NANCY CUNARD: A RELUCTANT FLAPPER & GUCCI'S UNLIKELY MUSE

Guest Post by Victoria Loomes

Nancy Cunard

At the Gucci show yesterday, Frida Giannini’s show notes - which cited her inspirations in detail - made for some interesting reading. Her Roaring Twenties homage was, she wrote, an attempt to “explore an optical side of femininity by creating a sculptural glamour for the Gucci woman”. But jarring against the easy jazz age familiarity of Louise Brooks and Man Ray, one name stood out ­– Nancy Cunard. The surname comes with connotations of luxury cruises…but Nancy? Who’s she?

Gucci SS12

Of course she was rich. Her father was Bache Cunard, the heir to the Cunard shipping business. Of course she was beautiful. During her youth, her beauty captivated writers and artists. In Anne Chisholm’s extensive biography, David Garnett recalled her “skin, as white as bleached almonds, the bluest eyes one has ever seen, and very fair hair. She was marvellous.” Later in life, Nancy became obsessed with primitive art, and wore African ivory bracelets stacked up each slender arm from wrist to elbow. Anthony Hobson recounted how “conversation was punctuated by their rhythmic clashing.”

Nancy, a woman who liked a bangle, and a finger wave

Michael Arlen based Iris March, a character in his best-selling novel The Green Hat (1924), on Nancy. Aldous Huxley, in the throes of unrequited passion sealed Cunard’s fate as ‘muse’ in Antic Hay, in which Myra Viveash owes more than a passing resemblance to Cunard. But it was in Paris that Nancy found her calling, becoming increasingly involved with provocative and fashionable artists. Her influence among the Dadaists led founder Tristan Tzara to write and dedicate Mouchoir de Nuages to her, sculptor Brancusi immortalised Nancy in Jeune Fille Sophistiquee. It was the Surrealists however, who truly captured Nancy’s attention, notably co-founder Louis Aragon, who was to remain a close friend for much of her life.

Nancy posing against a very this season polka dot screen

Yet Nancy was much more than a muse. A published poet, founder of the Hour Press, publisher of avant-garde and experimental literature, she was a passionate journalist, and a fearless traveller, but her greatest, and most controversial, achievement was Negro. Published in February 1934, this hefty tome (almost four years in the making) recorded ‘the struggles and achievements, the persecutions and the revolts against…the Negro peoples’ as she herself wrote in the foreword. In a limited run of 1,000 copies, Negro included around 250 contributions from over 150 writers, and was born out her relationship with Henry Crowder, an African-American jazz pianist who hailed from Georgia – a relationship that almost caused her mother to disown her.

Gucci SS12

Recently, shades of the uncompromising personality that Nancy personifies have crept onto the catwalk – these strong women coloured their lives with a splash of assured glamour, a little decadence and an unwavering self-belief.

It started at (where else?) Prada, last year. Spring Summer 2011 saw Miuccia send her models down the runway sporting the distinctive finger waves that Nancy favoured throughout her life. Styled by Guido Paulo, hair was teased into waves around the face, curved round the ear and moulded to the head, throwing the features of the models (themselves chosen by Miuccia for their striking distinctions) were thrown into sharp relief. 

Prada SS11

Fast-forward a season and Mary Katrantzou chanelled the strength and spirit of these women, albeit from a different source. Her striking interior prints were indebted to the stylish apartments of Cunard, Chanel, Vreeland, Paley et al – and their eclectic living spaces were simply an extension of their strong-willed personalities.

Nancy Cunard may be an unlikely fashion muse, but her particular blend of pioneering fearlessness is one that captivates contemporary designers. Her refusal to be defined by glamour and class may now seem inconsequential, her list of achievements overshadowed by an impressive roll call of lovers, yet a remarkable and enduring legacy remains.

Nancy died on March 17, 1965, aged 69, in a Paris hospital where she was being treated for mental illness and alcoholism after being found on the street, destitute, a few days earlier. She weighted 26 kilos. In her healthier, happier days would have recoiled from the epitaph of style icon, but there’s no denying that she is one, and it’s time she took her place among the greats.

Find more of Victoria Loome's writing at http://www.girlsdofilm.wordpress.com/

Photographs of Nancy taken from Nancy Cunard: A Biography by Anne Chisholm

FLORENCE + THE GUCCI MACHINE

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Gucci's was the number one most influential catwalk collection for Autumn/Winter 2011. Frida Giannini is on a roll. From a high fashion perspective it was a slam dunk in evey way - the colours, shapes and silhouette's will have a massive uptake at red carpet events globally for the next six months. And just you wait until you take a stroll to your local high street retailer - those colours, shapes and silhouettes - ops, I mean clothes inspired by them - will be everywhere. I've seen the evidence.

Luckily for us, we can enjoy the purity of the design as it was intended before the stylistas of the world ruin it with overkill, by taking in these rather fabulous photos of Flo on her American tour. I hope Flo brings out some new material soon...in the meantime this new material suits her just fine.

Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine performs on stage at Central Park SummerStage on June 24th , 2011 in New York City.

Flo works her chiffon as she opens for U2 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, Wednesday, June 29th , 2011.

Flo offers up her best Kate Bush impression at Spartan Stadium on June 26th , 2011 in East Lansing, Michigan.

Photos: Courtesy of Gucci/Getty

RESORT 2012: THE BIGHEADS ARE BACK!

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Oh, I just couldn't resist the lure of a Big Head post! What better way to celebrate my favourite looks from the Resort 2012 collections, I ask you?  It is a bit "look at me" as so many blogs and fashion editors columns are these days but Susie Lau, Lisa Armstrong, Jess Cartner Morley and Polly V have so much fun starring in their own personal fashion shoots, why not join in? This way I get to be skinny and jump around a lot in nice clothes without lifting more than a few fingers on photo-shop (well, ahem the Fashion Junior does that, so I can't lay claim to the effort). I've been confined to bed all week due to a rather unexpected turn of events so have had ample time to peruse the resort SS12 collections and formulate exactly where fashion is going. Here are my top ten personal picks.

Max Azria

The easy cotton shirt, tracksuit-ish trousers and little retro looking pumps are so SS12. Trust that sporty vibe

Celine

Phoebe is still leading the pack with her work. Love the trilogy of shirt, trouser and sporty jacket in an all over wallpaper print on black.The sporty track jacket is delicious.

Celine

Mmmmmmmmmmm.... Makes me want to break out  my copy of White Women by Helmut Newton

Gucci

I am a confirmed fan of Frida Giannini's work.Think what you like about that, as I'm not your cookie-cutter Gucci girl. This dress is proper great. I'm also in the market for a Gucci handbag. I haven't bought a designer bag for over a year because I cannot find anything I like enough.

Kors

This outfit has my name all over it, except the shoes. NO to them. I still love pink trousers, a year after first seeing them

 

Preen

Thea, Justin? Remember when I saw you the other night and said I loved your Resort coll? Well, this is my favourite outfit. OK?? (Mel, stop fantasising)

 

Vuitton

Marc has been doing patterned pajama's at Vuitton for a while. A lot more people are doing them now (Celine, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, Gucci to name a few) but his are still my favourites. I could do with a pair of these now, for looking stylish against the pillows, and enable me to pop up for yet another blood test looking cool)

Jason Wu

This guy is fast shaping up to be my second favourite New York designer

 

Lanvin

This is luscious

Lanvin again!

If you're going to buy a jumpsuit, this one with a matching turban has to be the ultimate. Looking at it makes me dream of the social events I might attend in it, and the things I would get up to and sod that its white. 

Photos: style.com

OUR PICK OF MFW AW11 - FASHION JUNIOR

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

The Fash Ed is currently negotiating the busy streets of Paris, and I am sure she will have plenty of insider gossip to report upon her return next week. In the mean time, this is the time of year when we analyse every look from every collection - and I mean every look. Before we get swept away in the glamour that is Paris Fashion Week, it's only fair to give Milan it's due attention, so here are my personal picks.

(Before anyone chides me on the high ratio of black outfits, Milan Fashion Week generally only offers three options: black, sparkly, or both. So it's a wonder that I found any colour at all!)

Dolce and Gabbana - a collection of two halves, and what truly awesome halves they were! On one side, the girlish and glamorous, on the other, tough tomboy chic with added retro-ness (see below). Everyone is raving about the floaty star print dresses, but this turquoise glittery number really sparked my imagination. I like how it's a simple, glittering block of colour that you can style many ways, and the long sleeves earn extra cool points.

 Dolce and Gabbana (part II) I couldn't limit myself to one pick from this collection. Having never been one to shy away from a sequin, I am drawn to these spectacular trousers, and enjoy the contrast with the masculine Teddy boy coat. An outfit for days when you feel a bit La Roux-ish. Did I mention the boy shoes?! Brogues and sequins; like I said, awesome!

 

Sportmax. A lovely treat for the eyes at the end of a fairly minimalist collection; this flamboyant embroidery is just wonderful when combined with the sheer chiffon and neutral colour. I like how covered up it is too, with that appealing midi length and long sleeves (again). Librarian chic, nice.  

Antonio Marras. Another tricky collection to pick just one look from, it was full of 1930s inspired midi-dresses, in a palette of black, navy and cream, topped off with genuinely wrinkly Nora Batty stockings. I don't know why that is a good thing, but trust me when I say it is! But this outfit was primarily chosen for those fantabulous shoes: platform, peep toe, granny-strap, old-fashioned RED DREAMS. They even match my lipstick!

Pucci. Something worrying has started to emerge from Milan - the return of the Afghan coat. Seventies chic is alive and well, but that is one trend that I cannot cope with. The furry collar and hem of this decadent jacket alludes to that late Seventies look, but is a little more chic than a shaggy old Afghan. Pucci, on the whole, seems to be getting stronger and stronger, a real favourite here at FEAL HQ.

Gucci: wowarama. This collection was full on, in your face glamour, with lashings of snakeskin, fur, chiffon and colour. Teals, purples, turquoises; Frida Giannini has dictated the shades of the season. So if you are going to pick a red carpet dress, why look anywhere else? Anything that floaty and floral instantly brings out my inner Kate Bush, which is always fun!

Check back for the Fash Ed's picks, and no doubt updates from Paris!

All pics: Chris Moore Catwalking.com

YOU CAN'T GET MORE FASHION INSIDER THAN THIS...

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

This is the very first in a new series of interviews I'm doing with those major players in global fashion who operate in the open, but keep themselves below the radar. Who better to kick-off with than revered fashion critic and A-list journalist Sarah Mower? I am lucky enough to count Sarah as a friend, and when your blog is in "pilot mode" you need your friends. Anyway. Mindful of the fact Sarah only talks to strangers when she has a pen in her hand, and aware that while she knows a lot of things about a lot of people, we know very little about her, she let me turn the tables and all it cost me was a bottle of red wine!
(for career and personal bio, plus further reading on/by Sarah, scroll to the end of this posting)
Sarah interviewing John Galliano after his own label show in Paris on 6 October 2009.

FASHION INSIDER: #1 SARAH MOWERWith her uniform of peak-shouldered Margiela tailoring, extremely high heels, dark shades and a penchant for not smiling or making small talk, Mower cuts something of a mysterious dash around the fashion capitals. Most people are intimidated by her. Which stands to reason as she attends several major-league shows a day, and while most fashion people are sleeping or partying she writes several critiques in razor sharp prose, puts them online, and STILL gets to the 9am show on time. In real-life though, she is simply, by her own admission “something of an introvert.” What she’s really saying is that she’s shy. Behind the uptight veneer is a very endearing character for whom the mantra “with great power comes great responsibility” could have been written.

AND THEN SARAH INVITED US INTO HER HEAD…I thank god every day for Google. Because when designers start quoting their influences to me, at least these days I know what obscure artists, photographer or blah blah they are on about because I can go back and check it.

My job...to me it’s being alive. I don’t know; feeling your synapses jump, and the electricity of ideas cross-fertilizing and connecting. That’s what I like. Really that’s why this role of Ambassador for Emerging Talent has come out of it. You know quite a lot of things about a lot of things, and about a lot of people and you can see who needs what, and you can right wrongs and knowing how the whole system works, you can enable people.

I know I have a very grumpy face, but that isn’t what I’m like inside.

I’ve learned not to be riled at fashion shows. There isn’t any point. You can get anxious about getting into the thing. You can get anxious and annoyed about waiting. You can get annoyed with PR’s who don’t know who you are. What I’ve learnt is that it’s just not worth it. Because in the end all that stays with you are the good things. You just have to let the rest go.

I never had the patience to be an artist. My mother was an art teacher. As soon as I was old enough to hold a pen she encouraged me to just draw all the time. All I could do, ever, was draw. Get an idea down quickly. There couldn’t be any palaver between me thinking of an idea and expressing it.

When I started out, I was really scared of designers. And very intimidated. They were older than me. Gradually they got younger and younger, and I learned more and more. I now see what it takes for a designer to actually be able to do it.

Embarrasingly, I have cried at a show. Oh god! I used to sob at Helmut Lang shows and I don’t know why.

Being a fashion critic is very complex. You have to judge or assess what a designer is doing in relation to everything else: the trends that are coming up, or the feeling or mood that is rising from the season. You also have to connect how it relates back to their body of work. So you are judging them against their own track record. I know all this inside of me when I sit down to a show.
I have googled myself. I’m happy to say I have only ever found two spiteful things about me. One was hilarious: it said “Who is Sarah Mower? Has she ever done a day’s work in her life?” And that did make me laugh. Those who know me will know I work every single hour I could possibly work.

I’m big in Japan. I have an illustrated column in Japanese Vogue. They like me in China too. when I was in Shanghai, a girl came up and said “ Oh, Sarah Mower! You’re like a Manga hero!”

At the start of LFW [in the eighties] designers really couldn’t do it. They were designing things on their kitchen table and just thinking fashion was all about the catwalk show. They didn’t know anyone who could manufacture, they would send their clothes off to Italy and they would come back rubbish. And that would be the end of the latest wave of enthusiasm for London designers.

Back in the 1990’s Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan were putting on the most incredible shows we will ever see. It was beyond fashion. It was Barnum and Bailey. It was absolutely mind blowingly theatrical, visceral, moving and terrifying. They were rivals. It was like the Blur and Oasis stand-off.

I don’t get my legs out much because I’ve got terrible legs. And you can write that.

Know who you are. If it’s a frilly moment, and you are not a frilly person you can’t give into frills. When I was a kid you had to wear a mini-skirt or bellbottoms. Now fashion is so diverse. And Thank God.

A lot of people ask me what makes a good designer. When they're able to articulate who they are while capturing something about the times-while making clothes that can be worn, that’s the key. A designer is bad when they're derivative, run after every trend and don't have the skills to make things properly.

After 9/11, London fashion was so dead. Everything was so hopeless. The rest of fashion became so polite. Then suddenly all those kids Christopher Kane, and Marios Schwab and Gareth Pugh suddenly came up with this sense of confidence. But it wasn’t an aggressive sense of confidence. They weren’t snotty. They wanted to learn. I didn’t know if I could help them, but I was going to try.

For me, the less identifiable clothes are, the better. I wouldn’t wear the obvious thing by a designer. Dressing for me is a process of many things; trying to dress your own body, accept your own body. And whatever age you are – know it and celebrate it.

I’ve met Martin Margiela. [the famously private designer, who hasn’t been photographed for over a decade] He is the best mentor and teacher there could ever be. He talked to me about how he does things. I can’t tell you what I learned from him, because I swore to him that I would never, ever break that confidence. And I never will.

What keeps me going is the idea that I'll witness something that's never been seen before. After 20 years of watching shows, that can still happen.
THANKYOU SARAH. xxxx

MOWER CAREER BIO:
Sarah has been at the forefront of fashion journalism for twenty years working for titles including Honey, The Observer and Vogue UK. From 1992-1999 she was the fashion features director of American Harpers Bazaar. After that, back in London, she edited her own short-lived magazine The Fashion before signing up to US Vogue where she remains. When in 2000 she was asked to start writing catwalk show reviews for American Vogue’s new website Style.com she says “It was a very, very lowly thing. The challenge was to conquer designers’ fear of the web. Many designers weren’t keen on letting style.com into shows; they thought it would mean more copying.” A decade later Sarah is a commanding presence at the global fashion weeks; designers read Mower's reviews of their shows the morning after. Journalists and stylists read style.com to see what she is thinking, because her thoughts are often the barometer of where fashion might be going. Then there are the few million fashion fans who read style.com too. In 2009 Sarah was appointed as the British Fashion Council’s Ambassador for Emerging Talent, which puts her in charge of discovering, nurturing, and promoting the next wave of British fashion talent to the world. No pressure, then!
MOWER PERSONAL BIO:
Sarah lives in Shepherds Bush with her husband Steve, and three children Tom, Maisie and Phoebe. She is currently in mourning at the departure of Martin Margiela from his Maison.
FURTHER READING: Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion ; Gucci by Gucci: 85 Years of Gucci; New Role at BFC; Style.com Martin Margiela SS10 review
A version of this interview was published during London Fashion Week in The Daily. Link coming soon!