Roman Rhapsody: Gucci's Stunning Resort Campaign

One thing Gucci have always been very good at, is creating stunning advertising campaigns. From the famous Tom Ford years through to Frida Gianinni and now Alessandro Michelle, Gucci's campaigns have caused outrage, controversy, hype and above all a lot of sales.

For Resort 2018, Michelle brought together some of Italy's most notable figures in a campaign entitled 'Roman Rhapsody.' There is one picture I love above the rest, and that is the beautiful portrayal of writer and journalist Barbara Alberti. Poised with her legs crossed, she is a figure of elegance and beauty, a role model for the older woman and is so stylish it makes me want to grow old as gracefully as her. Barbara is 73 if anyone is wondering. The rest of the campaign is sumptuous, decadent and very Gucci with all the colours and prints thrown together in perfect harmony. No doubt another sell out collection for this Italian heavy weight fashion empire.

See all the photos below as well as the official campaign video.

Ginevra Elkann for Gucci resort 2018

Barbara Alberti strikes a pose.

Coco Chanel: Her best quotes of all time

Yesterday, on the 19th August, 1883, one of fashion's biggest names was born. Gabrielle Chanel, who would later go on to create a billion euro fashion empire under the name of Chanel, was born in Saumur France all those years ago, yet her legacy still lives on today. In a time when women had little to do with business, she defied all the odds and set up her own milinery shop, later expanding to women's clothes, accessories and famously perfumes. Her many love affairs, fiesty attitude, ability to predict trends and understanding of what women wanted to wear following the outbreak of two world wars have turned her into a legend, and a great role model for many women around the world. She was also very stylish, which always helps!

Chanel always had something to say, and was very good with her words. To celebrate her birthday I have rounded up some of my favourite quotes by the designer which like Coco have stood the test of time. Happy Birthday Ms Chanel!

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."

"A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future."

"Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity."

"Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman."

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."

"A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous."

"Don't spend time beating on a wall expecting to turn it into a door."

"Elegance is refusal." 

"My friends. There are no friends."

  

I am not young but I feel young. The day I feel old, I will go to bed and stay there. J'aime la vie! I feel that to live is a wonderful thing.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cocochanel414002.html

 "I am not young but I feel young. The day I feel old I will go to bed and stay there. J'aime le vie! I feel that to live is a wonderful thing."

I am not young but I feel young. The day I feel old, I will go to bed and stay there. J'aime la vie! I feel that to live is a wonderful thing
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cocochanel414002.html

I am not young but I feel young. The day I feel old, I will go to bed and stay there. J'aime la vie! I feel that to live is a wonderful thing.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cocochanel414002.html

Christian Dior get in Formation for Fall 2017

I love a good ad campaign, and Christian Dior's Fall 2017/18 offering is pretty powerful one to kick off the new season. With a simple, white backdrop, and a bevvy of Maria Grazia Chiuri's favourite models (Adwoa Aboah, Fernanda Ly and Ruth Bell) this campaign screams feminism and strength. With the black panther style berets, military long navy coats and cross the body embellished bags, the Dior woman this season is fit for duty in a fashion uniform kitted out of the most luxurious fabrics and desirable accessories. Shot by Brigitte Lacombe, this campaign focuses on the tough side of fashion but as there always is with Dior, a delicate touch. I love the way denim is incorporated (a material not usually associated with the Parisian couture house) as well as the carefully placed positions of all the models. Okay ladies now lets get in formation...

And below, the finale of the AW 2017 Dior show, led by Ruth Bell:

A Word on Life/Blogs

You know, there was a time when this blog was my life. When I first created 'theFASHIONbox' back when I was an eager 16 year old who didn't know the difference between Pucci and Gucci, I set myself a goal to write at least one post a day. That, as you may well imagine, fell through after a few days. Next, I decided to write two blog posts a week - easily managable for a while, but then it slowly dwindled down to just one a week. That was excluding fashion week period, when I would literally cover nearly all the shows, scanning Vogue Runway for the best photos to show on 'theFASHIONbox,' uploading articles every day, sometimes even more. I wish I could have kept up that pace, but life gets in the way. University, work, holidays, social engagements...everything builds up, and the last thing you want to do after work on a warm, summer Thursday evening is come home and write a blog post on something you feel no passion for. Just for the sake of writing something.

For the past couple of months, this blog has been sidelined. It's not something I did on purpose, far from it. It's just I don't have the time to even brain storm ideas of what to feature on here anymore. Life is hectic, and at times very chaotic, and I am so proud to say that I am working in the fashion industry just after graduating university but some things have just got to give. And this blog is one of them. So if you do regularly read my posts, please do keep reading as I will continue to write on here. Articles will just be a lot less frequent than they have been in the past, but then at least you'll know what you're reading is important if I've bothered to post it!

Another thing I'm curious about is whether people really read blogs anymore. Name three blogs you read on a regular basis? It's hard with social media - Instagram had just been launched when I started theFASHIONbox and well, Snapchat wasn't even a thing yet - as everyone just hops onto Twitter, Facebook or IG to get that news/images. The blog revolution if you like has come and gone. Now everyone has a blog and can quite easily call themselves a 'blogger,' yet the cool factor has worn off along with the popularity of certain blogs with people just not tuning in like they used to. I have found this on theFASHIONbox, but I still post because I enjoy it and I love writing about /fashion/art/movies/photography/costumes... everything that I cover on here I feel passionate about. So please if you are a regular reader, keep the faith! In the words of good ol' Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'I'll be back' - you'll just have to look out for me.

Kate Moss is the Star of Miu Miu Fall 17

I'm not a huge fan of Miu Miu. Well, saying that I did like their spring/summer 2017 collection and the previous winter collection before that. So I have just completely contradicted myself really. Miu Miu is fun, young, frivolous, exciting and a lot more youthful than Prada - which I don't like, for the record. For their Fall Winter 2017/18 ad campaign, Miuccia called in 'The Kate,' as well as Naomi Harris and model of the moment Adwoa Aboah, and her sister Kesewa. Kate Moss shines in all her supermodel glory, posing in a green fur coat, ahir dishevelled and pout on point. While fellow models Jean Campbell, Eliza Cumming and Jasmine Daniels all add a touch of charm of proceedings.

Styled by the legendary Katie Grand and titled 'Preservation Hall and Other Stories', this campaign is full of life, music and colour. Shot in New Orleans (the home of Jazz) by photographer Alasdair McLellan, the photos have a slightly nostalgic feel about them, with a touch of the 1970s. Plus all the fur is faux - woohoo Miuccia - yet still looks amazing. See the campaign photos below...

Balmain goes to the Ballet

I was just as surprised as you were when Balmain announced that Olivier Rousteing would be creating a number of outfits for the Paris Opera Ballet. Balmain, all glitz, glamour and celebrity compared to the refined, traditional ballet couldn't be more dissimilar, yet Rousteing's collection for the Paris Opera is nothing short of spectacular. Jewelled matador jackets, nude leggings, encrusted leotards that cling to the body - all the pieces are beautiful and I can imagine, a little difficult to dance in. Nevertheless, the costumes are wonderful and forge a link between the worlds of ballet and fashion.

"I think what you feel in these clothes is that it’s really couture, which for me was important," Rousteing said in a statement. "When you have the chance to sketch for the Opéra de Paris, you know that there may be a young designer in 30 or 40 years who will be like, 'Oh, that was Balmain!’ It’s what I feel today when I see the Christian Lacroix costumes." In the past designers such as Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian lacroix have all designed costumes for the Opera de Paris, with Chanel famously working with the Ballet Russe.

The below photos are taken during dance training at the ballet, with the dancers showcasing their new Balmain outfits. Really stunning photographs, with all credit going to Luc Braquet.

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion

A few weeks ago I visited the new Balenciaga exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion. Open now until the 18th February, 2018, this exhibition explores the great Cristobal Balenciaga's early fashion career as a designer, leading into the 1950s and 60s where he established himself as one of the most respected and admired couturiers the world has ever seen. Even the formidable Christian Dior was a fan, stating, "Haute Couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us." 

His visionary designs, all loose shapes and sculptural silhouettes, marked him out as a fashion designer well ahead of his team, in an age when women were still squeezing themselves into Dior's feminine flower dresses. This exhibition highlights Balenciaga's extraordinary talent with an array of his most famous pieces, lent my museums and clients alike. It surprised me to see so many dresses which belonged to Hollywood actress Ava Gardner, but as you learn throughout the exhibition, Gardner was a huge admirer of Balenciaga and had a wardrobe packed full of his couture designs. Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn were also fans. 

The first floor explores some of Balenciaga's most notable silhouettes from his famous couture presentations as well as sketches made by his chief illustrator (Balenciaga didn't sketch himself, but had illustrators whom he instructed to draw his designs.) You also learn how fanatical he was about sleeves, often loosing his temper if a sleeve wasn't pinned just so. The second floor in the exhibition is almost a homage to Balenciaga. Pieces by designers such as Gareth Pugh, Issey Miyake, Paco Rabanne and  Oscar de la Renta are displayed, showing how much Cristobal Balenciaga influenced their designs. There's also a nice film of Molly Goddard and Gareth Pugh talking about how they're constantly looking at the great couturier's work as a form of inspiration and guidance, highlighting just how important Balenciaga was a fashion designer. His impact upon fashion today is still remarkable with current creative director of Balenciaga, Gvasalia Demna constantly referencing his archived work in his current collections. 

I strongly recommend taking a trip to the V&A to see this one. It's worth it. And I liked how you also got to try on a replica skirt from one of Balenciaga's old couture collections. The V&A always curate wonderful exhibitions and Shaping Fashion doesn't disappoint. 

Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christiand636665.html

Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christiand636665.html

Haute couture is like an orchestra, for which only Balenciaga is the conductor. The rest of us are just musicians, following the directions he gives us.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christiand636665.html

Vogue Japan: Kiss of the Matador

I don't think I've ever seen such a Dolce & Gabbana/Anna Dello Russo infused editorial than this particular shoot for Vogue Japan. I mean really, Dello Russo may have well stared in the photos herself such is her signature, extravagant styling present in the pictures which completely mirrors what she wears on a daily basis. First of all, there's a lot of Dolce and for those of you who follow the editor in chief of Vogue Japan on Instagram you'll know that 90% of her wardrobe is Dolce & Gabbana. The model, Bianca Balti, even looks a little like her - long, tanned limbs, layers of accessories, confident poses and an ability to wear anything well. Balti is also a firm favourite of Stefano Gabbana.

I love these photos, mainly because I love Dello Russo and her sense of style, and also because it's quite fun in an eccentric kind of way. Photographer Giampaulo Sgura perfectly captures the glamour of a matador and the display of showmanship crucial for the bull ring. The set is pretty cool too, with bull horns, an old oak door, sacks of wheat stacked around and an old bench all set against a plan white back drop. I would say this matador is more of a Mexican bull fighter, especially with the use of black hats and embellished jackets. There are other fashion pieces apart from Dolce. Brands such as Prada, Moschino, Yohji Yamamoto, Blumarine, Emilio Pucci and Tom Ford are all featured but there's no denying that the real star of the show is Dolce & Gabbana.

And the cover...

Best Dressed at amfAR 2017

The annual amfAR party held during Cannes Film Festival is probably one of the most glitziest nights of the year. It's where the faces of fashion, film and music all come together in their red carpet finery for dinner and a very salubrious auction all in the name of charity - this year they raised $20 million to help fight against Aids. Performances by Rita Ora and Nicki Minaj kept the a-list audience entertained while Diana Ross belted out classic 'I will Survive.' What a night!

And of course, the fashion stakes were high with this year being the most daring when it came to what to wear for the high profile event. Bella Hadid left little to the imagination with her Ralph & Russo gown, Shanina Shaik showed off some serious side boob while models Elsa Hosk, Winnie Harlow, Lara Stone and Natasha Poly all flaunted their amazing legs (Leonardo DiCaprio must have been in his element.) More tasteful dressing came in the form of Nicole Kidman who looked styligh in a black dress and Diane Kruger who also opted for a dress worn over trousers - believe me it sounds weird but looks good. Irina Shayk wore a shimmery empire line gown, Uma Thurman looked radiant in gold, Jessica Chastian wore Prada with Piaget jewellery and even Paris Hilton looked pretty sophisticated in her encrusted gown. Carine Roitfeld wore her trademark uniform of all black everything and Rita Ora really went for it with her glamorous 60s beehive.

See some of the best dressed stars below at amfAR 2017...

Irina Shayk, Izabel Goulart and Bella Hadid on the red carpet.

Nicki Minaj, Nicole Kidman, Biana Balti and Diane Kruger all opted for black outfits.

Lara Stone, Doutzen Kroes and Irina Shayk.

Shanina Shaik, Eva Longoria and Rita Ora.

Paris Hilton smiles for the camera.

Summertime Staples with Harper's Bazaar US

Tumblr may have fallen to the wayside with the emergence of Instagram and Snapchat, but it still has its uses. I came across this beautiful photo-shoot on the said photo sharing site and was immediately seduced by the colours and memories of summer (we don't have a real summer in England). Shot by Mariano Vivanco for the May 2017 issue of Harper's Bazaar US, the shoot featuring Joan Smalls is full of life, stunning imagery and a picture postcard feel about it. In fact, Smalls looks like she's just jumped straight into an Slim Aarons photograph such is the authentic vintage, glamour look about the images. Palm Beach serves as the sunny backdrop for this luxury fashion editorial, while stylist Jamie Kay Waxman uses a mix of printed swimwear, summer dresses, palazzo pants and 1960s accessories to bring the vivacious mood to life. Of course, the super cute poodle is a bonus and I can imagine a lot of fun to have on set. They say never work with animals or children and this shoot has both with beautiful results.

See the full shoot below in all its techni-colour glory.and a comparison to one of my favourite Slim Aarons photographs.

 And an example of Slims Aarons glamorous photography. Can you see the similarities?