Fan Fare

from Photographers Blog:

Lisbon Fashion Week: A frivolous affair?

While covering Lisbon Fashion Week, photographer Rafa Marchante spoke with fashion designers, models, photographers and journalists, asking them if they thought the fashion world was frivolous.

from Photographers Blog:

Seen on the fashion scene

By Allison Joyce

Held twice yearly in February and September, New York Fashion Week features designers from all over the world, displaying their creations on the runways. A small venue of tents pops up in Lincoln Center to house the crowd of celebrities, designers and models who descend upon the city. The event also draws its own share of notable and outrageous personalities, fashionistas, and those who come just to be seen on the scene.

I am now into my fourth year of covering the event and have started to recognize a group of colorful, sassy characters who come to Fashion Week each year. Some are former models, some are bloggers, and others seem to be famous just for their outlandish outfits or feline sidekicks. A few of them stand out because they are decked out in the same colorful suits, ostentatious hair styles and eye catching accessories year after year, appearing in the lobby or on the pavilion like clockwork. Most of them seem to be there for the same reasons, to network and be part of the scene.

Lindsay Lohan makes fashion debut in Paris

Cameramen elbowed photographers out of the way, television presenters crashed into bloggers, PR assistants were drowned in a shouting mass of paparazzi as everyone fought for a glimpse of Lindsay Lohan at Paris fashion week.

As a marketing scoop, her new job as artistic adviser for fashion house Emanuel Ungaro has certainly been a success. She even out-papped R&B singer Rihanna and actor Bruce Willis, who were among the VIPs visiting the Paris shows. Ungaro’s president, Mounir Moufarrige, observed the backstage scrum with a satisfied smile on his face, maybe mentally recalculating his profit outlook.

But whether the hype will translate into better sales for the ageing label remains to be seen.

“It’s the clothes that talk. People are interested, and our business is to sell,” Moufarrige told me after the show, surrounded by exhausted fashionistas sipping champagne. “We want to make beautiful products that people will buy.”

Lohan herself may well decide that ultimately, consuming fashion is more fun than producing it. She looked a little dazed and tired after her debut collection, and when a reporter asked her about her love of scandal, she snapped that it was “an unnecessary question”.

Even if the collaboration turns out to be short-lived, Moufarrige could have the last laugh. The label’s clothes are now guaranteed to appear in tabloids, glossy magazines, blogs and talk shows. And the fact that fashion critics have derided Lohan’s stripper-inspired nipple pasties, bra tops and skimpy pink dresses may not matter to shoppers. After all, Victoria Beckham was long sneered at by the fashion in-crowd, and yet her collection of dresses is now flying off the shelves.

- Reporting by Sophie Hardach

Queen of punk Vivienne Westwood rips it up for the climate

Wear ribbons of torn cloth as a bikini. Pin a picture of your boyfriend to your sleeve. Dig out your mother’s old clothes.

Vivienne Westwood’s latest advice may sound like a DIY fashion campaign, but it’s actually her contribution towards fighting global warming.

At her fashion show in Paris, the queen of punk handed out leaflets blaring: “Act fast – slow down – stop climate change”.

Looking as energetic as ever, her hair in a frayed beehive,  she told me after her show that people are meant to cut out the slogans, or even photos of their own boyfriends, and pin them to their T-shirts, in the style of marathon runners.

Under the heading “Call to action for all eco warriors: dress up!”, her leaflet lists a whole range of activities that are meant to stem global warming, though the link isn’t always quite clear.

“Dress older — young girls are so sexy when they look more important,” Westwood writes in one passage that seems to slightly veer off the subject. “If your mother was a punk like me you can choose bondage shorts and ripped stuff and the AR shirt (a better version of the 70s Anarchy shirt).”

Earlier this year, the queen of punk recruited Baywatch star Pamela Anderson for her Paris show, then announced to the assembled fashionistas that they would all be fried by global warming unless they changed their eco-hostile habits.

Lindsay Lohan’s passion for fashion

Want to know the real Lindsay Lohan? Check out her latest clothing range.

Hollywood’s wild child recently signed up with fashion house Emanuel Ungaro as an artistic adviser to add pizzazz to the ageing fashion brand. Her first collection will be unveiled on October 4 and it’s one she says is very close to her heart.

“I think working with Ungaro it’s more personal for me,” she told Reuters in Singapore, where she’ll be hosting a three-day music concert that coincides with the country’s Formula One race.

“It’s kind of more about who I am and what I want to put out there in terms of what people wear and different styles. And what I wear in films means a lot to the character and what people take from the character.”

Over the past two years, Lohan’s creative endeavors have been eclipsed by scandals, nightclub antics and drug problems. The 23-year-old was briefly jailed in 2007 after being convicted of drink driving and cocaine possession, and made to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.

But she said she’s been dealing with headlines for such a long time, that she doesn’t let them get in the way of her work.

“I’m pretty numb to everything that gets said and goes on. I’m not going to say the paparazzi don’t get annoying, when I, you know, just want that alone time. But it’s not that bad. I don’t really pay attention to it, in all honesty,” she said.

Tom Ford brands gay marriage ban “disgusting”

Tom Ford has branded as “disgusting” the ban on gay marriage in parts of the United States and elsewhere in the world.

The designer, who is openly gay, used a Venice press conference for his feature film debut “A Single Man” starring Colin Firth to criticize decisions like that in California in November banning same-sex marriage. He did, however, add that his movie, which is in competition at the Venice film festival was not about being gay at all, but about the human condition in general.

“It is, I have to say, quite disgusting that in America and in other countries you cannot have a civil union or something equivalent to marriage,” said the 48-year-old.

“I have someone I’ve lived together with for 23 years. Recently he was in hospital for something. I had to carry papers on me at all times that he had signed saying that I could visit him in his room and make medical decisions for him if anything happened. Our taxes, by the way: if I died tomorrow my estate would be completely taxed and then the remainder go to him whereas if we were a couple his life wouldn’t have to change and my entire estate would move to him. There are things that are wrong with our legal systems in a lot of countries.”

Paris fashion feels the cut

It’s fashion week in Paris — time for TV audiences and online readers around the world to stare at their screens and shout out that most popular of fashion comments: “Who on earth would wear that?”

The answer is, of course, nobody. Proper catwalk fashion isn’t meant to be worn. It’s meant to be photographed, looked at, talked about, in the hope all that buzz will help the fashion label sell products that are actually profitable, such as perfumes and sunglasses.

Lining up for Topshop New York – would you?

Ayone who has been into Topshop’s Oxford Street store in London on a Saturday will know that there are normally so many shoppers inside that it is almost difficult to move.

So when the trendy British mass market fashion retailer — for which supermodel Kate Moss designs a clothing line — opened its first U.S. store in New York this month it was no surprise that people were lining up to get in the door.

On Saturday, despite drizzling rain and less than spring-like temperatures, the line outside stretched half a block, although the Soho shop appeared less packed inside than the Oxford Street store on a Saturday morning.

With bouncers outside only letting shoppers in as others left, Topshop New York resembled more of a nightclub.

Would you line up to get into Topshop? Or any other clothing stores?

Paris stays chic to the end at fall fashion show

Style guru Susan Tabak has been a regular in the front row of the Paris fashion shows for the past seven years. Tabak, author of the book “Chic in Paris” and the popular style blog chicinparis  gives her take to Reuters on last week’s shows:

The Pret-a-Porter Fall 2009 collections in Paris heralded chic design all week, albeit with increasing edge.  Dramatic shoulder emphasis and the classic black and white palette were shown time and again, revealing themselves as key elements to Fall fashion this year.

Riccardo Tisci featured both in his show at Givenchy, with fur implants in shoulder pads and several variations of a one-shouldered dress.  Stefano Pilati also incorporated these themes.  He presented an ultra-chic and impeccably tailored collection for Yves Saint Laurent with crisp white shirts and pencil skirts, lots of black leather and very sleek jackets.  It was classic, with a twist.  I could definitely see myself wearing the collection.

The same goes for Akris.  Marked by trapezoids, geometric design, and — yes — accentuated shoulders, Akris designer Albert Kriemler’s architectural inspiration was evident in nearly every piece.  Though the clothing is different from Alber Elbaz’s collection for Lanvin, both Elbaz and he have a great sense for what the chic modern woman wants and needs in her clothing. 

Finally, Chanel used black and white, as always, but added exaggerated white frills, plissé ruffs, chiffon camellias, accordion pleats, boutonnières and floppy bows on the cuffs and collars of the blouses.

Sonia Rykiel held a quirky and charming show at her Boulevard Saint-Germain boutique, and I was a big fan of Giambattista Valli’s regal yet understated designs.  Among all the collections these past few days, however, Elie Saab and Galliano may be the most memorable. 

Paris fashion show has designs on the modern woman

Style guru Susan Tabak has been a regular in the front row of the Paris fashion shows for the past seven years. Tabak, author of the book “Chic in Paris” and the popular style blog chicinparis  gives her take to Reuters on this week’s shows:

The Pret-a-Porter Fall 2009 shows here in Paris have signaled a return to chic design for the modern woman, and, of course, I couldn’t be happier!  Though the collections thus far have displayed a range of influences, nearly all have captured an elegance that is quintessentially Parisian. Lanvin was perfection.  Designer Alber Elbaz says he appreciates the strong woman and that sentiment was reflected in this chic collection with an edge.  Held at the Halle Freyssinet in the 13 arrondissment, the runway looked like an asphalt street, implying these were not just precious clothes for models on the catwalk but for the contemporary woman with places to be.  There were forties-inspired suits gathered into soft peplums in the front, gorgeous fur stoles, cascading ruffles tempered with tailored silhouettes.  I hugged Alber backstage and told him I wanted one of everything!Showcased in a giant tent in the Jardin des Tuileries, Dior was a correct collection of tailored suiting with a twist.  Designer John Galliano infused the clothing with Orientalism and a Mongolian look.  The array of beautiful coats was the highlight for me, and though I also admired the decorated airy chiffon evening wear, the collection as a whole lacked the signature Galliano flair that I look forward to.Olivier Theyskens collection for Nina Ricci, on the other hand, took my breath away.  His last show with the label due to internal strife, Theyskens will walk away triumphant. Some of the looks reminded me of work he had done at Rochas.  Others were totally fresh and unlike anything I’ve seen before. It was sexy, modern, romantic and Victorian.  I loved the transparent pants, the structured jackets with big shoulders, the dresses with broad billowing ruffles and those with short fronts and trains in the back.  I’d be remiss not to mention the outlandish stilt-like embellished platform shoes at the show.  They were fascinating but distracting, too.                                                                                                    Amid the shows, there have been many fabulous parties!  Thierry Mugler hosted a presentation at their atelier to celebrate the revival of their form-fitting and futuristic fashion line. Prada held the last of their Fashion Week Iconoclasts events on Avenue Montaigne, where French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld decked their boutique in snakeskin, live pythons included.  I had a wild night with Diane von Furstenberg and Giambattista Valli at the new nightclub Le Montana, and it was a lavish star-studded affair at the opening of Roberto Cavalli’s new five-story flagship store on Rue Saint Honore.  The energy here in Paris is crackling.  I am not only inspired by the designers’ collections but by the city itself.  Watching people while waiting for the shows to start is pure theater!  The crowd is dressed to impress like no where else in the world.  I love the fur, the hats and the coats (though I could do without the clunky shoes, which look to be here through Fall).  Stay tuned for more runway reports and Chic in Paris stories by Susan Tabak.

Editing by Rebecca Prusinowski

Photos by Reuters