A GIRLY TOUCH

Like thousands of other girls, I love Charles Anastase. He is like a bright rainbow in my fashion life, never a dull moment and piquant details on all the clothes. He has deliberately placed himself slightly outside the usual confines of trends and gently woos us with his storytelling and fantasies, an essential part of his collections. He has invented a world filled with extraordinarily sweet magic, girly and timelessly youthful. His pieces always create a delightful and quaint atmosphere in stark contrast with the ideas presented by other designers. His creations are inspiring, devastatingly beautiful and always enveloped in an air of mystery while equally offering something new and fresh every time. I often find a certain nostalgia for a vanished past in his clothes but at the same time they are unexpectedly contemporary and quite often humorous. I own two Charles Anastase pieces. One is an adorable black trench coat with ¾ length sleeves which I’m completely infatuated with and the other is a long blue and white stripy cardigan with big “smiley” buttons. The latter reminds me of France and Normandy and has become a familiar and much-loved friend, worn with everything from little dresses, old 80s tour tee shirts or schoolgirl uniform shirts. I’ve been paying close attention to his work since he launched his first collection and I’ve embraced his sharp awareness of individuality and preference for a fundamentally girly and romantic look. Even his Fall 2009 show had an essence of girlishness despite being more dramatic and punky than previously. I also really like the fact that his own background has entered the score: there is a touch of impeccable French chic combined with happy English eccentricity. The kind of powerful duality I favour in fashion, especially since I’m from a mixed French/English heritage myself! Oh, I could go on and on about his clothes but it is time for my lunch break at Ginger & White. Click here to see wonderful pictures of the food on offer at this new North London café (taken by the lovely Tommy of This is Naive).

All pictures of the Charles Anastase studio courtesy of Pig Magazine

BLOG HIATUS

I haven’t written anything on the blog for a substantial stretch of time and the reason is that rewarding fashion subjects have been missing from my life. The month of August is a slow movement in fashion terms, lightly punctuated by news of September and future events. I’ve been waiting for the specific detail which will keep the story alive but the territory has been seriously lacking in fulfilling editorials, news and style. Unsatisfied by the current fashion landscape, I’ve been buying a small selection of wonderful magazines including the latest Encens and Paradis, which are like a firework of tantalizing images, and reading many books. The fascinating Oncle Dan by Jean-Marie Périer (thank you Géraldine for the recommendation) stands out from the list. I’m waiting for the magic to explode again in September and looking forward to watching R. J. Cutler’s “The September Issue”. I read Cathy Horyn’s memorable and provocative piece in the New York Times: I liked the openly contemptuous and humorous tone of the article, an overt invitation to her readers to think about the magazine business and whether or not the film brings to life a substantial presentation of the making of a magazine. Her commentary regarding the irresistible and charismatic Grace Coddington definitely made an impact on me and I cannot wait to see her in action, confronted with the inadequacy of Anna Wintour to be more than just intimidating, a parody of herself.
I’m also in the process of reorganizing my daily blog reads, a painful effort considering that I have around 50 links. Some have become meaningless and others simply don’t exist anymore. I want to create an artfully arranged collection which will be divided into categories (pure fashion, fashion photography, lifestyle, fashion journalism and finally the inevitable style/look blogs in any language as long as its pretty incredible). I welcome any suggestions!
I love these pictures of Kristen McMenamy taken by her husband Miles Aldridge for Paradis Magazine issue 5. The result is a performance which makes their relationship seem pretty incredible. I like the naturalistic marital comfort zone which gives the photos a pulse of real life despite the obscure and vaguely menacing artist studio setting with its weird colours.

All pictures courtesy of Paradis Magazine
Issue 5, Kristen by Miles Aldridge

I ♥ Maya

Maya Villiger is a photographer of integrity and dedication, whose principal subjects are interesting looking and hip girls found on the streets of New York, Paris, London and LA. Her portraits sometimes remind me of watercolours or photorealist paintings, and eschews drama of subject or treatment. She has chosen a difficult path, and one which already attracts a lot of competition, particularly dominated by men. I’ve been a huge fan of her work for a long time and not just because she is a friend. She quietly and immediately discovers the most unfailingly stylish characters, demonstrating not only impressive technical achievements but also the rare ability to grasp the distinction between mediocre and the simultaneously inspiring and stylish. Her photographs are soft, its aim residing in the subtlest differentiations of tone and placing. Her compositions are always exquisite subjects for contemplation. The lighting is a significant factor in her work and always delicately establishes the atmosphere. I’ve seldom seen street style pictures so full of truth and humour while at the same time giving you refreshing and beautiful imagery. That alone is amazing. I’ve never seen her at work so I don’t know what her approach is or how she shoots but there is no shortage of difficulties when you embark on a project like hers. Her strengths ensure that ideas dominate and take shape perfectly from the moment they were first formulated. Many of her contemporaries don’t provide the same emotion and perfection, they don’t master their material like she does and lack the sureness of her touch and her unique, consistently scintillating compositions. I guess they have a predisposition to take stale and tiresome snapshots whereas she puts together stunningly beautiful scenes. Her alchemy has worked on me. I treasure many of her images and at the risk of sounding like a complete teenager, I’ll even tell you that several of her photos can be found cellotaped on the inside doors of my wardrobe. Nuggets of inspiration and style!

All pictures courtesy of Turned Out

LIFTING THE VEIL ON THE LATEST ARNSDORF COLLECTION

It’s not often that I feel so deliriously enthusiastic and inclined to write a piece about a particular fashion brand, and this was an occasion I had been looking forward to so much: Arnsdorf’s new look book. My enduring fascination with the label started a while ago when a good friend of mine disclosed her style secrets after having emptied a bottle of wine. She’s the kind of girl who places high value on originality and believes that life’s big adventure is fashion (or hedonistic pursuits). In retrospect, I behaved appallingly. Encouraging her to over-consume alcohol to get the name of her latest label crush. The time has now come to accept full responsibility. Yes, I enabled it to happen and I don’t regret it. I quickly found out that a winter trip to Australia had her shopping with abandon; fast finding herself addicted to some of life’s little luxuries, including Arnsdorf! Jade Sarita Arnott has once again created a collection immediately offering the latest must-haves: sensual black dresses with complex and intricate detailing (sheer panels, strings, metal thread lace), high waisted shorts, trousers and skirts using fabric combinations of silk mesh, silk georgette, sand washed silks and organic linen. Jade is clearly turning her craft and skills into pure fashion art. Her incessant quest for the new and “surprise me” element seems to feed her desire to make waves in the world of fashion and to stand out from the crowd. With these latest looks she uses ice-skating costumes and specialist parachutist garments as inspiration to make her own unique contemporary adaptations. The result is magical with pale pinks, whites, blues and salmon interacting seamlessly with classic black. The tantalizing clothes I’ve selected to show you from the “And you love” collection are all equally sharp, elegant and fresh. These snippets only make me yearn for the satisfactory day when I will become the owner of an Arnsdorf piece of clothing!
Oh, and maybe this is the time to redeem myself and admit to having “borrowed” a pair of Arnsdorf shorts and top from my friend when she was at her most vulnerable… I promise to give them back.

All pictures courtesy of Arnsdorf

DAZED RAW BLOG AWARDS

As I finished my day at work yesterday, my Blackberry buzzed, indicating I had just received an email. It was one of my friends congratulating me on being shortlisted as one of the Dazed Raw Blog Awards finalists!
I don’t know who will snatch this glittering prize but I’m delighted to have made it to the final 15 in the fashion section. Looking at my competitors I noticed that several of them definitely had the vital X-factor. As much as I would love to win this I suspect I should turn my attention to the fact that on the public recognition ladder being selected as a finalist is already quite an achievement!
But being of quite a competitive nature, I would still urge you to vote for me!

At least I won’t be disqualified for trying to gather as many votes as I can – Hahaha!

Click here and vote for July Stars

THE APPEAL OF THE REBEL

I don’t normally get over enthusiastic about models and have never felt the irrepressible urge to discuss their looks or “captivating” talent on this blog. And I’m sure I will be rebuked by my fellow fashion bloggers for evading the subject for so long. If my blog is to be relevant to all my readers, I should address all fashion issues including models. Today, I’ve chosen to diversify a little bit and consider this alternative subject (actually suggested by a loyal reader) and I will say that considering my initial reservations, I did enjoy the experience. I know the road I’m travelling pretty well and there are plenty of signposts along the way providing a rich choice of names to choose from for this post. However, in a sea of commercial successes and dull Eastern European models, Freja Beha Erichsen seems to be the one my eye is most receptive to. She represents a total breath of fresh air in the somewhat confined world of modelling. There’s so much to praise: her boyish and androgynous charm, fiercely sensual and exotic looks, her own magical “modelling” language. She seems very much of her time while also embodying the rebel among more mainstream contemporaries. I love her ability to break old-fashioned fashion judgements with her gentle and almost imperceptible way of interfering with the flow. Her individualism is her most impressive tool, serving as inspiration for the photographer who sometimes will even adapt his or her own agenda to her confident and unique character. Her presence is thrilling, intense and she has no trouble capturing the pace and rhythm of a shoot. The photographs are always infused with Freja’s intensely personal energy, all passion and pensive rebellious eyes. I tend to believe that the photographer is the one playing the prominent part in the creation of a masterpiece but in the case of stories featuring Freja I’ve come to realize that she’s the fundamental creative thread. Myths exert a powerful influence in the world of fashion, and the myth of the rebel is one of the most powerful.

All photos courtesy of The Fashion Spot.
Shot by Javier Vallhonrat
Vogue UK Sept 09