Street wear doesn’t just have to be just T-shirts and sweat pants – put in a little more effort and you can still look casual and chic. Match a denim shirt with a nice trouser, trench and sneakers and it makes a perfect outfit from day to evening.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
House of Dagmar celebrates ten years within the fashion industry by launching an exclusive dress collection with ten favourites chosen from the past decade. The brand’s success story started in the 2005, when three sisters – Karin Söderlind, Kristina Tjäder and Sofia Wallenstam – decided to start their own brand after having studied and worked within the fields of fashion design, marketing, and economics. The Swedish fashion industry had, during this period, started to expand and thanks to their optimistic outlook and entrepreneurship, the three sisters only saw opportunities for their innovative brand House of Dagmar. The brand is named after their grandma, Dagmar, who played an important role in the three sisters lives, as she inspired them to go their own way and encouraged their fashion interest at an early age, by showing them international fashion magazines, through her work as a seamstress and her personal, chic style.
Ten years later, the brand has grown to become a central part of the Swedish fashion industry, winning awards like this year’s designer at the Swedish Elle Style Awards 2015. Their signature trademark, such as sophisticated materials, focus on details and feminine, wearable pieces, are all a crucial part of their success. Through building their brand on traditional Scandinavian sewing techniques and uniting their technical knowledge with modern elegance, they have achieved to create their own aesthetic. House of Dagmar’s classic and yet modern approach to fashion, has resulted in pieces and collections that feel as relevant today as they did when they first were launched – an important aspect of their idea of creating pieces that are long-lasting both in terms of quality and design. Among the dresses relaunched for their ten year anniversary, you can find exquisite examples like their signature crochet lace dress. By the time the brand celebrates 20 years, there will be even more House of Dagmar dresses to cherish and wear over and over.
The fashion film is a relatively new phenomenon. However, the relationship between fashion and film is certainly not new. Several times in the past, we could witness key moments when fashion has influenced film and vice versa. Just look at Woody Allen’s Annie Hall or Tom Ford’s A Single Man. Nevertheless, the latest mode of interaction between cinema and fashion has taken the route of short films produced by great directors, artists and actors for fashion brands. But has the short film been incorporated into fashion labels simply for marketing? Rodarte has, through a collaboration with Todd Cole, delivered several fashion short films, including This Must Be the Only Fantasy in 2013, starring Elijah Wood with a surreal and magical tribute to fantasy. Karl Lagerfeld presented Reincarnation starring Cara Delevingne and Pharrell Williams to accompany the Paris-Salzburg collection for Chanel. More often than not the short films seem to be a company to the collection or product itself.
Different fashion houses have, within the framework of their names, different possibilities to create original systems of expression. Nevertheless, short films that create the feel for the label’s season, still have to abide by certain rules in order for the viewers and consumers to be drawn in. It’s about creating something unexpected, yet in tone with the brand. Short films can be used merely for marketing purpose, a fun way to introduce a new collection or product. However, they can also help to build on the label’s heritage. Presenting a story in a nice bow adds layers to fashion houses, placing them within a different context. With the mainstream becoming wider within the fashion world and the internet speeding up the processes of each season, short films are a demonstration of the nature of fashion that says something more than just: “purchase”.
Fashion will always be that je ne sais quoi, that little something that is the reason why some trends fail and other conquer. It is not as simple as survival of the fittest; instead it is finding a balance between staying new and staying relevant. By using the visual media of film, labels can promote, create and exist within the luxurious surreal fantasy bubble, under controlled circumstances, without losing an established identity.
Victoria Edman
For this Spring, traditional handcraft has a redefined position within the fashion industry. The renewed appreciation and interest for old, traditional techniques are a tendency that is influencing collections from dominating fashion houses like Prada and Raf Simons and Dries Van Noten to smaller brands such as Hope and Faustine Steinmetz.
The inspiration for the Swedish brand Hope’s Spring collection is partly drawn from the work by the Swedish textile designer Märta Måås-Fjetterström. The creative process of designing the collection started with a photo of a rug made by Fjetterström, side by side with a photo of computer graphic. Together, the two photos represent the brand’s influences for this season, but also express the combination of old handcraft and modern technology, a mix which is central to this season’s handcraft trend. Besides the rug, an old sketch found in Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s archive has inspired a pattern in the collection. The result are pieces that have the archive sketch-inspired pattern printed on everything from backpacks to sporty velvet 70s pants, and it might not be a coincidence that we are seeing a renewed interest in handcraft at the same time as the wide pants have seen a bold renewal. Patchwork, embroidery and hand woven fabrics were central parts of the 70s style, which might explain their comeback in the this season’s fashion picture.
Another explanation could be found in the growing quest for genuine, individual products, as a reaction to all the mass produced items. The most significant difference between the 70s handcraft trend and the tendency we are seeing this Spring, is the modern technology and the new possibilities it has created. It is now possible to achieve a similar traditional handcraft look by using machines instead of creating them by hand. High tech and handcraft is, therefore, a combination which gives designers new opportunities to incorporate nostalgic handcraft in their collections, in order to develop more unique pieces. The new technological production methods, though, will never be able to take the place of a handmade piece and the time and knowledge that lays behind it. It is possible to imitate and mass-produce the look of handcraft but not the feeling of it, which brands such as Faustine Steinmetz and Altewai Saome have realized. Faustine Steinmetz is spinning, dying and weaving all her fabrics in the studio in London, while Altewai Saome have made handcraft one of their trademarks by both incorporating it into their high exclusive show pieces and their collections. The new approach to craft is a great way of spreading the appreciation for hand-made clothes to more people, as long as we don’t forget the original knowledge and tradition that lays behind it.
Hanna Cronsjö
One of the most appreciated features of fashion is that it has to do with the idea of spectacle. Each of the ways in which fashion can be shown is to be considered a sort of spectacle, be it a photograph, a catwalk, a performance. Since Diana Vreeland first brought her idea of fashion – which is ours as well – into the museum institution, even the fashion exhibition has been considered a spectacle. There are, indeed, some cases in which objects, rather than being just wonderful objects to be visually appreciated – are put together and displayed to reflect about a path, a practise, a method. This is the case of the exhibition the Bundeskunsthalle has dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld, called ‘Karl Lagerfeld. Modemethode’. The exhibition traces a circle, ‘from paper to paper’, as stated by Rein Wolfs, co-curator together with Lady Amanda Harlech, friend and consultant of Lagerfeld himself; it holds everything that is in-between the blank paper at the beginning and the blank paper at the end of each project Herr Karl embarks on.
The method is shown for what it is, and the process seems quite regular: from the sketch to the garment, and from there to the communication of the design to the public with ADV campaigns and photographs, all curated and made by Lagerfeld himself. The whole architecture of the exhibition is strongly fictitious, and seems to recreate in each if its parts a sort of scene that comes out precisely from Lagerfeld busy mind. It opens with the re-creation of one of his desks, with all the objects it has around: crayons, many sheets of paper, piles of books. The desk is true-to life and indeed so fictional it is a manifesto of the theatrical idea of building up a story, a character: something Lagerfeld has worked on his whole life, creating a mythology around his persona and adapting his way of life to the ‘idea’ he wanted to become. Lagerfeld is himself a fictitious character, halfway between an ancient regime man and a black & white ideal silhouette, with a well-recognisable image that has made him an incontrovertible contemporary icon. He has decided who to be and how to be, and has followed a method in order to reach this symbiosis, which is the same method he seems to apply to design.
Lagerfeld is not shy in showing not only what he does, but above all how he is – or rather how he has decided to be. Everything is on set – from the sketches to the ADV campaigns and photographs, from the accessories to the garments, coming from the principal collections he has been in charge of: Chloé, Fendi, his eponymous label Karl Lagerfeld and the label he is mostly identified with, Chanel, ça va sans dire; everything seems simple, immediate and fresh, and denotes the impelling need to renovate, to change; emblematic, in this sense, is the selection called ‘the evolution of tweed’, a small path inside the experimentation with a fabric with a personality – and a story – so strong.
A sort of sprezzatura, a conscious and elegant nonchalance, characterises all of his designs – from the strikingly simple yellow coat with which he won the Woolmark Prize in 1954 to the Fun Furs he has been creating for Fendi for about 40 years – and sets the atmosphere of the whole exhibition. It is not a retrospective in the very sense of the world. It does not look back, but it rather depicts a way of working that has evolved in the years, shaping not only objects, but also a way of being which is timeless. The way Lagerfeld has merged his personality with his practice is the real core of the exhibition, and the actual message it wants to put through. The process is clear and linear, and has to do with the consideration of fashion as a spectacle, in a unity of practice and being, in which effort is dissimulated and the method becomes the man, the man the method.
The claim that denim is back is somewhat redundant, for the material can be argued to never have left the scene. Denim jackets, after their rise to the fashion circle, never went away either, but were instead reinvented to fit current trends. With labels such as Ashish and Commes des Garçons bringing the denim jacket on to the runway of both menswear and womenswear. But the recurring appearance of denim also shows that the fashion creatives are taking inspiration from real life, instead of just the surreal fantasy life we all wish to lead.
And yet, the denim jacket was never intended to be a fashionable piece. It came about as a utility garment in 1905 created by the American denim label Levi Strauss & Co. It would be until the 1940s before it was turned into a fashion item, after painters such as Jackson Pollock had worn it. In the 1960s, the denim jacket became popular on screen through films such as Hud and the actress Marilyn Monroe, who made the piece equally chic for women. Subsequently, hippies reinvented the denim jacket after their own liking placing it firmly within the fashion scene as a symbol of youth culture.
The current state of denim jacket trends for men has a persuasion of going back to a formfitting and shorter model, while the trend for women seems to be the other way around with more inspiration from oversized and early 1990s flair. The shift in denim design has brought out new talent, and the minimalistic youth rebellion is no longer the only thing to be spotted when sporting a denim jacket. Denim is now a material suited for many different techniques, showcasing its versatility as well as fashion ability. Designers such as Faustine Steinmetz and Tortoise Jeans brings out the raw quality of the material and transcends tops and bottoms to something reminiscent of retro, yet undeniably modern.
The sun is out and it is time to replace the shearling with a lighter option. Leather jackets, bombers and trench coats are stylish and easy to wear, so pull them out of the closet and dust them of because it’s that time of year again.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
Five years after his death, the life’s work of Alexander McQueen lives on. The exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is now shown at Victoria & Albert Museum in London, after being one of the most successful exhibitions ever staged at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Everything cannot but predict a similar success in Lee’s hometown.
Savage Beauty is a portrayal of McQueen and offers a glimpse of the creative utopian universe that he created. If you didn’t realize it while he was still alive, it becomes clear now, that McQueen was and still is a designer out of the ordinary and one of the world’s most influential creative minds. The exhibition has succeeded in recreating the shapes, techniques and McQueen’s ability to relate his creations to a historic period – qualities that contributed to making him unique. In the giant halls of the V&A museum, you are able to experience the different influences that guided McQueen in his work, with themes such as Cabinet of Curiosities and Gothic Mind. The final part of the exhibition showcases McQueen’s last collection, Plato’s Atlantis from S/S 2010. It was influenced by nature studies and inspired by Charles Darwin, but instead of focusing on the evolution, Lee was more interested in the ”devolution”, a dystopian prediction of our future.
McQueen brought his dreams (and sometimes nightmares) to life, whatever they might have been, they had one thing in common: the final creations were incredible and so was the craftsmanship behind them. The work of McQueen proves everyone who defines fashion as trivial, to be wrong. Instead of seeing it as something shallow, he used fashion as an instrument, a tool for creating and expressing feelings, thoughts and fantasies. McQueen was a phenomenal talent, not just because he had a great technical knowledge and an innovative approach to fashion, but because he used those qualities to create his own universe in which he was able to question or celebrate our society and future. Most designers might have those ambitions, but few of them are able to fulfill them without losing focus on everything else going on in the fashion industry. McQueen shut that out, and focused on making his dreams – and nightmares – real. The darkness was an often returning element of McQueen’s collections, and it was also those demons who took one of the fashion world’s last real designers away. Like other creative and talented people who died too soon, too young, McQueen has reached icon-status after his death. Some people might say that this is a typical reaction to how we look at the designer of today- as a creative genius put on a pedestal. The designer has a significant role in today’s fashion industry, but that does not mean it isn’t deserved. Alexander McQueen was a special and unique designer in many ways, who left a huge void after him, of which we are even more aware after seeing Savage Beauty.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty runs through August 2nd 2015 at the V&A in London.
Hanna Cronsjö – Images courtesy of V&A MuseumR
When viewing Creatures of the Wind Spring 2015 collection you can feel a sort of a united ambiguity, that often takes shape when the focus is more organic than goal oriented. A vibe of authenticity runs through the collection, that is rare today in many other collection where authenticity is forced or passes completely unaddressed. Even though the color palate differs from light blue to fire red, it comes across as a natural progression, showing a spontaneous and natural flair a few fashion houses possess.
The design duo behind the brand Creatures of the Wind are Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters, both graduates of the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Following graduation, Gabier departed to Antwerp to work at Dirk Schonberger as a menswear designer. Peters, on the other hand, worked as a studio assistant to artist and designer Nick Cave, until, in 2008, the duo launched from Chicago what is today a blossoming fashion brand. The brand was given instant recognition with their first collection featured on the cover of WWD magazine. The following years, the collections were driven by both concept and narration, drawing inspiration from everything – from subcultures to mythology. Dedicated to thorough research and cultural references, Creatures of the Wind frequently collaborates with artists and designers, including Tabitha Simmons, Pamela Love and Erickson Beamon.
Well-known for their hands on approach, Creatures of the Wind keeps control of sustainability, a central concern for emerging brands today. While most of their products are primarily produced in New York City, the brand has also initiated production in northern Japan, while their shoes are made in Italy and the fabrics come from some of Europe’s finest mills. Brocades, jacquards and handmade laces create an amazing sartorial experience especially when paired with vintage English wool and Japanese cotton. Creatures of the Wind create complex and appealing fashion stories in each of their collections with varying shapes presented in a vast color schemes. They are speaking to a younger audience, but with the voice of someone older and wiser – a true characteristics of a timeless brand.
Victoria EdmanIt’s that time of year when you need to re-energize and feel the sun on your skin and flex those lazy surf muscles. So, pack your bag with the bare essentials and escape to the coast for the weekend.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
