November news

November, beginning of Winter, prelude of Christmas. But also some exciting news in the fashion and design world.

The month of the Mustache

Revisited over the past years to finally become a sure touch of the modern man, the mustache has been well celebrated this month, as Movember is the month of hair, awareness and fundraising for men’s deseases. 

Oui tee by Asos - £12    

   

The Mustache Growers Guide - £6

Watch by River Island - £18

Music celebrates Tom Ford

The 52-year-old Texan creator is becoming a true pop figure, as he directed the movie A Single Man (2009) and dressed James Bond for two movies (Quantum of Solace, Skyfall). This month, we can hear the glory of this fashion pioneer through songs of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake or Drake.

Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie 

I'll be on my suit and tie, but suit and tie by Tom Ford please

Jay Z - Tom Ford

I don't pop Molly, I rock Tom Ford, a bit too much

Drake - Tuscan Leather

Yeah, Tom Ford Tuscan Leather smelling like a brick, a reference to Tom Ford fragrance Tuscan Leather, supposed to smell cocaine

We cannot wait for the Stan Smith return

After having stopped its production last year, Adidas is waiting for the emblematic Stan Smith return next year. Meanwhile, Gisele Bundchen shows us that she wears nothing but Stan Smith for Vogue.

The ascent of Lea Seydoux

Leading role in the controversial Cannes 2013 palme d’or La Vie d’Adèle, french actress Lea Seydoux is also becoming a true fashion inspiration. Cover girl of Jalouse, Lui or V magazine, she is also the new face of Miu Miu Summer 14 campaign.

Miu Miu Resort Campaign 2014

Lea Seydoux for V Magazine

Vuitton dresses rock stars

Louis Vuitton has revealed the new chapter Venice of the campaign L'Invitation au Voyage starring rock pioneer David Bowie. A surprising and exciting news. A campaign focused on time travel and shot by Romain Gavras, director of many campaigns (YSL, Dior) and music videos (MIA Bad Girls, Jay-Z No Church in the Wild).

L'Invitation au Voyage - Venice

Song I’d Rather Be High (2013) by David Bowie

An exciting collaboration

Kenzo collaborates with italian magazine Toilet Paper for a creative collection, taking back the codes of the brand : colored and eccentric prints. 

Fashion In the Circus House

The Circus has made us dream, fear and laugh. Who has never dreamt of being a trapeze, a ring-master or a clown?  Don’t tell anyone, but I always wanted to be a clown.

So here we go, Warwick Fashion Group will be at Saints tomorrow (Friday the 15^th) from 10pm to 2.30am in Leamington Spa with their first Circus Party! That you wanted to be the one taming the lions or the one flying through the sky, it is time for you to let your dreams come true!

If you have not yet got your costume, WFG’s team has made a short selection of inspirational photographs for you.

I let you guess what I will be dressed up as… 

Vogue UK, 2007

Photographer: Javier Vallhonrat
Model: Shalom Harlow

Vogue US 2003

Photographer: Annie Leibovitz

Model: Cameron Diaz

Buffalo Magazine 2009, Russian Circus

Photographer: Jan Verburg
Models: unknown

Vogue UK 2011, A Day at the Circus

Photographer: Peter Lindbergh
Model: Reese Witherspoon

Amercian Manhasset 2009, The Chicest Show On Earth

Photographer: Laspata Decaro
Models: Jessica Stam, Gabriel Aubry

Vogue Germany 2009, Ready for the Stage

Photographer: Koto Bolofo
Model: Unknown

Vogue Italia 2007, The Greatest Show On Earth

Photographer: Steven Meisel
Model: Karen Elson

 Harper's Bazaar UK 2006, Cirque De La Mode

Photographer: Matt Jones
Models: Dita Von Teese

Why you love France in 2013.

France is as we know famous for its big creators from Chanel to Vuitton, real pioneer of the Haute couture industry. One can argue that the « City of fashion »  tend to be less attractive today, as regards all the modern dynamic fashion poles around the world, from London to the exciting New York. But do not judge a book by its cover. Real creative and dynamic young creators have emerged over the past few years. You probably know The Kooples, a french brand created in 2008 which has known a lightning rise, by collaborating with main British maisons such as The Great Frog or Norton & Sons, tailor of Savile Row. But that is part of a huge basket of original creators. Here’s what you should know about 2013 French young fashion, through three creative brands.

Carven

Origins

Founded in 1944 by Carmen de Tommaso, this French haut couture brand is known to be the first to create clothes for little and thin women, abandoned at the time by creators, and to use African and Indian patterns, including the famous « Batik ». After a slump of a few years, the house abandon the haute couture and name in 2008 Guillaume Henry, a young and creative designer to run the pret à porter collection.

Codes

Colorful, chic, creative, natural, not too formal.

A song

James Vincent McMorrow - From the Woods

A short selection

Women

 
Men
 

A.P.C

Origins

A.P.C (Atelier de Production et de Création) is founded in 1987 by Jean Touitou to create an alternative to the funk and colorful fashion of the 80s. Simple cuts and high quality patterns directly defined the brand. The brand is since 2000 famous for its classical Jean brut, made with Japonese denim. A.P.C became internationally recognized and now collaborate with big fashion names, such as Vanessa Steward, Kanye West and Carhartt. Today, the brand is a solid value for people who want to be dressed simply with high quality products.

Codes

Pure, silk, straight, beige and blue.

A song 

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Haven can wait

A short selection

Women

Men

Sandro

Origins

Founded in 1984 by married Didier and Evelyne Chétrite, the first store of Sandro opened in 2003 in the Marais, Paris. This familial company has developed a Parisian rock and roll chic style which start becoming famous around the globe. It is part of the SMCP with two others young french brand - Maje and Claudie Pierlot - with more than five hundred stores around the world. It claims its status of one of the leaders of luxury ready-to-wear and accessible fashion.

Codes

Skinny, rock’n’roll, chic, Paris

A song

BB Brunes - Coups et Blessures

A short selection

Women

Men

London's Fashion Affair

Over the past few years, London has been steadily establishing itself alongside the likes of New York, Paris and Milan as one of the capitals of the fashion world. With new designers coming out of the city every year, London is definitely one of the most exciting places to be getting dressed in, and one only needs to glance at a few of the collections from the recent Fashion Week to see why. It is impossible to miss the variety between shows, and the imaginative potential contained in every individual outfit makes it difficult to pin down every trend or idea to have been born on the vibrant London catwalks. However, a few recurring themes can definitely be detected, and will almost certainly be finding their ways onto the highstreet very soon.

Probably the most prominent trend to have come out of the SS14 shows is lace, mostly in pretty, pastel colours; pink is definitely here to stay, but cool, mojito greens and soft lavenders also made an appearance, transforming the catwalks into a colourful sweet shop of peppermint creams and palma violets. "Sweet" is definitely a word fitting to Temperley's collection, which made full use of pinks and sheer, delicate fabrics, whilst Orla Kiely merged pretty pastels with exotic patterns, animal motifs and explorer's bags to create a sort of Boy Scout chic. Make-up was equally delicate across the catwalks, with lightly blushed cheeks and pale lips being the dominant beauty trend.

If you're looking for something a little more edgy, but still with the element of delicacy which lace exudes, look no further than John Rocha. Rocha covers his models in heavy, black lace and sheer materials which allow glimpses of the flesh beneath, thus lifting the weight of the pieces. Wide brimmed, lace hats shield the models' faces from view, hinting at a gothic, almost Victorian state of mourning, whilst maxi skirts and dresses are given lift with floral lace patterns.  

If lace isn't your thing, JW Anderson is more than happy to cater to your taste with a no-nonsense collection which experiments with a variety of fabrics and shapes. Over and over again, Anderson folds leather over leather in an asymmetric harmony of wrap skirts and tunics, in a way in which the designer himself acknowledges as a nod towards techniques of Japanese origami.

Of course, you could just be completely different and take a sparkly leaf out of Tom Ford's incredibly eclectic, always beautiful book; from sleek, business-like suits to intricately patterned leather dresses, Ford's collection just begs to be hanging in your wardrobe. However, it is undoubtedly the mini dresses that steal the show. It is as though Ford has smashed a disco ball and sewn the fragments into glittering outfits fit for the party of the century; and then decided that they were missing something, and added thigh-high boots in matching sparkle.

If the lace is too pretty, the leather too tough or the Tom Ford just too Tom Ford, you could always ground yourself in blooming gardens and luxurious ruffles; Preen slices up flower beds and nearly slots them back together into a kaleidoscopic vision of colour, whilst Mary Kantrantzou scatters frilly floral dreams across dresses, skirts and coats. Temperley do not hold back, throwing pink and purple flowers at subtle leopard print kisses and pale material, which wraps itself softly around the models, before cascading down to the ground.

If flowers and frills aren't your thing, someone somewhere in London has got you covered; Emilia Wickstead keeps it simple and sophisticated with bright, block colours and vertical stripes, playfully wrapping mini dresses in a tuneful pattern of ivory and black pianos and music notes. The dominating accessory throughout the shows comes in the form of big, retro sunglasses. Chunky heels and flatforms stamp authoritatively back and forth, whilst the bomber jacket, in all it's guises, provides another recurring theme; Erdem and Jonathan Saunders give the jacket a feminine twist with florals on silk, whilst Sister by Sibling takes it one step further, covering they're baseball jackets with actual pastel coloured flowers.

Despite the obvious eclecticism, there were of course some consistencies throughout the weekend in London; layering is in, whether it be in the form of skirts over trousers or sheer folds of material over material, giving us a series of multi-layered hemlines and interesting silhouettes which combine fabrics and patterns to create a jumbled, visual feast. If you take a look at one SS14 collection from London, let it be Burberry Prorsum's masterpiece, which brings together, in beautiful harmony, almost every single trend to have come out of the catwalk this month. The show completely captured the zeitgeist with lace, pastel shades, jewels, sunglasses and model of the moment, Cara Delevigne, in a transparent plastic raincoat.

The catwalks of Fashion Week have this year played host to a scaled-down version of a city famed for its eccentricity; a city which, surely, can by now take its place amongst the ranks of the fashion capitals of New York, Paris, and Milan, armed with a series of young designers who are ready to change what we wear, and how we wear it.

Photos: London Fashion Week Website http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers.aspx?exhibitor=1

Author: Grace Cain

Editor: Natalia Tkacheva