Dior is a Girl's Best Friend.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend? Correction - I have found Tiffany's replacement, and it comes in a form of sweet smelling, Gris Vision, Dior. Now, I never really appreciated luxury couture houses before I moved to Paris - sure, Alexander McQueen stole my heart with his rebel attitude and liberating pattern cutting skills, I admired Chanel for the history and the storyline, but I never really embraced Couture, such as Louis Vuitton, Dior or Balenciaga, nor their past, their development or indeed, their present design aesthetic..until this week. 

I've found that there has always been a stigma attached to the label of Dior - after all, who cannot appreciate the Dior 'New Look' and the reintroduction of feminine sexuality in dressing during the war? The small waists, oversized skirts and elegant materiality, what is not to salute as a historical moment in fashion? Well, as part of developing an interest in Dior (after seeing how incredible a pair of Dior pointed toe pumps really look on a foot, and how shiny that lady Dior bag really is) I took the time to watch the documentary 'Dior and I' and reestablished my belief that a classic couture house can still be modern, with the help of previous Jil Sander protege Raf Simons. 

Through Simons, the Parisian girl-next-door was given a back bone - the previously historical tailoring and romanticised fabrics, were pushed forward by Simons and introduced into the 21st century, with raw edges roughening up the sweet-heart necklines, and the classic small waist and volumnous skirt taking form in evening tops and power-hungry suit jackets. Think Kate Moss takes over Paris (or at least, the Palace of Versailles.)

Now, I know that Simons has since departed the house since 'Dior and I', and has stood as the tip of the fashion business iceberg in terms of pace vs. productivity, but it is stamp of futurism on the historical house that I greatly admire and has attracted me to the previously unfavoured brand - the idea of taking innocent femininity into the 21st century and turning it into sexy without the Yves Saint Laurent 'Le Smoking' Jacket. It is the want of trying to twist the history into something new that attracts me, whilst the house still keeps it's iconic products (The Lady Dior will be a bag to tick off), the Parisian Chic in the 21st century. The Dior woman is now aiming for the glass ceiling, armed in pearls and studs, no longer restricted by corset and stiffening material. 

Still think Diamonds are a girl's best friend?

Paris Fashion Week - Junko Shimada Fall 16

Think : Paris meets Japan. The nonchalant parisian meets the traditional well-raised Japanese. You then meet Junko Shimada, and this season, she brought with her her tartan queens. 

With the tartan warriors lining a walkway in the centre of high-ceiling almost ballroom-like setting, an exhibition was given to us of a clashing of print vs. material, modernity and traditional, with an essence of playfulness and humour. As an audience, we were led to see a story, with an end production of a running greeting us at the finish line - a scene of dancing females in their Shimada, playful and uncaring, as any young female should be. 

The prints played on the idea of Twiggy-esque era, with accompanying white peter-pan collars, A-line hemlines and pea coat companions. In a twist away from nalstagia, our warriors were adorned in draped, well cut silhouettes, biker chic tarten jackets adding pencil skirt and flared pant stories. As if to show a nod towards the future, texture and style arose in the form of leather meeting wool, with several looks adding to the buyability of the collection.

The walk-through of the presentation gave the idea of telling a story, of past, present and future, of fashion history and cut, and how the classic symbol of tartan could be reworked in a fashion history manner, and how it could be modernised to dress the girl of the 21st century - maybe it is Shimada's traditional routes that made her think of a way in which a classic element could be reworked, maybe it was the want of bringing worldwide fashion to a city of such tradition and history that created the installation of tartan queens. But with scottish highland routes (note: highland dance shoes dressed every foot of our girls) meeting british London  60's, meeting Japanese draping, it is hard to say that Shimada is one dimensional. 

The transformation of the old into the new, "Today better than yesterday and tomorrow less than today! I hate looking back to the past" Shimada could't be more true. 

Paris Fashion Week - Veronique Branquinho Fall 16

They stalked the catwalk like the ghouls and ghosts found in the grave yard at midnight - defending themselves in an array of sequins, utilitarianism and chiffon - the utilitarian Glamazon Goths of Veronique Branquinho. One could be fooled into think that Paris and Fashion Week equates to extravagent beauty and ultimately the "Je Ne Sais Quoi" that Paris is known for. Think Again. 

We took our places, and the lights went down. Suddenly, the atmosphere was set by the a gong. And there they were. Two skulking runway models walked down in floor length tunics, accompanied by what can only be described as Elizabethan neck collars, with faces as white as death and hair loosely flying around the face. In a twist to the primarily gothic beginning aesthetic, sequins embellished the idea of victorian horror, turning it on its head and making death seem glamorous. 

In a nod to monk robes, hoods laid over the models heads, creating a shadow over their already white faces, religion against fashion.. a contrast heavily noted through runway history. Chiffon and mesh floated around the models movements as they stalked the whitened floor, masking the glitter of black sequins that added a modern dimension to the embracement of religion. 

And then, look 16. A change in tone, a change in feel, death embrace utilitarian, an aesthetic of camouflage and ease progressed the collection. But the idea of death and creating a disguise that is ready for battle, what were these ghouls fighting against? Slowly, camouflage developed into muted navy and grey tones, a splash of leapard print here, a silk ribbon there, suddenly our girls were the "every woman", the woman of the countryside building a life with her family. A essence of 'buyability', but nontheless developed, could it be Branquinho showing an awareness of the current industry development into the idea of being wearable? 

This idea only lingered for a few seconds however, as once again, the aesthetic moved forward into neatural tones of cream and white, a collision of both the past and the future, with sleeveless bomber jackets opposing white, chiffon blouses and floor length skirts. Elizabeth in sports mode. 

To conclude, our girls walked to their ending, dressed back into their black and sheer mesh and chiffon, but this time, built and layered, as if they have become stronger and have an experience to tell from their very first walk. 

Could it be that Branquinho wished to show the developement of the woman through history? From an era of murder and religion, to a time of ease and tranquility, to a idea of futurism and glamour? Were we the audience of a trip through history, embodied into garment creation? One will never know, as what exists in a designer's mind is that of what story books try so hard to portray. But here's to you Branquinho and your haunting Utilitarian Glamazons of Paris. 

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2016/ready-to-wear/veronique-branquinho

"well, it's fashion week"

I have not deserted you my lovely readers (those who i harass on social media to read these pieces). Whilst maintaining four design projects, I am yet again part of the magic of Fashion Week, and for the first time, Paris Fashion Week. The same feel of excitement and anticipation took over the city on Monday, as the bloggers set their aim on the streets of the 8th and 1st Arrondisement, as street photographers got out of their Uber's to the first backstage area of the first show of the season.. Paris Fashion Week is here. 

To those outside of the fashion hemisphere, it is merely a normal week, despite a few long limbed creatures being seen to stalk the streets with a pair of high heels in one hand an a black book entitled "storm models" in the other. But for us - us as in, the hungry fashion students, the illustrators, the "going to be someone"'s, the bloggers and street photographers, this is the one week in which we experience that buzz of excitement and happiness of the industry we have decided to embark upon. It is the one week in London, New York, Milan and Paris, where we happily see the like-minded individuals (friends in other words) that we know understand what we're going through - they also know the big pond/small fish analogy of the fashion industry. Fashion week. 

However, this season, I have seen a change in the industry, and have seen the world we work hard for, from a different view. There are two different types of fashion industry individuals - those who work in the industry, and spend seven days a week working towards an end goal, be it a midnight deadline, an opportunity to shoot backstage, the contract to work with a renowned company, the dream of presenting a collection to Anna Wintour. And I admire this group of people, I try my best to be one of them and I am grateful for any opportunity that is given to me that will allow me to progress. 

But there always remains the question of this week, the reality of it and the second group of people. This week is the one week that street style photographers are in their prime - but so are those that will wear the unwearable to have their photo taken and to get into fashion shows without a ticket or a name. There also remains the darker side of the idea of "Fashion Week" where it is a marketing technique for other industries, such as the nightlife industry, in which if you are not "someone" or a model, you cannot get into the "Fashion Week" nights. With Paris Fashion Week being established in 1973, under the French Fashion Federation, it's hard to believe that the originators saw the idea of showing the recent designers collections to press and buyers, as an almost circus for "everyone is anyone." 

No one is exempt from Fashion Week - everyone has the opportunity to be part of it, be it as dressers, as students wishing to write about it, as illustrators, as photographers, stylists, bloggers. But we need to remember the true magic of Fashion Week - the magic of the Fashion and the celebration of it. It should be for the love of the industry that makes that young girl at 15 years old say to her mum "I want to be a fashion designer". After all, it is the prime time to experience this industry. It's Fashion Week.