02 March 2009
02 March 2009
LONDON – Model, muse, fashion photographer and war correspondent, Lee Miller was dashing, glamorous — and, a colleague at Vogue magazine suspected, a communist.
British intelligence officials agreed, keeping tabs on Miller for almost 20 years. But while her newly released security file contains descriptions of the photographer's "queer clothes" and eclectic circle of friends, agents concluded Miller was not a threat to the country.
Miller's intelligence file is among a batch of previously secret documents declassified Tuesday by Britain's National Archives as part of a phased release of files from MI5, Britain's domestic security service.
The dossier reveals that Miller — listed under her married name, Elizabeth Miller Eloui — first came to MI5's attention because of her friendship with Wilfred McCartney, a British communist who had been imprisoned in 1925 as a Soviet spy.
A note from 1941 reported that "I have been told by a friend on the staff of Vogue magazine that Lee Miller, who is the photographer for that magazine, is a strong communist."
According to the suspicious colleague, Miller "keeps a very open house, and has a very varied circle of friends."
The staff member who informed on Miller is not identified.
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1907, Miller modeled for Vogue in the 1920s before turning to photography. After a stint in Paris — where she was muse to surrealist photographer Man Ray — and a brief marriage to an Egyptian businessman, Miller came to London in 1939, shortly before World War II began.
The file includes a letter from Vogue publisher Conde Nast seeking a work permit for her and reveals she was employed as a photographer at a salary of 8 pounds a week.
Miller was Vogue's star photographer throughout the war, and her work went well beyond fashion. The only female photojournalist to record front-line combat, she chronicled the London Blitz, the aftermath of the D-Day landings and the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps. A famous photograph shows her taking a bath in Hitler's abandoned Munich apartment in 1945, her muddy army boots sitting on the bath mat in front of her.
MI5 investigated Miller and came back with a largely positive report. A memo from October 1941 noted that she "is regarded as a clever and valuable photographer" by her employer.
"She is regarded as an intellectual communist and theoretical political student, and the managing director of Conde Nast Productions Ltd., Mr. H.W. Yoxall, has chaffed her about it," it said.
"Mr. Yoxall states that Eloui is eccentric and indulges in queer foods and queer clothes," the note said. But, it concluded, "her communism is more a mental outlook than anything and I have obtained no information that she is associated with any particularly subversive political organization."
After the war, Miller largely abandoned photography for domestic life. She moved with husband Roland Penrose to the English countryside, where she assembled a collection of 4,000 cookbooks and hosted Surrealist-inspired dinners of blue spaghetti and cauliflower in pink sauce for Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and other artists.
MI5 continued to keep watch on her. A 1956 police report described Miller and Penrose as "extreme left-wing idealists."
Another document from the same year said the couple "are stated to associate widely with left-wing artists and to be in receipt of a large amount of communist literature."
The file shows that in 1956 Penrose was rejected for a government job on security grounds, but no action was ever taken against Miller. She died in 1977, after struggling with alcoholism and depression.
Christopher Andrew, the official historian of MI5, said from a security standpoint, the surveillance of Miller was "totally unnecessary."
But he said the file shed light on one of the 20th century's most extraordinary figures, an artist whose her career "was absolutely unique in British history."
"There had never been anybody like her before, there's no reason to think there will be anyone like her again," he said.
(Yahoo fashion news)
02 March 2009
MILAN (Reuters) – Milan fashion week may have begun under an economic cloud due to the global financial turmoil but designers showing off their creations have sought to defy the gloomy mood, with some declaring "war" on the crisis.
Roberto Cavalli, who counts the Spice Girls as fans, took a somewhat aggressive approach for next winter's womenswear, presenting "armor" mini-dresses and skirts covered in studs.
He paired them with voluminous fur coats and long skin-tight suede boots, that were zipped at the back and had steel heels.
"You need to attack in order to win. I have declared war on the crisis," Cavalli said. "I am an optimist."
Luxury brands have not been spared by the global economic turmoil and the sector has been hit by growing evidence of restrained spending even among the super-rich.
Italy's clothing and textiles industry is calling for government help, warning of risks facing the sector as the crisis sweeps into demand for clothes and accessories. The government is to unveil a first series of support measures by mid-March.
In a sign of the times, more brands have opted for presentations this Autumn/Winter 2009/2010 fashion week, cutting costs from doing runway shows. There are about 10 less catwalk shows this year, according to the National Chamber of Fashion.
Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier said he looked to glamour to lift the somber mood.
Dresses in soft colors such as muted browns, creams, grape and lilac dominated. He chose a rectangular silhouette, with designs pulled in at the chest or waist. He also added jewelry to his creations -- gold, silver and rhinestones.
"I think with the times we are in, it's kind of depressing, I think basic won't do it for me. If women want anything, they want something that is beautiful, glamorous and that takes them out of that day-to-day mood," Maier told Reuters.
Other designers such as Giorgio Armani and duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana also added sparkles in their lines.
MORE TIMELESS PIECES SOUGHT
Italian designer Anna Molinari also chose a glamorous look, dressing models in knit short stretch dresses in animal prints, topped with cashmere, tuxedo jackets and masculine-cut coats.
For the evening, she showed short sparkling dresses or strapless or one-shouldered yellow, blue and pink gowns, which had flowing chiffon skirts slit at the thigh. She used diamante jewelry heavily -- as bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
"These colors give a strong and aggressive image to the show," Molinari told Reuters. "(The line) gives an image of happiness, optimism that we all need and to make people dream of maximum elegance but minimal spending. We need to keep going."
Burberry Prorsum themed its line "Modern Nostalgia" with taupe suede trenches over cotton simple white dresses, over the knee black chiffon and tweed skirts. There were also satin soft golden dresses worn with a black jacket and grey tights.
"I wanted the romance of history but I also wanted it to be very much about today, the moment we're going through today," Creative Director Christoper Bailey told Reuters.
"I think our role is also to inspire, I think it's also to give back confidence, and I think it's also to stick with your DNA and really to have your own point of view."
He said consumers were now looking for more timeless pieces.
"I think the philosophy (of throwaway fashion) is maybe changing a little bit, it's about an investment piece that you have for a long time," he said.
Marigay McKee, fashion director at London luxury store Harrods echoed this. "I think people are being a little bit more cautious, a little more conservative and they're buying more stable pieces or investment pieces or heritage pieces."
Ken Downing, fashion director at U.S. department store chain Neiman Marcus, said consumers were still keen for new designs.
"We all know the financial situation, it's not a secret and it's not necessarily a new story. But we have to remember that we all have stores and there are still customers who are shopping," he told Reuters.
"They might not be shopping as robustly as they have been in the past, but customers who love fashion continue to love fashion, economic crisis or not, and we're out looking for really the best of the best."
(Yahoo fashion news)
02 March 2009
02 March 2009
02 March 2009
MILAN – Despite tough economic times, Italian designers are putting on a good show this week as they present womenswear for fall-winter 2009-2010.
"I can't believe how upbeat they are here," said American fashion writer Mary Lou Luther, creative director of The Fashion Group International. Luther noted that recession concerns were so much on people's minds during the recent New York shows that they were mentioned in show notes, usually reserved for collection descriptions.
Not that the Milan runway has been spared economic problems during the current fashion week.
Roberto Cavalli canceled his second line Just Cavalli show, scheduled for Thursday, blaming his licensing company Ittierre, which had filed for bankruptcy protection in early February.
In the meantime, Ittierre obtained €30 million ($38.6 million) from Italian banks, and said it was considering legal action against Cavalli because of the cancellation. In the end, Cavalli put 20 items from the collection on view in his Milan showroom.
Just a day before the Ferre show was to go on, IT Holding, which bought the Ferre fashion house in 2002 for €185 million, was granted bankruptcy protection from its creditors. The holding company's failure came a 1 1/2 years after the death of Ferre's founder and designer, Gianfranco Ferre.
The Ferre team decided the show must go on, and the collection was unveiled on schedule Friday.
"We have total continuity. Gianfranco Ferre has never stopped producing," Ferre CEO Michela Piva told The Associated Press.
Judging from the runway, tough times have energized the designers.
The current preview showings for next winter, now at the midway point, are about real clothes for real women. At times the look is daring, at others demure, but rarely does it lose track of what fashion is really about, finding attractive ways to answer the need to cover the human body.
After many seasons, where women seemed to be on a never ending vacation or out dancing every night, city clothes are back, epitomized by the pant suit. Very 1980's, as when it made its debut on the Milan runway, but less androgynous, the suit tends to have a small jacket and slim pants, like the ones presented in the Gucci collection Saturday evening.
Dresses make a big comeback, often replacing skirts, which when they do appear are very short and usually worn with dark stockings. Cavalli, who showed his first line Sunday, had a number of mini skirts made up of shinny black beading.
Cavalli's almost all black collection was a sign of the times — it was devoid of the sexy gold, glitter and bare legs that usually identify the flamboyant designer's style.
Earlier Sunday, Marni, by designer Consuelo Castiglioni, offered lots of showy jewelry to accompany her classic styles, another sign that Italian designers are not going to let bad times get them down.
Italy's industry minister, Claudio Scajola, has promised to announce measures soon to help boost the industry in these difficult times. Designers and manufacturers complain that, unlike France, where fashion is heralded as a national asset, in Italy the industry, which employs 800,000 people, is left to its own devices.
"It is true that fashion has a sparkling image ... but it is an industry and we need someone to think of us," said Mario Boselli, head of the Italian Fashion Chamber.
(Yahoo fashion news)
02 March 2009
MILAN (Reuters) – Looking to the 1980s for fashion inspiration has spread to the Milan catwalks, with Italian designers playing with the decade's bold style for next winter's womenswear.
At New York fashion week last month, designers looked to 1980s-style power dressing, bringing out broad-shouldered jackets, high-necked blouses and careful pleats. There was also a strong focus on shoulders at London Fashion week.
At the Milan autumn/winter 2009/2010 shows, top names have also turned back in time, with a slightly more playful twist.
The doyen of Italian fashion, Giorgio Armani, looked to update 1980s fashion with glossy fabrics and shiny patent black caps and long gloves at his womenswear show.
He studded little black dresses with diamente ornaments at the front or on the side, and put sparkly beading all over longer evening gowns. Boots were also embroidered.
"I wanted a strong, determined woman," Armani was quoted as saying by Italian paper MF Fashion. "I played with proportion, with credits to the '80s to define a new classic."
Gucci's glitzy collection also seemed a throwback to the 1980s, with the clothes said to be inspired by "a glittering, glamorous time, when going out was a way of life." The line was rooted in the style of then fashion icon, Tina Chow.
STRONG SHOULDERS
Evening wear shimmered, with short crystal studded dresses. Suits were encrusted with crystals, some with animal prints.
Tops were brought in at the waist with a belt or hung loosely over lycra leggings or over the knee skin tight boots with spiked heels.
The basic palette was dark but black tops or dresses were offset with flashes of blue, purple and fuchsia pink while other fabrics were shiny and sparkly, giving out a disco feel.
Silk jogging trousers and hooded tops were mixed with more formal pieces and Giannini also showed off silky jumpsuits.
Blumarine's Anna Molinari used bright colors for her designs -- bubble gum pink, yellow and pale blue -- for long flowing chiffon evening dresses or tiny shorts and jackets.
She set the scene using an Andy Warhol-style print of herself as the backdrop and sent out models in colorful leopard print leggings and frocks. She finished the look with stand out crystal bangles and necklaces.
"The trends that are happening in Milan are a continuation of what we have been seeing in New York. There's certainly an '80s moment going on," Ken Downing, fashion director at U.S. upscale department store Neiman Marcus, told Reuters.
"The '80s movement has certainly moved across the pond. A strong shoulder is going to be an absolutely necessity for women and their wardrobes for the coming season."
Gianfranco Ferre designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi chose small waists and square shoulders, while on Sunday Mariella Burani showed a puffed shoulder bolero.
Also showing on Sunday was Roberto Cavalli who studded short dresses and skirts and teamed them with very high skin-tight suede boots with steel heels. "You need to attack in order to win. I have declared war on the (financial) crisis," he said.
Around 80 fashion houses are sending their models down the catwalk this Milan fashion week, which ends on March 4.
(Yahoo fashion news)
02 March 2009
02 March 2009
02 March 2009
02 March 2009
28 February 2009
Hilary Alexander reviews Sportmax autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection at MFW...
Once again, Sportmax attempted an ill-judged leap into edgy territory.
Truncated half-gloves with silver-painted 'nails'; what looked like a pair of black opaque tights wrapped around the head under a studded beret; bizarre conglomerations of woollen, polo-neck sweaters and satin strapless dresses; Little Black Dresses bandaged with bits of grey satin; a red belt inexplicably lashed around a brown, crinkle-silk, little dress which appeared to have no further need of emphasis in that area – the list of fashion crimes would fill endless charge sheets.
This is a label renowned for great sportswear pieces with a youthful edge; fun and function, in a nutshell.
The great, black, hooded anorak, cinched with an elastic belt and worn with suede, drawstring boots, which echoed the sporty vibe of the garment and which opened the show; and the fabulous black parka, with its 'yeti-sized' fox hood, and was worn with dark grey flannel 'bags', showed just what Sportmax does best.
Why drown good clothes in a sea of cloches, hoods, snoods, gloves, cowls, berets and scarves in a vain attempt to appeal to a Dazed & Confused audience?
(Telegraph fashion news)
28 February 2009
Hilary Alexander reviews the Bottega Veneta autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection from MFW.
"Unconventional glamour"; He was absolutely right. Gone was the rather severe, albeit de luxe silhouettes for Alpine maidens who love a bit of a dirndl or a rigorous dose of minimalism.
In their place came a sleek rectangle – Maier described it as an 'envelope' – which was squared at the shoulders (that scapula reference again), fell to the knee and either grazed the waist or was cinched in with a wide belt.
The palette was as sensuous as champagne and chocolate; creamy, sparkling shades, deepening into pale taupes and browns, in leather, panelled velvet, cashmere, silk, cloqué and textured jacquard.
Panels of fabric, escaping from the rectangular lines, lent softness to shoulders or cascaded in a rivulet down the right-hand side of a dress.
For after-dark, there was unexpected bling, in the form of crystal chokers which formed necklace-collars on slim, bra-bodiced dresses or shimmered against bare backs, holding up the sinuous wisps of coffee-toned silk and satin.
Long, dinner and red carpet gowns were modest, in the way arms were sheathed in long, fitted sleeves and necks framed by high, standing petal-collars.
But there was a goddess-like gentleness in the fine, silk pleating which formed draped bodices in champagne and beige, and evolved into double-tiered skirts which floated around the legs and became trains at the back.
The Valkyrie becomes a vamp.
(telegraph fashion news)
28 February 2009
The new snake-like designs from Sergio Rossi are bound to put a spring in your step...
The newest heel from the Italian designer shoe brand of Sergio Rossi, looks like a coiled spring.
In fact, it is manufactured from stainless steel, heated to a temperature of 1,200 degrees in the workshop and then finished off with rhinestones.
The extraordinary spiral-heel is the invention of Sergio Rossi's new creative director, Francesco Russo, previously with Yves Saint Laurent.
Russo said he was inspired by the revolutionary French shoe designer, André Perugia, inventor of the 'Aladdin toe' and an early heel-less shoe, who designed for Paul Poiret, Jacques Fath, Charles Jourdan and Hubert de Givenchy.
"André Perugia did make a spiral-heeled shoe, but it was designed as a work of art, not to be worn," Russo said.
He explained he had experimented in the Sergio Rossi workshop over a period of three months. "We were lucky. The very first one we made, the steel was heated to the right temperature and it worked. Then we had a model walking in the shoes for a month and the heels didn't break."
"I call it my serpent of light."
The spiral heels are accompanied by delicate straps of satin, laser-cut techno-python and rhinestones and the serpent idea is echoed in the coiled ankle-straps which snake up the legs.
Also in the new collection, for next autumn/winter, are shoes and boots with heels cantilevered at an acute angle, towards the toe.
"It's all about working on the structure, going beyond the boundaries while staying in balance," Russo says. "It's about lines, allure, obsessions."
The new Sergio Rossi collection was presented against a video backdrop featuring dancers from Les Caryatides company wearing the shoes, their footsteps creating a syncopated rhythm.
(Telegraph fashion news)
28 February 2009
Dolce & Gabbana is marking the launch of its first make-up collection with an unique exhibition, 'Extreme Beauty in Vogue', which will open at the Palazzo della Ragione in Milan, on Monday, March 4th.
The Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johansson, who is the "face" of the Dolce & Gabbana make-up collection, will be the star guest at the red carpet gala opening.
The exhibition is created and curated by American Vogue and features the work of the most celebrated photographers in the world, from pioneers to modern masters, including George Hoyningen-Huene, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibowitz, Steven Klein, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Deborah Turbeville, Ellen Von Unwerth and Bruce Weber.
'Extreme Beauty in Vogue', one of the highlights of Milan Fashion Week, investigates the role of beauty in our society as seen in a series of images from the past 80 years of Vogue magazine.
Details of the exhibition were revealed this morning (Saturday) in Milan at a press conference hosted by the Mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti, and the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour, with the designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
"Aesthetic canons shift, change and evolve, yet beauty lives forever," Mayor Moratti said, in paraphrasing Oscar Wilde. "Beauty stays on as a symbol of life which Milan has been able to make the most of in terms of design, fashion and art."
A statement from Vogue's editors explained that a succession of visually-bold editors-in-chief and a tradition of collaboration with the best photographers, had resulted in a collective 'Vogue eye': 'One where prettiness is less important than a radical view of physical aspiration, where wit is provocative, and where a shocking image is more arresting than a safe photograph.'
Examples include the strong and shapely women who people Newton's photographs; the superwoman lifting a car, by Klein; the sumptuous curves of a seated nude by Penn; or Leibowitz's portrait of the bodybuilder, Linda Wood-Hoyte, muscles flexed, in a Comme des Garcons dress.
The exhibition is designed and art directed by Jean Nouvel and will run until May 10, 2009.
(Telegraph fashion news)
28 February 2009
Hilary Alexander reviews Peter Dundas's debut at Emilio Pucci for the autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection..
Models wear creations from the Emilio Pucci autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection at Milan Fashion Week
The historic, noble, Italian house of Pucci had said it wanted a new, modern image.
It certainly got one, when its latest artistic director, the Norwegian-American, Peter Dundas, who has a liking for punk and rock 'n' roll, made his debut with the Pucci autumn/winter 09/10 collection at Milan Fashion Week yesterday (Saturday).
The show was staged in the gilded, marble-columned Bracco salon of the 18th century Palazzo Serbelloni, and the models thundered past, under the frescoed, domed ceiling, as fast as the horses in Siena's famous, bareback horse race, The Palio, which inspired the prints Dundas used.
His starting point was the 'Palio' collection first introduced by the founder of the brand, Count Emilio Pucci, in 1957. But Dundas went further back to the graphics of the Palio banners carried in the 16th century.
But then, all links with history ceased – and dressing for the 21st century began.
The swirling prints and patterns in gold, bronze and bottle-green, and turquoise, cobalt and white, were reworked as microscopic micro-dresses, backless minis worn with thigh-high, musketeer boots, and crystal-studded tunics over the tightest, skinniest jeans money can buy – and toothpick-legs can wear.
Dundas also dusted off the 600-year-old archives from the family's Palazzo Pucci in Florence, rediscovering new ways to turn its coat of arms and heraldic emblems into decoration for embroidered T-shirts, extravagant knitwear, fox furs, and jeans, emblazoned with a multitude of zips.
The mythical gryphon, or griffin, was a favourite motif, printed on silk bombers, or worked in jewels and sequins on silk jersey, one-sleeved dresses and long, medieval-look gowns.
For evening, Dundas used all these motifs as patchwork and cutouts on skimpy, slithers of dresses in lace, mesh, faded denim and stretch, scooped out at the back to show spinal cleavage; and in dramatic, one-strap gowns with swathed bodices and swirling chiffon skirts.
The print and embellishment message was punctuated with plain, but no less sexy dresses in bright pink and turquoise.
Dundas, who began his career with the Comédie Française in Paris, previously worked for eight years with Jean Paul Gaultier, and subsequently with Christian Lacroix, Roberto Cavalli and Emanuel Ungaro, before joining Pucci earlier this year. He replaced the British designer, Matthew Williamson, whose three-year contract with Pucci finished after the presentation of the current spring/summer collection.
The only criticism that could be leveled at Dundas's debut is that the collection cleaved too closely to the rock 'n' roll imprint established at the French house of Balmain, by Christophe Decarnin, a designer renowned for his biker and rockocracy signatures via studded leather, crystal-encrusted minis and distressed denim skinny jeans.
The Italian brand, Blumarine, also veered perilously close to the 'Balmain' look in its show at Milan fashion Week earlier yesterday.
(Telegraph fashion news)
28 February 2009
28 February 2009
MILAN (Reuters) – Designer Peter Dundas turned to a centuries-old Italian horse race for the theme of his debut collection at the fashion house Emilio Pucci on Saturday.
Dundas, who became artistic director of the house in October, put models in swirly printed mini dresses and oversized silk jackets or tight zipped trousers and fur-lined biker blousons for his autumn/winter 2009/2010 womenswear show.
The line drew on the 1957 "Palio Collection" introduced by the brand's founder Emilio Pucci, who took his inspiration from the historic Palio horse race held in the Tuscan city of Siena since medieval times.
Models strutted into columned salons of a Milan palazzo in over the knee, musketeer-like suede boots and tops with prints reminiscent of the graphics on banners carried by Palio horsemen in the 16th century.
Dundas told Reuters after the show: "The Pucci girl represents joy, energy (and) fun. The key for me was showing that on a girl today."
"I came across images of the Palio and thought they were so fantastic. They made me understand the house a little bit better, but they also look great for me with the collection."
Dundas, who replaced Matthew Williamson after three years at the brand, was previously artistic director at Emanuel Ungaro until 2007 and before that was chief designer at Roberto Cavalli from 2002 to 2005.
He also worked as a designer with Christian Lacroix.
Emilio Pucci, owned by France's LVMH, is known for colorful, abstract and psychedelic designs on silk, favored by stars such as actress Nicole Kidman and singer Kylie Minogue.
The house was founded by Marquis Emilio Pucci and took off in the 1950s after he designed a streamlined ski outfit that featured in Harper's Bazaar magazine.
He set up his workshop in the family palace in Florence and turned the ballroom into a place for entertaining clients.
In the 1990s, his daughter Laudomia Pucci started to take over the business. LVMH took a 67-percent stake in the label in 2000 and Laudomia Pucci became image director.
SOFT COLORS
"The only one who put pressure on me and my mind is me," Dundas said when asked if he felt pressure designing for the brand. "Of course, you want people to like what you do."
Milan fashion week, which began on Wednesday, is taking place against the backdrop of a worsening global economic downturn.
Also showing on Saturday was Bottega Veneta, whose collection was dominated by dresses in soft colors such as muted browns, creams, grape and lilac.
Creative director Tomas Maier chose a rectangular silhouette, with some designs pulled in at the chest or waist. He also added jewelry -- gold, silver and rhinestones -- on the edges of some of his designs.
Other designers such as Giorgio Armani and duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana also added sparkles in their lines, lifting the somber mood of the tough economic climate.
"I think with the time we are in, it's kind of depressing, I think basic won't do it for me. If women want anything, they want something that is beautiful, glamorous and that takes them out of that day-to-day mood," Maier told Reuters.
(Yahoo fashion news)
28 February 2009
28 February 2009
27 February 2009
Hilary Alexander reviews Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's D&G autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection; plus Giorgio Armani...
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana paid tribute to the romantic and dramatic world of opera in their D&G collection shown at Milan Fashion Week this afternoon.
The duo received special permission from the famous La Fenice theatre in Venice to reprint vintage programmes from performances of La Traviata, The Puritan, Turandot and Tristan and Isolde on silk corsets and evening gowns.
The entire collection was inspired by opera. Satin puffball-skirts were printed with scenes from the performances, velvet opera-coats were “upholstered” with jewelled buttons in the manner of seats in the private boxes, and curtain tassels dangled from embroidered evening bags.
The D&G show was staged in Milan’s historic Metropole theatre, which was acquired by the design duo several years ago, and is where the legendary soprano, Maria Callas – whose image was printed on T-shirts – recorded Bellini’s ‘Norma’ in 1954.
The operatic theme allowed Dolce and Gabbana to indulge their love of fashion as fantasy, with mini versions of the costumes worn for Verdi and Bellini operas shown in rich gold brocades and tapestries, and military jackets in velvet, trimmed with braid.
The finale resembled the ball scene from La Traviata, with the models in opera programme-bustiers and billowing, silk chiffon crinoline-skirts in tapestry prints.
Updating the theme for modern divas, however, the duo also showed rose-embroidered corsetry with faded denim skinny jeans, embellished with glittering stones and crystals, which matched the encrustations on the spike-heeled platform shoes.
The British press contingent was joined by Dasha Zhukova, the girlfriend of the Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, who this morning was named as the new editor-in-chief of the glossy, London-based bi-annual magazine, Pop, which has just formed a new partnership with The Saatchi Gallery.
Earlier, Giorgio Armani presented his main Giorgio Armani collection, which focused on a study in contrasts in metallics and urban greys: Chunky knit cardigan-coats over satin skirts; tailored jackets and pencil skirts accessorised with funky, black patent berets, gloves and high-heeled bootees; and PVC “bondage”-look bustiers paired with skintight trousers.
Armani’s glittering after-dark finale featured pairs of models in see-through, long, silk tulle, column gowns, encrusted with jewels and crystals, and worn over flat, black patent medieval boots and leggings.
(telegraph fashion news)
27 February 2009
British designer Christopher Kane has joined forces again with Versace to create a new range of accessories...
Christopher Kane, one of Britain’s most talented young designers, has joined forces again with Versace for a new range of accessories.
Donatella Versace will announce details of a new collection of bags and shoes, designed by Kane for the relaunched, younger Versace Versus Line, at Milan Fashion Week, this weekend.
Kane first attracted the attention of Donatella Versace when he won the Lancôme Colour Award in 2005, while still a student at Central Saint Martins. He went on to work on the brand’s Atelier Couture collection and was also a consultant on accessories.
Kane’s career has been rocket-propelled ever since. His MA graduate collection of bandage-tight dresses in fluorescent stretch lace won the Harrods Design Award in 2006 and sparked the revival of body-conscious dressing. The same year he won the Scottish Designer of the Year award and designed a collection for Topshop.
Kane launched his own label with his sister Tammy, who studied at the Scottish College of Textile Design, and who looks after the finances as well as being involved in fabric development.
In 2007 he was awarded the New Designer ‘Oscar' at the British Fashion Awards. His catwalk shows are one of the hottest tickets on the London Fashion Week calendar and past collections have triggered major trends in faded denim, snakeskin and chiffon. His current spring/summer collection, featuring dinosaurlike “fins” and graphics, inspired by The Flintstones, has been a sell-out on Net-a-porter.com.
Kane’s collection for next autumn/winter, shown at London Fashion Week, a few days ago, once again explored directional territory, featuring balletic, flesh-tone organza and vinyl, sectioned into squares and stripes with ribbons of black velvet.
(telegraph fashion news)
