START by Start London

issue 1 spring summer 2012

KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON DANIEL ROOKE & HELEN KENNEDY KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON MITCHELL COLLINS KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON KARL PEARSON CHRIS MOORE ANNA PRIADKA HIRO HIRATA PUBLISHER WITH MASSIVE THANKS TO:

editor-in-chief subbings editor

issue 1 spring summer 2012

art direction cinematographer fashion editor video editor photographer make-up hair START London Everyone featured in the issue, Mum and Pops, John Bannister, Eddie Bovingdon, Robert de Niet, Natalie Duthie Shift 4 Ltd and SELECT Model Management.

Welcome to the launch issue of START! This issue is all about London and the people that make it the best place in the world. In this issue we speak with London based surrealist sculptor Nancy Fouts on why she chose to exhibit her latest show in her Camden home. We catch up with fashion director and Parisian native,Violaine Bernard on why London is better than anywhere else in the world right now and meet five creativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that are cementing their place in the city right now. As part of our Fashion Hero segment we look at the career of Lulu Kennedy and her initiative Fashion East. The completion of our debut issue has involved a lot of multi tasking and late nights and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it. Until next time. Lots of love, Gladys & Pixie xx THROUGHOUT THIS ISSUE YOU WILL SEE QR CODES. SCAN THE CODE ON YOUR PHONE TO VIEW BEHIND THE SCENES FROM THE MAKING OF THIS ISSUE. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publisher. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine.

the details 14. 15. 16. 17. 24. 64.

The Headphones The Nail Polish The Backpack The Jewellery

The Sunglasses

A Brief History of Perfume

the fashion

26. The Lido 54. Blue Jeans, White Shirt 50. Melissa Jarram

the people 6. 18. 22. 40. 44. 48.

The Creatives Acne Damien Hirst Nancy Fouts Lulu Kennedy Violaine Bernard

NICOLE BAKER

ACNE UK CUSTOMER SERVICES & SALES

THECREATIVES THECREATIVES THECREATIVES THECREATIVES THECREATIVES For

the

launch

Start,

FIVE

noted up-and-coming creative’s chose an

outfit

represent

themselves

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB? “I interned at Harrods during my degree. I was then approached by Acne but I was still at University, they waited six months for me to graduate and I have been there since.” WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS? “Mulberry - I am slightly obsessed with their bags, I have three now - Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant.” WHY DO YOU LOVE THESE SUNGLASSES? “They are a great fit and so different to everything else this season. I have them in two colours!” WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? “I love a nice drink with friends at Shoreditch House.” LONDON’S BEST BAR? “I’m a pub girl at heart but Bar Solo in Camden does the best Cosmopolitan ever! The Poker Face cocktail at Shoreditch House is immense too.” career highlight so far? “Reaching budget for my first full season in sales at Acne...is that boring?” TELL US A SECRET ABOUT YOURSELF. “I love the Top 40 and I always get caught listening to One Direction.:

whilst

sharing their best kept secrets of the capital.

photography ALEXANDRA TIDSWELL styling KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON interviews KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON

body MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA belt SOPHIE HULME sunglasses ACNE necklaces NICOLE’s OWN

JAMES CURRAN director at partizan

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB? “I studied Computer Animation and Special Effects at university. After graduating I became very interested in music videos, particularly by directors like Spike Jonze. I began making animated music videos for the group Ugly Duckling which went on to win a Royal Television Society award. This led to more work for Ugly Duckling and artists such as DJ Yoda. I continued to work on music videos while also starting to work as an artist and animator in video game development.” WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS? “Psyop, Buck, and Punga” WHY DO YOU LOVE THis shirt? “I like the fit and the simple design, as well as the subtle distressing.” WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? “At home, watching films.” LONDON’S BEST BAR? “I haven’t lived in London long enough to decide...” career highlight so far? “Receiving praise from Steven Spielberg for my title sequence for The Adventures of Tintin” TELL US A SECRET ABOUT YOURSELF. “I have Thalassophobia.”

shirt CLOSED trousers A.P.C. ipad case WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie

laurence tooley kati elliott ecommerce & marketing at cos

KATI ELLIOTT ASSISTANT TO SOPHY ROBSON

assistant to sophy robson HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB? “I started at Liberty on the Visual and Menswear Deparments, working there for a year before moving to CoutureLab, an online luxury ecommers lifestyle store. I then began working with Kim Jones a few days a week at Dunhill, before assisting him full time, starting at Dunhill and then his move to Louis Vuitton, until the end of last year. I’m currently freelancing with COS on the ecommerce and marketing team, after being head hunted.”

shirt JAMES LONG

WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS? “Raf Simons, Helmut Lang and Kim Jones” WHY DO YOU LOVE THIS JACKET? “I was drawn to it because of it’s clean cut lines.” WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? “Surrounded by friends at home with a drink.” LONDON’S BEST BAR? “The Bridge coffee shop and bar on Kingsland Road.” career highlight so far? “My highlight has to be traveling to Kenya and Madagascar last summer.” TELL US A SECRET ABOUT YOURSELF. “If I did then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore!”

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB? “My mum has always been interested in nails, so it came from that. When I moved to London, Sophy Robson was hiring, so I applied and joined her for London Fashion Week 2011. I’ve worked with Sophy on editorials for American Vogue as well as the SS ‘12 campaign for Celine with Juergen Teller.” WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS? “Givenchy, Margiela, Celine, Balmain and House of Holland.” WHY DO YOU LOVE THIS SHIRT? “The sequins are amazing. It is heavy and glamorous yet feels subtle at the same time.”

shirt JAMES LONG

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? “Back home in Staffordshire, it’s really quiet and peaceful. Its nice to take time off and see my boyfriend and friends.” LONDON’S BEST BAR? “I like Plan B in Brixton and The Hoxton Pony. I really want to go to the Roller Disco in Vauxhall.” career highlight so far? “Working for Kanye West in Paris for his second collection. We went to his after party which was amazing, we were on go karts at 5am. It was the best party I’ve ever been to.”

tshirt MONCLER jacket V AVENUE SHOE REPAIR

TELL US A SECRET ABOUT YOURSELF. “I was born on the 29th February, which kind of makes me 5 years old.”

BENJAMIN CANARES assistant to CATHY KASTERINE

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR JOB? “Through a series of internships at Pop and i-D which led to Vogue Russia and W. I used to harass Cathy’s agency before she eventually let me assist her. I have wanted to work with her since I saw her work in The Tate from the Kate Moss Vogue shoot, shot by Corrine Day.” WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS? “Miuccia for Prada and Miu Miu, Marc Jcobs for Louis Vuitton and his own labels and Nicholas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga are in a league of their own. I also love the London lot: Christopher Kane and Simone Rocha. Acne is amazing too.” WHY DO YOU LOVE THIS SHIRT? “You can’t go wrong with silk, navy and a star print. It’s amazing!.” WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? “I don’t really relax as I am so hyper! I love sitting in my hairdressers, Fumi at Task, whilst she puts in crazy colours.Total relaxtion is with my mum, dad and brother in Wiltshire.” LONDON’S BEST BAR? “Claridges is the best if you want a decadent treat but you can’t go wrong with East London pubs: Royal Oak, Nelson’s Head, Pembury, Spurstowe and Elderfield.” career highlight so far? “Oh god, I can’t pick one. Working with Victoria Beckham - my favourite Spice girl! - for Numero Tokyo and i-D. Meeting legendary photographers Ellen Von Unwerth and Paolo Roversi. Travelling to Mauritius is up there too!” TELL US A SECRET ABOUT YOURSELF. “I’m stronger than I look and I’m really good at keeping secrets.”

shirt EQUIPTMENT necklaces HUSAM EL ODEH

ENTER A WORLD WHERE SOUND IS WEARABLE. WHERE SUPERB AUDIO IS COMBINED WITH AVANT-GARDE DESIGN, INCORPORATING A FUNCTION MEETS FASHION IDEAL. MOLAMI HEADPHONES ARE DESIGNED WITH THE CONTEMPORARY INDIVIDUAL IN MIND. molami.com

F A S H IONING t E C H NOLOGY

hat are the words on everyone’s lips when you mention the AW ’12 shows? Technology. Advancements in Technology is everywhere, from diamond-encrusted iPhones to holograms of deceased rappers appearing at festivals. More so then ever before, designers have embraced the progressions on offer. Take Burberry, who have live streamed their show to the world for the last few seasons, but this year people were taking note. With the attention to detail on garments, there was the opportunity to ‘sit’ on the front row at Kensington Gardens alongside Kate Bosworth, Alexa Chung and Rosie HuntingdonWhiteley and the view of the thunderstorm from inside and outside, whilst the models took their final walk, umbrellas in hand. All this on a 15-inch HD quality screen? I am not just championing this because I was not on the front row next to Anna Wintour myself, the fashion elite themselves have even commented on the heightened enjoyment of watching at home, choosing comfort instead of the endless sprints to and from shows, where they infamously overrun and the British weather lets us down, hell even Burberry wet their audience, whilst wetting their appetite for the season ahead. Those still sitting on the front row had their eyes down a great deal of the time, busy tweeting their instant opinion on the new collections rather than absorbing the collection itself. In the last few years, access to the internet has catapulted fashion into the world wide web. With the increased accessibility of shows online and the immediacy of shopping on the go, anyone who is anyone now has an iPod for their music, iPhone for their communication needs, laptop for work and an iPad for everything in between. And when it comes to using and carrying these products, they need to represent the owner’s personal style. Brands like Molami are taking technology to a fashionable level. Created by Swedish Industrial designer Maria Von Euler, the brand blends technology and high-end design to make stunning listening headpieces. After growing tired of the male dominated headphone market, Von Euler decided to create a new item that flattered a woman’s face whilst creating an unsurpassed listening experience. Each piece is designed around a woman’s face, with smaller ear buds and flattering soft features that compliment bone structure. Made of leather, silk and 18 carot gold, each model folds and rotates according to the users movement whilst doing its job of making music sound amazing. This would make even a Walkman look chic and modern. The only question, now that we seem to have it all, is, what’s next?

nail it ! R

ecent reports state that nail polish is outselling lipstick by 24%. While nails have always been a beauty essential they have often fallen under the radar, taken for granted as a quick fix but nothing exciting. That is until recently. With trend led nail salons popping up all over London and the inundation of nails on the SS 2012 catwalks - all still encompassing the collections palette of nudes, neon’s and pretty pastels. Swirled bronze Minx foils were seen at Alexander McQueen while vintage looking nail wraps adorned with smiley cartoon bears and hearts were seen at Meadham Kirchoff. Designers like Erdem and Chanel created nail designs as important as the accessories in their show, so much so that they soon became the hottest accessories in the show, with home-made versions of their nails popping up all over the internet shortly after. The shape of nails, rounded or squared and, of course, colour, used to be the only thing nail technicians asked. Now one should expect a plethora of questions including, “What pattern, how many gems, do you want cut-outs?” With emerging nail technologies such as shellac, which uses a laser to apply nail polish that stays un-chipped for up to a month and foils that wearers can do at home in trend led patterns to nail charm and embedded gems, there is no end to where its popularity can lead.That’s where the NailGirls come in. Sisters Jo and Lynda-Louise Burrell created the brand to fill a hole where chemical led polishes couldn’t. NailGirls lines consist of ethical polishes, with no harmful chemicals or smelly glues, which still reference the trends of the season at the same time as protecting the wearer inside. To show that to be ethical does not mean scrimping on colour or quality, NailGirls were present at Holy Fulton, creating a new hue of blue to match the collection and cementing themselves as fashion’s favourite nail brand in the process.

Nailgirls pop-up salon can be found at START on the last weekend of each month.

Molami is available in-store and online at start-london.com

he backpack. Functional, yet wearable, it continues to blur the lines between excessively cool and embarrassingly practical.

The backpack is unassuming; rather that is what it would have us believe. In reality, there is nothing humble about the Alexander Wang Marti. It pretends to signify function, purpose and modesty but in reality it is as cutting edge and staggering to look at as any diamante ‘it’ bag. It watches as the wearer saunters in awe of its meltingly soft leather, with all the pride of carrying a newborn baby in a sling on their back. But for such a stylish, no-nonsense item, “who would wear it?” I hear you cry. Meet the Wang girl. Inspired by the likes of skateboarding supermodel Erin Wasson and Victoria and Vanessa Traina - daughters of novelist Danielle Steele - she rolls out of bed with messily tousled hair which still looks impeccable and glossy, with wisps out of place, but only where she wants them to be. She looks hard (boxy silhouettes) yet soft (textured, velvety leathers) and is always polished, no matter where she was the night before. The man known to produce only grey and black creations has treated us this season, with the Marti available in a plethora of colours including persimmon - red to you and I - petrol navy, black and of course, our favourite, toffee. The backpack features two shoulder straps, perfect for when you’re on the go but can be zipped together for a one-shoulder, casual, ‘Im just rushing out of the house’ look. Five pockets, a buckle closure and press stud fastenings and zips to the front and back for expansion, allow the wearer to travel light or take that extra bulk with them. You may not have far to go, but grab a backpack, stuff it full with attitude and act as if you do. And if you’re a true Wang girl, you will not be arriving home until the following day, looking as fresh as when you first left. Alexander Wang is available in-store and online.

M-

i’m bringing sexy pack

I W O D

iamonds – or should I say Mawi - are a girls best friend. Named after its creator, Mawi Keivom, the brand was launched to create unique, strong and individual jewelry pieces to treasure, but not to lock away – Mawi pieces should be worn with pride and allow wearers to be “whoever they want to be.” With collaborations with Disney Couture, titled Minnie x Mawi, that enable us girls to reconnect with our princess youth, this time in a glamorous way, and now teen site stardoll.com, Mawi continues to blur the lines between highend design and fun and games. Mawi’s pieces often reference architectural shapes and push boundaries with the use of simultaneous sharp studding and gigantic jewels. For SS 2012’s collection, child like gems and complimenary hard stud accents on vintage looking golds and silvers were used to create a collection full of dramatic statement pieces. Comprising of three collections: The Talisman, Hyperluxe and Pyramid, each full of tribal influences and angular shapes juxtaposing ribbon chains. Signature pyramid and cylinder shapes form the basis of all three collections while the Talisman features ‘third eye’ shapes to represent the brands spiritual influences. Te celebrate a decade of success, Mawi is launching a retrospective collection for AW 2012, picking the best sellers from the last 10 years and producing updated versions of the muchloved classics. A difficult decision with 20 collection and over 4,000 time-withstanding pieces to choose from. The collection continues to reflect Mawi as a brand and showcases styles, revived in an organic way that continues to push boundaries whilst staying true to the original design. Mawi is available in-store and online.

AMBITIONTO C R E A T E N O V E L EXPRESSION

“F

ashion is the best form of self-expression.” Says ACNE’s Creative Director Jonny Johansson. Founded in Stockholm in 1996, Johansson, alongside three others, had the idea to establish a creative collective, allowing them to produce items that they wanted to use and wear and allowing them the freedom to develop products they felt passionate about.This one key idea led to the production of 100 pairs of unisex jeans, which were given away to friends and family in Stockholm. The jeans, with their bright red, raw stitching were featured in Swedish Elle, and soon after Sweden’s most noted boutiques wanted to stock the distinguishable brand. Thus, ACNE was born. 1998 saw the launch of ACNE’s first full collection which set the brand’s bar for its effortlessly tailored aesthetic. Swedish Elle awarded the brand Designer Of The Year in 2000, 2005 and 2008, coincidently overlapping with the brands milestone moments of opening its first standalone store in Stockholm in 2003 and the launch of ACNE Paper in 2005. ACNE’s vision of denim is really where the brand’s story began, but is certainly not where it ends. In 2008, ACNE collaborated with bike manufacturer Bianchi Bicycles to create a bespoke fixed-gear bike and SS 2009 saw Johansson team up with Parisian couture-house Lanvin, to create a 28-piece denim-based capsule collection. The collection featured ACNE’s famous denim accents, whilst incorporating Lanvin Creative Director Alber Elbaz’s signature ruffles and ruching. In September 2010, the brand launched a line of sofas, collaborating with Liberty London on a bespoke Liberty print model.To coincide with the collections, ACNE has collaborated with jewelry designers Mikael Zobel and Husam El-Odeh on items such as SS 2011’s literal ear-ring, that hangs from the top of the ear like a bangle and is made from oyster shells. ACNE Paper, the biannual magazine published by Acne, was created as a visual inspiration to embody the ACNE collective and what it represents. It incorporates Acne Studios, Acne Film, Acne Digital and Acne Advertising and embodies the brands choice to shun traditional advertising, choosing instead this artistic route to showcase itself. As an A3 in-store magazine, it doesn’t just advertise the ACNE brand, but rather celebrates fashion as a

whole. “We have a rather subtle aesthetic. It’s sharp and cutting edge but still relevant to peoples lives” Says ACNE Paper’s editor- in-chief Thomas Persson. “Our publication has become a collectors item among connoisseurs of magazines and printed matter all over the world.” In recent years contributors have included, Carine Roitfeld, Mario Testino and Steven Meisel. Johansson has always designed each season’s collection around a concept, or experience. For SS 2012, a mirrored runway was used to reflect ACNE’s strongest collection to date. Shown with the usual ease and confidence that one has come to expect from the brand, the influence of Morocco, via America, shaped the collection whilst the minimal hair and make-up echoed the Moroccan heat that Johansson experienced during his recent trip to Marrakech. A strong and bold colour-block palette of deep oranges, clashing sorbet hues and shocking fuchsia were placed cut-outs. Draped silhouettes and fullness reflected the femininity of the collection, with structured peplum jackets and fluid skirts in bonded silk, cotton, and of course, denim. With a Creative Director that describes himself as “a white t-shirt and jeans kind of guy” this collection continues to cement ACNE’s infamous model off duty aesthetic, whilst continuing to establish the label as an effortless, boundary-pushing brand. There has been the feeling, in recent years, that Sweden is taking over the fashion world, with its renaissance of fashion bloggers, such as Elin Kling and Angelica Blick, it even has its own blog network Freshnet.se, an online platform for Sweden’s best fashion blogs. Sweden really is the current place to watch for new trends, with its unique fashion aesthetic that is increasingly recognized as its own around the world.Take, for example, the modest cap, seen in ACNE’s SS 2012 collection adorned with white stars. In recent months it has been appearing on Swedish blogs, teamed with Celine jackets and Isabel Marant X-Factor inspired denim and now Swedish high street brand Monki have a cap, center staged, in their Spring/Summer ’12 collection. British clothing giant Topshop are yet to position this functional item into one of their sports luxe trends. Fashion today is much more then simply a collection of clothes and ACNE’s ambition to create novel expression is proving just that, making Sweden famous for more then H&M and Ikea on the way. 13 Dover Street, London W1. 0207 629 9374. http://shop.acnestudios.com/

DAMIEN HIRST IN RETROSPECT

he first retrospective of contemporary British artist Damien Hirst’s work opened this week at London’s Tate Modern and brings together works spanning over twenty years.

As you walk into the exhibition you are faced with Hirst’s first works: a set of coloured pots and pans, early spot paintings and his cardboard box blocks. In 1988, a year before he graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London, Hirst curated Freeze, an exhibition of his and his friends work. It proved successful for artists including Sarah Lucas and Mat Collishaw when Charles Saatchi visited the exhibition and bought a piece. Freeze was the first time a spot painting of Hirst’s had been exhibited and has been credited as starting the Young British Artist movement. Hirst shocked everyone with his next work in 1990, a year after he graduated, a severed cow’s head titled A Thousand Years that depicts a full life cycle of a fly. The two-room vessel houses a box of maggots in one room, from which flies are born. They then move to the next room, which houses a severed cow’s head, blood and all, where a fly light killer hangs above. The flies life is then down to chance or accident. It is hard to believe this was Hirst’s first graduating work when it seems so current, and, excuse the irony, fresh. In 1991 Hirst created two of his most seminal works to date, both of which are displayed in this retrospective: a butterflies life cycle and a preserved shark.The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, for which Hirst was nominated for the Turner Prize, is a tiger shark, preserved in formaldehyde with its mouth open – the 1991 original had its mouth closed – in a glass vitrine. A central theme in Hirst’s work is that of life and death and this is no more apparent then in these shaping works that suspend once live beings in death. The next piece In and Out of Love, a live butterfly installation, shows butterflies on stark white canvas being born and then flying around the room, with an adjoining room featuring conflicting coloured canvas’ of dead butterflies. Hirst says butterflies are beautiful, as they look the same dead as they do alive and thus show the fragility of life. It looks like the butterflies themselves may be assistants of Hirst, with the involuntary art created from the hatching of their pupae.

to be the beauty of it. In reality, it is all part of the exhibition, even the Starbucks coffee cup behind the pharmacies counter. Filled with real cigarette butts and fag boxes, Crematorium, contains the same cigarettes as when it was created in 1996, so unsurprisingly, it stinks. But isn’t that the point? Audiences are able to view HIrst’s work in two ways: the simple joy, or fascination, of what is put in front of them, often through a child’s eyes, or through the deeper meaning of analysing life, and then death. Certain pieces go seemingly unnoticed, not strong enough to compare to the preserved shock pieces and blend in with the hoards of tourists queing up for their two minutes in ‘the butterfly room’, The Acquired Inability to Escape, 1991, and the spin paintings are drifted past in a somewhat corridor space after Pharmacy. The diamond skull, For the Love of God, is housed, under high security, in the Turbine Hall for the first twelve weeks of the exhibition and is the most expensive piece of art at a worth of £50million. Encrusted with 8,601 real diamonds, it cost Hirst a reported £15million to produce when it was made in 2007 and alludes to the fragility of death. Hirst takes part in the art of selling, which has led him to be the richest living artist in the world, aged only 46. His spot paintings, all named after chemical compounds, are a sign of this, with Hirst revealing that out of the reported 1,500 that have been made, he only produced a handful in his early years, stating that he, ”couldn’t be fucking arsed doing it,” instead, passing the job on to his team of assistants. They are currently producing one with a million spots that will take nine years to complete. One wonders if they have the same attraction when they are produced in a repetitive cycle, not dissimilar to Andy Warhol’s production cycle, with no contribution from Hirst. It is like buying a pair of shoes, when all your friends already own them; they are no longer special or original. What is amazing about this exhibition, is the modernity in Hirst’s work, some if it being twenty years old, yet the way it looks and its message wouldn’t look out of place if he said it had been made today. Damien Hirst: In Retrospect is on at the Tate Modern until 9th September 2012.

scan me

Walking around Pharmacy, Hirst’s 1992, Tate owned, room installation, it is hard to tell what is part of the exhibition and what is not, but that seems images courtesy of THE TATE

advertorial

a shaded view C

utler and Gross has always been unapologetically British and enchanted with London’s charisma and loved for its understated, quietly cool attitude, grittiness and fabulously rough edges.

For decades, Cutler and Gross has relied upon their reputation being trickled and whispered within style and fashion circles in London like verbal quicksilver, from the days of Grace Jones sipping champagne in their shop to the cult-like C&G followers such as Jarvis Cocker, Tinie Tempah and Madonna. If you know about Cutler and Gross, you know about style. For the last 42 years Cutler and Gross have specialised in handmade eyewear, manufacturing in their own factory in Cadore, Italy. The frames are a heady mix of colours, materials, shapes and eccentricity. But what matters most to Cutler and Gross is provenance - the specifics of design and the frame’s original use. This is reinforced by the absence of a logo on the outside of the frames, maintaining a quiet elegance and firm, yet graceful classism. Over the years, Cutler and Gross has teamed up with several established ready-to-wear designers such as Comme des Garçons and Maison Martin Margiela as well as with burgeoning young designers such as Thomas Tait and Martyn Bal to create limited-edition collaborative frames. This includes several seasons with Erdem, incorporating French lace from the designer’s collections into their frames’ unique acetate, and three seasons with Giles Deacon who, along with design director Marie Wilkinson, have created collections inspired by everything from Scooby-Doo to illustrious swans. START and Cutler and Gross will fuse this month with the launch of a Shop in Shop - visual displays in both our womenswear and menswear stores, including more than 100 Cutler and Gross optical and sunglass frames, handpicked from the brand’s SS and AW ‘12 collections as well as Cutler and Gross’ line-up of collaboration frames.

Cutler and Gross is available in-store and online.

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RISING TIDES scan me

Photography CHRIS MOORE Styling KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON Opposite: dress ALEXANDER WANG shoes MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA arm cuffs STYLIST’S OWN Next page: suit and bra STYLIST’S OWN necklace BEX ROX shoes MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

This page: swimsuit STYLIST’S OWN bracelet MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Opposite: top CARVEN earrings and headscarf STYLIST’S OWN sunglasses CUTLER & GROSS

top CARVEN trousers STYLIST’S OWN shoes SEE BY CHLOE earrings and headscarf STYLIST’S OWN

This page: dress ACNE earrings STYLIST’S OWN shoes MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Opposite: top ACNE skirt ACNE cardigan STYLIST’S OWN bag MYSUELLY necklace MAWI

Marni for H&M

I want, I want, I want !

t is 2012. The UK has just entered another recession but Britain’s spending power is proving unstoppable. With accessories accounting for almost half of all luxury sales, Kayleigh Gray-Layton looks at what drives us to covet these exclusive items.

In January 2010, Mulberry, the classic British luxury bag maker, launched an item that would propel the brand to realms that never seemed possible, especially in a recession. The Alexa was born. A cross between a satchel, briefcase and a glamorous leather handbag, the £750 accessory became, and still is, the trophy bag for celebrities and fashion’s elite. Designed after Mulberry’s creative director, Emma Hall, saw an image of Alexa Chung, the TV presenter, model and all round it-girl, toting a Mulberry men’s briefcase. The image stayed and the Alexa was born. Chung had no contribution to the design process but wore the bag through choice upon its release, but even so, the bag had the power to sell itself. Fast-forward to January 2012 and Mulberry have released new versions of the classic Alexa, seasonally, in lambskin, tweeds and green lizard prints. Positioning the bag to not be simply a widely successful single item but almost a brand, within the Mulberry brand, itself. If even Mulberry’s own creative director will reveal that she “spent [her] twenties not paying the rent so [she] could buy nice shoes.” You can bet women will prioritise anything to get the latest ‘it’ item. Hall says. “Women will probably always do that.”

MULBERRY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

The Del Rey, the latest creation from the newly established powerhouse is influenced by singing sensation Lana Del Ray, and is set to catapult Mulberry yet again. Released this month; the top handle bag already has a waiting

list of 1,000 ahead of its release on 14th May. “I love Lana’s nostalgic references to bygone glamour and the fact that her look is retrospective yet so modern.” Explains Hill. The trouble with well made investment pieces, is just that, they are well made and thus, last. Luxury clothing brand Louis Vuitton started off as a goods producer when it was founded in 1854. Their ethos was to produce items that sustained travel and were easily transportable as well being an opulent, desirable item. With the need to expand, in order to continue selling, the brand decided to produce items seasonally, to continue a customer’s desire to purchase, regardless of the continued survival of their previous purchase.This is where seasonality, and perhaps the power of coveting, began. A recent survey revealed that the average woman will spend five years of her life shopping and the majority of luxury purchases are on shoes, beauty and accessories, an area that evokes investment pieces and often plays on woman’s weaknesses and ambitions. Bags and accessories account for almost half of the luxury goods market revenue, so it comes as no surprise that business is booming and queues form in anticipation of the release of the latest ‘it’ bag. Selfridges sales assistant Alice Furness explains that months after designer collaborations have sold out and left the historical building, flagging customers are still asking for the items after seeing them on the internet or hearing about the launch from their friends. Furness explains. “I’ve had customers approach me weeks after the collaboration has sold out. Most recently Faster by Mark Fast for Aldo Rise last month.” She goes on to say. “I tell them it sold out a week ago but I get the feeling they cannot leave the 37

MULBERRY ALEXA

building without taking the item home. They are insistent on finding out where they can still get the item and can’t accept that they have missed the boat.” She goes on to say. “When a new brand launches in Selfridges, they put on a massive show. For shoe brand Swedish Hasbeen’s launch Selfridges brought in gymnasts to perform in the shoes for the whole weekend. It draws a lot of attention to the brand – and the store.” “To me, I see it as just an event.The brands haven’t longed to work together forever. It just puts both of the brands on the map. It makes the high street shop look better and brings the designer to a new market, and is a quick sell accompanied by immense publicity.” When I ask British stylist Cathy Kasterine if she takes part in the art of coveting, with her access to some of the world’s most luxury houses, she tells me, “I look at quality over popularity, I love Celine. A lot of their items are considered to be aspirational but I just love the quality, especially the high quality of their leather. That’s what make me choose an item.” A symbol of luxury and un-attainability makes products even more covetable. It’s the age-old adage that people just want what they can’t have. A Chanel 2.55 bag doesn’t just have the double C logo to look nice - it advertises the brand. You don’t get that with a dress, however, whereas a bag is instantly recognisable and links it to the brand. Another reason for the rise in aspirational, luxury purchases is perhaps due to the staggering rise in social media platforms which have propelled the number of ways people can access information and thus allows people to share what they are doing, or what they have just brought. In contrast to the high end desirability purchases is the high street’s designer collaborations. In the last year alone consumers have seen Marni, Versace, David Beckham and Karl Lagerfeld for H&M and the majority of Fashion East’s graduates at Topshop. When Marni for H&M, the world’s second largest retailer, launched in March, queues formed around the block whilst most people were still sleeping.The reason we know this is not from the traditional newspaper the following day but from Twitter and Facebook. 38

The 70-piece collection created a stampede of shoppers queuing for the niche Italian label’s Bauhaus graphics. With a VIP – Very Important Pieces – feel to the event, shoppers were cordoned off in an area of the Swedish high street retailer’s flagship store and given ten minutes to pick as many items as they can in a Supermarket Sweep style – but only one item per line and one size, giving no room for weight fluctuation. After hours queuing up for the collection, for just ten minutes shopping the high street’s interpretation of the famed label, is it really worth it? Furness tells me. “If I bought a designer collaboration, I would think it is neither the high street brand nor the designer, it’s just something new. For Marni at H&M, it wasn’t H&M but it also wasn’t Marni quality. I couldn’t buy a collaboration and pretend it is the real thing. It is simple a watered down version for the mass market. I would rather save up for the real thing.” It is not just the high-end and the high street that is seeing not-so-orderly queues forming weekly. Streetwear label Supreme, famous for its mile long queues around the block when they drop a collection. The brand is notorious for closing their stores for a day at random, to create a sense of unavailability and mystery to its customers. A quick search on Google yields results that show a 100% increase in store prices on resold current season items. Dominique Browning says in Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses as Well as the Classes by Pamela N. Danziger. “[Brands] stand for quality names. This is how we justify buying them. We are a generation that needs to think “I’m investing,” as opposed to “I’m spoiling myself.” But with the regularity of these investments, how do we really justify our spending, or is it simply that we are offered so much that sheer boredom keeps us returning to the stores? “We all have a lot of stuff. When is it too much? You can finally afford the Valentino handbag and you go out and buy it. Then it becomes a “so, what else? I always feel if I am carrying the right bag, even if I am only wearing blue jeans, then I am OK.” So, what’s next? With the rapid change in internet technology will shoppers still resort to queuing up or will they find a new way to please their shopping desires?

THECURIOUS W O R L D O F NANCYFOUTS Kayleigh Gray-Layton speaks with American born, London dwelling artist Nancy Fouts on her work, inspirations and the changing art world.

ith her fresh approach to ordinary objects, surrealist artist Nancy Fouts changes the way the viewer perceives everyday life. The juxtaposition between shock and naivety tilts the original meaning of the object used on its head to such an extent that its original meaning becomes obsolete and a new significance is established. It is hard not to succumb to Fouts’ charm with her impressive career. I find myself telling her that every piece is my favourite, the pierced thimble, no actually it’s the ship (named the Mayflower) in a Coca Cola bottle, no, wait, its the spiked balloon, and hope she does not think I am sucking up. I speak with Fouts, on a sunny spring day, from her 19th Century, former vicarage, home in Camden. We schedule our call for 4pm, but Fouts asks to rearrange for 30 minutes later in order to “have a coffee, recharge and give you my full attention.” Fouts came to London as a debutante in 1963 and then went on to study Graphic design at Chelsea School of Art. “Looking back I wish I had done painting or sculpture and been less concerned about making a living.“ Following her graduation, Fouts went on to co-found the Shirt Sleeve Studio, a model making and illustration studio which taught her “how to make anything” and worked on seminal campaigns for cigarette brands Silk Cut and Benson and Hedges, which Fouts describes as “the great old ads.”

images courtesy of nancy fouts

Sigmund Freud stated that surrealists aimed to bring unrecalled and suppressed items and feelings to light through the use of art. In keeping with Freud’s theories, Fouts describes her artistic style as childlike and explains the best process of art, by play-write Harold Pinter, she has seen. “I read an article where somebody said, ‘when you get an idea, put it down right away and then allow it to cook. Add a few ingredients, taste it and see if it is still OK, or better.’“ She continues. “An idea takes time to believe its really good, you work at it, then honestly, most times, the way I see it is the way it turns out. way it turns out. It is unquestionable any other way, for example with An Egg in An Egg.”

Nature and religion feature highly in Fouts work. When I ask her about the religious iconography in her work Fouts simply replies.“The religion question keeps coming up; you notice I haven’t done anything with Islam.” I get the feeling she thinks people over evaluate her work. “The idea isn’t to show the world to rights, I don’t think I could. There’s a meaning but it isn’t political or religious. The Madonna was a mother, why didn’t she carry shopping bags?” she questions. Fouts is talking about her iconic Madonna with Safeway bags piece, shown as a single mother carrying her child and two bulging carrier bags. It is this message, seemingly stating the obvious, that draws people to Fouts work.

Fouts uses bold yet often mundane objects and plays on their simplicity to create a new beauty. She often gets pleasure from the way people interpret her work. “A friend of mine’s wife saw the thimble and the needle piece and didn’t get it. She automatically did what everyone does, it’s a needle and a thimble, the needle goes in and pierces the thimble, it comes out in the wrong place, and she put the two things together and didn’t question it. That’s one of my favourite images.” To her, the idea is simple: to look at an item in a new way. “You look at an egg, you eat it then you move on and don’t think about it whereas a kid would ask what’s inside? If pigs have piggies then why doesn’t an egg have a little egg inside? You have preconceived ideas that are so set that you cannot change them.” Her work juxtaposes our set ideals and notions in a way that makes us re-evaluate and not just simply accept the object shown. Fouts work often comes from little ideas; “It’s always been ideas. I love ideas. It is just whatever turns me on.” Her policeman’s whistle piece came from an eBay search that yielded a “policeman’s special whistle” result. Fouts explains that the whistle she saw was so big that the policeman “would have his eyes out, so I thought the little pea in the middle should be an eye.” Following the completion of a sculpture, Fouts photographs the piece and then presents both the sculpture and the image, “and at that point the job’s done.” 41

When asked about her work’s connection to Salvador Dali, in particular his iconic 1936 Lobster Telephone named the “Aphrodisiac Telephone”, Fouts says, “It makes me feel like I am connected to the line of surrealists.“ Fouts goes on to explain that her early influences are renowned Belgium surrealists such as Rene Magritte and Marcel Marien, known for his one-eye glasses and nipple in a teapot piece, whom she knew personally. “We got on like a house on fire. He published some of my work and would send me postcards.”

Fouts describes her artistic style as childlike and free, and whilst she is not

“

it’s always been ideas. 42

love ideas”

naïve, she doesn’t mind if people perceive her to be. The way in which she looks at the world is seemingly through a child’s eyes, a way that is lost through age and allows her to see items in a new perspective. “I’m not naive but the way of being innocent and naïve gives you a freedom to look at things afresh. Its a wonderful way to wake up and pretend you’re naïve.” It is intriguing to find out what an artist who was as prevalent in the 1960s as she is today thinks of the increase of the internets influence on art. “The internet plays a massive part in art. I took the content from my website about five months ago because my gallery didn’t want me to show everything I had done.” The internet does have its upsides however. “Showstudio.com sold one of my puppet boards to a 19 year old rich kid in China,” she laughs. “That made me have faith, it is very rare though.”

The puppet board in question is a collection of hand puppets displayed on a canvas, at a cost of £25,000. I ask Fouts where she finds such things. “I find really cheap domestic junk. I just love anywhere that has good junk shops.” She recently discovered Belgium and Northern France’s treasure trove of unwanted collectables. The decision to show her 2011 debut show at her 19th century vicarage home in Camden came as an easy one for Fouts, simply stating, ”it’s a beautiful space to exhibit my work, it’s bigger than the gallery I am in now,” says Fouts. “The house suited the work, the rooms were emptied and it was beautiful.” And how it was exhibited mirrored her personality excellently, scattered around her belongings for admirers to view her work in the place it was created. Her upcoming show in June is yet to be named. “I might need your help with it,” she jokes in her friendly American drawl, but she tells me it will feature a lot of medallions that she found in junkshops in Belgium- a location that could not be more fitting, considering her Belgian influencers.

Nancy Fouts next solo exhibition is at Pertwee Anderson & Gold from June 21st 2012.

lovely lulu E

ach issue START will look at a fashion hero. For the launch issue of START we couldn’t think of anyone more deserving then fashion’s fairy godmother, Lulu Kennedy. Lulu Kennedy is a busy woman, from her designer initiative, Fashion East, to her own line Lulu & Co, and of course, evenings dusting off her MBE. She has now been announced as editor-at-large of Condé Nast owned fashion bible Love, a role created just for her and her unique vision. Nicknamed the ‘fairy godmother’ of British fashion, Kennedy came from more humble beginnings. Born in 1969 in Newcastle - and brought up between Bristol and Devon, in caravans by her “hippie” parents - after completing a degree in London, with a pit stop in Naples where she organised raves, Kennedy found herself working in galleries and at the infamous Bricklayers arms in Shoreditch before being approached by Ofer Zeloof in 1996 to develop The Truman Brewery into a show and work space for creative’s. Kennedy says, “I never intended to work in fashion. I just kind of fell into it.” After helping designers such as Giles Deacon rent spaces for their early shows within the Old Truman Brewery, Kennedy saw a gap for a support network for new talents and made the decision to establish an initiative, with funding from the Old Truman Brewery, that could help new designers establish themselves and create the funding they needed. In 2000, Fashion East was born.

image by olivia beasley

It would seem that anything Kennedy touches turns to gold, as the old saying goes. She is fashion’s maternal Simon Cowell, with a similar ability to see a talent a mile off and a niche in their respective markets where their chosen band or brand can be propelled to unparalleled levels of success? Something that only comes with the right mentoring. “We look at people’s work and if we love it we’ll deal with the rest.” Kennedy has stated. Since it’s launch in 2000, Fashion East has become an integral part of London Fashion Week.The initiative that cultivates and nurtures new talents has launched the careers of Richard Nicoll, Marios Schwab, Louise Goldin, Meadham Kirchhoff, Gareth Pugh, House of Holland, Danielle Scutt, Louise Gray, Emma Cook, Roksanda Ilincic and Jonathan Saunders, to name just a few. Brix Smith-Start, owner of START and Fashion East panel member says. “Fashion East has a knack for discovering and nurturing the rising stars of tomorrow, today.“ The reason London is standing out amongst its counterpart fashion cities is its continued increase in the support of young talent. No longer do the editors and buyers, or anyone interested in fashion, look to Paris and New York for excitement, but instead, London and its emerging design talents who take risks, which often pay off. Kennedy explains.”I like people who can see into the future slightly, or who are trying to present what they wished the future would be.” Kennedy – and Fashion East- are the backbone of this modern vision that has been apparent since Garth Pugh showed in one of the first Fashion East shows – before Fashion East even had its official title.

james long AW 2012

felicity brown SS 2011

i never intended to work in fashion When you see Kennedy’s name you immediately think of a maternal instinct, of things fresh and new and of course, fun. Kennedy states, “For me, fashion is definitely about fun. But there are no short cuts.” To mark the tenth anniversary of Fashion East, Kennedy launched Lulu & Co, a fashion brand of her own that celebrates the roots of Fashion East and collections from Fashion East’s previous talents, with Kennedy’s own design spin attached.

But is it London and its acceptance of new ideas, Kennedy, or simply the designers that make this all a success? Sam has London’s embrace of new talents figured out. “London is more accepting of new things, new designers. You can’t really do what we do anywhere else.” For AW ’12, Fashion East decided to support the same three designers that showed as part of SS ’12: James Long, Marques Almeida and Maarten van der Horst, a first in Fashion East’s twelve years.

One of the newer brands that Kennedy has championed is humorous print based menswear duo Agi & Sam, comprising of friends Agape Mdumulla and Sam Cotton. The boys met whilst interning at Alexander McQueen following graduation in Fashion Design and Illustration and showed with Fashion East for two seasons prior to graduating to MAN for AW ’12. After working for designers like Karl Lagerfeld and J.W. Anderson they decided to set up a brand together to create a work environment for themselves and cement their own aesthetic instead of designing under someone’s else’s name and vision. “We literally try to live it.” Sam says of their inspiration and research. “This is why we do a collection; we enjoy the subject matter.” For SS ’12 the collection titled ‘Tequila, Tabasco and Tomato Juice ‘ – clearly they enjoyed trying out new versions of the tequila slammer whilst putting together the collection – bespoke prints and bright colours were paramount, alongside their usual humour.

“When we started, Fashion East was really the lone voice behind young designers. Now the whole of London Fashion Week has opened up to new talent and London is really having a moment.” Kennedy told Vogue last year. With the announcement that London’s menswear will no longer be given just one day, a schedule that provided little time to showcase all that London’s flourishing menswear designer’s have to offer – most graduates from Kennedy’s fashion club - not to mention the more historic, traditional houses, London really is preparing for its moment to shine. Instead, London Collections: Men will be a full event, launching in June at the Hospital Club. Dylan Jones, editor of QG, says. “This is a fabulous initiative. London is the place to be in 2012.” We can’t help but wonder that the level of menswear talent coming out of Fashion East and MAN has something to do with this decision. fashioneast.co.uk 47

b VIOLAINE R N A R D image courtesy of Vanessa Jackman

there’s a lot of crazy shit out there! Kayleigh Gray-Layton speaks with VELOUR magazine’s fashion director and Parisian native on this years shows, the evolving fashion world and her next move. iolaine Bernard is tucking into her ham omelette and chips, or should I say frites, at East London eatery The Albion. It is a Tuesday afternoon and the workers are back at their desks. Bernard is dressed cosily in vintage denim shorts, clutching her soya latte in one hand and animatedly throwing around the other in a way that is so intrinsically French you would think she was faking it.

Bernard’s route was simple, or so it looks. At seventeen she wanted to have her own magazine, and here she is, just twelve years later, with her vision a reality. “I said to my friend ‘I want to have a magazine.’ It was not that I even wanted to work in fashion; I just always wanted to have a magazine. I didn’t have a plan I just knew whatever I had to do, I would do it.” At just twenty, Bernard moved to London, and fell straight into the decadence of the fashion lifestyle. ”When I arrived in London I met this guy, a party promoter, who was organising 20’s parties at Café Royale where I was rubbing shoulders with Kiera Knightley and Jude Law. He introduced me to people who were doing a set design for Vivienne Westwood’s show in Paris and next thing I know, they ask me to come with them.“ This is a perfect example of how she entices people with her Parisian charm. They find her immediately irresistible and thus, end up working with her. Though Bernard insists that everything in her career has happened organically and she has simply been in the right place at the right time. During her five years at Feathers, Bernard worked her way up from shop floor to the PR department – all whilst studying Media Arts with PR . She saw a gap in the company for an in-house PR department and convinced her bosses that she could do a better job then outsourcing Feathers PR, and she was right. She tells me. “They believed in me and it worked.” In April 2010 Bernard, alongside creative friends Eddie Bovingdon and Rob de Niet, launched VELOUR magazine, a platform to create and showcase boundary pushing imagery and content. Having just celebrated its first birthday, and with a team spread across London and New York, the magazine has well and truly found its footing and is establishing its place on the newsstands alongside the major titles. Bernard says, “We don’t think in terms of product, we think aesthetically. The way I see the magazine is the same way I dress. Usually if I want to wear it, I want to shoot it.” She continues, “If I know that everyone is shooting a certain piece, I don’t really want to. No one wants to see the same thing over and over again in different magazines, no one is that interested.” Having attended fashion weeks for the past couple of years, Bernard has fallen in love with how New York operates. “I really like New York fashion week, a lot of people think it’s boring and corporate but I just love how efficient everybody is. How everything is on time.You can’t say that for London, even Paris. New York is just very different. There is no fussing around.“

Surprisingly her hometown isn’t number one on her list. She feels that Paris hasn’t let go of its couture roots and isn’t pushing enough boundaries to keep up with its rival cities. “It’s funny because most people think that Paris is the most fashionable city. Paris is known for couture, but that was a hundred years ago. They don’t make much of an effort to be current, because they don’t have to.” With her base in London, surely she is championing British designers in her work and trying to shake off her Parisian links? “Some of the best people come from London. Phoebe Philo at Celine, Lee McQueen; all the recent talents, they don’t come from Paris,” and with arms flailing, “I mean, Yves Saint Laurent is dead!” With the recent revelations that celebrities are being paid to sit on the front row at fashion shows and, unbeknown to the public, have been for years, it has caused everyone to analyse the way fashion works today. Bernard tells me, “This is what is wrong with the world. Burberry doesn’t need celebrities on the front row. When it’s at that level are people really interested in who is sitting there? Whatever happens, if it’s a bad collection, it is a bad collection, regardless of the press.” The parallel between celebrity and the fashion industry has always been a difficult thing to manage, but in recent years there has been another factor to engage in: the internet. No longer are the audience connecting with the collections in the same way as they would before the rise of smart-phones, now they are sharing their thoughts with the world. “Tweeting is a full time job. Its neither a bad or a good thing, its how you deal with it. Its available to us and there are great things about it. It’s just how you adapt yourself to how things are moving. Don’t think that the past was better then now, it’s not really fair for anyone to think like that. It’s neither one nor the other.” Bernard is not your typical fashion editor, with her gamine cropped hair and meaningful tattoos dotted around her tiny frame. When Bernard brings up her tattoos, I feel a rush of relief as I have been eyeing them up for the whole lunch. “The feather on my upper arm is for my sister, she is eleven. She thinks I have it all. She will grow out of that,” she confides. Then there is the ‘lucky kid’ etching on her lower arm, to remind her everyday how lucky she is. For Bernard, a tattoo represents a part of her life and her next one will say, “‘if you can endure pain, you can live without suffering.’ I think that’s what life means. You need to live through pain and sometimes embrace it as part of the journey.” With her work for Farfetch and VELOUR, Bernard is flying round the world, almost weekly. ”I have just been to Berlin, it was my first time there. I love the energy, it was awesome,” she explains. “I’m in charge of special projects for farfetch.com. We just did Super Store, to find the best boutique in the world. The winner was Voo store in Berlin, so we had the event there.” As we part, I ask Bernard what she believes she brings to the fashion industry and she simply replies, “I hope I bring some integrity.” With her honesty and graciousness, I don’t think anyone would disagree. Follow Violaine @velourmagazine http://velourmagazine.tumblr.com/ 49

Spring

Summer 2012

To celebrate the season of femininity, Fashion Illustrator Melissa Jarram picked up her pencil to capture the best gowns of the season.

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chanel

f there is one thing we will take away from the SS 2012 shows it is femininity. It was apparent in every form during this seasons shows, from aquatic influences to body skimming silhouettes. Chanel’s delicate sea creatures swam down the sea-bed catwalk surrounded by giant shells and sea horses to the sound of Florence and the Machine singing live. Silver accessories and booties glimmered in the tide on a bed of sea-shell encrusted clutch bags while iridescent sequins and feathers shimmered. If the sea creatures at Chanel were Disney’s Ariel then Alexander McQueen’s girls are the ocean’s Ursula, but dipped in gold. Sarah Burton said. “It’s all about Gaia, the wonder of nature, the sea.” Corsetry and lace bound headpieces contradicted Chanel’s cherub-like, girly silhouettes, in comparison. Stiff embellished shoulders complimented peplums that reflected the bodice’s sharp, but delicate beading.

louis vuitton

McQueen

At Christian Dior it was all about light eveningwear with accents of soft leather. Full skirts with boat necks complimented collarless jackets - all as light as air and finished of with a splash of colour – a red lip. Marc Jacobs’ girls at Louis Vuitton looked gentle on a carousel, with Kate Moss the queen of the fair. Candy colours complimented laces and broderie anglaise details sprouted feathers from every crevice. Fragility and femininity continued at Oscar De La Renta and Valentino, with splashes of primary colours in luxurious fabrics. Looks were seductive as well as innocent with Oscar creating the ultimate volume for Spring, complete with tamed frizz, all marching to the sound of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Taffeta ball gowns were removed of their sugary sweet connotations with lace t-shirts on top.

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bluejeans whiteshirt walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn

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Photography CHRIS MOORE Styling KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON Body MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Jacket STYLIST’S OWN Bag MYSUELLY Belt and earrings STYLIST’S OWN

Opposite: Leather jacket STYLIST’S OWN Blazer ACNE Bra T by ALEXANDER WANG Jeans PAIGE Earrings STYLIST’S OWN This page: Bra T by ALEXANDER WANG Jeans PAIGE Backpack ALEXANDER WANG Earrings STYLIST’S OWN

This page: Shirt MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Jeans NUDIE Jewellery STYLIST’S OWN Shoes CHURCH’S Opposite: swimsuit WE ARE HANDSOME sunglasses CUTLER AND GROSS necklace STYLIST’s OWN

This page: sunglasses: CUTLER AND GROSS earrings STYLIST’S OWN Opposite: : Shirt MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Jeans NUDIE Jewellery STYLIST’S OWN

This page: Bra T by ALEXANDER WANG Jacket ACNE Jeans PAIGE Opposite: Dress EMMA COOK Sunglasses CUTLER & GROSS Bag MULBERRY Shoes MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Earrings STYLIST’S OWN

Photography CHRIS MOORE Styling KAYLEIGH GRAY-LAYTON Cinematographer MITCHELL COLLINS Model HARRI at SELECT Hair HIRO HIRATA Make up ANNA PRIADKA

to mist or spritz? a brief history of perfume’s greatest achievements

ubtle, delicate, and often powerful; the lure of perfume has long been a habit, hobby or even an obsession for many. It can provide a daily ritual for the wearer whilst a high quality scent can change an outfit or mood with a simple spray to the desired spot.

Whilst perfume production is considered an art and bottles of the scented water can cost upwards of a thousand pounds, the other end of the spectrum brings a more accessible way to smell like your favourite celebrity and catapults the beauty brands into best sellers around the world with famed endorsements. The word perfume derives from the Latin word per fumus, meaning ‘through smoke’. A basic perfume can be described in three sets of notes: The top note describes the initial scent that is apparent on application. These often soft and small molecules disappear quickly after connecting with the skin, the middle note forms the foundation of the scent and lasts the longest whilst the base notes become apparent long after application of the scent and are typically the deep, intense aromas. Perhaps one of the most iconic of scents - born in 1921 - Chanel No5’s name is said to relate to Gabriella Chanel’s superstition surrounding the number 5, and was the first perfume created by a fashion house - Marilyn Monroe famously wore Chanel No5 (and nothing else) to bed every night. To this day, Chanel No5 is still the unrivalled long-standing perfume of choice for film stars, the fashion elite and fragrance loving women worldwide. But it is not just the bottled perfume, which has attracted such adoration. Chanel lipsticks are scented with Rose De Mai, a key element in Chanel No5, allowing a transition between scents and make-up that attaches itself to the wearer. Chanel said perfume should be applied “wherever one wants to be kissed.” Whilst the Victorians considered the wrists to be a point of sexual interest, using this as an erogenous pulse point for perfume application.

It was in the 1980s that perfume really became powerful, both in its selling power and in scent strength, subconsciously matching the power dressing of the era. High-end houses produced great advertising campaigns to market these new bouquets. It was around this time that synthetic materials started to gain popularity. In particular rose and jasmine, two extracts that are found in almost every perfume. A component of jasmine is that of Indole, a synthetic material that comes from coal tar. Indole can also be found, naturally formed, in human feces but when used in a very low concentration, it has a sweet flowery smell similar to orange blossom. But just how should we wear our favourits smells? Scent experts advise wearers to spray 20 centimetres away from the body and allow the perfume to dry into the skin before dressing. It is ill advised to spray near the neck as sebum from the neck glands can change the aroma of the perfume, instead choose new desirable fragrance spots such as the crook of the arm, which housed the Brachial artery that raises skin temperature, ensuring it to be a perfect place for scent to last. When it comes to living luxuriously, perfume is at the top of any list. The right perfume can attract intimacy and shows your inner personality as much as a pair of shoes on a wearer’s feet. But how do you choose? Escentric Molecules, developed by Berlin based perfumer Geza Shoen, comprises of two signature perfumes, Molecule 01 Escentric 01 that merge with the wearer’s natural pheromones to create an individual scent, and have been twelve years in the making. In 1990 Shoen isolated a molecule, called Iso E, a base for many well-known perfumes on the market and decided it made for a stunning single aroma scent on its own. Shoen says on the scents lack of base and top notes, “It is as though the fragrance has no heart, but an enormous amount of soul.” With Escentric Molecules, you don’t have to choose; this simple perfume says more about the wearer than any other perfume on the market, because it is the wearer. But, remember, don’t touch wrists together when applying perfume as it will break the sensitive aroma molecules, changing the evaporation structure of the scent - and just might change your personality in the process. 65

S T O C K E D ACNE acnestudios.com Age of Reason age-of-reason-studios.com Alani thealani.com Alexander Wang alexanderwang.com Anthony Peto anthonypeto.com A.P.C. apc.fr Ash ashfootwear.co.uk Beau Coops beaucoops.com Bodyamr bodyamr.com Bosabo audouin-bosabo.com Butter by Nadia shopbutterbynadia.com C.P Company Carven carven.fr Charles Anastase charlesanastase1979.com Christopher Kane londonfashionweek.co.uk/ christopherkane Church’s church-footwear.com Citizens of Humanity citizensofhumanity.com CLOSED closed.com Comme des Garçons comme-des-garcons.com Crockett & Jones crocketandjones.com Daisy daisyjewellery.com Deepa Gurnani deepagurnani.com Disney Couture disneycoutureuk.com Dr. Martens drmartins.com Draw In Light drawinlight.co.uk Emma Cook emmacook.co.uk Engineered Garments engineeredgarments.com

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