened on April 20, this year. There, costume designer Lez Brotherston uses 7,000 Swarovski Elements to create the costumes for the show’s lead character Deloris Van Cartier. Deloris opens the show in Swarovski with her signature song ‘Fabulous, Baby!’. And for her curtain call she takes to the stage in a floor-length crystallized white gown. Whoopi Goldberg, the show’s producer, declared the costumes ‘triumphant’.

In London, costume and set designer Bob Crowley uses nearly 300,000 crystals to dress the leading ladies of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s follow-

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of The Wizard Of Oz at the London Palladium

‘Swarovski brings an extra layer to an already iconic and fantastical world of Oz,’ s ay s s e t a n d c o s tu m e designer Rober t Jones.

‘Glinda’s costume gives the impression that she has arrived from within the r a i n b o w.’ S w a r o v s k i ’s costumes are essential to communicating the magic of the story to a jam-packed auditorium. Up in the gods, those ruby red slippers must truly dazzle.

John Arlidge writes for The Sunday Times and Condé Nast in New York

KEITH PATTISON

Whoopi Goldberg, who produced Sister Act, has declared the costumes ‘triumphant’

Lloyd Webber, it turns out, is one of Swarovski’s biggest admirers. In his new production, The Wizard of Oz, which opened at the London Palladium in March, the costumes feature more than 142,000 Swarovski Elements, the company’s premium crystal ingredient.

Dorothy’s green Emerald City dress and her ruby slippers – as iconic as the songs themselves – light up the stage as she skips along the Yellow Brick Road. The Wicked Witch of the East f l a s h e s h e r S wa r ov s k i encrusted wand (as you do).

Glinda glitters in her crystaladorned dress.

Holly Fulton

‘Swarovski Elements is a product I believe in and that fits naturally with my aesthetic; the quality and breadth of colors and variations available enhance and support my love of materials and that, in turn, inspires and informs my designs’ Bouclé mohair wool and patent lamb leather dress with ponyskin and patent lamb leather flowers, both made with Swarovski Elements and crystal pearl detailing; Swarovski crystal pearl hoop earrings, all by Holly Fulton 44

joint work Leading designers have worked with Swarovski Elements to create sumptuous pieces for autumn/winter 2011 PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Shave STYLING Mary-Anna Kearney

Erdem

‘The Swarovski Elements have added a really beautiful and couture-like feature to the collection. I love using them to create weight and texture’ Velvet dress made with Swarovski Elements by Erdem; Atelier Swarovski necklace by Rodrigo Otazu

To hear more about the inspirations behind Erdem’s latest collection, scan this QR code

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Jason Wu

‘For autumn/winter 2011, I wanted to evoke a feeling of opulence through applying Swarovski Elements onto luxuriously embroidered reliefs that adorn the collection’ Antique silver blouse made with Swarovski Elements and antique silver, ostrich feather skirt, both by Jason Wu; vintage belt by Yves Saint Laurent from Vintage Modes at Grays

To watch an exclusive interview with Jason Wu, scan this QR code

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J.W. Anderson

‘Autumn/winter 2011 is a new chapter in the story, it's about the cultivation of new and interesting sculptures. Being awarded the Swarovski Collective sponsorship is incredibly exciting for us as a label’ Merino wool sweater with rubber collar made with Swarovski Elements from J.W. Anderson women’s collection; full-length cashmere mix kilt from J.W. Anderson men’s collection; metal folded cuff by Jaeger

Roksanda Ilincic

‘The opportunity to include Swarovski's innovative products always provides a welcome challenge.

The resulting pieces will be exciting and beautiful and will immeasurably add to the strength of both the collection and the show’ Sequin and wool dress made with Swarovski crystal pearls by Roksanda Ilincic; ‘Cecile’ clutch bag by Jimmy Choo

To learn more about Roksanda Ilincic’s latest collection, scan this QR code

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Rodarte

‘Swarovski Elements have been incorporated into the collection to add vibrancy, depth, and texture to our palette. Swarovski's commitment to creativity and artistry is unparalleled and their incredible product has transformative effects’ Yellow tulle dress made with Swarovski Elements by Rodarte

Giles

‘It is a great opportunity to be able to use such a wide range of beads and Swarovski crystal pearls in the collection. It gives us huge scope to bring show pieces to another level’ Top made with Swarovski Elements and cropped pants, both by Giles; vintage bracelet, by Anne Klein and vintage earrings, by Christian Dior, both at Gillian Horsup at Grays

To find out more about the making of Giles’ A/W 2011 collection, scan this QR code HAIR: Peter Beckett at Frank MAKE-UP: Phyllis Cohen at Debbie Walters Management MANICURIST: Lucie Pickavance at Caren PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANTS: Jo O’Hanlon, Mark Arnold MODELS: Chelsea Donaldson at IMG, Dominika at Next

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liGht rEliEf WORDS Michael Prodger

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Now entering its tenth year, Swarovski Crystal Palace has focused on the ďŹ nest lighting options

WINTER HAZE Opposite page Ron Arad’s ‘Miss Haze’ chandelier This page ‘Dream Saver’

by Arne Quinze

‘Grcic has DEscribED thE procEss as hiGhtEchnical vErsion of a

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One of the core commandments of 20th-century Modernism was that ornament is a crime. From this bold assertion, proclaimed in 1908 by the Austro-Hungarian architect Adolf Loos, it followed that houses should be mere ‘machines for living’ and that form should follow function. While it was an aesthetic that succoured great architects and designers, from Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier to Gerrit Rietveld and Alvar Aalto, it was also an aesthetic that denied the necessity of a gilded Louis Quinze chair or a carved Robert Adam fireplace. This doctrine has long since been superseded but its influence is still pervasive which means that, whichever way you look at it, Swarovski Crystal Palace is a brave initiative: it is the antidote to Modernism.

The project has been running since 2002 with the mission statement of pushing the boundaries of what design can do by using the company’s signature crystals as the key component. Swarovski Crystal Palace is entering its 10th year of celebrating the finest aspects of lighting: freeing the pick of contemporary designers to reimagine the chandelier.

When Roger Hiorn created his Turner Prize-shortlisted ‘Seizure’ in 2009, in which he turned a south London flat into a blue crystal cave by flooding the space with 70,000 litres of copper sulphate solution, it seemed both radical and mesmeric – but SCP had anticipated him. The likes of Tom Dixon, Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid were already experimenting with the innate qualities of refraction; creating sculptural ensembles of Swarovski Elements

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DOME FRONT Left ‘Crystal Dome’ at Swarovski Kristallwelten Below left ‘Reflections’ at Swarovski Kristallwelten

GLOBE SPOTTER Below ‘Ball Chandelier’

by Tom Dixon

COOL EDITIONS Below right, top Tord Boontje’s ‘Ice Branch’ Below right, bottom ‘Crystal Forest’ by Fabrizio Plessi at Swarovski Kristallwelten

but they know about making an impact. In the anything-goes world of contemporary art, that is a key asset.

Take, for example, the Belgian Arne Quinze’s ‘Dream Saver’. In prosaic terms it is a walk-through structure 12 meters long and three meters high with a wood and metal frame. But this superstructure has been transformed by hanging from it a staggering 5.5km of crystal strands. Quinze’s idea is that when stepping into his glittering cave visitors will feel something of the energy, indeed the dreams, of previous viewers that were soaked up by the crystals and are now released. Because the space tapers at head height it is not so very fanciful to suggest that the looming strands do absorb some of the feelings pumped out by each spellbound walker.

Or take architect Amanda Levete. Her creation ‘Black + Lite’ is a sophisticated version of those spiral wind-chimes that corkscrew with each breeze. Levete’s is a twist of carbon fiber with embedded LED lights refracted through crystals set into the object’s skin. It is a remarkably elegant piece that resembles a light-emitting squid of the sort found in the dark of the deep oceans.

If the light artists’ work is hallucinatory then the pieces conjured up by the object makers is no less so. Tord Boontje, for example, has made a suite of what he dubs ‘ice furniture’ – table, bench and stool. Sculpture plays with illusion; crystal stalactites suspended in blocks of clear Perspex are reflected in a mirrored base. Fabien Baron’s ‘Dead or Alive’ comprises flickering crystal skulls that call to mind Damien Hirst’s variation on the theme, ‘For the Love of God’, his £50m diamond-studded platinum skull. It is worth noting, however, that Baron first exhibited his in SCP’s 2005 showing at Art Basel, Miami: Hirst’s was not seen until 2007.

and lighting them from within, then wrapping them into translucent bows and clustering them into shimmering balls.

Of course what these pieces do is what the best designers have always done, which is to worry away at the limits of both imagination and materials. It is at this point that the line between design and art becomes blurred.

The SCP creations are so beyond the norm of most modern lighting and furniture that they have outgrown the tag of ‘applied art’.

These extraordinary hybrids are closest in spirit to full-blown art installations and as a result, in a deliberate switch, they are now being shown in high-end art and design plat forms such as the Hong Kong International Art Fair and Design Miami/ Basel (and showcased annually at the Salone del Mobile exhibition in Milan). One should be wary at this staking of a claim in a more exalted sphere but it is a logical progression: while the technical advances and ingenuity of the SCP pieces is still important, it is their sensory effect that is uppermost. And these are designers who are not only already established globally

Most remarkably, none of the designers even come close to replicating one another’s work. The central ingredient, crystals, may be the same but the uses they have been put to are bewilderingly wide-ranging. Perhaps the best place to get an overview of the SCP project is at Kristallwelten at Wattens, near Innsbruck, Austria.

Here the company has created an enormous artistic playground where the pieces can be seen en masse. A water-spouting giant emerging from the alpine hillside acts as a portal into the Chambers of Wonders within. Here, glowing in the dark, is a fantasy world of marionettes and toy theatres, kaleidoscopes and neon calligraphy where some artists have turned to great names for inspiration (iconic works by Picasso, Dalí and Warhol have been reinterpreted), and others, such as Brian Eno, Jim Whiting and André Heller have simply run free. It is a place of Harry Potteresque wonder.

Meanwhile, in an expansion of these conceptual, poetic, magical and metaphorical themes, Swarovski Crystal Palace’s latest collaboration, with the Minimalist John Pawson, will be an experiential work of art in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, that will reveal the architecture of the great Sir Christopher Wren in a new and revelatory way, using the largest lens ever manufactured in Wattens, Swarovski’s headquarters in Austria.

Of course all good designers and artists are used to imagining in three dimensions but adding a fourth – light in the form of crystals – opens up endless new possibilities. It is as if painters had for centuries been working happily with only two primary colors – red and blue – and suddenly were given yellow too.

Michael Prodger is the art critic for Standpoint magazine

crystals are put to bewilderingly wide-ranging uses by the designers

The cream of the fashion world came together at the 10th CFDA/Swarovski award ceremony this year, and among the hard-won trophies, grateful speeches and heartfelt accolades, a surprise lay in store for the proud sponsors WORDs Elisa Anniss

best on show Sparkling with all the glitz and red-carpet glamour of the Oscars, the annual awards ceremony of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is always a star-spangled industry affair.

But the spectacle took on an added shimmer this year, as it marked the 10th anniversary of Swarovski’s sponsorship.

The event, held on June 6 in New York’s Lincoln Center, unites all corners of the business, from design veterans and rising stars to fashion journalists, stylists, photographers and influencers. The biggest impact this year was made by the CFDA Fashion Icon Award winner, a blue-haired Lady Gaga resplendent in a Thierry Mugler outfit teamed with a never-ending train and 24in heels. But she was just one in an impressive line-up of style-leaders that included designers Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Phoebe Philo and celebrity supporters Kanye West, Naomi Watts and Kirsten Dunst. Sofia Coppola presented the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award to Marc Jacobs for his consistent creative influence on fashion, and photographer Arthur Elgort was bestowed the Board of Directors’ Special Tribute Award, which

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was presented to him by Vogue’s Grace Coddington for his incredible contribution to fashion over the years.

For winners and nominees alike, this event is the glittering pinnacle of their calendar, if not their careers, which is why Swarovski is so proud to be involved.

‘There is no other event that puts the spotlight on American fashion like the CFDA Fashion Awards,’ said Steven Kolb, its executive director. ‘Winning a CFDA Fashion Award is one of the highest and most coveted honors one can receive in our industry. All of this is made possible by the long-time support of Swarovski, with whom we are pleased to be celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Its involvement with the Awards over the years has been invaluable.’

As well as generously underwriting the entire event for the past 10 years, Swarovski also sponsors three awards for emerging talent. Model Karolina Kurkova presented

CELEBrATION Left to right, from top: Anne V in Altuzarra; Nadja Swarovski and Karolina Kurkova; Christian Brylle in robert Geller; robert Geller, Eddie Borgo and Prabal Gurung; Alessandra Ambrosio; Kurt in Alexander Wang; Lady Gaga; Guinevere van Seenus in Eddie Borgo; Isabeli Fontana in Pamela Love; Prabal Gurung; Paolo Anchisi in Phillip Lim; Louise roe; Diane von Furstenberg; Alana Zimmer in The row; Patrik Ervell and Kirsten Dunst; Anna de rijk in Jason Wu

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INEZ VAN LAMSWEERDE & VINOODH MATADIN; GETTY IMAGES; MATRIX

this year’s Swarovski Awards to Prabal Gurung for Womenswear, Robert Geller for Menswear and Eddie Borgo for Accessory Design. All three will receive personal support from Swarovski, including exclusive access to the company’s vast and innovative Swarovski Elements resources.

In the 10 years since Swarovski began to sponsor the CFDA Fashion Awards, it has become one of the greatest champions of young fashion designers, all under the passionate guidance of Nadja Swarovski, the company’s Vice President of International Communications and Creative Director. CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg was eager to praise: ‘For the past 10 years, Swarovski has provided a relentless commitment to nurturing young design talent across the globe, especially in America at the CFDA Fashion Awards.’

A surprise moment came when Diane von Furstenberg presented a special award to Nadja Swarovski, as a gesture of the CFDA’s gratitude for Swarovski’s support over the past decade. The award was a unique Trova statuette that Philip Crangi had personalized with Swarovski Elements. Handing the award to the great-great-granddaughter of the company’s founder, von Furstenberg said, ‘This year’s Swarovski Award nominees represent real talent and we could not ask for a more passionate and involved friend than Swarovski.’

For backstage footage of the CFDA Fashion Awards, scan this QR code Clockwise from left: Doutzen Kroes in Prabal Gurung; the Swarovski and CFDA Fashion Awards 10th Anniversary Collection by Philip Crangi; 21 past award recipients take to the stage to honor Swarovski

the appreciation was felt when 21 past award recipients took to the stage to honor swarovski

The heartfelt appreciation was also palpable when 21 past recipients of CFDA/Swarovski Awards, including Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Richard Chai and Zac Posen, took to the stage to honor the company.

But Nadja Swarovski made it clear that the company’s quiet, consistent involvement was an essential facet of Swarovski’s vision for nurturing daring creativity: ‘Season after season, we continue to be amazed by the work of these creative minds and their ability to push the boundaries of crystal in fashion.

We, too, are honored to be a part of this amazing journey.’

To mark this decade-long association, Swarovski also commissioned Crangi to create a special 10-piece collection including statement necklaces, cuffs and bracelets. In a recent article in the fashion industry bible Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Crangi admitted to being ‘flattered’ at being asked to design the commemorative collection. Everything the CFDA/Swarovski partnership stands for is embodied in this collection, not least because Crangi himself is a past winner of the CFDA/Swarovski Award for Accessory Design.

In 10 years, Swarovski’s passion for upholding talent has become a pillar for a flow of designers looking to work with crystal in new and innovative ways.

And luckily for fashion, it has no intention of backing down.

isis necklaces and braceleT, aTelier swarovski by lesley vik waddell

‘Opulent rainfalls of brilliant glittering crystals combined with the sensual feeling of silk cord provide an exciting and luxurious way to step into the glamor of the Fifties. Created for women with the confidence and power only possible in the 21st century’ lesley vik waddell

collective genius For the autumn/winter 2011 collection, Atelier Swarovski worked with a diverse line-up of collaborators including Mary Katrantzou, Arik Levy and Rodrigo Otazu, resulting in an innovative and directional jewelry collection PHOTOGRAPHY Toby McFarlan Pond

Cuffs and rings (OPPOSITE PAGE), PYraMid PEndanT (THIS PAGE), aTEliEr swarovski bY rodrigo oTaZu

‘Having worked with Swarovski crystal for the past 15 years, my first impulse was to do something out of the box, something distinctive and innovative.

I always strive to be different from everyone else. So, I turned myself and the stones upside down and, boy, how much fun was it doing my job again!’

RODRIGO OTAZU

ring, Atelier SwArovSki

by MAry kAtrAntZoU

‘I wanted to do something with my Atelier Swarovski collection that is refined, light and desirable. I combined the translucence and brilliance of Swarovski crystal pendants with a porcelain finish, achieved by using enamel.’

MARY KATRANTZOU

neCklACe, Atelier SwArovSki

by Arik levy

‘With the RockCraters collection I aim to celebrate a contemporary return to futuristic nature… with a sculpture-to-wear statement jewelry collection. At every movement of the body, light will sparkle within the crater to create a multitude of color effects in the crystals, while the highly polished rock facets will reflect and project colors, images and textures.’

ARIK LEVY

PLAYING WITH LIGHT Swarovski Elements are part of the DNA of the noble chandelier, so the world’s leading contemporary designers were asked to take a fresh look at this bringer of inspiration WORDS Nick Compton

Every couple of years, Milan’s Salone del Mobile, the mother of all design fairs, lights up with enough candelas to brighten up the dark side of the moon.

Euroluce is where the best in contemporary lighting can shine. Architects and designers understand how lighting can turn a good space into a remarkable one, and come here to see what new possibilities have opened up. This year, Swarovski’s Lighting Centrepieces gave them a lot of new ideas to play with.

In line with the modus operandi Swarovski established with the Crystal Palace project, now in its tenth year, the new collection is the result of collaborations with leading light designers. This takes the spirit of the Crystal Palace through a grand exploration of the possibilities of light and then into the home.

Each designer has thought about how their light can work in a variety of configurations, either as a solo feature or as part of a series. And although

LIGHT TOUCH From top, left to right ‘Inside/Out’ (Linear Pendant), Stephen Burks; ‘Crystal Empire’, Design

by Swarovski; ‘Crystalline Icicles’, S Russell Groves; ‘Deconstruct, Design by Swarovski; ‘Inside/Out’ (Circle Pendant), Stephen Burks; ‘ReveaLED’, Andre Kikoski (two examples); ‘Strandelier’, Todd Bracher; ‘Crystal Empire’, Design by Swarovski

each piece has a fantastical element to it, they are also effortlessly functional.

Brooklyn-based Todd Bracher spent a decade in Europe’s key design hubs – London, Paris, Milan and Copenhagen – assembling a killer CV, including heading Tom Dixon’s design studio in London and taking on the creative directorship of Georg Jensen, a position he still holds, before returning to NYC. His ‘Strandelier’ is, as the name suggests, a thoroughly fresh and contemporary take on the chandelier, which reduces the form to its essence. Meanwhile, ‘Deconstruct’ is a more dynamic explosion of planes, a box of glass panels with crystal-encrusted fabric pulling apart and heading into space, setting off free strings of Swarovski Elements as they go.

Another designer on the inaugural Centrepieces team from Brooklyn is Stephen Burks. His design studio, Readymade Projects, has worked with clients ranging from Audi to B&B Italia, Calvin Klein to Cappellini.

His ‘Inside/Out’ is an elegant broken ring of light; the crystal used to create a subtle diffused glow. The beauty of the design is how well it works in different scales, as pendant lamp or as a wall sconce and even as a striking ingot. But if ‘Inside/Out’ is contemporary to the point of sci-fi cool, ‘Crystal Empire’ makes some smart historical references. Rendered in leather and light, it matches unexpected materials – both signifiers of a particular sort of luxury – but also seems to point

backwards and forwards at the same time, displaying a ver y contemporar y kind of classicism.

Canadian architect S Russell Groves has worked in the retail palaces of fashion giants from Armani to Ralph Lauren, as well as creating residential designs that match luxury with sterling environmental credentials. His ‘Cr ystalline Icicles’ possesses the magical shimmer of an ice curtain glowing with a polar light.

Manhattan-based architect and designer Andre Kikoski served time under IM Pei and Richard Meier before establishing his own practice. No surprise then that his ‘ReveaLED’ has the purest architectural lines of the range, communicating solely through squares and rectangles, lit from within by LEDs. Each variant creates a unique play of light, shadows and angles.

This mixing of architects who design and designers with an architectural bent is quite deliberate. Their approach shows a unique understanding of how great lighting design does not simply combine formal elegance and technical innovation, but also creates new worlds around it. For a house is not truly alive with possibilities until the lights are on.

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AMAZING GRACE For more than a century, Swarovski has provided the sparkle for the dazzling ballet costumes that oat as elegantly and miraculously as the dancers themselves

WORDS Maria Yacoob

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A scene from The Snow Queen, performed by the English National Ballet

Prima ballerina Daria Klimentova is coming to the end of her The Snow Queen solo. She pique-turns at breakneck speed across the glistening stage of the London Coliseum. The tightfitting body of her pure white dress is embellished with a glittering Swarovski Elements necklace. Her head is crowned with a delicate shimmering tiara. As she fouettes, the stagelights catch the stones to give off tiny bursts of silvery light.

She executes a perfect double-pirouette, finishing her dance to rapturous applause from the audience.

‘That solo was one of the most difficult of my career,’ admits Daria. ‘It was fast, with lots of pirouettes and jumps, and it was long.’ As one of the English National Ballet’s most beloved principal dancers, the title role in the company’s The Snow Queen was created for Daria. It was also created with the help of Swarovski. The company, working with designer Mark Bailey, produced over 2,400 bespoke crystal transfers in the shapes of snowflakes and branches, to enhance the costumes of all 64 dancers in the production.

‘The Swarovski transfers were amazing,’ says Kerry Birkett, who played an ice maiden to Daria’s queen. ‘My dress was covered in them. They sparkled in the same way as hard crystals, but they were so light the fabric moved as we danced, which is of crucial importance.’

With crystals also adorning wigs, masks, dresses and the set, the Snow Queen’s world of ice was able to, in the words of one reviewer, ‘glisten deliciously’. ‘The production really

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captured people’s imagination,’ agrees Kerry. ‘The sets, costumes and props really gave the feeling of ice, snow and magic.’

Swarovski’s close relationship with the English National Ballet extends across several of its most celebrated productions, including Strictly Gershwin, Cinderella and The Nutcracker. But the company’s associations with dance on stage reach much further, across continents and centuries. ‘Indirectly, our involvement with the stage dates back to the company’s inception in 1895,’ reveals Nadja Swarovski. ‘We were supplying fashion houses right from our beginnings. And throughout the golden age of Hollywood, every diamond seen on screen was one of our crystals. So naturally, Swarovski was the obvious choice for stage shows, too.’

It is in the past 10 years, however, that Swarovski has taken a proactive role in strengthening partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious dance companies, and sponsoring stage productions. ‘We have worked with big Broadway musicals such as Sister Act and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, right through to the opera Der Freischutz, in which the costumes were designed by Viktor & Rolf,’ says Nadja. But it is the dance companies – Vienna State Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, and the English National Ballet – that most perfectly complement the crystals.

‘When the crystal is in movement, that’s when the sparkle comes out,’ explains Nadja. ‘We see it in our chandeliers – when the light moves, it refracts and gives out energy. It’s the same with dance. The crystals make it look as if light itself is dancing off the body of the performer.’

One designer who truly understands the symmetry between the movement of crystal and that of dance is Michael Howells. Perhaps better known for

LIGHT STEPS Clockwise from above: Christian Lacroix costume designs for La Source; a scene from Cinderella; Swarovski provided 11,000 crystals for the crosses that were part of the choreography of Eternal Light

his spectacular catwalk sets for Dior, Christian Lacroix and Alexander McQueen, or his work on films such as Bright Young Things, Emma, and An Ideal Husband, Howells’ credits also encompass the world of dance.

After designing shows for the Royal Ballet, DV8, and the Mark Baldwin Company, Michael took up the role of associate designer for Rambert (with Mark Baldwin as director).

‘What I love about working on dance productions is the time I have to explore ideas,’ says Michael. ‘When I worked on the Dior shows with Galliano I had three or four weeks. But with Mark, we start conversations at an embryonic stage – maybe six months before the show happens.

Also, I get to work directly with the dancers. In film you have to make costumes in advance, without the actors.’

One of the biggest productions Michael has designed for Rambert is Eternal Light, a full-length work choreographed by Mark. The music – a requiem by composer Howard Goodall – contains a libretto whose lyrics recall crosses from a World War I memorial in France. ‘We envisaged a ballroom,’ says Michael, ‘and a chandelier made up of rows of crosses that moved. The moving crosses would then become part of the dance and the choreography.’

Michael and Mark both loved the idea, but wondered how they could make it happen. ‘I called Swarovski, because of their work with fashion and dance companies,’ says Michael. ‘They were incredibly helpful. They showed us boxes and boxes of different crystals. We explained what we wanted to do – we needed something like 11,000 crystals. Swarovski were incredibly generous and provided them. We simply couldn’t have built that part of the set without them – it would have cost far too much.’

After realizing their vision for the set design, Mark was then able to use the crystals to full effect in his choreography. ‘The reflection, colors, and sparkle of the crystals did a marvelous job of giving a mysterious atmosphere to the stage,’ recalls Mark. ‘I choreographed the 22 dancers to make lines, which assembled, then broke up into duets – rather like a community forming, breaking up, then reshaping. I was able to take advantage of the way the light suggested metaphors such as memory, spirituality and daybreak.’

LFI; Courtesy oF ChrIstIan LaCroIx; Getty IMaGes; annaBeL MoeLLer

‘when the crystal is in movement, it looks as if light itself is dancing off the body of the performer’

It is fascinating to unpick the relationships between the choreography, the dancers, the costumes, the sets and the lighting, to realize how each plays an important role in creating a dance performance.

The next big show involving Swarovski is the Paris Opera Ballet’s new production of La Source. A forgotten ballet of unrequited love from the turn of the 20th century (in which Nijinsky made his solo debut), the new production will feature twinkling costumes designed by Christian Lacroix.

Audiences will find out in October just how the flamboyant fashion designer has turned his hand to ballet.

Between now and then, a whole creative team in Paris will be working furiously to draw together the director’s vision. But at the heart of it all is the dancing itself.

Ballerinas complete years and years of arduous training to create something effortlessly beautiful. The parallels with crafting exquisite crystals are evident. ‘There is so much work, energy, craftsmanship and artistry involved in both the way we create crystals, and the way a dancer creates movement,’ says Nadja Swarovski. ‘We talk about the poetry of precision. But the phrase could just as easily be about dance, too.’

Maria Yacoob has worked as a dance critic and a choreographer for the BBC, and for Sadler’s Wells

Not just a pretty face Gilded glass and sparkling Swarovski Elements adorn cashmere, suede and foil, as designer Karen Beauchamp takes feature wallpaper to new heights of sophistication WORDS Pip McCormac phOtOgRaphy Philip Karlberg

To watch the movie from our Wallpaper launch event in London, scan this QR code CHECK REPUBLIC ‘Diamond Trellis’ wallpaper from the Swarovski Elements Wallpaper Collection

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‘Statement walls have been around for ages,’ says the interior designer of the moment, Lee Broom. ‘It was only a matter of time before people started to try and move the look on.’ In the past few years we’ve had fuchsia damask prints, sweeping murals and geometric designs – now Swarovski Elements has reinvented the t rend for bold, beaut i f u l wa l ls by introducing its first Wallpaper Collection.

Masterminded by British wa l lpaper designer Karen Beauchamp, who previously worked with London-based company Cole & Son, the finest crystal elements created

by Swarovski are shown on backgrounds of exquisite flock, mirror-like foil and layered ink giving the effect of metallic leather.

It’s not as over the top as you might imagine – Swarovski Elements shimmer as light plays across the wall refracted by the multifaceted colored crystals, Cabochon Pearls and the new-look ‘Crystal Strata’ integrated into the designs.

‘I just wanted to create something really beautiful,’ Karen said at the launch of the wallpapers earlier this year in London’s Portland Place. She managed it – the papers sparkle subtly, not overwhelmingly. I tell her I think that they’re really sophisticated, that the regal-looking feather design of the ‘Plume’ wallpaper is my favorite, that it would work perfectly on one wall of a room to add a real sense of drama into a living space. ‘Oh no,’ she says, slightly surprised at my suggestion. ‘You could easily hang them on all four walls, they’d look great.’ It would be a brave style choice, but incredibly, she’s probably right – so opulent would an entire room look in the range that it would instantly feel luxurious and refined.

‘It’s adding texture that makes an interior interesting,’ Lee Broom says. ‘Whereas before, we were happy to play with pattern; now we want to be tactile with our surroundings, too. It’s not just enough to like what we see, we want to be able to feel

SHInE MAKInG Left The opulence of ‘Plume’ from the Swarovski Elements Wallpaper Collection Above From the same collection, ‘Versailles’ features gilded glass at each corner fixed with a cluster of crystal rocks

‘whereas before we were happy to play with pattern, now we want to be tactile with our surroundings too’

how good it is.’ Previously, statement walls have served as a backdrop to the decorative pieces in the room. This range makes wallpaper the accessory in its own right – the raised crystal designs mean you don’t need to group vases or candlesticks to show form and structure. Bizarrely, that makes the wallpaper oddly minimalist – it means you can do away with all the objects that might have worked with plainer walls and just add simpler furniture instead.

The collection includes nine wallpapers embellished with Swarovski Elements and two co-ordinating plain wallpapers.

Three of these wallpapers have a layer of crystals called the Crystal Strata, which subtly changes color creating a discreet brilliance never before seen in interiors. Dense layers of crystals are applied directly to sections of the designs as the wallpaper is printed for an intense and sparkling effect. In the ‘Feather Palace’ design, a single metallic plume every 85cm is accentuated by XILIOn Crystals, and in ‘Versailles’, gilded glass is fixed at each corner with a cluster of crystal rocks. The effect is luminous, luxurious, lovely.

Glamorous materials are often shunned because their use is difficult to pull off without looking tacky, but this range proves that, when done correctly, glitz has lost none of its shine.

For a distributors list, visit swarovski-elements.com/wallpaper

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This page Black dress made with Swarovski Elements, by Giles; black lace-up shoes by Marios Schwab; silver bead cuff made with Swarovski Elements,

by Philippe Audibert

chatelaine of chic Crystal and pearl embellishment gives this season’s looks a sense of abandon, inspiring adventure and dangerous liaisons PHOTOGRAPHY Olaf Wipperfßrth FASHION Michelle Duguid

This page Silk georgette gown and Swarovski Crystal Pearl harness,

by Juan Carlos Obando.

Opposite Black techno wool dress with neckline made with ostrich feathers and Swarovski Elements,

by Prabal Gurung; gray floppy hat by Lanvin; silver-plated ‘Roselyne’ bracelet made with Swarovki Elements,

by Philippe Audibert

This page Dress made with Swarovski Crystal Pearls, by Marios Schwab; ‘Glamour Pearl’ ring made with Swarovski Elements, by Philippe Ferrandis

Opposite Asymmetric poncho shirt and collar made with Swarovski Crystal Fabric, by Alexander Wang.

This page ‘Jewel Tree’ dress made with Swarovski Elements,

by Mary Katrantzou

Silk necklace top made with Swarovski Elements; silk satin ‘Long Legs’ skirt; large stone ridge cuff and four-stone metal cuff, both made with Swarovski Elements; all by Holly Fulton

Opposite Black wool coat-dress, made with Swarovski Elements,

by Jason Wu. This page Panelled ‘Mathilda’ dress, hand-embroidered with Swarovski Elements, by Erdem.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: Julien Grignon STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: Debbie Lerner HAIR: Tobiasz at Marie-France MAKE-UP: Fusako at Rafaella MODEL: Polina at Ash

ELEMENTARY MAGIC Fusing nostalgic shades with the cleanest lines and classic geometry with futuristic hues, this season’s Swarovski Elements sparkle with simple, alchemical grace PHOTOGRAPHY Graeme Montgomery STYLING annette Masterman

Cool and Confident Opposite the new color, denim Blue, is a versatile tone that is both classic and futuristic, young and fresh. easily wearable, it is a self-assured answer to the current direction towards unisex elements, and will stand the test of time. available in a mix of various shapes and cuts, for maximum impact PoetiC revival This page Crystal antique Pink captures the design world’s recent rediscovery of the rosy side of life. despite being a romantic and feminine hue, this new effect possesses a certain strength and ďŹ ts perfectly well with the ongoing trend towards vintage-inspired tonalities. available in a mix of various shapes and cuts

ancient echoes Opposite the revival of classic shapes in ceramics follows the current trend for fusion-inspired designs. the new ceramic shapes allow a mix of materials with different design elements the Light fantastic This page the XiLion cut, with its small and large alternating facets, results in an intense luminosity. the XiLion heart sparkles with an inimitable brilliance

The eclecTic crew The organic and elegant shape with its soft edges and rough facets is characteristic of the Graphic Family, which consists of Flat Back, Fancy Stone and Pendant. Available in a variety of colors and sizes

PASTEL PROMISE The new Crystolite Opal is a softly sensuous pale green with milky opaqueness, a beautiful soft summer color awash with the eternal promise of warm sea breezes and lazy sunny afternoons. Available in a range of cuts, it works beautifully with warm whites and cool creams

CRAzy In LOvE Opposite The new Wild Heart Bead is an eccentric interpretation of the iconic symbol for eternal love.

The diagonal hole, which is harmonically integrated into the shape, allows new application possibilities WELL BALAnCEd This page The graphic and geometric shape of the Rhombus Pendant ďŹ ts perfectly into the trend for updated classics. Its strength lies in its minimalism

Button up This page the understated natural look of the new Crystal pearl Button gives every design a touch of elegance.

It is also suitable for menswear and perfectly complements the existing Buttons assortment

pop AesthetIC Opposite the unique look and distinctive brilliance of the Crystal Rocks in Crystal Bermuda Blue provide a splash of imagination, ideal for livening up any surface

Their brighT MaTerials A recent Swarovski project asked 16 leading menswear brands to incorporate Swarovski Elements into a complete outfit or accessory item, including Armani, Zegna, Dior Homme, Bally, Pringle of Scotland, Roberto Cavalli, Marni and upcoming designers Max Kibardin and Umit Benan.

The designers were set the challenge of working with crystals in unexpected ways, reinventing classic pieces using the inspiration and innovation of Swarovski Elements according to their own artistic vision. The results served as proof of the versatility of the medium as crystals lent an elegance and contemporary flair to the designs.

Here, some of the designers share their vision WORDS Angelo Flaccavento PHOTOGRAPHY Pierpaolo Ferrari STYlinG Roberto Rabensteiner

UMIT BENAN Umit Benan What’s the first thing the name Swarovski Elements brings to your mind?

Richness.

Can crystals and menswear really team up?

It’s a feasible combination, it’s what I tried to achieve while endeavoring to maintain a masculine touch. However, sparkling crystals can be interesting in other fields, too: music for example. Rockers feel perfectly at ease with anything that glitters.

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How did you develop the project?

My idea was to create a look that wasn’t pure exaggeration, but which could nevertheless belong to my world. The result is Umit Benan through and through, with a Swarovski touch.

Masculine, tailored, true.

Did your personal opinion about Swarovski Elements change after this experiment?

One outcome of this joint venture is that I’d like to create something for women as soon as possible.

To experience the debut of Swarovski Elements Men’s Club, scan this QR code Suit and vest made with Swarovski Elements

by Umit Benan

star quality This page leather bag made with swarovski Elements by Bally Opposite Dress shirt made with swarovski Elements

by Emporio armani

Bally Graeme Fidler and Michael Herz, creative directors

aRMaNI Giorgio Armani

Was it difficult to combine the sparkle from the crystals and the male world?

The relationship between crystal and male leather goods is certainly not immediate. However, I [Fidler] like challenges and I’m particularly attracted to difficult ones, such as exploring new ideas without losing the classical taste. All this shows that there are no limits on creativity.

How did your co-operation with Swarovski Elements develop?

I thought of using these luminous crystals as an unusual, beautiful detail, creating a contemporary, elegant evening look for men, too. So I designed a black, perfectly proportioned, slim-fit suit complete with a shirt in the same colour, with tiny Swarovski crystals applied to the shirt front to give it an original, unexpected look.

How did the process between Bally and Swarovski Elements develop?

First of all, we are pleased to be involved in this enterprise. As creative director of Bally Man, I always had a very direct approach to the design process. I was amused to find creative ways to apply Swarovski Elements in our projects.

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And the effect?

The crystals capture the light and therefore the eye.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Massimiliano Giornetti, creative director What was your inspiration for the Swarovski Elements project?

In Let’s Make Love, Marilyn wears a fabulous pair of red courts smothered in crystals that Salvatore Ferragamo created especially for her. After we bought them back at an auction in 1999, they are now in our archive in Florence. This gave me the idea of light-heartedly reinventing the quintessential men’s shoe, the Oxford.

Are you pleased with the result?

Yes. We made three different shoes, a slipper and two brogues, and covered them in crystals in three different colors: burgundy red, midnight blue and a combination of mocha and black.

How would you describe the relationship between Ferragamo and Swarovski Elements?

The relationship is a long one, built on elegance, glamor and eccentricity.

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Anna Zegna, image director and president of Fondazione Zegna Was it a challenge to unite the sparkling world of Swarovski Elements with the understated sobriety of Zegna?

At first it seemed a ‘mission impossible’ for a brand such as Zegna, a symbol of excellence in male tailoring, to work with the glittering world of Swarovski. However fashion, like the arts, is constantly nourished by everything in real life.

It reinterprets each aspect to foster new styles.

Paradoxically, the greater the distance between the two worlds that enter into contact, the more substantial the result in creative terms. You can combine crystals and menswear because the men’s fashion world can draw on various sources of inspiration as long as they are underpinned by good taste. So our initial misgivings were gradually replaced by creativity and our realization that crystals can be used in many ways for menswear.

style guide Opposite shoes made with swarovski elements by salvatore Ferragamo This page shirt, tie and cummerbund made with swarovski elements by ermenegildo Zegna

hussein chalayan with creations exploring the edge of imagination, the celebrated designer is ‘an artist who uses clothes as a medium’ and his work with swarovski consolidates his laudable desire to create the unimaginable WORDS Lisa Armstrong

Sometimes, when you’ve been ramrodded into and out of a show which consisted of little more than a blur of camel hotpants not dissimilar to the 740 camel hotpants you’ve already seen, the heart can bounce into a slough of despondency. But every so often a light is shone into this morass by a designer who does not so much think outside the box as refuse to acknowledge it. More often than not this designer’s name is Hussein Chalayan.

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Chalayan’s reputation as ‘The Maverick’ got a kick-start when, as a St Martins student, he buried his graduate collection – in the days before anyone had heard of Max Clifford’s stunts – in order to lend it an interesting patina. The éclat of the catwalk label was further burnished in 1995 with those articulated wooden skirts and dresses that turned into a table and suitcases, enabling the models to trot straight off to the airport at the end

Marcus PalMqvist

DRESS TO THRILL Above To see Hussein Chalayan’s creations in action, scan this QR code Opposite A vintage-shaped mechanical dress from Chalayan’s innovative 2007 collection

I’m speaking literally about the light – usually generated using Swarovski Elements. Collaborations in fashion are two a penny. But the five-year (and counting) marriage between Chalayan and Swarovski, a company that sees a concept and transforms it into something so decorative and technologically advanced it defies categorization, has been one of the most productive and thought provoking – a lyrical fusion of fashion and technology.

of the show. there was just one problem after that triumph. how on earth could you imagine following that? how about chalayan’s 2007 whirl though a century of fashion, with mechanical dresses that morphed into different silhouettes from the twenties, thirties and fifties, many sparkling with crystals? or the fiberglass dress inspired by a flight deck, complete with control panel in 2006? or the expanding circles that framed his models in 2007, while shafts of light and crystals (more of that swarovski magic) danced around their bodies? ‘the collection represents an abstract story book depicting evolution,’ chalayan said at the time, in typical gnomic style. ‘the mechanical dresses represent the Big Bang, the start of the universe and existence.’ it sure as hell beat those collections that are about blagging a part on the next season of The Only Way is Essex or dating a footballer. suits illuminated with flight-path patterns, laser jackets, a show-stopping appearance at runway rocks… his partnership with swarovski has lit up entire concert halls with ingenious feats of physics comprising 15,000 Led twinkling pinpricks and liberal smotherings of crystals. they also happen to have produced some of the most talked-about and genuinely avant-garde catwalk moments of the past decade.

Whether or not you like your fashion with a side order of philosophy, philology and psychology, it never hurts to have a thoughtful designer on the scene. his meticulous research meanders far and wide. once while viewing a rail of his clothes, he asked me whether my family had come from eastern europe. they had. he had recently been studying physiognomy. sometimes, i muse, i wonder how he ever found himself designing clothes in the first place? he says it’s because of his love for the body. ‘i have a huge appreciation for architecture and aerodynamics and i think that the body is the ultimate form to design for. But i often use other media to create a platform for these ideas, such as video, film, photography and sculpture.’ if he is uncompromising, then it’s only as those who successfully challenge conventional notions of beauty and function often are.

More often than you might think, his clothes are the essence of chic simplicity and timelessness, although there is never anything simple about their cut and construction. out of the experiments and meditations come wearable breakthroughs. Accompanying 2008’s lime- or cobalt-colored breast plates that looked as though they had been poured from concrete, for instance, were micro minidresses that had been sliced from a new synthetic foam fabric that was developed especially by chalayan.

the A/W 2011 FloAting Dress hAs tiny crystAls set into mAgnetic holDers thAt Fly up AnD cAscADe DoWn like snoWFAll 112

it will be another accolade for British fashion’s most enigmatic eminence. it’s not that fashion seems too small a word for what he does – he says he loves the disciplines of shows and deadlines. But, he says, ‘i’ve finally come round to thinking of myself as an artist who happens to use clothes as his medium.’ if that sounds earnest, it shouldn’t. i’m thinking in particular of the laser-firing (courtesy of swarovski) dresses from 2008. eat your heart out, gaga.

Lisa Armstrong is fashion editor of the Daily Telegraph

claire robertson; catwalking.com; getty images

his latest collaboration with swarovski, from autumn/winter 2011 is the ‘floating dress’, a miracle of tiny crystals set into magnetic holders that fly up from the dress and cascade about it creating a twinkling snowfall, captured in a mesmerizing film directed by chalayan, and on show to the public for the first time in a retrospective exhibition in Paris from July 5 to november 13, with six key crystal pieces from past collaborations.

touch of genius Opposite page, top chalayan makes tweaks, A/W 2007.

Bottom, left A/W 2007 and right A/W 2008

go gAdget, go Above futuristic robots made up the ďŹ nal look in the evolution-themed autumn/winter 2008 show

heAd-turners Top to bottom swarovskiand laser-diode dress, 2008; bubble dress, 2007; graphic of oating dress, A/W 2011

PhotograPhy Damian Russell SEt DESIgN Georgia Lacey faShIoN StylINg Janine Jauvel

CITY SLICK Taking inspiration from city living, the autumn/winter 2012/13 Trend themes reflect our renewed interest in urban life. For it is here, in these clusters of collective creativity, that cultures merge. This season, the design world seeks greater acceptance and expression and the city is the canvas upon which we paint our understanding and ideas.

We have detailed five cities that are impacting on and influencing the modern design world, capturing them in a snapshot of time. Letting all colors, all patterns and all worlds merge, we delve into the realm of the imagination to create a modern design language that speaks to a worldwide family

ChICago – ClaSSIC Girls will be boys. Taking its cue from Thirties Chicago, inspiration is found in a melding of Art Deco interiors, jazz clubs and modern architecture. With almost Bauhaus precision; bespoke tailoring, streamlined suiting and the architectural crispness of a white shirt make a comeback. Crystal can be found imparting a discreet sense of imposing power and good taste on tie-pins, shirt buttons and cufflinks.

Crystal

White Opal

Crystal Golden Shadow

Mocca

Crystal Silver Night

Jet

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Copenhagen – harmony Copenhagen Cool imparts a unisex attitude, where the uniforms of manual labor become everyday outfits. The modern-day heroes are now the workers, the fishermen, the mechanics, the builders, the people who feed and repair the world. This theme focuses on their uniforms and a younger generation who emulate their dress codes, with crystal woven into the very fabric of these oil- and dirt-smeared garments.

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Crystal Bronze Shade

Crystal Tabac

Olivine

Crystal Bermuda Blue

Denim Blue

Montana

side table, bottles courtesy of grahamandgreen.co.uk

Shanghai – romantiC The Shanghai of old has sent out a siren song to the modern design world.

Promising veiled mystery and encompassing a sense of intimacy; satin pajamas and the alluring silhouette of cheongsam-inspired designs offer a tantalizing glimpse of a more sensual world. Crystal shimmers, shines and seduces in clear patterns on faded and blurred backgrounds, while visions of Oriental romance are poetically woven through this enchanting theme.

Light Grey Opal

Crystal Petrol Pearl

Crystal Antique Crystal Golden Pink Shadow

Siam

Jet Nut

Chrysolite Opal

Light Peach

Crystal Satin

Crystal Antique Pink

Hyacinth

Denim Blue

BiKe, courtesy of BricKlaneBiKes.co.uK; mixer desK, courtesy of decKs.co.uK

Berlin – Progressive Berlin pulsates with youthful energy and creative design. Embracing arts and the avant-garde in equal measure, this vibrant city showcases cool in an ever-changing palette of design interpretations.

Characterized by understatement and unpretentiousness, attracting residents from eclectic and diverse cultures, Berlin inspires a brave new world where virtual reality and technical options are realized and crystal becomes cutting-edge, incorporated into high-tech designs.

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lanterns, leather pouffe and metal tray, all courtesy of grahamandgreen.co.uK; yellow stool courtesy of thelollipopshoppe.co.uK

istanBul – glamour The lavish and the luxurious are drawing renewed appeal and Istanbul, with its mix of market stalls and music beats, is the perfect melting pot for a glamorous modern makeover. The convergence of cultures and rich heritage of this extravagant, bejeweled city where color, detail and sumptuous patterns clash in Baroque frenzy sets the stage for an exotic and enticing new design foray.

Crystal Dorado

Indian Pink

Ruby

Dark Red Coral

Capri Blue

Crystal Petrol Pearl

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ABOVE: Sequin and wool dress made with Swarovksi crystal pearls

by Roksanda Ilincic

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BELOW: The new Denim Blue color from Swarovski Elements

Crystal Univer se

a triCk of the iCe One of the most spectacular of all sky phenomena, the parhelion or ‘sun dog’, is a truly magical coincidence of sunshine and ice crystals that has long entranced all those who see it WORDS Nick Smith

For polar explorers, hauling their sledges alone across the frozen wasteland, there is nothing more unearthly than the sight of three suns hovering above the horizon in the Antarctic twilight. ‘I always think they look rather like lights from an alien spaceship,’ says British explorer Martin Hartley, a veteran of some 20 expeditions to the White Continent.

A celestial effect every bit as dramatic as the Aurora Borealis, the two ‘sun dogs’ that flank the actual sun were once thought to be supernatural. But modern science tells us that the two powerful lights that range from deep red to brilliant white are optical illusions caused by ice crystals refracting the sun’s rays.

Although common in the Polar regions, sun dogs can happen anywhere if the conditions are right. The phenomenon was known to the Ancient Greeks who called it the parhelion, which means ‘beside the sun’. The Greeks also thought that the appearance of the ‘rival’ suns was a portent of momentous weather

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events to come. But the truth is less dramatic, as the effect is the result of the sun’s rays shining through thin clouds of hexagonal ice crystals. If the rays are perpendicular to the crystals’ vertical axis, the twin ‘dogs’ will shine. The associated ‘parhelic halo’ – a circular rainbow of luminous beauty – is caused by light scattered by randomly aligned ice fragments.

whose Antarctic panoramas have adorned New York’s Museum of Modern Art, feels spiritually linked to these mystical lights: ‘Each time seen, they hallow the Heavens, grace the skies, and sanctify the winter.’

Angela Schuster of The Explorers Club of New York explains the color variations: ‘Visual tricks of the ice, these solar consorts glow bright white when the crystals reflect the sun’s light and arch polychrome across the horizon when they refract it.’

For those who live in Antarctica, parhelia are daily sights and, as with rainbows, some are more spectacular than others, depending on atmospheric factors. Author of The Crystal Desert, David G Campbell, who has spent many summers in Antarctica, is sure that in any other part of the world, a sun dog would be thought ‘so strange that people would speak of it in hushed and reverential tones for years.’ But in Antarctica they are ‘as common as rainbows in a monsoon.’

As an environmental field-worker, you might think that Campbell would be impervious to the sun dog’s beauty. But for him they are nothing short of magical.

No one seems to know why they’re called dogs, although their other common names, such as ‘false’ or ‘mock suns’ are selfexplanatory. The idea that they are extraterrestrial has some basis in scientific fact as meteorologists think that they might once have existed on Mars where there was water ice as well as frozen carbon dioxide in its atmosphere. On gas giants such as Jupiter, clouds of ammonia and methane are thought to produce halos with four or more sun dogs.

Back on Earth, they’ve inspired writers and composers from Shakespeare to Schubert and are much loved by artists, too.

One of America’s major landscape photographers, Stuart Klipper, says he has ‘seen solar parhelia hover above the cold open sea, and over the ice of the Antarctic; as well as in the high latitudes of the far reaches of Arctic waters.’ Klipper,

Nick Smith is a contributing editor on the Explorers Journal and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

GETTY IMAGES; SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

SKY VIEWS From left Dazzling sun dog activity on the Belcher Islands, Hudson Bay, Canada; a sun dog illuminates the Alaskan skyline

THIS SEASON DAZZLES WITH GLAMOROUS

new designer collections AVAILABLE AT SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED

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Designers featured: T. Arrigoni, Kenneth Jay Lane, Anton Heunis, Rodrigo Otazu, Camila Klein, SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED™

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by Mary Katrantzou atelier SwarovSKi preSentS cutting-edge acceSSorieS celebrating innovative deSign froM the world of faShion, jewelry and architecture buy online at atelierSwarovSKi.coM +44 (0) 20 7255 8 40 0