GIRL CRUSH: MARY KATRANTZOU

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Today is 'We <3 Mary' day here at FEAL HQ- last night I was lucky enough to meet the fabulous Greek designer herself at an event hosted by My Daily. This morning, the FashEd and I have been singing the praises of her bubbly, all-embracing approach to interacting with her fans, as well as her talent for combining print and shape in ever more visionary ways. Basically, Mary Katrantzou is our new girl crush because she can be a consumately professional design extraordinaire and a really nice person all at the same time! In this spirit, Mary has joined My Daily as a Contributing Editor; alongside her avid tweeting and enthusiasm to build the best possible website this makes her one of the most web savvy, and accessible, young designers out there.

Me, the Fashion Junior, with Mary Katrantzou

 MyDaily editor Libby interviewed Mary last night and they covered everything from Mary's switch from studying Archtitecture in the US to Textile Design in London to the difference between a size 10 Mary dress and a size 14 ('the bigger the lady, the more print she gets'). Mary had plenty of snippets to divulge about how her business will grow in the future. Next June, she is hoping to launch her first pre-collection. She also wants to respond to all the interest men have shown in her designs- her SS12 blazer has been a popular order from the boys- by launching her own men's line in time. Bigger ambitions include a stand alone store in the middle of London, in a space which she can change all the time to suit the prevailing themes of her designs.

This blazer was inspired by simple Helmut Lang shapes from the 90s (image from catwalking.com)

Actually, Mary is a big fan of London. She claims that she would not be in fashion at all if it weren't for the world-renowned MA course at Central Saint Martins; she was tempted to stick to Textile Design but couldn't forego the opportunity to study under the guidance of Professor Louise Wilson whom she says 'gave me the confidence to talk about my work and forced me to develop a signature'. Mary was adamant that she'll be staying in London and showing her work in the young design context of London Fashion Week rather than trying to compete with bigger labels in other cities.

The final look from Mary Katrantzou SS12- The shape of a flower was the silhoutte which underpinned this collection (image from catwalking.com)

After the interview, I asked Mary how she was feeling about the timing clash of London and Milan fashion weeks in February. She acknowledged that it would be difficult but her spin made me think about situation differently. From a buyer's perspective, she suggests, London designers are currently among the most attractive because they pose less risk and can be more flexible than big, well-established labels. In the current economic climate, in which retail is taking quite a bashing, buyers like the fact that they can negotiate more on delivery times and minimum orders with the smaller labels, many of which are based in London. Crucially, their commerciality and growing reputation as exciting designers mean it's not a compromise for customers. Mary was also quick to point out that her designs and those of her peers are frequently being included in big editorial shoots around the world. The Katrantzou show is usually scheduled for the Tuesday of fashion week, by which time 'all the models have left for Gucci' so facing obstacles because of schedule clashes in nothing new for the Katrantzou team to deal with.

Mary Katrantzou AW11, photographed by Sean and Seng for POP

The FashEd interviewed Mary for the current issue of POP- I've included it here and we defy you not to have developed a full blown girl crush by the time you've finished. When I mentioned to Mary that I worked with Melanie, she was full of love for this piece. My Daily is also offering the chance to win a dress from Mary's SS12 collection- and if you're not a lucky winner and budgets don't stretch to the real Mary thing, you only have to hold out until February when her capsule collection for Topshop drops, hurrah!

ASHISH'S AW10 COLLECTION ADDS SOME SPARKLE TO OUR MORNING

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

It's day five of London Fashion week. The weather is rubbish and all the fashionistas are starting to tire of show-hopping and hobbling across cobblestones at Somerset house. So it's little wonder that a fair few skipped Ashish's AW10 show with its 9am start time.

It was fitting then, as bloggers and editors across London repeatedly hit the snooze button, that the first look down the catwalk appeared to be sequinned pyjamas...

Ashish's infatuation with the sequin prevails for another season. And thank goodness - it put a sparkle into an otherwise miserable cold morning.

Rather than naming one inspiration for his AW10 collection, the designer wove a little story for us. Once upon a time there was a land called Ashishistan:

 'A former Soviet republic that is fondly known as 'pearl of the Black Sea' - partly because of its women, but largely for the unexploited oil and gas reserves that are fast making it he central Asian equivalent of Switzerland. Here you'll meet this season's heroine, who recently gave up winters spent huddled round a yak dung fire for lazy days in the Mediterranean sunshine with the Abramovitchs as neighbours'

I really liked the collection. I'm growing a little tired of evening sequins but for AW10 Ashish has shown a way to work a sequin in the day - matt, floor-length, with chunky knits.

Well worth getting out of my warm bed for.

Pic credits: Chris Moore / catwalking.com

THE ISSUE OF THE DAY IS STILL THE PERVADING PRESENCE OF BLOGGERS AT THE SHOWS

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

 As I may have mentioned, I recently joined Twitter. Whilst I can grasp the simple task of a Facebook status style tweet, I haven't yet mastered the twitpic or the direct message etc, so have been attempting to pick it up by reading the tweets of the people I follow. In the last couple of hours there has been much discussion (mainly amongst the well known bloggers) over this article from The Global Herald.

Yet again the editors versus bloggers debate is being wheeled out with the latter being described as 'awkwardly dressed pseudo-fashionable young things who were pushing themselves towards the free press patisserie with aplomb'. Sigh. Like many teenage girls who aspire to inhabit the world of fashion journalism I never fantasised about writing online. I fell in love with the tangible aspects of the magazine. The smell of the pages, the cool smoothness of the cover, the weight of the printed product, which seemed to denote substance and knowledge of subject. But things change. The first time I meet the Fashion Editor at Large she told me ‘print is shrinking. Online is now the future’ – And just like that I knew I had to embrace a new medium for my passions. Whether bloggers carry clout in the industry is no longer debateable – they’re usurping front row seats at Dior couture right from under the noses of seasoned fashion journalists – but just how erudite and relevant their opinions are seems to be a constant point of contention. 

Maybe the reason the so-called ‘Tavi backlash’ has been ignited is because, whilst we all enjoy her insightful musings, some of her harsher critics simply believe she is not qualified to write for POP and schmooze back-stage at the Paris couture shows. In their view it’s all about knowing one’s place in the fashion pecking-order, or as Robin Scott says 'There is a food chain at work here, and those with dot blogspot or dot wordpress in their domain name should know that they are at the bottom of it.' 

But seriously, what about our very own Fashion Editor at Large and other seasoned writers who take up blogging? It adds a whole new dimension to the blogosphere. 

Scott does make some important points - some print journalists who take an anti bloggers stance need to understand that 'the very blogs they deride ... are read by far more – literally millions more – people than their own articles will ever be'. We need to address the issue of space at fashion Week in terms of the quality of the attendee's output as well as quantity of readers they draw. It's a complex task. 

Do you know what the most widely read magazine in the UK is? Take a Break. Yes Take a Break! It gets almost one million readers per issue, sells two copies every second and is the 4th biggest selling magazine in the world! It has a far far greater number of readers than say Vogue or ELLE, which fall near the bottom of the pile in terms of monthly sales. Sometimes things surprise you. Blogs are extremely widely read, and the well written ones are extraordinarily influential. 

All the nay-sayers have to eventually accept that things move on, and that print and online can co-exist. Way back in the day photographers were banned from catwalk shows and journalists had to be a dab hand at sketching the collections. Now we have Tavi, Bryan Boy, Suzie Bubble et al bridging the gap between mere mortals and the ethereal people of fashion society with their commentary.  It’s progression, and that is what this industry is all about.

Pic credit: tardeotemprano.net

DOMINIC JONES SCARES ME IN A GOOD WAY FOR LFW

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Alice Dellal and Dominic Jones

A year and a half ago up-and-coming British jeweller Dominic Jones was living in the notorious London squat known as "Squallyoaks" because he said "there was more drama there in one week than the omnibus of Hollyoaks". Then he came up with a jewellery range of high-end looking fierce pieces made using gold plate ten times thicker than the usual, but with an affordable heart. His idea was to create jewellery that his generation could afford and not just love from afar. I remember meeting him at a Dover Street Market party to launch Stephen Jones perfume, and being impressed by both his grey/blue hair (he is definitively ahead of the fashion curve), his endearing manner and his clear talent; he was wearing his own instantly covetable fang jewellery. He set up his business with funding from the punky model Alice Dellal, one of his best friends, and his first season saw his jewellery go global. Then Anna Wintour came knocking; then he got NewGen sponsorship.

Could he sustain the hype for his second collection? This is the all important question with any young designer, and having seen his new collection go from an idea he told me about over coffee in my Paris hotel last season, "I'm thinking about skulls," I can say he is moving steadily in the right direction! Here is an exclusive preview of his Autumn/Winter collection.

The "Vampire Bat Skull Heart Pendant" by Dominic Jones for AW10

The new collection is both beautiful and challenging inspired as it is by skulls, scorpions and beetles. "You would run a mile from these things in real life, they are pretty intimidating, but I hope I have made them desirable," says Dom. The model shown is 15 year old Daphne, who is represented by Union. The Dutch girl is already a hot property and has been modelling for just one month. She won't be allowed to walk for a catwalk show until she is 16.  The "Vampire Bat Skull Heart Pendant," was initially created by fusing two anatomically correct and to scale Vampire Bat skulls. We will bring the rest of the collection to you on Saturday.  Thanks for the preview Dom! Good luck (you won't need it). FEAL xxx

Image: by Aitken Jolly
Styling: Francesca Burns
Photo of Dominic and Alice from http://weblog.brownsfashion.com/

LONDON FASHION WEEK MOOD BOARDS: # 1 MEADHAM KIRCHOFF

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

Meadham Kirchoff let me have a preview of the collection, but I can't tell you anything about it until Sunday when their show takes place, except that it is going to be the most beautiful thing they have done to date, and that the jewellery is extra special. If, like me, you are a fan of the fashion designers' mood-board, this is theirs.Until Sunday!

TAVI OUSTED BY YOUNGER BLOGGER?

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

The haters who speculated that everybody's favourite teen blogger Tavi Gevinson was being aided by a 'Team Tavi' have finally been silenced by the insightful opinions she voiced at the Evolving Influence Fashion Blog Conference hosted by the Independent Fashion Bloggers in NY last night.

Here's her take on the editors Vs. bloggers debate:

'A lot of it is kind of made up. I think it started to sort of come back and gain a little more momentum when a Grazia writer was sitting behind me and couldn’t see because of my hat. But like I saw what [she] Twittered, which was ‘Can’t see behind Tavi’s bow,’ and it’s like, I think [she was] just sort of like making a joke. But then it was like [transfers to ominous voice-over voice] ‘Bloggers and Editors at War — which side are you on?’

Read the full story at The Cut blog.

Meanwhile Racked.com are introducing guest blogger Katie as their New York fashion week critic. By the way she's only five. (Those jokers)

Katie hobnobbing with fellow blogger Bryanboy

Katie's show notes...vital I think you'll agree.

Picture credits: racked.com, nymag.com

MY NEW FASHION WEEK UNIFORM (AND YOURS TOO!)

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

New York fashion week kicks off tomorrow, and London Fashion Week starts next friday... so it's time to work out the fashion uniform of the season. Knowledge is power! Having a uniform makes life so much easier too.

My favourite SS10 look from LA Label  L'Agence, available at Selfridges

They say that fashion changes and style stays the same. Well, that's not true. Fashion can change every week (I know this from working on Grazia, and this is what makes fashion fun).  What constitutes the very core of a stylish wardrobe changes too, just not as often.

For spring there has been a big style basics change. I am seeing it everywhere. Yes of course on fashion conscious women, but also on young girls shopping the high street and on the LA girls who love their casual elegance.

What has happened is, in one set of fashion collections, the former “essentials” of every girl’s wardrobe; namely the blazer, slim jean, basic legging, printed blouse, and statement dress have been replaced by a new set of loose, luxe easy to wear clothes that define a new body proportion. I can say this with authority because my fashion buyer friends agree with me – this is what they are buying for their shops!

"A couple of years back to satisfy demand I would have to buy at least five types of blazer, and at least ten styles of straight-leg dark denim jean," says a very influential buyer friend of mine. "Now it's a biker jacket hybrid, a draped loose jersey T-shirt, a luxury legging or legging jean, a short tunic dress and carrot leg trousers that I need to buy into in different ways," she said over lunch recently. You will already be vaguely familiar with the new style basics, now you just have to buy one or two to see what I mean. They will change the way you feel about the rest of your wardrobe, and give your fashion mojo a boost.

THE FASHION EDITOR AT LARGE TOP FIVE CORE STYLE ESSENTIALS FOR SS10

1. A drapey yet snug-fit washed leather jacket with biker details (see this one by one of my favourite labels right now Helmut Lang, from Matches) I tried this on last week, and knew in an instant that it would go with everything from a sexy dress to joggers to jeans, traveller pants (see tomorrows for these babies!!), leggings, and shorts. It's elegant, smart, louche but most of all uber chic, flattering and will serve as a staple for the next couple of years at least. 

2. Baggy trousers with slim-fit ankle, these ones cost £95 and are by Whistles. The tapered rolled-up ankle creates the illusion of a spindly ankle, and therefore of a slim body. Like!

This is my actual top, £25 from Cos, this is a khaki one and they come up over the wrist and you tuck your thumb in the cuff- also bought in black, white, grey

This black mesh tank £25 from COS pulls down to upper thigh and is an amazing layering piece (Also comes in pale nude) 

3. Good T-shirting.  For British readers may I reccomend COS. In the last week have bought ten t-shirts and five vests which am shaering with my other half. They are so useful, and worth every penny. My other preferred T-Shirt labels are Splendid, American Vintage and TopShop.

4. Luxury leggings. See the above from Les Chiffoniers at Matches. Don't need to explain the usefulness of these. These will not date like the printed ones that are around at the moment.

5. A peep toe ankle "boot". These ones are by ACNE, from Net-a-Porter. If you have an eye for fashion, you will NOT get through spring without getting a pair of something a bit like this on your tootsies. Trust!

and finally...a bit of mood

Unique by TopShop backstage shot from SS10

Think of this post as a cocktail, with five parts staples and one part frou-frou cocktail umbrella's, glace cherries and sparklers. To look Fashion Now get all of the above and mix it liberally with all the elements of the above photo!

MY NEW CROWN PRINCE OF STREET STYLE BLOGGING

Tommy Ton of Jakandjil.com photographing Sally Singer of US Vogue in Paris

I have always been a street style watcher. A fashion stalker. A lot of my trend ideas come from seeing what people choose to wear, how they wear it and where they are when they're wearing it. It is a language all on its own. I was checking into The Sartorialist long before it became a cult blog, providing pithy captions for his subjects in my head, and then whenever I saw the man himself, Scott, at the shows or outside the Paris hotel he and I used to stay in (not together) I loved to watch how he blatantly sized men and women up on the street. He got away with it because he had a camera around his neck. Lucky.

Recently, I have added another fashion-stalker street-snapper to my love list. It's Tommy Ton from Jak & Jil  who has an eye for a picture that makes me think he is a beauty editor, accessories editor, fashion editor and art director all rolled into one. He loves an amazing shoe and bag, and has an eye for the more unusual composition that I find stimulating in my fashion head.  

This week in my mothership publication, the wonderful Grazia, I did a piece on Tommy Ton with a selection of pictures, but we could only fit in one. Because Tommy so kindly gave us several pictures to use, I thought it would be a shame to waste them, so I am showcasing them here.

What I like is that Tommy is capturing this Dior show as we journalists see it from the front row, complete with photographers, standing people, PR's, show producer's, discerning couture clients and of course the beautiful model in her Christian Dior Couture finery, in view.

When I tracked him down for Grazia I spent ten minutes outside the Chanel couture show on Rue Cambon asking hooded figures with cameras around their neck, are you Tommy Ton? Finally the real Tommy revealed himself.  And here is Tommy! How cute?

Tommy is wearing Alexander Wang boots

Later that day I interviewed him on the phone while he was trying to tap into some free wi-fi on the streets of Paris so he could send his pictures from the day to his blog. And he told me his story. He is 25 years old, and lives in a suburb of Toronto called Oakville with his Vietmamese parents. He started Jak & Jil four years ago, documenting the “not very glamorous” local Toronto nightlife because he was bored. "There wasn't much going on in Toronto." So he decided to spread his wings; "I wanted to take photos in the fashion capitals at their fashion weeks," he says. So that's what he did. I remember him in Paris a few years ago asking all us fashion editors if he could photograph our shoes. (He has a shoe fetish, how perfect and shiny are his Wang boots above?).  His perseverence has paid off; his talent has been spotted and he has been adopted by none other than Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld who has given him a page in this month's Paris Vogue. Not only Carine, in fact, but Anna Wintour too who is tapping him for the relaunch of Vogue.com later this spring. “At the Dior show I was sat behind Anna Wintour, and she turned to say “Hi” to me,” he says in amazement. He deserves the recognition. His pictures are beautifully composed, yet surprisingly he is not a trained photographer. “I just click away and hope...” he says, being modest. He definitely has the fashion eye; and he is in love with with fashion. “Fashion is everything to me; it’s all I care about” he says. Aaah.

I am anti-fur by trade, but even I have to admit that coat with those shoes on that bike with those glasses and the turban looks amazing.

THANKYOU SO MUCH TOMMY!
Melanie xx
Photos (not of Tommy Ton) are by Tommy Ton for http://www.jakandjil.com/
Tommy Ton photos by an as yet unnamed friend....

In the mood for ACNE (can't help it, I'm a super-fan)

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

When it comes to ACNE, mood is as important as fashion. Which is as it should be. So in an aroma drenched former tramshed on East London's Rivington Street we attended ACNE's first ever fashion show. There were no ringside seats, and therefore no front row. But the fashion junior (fresh from her backstage chats, see below) and I positioned ourselves at the very front right corner of the stage to bring you the best view we could offer. As you can see from the above shot, the set created by Charles Koroly was atmospheric...

                

The show didn't have a catwalk as such, either. A large curtain was strongly backlit and you saw the models' shadow before you saw the model, who then swung around to stand in the line of a laser beam and pose for the inevitable lookbook. It was all very Star Trek. The above photo, by the way, shows the best trousers of the collection; a slim-leg jean completely covered with patches showing mystical symbols, including a keyhole, Ying Yang and a labyrinth.

  

                  

                                  

                 

                  

The clothes were ACNE at their loose, sexy, tough-chic best. In a tight palette of colours ranging from soft grey and buttermilk (this pale palette is the Next Big Thing in fashion, peeps) midnight navy and black the collection was a direct evolution of their spring range. There were two distinct trouser shapes: tight, skinny and ruched or loose washed silk with zips. Both shapes were topped with a fold-over collar shearling biker jacket. Likewise the hemlines came one of two lengths: very long or very short. Washed silk jumpsuits were a key outfit builder; I liked the way these were studded with the collaborative work of London-based jeweller Husam El Odeh. As always with ACNE there was copious amounts of leather of a distinctly Mad Max look and feel; and a utility multi-pocket element. Predictably my favourite pieces were a baggy graffiti printed trouser, and the shearling jacket seen below centre.

Talking to ACNE creative director Jonny Johansson after the show, I was amazed to hear that they were packing up the entire shebang and shipping it to Stockholm where it will be shown tonight as part of Stockholm fashion week. He also told me the show was inspired by The Clone Wars film, a favourite of his young sons. But I was more interested why he wanted to do a show in the first place, does ACNE need a show? It has sales and fans (I am a die-hard, as you might have gathered).

"I'm kind of scared of shows, especially catwalk shows. But I thought the trick was to do it before everyone else! Also the more you mature as a designer, and work with your medium you become more comfortable and confident with it," said Jonny.

So what is his ambition with ACNE clothes? "For me it has to be wearable. It's my Swedish functionality and purity coming through. I am always going to be stepping out of that box. It might be ordinary, it might not."

And the boots? There were some ridiculous boots on that runway. "In Sweden in winter it is all about a crazy boot," Jonny quipped.

A telling moment for me came when I asked what animals he was using to create his clothes. "It's all sheepskin; they treat it in new ways which gives it a lot of colours and textures. I did actually make a piece using fox. But it became too luxe. It didn't fit with what we are doing, and we did not include it."

That sums up ACNE for me. we wouldn't want to go all bourgeois now, would we?

PS. I met my major model crush Iris Strubegger last night after she modelled in the show. She is so beautiful. This Blackberry shot doesn't do her justice, especially with her silver space-age forehead make-up. I will share my Iris photo gallery with you soon! Oh, OK, just the one then...

                      
Catwalk photos: Fashion Junior at Large
Mood shots: Fashion Editor at Large
Me and Iris by Caireen Wackett

ACNE AW10 SHOW: AVATAR INSPIRED MAKE-UP

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large.

The lovely Shinobu (no last name. I like her style and am seriously considering being known simply as 'Esme' from now on) filled me in on the bold make-up for Svart Sno - copious glitter and circles of metallic copper, green and silvery blue.

' Last season we used lots of liquid gold eye-liner, and this time around we wanted to extend that same idea. Jonny had lots of thoughts centred around space and we looked at science fiction movies like Avatar for inspiration. Most of the models have bleached eyebrows, which seems to be a trend at the moment, and this just added to the other-worldly alien feel of the make-up, the clothes and ultimately the entire show'.

Snap-shots tapped to the banister for reference. 

More last moment mayhem before full dress rehearsal. 

The metallic circles on the model's foreheads coordinated with the hues of the collection. 

HANGING OUT BACKSTAGE AT ACNE

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large

Bad news - The Tramshed, venue of Svart Sno (or Black Snow) ACNE's AW10 show had a distinct lack of wireless access, which means that this report is coming to you a couple of hours later than previously stated. Nevertheless, as promised, here is the backstage coverage as seen through the lens of the Fashion Junior at Large (expect a vital opinion on the full collection from the Fashion Editor at Large tomorrow PM)

This sea of pink ACNE gift-bags contained a large dark bottle of perfumed room spray. The fragrance was created in collaborated with Stockholm based BYREDO especially for the Svart Sno show in the hope that attendees will 'remember this space and the night when you smelled it' (Jonny Johansson).

Here are the models in a pre-show run through. The atmosphere was tense but alive with excitement and creativity. (Check out the MOD - Model Off Duty - looks).

The girls wore ACNE AW10 shoes for the run through to practise walking in those spindly heels and super-size platforms.

  ACNE founder and creative director Jonny Johansson and stylist Michelle Jank oversee the direction of the show.