08-03-2010 11:48 # 1 comments - add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Givenchy

7th March 2010

Also…. Givenchy.
FREEZING, as the show was held in Carnot High School courtyard, my nose almost fell off so it was near impossible to concentrate on the show itself... The collection has definitely got some good products, but the styling wasn't too efficient, and the direction a little confusing... lots of separates, not many dresses or evening wear, a return to the first collection syndromes (patches of red lace, coats etc) and an overall Helmut L. aftertaste, let's wait to see it up close at the showroom in a few days....

Robin Schulié


08-03-2010 11:37 # 1 comments - add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Céline

7th March 2010

Wow, this morning when I left my flat, I had no idea which day we were on, though I guessed it was Sunday when I realised all the shops were closed and there was no one in the streets... in Fashion Week (er, Fashion Months really as it has been non stop since the beginning of January) you just lose track.
I’ve been so busy, and late on my posts that I thought I should at least send you some highlights of Sunday, with the Céline by Phoebe Philo show... which had it’s roots in Margiela (for Hermès), the efficiency of Balenciaga, and the modernity of what Jil Sander should be like today, no wonder all the women at the show were drooling over the pieces shown. Phoebe Philo has managed in only 2 seasons, to not only find a personality for a brand that did have an identity crisis for a long time, but also to make it one of the desirable around. Bravo.


Robin Schulié.


08-03-2010 10:56 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: The Vionnet Presentation

6th March 2010

More shows, more showrooms! 
I’m still a bit self-conscious about taking pictures of people or friends, so I try to avoid putting anyone in the pictures and instead concentrate on the clothes... I’m just not cheeky enough! Today, (Saturday really), after the Ann Demeulemeester show, this girl asked to take my picture, which I usually oblige to when asked politely, but she was like ' I'm doing this blog about people's bags and today I’m focusing on bag's contents, so show me what's the most important item in your bag'. Sorry, I don’t know you, you don't know me, why would I show you anything inside my bag? Reminds me of this pre-show moment in London a couple of seasons ago where this young woman got shouted at by some photographer who summoned her to stand up so he could shoot her - no hello, or please etc, just 'stand up’! Everyone around was so shocked, we were like, stop using your camera like a gun! It’s only a camera and gives you no rights over us. Oh well, you know I am reactionary really.



One of the draped/gathered dresses at Vionnet (hmm)

A few more presentations... the incredible one was Vionnet, It’s not that the clothes were amazing (see pictures...) but the event was held in genius French artist Jean Cocteau's flat by Palais Royal... I didn't even know about his flat, I actually thought that kind of flat should have been turned into a museum, but apparently at the time it was sold, it was so expensive that French State couldn't afford to buy it... The owners were selling it, and by the time they found a buyer they had rented out the place, notably for this presentation. (Apparently the new owners are Russian).


 

The amazing original logo of Vionnet, stuck onto a window of Cocteau's flat, overlooking the magnificent Palais Royal



The place was amazing, with some very OTT decorations in the flat (painted ceiling, Cariatides and organza curtains...) The venue was so fantastic that it did overshadow the collection unfortunately. But that is something I like about Fashion Weeks (especially the Paris one!): they bring you to places you had no idea existed, or would never have gone on your own. 

Robin Schulié.




A real life-scale coat, drawn hanging against the wall, and pictures on the stairs hand-drawn by Cocteau himself



The amazing and OTT decor in the flat




05-03-2010 11:44 # add your comment

Live Streaming: Bernhard Willhelm Fall/Winter 2010 in Paris


Straight to you from Palais de la Bourse, Tranoï , Salon d'honneur....


Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV
Category : News

05-03-2010 11:30 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Rick Owens and Manish Arora, More from Day 3


4th March 2010

One of those days that are interesting for the whole world, but unfortunately I haven't been a good witness – what with not being someone who would run after Anna Dello Rosso to see her parading around in a full SS/10 runway look, and being a working boy, I haven't much to share with you today....
So yes, Balenciaga is definitely the future of fashion, which means, er, that it is what NOW should look like - Parisian, hard-edged, feminine, clever and questioning. At least someone here is shaking things up and not just using old recipes.
I guess a lot of people were expecting something special from Balmain, but I have the feeling that the shock value there is actually starting to wear off (short, very short, even shorter, glitter, sequins, sparkles, those shoulders, and now ….a bit of fur!), I’m even getting used to it - sometimes more is… well, not enough, so we need more of that bad taste again, thank you.
Second highlight of the day: Rick Owens. Moving on from his widely-copied look is a necessity, and also a challenge for a brand that built up slowly on an extremely efficient series of products - just think of that ubiquitous distressed leather jacket and those washed out colours and you'll see what I mean. His influence has been so strong in the last couple of years that I can say with a lot of confidence that he is the most copied designer of the decade – or maybe just the most influential (I can even see it in much bigger companies, details, cuts, and fabrics that are very close to his). I’ve been waiting for a few seasons for that show where he grows out of his own field and takes us (and his brand!) somewhere else...and that happened today. I’ve also always thought that the day Rick starts working with embellishments, he would also open up a new direction, and again, he did that today.  I can't really indulge you with pics, but as they are already everywhere, you can judge for yourself.
 Like Nicolas G, Rick O is building a house that no-one has seen before, and the storeys keep going up, up, up...
On a more personal note, Manish Arora - a good friend of us here at Maria Luisa's - cheered us up with his show full of colours, sequins, graphic make up and crazy hair, (amazing hat-bobs by Justin Smith!) and what felt like a tribute to McQueen, a designer I know he adores. The fun part was that the show was held in the fantastic library of elite French school Henry IV on the left bank, where I was a student in the 90's, which is a surprisingly short time ago to make me forget how unfashionable the students were (hmm, I used to wear Patrick Cox shoes, which seems horrifying now) and how happy I was that I never had to hang out with them afterwards....

Robin Schulié.





The Manish Arora Show

04-03-2010 16:55 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Balenciaga

4th March 2010



Balenciaga is probably the best show of the season...It sounds cliché to say, but Ghesquière is way, way ahead of everyone, with future couture in amazing textures and colours, and Memphis-like shoes... Simply the best!

Robin Schulié.






04-03-2010 16:38 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Gareth Pugh

3rd March 2010

Unsurprisingly, I totally approved of Gareth Pugh's show. Black, more black, sharp edges and forward thinking shapes and fabrics, graphic patchworks of black neoprene, leather sleeves for chic dresses, crocheted cardigans, and chain-covered dresses (and finger nails!)... Gareth challenges his own aesthetics and techniques – and even if we all can see how much he owes to his spiritual father Rick Owens, I am happy that at least someone is being consistent with his aspirations and taste, building up an identity that is his own.

Robin Schulié.


04-03-2010 16:34 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Robin recommends you look at this video for some inspiration...


3rd March 2010


Hey, if you have to do experimental 60’s, please check out La prisonnière by Henri George Clouzot, his final movie, which destroyed his career, since no-one understood his subversive tale of obsession, submission, love and visual art/narration experimentation.... Please note the coma induced dream of the main protagonist Elizabeth Wiener after her car accident, an amazing answer to his unfinished masterpiece l'Enfer with Romy Schneider...

Robin Schulié.



(The documentary about this mythical movie came out in France in October, but the only thing we love about it is the film tests he did with his imaginative crew)


04-03-2010 16:15 # add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: Day 2


3rd March 2010
 
Modernity 1 – Robin 0

Hey - Back to Paris! Nay - so much work I couldn’t go to all the shows I wanted to… Well, I have to say (in a vey shameless self promotional kind of way) that we at Maria Luisa are also showing are own collection this week from Friday, it’s a lot of work on our side to organize it all, so unfortunately I can’t allow myself to be 100% on the fashion show front (hope I will have some time to see Rick Owens and Manish Arora tomorrow, the only ones I should be able to go to!)
My last experience for the Farfetch.com blog should have taught me to invest in a good camera, not an average Blackberry. My Mom would say ‘don’t blame your tools’ and it’s also true that I’m a bad photographer, and a lazy iconographer, so don’t complain if there is not many pictures here. Only bad videos.
For instance, I couldn’t take pictures of Felipe Oliveira Baptista, or Rue du Mail by Martine Sitbon for the two afore-mentioned reasons… Very Parisian shows for very Parisian crowds –   there was good taste and interesting taste but not much challenge, a bit minor in a season where you have to make a difference.
My mind gets confused between Rochas and Giles, two shows that were pretty different but very similar in the way they handled two fantasies: that of the Ibiza 60’s go-go girl, and also the fantasy of what a show in Paris should be like, as seen from an Italian or an English point of view. Err, not very subtle is the answer you are looking for to both questions.
Between hair, make-up, styling, shoes (Rochas’ shoes, like last season’s surprising lesbian sandal, was quite something, with a 90s heel that even Patrick Cox wouldn’t have dared thinking of years ago – I’m not sure you can see them that well on the video, but if you do, please note that it’s the thickest heel you’ll have seen for a very long time).



Rochas 

Funny how these two collections respond to each other in such a very short time, with their big hair, flirty peachy dresses, lamé Capri pants and pop catwalk. Of course it’s not easy to be referential, and especially with that type of collection, you realise that not everyone is a Miuccia Prada or Marc Jacobs, who consistently manage to get to another level and twist their references. Points to Giles for the fluffy bags though…

Robin Schulié.



Giles


04-03-2010 12:56 # 1 comments - add your comment

PARIS FASHION WEEK: DAY 1

2nd March 2010

Milan 0 – Paris 1

Unbelievable but true, I missed the first day of shows in Paris – stuck in Milan for appointments, scouting  brands and checking out showrooms we  don’t check often enough.
  I can’t tell you how miserable I was – not only because everything I saw was either disappointing (no names, sorry…) or simply a rip-off (how many Rick Owens biker jackets, trainers or knits can an Italian manufacturer copy?, Rick is definitely the biggest style purveyor of this new decade) – but also because two of my dear friends were showing their collections today and I couldn’t be there to support them.



Nicolas Andreas Taralis



Nicolas Andreas Taralis‘s show saw his return to the runway after a couple of showroom-only collections, supported by beautiful but cryptic ads in 032C and Purple, after his brief stint at Cerruti. I was anxious – though probably not as anxious as he was – to know how it went, since people’s expectations of a ‘come back’ are always high; but I know what a perfectionist he is, so I kind of felt that he would know when and how to show again. I was so pissed I wasn’t there when I saw the pictures (1st Paris show on Style.com, bravo!) but so proud! I think it’s actually his best show ever, very concise but extremely consistent, showing both mens and womenswear. It won’t come as a surprise to people who know my personal style, but I loved the collection. Black, black and more black, capes, transparencies, leather, knits and boots, draping that was never droopy (I will shoot on the sight of yet another pair of harem pants), sharp tailoring and an answer to the ubiquitous over-padded shoulder… an incredible Edward Scissorhands technique and finesse.



Nicolas Andreas Taralis



Anthony Vaccarello showed his third collection since winning the Grand Prix at Hyères Festival - we displayed his amazing work in our shop windows last year. I have always believed in him, but in Paris it’s not that easy to grow up in the public eye, as basically not many people care or support you here (he’d have been SO celebrated if he had been based in London – think Charles Anastase or Peter Pilotto, who made the right move…) but I have the feeling that Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 will be his season. He met the fabulous Lou Doillon through his friend and fairy godmother Laetitia Crahay, who fell in love with his intoxicating designs – and bam 8, in an hour Julia Champeau had shot these amazing pictures of the collection.
 In relation to Nicolas’s clothes, I can’t express how much his aesthetics relates to mine: sharp tailoring, intricate details and never-seen embellishments. More of these two collections later this week when I get to see them up close… But I have the feeling that their DNA might be an interesting hint of the things yet to come this season, and also the perfect antidote to some other tasteless excesses…

Robin Schulié.





Lou Doillon modelling for Anthony Vacarello


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Contributors


TOM STUBBS, WRITER
Tom Stubbs is a stylist and writer who works for Sunday Times Style, The Rake, The Quarterly, FT How To Spend It, and Finch’s Quarterly. He has also just launched his own blog www.styleanderror.co.uk. Stubbs is reporting live from the AW10 menswear shows in Milan.

Click here to read the blog.

INDIGO CLARKE, WRITER
Writer Indigo Clarke is Fashion Features Editor for Lula Magazine UK, Editor at Large for Oyster Magazine AUS, Contributing Features Editor for Russh Magazine AUS, Correspondent for Harper’s Bazaar AUS and also writes features for AnOther Magazine UK, Plastique Magazine UK and The Melbourne Age Newspaper. Reporting from the big apple, Indigo brings us the front row fashion from New York Fashion Week.

COCO LE FREAK C'EST CHIC, BLOGGER
Coco – aside from being a full-time fashion enthusiast, is a photo-journalist, trend forecaster and writer. She presents her ‘collection of musings, opinions and inspirations’ from the realm of fashion and lifestyle in her eponymous blog ‘Coco Le Freak C’est Chic’. Coco brings her unique take on street style to the farfetch.com blog.

Click here to read the blog.

ROBIN SCHULIÉ, BUYER
As buyer for the legendary Parisian boutique Maria Luisa, Robin works alongside founder Maria Luisa Poumaillou to curate the diverse and directional collection that the boutique has become renowned for. As a regular at the international shows, Robin is reporting from Paris on the labels to watch for SS10.

VIOLAINE BERNARD, PR
As the PR director for London boutique Feathers, Violaine has to be up to speed on all of the key trends and new collections from global designers and fresh, new talent. This September, she brings us the lowdown on the definitive shows from London Fashion Week and as a native Parisian she will also be heading to some of the Paris runways too.

ANDREA MOLTENI, BUYER
As co-buyer and member of the founding Molteni family behind luxury Italian boutique Tessabit, Andrea Molteni spreads his time between buying appointments, publicising the boutique and scouring trade shows for undiscovered talent. Andrea brings us the lowdown on the collections, people and parties from Milan Fashion Week.


 

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