THE STORY OF THE VELVET ROPE

ELIE SAAB






Beautiful chiffon is seasoned with iridescent beads and dishevelled across the body, from the bust line to the waist, blowing gently as the model walks the runway. She floats as the lights above move over her, hopelessly lost on the model's silhouette, that is until the velvet rope arrives. Velvet made of woven tufted fabric, chosen in a mineral turquoise, is the unlikely hero sent to rescue her. She soon sits still, as she is softly fastened in at the waist, by a ribbon of velour. On the surface of the dress, the rough begins to dance with the smooth. They soon move as one; taking shade, beneath the ribs in a carmine red. Chiffon and her lustrous beads are no longer lost; once again free to roam the landscape of a woman's frame, all thanks to the velvet rope.

HANGING ONTO THE FUTURE

Over at Balenciaga, they decided to sneak in a few non-traditional fall looks this season. Leaving blouses un-tucked amid prep school knits and unruly miniskirts; elongating the shoulders with pencil straight sleeves, then hole-punching yesterday's newspaper into a halter. Nicolas Ghesquiere was up to his old tricks, creatively fusing today's fashion with tomorrow's vision; canvassing fashion's future in crisp neon white and electric shock blue. Colour blocking platform shoes the colour of sliced cantaloupe and grated coconuts; but beware of the angry wooden hanger in your wardrobe, once it's been stood up by these finely stitched metallic tint cropped jackets, sure to cuddle with your shoulders instead this autumn. Yes, finally a moment in fall fashion, where trying something new didn't come with a "maybe I shouldn't have" afterthought; how exciting.

A/W 2010

Anna Wintour, more than a petite frame used to charm Oscar De La Renta dresses, more than a flawless fringe that was sharp enough to cut pieces for Marc Jacobs' Ready-To-Wear collections. Even more than a pair Chanel sunglasses with folded arms, that slouched with a sedated look at the front row of every fashion week; this was a woman that sniggered at mediocrity and put boring out of business. The covers of American Vogue were forever changed by her, now it was highbrow fantasy, originality and fun; certainly a scandal to those that said the "short necks" or screen sirens if you prefer, only belonged on the cover of Hollywood billboards. But Anna begged to differ. Replacing the question mark at the end of the phrase "Vogue can do this?" with an exclamation mark "Vogue can do this!"

Editor-In-Chief, was just a tough nick name she earned on her way to the top floor of the Vogue office, but to those who knew her well, she was the ultimate "middleman in a Chanel miniskirt". She fixed up John Galliano with Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs with Donald Trump, she even discovered Alexander Wang, who gave us that perfect dose minimalism that we craved each season. AW had strength of mind you could only find in a woman, this gave her the passion and guts she needed to spot talent and creativity. You can't think of Vogue magazine without thinking of Anna Wintour and even if you tried, you wouldn't get any further than the editor's page inside.

A CHEAT SHEET FOR WOMEN ONLY!

July was very long and hot, but Autumn is finally here! Take a breather

and have a stop over at Shopholic.become.co.uk

and check out a fun weekend read!

How to keep a man in Style this Autumn!

THE CAT'S MEOW

It didn't take long for Miuccia Prada to steal that ball of yarn away from kitty to make her beloved S/S 2010 Collection. And by the time she finished, we were all purring for the prints that she left on these soft nose platforms, covered in a smooth satin skin, that easily pawed their way into our wardrobes this season. With colours like cotton candy pink and buttermilk brown, she toyed with our imaginations; kissing the foreheads of our feet in diamonds and crystals. Skinny straps and charming buckles sweetly embraced, at the neck of the ankle. Cat got your tongue yet? It was only natural after being left speechless by the beauty of each and every pair that came down the runway. The perfect heels made for the fussy feline who liked to be at least 4inches off the ground.This was the cat's meow of Miu Miu, that soothingly moaned after the affection of shoe lovers everywhere.

GOT YOU BY THE SKIN

JENEIL WILLIAMS

BEGINNERS LUCK: SUSY BROWN

This is the story of Susy Brown and her dresses and how they both whispered into my heart, a secret about staying in love with fashion. Who would turn down a dance with pleats that could frolic all the way down to the knee in cerulean blue; or even the subtlety of a scoop neck with long sleeves? Not I said the cat, who had been visually pampered by the comfortable yet dramatic designs of SB. I could not have been the only one lucky enough to discover this secret, surely there had to have been others at Graduate Fashion Week, eagerly ease dropping on her beautiful collection too.

THEN AFTER THE TEXT MESSAGE...CAME THE INTERVIEW

GETTING THE RAW MATERIAL


LG: Tell me about the inspiration behind your graduate collection.

SB: My initial inspiration was the anatomy and structure of bird skeletons. Specifically there is a Victorian cabinet at the Natural History Museum, which breaks a bird down into component parts. It's a bit gruesome but it really helped to inform my ideas on silhouette, colour and texture.

LG: That is simply brilliant. It's obvious that fashion is really special to you, can you share with me why?

SB: I think fashion is so important to me because it can bring people alive. Clothes show the outside who we are on the inside; the ability to devise garments that can inspire and ignite someone's imagination seems like something really special.

LG: When you put it like that it sounds very special indeed. So now onto your first, what was the first thing that you ever designed?

SB: I'm not really sure what the first thing I ever designed was. I remember making my first dress with my mum's help when I was about 10; it was purple cotton with a square gypsy neckline and puffed sleeves.


CUTTING THE CLOTH

LG: What has been your most challenging moment as a designer?

SB: Without a shadow of a doubt my hardest moment was the decision to redesign my whole final collection with 2 weeks left to make it. It was an insane decision as it meant pattern cutting, toiling and making my whole collection from scratch, but I managed it and I know it was the right decision to make.

LG: Well I am certainly glad to hear that. Now skipping a step or two, what advice can you give to other young designers now that you are in your final stage?

SB: Stick to your guns and trust your gut feelings; trust your own tastes and don't try and replicate anyone else's.

HER GUILTY PLEASURES

LG: So what's your GP?...your Guilty Pleasure that is.

SB: Dresses with volume. I'm really drawn to the movement of fabric and the way a fabric behaves, so I always enjoy designing a garment which allows the fabric to do the talking, which I guess is why voluminous and full dresses are my go-to design.

LG: That sounds lovely, so memorable. Speaking of something memorable, can you tell me of something of your mother's that you loved and admired?

SB: The smell of Diorella always makes me think of my mum at her most glamorous. It only came out on the most special of occasions, but the smell always takes me back to the most vivid early childhood memories of my mum in sheer black tights, a black polo neck wool dress, a small beaded black clutch bag and mid height black velvet heels.

LG: Bring it back, bring it back! So Susy, who and what do you want brought
back into fashion?

SB: I don't think there has ever been a chicer image than Helmet Newton's photo of Yves Saint Laurent's "le smoking" trouser suit. I 'd definitely bring back razor sharp trousers suits. It's such a powerful version of femininity.

LG: Ok very nice! I love YSL as well. Now, let's do a quick wardrobe check,
fill in the blanks:

During the day you can catch me in ______.
Then later on that night I'm wearing______.

SB: During the day you can catch me in tight jeans and a smocky top. Jewellery, lots!
Then later on that night I'm wearing heels and a dress!

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD

LG: Ok I will wrap it up, but first tell me, is there anything you want to add?

SB: Just that I am in a scary but also an exciting place at the moment. It's strange to leave my degree behind, but that I'm really looking forward to any possibilities and opportunities that are hopefully in the future.

OLD BLUE EYES

Women can pout with their lips, but can they pout with their eyes? Designers Viktor & Rolf sure do think so. In their S/S 2010 Collection, they showed women everywhere just how to, with deep overshadows and under shadows that prolonged across the face; keeping the eyes quiet and cool in a glacial blue. Providing a smooth contrast between the edges of the face and slick back hair; next subduing a woman's jaw line into a blue and melancholy mystique. Smoothly extending the distance between eyebrows and eyelashes; then sweeping around almond shaped eyes, while powdering the brow bone in soft blends of pool side blue. Finally, going on to bath young skin in moisturising tones, as colour gently filled into the crevices of the eye. This was the ultimate way to maximize a woman's 20/20, who ever thought that Viktor & Rolf could do it all this season, with just a couple strokes from a make-up brush.