John Galliano – beauty from the bust up
I would love to post my John Galliano runway shots for you but you’re only going to see what I saw… from the chest up. What they ended up being are great beauty shots. The make-up and hair and hats were beautifully painted. I do believe that Pat McGrath did the makeup as she has done for John for years. The show was based on a woman from the 20’s… her name was Maria Lani, a con artist of Paris 1920’s. John’s theatrical side was i full, full flight. His show was held on Sunday afternoon at the grand Theatre Natioal de l’Opera Comique.
all photos DChen
Bread & Roses – Paris
Coffee break!
ok…. Mont blanc break!
A delectable pastry made from chestnut paste and fresh whipped cream. Pure heaven.
Bread & Roses is a bakery, cafe and restaurant dedicated to quality. There are two locations in Paris but I recently found myself in front of a beautiful Mont blanc and a cafe latte at 25, rue Boissy d’Anglais in the 8th right off of rue Saint Honore.
I recommend a stop for lunch or coffee or tea and without doubt, dessert. And yes…. everything from the decor to what I chose to eat and drink was beige-ish.
( photos DChen )
Chanel s.s 2011 – vintage mannequins
Chanel is one brand that I have never had the opportunity to work with or buy in all these years in this business. It may not be my cup of tea but I have such respect for the man behind this label. Karl Lagerfeld is 77 years old but the man is a genius and has more creativity and energy than designers a quarter of his age. Lagerfeld began his tenure with Chanel in 1983. Brought in by the Wertheimer family who own Chanel, they convinced the kaiser to end his contract at Chloe where he had designed since the mid 1960’s. His reign at Chanel has been unmatched. This is man who has the talent, the intelligence and the respect to take the house that Gabrielle Chanel started on rue Cambon in 1910 and bring it into the present as one of the strongest fashion businesses today.
For his s.s 2011 presentation at the Grand Palais, he recreated an immense French garden with complete with fountains. He engaged over 80 models with a single exit. Amongst these were the famed mannequins Ines de la Fressange ( Lagerfeld’s original Chanel muse in the 80s ), Jacquette Wheeler, Angela Lindvall and Stella Tennant.
There are incessant rumors of whom will take over once Lagerfeld steps down or retires and when… but at the rate he works and designs for Chanel RTW, Chanel couture, Fendi, and his namesake Lagerfeld collection… who would have the energy or dare to fill his shoes?
( photos : Monica Feudi – runway.com / style.com )
Where in the world is Claude Montana?
Before I can go further this new season, there is a sighting I feel I need to report. A sighting that cannot go without mention. Claude Montana is alive and well and very present on the street….. his street. Every single time I am on rue Saint Honore right about rue de l’Arbre Sec and rue du Pont Neuf before heading into Le Marais proper, I run into him. This has happened at least 5-6 times in the past few years, but last week…. I said to myself, you need to stop and ask the man what he has been up to.
This is a designer that helped define Paris fashion in the 80’s. Alongside Thierry Mugler, they shouldered padded their colorful way through a decade of very unforgettable fashion. Some would rather forget but you cannot take away from Montana’s influence on French fashion and how his name made an indelible mark in fashion history. The one fact many people do not know is that he designed couture at Lanvin from 1990-92. So take that!
( photos courtesy Claude Montana ) by the way… does she, in the leather coat, look familiar to you? Any First Ladies of the country I live in come to mind???
So back to my conversation with Claude Montana and the big question I asked him….
DC: Bonjour, vous etes Monsieur Montana, oui? ( Hello, you’re Mr. Montana, yes? )
CM: Oui… vraiment. ( Yes…. really )
DC: Vous allez bien? ( How are you? )
CM: Pas mal du tout, merci. Et vous? ( Not bad at all, thank you. And yourself? )
DC: Tres bien, merci. Chaque fois quand je passe par cette rue, je vous croise. ( Very well thank you. Every time I am on this street, I run into you. )
CM: Bien sur, j’habite juste la. C’est ma rue. ( Of course, I live right there. It’s my street. )
DC: Si je peux vous demander, vous faites quoi maintenant? ( If I may ask you, what are you doing these days? )
CM: Maintenant…. pas grand chose! ( Nowadays? Not much at all! )
With that said and nothing new learned, I asked if I could have my photo taken with him. Then he continued on his way with a kind smile and a wave in his small, cropped jacket over a bright red hoody.
Comme des Garcons s.s 2011 – ” ??? “
I am a devout fan of Rei Kawakubo and her intello take on fashion. I usually especially love when she chooses to march to her own drum just to cause friction and controversy. The Comme des Garcons show on Saturday left me perplexed and thinking. That was two whole days ago and I am still pondering. Is it good to make your public feel stupid? I understand the concept of “dog whistle fashion.” Where only the very few get your message and the trip you’re on. I pride myself on the fact that I can usually be included in this crowd.
The s.s 2011 collection left me scratching my head. I am at a loss of words to even write about it intelligently. She played with great tailoring and one of the favorite colors of the season…white. And then decided since the fashion world is on a white trip…. she drew a big black line through all the white clothing.
She opened the show with beautiful jacket and coats but attached 1 or 2 spares draped from the back. I hope to learn why during our showroom appointment on Wednesday. I will gladly enlighten you as soon as I learn the answer.
The most quizzical part of the show was the finale. Double dresses… connected by fabric. The new twinset? Never go to dinner alone? Answers to come… stay tuned.
All photos DChen.
Dries Van Noten took to playing with light and color with his s.s 2011 collection. His effort to convey light came from the studies of artist Jef Verheyen, considered one of the most significant Belgian artists of the twentieth century.
He replicated colors and faded them one into another. He utilized white and silver to play off the colors and then planted floral prints within his lineup. He then played the masculine / feminine game with oversized boyfriend jackets and white shirts with soft silk printed dresses and pants and skirts.
Dries has given us another beautiful and commercially viable collection. There was an obvious ease to his clothes and his colors were inviting. Another winner for Dries!
All runway photos DChen.
Lanvin – beautiful to go
Alber Elbaz has proven once again, he is one of the more gifted designers here in Paris. Always consistent. His mantra continues… he gives women simply clothes that they want. Another beautiful collection. The standouts are pictures here. Loving the movement of fabric in the looks above and the strength of the looks below. It continues to be his shining moment at Lanvin.
( photos: Yannis Vlamos / Style.com / runway.com )
Balenciaga – look who’s back!!!
Just a quick note…. this morning at the Balenciaga show at the Hotel Crillon Nicolas Ghesquiere brought back Amber Valletta, Carolyn Murphy, Stella Tennant and Gisele Bundchen. Oh, and the collection was a strong one. More to come on that.
( photos Monica Feudi / style.com / runway.com )
Dries Van Noten – Mr. Clean & Beautiful
Just a few runway shots to whet your appetite. Dries Van Noten’s Spring collection embraced clean white, metallics, prints and shots of color… some fading from one color to another. A beautiful collection. More to come later…..
Photos Yannis Vlamos / runway.com / style.com
