Cannot Wait……….

The world premiere has taken place in America and the reviews are building up the hype by confirming how brilliant the new Batman film, The Dark Knight is (it’s also the only film of the franchise not to feature ‘Batman’ in the title…)
A film release hasn’t had this much build up since….well, Sex and the City…but this is a very different type of film. I was excited about seeing it anyway (Batman being the only superhero franchise I watch – mainly due to Tim Burton’s involvement in the earlier films) but now anticipation has risen tenfold due to it being Heath Ledgers last and according to critics who’ve seen it – best performance.
He was already nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for his role in Brokeback Mountain and, although I will reserve judgement until I have actually seen the film, it’s been highly rumoured that he may achieve another nomination. Just based on the trailers, it’s obvious Ledger has taken the character of The Joker to another level, it’s just so sad that he’s not here to receive his praise.
Roll on 23rd July, well, only if you’ve booked tickets, otherwise you’ll probably have to wait about a week more to see it – that’s how popular it is.

Merci Beaucoup

This week I saw not one, but two amazing electro bands, strangely with similar names - Yelle and Yacht.

Yelle is a 25 year old French singer and was performing as part of the itunes festival at Koko. Not only was she dressed superbly in an 80’s inspired Reeboks/leggings/t-shirt dress combo but it has been such a long time since I have seen such energy and fun from an artist on stage. She was busting out some crazy moves yet still retaining an air of sophistication. The way only a French woman could. And the songs were brilliant. This is ‘A cause des garcons:’

Yacht - Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans - hail from the good old US of A and in their own words are “dating.” I know this because they stopped their set mid way for a Q&A with the audience. Nice touch. Also, this was one of their backdrops: “Dear London, Please don’t stab us.”
They were really entertaining and completely worth seeing live:

This is ‘See a penny (pick it up)’. Do it.

Even our lampposts are stylish…

I’d heard this rumour about Coco Chanel and just attributed it to urban legend, it goes: when Coco was having an affair with the 2nd Duke of Westminster (she had a thing for men in power, she also dated a Russian duke and……a Nazi) in the 1920’s, he wooed her in extravagant ways, including getting her initials (also being the legendary Chanel logo) put on the lampposts in Westminster to show her how much she meant to him.

I never thought it was true until yesterday, I was standing by a cash point, happened to glance in the direction of the lamppost and yes – there was the Chanel logo!

So it’s now fact and another brilliant story in the life of Coco Chanel. Plus London (well, Westminster) officially has the most stylish lampposts in the entire world.

Topshop goes Charityshop

Topshop has collaborated with Rubbish magazine and got Daisy Lowe to model – to encourage people to recycle their old clothes through the medium of charity shopping – traid to be precise – one girls junk is another girls treasure and all that…

It’s an innovative and bold move from Topshop considering it is essentially encouraging you not to buy new Topshop product.

Being a huge fan of vintage and charity shops, I think this is a brilliant idea – there is a collection point instore at Oxford Circus where you can drop off your unwanted clothes. It’s an important step towards dispelling the sometimes negative stigma attached to buying clothes from charity shops and a really brilliant way to give your style a truly personal twist. Plus you can feel good about yourself for giving money to charity.

What with the credit crisis and recycling issues all over the news – this is literally the perfect solution! – Vintage clothes (possibly) at bargain prices…although never forget that the charity shop is a gamble, you may have to sift through many early 90’s Bay Trading classics before you find that piece of gold. But if more donations are coming from fashion-conscious shoppers then the quality of cast offs is far more likely to be high(er).

And if you need anymore confirmation that recycling clothes is the way forward - fashion queen/Vogue editor/trend-decider Anna Wintour was recently pictured wearing the same dress 3 - yes THREE - times in the space of a week!

Check out the Topshop campaign here.

Yay or Nay?

I was shocked when I saw this picture of Irish actor Colin Farrell - he’s so skinny. It’s unusual to see a male star looking like they’ve been on a crazy fad diet. It turns out he hasn’t been brainwashed by Hollywood - he has lost the weight for a film (Triage) where he plays a war photographer.

If a female actor had done this (hello Renée) it would be causing mass debates in the media, generally not discussing the weight loss/gain in any positive or subjective way, yet when a male actor does it, no-one seems to care.

Christian Bale and Adrien Brody also lost loads of weight for their roles in The Machinist and The Pianist respectively (rhyming names a strange coincidence…) and no one batted an eyelid. They were praised for their performances and dedication to their roles.

Why is it men can become super skinny in the name of their art and not be criticised and scrutinised, yet women cannot?

Colin’s new physique better be just for a film role though, as he definitely looks hotter with more meat on his bones.

Karl Cares

This is brilliant - because it’s so random. The legend that is Karl Lagerfeld has donned a luminous jacket in aid of a road safety campaign in France.

Don’t worry, he hasn’t lost his fashion eye - the slogan reads,
‘It’s yellow, it’s ugly, it doesn’t match anything, but it can save your life.’

Hardly the most glamorous of campaigns, Karl still manages to look nonchalant while doing his bit to help French citizens– possibly because he got the yellow vest photoshopped on, so he didn’t have to actually wear it. This is not confirmed.

Maybe this new high fashion lean in government campaigns is the influence of the French president’s new ex-supermodel wife Carla Bruni? I look forward to Jean-Paul Gaultier fronting the don’t-forget-to-put-your-bins-out campaign…

London Fashion Week: New Gen Winners

Every season, the British Fashion Council (BFC) selects a few young designers for their New Gen scheme, which gives them the opportunity to show on the main London Fashion Week catwalks for free, £5.000-£10.000 in support of their show and a free stall at the LFW Exhibition.

The scheme is truly unique and has given some truly talented designers their break into the hard fashion world. Previous winners have included Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Julien Macdonald, Giles Deacon, Marios Schwab, Christopher Kane and Sophia Kokosalaki - every single one truly talented and now major players on the fashion scene.

So why is it that I felt slightly disappointed when I read the names of next season’s winners? This is the full list of designers receiving the Catwalk Sponsorship:

Louise Goldin, Danielle Scutt, MeadhamKirchhoff, House of Holland and Peter Pilotto.

Yes, you read it right, House of Holland has somehow been included in this group of very promising young designers - and I am appalled.

Is it for the celebrity, media attention grabbing aspect? Probably. Even though I myself was a huge fan when the slogan T-shirts were a hit 2 seasons ago, I refuse to accept Henry Holland as a serious fashion designer. On top of that, House of Holland probably needs the sponsorship money less than anyone else.

Young talents like Hannah Marshall, Felder Felder and the really amazing Krystof Strozyna could have really benefited from this prize, but have to settle for a free exhibition stand - an award House of Holland received as well.

If the aim of the New Gen scheme is to aid the launch of the careers of up-and-coming designers, why doesn’t it do exactly that, instead of aiding designers who’ve already came, and really by now, should have just gone.

The (Dolls) House of Viktor & Rolf

For their first UK exhibition, in true Viktor & Rolf style, the duo have used the ‘house’ aspect of their fashion label and taken it to another level. A huge dolls house complete with 70 porcelain dolls wearing miniature versions of the pieces that appear throughout the exhibition. The house stands in the middle and is surrounded by projections of and pieces from their collections through the years.

A stunning retrospective, it is more an artistic show than a fashion exhibition. When put in a room together, the amazing range of ideas – from the UV Black Light (S/S ‘99) catwalk show to Russian Doll where the designers dressed one model on a catwalk in all 11 pieces from their A/W ‘99 Couture Collection – are truly thought provoking and brilliantly executed.

If being immersed in the fantastic world of Viktor & Rolf wasn’t enough, the experience was made even better by an actual appearance from the genius duo - who look almost identical and perfectly groomed, the only way to tell them apart was that Viktor was wearing natty little trousers covered in top hats. Admittedly they didn’t say anything – well they didn’t need to really, given that they were surrounded by visual representations of their thoughts.

It was still such a thrill to be in the actual physical presence of designers that my admiration and respect for has at least quadrupled since properly understanding what they’ve contributed to the fashion world.

If you claim to have even the slightest interest in fashion, then you have to go and see this exhibition.

It’s on at the Barbican, London until 21 September 2008. Go now!!

The Costume Institute Gala - Fabulous

The Costume Institute Gala is THE event to be seen at. The theme was ‘Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy’ and literally anyone who matters in fashion and film was there – Stella, Kate, Donatella, Julia, George, Gisele, JLo, Olsens, TomKat – the list is endless and the dresses - amazing. Every year the standard is so high, the fashion is far more interesting than at the play-it-safe Oscars.

Here are some observations:

Surprising point 1: the theme of the gala was taken most literally by American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who left her comfort zone and looked amazing in a metallic space-suit inspired dress:

Surprising point 2: Kate Moss had a cleavage, and quite a big one at that:

Surprising point 3: Jack White looked like a gentleman with his slicked back hair and glamorous (model Karen Elson) wife:

Surprising point 4: Cat Deeley actually looking edgy (and like a raven) in a feathered dress:

Worrying point 1: Victoria Beckham……….just no. If anyone can go even further than tragic and trying way too hard…..Posh can:

Worrying point 2: how tiny and ill does Mary-Kate (left) look next to her sister?

All in all, the most fabulous fashion event of the year….so far.

Forbes Top Earning Models

Yes. Forbes‘ Top Earning Models list came out again, and yes, Gisele is still number one, Kate Moss is three. Whoop whoop. Here it is.

1. Gisele Bundchen, £17.5million

2. Heidi Klum, £7million

3. Kate Moss, £3.75million

4. Adriana Lima, £3.5million

5. Doutzen Kroes, £3million

6. Karolina Kurkova, £2.5million

7. Natalia Vodianova, £2.4million

8. Carolyn Murphy, £2.25million

9. Daria Werbowy, £1.8million

10. Miranda Kerr, £1.75million

11. Isabeli Fontana, £1.5million [tied]

11. Gemma Ward, £1.5million [tied]

12. Selita Ebanks, £1.35million

13. Valentina Zelyaeva, £1.1million

14. Hilary Rhoda, £1million

15. Liya Kebede, £750,000

Why Madonna, why??

As a life long Madonna fan - disappointed is not even the word to describe how I feel about her new offering – Hard Candy. If I wanted a Justin sounding album I would have just bought his. The whole thing feels like Madonna is a guest vocalist on her own album. There’s not an original song on it and while she’s trying so hard to be ‘down with the kids’ she’s obviously forgotten she’s a 50 year old mum of 3. I haven’t.

She got where she is today by picking up on underground trends (vogue) and producers (Orbit) and bringing them to the masses in an exciting-amazing-pop way. Not using music-whore Timberland who has already worked with Britney and Nelly Futardo, for gods sake!

And don’t even get me started on her album launch show in New York, which featured an adidas trouser/Balenciaga boot/Justin grinding combination…

Not Just A Label

Not Just A Label.com is an amazing website aimed at young fashion designers, giving them a space to showcase their collections. For fashionistas and industry insiders alike, it’s a great way to discover fresh talent, with an easy to use interface. You can create a lookbook of your favourite items and designers, view videos of shows and network with stylists, photographers and designers. Although it’s still quite young and doesn’t have a huge catalogue of people just yet, it already seems more promising than the often confusing and overrated Iqons.com
Founder Stefan Siegel wants to aim it at the main fashion design schools in London, Antwerp, Berlin, Milan, Vienna, the US and Asia.

Sufjan Stevens

Just because.

Must. Have. Jacket.

I’m in love with this Biker Jacket from Topshop. The punk biker jacket is still very much a trend, and with the short sleeves this one’s just perfect for summer. It’s a bit pricey though… at £120 it’s definitely an investmen.

For Topshop’s tips on how to wear it, click here. Outfit 1 definitely gets my vote.

Miley Cyrus in Vanity Fair

It seems everyone has an opinion on this picture today.

So Miley’s not wearing a top. And she’s only 15. Big deal. I don’t see what all the fuss is about, there’s nothing to see! I love Annie Leibovitz’s pictures and this one’s absolutely gorgeous.

(If anything, I find the one where she’s draped over her father’s lap slightly more disturbing - see Vanity Fair)