It’s Not Rocket Science – it’s the Reel Deal

Media – both traditional and digital – have been chattering about the failure of Sex and the City 2, the movie that should have saved cinema, the world of entertainment, and maybe even the whole world, period.

Well, my dears, it’s no wonder that they are disappointed. I mean, do you read Vogue to get the same feeling you would from reading say, Kafka? Not likely, ‘innit?

The girls are back in town, the girls are back in town, tow-hown.

It’s a movie. It’s a movie about friendships and fashion. And for me? It delivered both in truckloads.

Love fashion spotting - that's the matchstick JPG on Miranda and is that Givenchy on Carrie? Or is it Bottega SS10?

Of course, I went with B. Not being a fashion writer who lives on freebies we bought our tickets a few weeks in advance, so that we could see it on opening day.

For a couple of weeks prior to the premiere, everyone and her sister had been blogging, tweeting, writing and telling me how terrible the film was. Hey, I watched that first show before anyone in Canada knew what HBO was, ne’er a bandwagon in sight, so there was no way I was going to give up on the girls, now.

Off we went, B and I – the full evening, ours and hours to enjoy. If you are like us, your life is busy. There are kids (well, one of us has them), jobs, errands, commitments and more to fill our BlackBerries, Moleskines and the mental to-do lists that are constantly running like Type-A ticker tape in our heads. So an evening out with my fave fashion friend to see a movie about friends and fashion? It was like having a play date when you were 10 years old – soooo excited!

Hats off to fun with the girls!

We started off with lovely French pastries and tea at La Boheme Cafe Patisserie - the flakiest fare a girl could share with a friend, this side of France. It will become a regular haunt, for sure. Loaded up on sugar and caffeine, we walked to the uptown theatre, more than an hour in advance to ensure we had a good seat. I was already having a good time.

We arrived to a short line, filled with girls and women and the occasional male. Whether gay or straight, he got a nod of approval from all the other women in the line. What a doll for sharing this girl’s night out, we thought.

Something lovely was happening in that line. There were no rude stares, no shoving, no pushing, no competition of who was dressed better (remember the original movie premiere downtown) – there was just a wonderful display of friendship.

A toast to good friends. Miranda wore some of the best outfits in the film, we thought.

Just ahead of us was a group of young women clad in shorts and t-shirts, sitting on the ground chatting, waiting for another friend. When she arrived (coming obviously from work given her attire), one of the others reached into her jute tote and pulled out a Tupperware container and some cutlery for just that friend. It contained the most beautiful looking homemade salad, which jute bag girl had obviously prepared for her friend. Both B and I noticed the love.

Waiting for a fourth, the leggy ladies linger.

Another two girls directly in front of us did a burger and fries run and had a little picnic in the line-up, picking up a meal for a friend who arrived late (okay, she drove us a bit nuts because they ended up sitting beside us and eating said meal during the first part of the movie). But still, it was such a girlfriend thing to do.

I had to show you both views of Miranda's dress, which was one of my top five ensembles.

And from the minute the movie started, I lost myself, coming back occasionally to share a laugh or a nudge with B. Carrie was wearing a skinny black and white suit. B knew that I would not be able to get away with one of my fave looks for years now, without someone saying I was inspired by Carrie.

We sighed over Abu Dhabi.

Mesmerized by Morocco - the city that stood in for Abu Dhabi.

Awed by Abu Dhabi

I gushed at the pants, pants, pants (see Samantha’s Ralph Lauren gold ones above, for one). B buzzed over boyfriend jackets. We both relished the rare stones.

It's written in stone - I am meant to be living a lavish life

While we are not ones to talk during the movie (how rude!), I knew we were both making mental lists to answer the question that would come over post-movie dinner analysis.

“What was your favourite outfit? Wait, that’s too hard. Top 5 outfits?”, B queried as we ordered pasta and petite burgers at Coquine, which offered the “scene” we had so delightfully avoided the rest of the night (we were too chilled and hungry to relocate now, though).

We both agreed on Carrie’s dress and jacket combination for her dinner with you-know-who (trying to avoid spoilers for you lot that haven’t seen the flick as yet).

SJP should always wear this hair. Our fave outfit of the film.

One of my faves – which didn’t come to mind until now – was the harem jumpsuit/dress that Carrie wears to the premiere. B is now saying “Whaaaaaa? A jumpsuit? A-HA!!!”. It wasn’t really a jumpsuit, though B. It was an evening gown split in two at the bottom and cinched at the ankles – not sewn in the middle, so there!

To the naysayers, I say lighten up!  One of the many lovely things about this film was the use of colour – figurative hues in the camaraderie woven amongst women of the world to the jewel tones of the couture they wore.

Queen Samantha, lounging in luxe.

Carrie, lounging in ultimate luxury - one Mr. Big, er, Preston. A song lyric comes to mind - "swimming in blue and green".

I loved the jewels - and jewel tones throughout the film. A gem of a moment between Carrie and Gaurav (whose name was mispronounced throughout the film!).

The film offered me a night of laughter, fashion frivolity and friendship.

What more could a girl ask for? (Okay, maybe a bigger closet needs to be on that list, too.)

Carrie's closet - sigh-worthy.

If you want Kafka, leave the Lanvin at home and go to the library.

Watch the trailers if you haven’t seen them already:

Sex and the City 2 Teaser Released

Sex and the City 2 – Trailer 2

There was also an excellent chat with the four women on BBC on Friday, which was in line with my take of the film.

Film stills courtesy of New Line Cinema.

Lee’s Legacy Lives On

Still in the haze of sleep this morning, I reached for my BlackBerry and with one eye open, scrolled through the news of the day.

Barely past 7 am, and today felt good already. News of Sarah Burton being appointed Creative Director at Alexander McQueen gave me a sense of closure somehow – closure after the shattering news of his suicide.

The longtime friend of Lee McQueen and his “right-hand” design assistant will now oversee the creations of all collections under the label dreamt up by Lee.

Burton, 35, worked with McQueen for 14 years and was appointed head of women’s wear design in 2000. She graduated from Central St. Martins in London – same as McQueen himself and was responsible for completing the brilliant FW10 collection, after his death.

Sarah Burton. Photo courtesy of Vogue UK.

With rumours of Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens taking over the label’s design duties circulating for months, I felt an unease, a discomfort with that direction. They are both wonderful designers, but it didn’t seem fair to them – or to the vision that Lee built – to have someone else carry it forward.

Lee’s vision was so pure, so distinct that it really can’t be replaced in this life. He was an original soul.

The best possible choice for the evolution of the brand – the legacy of what McQueen built – is to have someone who knew him and worked with him so closely. I was secretly hoping that the powers that be at the Gucci Group would choose the right road. (I was just pondering it the other day, in fact.)

“The creation of modern, beautifully-crafted clothes was at the heart of Lee’s vision. I intend to stay true to his legacy,” Burton told Hilary Alexander of the Telegraph UK today.

Today’s decision gives me hope for the future of Alexander McQueen – the entity.

Congratulations to Sarah Burton – but oh, how bittersweet a day this must be for her.

She can take comfort in the fact that Lee is likely up there smiling.

And maybe his ethereal and restless soul can begin to have a little bit of comfort now, too.

-With files from Telegraph UK and Vogue UK

Burberry: Knot to be Outdone

Burberry has become ubiquitous nowadays. If you don’t think so, consider where the brand was a year ago and think of the number of times you’ve heard about them or come across the big B just in your daily travels recently.

Whether your encounter is of the human variety where an infamous check or trench walks by you on a regular basis (on person or pooch), or whether your encounter is more intimate – in your closet or on your laptop, perhaps – Burberry items are coveted.

The company has been making a big social media splash with partners like Scott Schuman who recently photographed the Art of the Trench campaign. They also streamed their show online like a closet-full of other global brands, but in a key distinguishing move, they made the goods that you viewed available for order at the same time. Other brands have yet to leverage the immediate, impulse buying power of the web in the same way. Burberry knew the emotional connection their audience had with them – they built up the hype around the show and made us all a part of it. We now had access, not only to a front row seat, but to the front of the buyer’s list.

Burberry and its head of creative everything – one Christopher Bailey – have become household names (at least in chic households the world over). As a sidenote, I’m wondering why Bailey wasn’t on the Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business list, released earlier today? Food for thought.

Well, his efforts aren’t for nought. Numbers, you see, don’t lie. WWD reported (also this morning) that the company’s profits this year until March 31st rose to 82.2 million pounds, or $131.5 million (USD). That’s a sales spike of 6.5 percent – spiked sky-high boots for FW10 not yet accounted for (but they are on my shopping list – and likely yours, too).

Compare that to last year, when the brand actually registered a loss of 5.1 million pounds, or $8.2 million (USD).

Sales rose to 1.28 billion pounds, or $2.04 billion (USD). Chief executive Angela Ahrendts told WWD about the future: “Looking forward, while mindful of the economic environment, Burberry plans to build on its strong financial position by accelerating investment in growth initiatives in retail, digital, and new markets, while continuing to enhance the brand.”

It goes to show you, while there were twists and turns in their path, Burberry is a brand (k)not to be messed with. Here are a few of my faves from the SS10 collection.

Twisted sister at Burberry

Ravishing in ruched trousers

Knotted and besotted - the classic trench swishes and sashays.

Every story has twists. Just keep moving forward.

All figures (and quote) from WWD. Images from Style.com.

They’re Baaaaack!

…and not in a creepy, Poltergeist sort of way…

Sarah, Cynthia, Kim and Kristin were in the city that started the love affair with the girls – Newwwww Yooooork – for the premiere of SATC 2.

They opted for simple sophistication vs. over-the-top glam-a-drama that the show is known for. Then again, this is only the first premiere of thousands!

Four tall drinks of water!

Kim Cattrall in Naeem Khan

Love the old school glam on youthful Kim

SJP in Valentino Couture

Her hair should Always look like that and the dress was dreamy on her.

Kristin in Jean Desses

Great fit on the Carolina Herrera gown on Cynthia Nixon

And while this would be boring on Renee, I like the feminine touch on Cynthia. It's a change of pace from her usual simple lines.

Where would any of them be without this woman? The fabulous Patricia Field.

I thought this outfit was also worthy of a mention...

Jessica Szohr of Gossip Girl rocking skinnies and sheer chic.

Watch the trailers if you haven’t seen them already:

Sex and the City 2 Teaser Released

Sex and the City 2 – Trailer 2

Images courtesy of Grazia Daily, sources as noted.

Deacon + Ungaro: At Last

Remember the rumour I told you about a while back, which was considered confirmed a few days later? You know, about Giles Deacon designing for Ungaro? Well, now it’s confirmed, confirmed.

WWD, Draper’s and other fashion bibles tell us that Deacon is the new CD of the House that Emanuel built.

Giles, being cheeky. Wonder if Gareth Pugh at McQueen rumours will be confirmed next?

Deacon will continue to design for his own label and the collaboration with retailer New Look is still in the cards, too.

His first collection for Ungaro will be in presentation format during Paris Fashion Week, this October, with Deacon likely staying away from the runway for at least a couple of seasons. He told WWD: “I kind of want to get myself into the spirit of the house.”

I can feel the good energy, now. I knew he’d be a perfect fit!

Not sure how I feel about Pugh and McQueen, though, should that be next. Pugh and Olivier Theyskens have been riding the rumour mill all season, but my dears with all due respect to two very fine design talents, there is only one McQueen. Let’s see what happens… I think it should be someone who worked with Lee since the beginning, but I digress…

Congrats to Giles and congrats to Ungaro for what is sure to be a great new direction for the House!

Nudist Cologne-y

I had no idea that the men’s fragrance market was so tough.

Apparently, no men’s cologne can be sold without the designer or model being naked in the ad!

First there was Yves in this now infamous shot.

Yves Saint Laurent in ze buff

Then came Tom whose work for Gucci and YSL – and in his own self promotion – involved a staggering lack of clothing given his vocation of you know, designing clothes.

Tom, baring it all for Prestige Hong Kong in 2008.

Going full frontal for fashion. This is the tame ad - the one for the Euro mags bared all for tout le monde!

And now, because really, fashion designers don’t get naked enough these days…there is Marc.

Er, that's a really large bottle, Mr. Jacobs.

Given the number of naked women hocking products, this balances things out a wee bit.

Image sources: Yves, Tom, Marc.

Mag Rack: Strike Me Red!

Sometimes, an image is just sooo striking, it stops you in your stiletto tracks.

I lu-uv this photo of Iselin Steiro by Tyen, shot for the June/July 2010 issue of or Vogue Paris.

The rest of the editorial is available on Diorette, but the other images weren’t as dreamy as this one.

It reminds me of the red, black and white post I did recently.

Osman: Fashion is in Motion Right Now

I just watched the live stream of the latest Fashion in Motion series with Osman Yousefzada.

You can catch the next one at 8 PM (London time) or 3 PM EST here.

Pretty in Pink by Osman Yousefzada

I’ll have the full pics and recap for you over the weekend if you missed it.

The Victoria and Albert Museum hosts live runway events with up and coming designers on a regular basis. Past events have featured Erdem Moralioglu and Giles Deacon.

Osman is a bright star in the London fashion sky. He studied at Central Saint Martin’s and launched his Osman label  in 2005. His pieces combine modern Brit cool with an echo of eastern sensibilities, stemming from his Afghan roots.

The music of the show matched the clothes perfectly, too – everything from a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan remix to a mash-up of Blondie and The Doors.

Osman, your door of opportunity just opened a little wider.

Mag Rack: I Need Cover

Steven Meisel and Linda were a dream team, but his recent covers for Vogue Italia are feeling a little too same-ish.

I miss the old guard. Or the new guard to come, beyond today’s wan waifs.

Where is the personality, kids? That expression is a million girls old, already.

Daria Strokous and Kirsi Pyrhonen by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, May 2010

And if you weren’t riveted enough, I leave you with the bag throwing video. Really.

Wonder how much the bag tossers got paid.

Yawn.

Image: TFS

Mag Rack: Undercover

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to look downright dangereuse.

Did I mention dreamy, dapper, daring and darling?

Those apply, aussi.

Here’s a clink of a scotch glass to a man who can play on any team – and look divine doing it.

International Man of Mystery – one Tom Ford – graces the cover of Esquire Spain.

Tom. Esquire. Spain. March. 2010.

Mag Rack: Uncovered

Super Claudia just had her baby, but the water cooler chat is still about her nude cover for German Vogue .

Photographed by Uncle Karl, because really, there are no other photographers in the history of the fashion world – or one would think with all that Karl does these days.

Mama Claudia on German Vogue, June 2010

Photo courtesy of TFS.

Mag Rack: Covered and Coveted

Some interesting magazine covers have crossed my desk in recent weeks.

The biggest is Queen Anna on the cover of freshly launched Industrie mag.

As the name suggests, the publication looks under the covers of the fash industry – so who better to crown their primo issue but HRH, herself!

Who better exemplifies the culture of fashion than Ms. Wintour?

Image courtesy of frillr.com.

Déjà Vu: Deserts, Dali and Delightful Details

One of my readers (hope you are reading this, Mr. Z) asked for more posts about fashion and art inspiration. This one just clicked as soon as I saw the images.

The previous post included a series of photos of Ragnhild Jevne by Marcus Ohlsson for the April issue of Velvet Magazine. Shot in a sandy landscape, it did remind me of the Byron poem I referenced, but it also pulled up a familiar image in my mind’s database.

Compare a photo from the shoot…

Ragnhild Jevne photographed by Marcus Ohlsson for Velvet, April 2010

…with this painting by Dali. I bought the print a few years ago in Paris.

Female Figure with Head of Flowers by Salvador Dali, 1936

The composition is amazingly similar – the female figure in the foreground, a shadowy figure in the background amid a desert landscape. The afro wig in the current image reflects Dali’s head of flowers and the trail of fabric sings the same way in both.

The McQueen shoes in the photograph (from SS10) were labelled misogynistic – a major theme in surrealist art. Dali’s depictions of women do vary. The head of flowers moved me when I saw the original painting in Espace Dali Montmartre – with the moustached man (not so sublte, Mr. Dali!) at her mercy. This one seems to reverse roles from the usual commentary in surrealist art. I could look at that head of flowers for hours.

The gesture in another photo echoes the perfume bottle and box that Dali designed for Daliflor.

The Catalan painter and history-maker also created these landscapes – with butterflies.

Landscape with Butterflies by Salvador Dali

Dali dabbled in butterflies, but for a painting or few.

Notice the couture-clad woman in the last one. Well, the combination of the butterlies and fashion reminds me of a recent example of circling butterflies by Mr. McQueen, who was heavily influenced by art in its various forms for so many of his collections.

Amongst butterflies, at McQueen's SS 2008 collection.

The tilt of the torso in the runway shot brings me back to the same Dali flowered woman. Note the grey dress, cut to accent the shape of the body, similar to the figure in the painting.

You could say both Dali and McQueen had a head for details. They are probably having tea and discussing such divine details in the universe beyond, as we speak!

So there you have it – photographs that likely had their roots in painting which then fed fashion.

Art lives and breathes in so many iterations – it’s a circle of influence, completed and continuous.

See other art meets fashion meets art posts:

Déjà Vu: Not so Unique Forms

Déjà Vu: Cascading Curves

Déjà Vu: Artist vs. Artist

Déjà Vu: Zaha Hadid vs. Zaha Hadid

Déjà Vu: JPG vs. Marcel Duchamp

[Update May 17: forgot one] Inspiration: German Expressionism for Fall 09?

[Update April, 2011: Check the Fashion and Art History category for the latest posts.]

Mag Rack: Dressed and Deserted

After days of rain, it’s nice to have a dry spell.

Sorry for the dry spell in posting.

I came across this editorial from the April 2010 issue of Velvet Magazine. It was so dreamy and surreal, it reminded me of a poem by Lord Byron.

“Oh! that the Desert were my dwelling place,
With one fair Spirit for my minister,
That I might all forget the human race,
And, hating no one, love but only her!”

-Lord Byron

Ragnhild Jevne photographed by Marcus Ohlsson

All images  by Marcus Ohlsson courtesy of Velvet Magazine.

Cannes You Help Me?

I can’t seem to make my way off the French Riviera.

Here I am, staring at the Cote d’Azur and it’s colour deepness blue…

Okay, I am not really there Right Now.

But I have touched that water and felt those breezes and walked the steps covered at this time of year by a red carpet.

After being intoxicated by St. Tropez for days, I am missing France so much.

So I thought I’d stay with Cannes coverage for a while, to help quash my longing for the European way of life…at least for the time being.

The 63rd edition of the Cannes International Film Festival kicked off yesterday. Here are a few of the fashion highlights from the Fest thus far.

Things certainly kicked off in style.

Fashionable footwear on guests at the Robin Hood premiere. (Photograph by: Jean-Paul Pelissier, REUTERS, courtesy of the Ottawa Citizen.)

The Robin Hood premiere was the perfect place to unveil Gucci’s first couture gown for Gucci Première, as worn by Salma Hayek – the boss’s wife!

Hello couture! Salma wears the first ever Gucci Première gown. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Trying to show you all sides... (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Chiffon drapes and crystals and the ultimate detail - husband François-Henri Pinault, CEO of PPR. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Nip, tuck, SNAP. (Photo courtesy of Gucci)

The colour is lovely (in my world, it’s called maroon but since we are in France – it must be bordeaux), and I like the hip detail…but darlings, couture should not wrinkle like that!

Gucci Creative Director, Frida Giannini designed what is said to be a capsule collection of gowns made by French couture ateliers. I’ll let you know as I hear more about the collection.

There was a lot of frou to be had. With volcano eruptions and a lack of air travel, there was most certainly a need for trains – and you could catch one anywhere on the carpet.

Aishwariya and Eva, riding their respective trains. (Photograph by: REUTERS, Yves Herman)

Why is Eva Longoria always on a red carpet? As far as I can remember, she is a TV star with one show but she seems to be on every single celeb runway.  Adrian Grenier’s doc, Teenage Paparazzo (which I caught last week at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto) had a great line in it…something about some celebrities being famous for just having their picture taken a lot.

Aish in lilac lace. (AP photo, courtesy of Daily Mail UK)

Well, we do know that Aishwariya Rai has a million reasons to be on the red carpet. Yes, she has had her picture taken a lot. She has a famous husband…famous father-in-law…famous mother-in-law…and famous friends. She’s also been in lots of films and has become a Cannes fixture in recent years. I can’t say I’ve ever been blown away by her fashion choices, though.

There was a lot of lilac this time around – as also seen on Kristin Scott-Thomas and Natalie Imbruglia.

KST in a shimmery lilac column. (Photo courtesy of Daily Mail UK)

Imbruglia in Alberta Ferretti (Photo courtesy of Daily Mail UK)

It was generally very sedate and predictable, thus far.

Of course, there were exceptions – here’s a woman who really has no rival. Ms. Blanchett, thank you for wearing McQueen to the Robin Hood premiere. Someone needed to wear that first piece from one of Lee’s last collections. If it couldn’t be me, I am glad it was you. You were the epitome of grace, as always.

The lady wore McQueen - from Pre-Fall 2010. (Photo courtesy of JustJared.com)

Like an eagle, she soars high above the rest. (Photo courtesy of JustJared.com)

Love those earrings! (Photo courtesy of JustJared.com)

Well placed frou. (Photo courtesy of JustJared.com)

Gorgeous front and back. (Photo courtesy of JustJared.com)

With that angelic sweep of tulle,  Blanchett walked off with what may very well be the best dress of the Fest. I know it’s only Day Two, but sometimes a girl just knows these things.