My thoughts on Bill Gaytten

Bill Gaytten might have been the most criticized creative director that the brand of Christian Dior has ever had. He temporarily took charge of the house after John Galliano's dismissal until another designer could be found. He ended up keeping the job for longer than expected, as it is said that many designers turned down the job. His debut collection at the helm of Dior was Fall 2011 Haute Couture.
 

The vast majority of people say that collection was a mess, and I have to agree. But there are worst messes. There are so many other collections each season that aren't any better. The collection was full of gimmicks, but that can be said for a lot of fashion these days. But, then again, the drama of John Galliano's dismissal put Gaytten under a huge spotlight so the overwhelming criticism was to be expected.

Later on, I think the criticism became a bit exaggerated. I do think that he began to grow into his position. His final collection for Dior was Fall 2012 ready-to-wear and I honestly thought it was quite lovely. These are my favourite looks from the collection.



Here are two accessory shots I love.


All images are from style.com.

Latest trend: cats?

Karl Lagerfeld's kitten, Choupette, has become one of fashion's biggest star. Months ago, he was quoted talking about how Choupette likes to eat paper. I'm not much of an expert on cats so I can't say whether or not that's healthy, but it looks like she's doing better than ever. She's now landing magazine editorials, including Harper's Bazaar with Karl Lagerfeld and a spread in V with Laetitia Casta.

Source: harpersbazaar.com

Source: vmagazine.com

Grace Coddington, creative director of American Vogue and known lover of cats, also doodled a bag of cats for Balenciaga.

Source: www.styleite.com

If we backtrack a bit, an ad campaign shot for Lanvin in 2009 also features cats, but with a spin of darker glamour.

Source: www.luxuo.com

What are your thoughts on this trend? Cute or not?

Numéro China September 2012

The time has come for the infamous September issues of magazines. September is a big month for magazine publishing, so it's an exciting month for followers of fashion like me. Magazines are whipping out September issues one by one and Numéro China's was released today, with the stunning Carolyn Murphy on the cover. Along with the original Numéro and Vogue Italia (and perhaps Harper's Bazaar Turkey), Numéro China is my favourite magazine publication. Everything about the editorial content from styling to photography to modeling is always outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

All images are from the digital edition of Numéro China, via theFashionSpot. The full editorial can be found here.

Fashion and film

Fashion and film are both subjects that interest me, so I can't help but love when the two subjects come to crossroads. A few months ago, I wrote a post on fashion of the early 60s, inspired by the gorgeous dresses featured in the 2009 movie, An Education. However, the relationship between fashion and film is a two way street. Not only do we see amazing costumes in films, but we also see the fashion industry making ventures in cinema.

When I think about this type of project, the first that comes to mind is perfume commercials. Which ones are your favourite? One of my favourites is a piece directed by Guy Ritchie for Dior Homme, starring Jude Law and Michaela Kocianova.

Source: adrants.com

Another great example is this Prada commercial starring Daria Werbowy.

There are other promotional projects of a more general and experimental nature, like this short film directed by Karl Lagerfeld, starring a team of Karl's favourite models. This one was received with mixed reviews.

Models streetstyle #2: dresses and skirts

When I look through photos of model streetstyle, I find many generic looks, but I also find some that are real gems and make me smile. Recently, I've been obsessed with anything to do with skirts or dresses, from maxi to mini and everything else in between. Here are some looks I love.

Melissa Tammerijn

Source: bonaelamour.tumblr.com

Nimue Smit

Source: vogue.it

Ming Xi

Source: unseenmodelstreetstyle.tumblr.com

Kasia Struss

Source: carolinesmode.com

Jacquelyn Jablonski

Source: missjennaleecherie.tumblr.com

Vlada Roslyakova

Source: stockholm-streetstyle.com

Androgyny and the girls of fashion

When I first began taking an interest in fashion many years ago, one of the first things I noticed was how the fashion industry embraced androgyny, especially when it came to the girls. The definition of androgyny is having both masculine and feminine characteristics. Some of today's most successful female models have androgynous vibes, including Freja Beha Erichsen.

Source: www.lateboots.com

A famous example of an early modeling icon with this type of look is Lesley Hornby, more commonly known as Twiggy.

Source: strawberrylemonadeblog.blogspot.com

There are some great celebrity photo shoots with androgynous inspirations, one of my favourites being Diane Kruger's editorial in Vogue Germany.

Source: notorious-mag.com

These types of editorials have become quite popular in Chinese publications. Here is actress Liu Yifei in Harper's Bazaar China.

Source: cfensi.dramaddicts.com

The androgynous look has been on various runways from Chanel to Hermes to Dolce & Gabbana. On the runway, it's usually achieved through suits, blazers, jackets, trench coats, hats, dress pants, boots, etc. Here is one of my favourite looks, worn by Sasha Pivovarova on the runway of Chanel Fall 2011.

Source: style.com