20/05/2013

Walter Van Beirendonck at Dallas Contemporary

Thinking about fashionable cities in US territory, Dallas is one of those you’d probably never mention, even by mistake. 
That’s probably why Walter Van Beirendonck admitted having been surprised when Peter Doroshenko, Dallas Contemporary’s director, asked him for a solo exhibition in the city.
 Beirendonck is one of the Antwerp Six – the avant garde collective that contributed to make Antwerp gain fashion incubator fame – and he is very fascinated of being part of an art exhibit: he believes that if fashion gives to clothes life and death in only 6 months, art can make them immortal, instead.


On the other hand, Mr. Doroshenko describes the Belgian designer as “one of the most important fashion designers in Europe” and his creations as “never about the everyday, they are pure theater.” He thought that showing his latest works in Texas’ capital city could be very interesting. 
Even if Dallas appears as a conservative and quite silent city in the South of America, far from the shiny world of fashion, the city offers a lot of culture: it counts about 20 structures between galleries and museums. 
“Lust never sleeps” and “Silent Secrets” are the collections presented in the show. The inspiration for the first, FW 2012-13, is inspired by Haiti voodoo rituals and Papua New Guinea, melted with an idea of abstract futuristic dandy. The second one, SS 2013, derives from a reaction to everything over-visible nowadays, due to the always-increasing social media world. 
The one-of-a-kind pieces are shown on a series of motorized rotating pedestals, allowing visitors to experience the garments from every perspective.


The exhibition has coincided with the beginning of Arts Week, started on 12th April and the collections will be on show untill 19th August 2013. 
Entrance at Dallas Contemporary is always free.

Francesca Crippa – images credit of Kevin TodoraIl 
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17/05/2013

Tung Walsh at The MET

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently showing this year’s exhibition by the Costume Institute of New York, entitled PUNK: Chaos to Couture, examining the impact of punk on high fashion, looking at the movement from the early 70’s up until today.

One of the photographers chosen to be showcased at The MET is a London based photographer Tung Walsh, represented by 2DM / Management. The image chosen for PUNK: Chaos to Couture was originally shot by Walsh for POP’s September issue 2009, featuring fashion by Alexander McQueen.

The exhibition will be open until August 14

From the bureau – Image courtesy of Tung Walsh 
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13/05/2013

Coco Chanel Through Watercolor

The story behind the myth of mademoiselle Coco Chanel has already inspired plenty of works – among with biographies, romances and movies – but there is one piece of work that caught our eye recently.

Written by Elle France columnist, Pascale Frey, and illustrated by Bernard Ciccolini, Editions Naïve’s collection Grand Destins de Femmes features biographies of iron ladies such as Coco Chanel, Isadora Duncan, Virginia Woolf, Diane Fossey and Françoise Dolto. The real news about this edition is the ironic way that Coco’s life is communicated through the illustrations. From her tough childhood to the way she started sewing, the time spent as a sales assistant at Maison Grampavre, up to the quite memorable singing performance at the café-concert in a Moulins pavilion, “La Rotonde”; funny expressions and hilarious circumstancesgive us an image of a woman who is pretty far from the podium of fashion dictators we are used to think of.

Not even her private life, characterized by two main lovers, Etienne Balsan and Arthur Capel, has been forgotten. The book tells the stories of her move to Paris at the beginning of 1900, of the creation of her iconic scent and the famed silhouette.

The watercolor illustrations not only retrace her life but also give us an idea of what was the French society back then: Ballets Russes, artists of the interwar, people around and inside her everyday routines. They also tell a bit about her adventures in Hollywood, a quite short time in which she worked as a costume designer overseas.

We find narrated the whole life of a woman who never gave up and who changed the rules of fashion, a story that is loved mostly because it represents the classical success story, from poor and abandoned to rich and loved. This book gives us the chance to perceive the figure of Coco Chanel from another perspective, not only more comical but also more human.

Coco Chanel has been released in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of the maison’s first boutique at the Deauville’s Hotel placed in Normandy.

Francesca Crippa 
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09/05/2013

European Fashion Schools: Antwerp Royal Academy

When doing a series on the six most significant European fashion schools, it feels like a given to mention the school that gave birth to The Antwerp Six. Famous for the many creative talents that have left the building, the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts is evidently not new to the pages of The Blogazine. Despite its many appearances, we figured another review of the Belgian magic couldn’t hurt – for what is it in an education that calls forth a certain number of celebrated and legendary names?


Looking at the history, the school’s (fashion) popularity started in the early 80’s when the fashion department resided under the wings of Mary Prijot, and it was during that time when names like Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela were formed to skilled designers. Today’s Head of the Fashion Department, Walter Van Beirendonck, also attended the school during this hot 80’s period, and by the looks of it, he has carried some of the past into the future.



As in most academic educations a subject is looked at from the perspective of the society, and so also in Antwerp. Clothing is not only about the quality of fabrics, cuts and seams but also reflects on where the society is moving, and questions it. Not putting the creative quality aspect aside, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts provides their students with a creative artistic atmosphere: during four years the fashion students also share the halls with painters, sculptors and graphic designers and looking at the outcome they all seem to influence each other. The students at the academy are though always encouraged to find their own voice and not to mimic what their predecessors already did, as innovation and experimentation are two highly valued aspects. Surely many students choose Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts as their destination of education for the fame that lingers in the school halls, just like many probably are attracted by the fact that it’s here that known concepts are being turned 360° and back again. What regards the school’s location, Antwerpen feels near, yet so far from the rest of the industry, that it seems like the set-apart position on the map could entice as well as discourage future applicants. Whether it’s the name of the school, the name of previous graduates, the creative atmosphere or the city, it only seems natural that the younger generation of Antwerpian designers would channel what foregoes them and keep on bringing the academy forth.

Maybe it lies in the strong focus on innovative creativity or maybe Mary Prijot’s 80’s blueprint for the fashion department set the standard – whichever the case, the Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen has been one to watch over the last 30 years, and an uncrazy guess is that it will remain on the same list for another upcoming 30.


Lisa Olsson Hjerpe – Image courtesy of Boy Kortekaas & The Royal Academy of Fine Arts 
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07/05/2013

A Season of Blossom

Each spring season there are at least two things to be expected on the runway. Pastels and floral print seem to be two components essential for the time of the year. In the spring of 2013 nature’s influence in fashion and style are still immense.

At Alexander McQueen for example the crossfire of bees and floral came together in dramatic creations reminding of the theatrical fashion of the 16th century. Big dramatic gowns with a peek-a-boo crinoline and big floral appliqués in sheer fabric were spotted. At Bottega Veneta a flirtation with the fashion of the 1930s and 40s was made by using the silhouettes of these years with just a few tweaks here and there to update them to the 2013. Appliqués of flowers were however used in a smaller scale making the impression less theatrical but still elegant, a mindset of less is more was implied, still letting the print make a statement. Erdem’s appliqué can be said to be an excellent example of letting the two elements of spring melt together, light pastel colors and floral prints were presented in a simplistic and classical silhouette making it accessible for any fashionista to mold into her own.


Raf Simons for Christian Dior brought forward the thought of what the floral print might look like in the future. Presenting almost luminescent fabrics, the diverse colored flowers were literally highlighted becoming the focal point of the creation bearing a powerful resemblance in shape to “the new-look” first presented by the founder Christian Dior.

Whether looking back at the era of Queen Elisabeth I or gazing into the future with a new kind of fabric, the flower print is still very much present in the spring of 2013. It can be argued that flowers are the essence of natural beauty and are therefore something transcending time, which might explain the constant comeback each spring season.

Victoria Edman 
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03/05/2013

Hyères Festival 2013

The International Festival of Fashion and Photography, that takes place every year in the South of France, precisely located in the city of Noailles, has just ended, after presenting us some of the most talented and fresh fashion designers and photographers around the globe.

The Hyères Festival caught up its 28th edition and claims successful personalities as past participants, like Viktor & Rolf, Romain Kremer, Anthony Vaccarello and noted names from fashion universe who joined the festival as members of the jury such as Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons and Felipe Oliviera Baptista, the the 2002 edition winner and this year’s president.

Only ten young fashion photographers and designers have had the opportunity to show their work to the public, having been carefully selected during last February among 1000 submissions. The aim of the festival, invented by Jean-Pierre Blanc, is to support young talents giving them the much needed space and logistical sustain at the beginning of their career. After four days of festival, Villa Noailles – a 1920 cubist villa, built by Mallet Stevens for viscount Charles de Noailles and his wife Marie-Laure Bischoffsheim – hosts several exhibitions that show a combination of art, photography and fashion through the eye of different artists.


As a part of this year’s exhibit there will be Novembre, a bi-annual Swiss magazine; Pierre Debusschere, the online artistic director of Raf Simons and visual artist who works both as a photographer and a video-maker; A screen to the brain, a series of fragments that a viewer does not normally see in fashion, created by Felipe Oliviera Baptista; Rough Roof, a look at the earliest work of Guy Bourdin; Jean-François Lepage, a photographer and a painter, and many others.

During each edition few photographers, among with the previous year’s finalists, are chosen for taking a series of photos based on one of the two themes given, one focusing on the creations of the designers in the competition, and the other on the city of Hyères or a carte blanche.


The exhibition will be open till Sunday May 27, every day except Monday and Tuesday and the admission is free.

Francesca Crippa 
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02/05/2013

European Fashion Schools: Polimoda

A while ago we spoke about the phenomenon of fashion schools. What is it all about? In what lies the allure and why do people cross country borders to attend them? First out in our series about European fashion schools is the famed Italian school Polimoda. The Blogazine had the pleasure of speaking with the school’s dean Linda Loppa about education, the business, social media and the advantages of being located in the heart of Tuscany.

A centre of excellence always in close relation to the business world – since 1986, Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design & Marketing has been internationally renowned for its high-quality professional training and lately also for its beautiful location at the Villa Favard in Florence. Design, patternmaking, marketing or communication, undergrads, postgrads, masters, orientation or specialisation courses: they offer it all. With 55% of the 1200 attendees, the Polimoda student body also confirms the statement of eager fashion enthusiasts going across frontiers to attend a special, chosen, fashion program. The positive adjectives around a renowned school are many, especially with front faces carrying names such as Ferruccio Ferragamo and Mrs. Loppa herself, but why should one choose Florence and Polimoda?

“Many students come from big modern cities with shopping malls and arcades and yet here, they find a creative tranquility where they are able to reflect on their future careers and find inspiration!” Linda Loppa mentions heritage from moments such as the Renaissance and the uniqueness of the small historic city as impacts on the way one thinks and works. “Obviously we cannot forget Italian brands such as Gucci, Pucci & Ferragamo that represent the dream and signature of Italian fashion, and Florence that offers a beautiful and stimulating environment, but the main reason to come here really is the high quality of education. Our communication, messages, website and business languages are all modems that positively project brand strategy.”

The Blogazine also spoke with a student from the Fashion Marketing & Communication program about being a student at Polimoda. “I had heard a lot of positive things about the school, and after researching other Universities in Milan, I decided that Polimoda is the best in my field. It’s not only a University but also a career centre and a brand – their brand image is impeccable. When I say I’m a Polimoda student, people are impressed.” The student mentions that her education has helped her narrow down her choices of interest for her future career and says that some courses might be more useful than others, but that her program in the end feels relevant to what a profession in the industry will require. “They want us to succeed, because when we do, Polimoda does too. However, it is a two-way street: as students we can boost the school image as well as we can ruin it. They are very careful in which students they present to external companies for internships.”

Besides a long list of completions, Mrs. Loppa grew up in Antwerp, another city well known for forming fashion excellence. About how the city might affect her management at Polimoda she says that her mature strategies aren’t so much dependant on one city’s influence as it is because of all her previous experiences together. “I have been in fashion a long time and worked in many different aspects of the industry: from retail to education, worldwide distribution and also museum management and curating. What I learned from all this wonderful experience I felt, and still feel, can be easily translated to Polimoda, through my directorship.” Looking at the more academic programs, Linda Loppa means that the importance of an education directed specifically towards fashion lies in the complexity of the business: having a lot of tools isn’t enough to communicate fashion, it also takes a lot of skills, research and understanding of this specific business. “The fashion business is more complex than 10 years ago. Branding, communication, design, production, distribution and store management have to be well balanced for the end consumer. That’s why when studying one of these facets, it still has to be seen in a broader context.”

As for almost any industry of today, the expressions of new media, digital PR and social media are everyday encounters, and no matter what position you aim for, the social sphere has added another aspect to the pace of the fashion industry. “Well, if you work in the fashion business, this speed is not unusual. Therefore we are used to work and think ahead. Thanks to the Internet we are updated on every change that happens in the world and as a consequence our faculty challenges the students to work in the business of tomorrow, not the business of today”, says Loppa when discussing the matter. What regards following a path in fashion she finishes by saying: “A good fashion school should offer its students the technique to develop a personal opinion based on knowledge, and an open mind-set and intuition will help develop an interesting career.”

At Polimoda you find an international and modern direction and maybe it is somewhere in the clash between historical buildings and modern technology that the charm of the school, as well as the fashion industry, lies.

Lisa Olsson Hjerpe 
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30/04/2013

New Fashion Photography

Fashion photography has changed a lot in the last decades of the 21st century, not only for the arrival of the digital approach, but also in deep for the revolutionary role of media and the appearance of new, previously un-explored avenues of thought.


Prestel Publishing decided to release a book for celebrating all those new fashion photographers who are making a mark in our times. So, New Fashion Photography has been launched; a 224-page hardcover volume that shows, pages by pages, the images of 30 artists such as Nick Knight, Tim Richardson, Rankin and Miles Aldrige, together with a younger generation like Kourtney Roy and Daniele & Iango. The book’s not only about breath-taking photos, but also exclusive interviews combined with commentary.


The publication got a cover picture by LaRoache Brothers, and it has been edited by Paul Sloman, an art director from the fashion book trade, who has curated in the past volumes like Isabella Blow, Isabel Toledo and Gothic: Dark Glamour. Tim Blanks, well-known contributing editor for Style.com, wrote the introduction and several celebrities make their appearance among the pages of one of the most iconic fashion tome out this year, from Lana Del Rey, Iris Strubegger to Carolyn Murphy, they all have been portrayed through new talents’ lens.


New Fashion Photography has been presenting at Contributed, an art gallery in Berlin. All the pictures included in the text are part of an exhibit that will last until May 18th 2013, the best images will be available as limited edition fine art prints.

Francesca Crippa 
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25/04/2013

Daring to Be Baring

Introduced to the fashion scene for the first time during the 40s the crop top went from conservatively tailored to comfortably sexy when it peaked in popularity during the 70s and 80s thanks to Flashdance and Madonna. Finding a new, more preppy crowd in the 90s through the film Clueless the crop top became an essential before leaving the scene, until today.

The current cropped creations are far more versatile than the baring ones in the last years of the 1900s, although interesting enough, some of the designers of today seem to get their inspiration from the last years of the past millenium. Michael Kors for example introduced a long sleeved crop top that combined sophistication and sport. Miu Miu designed a slinky black as well as white deep v-neck crop top steering the mind to boudoir lingerie and creating a simplistic yet sexy attire. Once again underwear is outerwear.

The crop top for 2013 is being presented in a wide range, in addition to the sporty elegance and boudoir lingerie there is bollywood exoticism at Marchesa and grunge crochet at 3.1 Phillip Lim. However the most common feature is minimalism; a simple color in a geometrical cut but in luxurious material. At Balenciaga, crop tops had been produced in boxy cuts that loosely hung on the body in again a simplistic manner. Geometrical shapes could also be spotted at Alexander Wang who used the illusion of cut-outs to set his crop top apart.

In a way the circle of the crop top has been completed by the 21st century versions. It started its journey being tailored and in combination with high-waist, which in the end is similar to the fashioning of the crop top today. However the usage of the top has become more fine-tuned, using more exclusive materials that escort the item to the walk-in closet of a modern fashion icon.

Victoria Edman 
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24/04/2013

Making a Statement

Wearing shirts with slogans or other prints seem to have become popular on the street as well as on the catwalk. It is however not the first time that slogans have left the world of advertising, becoming part of our apparel.

The graphic shirts first saw the light in the 1960s in a shop on London’s Kings Road set up by Tommy Roberts and Trevor Myles. The prints were of Disney images including pictures of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. In the 1970s Vivienne Westwood and her partner Malcolm McLaren produced T-shirts with political messages to sell in their notorious shop. The most popular design was a swastika and an inverted crucifix under the word “Destroy”, which was named as “the ultimate punk-rock T-shirt” by McLaren. During the 1980s, slogan shirts with political messages continued their popularity before losing their impact in the 1990s.

In 2006 Henry Holland made a series of slogan shirts with inspiration from the world of fashion branded with provocative messages such as “Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey” or “Cause Me Pain Hedi Slimane” They were modelled by his friend Agyness Deyn and stores like Topshop quickly made copy-cat editions re-introducing the slogan shirt to the mainstream fashion scene.

A shirt with a slogan functions as a way for people to convey their thoughts, opinions and even personality to the world on all kind of questions. The slogan shirt is a way of expressing a viewpoint without saying a word and in a society where fashion obtain so much media attention a simple shirt can make a statement and reach over a million people around the world. Something that will separate one man from another making him into an individual and not a follower.

Victoria Edman – tops on a hanger by thegreeneyeoffashion.com 
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