Fashion and fantasy often come hand in hand. For example, the beautiful editorials styled by Grace Coddington are always set in a sense of intrigue and beauty or how about the eccentric Chanel shows as conjured up by Karl Lagerfeld? You don't get more fantastical than an underwater kingdom catwalk or how about a rotating carousel.
I love fantasy, and agree with the great Grace Coddington, that there's nothing better than getting immersed in a beautiful, well edited photo-shoot. Steven Meisel is one of the greatest photographers ever and his shoots for Vogue Italia always tell a story; a powerful narrative which leaves you revisiting and reinterpreting his work time and again. For the October 2002 issue of Vogue Italia, Meisel shot an amazing editorial titled 'Cinema Verite.' With late 90s supermodels Carmen Kass, Carolyn Murphy, Karolina Kurkova and Amber Valletta this magical shoots converts fashion into a film set very realistically. We are transported to the wild west with Kurkova posing jaggedly alongside cowboys, then its over to 1920s New York filled with mobster car chases and mafia gang war fare. Over to Ancient Greece (which is in fact the photo which first drew my attention) where the supers stand as tall, majestic goddesses and then how about a snow storm in the middle of Antarctica?
Film stars as a huge inspiration for this truly sublime shoot, which really must have taken ages to shoot by Meisel's magical lens. Fashion is merely used as a prop to tell a story and that's what I truly admire about the power of magazines and photo-shoots in general. Take a look for yourself and enter a world of cinematic fantasy...
It took me a while but I finally went to the Vogue 100 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition, which opened all the way back in February and finishes on Sunday, marks a milestone 100 years for British Vogue. Charting the magazines history from its first ever issue in 1916, right in the middle of World War 1, up to the present centenary issue featuring the radiant Duchess of Cambridge on the cover, the exhibition proved why Vogue is such a respected and admired fashion magazine.
No photos were allowed inside the exhibition, which seemed a bit silly as all the photos on display were images we could easily access online or in past issues of Vogue. But nevertheless, it was nice that you didn't see visitors walking around glued to the phones or taking selfies next to a portrait of Alexander McQueen. Each room was dedicated to a certain decade with images and prints most famously associated with that period. I loved the 2010's room, which consisted of beautiful Mario Testino shots, editorials styled by Lucinda Chambers and classic moments which I could relate to as that was the decade which I first started reading Vogue. It was great to see the changes of style throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s with supermodels, politicians and actresses alike all payed homage to. If anything, seeing these images on a large scale on an even larger wall made me fall in love with them more. The precision of the camera lens and the beautiful locations in which these fashion photos were taken looked even more impressive than just a photo in a magazine.
I also liked the way Vogue really focused on the magazines conception, all the way back in 1916. While Britain was suffering both at home and abroad during the war, the pages of British Vogue instantly brightened many women's lives as Paris as a style capital was completely cut off. Even through WW2, Vogue didn't stop publishing their magazine, but instead produced beautiful photos conveying the latest fashions and sent Lee Miller, a former Vogue model, across to Europe to work as the magazines war correspondent. It was very heartening to see Miller's photos in the exhibition 100 years later. The final room of the exhibition was a great ending to what was really a fantastic exhibition. Under glass cases, 100 issues of Vogue lay shining, one for each year the magazine has been published. From Cara Delevingne on the September cover in 2013, to the famous millennial cover of Robbie Williams and Gisele Bundchen to the supermodels in the 90s, Jerry Hall in the Soviet Union circa 1972 and of course, the classic covers marking the Queen's royal anniversaries, Vogue really has covered it all through history.
If you haven't yet been to the Vogue 100 exhibition, you still have a couple of days left until the final day of May 22nd. If you love fashion, enjoy reading Vogue and have a passion for British history, I strongly recommend you visit as you will walk around and spot things which will re-awaken your memory and take you back to a period of time that hasn't been forgotten. British Vogue isn't my favourite issue of Vogue (I do like Vogue Italia and Japan) but it's fair to say their history and stunning photographs really do set them apart for being one of the biggest, and best fashion magazines in the world.
Oh how I do love the Cannes Film Festival. Every year, anyone who's anyone descends upon the south of France complete with make up artist, stylist, camera crews and more in tow. With the beautiful French Riviera location, luxury hotels, massive yachts and of course, the red carpet, its quite easy to forget that the whole point of the Cannes Film Festival is to actually watch up and coming movies. But with stars like Blake Lively, George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Eva Longoria stalking the red carpet it's easy to get carried away with the red carpet action.
This year we have seen some beautiful gowns grace the red carpet. From Blake Lively's stunning nude Versace dress and her giant Cinderella-esque blue gown, to Kristen Stewart's Chanel tweed outfit, there have been some great fashion moments. Both Stewart and Julia Roberts who attended the festivals 'Money Monster' premiere, opted for comfort instead of glamour, posing for pictures barefoot. Victoria Beckham and best friend Eva Longoria had a great time catching up before jetting out of Cannes on their private planes, while Anna Kendrick opted for a bright yellow gown for her new movie with Justin Timberlake. Yellow was also worn by the beautiful Christina Hendricks and Amal Clooney, who wore an a-symmetric Versace gown while accompanying her husband to the festival.
Cannes always draws in the rich, famous and beautiful, with no festival complete without at least one appearance from Aishwarya Rai. The Indian actress dazzled on the red carpet in a draped gold gown complete with beautifully embellished sleeves, before donning a bright red gown for a photo-call the next day. Cheryl also made her yearly Cannes appearance as a Loreal ambassador, in a printed pink Naeem Khan show stopper, while fellow Lorealista Doutzen Kroes opted for a sexy black number. Kendall Jenner was in town for the Magnum party as was Bella Hadid who looked sensational with her hair slicked back in a gold Roberto Cavalli dress by Peter Dundas. Kirsten Dunst opted for a floral pink gown, similar to Cheryl, whereas Julianne Moore and Jodie Foster both went for simple yet striking looks.
With the glamorous Amfar gala set to draw in a host of models and fashion royalty, we will be seeing a lot more wonderful red carpet moments from the French Rivera over the next week. Keep checking back to theFASHIONbox and our social media pages for all the Cannes action.
Cheryl, Aishwarya Rai and Kirsten Dunst on the red carpet
Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandan share a laugh
Kendall Jenner, Amal Clooney and Blake Lively all opted for striking looks
Julia Roberts, Kristen Stewart and Anna Kendrick at the 69th Cannes Film Festival
There are plenty of style icons out there. Grace Kelly holds the crown for timelessness, Jackie O the title for classic, Coco Chanel for French chic, Jane Birkin for off model duty, and Audrey Hepburn for sophistication. But nobody did androgynous, sexy glamour like Marlene Dietrich. Oh yes, the film noir actress, will go down in history for being one of the most stylish ladies ever to grace the silver screen, and dazzle with her choice of fashion off of it. Whether she was stalking through the airport with her husband Rudolph Sieber in tow, waving to fans along the red carpet or serving food to war veterans with the likes of Rita Hayworth, Dietrich always looked nothing less than fabulous with her fur coats and fitted suits.
Born in Berlin as Marie Magdalene Dietrich, the actress grew up in a wealthy, loving family. At the age of 11 she decided to merge her two first names together to form Marlene, and the rest is history. Throughout the 1920s Marlene starred in a number of cabaret shows as a chorus girl before landing her big break as Lola Lola in 'The Blue Angel.' Paramout pictures snapped her up, as they wanted a German actress to rival that of Greta Garbo, and roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as 'Morocco'(earning Dietrich her only Oscar nomination), 'Shanghai Express,' 'The Garden of Allah' and 'Angel' soon followed.
Even in her movies, Dietrich sizzled on screen in beautiful designer gowns, stunning jewellery and of course, that famous mens suit she wore in the film Morocco. Not to mention her distinctive make up and arched eyebrows. Its no wonder the Nazis asked her to become the cover girl for the Third Reich - she refused and became US citizen. Favoring Dior and Lanvin gowns, Marlene played with male/female boundries by wearing a mens suit as comfortably as a dress. In her later years she dressed in Azzedine Alaia, famously saying, "I dress for myself. Not for the image, not for the public, not for the fashion, not for men." She worked with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Wells and Billy Wilder and starred opposite the likes of Charlton Heston, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Frank Sinatra, David Niven all the while reinventing her image all the time, staying relevant until her death at the age of 90.
What I love about Dietrich's style is her sense of self importance and the fact that she knows she looked good in whatever she chose to wear. She was fearless in nautical sailor hats, glamorous in floor length gowns spilling out across the floor and stylish in beautiful mink coats paired with boxy handbags and leather gloves. I love her use of fur especially - whether that be a fur stole thrown over a padded jacket or worn as a light coat slung over the shoulders. Never without a pair of heels or a pencil skirt, she would strut rather than walk, with her style copied by numerous celebrities such as Beyonce, Madonna and Catherine Zeta Jones almost 100 years later. She didn't play by the rules and wasn't afraid of scandal (she had affairs with John Wayne, Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra) and that is why she should be hailed as an inspiration to women the world over. And she is one of my style icons.
"I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it
I twirl on them haters, albino alligators"
-Beyonce, Formation
There is really no other woman like Beyonce Knowles-Carter. And you would have had to be living under a rock this past week not to hear, or see for that matter, something about her new visual album, Lemonade. We had waited patiently for this second visual album to drop, after the massive success of Formation and a number of hints regarding her epic world tour (which kicked off yesterday in Miami). And its fair to say that Queen Bey has slayed once again with her 6th album looking to hit the no 1 spot on Sunday, along with Lemonade currently ruling the iTunes album chart.
From the powerful lyrics in Freedom with Kendrick Lamar to the life lessons narrated to us in Daddy's Lessons, the military-esque dancing in Formation to the song which has caused such an uproar surrounding Beys marriage to Jay-Z, Sorry; this album consisting of 12 incredibly well written songs is a real treat and definitely an album celebrating women in general. Bey shows off her vocal range in Don't Hurt Yourself and then makes you want to get up and dance with Hold Up, which has proved to be the best selling single off the album so far. And of course, who could forget the beautiful music videos which accompany every song. We see Beyonce walking down the road in a bright yellow Roberto Cavalli dress smashing windows and cars in her wake. She rolls around on the ground on the pitch of a football stadium with daughter Blue Ivy and Jay-Z in tow. Or how about my favourite video, Formation, in which Bey lies on the top of a drowning police car in a printed red Gucci dress, or dancing around a plantation mansion in vintage Gaultier and McQueen.
There are very strong issues this singer/songwriter is stating across this album, particularly regarding the unfair and often brutal treatment of black men and women in America by the police as well as equality for women in general. With someone with as much power as Bey fronting these issues, the world has no choice but to sit up and listen, and listen they have. She has made breaking news across the globe with politicians and erm Donald Trump, all giving their opinions on Bey's strong messages.
Throughout the album and the videos there is a strong Southern theme, celebrating Beyonce's roots in Houston Texas and the old South. Songs have a country feel about them with Bey's soft accent adding to the overall theme, while her choice to film most of the videos in southern states shows her loyalty to her roots and her pride in where she was born and raised. Victoriana is also the choice of fashion, with frills, corsets and decadent jewellery all worn throughout. The inspiration for this was apparently due to the fact that it was during the Victorian period that slaves and plantations were very much prominent in America, particularly the south. Beyonce felt that everywhere she was filming carried this Victorian theme, says her stylist Marni Senofonte. "We were thinking about being on those plantations at the time of her
ancestors and what they would have worn. At the time, there was slavery,
so it wasn't about that. It was about looking at these beautiful women
that came from Africa and accentuating this beautiful culture and
beautiful people." We see Beyonce also wearing a grey Yeezy crop top and leggings, Saint Laurent studded heels, a Hood by Air fur jacket and a Yousef Al Jasmi bodysuit in other videos. In her words, Beyonce truly does slay.
In regard to the rumours circulating about Jay-Z's cheating, I don't know whether to believe the rapper has been unfaithful or that this is just a publicity stunt to promote the album. With Rita Ora and Rachel Roy both in the firing line, a lot has been said about 'Becky with the good hair' whom Beyonce name checks in her song Sorry. Is that the reason for the infamous Solange/Jay-Z elevator bust up at the Met Gala?One minute Bey is dedicating Halo to her husband on her Formation tour, and the next they are both pictured without their wedding rings... only time will tell for the truth to be revealed. Who would be mad enough to cheat on Beyonce anyway? For now, lets just enjoy the music and the fact that I have been lucky enough to get tickets to see Bey live when she comes to London for her tour in July!! If you haven't guessed already, I'm rather a big fan.
I think of the Italian fashion label Etro as a kind of unsung fashion hero. Its not on the same scale as other Italian greats - Prada, Versace, Gucci, Fendi etc, yet this label has got the heritage, beauty and overall appeal to give even the big guns a run for their money. Known for their love of prints, paisley to be precise, Etro continually show beautiful, enchanting and quite bohemian collections season after season, establishing themselves as the go to designer for hippy chic dressing. I have always loved Etro for their clever colour combinations and effortless style. But is their spring/summer 2014 show which will stand out as my all time favourite of theirs.
I don't mean to harper on about the past, seeing as we are currently in spring/summer 2016, but the spring 2014 international collections in my opinion was one of the best seasons ever. I loved each and every show through NY, London, Milan and Paris and could see myself in all of the wonderful clothes on show. During Milan Fashion Week though, it was Etro who stole my imagination. Creative Director Veronica Etro delivered a show full of Arabian influences, with layers of soft silks tied and draped around the body, bright lemon yellows and bold reds, all the while sending out each and every model with a naturally radiant look about them. Since Etro was established in 1968 by Gerolamo Etro, textiles and his beloved patterns have helped the luxury label soar into mainstream fashion. All these years later, I could have literally brought the whole collection, and happily worn it while holidaying in Cannes or somewhere just as glamorous. Andreea Diaconu opened the show in a stunning pastel printed skirt and shirt, followed by the likes of Nadja Bender, Kasia Struss, Daria Strokous, Fei Fei Sun, Magdalena Frackowiak and Malaika Firth all wearing equally as pretty pieces. Off the shoulder dresses nipped in at the waist, floral and leopard prints combined into one, shimmery metallic tops paired with harem pants and 70s inspired maxi dresses all completely captured the spirit of summer. I know it really does depend on who's styling the show in how the clothes come across on the catwalk, but with this show the models could have walked barefoot with no make up on and the garments would have still looked amazing. The Donna Summer soundtrack also added to the relaxed feel of the show with Julia Nobis closing the show in a pastel pink, paisley jumpsuit.When Veronica came out to take her bow, it was truly well deserved and heart felt.
What I also love about Etro is that it hasn't been sold off to LVMH or Kerring. Instead it is run by the Etro family, with Kean Etro, Jacopo Etro, Veronica Etro and Ippolito Etro all taking control of womenswear, menswear and management. This sense of family and love for beautiful fabrics and heritage shows in each and every Etro collection and I can't wait to see what they conjure up for spring/summer 2017.
Shop the Etro collection at www.etro.com/en_uk/woman/spring-summer-16/ or Net-a-Poter, Harrods and MyTheresa.com.
