Happy Easter!

I'm taking off for my cottage tomorrow so I want to wish everyone a happy Easter and to enjoy the long weekend.

To celebrate one of my favourite holidays (because mini eggs are involved) here are some awesome fashion photos that are kind of Easter/rabbit related. Cheesy? Yes, but who cares. It's Easter!

Alice falling down the rabbit hole (with Tom Ford.)

Emily Blunt + couture = I DIE

From Vanity Fair magazine; photography by Michael Roberts.

Emily Blunt is doing promotion for her new film, The Young Victoria, in which she plays the late Queen. Fitting then that she model the Paris couture collections: Dior, Givenchy, Gaultier, Valentino, Lacroix, Chanel and Armani.

I love how she is playing a princess/debutante getting ready for a ball. And men tying up her corset! Wonder how Queen Victoria would react to that?

I have a soft spot for historical movies and books so the setting here in what could only be a Parisian chateau has me really excited.

This Dior dress is stunning. So many layers and colours. This photo is so romantic and whimsical.



Getting ready to catch a King.

Are they doing up or untying her corset?



"Let him eat cake!"

"Oh, this old thing? I found it at the back of my closet."


Who needs ladies-in-waiting when you can have hot men at your beck and call?

Just another typical day of trying on the most fabulous shoes in the country.


"You may kiss my hand."


More:

There Will be Beauty

Royal fashion

Lately I've been obsessed with the Tudor and French Revolution eras and have been holing myself up in my room reading biographies of Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette.

I recommend this book if you want to know more about Queen Anne and this book about the Queen of France.

These two periods of time excite not only because of the fascinating history of the Kings and Queens of Europe, but also because of the way people dressed. The style (and I'm referring to what the royals and nobility wore) from the Tudor period (1485-1603 in England) was very different from the time of Marie Antoinette (late 1700s) in France; but both periods were obsessed with luxury including lavishly detailed gowns for the ladies and plenty of jewelry.

But it was the French court that was envied by everyone, including England. France has always been known for its style and it really began with Louis XIV and then Marie Antoinette; both knew that clothes were a symbol of power and wealth. And ultimately, it was their love for luxury that brought the French court literally to their knees with the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette

Last week I came across this article about a clothing exhibition at the palace of Versailles in France. The exhibition is called "Court pomp and royal ceremonies: court dress in Europe 1650-1800" which attempts to recreate the clothes from the 17th and 18th century in France.
The article mentions that "ironically, nothing remains of the garments worn by the French sovereigns."

Here's why:

This was not just due to the destruction wreaked by the Revolution, but because of the habit of the French royals of handing down their clothes as they went out of fashion to their ladies and gentlemen in waiting, who transformed them or sold them on, many eventually ending up in rag shops in Paris.

Some more snippets:

But special ceremonies aside, Louis XIV is credited with simplifying male dress by authorising courtiers to adopt the long jacket and fitted breeches which they wore to go hunting as everyday wear, the ancestor of the modern suit, says Pascale Gorguet-Ballesteros, deputy curator of the exhibition.

Nevertheless it still cost a fortune to cut a fine figure at Versailles.

No woman could appear at court until she had been formally presented, and a presentation outfit could cost up to 3,000 livres -- the currency of the time -- "for the total look", says Gorguet-Ballesteros. "A weaver with a wife and two children in Paris could live on 340 livres a year."

The account books kept by Marie Antoinette's favourite supplier Rose Bertin bear witness to the astronomical sums aristocrats owed -- and often never settled -- for their finery. A canny businesswoman, Bertin circulated dolls dressed in the latest Versailles fashions for clients to place orders, long before models and catwalk shows.

Marie Antoinette

I then came across these shoes:




I can't decide whether the Louboutins are atrocious are awesome. What do you think?
It would take a special kind of woman to wear these; either she is super confident and wants to have fun with them or she's going to a halloween party. I don't know. Kind of kitsch?

They are a limited edition, inspired by Marie Antoinette. Here is an invite to preview the collection:

I think it's the gigantic head that turns me off. It's a bit morbid knowing that the Queen's head was cut off and now it's stuck on an overpriced shoe. But it makes me giggle too. Vive La Reine!



And just for kicks here's my favourite picture of Kristen Dunst as Marie Antoinette in the movie.

For more royal fashion readings check out:

Dressed to rule: Royal and Court Costume from Louis XIV to Elizabeth II

Queen Of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century

Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Fashion in Detail

The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th-Century Dress

The emperor has arrived

I went to a screening of Valentino The Last Emperor last September for the Toronto International Film Festival. When the movie finished, the crowd of about 1000 people gave the designer a 10-minute standing ovation. The day after, I interviewed Valentino, his partner Giancarlo and the film's director, Matt Tyrnauer who's also a writer for Vanity Fair.

It was probably the highlight of my career meeting one of fashion's most influential; picking his brain about retirement, how fashion has changed since he started and what it was like being filmed for two years; I was shaking from nervousness and excitement.

And for a bit of self-promotion, my Valentino article is in the current issue of Naked Eye magazine so pick one up today!

Moving on.

Cathy Horyn did a great interview with the director that I have to share.

Some great quotes:

That’s the thing, nobody ever sees the real Valentino. I told him before we started, “You’ve got to let loose a little bit and take a chance. Otherwise, you’ll seem over-privileged and unsympathetic and not human.” He didn’t want to hear it. He would listen to me for one second. I gave him the same talk, director to star, for a couple of years. You know, when Valentino and Giammetti first saw the movie they freaked out. They weren’t prepared. I had a contract that gave me final cut—a very hard-won contract. I wouldn’t have made the movie without it. I think it’s a warts-and-all portrait, but you see the warm soul of Valentino.

I think Valentino was ambivalent about retiring. One day he’d wake up and say, “Enough of this.” And then that evening he’d change his mind again. You know that he and Giammetti are Olympic mind-changers. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like. It can range from the type of pasta at lunch to a round-the-world trip that will be rescheduled minutes before takeoff.

We had to really plan and know what they were doing—and they don’t tell you what they’re doing. And when they know what they’re doing, they change their minds five minutes later. That was an enormous challenge. Then we’d get to Rome. I would go to see Giancarlo first in his office—that Italian dictator-size office—and he’d come in. They’re always trussed up in ties and perfectly fitted suits. I’d greet Giancarlo, and by this point he is someone I know extremely well. And he’d say, “Hello, my darling. So tell me what brings you to Rome?” Meanwhile there would be 15 metal cases in the hallway, a soundman, producers. Of course, Giancarlo knew what he was doing. I love the Italians more than any other people, but they have their ways. And both of them have the Italian terror of seeming overly eager. So we would have this minuet at the beginning of every shoot about the very fact of shooting. It was almost an existential thing.

The film is now opening in major cities in the U.S. such as New York, L.A., San Francisco and Chicago. To see more cities and show dates go here.
The PR company representing the film contacted me and wanted me to share with you guys that they have a huge announcement coming up so stay tuned!

I don't know whether it will be showing in Canada but if it does open here, I really insist that you go see it because it is a beautiful film.

Here are some pics of Valentino and Gwyneth Paltrow at the film's screening in NY.



More:

Valentino: The man, the movie, the party

Valentino the interview: continued

Valentino The Last Emperor

More Valentino The Last Emperor

Want it. Need it. Can't have it.

Kate Moss for TopShop Wing Jacket


Top Shop launched its first store in the States today; another good excuse for me to visit NYC. Pun, you listening? I'm going with you when you're apartment hunting!

But anyway- the jacket. I have a thing for fairies so for me, this is the holy grail of all jackets. I love the 3/4-sleeves and the short length of it. And it's leather! Perfect to wear to work and for a night on the town. Please, oh, please TopShop come to Canada!

Here are some more views:



It's hard to tell from the photos but the wings have beading on them which gives it a bit of sparkle. I'll be trolling about ebay for this one.

What inspires you more?

This:

Or this:

This:


Or this:


This:


Or this:



This:



Or this:

This:
Or this:


This:


Or this:

This:

Or this:



Continuing the theme of yesterday's post about how influential style bloggers are; I've picked two of my favourites: fashion toast and karla's closet and compared them to American fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Vogue.

Which ones did you pick as the most inspiring?

For me, nine times out of 10, the style blogs win. Don't get me wrong; the magazine photos are beautiful but they aren't nearly as exciting and fresh as the bloggers.

Independent bloggers are free to be their most creative and experimental. Even if something looks totally wrong, it's still cool to look at. Usually they are spot-on with their clothing and accessory choices because they aren't slaves to trends and seasons. They don't wear couture or designer clothes; they wear vintage and finds from Top Shop, Forever 21 and the flea market. Their styling makes us sartorially-challenged folk see how we can dress fashionably without spending a fortune on clothes.

When I look at Rumi's (fashion toast) latest outfit adventures, I go "ah! So I can pair that navy military blazer with jean shorts, tights and high boots and it will actually work on me!" I don't get relevations like that when I'm looking at the pages of Vogue.
When I look at fashion magazines I see beautiful photographs that I love looking at but they don't inspire me or help me dress better.

Fashion bloggers make me see that I shouldn't be afraid to experiment with clothing and accessories. They give me hope!

(Pictures from karla's closet, fashion toast and the fashion spot)

Now here are some magazine photos I can enjoy

From April's French Vogue.

Don't care for the clothes but the photos make me giggle. Maybe it has something to do with my dislike of babies.
Are you offended by it? Sure it's tongue-in-cheek but Carine Roitfeld loves poking fun at taboos. Remember the PETA editorial? At the time I found that spread offensive, but I've grown to appreciate it. Only in France can magazines get away with photos like this. In the States they would be all "the horror!"
I find it funny and refreshing.






More: French Vogue and Ambivalent Modern Motherhood


(Pics: Jezebel)

Fashion magazines: next on the endangered list?

For the past few months I have practically stopped buying fashion magazines (save for a flurry of mad magazine spending a week ago) and have taken little interest in my subscriptions to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle.
At first I thought it was because I was getting bored with fashion but I realized that that wasn't true because I was (and am) obsessively reading fashion blogs and keeping up-to-date on the latest shows, news and trends online.

I've been thinking a lot about why I don't seem to care about fashion magazines anymore. But the answer is obvious: the internet, stupid!

I wrote about the monotony of (American) fashion mags a while ago; specifically how Vogue was getting boring and stale. After writing that post a few months ago I still find it true that the magazine is uninspiring and dull. I was hoping that in this doom and gloom environment, Vogue would be putting out something more creative and exciting. Now all I do is flip through the pages and yawn.

International magazines fair a bit better; their photographs inspire me and frankly it's the editorials that make me buy them, not the articles. Yet still; I haven't been obsessively collecting every international issue of Vogue, Elle and Harper's every month the way I used to.

It seems that they have run out of ideas; every month it's the same. The pages look the same, the colours are the same, the models' poses are the same; the pages are the same format. I swear sometimes that Elle and Harper's Bazaar are the exact same magazine.
And I'm sick of the non-fashionable celebrities on the cover.

To borrow the diagram from blogger Style Amor, you can see how these two mags look so much alike, EVERY MONTH.

And Vogue covers. Don't get me started on those. They might as well be using the same celebrity on every cover because they put them in the same dresses and poses wearing the same facial expression.

However I do realize all the work and creativity it takes to make these magazines and I really respect the editors, photographers and everyone else involved in making the magazines happen. There are many talented people who are putting them together.
But I feel that they have fallen a bit behind the times and I think that it's not just the people who are to blame. I feel that magazines themselves are behind the times.

Why wait for a monthly magazine to tell me what the next trends are when I can go to any one of the amazing style blogs out there like fashion toast, karla's closet, Garance Doré or The Sartorialist? They can predict and style the trends better than Condé Nast. They are the ones who are inspirational, who come up with never-before-seen ideas. I get my inspiration now from these bloggers because they can do whatever they want and don't have the restrictions or the carefully planned editorial that fashion magazines do.
Instead of waiting for a magazine to show me the best of the F/W 09 collections, I can see them as soon as the shows are over when the photos and videos are uploaded on the blogs and style sites. I can see the bags, shoes, jewelry and clothes right after they've hit the runway so I can decide right then whether I want to buy them.

Fashion magazines need to keep up with the blogs and other style sites or else they will lose touch with their readers who are increasingly turning to the internet to get their fashion advice.

So, dear readers: Who do you look to for sartorial advice and news? Magazines or style blogs and sites?