Proenza Schouler

I'm just sitting here, in my faculty's media center, waiting for my next class (Film History) to start. Only a few minutes ago I was visiting the promotor of my thesis to update him on the research I've been doing during the last week. So far so good, since I've finished the greatest part of my thesis, analyzed the movies I needed to see quite a few times and now the only thing left to do is to just write the results down. I already made a mental map out of what should be included or mentioned, and discussed it with my promotor and the thinks it's very good. And luckily our Easter break is coming up, so I'll be able to work really hard without any distractions, so that - hopefully- I'll be done by the end of those two weeks. By then I'll still have about 4 weeks to do the lay-out and bibliography of the piece. So thinks are looking good, I'm pleased.

Anyhow, this weekend there's a wedding my family and I have to attend and I'm still wondering what I should wear. I hate that grey, cold and dull weather outside, since it won't be cold enough for a layered look, nor will it be warm enough for a great spring dress. My mother suggested I wear my Proenza Schouler-dress.

Since the day I saw that look on the Runway a few years ago, I've been totally obsessed by it and the brand. And then a year later I spotted it! The purple one I always wanted! At a sale! In my size too! At first I said I was just going to try it on for the fun, to see how it looks... I should have known that I was going to buy it as soon as I saw how nice that floaty fabric looks, and how well purple works for me, and how versatile the dress is, and how it is fit for work or a party and what an investment it would be... you know, my usual excuses. In the store I wore a purple Givenchy belt with it, and stupid me, I didn't buy the belt since I was going to be spending enough money as it is. So I got the dress, only to find myself a week later in the store again, and this time to get me that Givenchy belt. Unfortunately someone else beat me and the belt was no more. So after a long and extensive search I found a blue Furla belt that goes perfectly with it, so now I'm all set...

The only thing is that I don't want to wear it to the wedding! It will be a walking dinner/party and I'm sure I'll mess the dress up. Or someone else will trip and pore wine all over me. Or some other dumb thing that always happens to your favorite outfits! So for now, no Proenza Schouler, and I'll keep it safely in its dust bag. Just were I left it, the day after I got it.

Number of times I stated that this is my favorite dress of all time: probably around a 1000 times by now
Number of times I actually wore it: zero.


Got to run to class now!

Prèt-à-Porter

As mentioned before, for my thesis on film and fashion I'm analyzing Robert Altman's Prèt-à-Porter. The film is a parody and satire on the fashion world, and ridicules the industry. The movie, set during Paris Fashion Week, sends out a quite stereotype and negative message that only greed, betrayal and shallow 'keeping up appearances' are of the greatest importance in the business.

And yet, never did I see a Hollywood picture in which so many 'real designers and models appeared; Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferré -back then working for Dior-, Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix, Issey Miyake, Campbell, Schiffer, Christensen... And not to mention the designs by many other great fashion houses. It's a shame that I've left the DVD at home, but when I return for the weekend I'll put up a screen shot of the end credits, so you can discover which designs -by whom- were featured in this 'fashion film' yourself! This movie beats Sex and The City for sure.

But the 'communications scientist' in me can't help but wonder; why were these fashion icons so happy to work on this project, if it puts the industry in bad daylight? Is bad publicity better than no publicity?

For anyone who loves fashion, this movie is a must!



Don't let this boring trailer mislead you, the film is much more fun...
And the title chosen for this movie is genius, Ready To Wear, when all designs presented are totally unwearable.

edit: And according to literature, Karl Lagerfeld was so furious that one of Altman's characters portrayed the french designer of chanel as a 'thief' that he called in the German juridical system and had the movie banned from German cinema's. But the picture does however feature quite some product placement by the house of Chanel. Curious and curiouser...

Christian Louboutin

One of my favorite fashion related sites is Fashionair.com, so I check it on a daily basis. However, I had no idea that today their Christian Louboutin-film premiered, featuring the french designer himself. How I wish I could dance like that in my high heeled pair of Louboutin-shoes. They're comfortable alright, but I'm pretty sure I shouldn't try to do a little dance routine myself.






My Ron Ron's, only 10 cm high but killer heels for sure, in every sence of the word...

Funny Face

Today, I'm just doing some research on the film Funny Face, before I'm off to my promotor to discuss my thesis and have my Film History-course. That class is so interesting; just last week we learned about the German expressionism film (think: Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)  So eerie, yet so cool.

Anyhow, I just came across this article on Audrey Hepburn's film, from 1957. And I love the colors in the pictures so much, that I just had to post them on my blog. (Full article in Life)

(source: link via Google Books)

Product Placement

Another weekend has passed and once again, I've spent it working on my thesis. Since I'm analyzing the use of product placement in 'fashion films', I have to check which brands I and my two 'assistants' (my sister and boyfriend) are featured in the four films I've selected for my research.

Remember when I did the same thing for Sex and the City?

Back then I spotted 25 different high end fashion brands. My sister did the same thing two weeks ago, and got 23 brands, while my boyfriend found 17, if I can figure out his hand writing correctly. Chanel got a leading role in the movie since it was featured the most amongst the brands.

Yesterday, my boyfriend helped me out with The Devil Wears Prada. And Patricia Field and the producers did a great job on this one. Just by recognizing bags, boxes, and labels in the back drop, or listening to which designers and fashion houses the characters are talking about we've found a whole list of fashion brands; Although he claimes he doesn't have a good eye for these sort of 'where-is-wolford?' and other brand recognition-games, my boyfriend spotted 30 different brands. My list on the other hand featured 32 labels. Once again Chanel was the big winner, although Prada is mentioned in the title and gets the spotlight.

I'm planning to do the same thing for Confessions of a Shopaholic, Funny Face and Prêt-à-Porter, which should be interesting since the two latter are more of a parody on the fashion world. Furthermore, I'm going to analyze the four films on what message they send out; a Hollywood dream world or rather "don't sell your soul for shoes and bags"?

Either way, although the high amount of brands featured in these films might be irritating for the viewer, they don't disrupt the film experience, nor are they perceived as payed advertisement. Since the main story is set in the fashion world, it is only natural that the characters talk constantly about their favorite fashion label or that bags and recognizable must-haves are lying around in the background? And that all of the scenes take place in luxurious fashion stores and fashion salons? The fashion film is the natural habitat of product placement, and this without giving the crowd the feeling that they're watching a commercial...

Think again, this scene bothered me the most...

Film influences fashion

So for the last past days, I've been going through literature on how elements from the film industry can influence the fashion world. And I've found quite a few. For instance, a film star or character can start up a trend easily, like the Louise Brooks-look or the Letty Lynton-dress.

But aside from influencing the public, film has cast a spell over some fashion designers as well. Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano, they both have a thing for Hollywood movies and film stars, hence their many collections inspired by the industry's golden age... (see: JPG haute couture 2009 & Galliano's Fall 2005)

Alexander McQueen, also a film-enthousiast, based some of his creations and fashion shows on Hitchcock's work or movies like The Shining and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Also, after watching a Harry Potter-movie, the designer incorporated the chess segment in his 2005 spectacle, where the models functioned as pawns.



And the fashion business is catching up on the film world really quickly, with Burberry being the first fashion brand to broadcast their entire fashion show in 3D globally, only weeks after Avatar premiered.

Lille

Last weekend was so busy.

Aside from working on my thesis and catching up with our families, my boyfriend, my sister and I went to see Alice in Wonderland. Maybe I expected too much out of it, but I didn't like it at all. The 3D-effects had no added value, and the story was quite boring. Plus, I missed that whole Tim Burton-vibe. So sad, 'cause I had high hopes for this one.

The following day my boyfriend's band had to play near the Flemish/French border, which gave us the opportunity to head to Lille for a shopping afternoon. We'd been there a few times and we've always loved this little town. It has many of the great luxury brands, a Printemps and the Galleries Lafayette. But the brand that surprised us the most was The Kooples. Belmodo.tv had mentioned their love for the brand, and when I saw the real deal, I couldn't agree more. Great basics with a rock and roll edge for him and her. And the brand's mission statement to dress trendy couples, seduced both my boyfriend and me. We each left the store with our new favorite fashion items. The following day, I already wore my new tulip-skirt to his dad's birthday party, and I think it would look great with my Alexander McQueen skull-shirt as well.

And planning a trip back in a few months, I really need those Marc Jacobs and Repetto-flats I spotted at the Printemps!

Alexander McQueen

Today, the presentation of Alexander McQueen's last collection took place. I think these luxurious and magical designs look fit for Victorian queens and princesses. And it immediately reminded me of his Fall/Winter 2008-line. The prints, the folds, the richness of the dresses, I love it all. And that mix between the gold and red fabrics have a ancient Roman general feel too it, although I find the last white/light grey dresses more medieval.

More images on this exclusive collection and presentation through Grazia. And the Telegraph wrote a nice review, as well as Style.com.

Edit: FAQs by Grazia. 

Chanel

There already were rumors that Chanel's decor for the Fall/Winter-show of 2010 featured a gigantic iceberg. The polar bear-drawing on the invitations must have had something to do with it.

I just found the first video of the fashion show, and it looks -again- too cool, literally. I love the two-toned shoes vs. the all white outfits, and how the scenery and set blends in with the designs perfectly. And the puddle of water the models walked in... Did Lagerfeld find inspiration in global warming or the past winter cold? If I would have some of those looks hanging in my closet, I wouldn't mind if winter lasted a little longer...

Apparently, Mr. Lagerfeld only used faux-fur for this collection. So very polar bear-proof. 
The one thing that was real on the other hand, was the glacial 
centerpiece, real snow and ice imported from Sweden!

Photo: Getty Images

Alice in Wonderland

Today, all students of the History of Narrative Film-class had to attend the screening of a German film (1926).
Luckily, it was a silent film, since I have a headache that's been killing me for days, and a matching sore throat.

But luckily, I felt a bit better when I spotted the first Alice in 
Wonderland-film made. This sets the mood for the Belgian 
premiere this wednesday.

Dior Music Video

Remember the Dior-song, by Marion Cotillard? The music video premieres tomorrow. 




And I can't help but wonder; 
is she wearing a Dior Homme-suit? 


Update: I just saw the complete video and she's also wearing a 
stunning red dress, just perfect.

The Fashion Show as a Spectacle

Her remark, my reply:

Edit: Business of Fashion's top 10 fashion films... 

Balmain

And if we win the lottery tonight, a Balmain-dress will be the first thing I buy... 

I fell in love with the purple pieces. So very rococo. 

Italian Fashion

Have you seen Roberto Cavalli's latest collection? I must admit, his clothes don't always fit my personal style; too much leopard prints and golden accents. Oh, but not this time. I think the whole collection looks stunning. And there is already one item I absolutely want and need: That cool, thin, silk scarf would just look to cool with a pair of jeans and that grey shirt I bought a month ago...

Oh and speaking about stylish Italians; have you seen the Jak & Jil-pictures took in Anna Dello Russo's apartment/closet? Stunning! I am in complete awe, also since she seems like such a nice person. Really. This is her packing up for Fashion Week.

Milan Fashion Week

I am not a fan of brown. The color just doesn't suit me. But I did however, just fell in love with Gucci's latest collection. The girls look so tailored and elegant. Fits in perfectly with the brands heritage. I can't wait till these clothes hit the stores, I'm sure I will be crying my eyes out, since brown just does not suit me/my skin tone...

My parents have always adored Italian fashion labels, so when my sister and I were younger we would always wear some very cool brands. I remember wearing some Versus-items, the second line of Versace, that was cancelled earlier. But now it has made a comeback, thanks to Christopher Kane. And what a comeback. Although I'm not a little girl anymore, I still go crazy when I see ballet-inspired skirts. Oh and purple/blue/red/black do go with my skin tone...

(source: Style.com)

Alexander McQueen

I was browsing the A la Mode-blog, since she commented on a blog post of mine, when I saw the pre-fall collection by Alexander McQueen. I had no idea the company had put the look book of this collection online, and that it went unnoticed. Or did I miss the articles in the press?

Despite the colorful dresses and pieces featured at the end of the look book, this collection has a very serious feel to it, I think...

Oh and The Style Crusader has put up a post on the tribute wall for the designer.

Such a nice gesture...

Cinema

I was wondering; Has anyone seen Tom Ford's movie yet? I wanted to see this film so badly, not only just because I have a thesis to write. But the day before the movie premiered in Belgium, I found out they are not showing it in the theaters near me. Such a shame.

(Image: Haper's Bazaar)

Some more bad news: The boy-cot against Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is still up, here in Belgium.