The fashion observer

Proenza Schouler with Kalup Linzey photos. Photo courtesy Hint Mag

Haim Steinbach indoor installation for the accesories range

> Proenza Schouler showed their spring 2010 pre-collection at the 16th-century Villa La Petraia, for  Pitti Woman.

Instead of a traditional runway the designers presented a photo exhibition of Kalup Linzey , an indoor installation of  Haim Steinbach to show their acccesories range, and a performance from Kembra Pfhaler. As part of the event it was also the launch of the latest A magazine  which they guest curated.

“Art-meets-fashion”, a strong marketing tool & must-it trend for emerging brands.

Marc Jacobs Fall 09 ad campaign by Juergen Teller

>  This is one of the new shoots for Marc Jacobs Fall 09 collection by Juergen Teller. No clothes, no models….just  an environment and a certain feeling. Marc Jacobs has chosen Jergen Teller for his namesake label during the last campaigns to create radically new images in fashion based on Teller´s  personal style , full of  irony and subversive elements:

Yesterday we posted about Bruce Weber, another photographer that contributed to the unique brand positioning  and success of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and recently Moncler brand, creating the perfect lifestyle & mood visuals.

It´s clear that, now more than ever, brands will need to connect with a new customer, more sensitive to feelings than mere clothes…

Moncler next advertising campaign. Photo courtesy New York Times

Bruce Weber self portrait & Guys with a bunch of clothes. Photos courtesy of New York Times

> Communication has to change and this new campaign is an example of a new way of effective and surprising ad campaign.

It´n not by chance that the photographer Bruce Weber, has been appointed for this challenge by legendary brand Moncler, specialized in easy wear and sport fashion, who has recently broaden their line up with the addition of new segments and collaboration with internationational designers such as Watanabe and Giambattista Valli.

Bruce Weber has been a key success element in the development of  lyfestiles with Ralph Laurent and Calvin Klein in the 90´s . His new collaboration with Moncler´s brand seems to re-encounter this same principle of touching the consumer´s fiber without the obvious pressence of a brand logo on the ad.

In these pictures above, the funny  dogs, the annoying Bruce weber´s portrait at bed and the giant ball of coats pushed up by some guys, give us a very different message from conventional brands ads. Bruce Weber tells us that the world as an open-ended experience. I personally bet for this alternative communication!

Source: New York Times

> 42×42: 42 second interpretation of dreams by 42 world´s leading film-makers and creatives: David Lynch, Harmony Korine, Larry Clark, Kenneth Anger and Gaspar Noe,Terence Koh, Sean Lennon, Arden Wohl, James Franco, Lola Schnabel,etc.

The initiative has been developed by 42 Below, a brand of vodka from New Zealand, that has commissioned 42 top wordwide film-makers to express their vision of the dreams that inspire them in 42 seconds.

You can read more about the background of this campaign called OneDayRush at  42×42.com

> La exposición sobre Annie Leibovitz ” Vida de una fotógrafa 1990-2005″ se inaugura hoy en la sala de exposiciones de la comunidad de Madrid . La muestra cuenta con 200 fotografías de los últimos años que representan un homenaje a su familia, amigos y sus viajes.

Annie Leibovitz es una de las retratistas más importantes y de mayor poder en nuestro tiempo. Sus retratos son un importante catalizador de la sociedad y la cultura de fín de siglo.

Su obra, tras su unión con Susan Sontag, da un  giro y recupera su lenguaje inicial, más documental e intimista.

Por encima de todo, Leibovitz ha conseguido crear un estilo propio,  imprimir rasgos de su propio carácter y retratar , mejor que nadie,  la expresión de las emociones.

Exposición Annie Leibovitz ” Vida de una fotógrafa 1990-2005″. Sala de exposiciones de la comunidad de Madrid ( c/ Alcalá 31). Hasta el 3 de septiembre.

The device that allows i-aromas

> Soon will be possible to smell fragrances digitally. Just need a device with base oils attached to your pc and will be possible to smell online. This technology is being developed by the japanese company NTT Communications and opens enormeous possibilities for in-house trials of all kind of new products.

You can read more about this new here

> Worldwide Womenswear Digest ( WWWWD) a weeky online magazine that unveils curiosities related to Fashion. on this isssue ” All the brains behind fashion”.

Ndeur fashion heels . Photo courtesy of Ndeur

> Beautiful paper heels by Ndeur , a  graphic design studio, in collaboration with Make a proper World duo.

You can visit their web for more fashion paper accessories as their last collaboration with Heidi Ackerman.

Dries Van Noten. Fotos Cortesía de Nomenus Quaterly

 > Nomenus  Quaterly es un proyecto colaborativo que agrupa  artistas de diversa índole : pintores, fotógrafos, ilustradores , diseñadores de moda.  Erik Madigan, su editor , describe la idea como ” un espacio donde el trabajo individual de cada artista toma una nueva dimensión al formar parte de un espacio colectivo”. La noción de publicación  se transforma desde lo tangible a lo efímero y se muestra en ediciones trimestrales on-line, junto a limitadísimas  ediciones impresas .

Nomenus Quaterly es un espacio donde el artista muestra una nueva faceta creadora y nos acerca de manera más personal a su particular universo creativo.

Adam Fuss. Foto cortesía de Emenus Quaterly

Este número cuenta con las colaboraciones de Lucian Freud, Adam Fuss, Anselm Kiefer, Ann Demeulemeester, Katie Paterson, Dries Van Noten, Roger Ballen, Hussein Chalayan, Azzedine Alaya y The Costume Institute. Los trabajos de todos los artistas son creados especialmente para Nomenus Quaterly o son trabajos inéditos hasta el momento.

Ann Demeulemeester. Foto cortesía de Nomenus Quaterly

Nomenus Quaterly cuenta con afiliados estratégicos, entre los que se encuentran Metropolitan Museum, Flanders Fashion Institute, White Cube, y Dover Street Market, entre otros.

The Costume Institute. Fotos cortesía Nomenus Quaterly

El recorrido por Nomenus Quaterly es un verdadero lujo que nos descubre y acerca  facetas desconocidas  de los mayores creadores del momento:  la aproximación a la adolescencia a través de la  fotografía de Ann Demeulemeester, la videocreación de Hussein Chalayan, acuarelas inéditas de Ansel Kiefer, o el  mapa con la localización de las estrellas muertas del Universo por Katie Paterson, son algunos de los maravillosos proyectos que podéis contemplar en la revista  online http://www.nomenusquarterly.com/.

Milan´s White Homme event. Photo courtesy Dazed Digital

> ” The next edition of the White Homme, Milan’s White Show event dedicated to menswear, promises to be particularly rich. Starting on the 21st June, the event will present many new and exciting brands and designers, while focusing the attention on a few special performances, presentations and collaborations.
Finnish duo Laitinen will present through an intimate event a sophisticated collection entirely dedicated to men; Marithé + François Girbaud will be back to showcase their new menswear collection; Italian company Collection Privée will launch a project with seminal brand K-Way, based on reinventing the iconic jacket for all outdoor purposes; the students of Milan’s Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti (NABA) will decorate over the three days of the fashion event the walls of the space dedicated to Italian designer Maurizio Miri and Italian architect and designer Vincenzo De Cotiis will open a special installation that analyses the shapes and silhouettes of the sleeves in men’s jackets, tracing in this way a link between the world of fashion and architecture “.

 White Homme is at Superstudio Più, via Tortona 27, Milan, Italy, from 21st to 23rd June.

Full article and interview to Max Bizzi, Founder of Milan Showroom White here

Jimmy Choo pre-fall09 collection. Photo courtesy Jimmy Choo

>  H&M will team up with Jimmy Choo to launch a new designer collaboration  in 200 H&M stores on Nov. 14. The collection will include  shoes and bags as well as a women’s clothing line to match them. It´ll be the first time H & M collaborates with an accesory brand.

If you want to read full article at Wall Street Journal click here

> Capsule is a Menswear Event and Fashion Trade Show with an itinary that starts  off in Paris, from the 26th to the 28th of june ( coinciding with Men´s Fashion Week). New York will follow in july and the event finishes in Las Vegas  in  september.

Capsule fuse fashion and lifestyle with a selection of contemporary, independent fashion brands with predominance of streetwear style and high quality brands such as: Wood Wood, Clae, Fremont, Velour, Penfield, Raf Simmons, Ally Capellino, April 77, F-Troupe, Shipley & Halmos and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair.
More information at their web: http://www.capsuleshow.com/

> BLACK Comme des Garcons will be available as limited editions for 2 weeks at selected distribution worldwide such as : Barneys (NYC) , Colette ( Paris ), Dover Street Market ( London) ,Isetan Dept Store ( Tokio), I.T.Causeway Bay and Kowloon ( Hong Kong), Boon the Shop ( Seoul) , among others.

Rodarte backstage. Photo courtesy Rodarte

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year:  Calvin Klein´s Italo Zucchelli and Band of Outsider´s Scott Sternberg

Accesory Designer of the Year: Proenza Schouler´s Jack Mc Cullough and Lazaro Hernández.

Swarovsky Award for Womenswear: Alexander Wang

Swarovsky Award for Menswearwear: Tim Hamilton

Swarovsky Award for Accesories:  Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

International Awards: Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Anna Sui

Eugenia Sheppard Award: WWD esitor in chief Ed Nardoza

Eleonor Lambert Award: GQ Jim Moore

Board of  Directors Special Award: Michelle Obama

Popular Vote Award: Ralph Lauren

> ” The collaboration between Takashi Murakami, Pharrell Williams, and Jacob & Co. was finally unveiled at Art Basel, and it sold within twenty minutes for a whopping $2 million. The piece, called “The Simple Things,” features seven of Pharrell’s favorite items: Johnson’s Baby Lotion, condoms, Doritos, ketchup, a can of Pepsi, a cupcake, and a sneaker, re-created in metal and diamonds. Lots and lots of diamonds. Not exactly what we think of when we think “simple.” High Snobriety has a video featuring Pharrell discussing the work, and the simple things in life that get “overlooked.” “These things are the glue to my personality,” he says. Hear that, Johnson & Johnson? We feel a spokesperson deal coming on.” ( The cut)

Marc Jacobs and Rodarte. Photo courtesy of The cut

 

Womenswear Designer of the Year
Marc Jacobs
Narciso Rodriguez
Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year
Italo Zucchelli, Calvin Klein
Michael Bastian and Scott Sternberg, Band of Outsiders

Accessory Designer of the Year
Marc Jacobs
Vera Wang
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Proenza Schouler

Swarovski Award for Womenswear
Thakoon Panichgul
Alexander Wang
Jason Wu

Swarovski Award for Menswear
Patrik Ervell
Robert Geller
Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Accessory Design
Albertus Q. Swanepoel
Alejandro Ingelmo
Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

International Award
Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award
Anna Sui

Eugenia Sheppard Award
Edward Nardoza, WWD

Eleanor Lambert Award
Jim Moore, GQ

Alexandra Verschueren collection. Photos courtesy Diane Pernet

> Just found out this pictures form Diane Pernet  blog highlighting the creativity of Alexandra Werschueren, as a preview for upcoming Antwerp collections. This new designer, from prestigious  Antwerp academy has constructed the collection with paper as a  major tool.

Alexandra´s work resembles me of Kurl Schwitters and his geometrical interior design for Merzbau.

Kurl Schwitters. Merzbau interior design.

Alexandra Werschueren, beautiful & conceptual. Fashion beyond clothes, Fashion Art.