THE PARTY'S OVER

There’s been a long gap between my last post and this one. I have just returned from a holiday that lasted seventeen days. Paris, Geneva and Cassis in the South of France. Beaches, stunning scenery, sunshine, cloudless blue skies and eating far too much. I’ve inherited over 1000 pictures from this trip, some of which will of course end up here!
It’s back to London and fashion now.
Maison Michel is experiencing a renaissance. Regardless of the unbearable media hype surrounding the cult milliner, I’m so pleased that it is getting the recognition it deserves. Millinery is an art form that has long struggled to establish itself outside the boundaries of collaborations with couture names. In recent months, Maison Michel has successfully initiated a captivating process of fluid fusion between street styles and high fashion. Laetitia Crahay, the Chanel accessories designer, is behind the new language of rebellion embraced by the house. The result is dramatic. Visually “cool”, with a more modern overall feeling, challenging and with a hint of provocation, the hats and headbands are flawless.
The social and cultural imprint associated with the brand has guaranteed a full integration within other trendy and well-established fashion circles (Lou Doillon, Sean Lennon, Olivier Zahm, Irina Lazareanu, Olivier Theyskens, Charlotte Stockdale, Uffie and André, Joséphine de la Baume have all endorsed Maison Michel and in that lies a majority of its recently recovered success). I genuinely love what I’ve seen so far (the past two collections) but it will be interesting to see if the brand can continue to translate couture into street.

All photos by Karl Lagerfeld for Maison Michel