The Far East is taking over-whether it be in economic terms or in fashion.But you probably all know this already.
As it's power continues to dominate the world and what we consume,designers will be inevitably attracted towards the mystique and exoticism that the Far East offers-and have been so,in the past,no later than 2004-2005-2006 and in numerous shows for spring or fall of 2011.Venues with Chinoiserie inspired elegance have been chosen,as was the case for Rodarte,and balls with Chinoiserie as themes,such as the Frick Gala,all show that the burgeoning Far East movement is taking over.
Venue for the Rodarte Show
The Frick Gala
Fashion knowledge:One of the most influential collections that really changed the direction of fashion was Fall 2004 Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche,under Tom Ford.He was inspired by the collection that really started the Chinoiserie movement from Yves Saint Laurent himself in 1977-although the latter's collection didn't receive as much critical acclaim as others,Tom Ford revolutionized the way that the Western woman would dress,with considerable influence from the East,adopting traditional Chinese craft techniques and prints yet revamping it to make it sexier.
Rive Gauche is YSL's attempt to 'democratize' fashion-that is,the Rive Gauche collections were designed to be more accessible to younger women.
For the Spring 2011 Louis Vuitton Campaign the models were seen in Eastern inspired clothing:
I LOVE the fan.Even if you don't want to adopt Chinoiserie full on,the fan is a must have.
The Louis Vuitton Spring Collection had an obvious oriental flavour:cheongsams, with other traditional pieces, have been restyled to alta moda perfection-even though it is the ready to wear collection.The show was in perfect contradiction to stark minimalism.
Ralph Lauren also had Chinese inspired clothing at his Fall 2011 show.This definitely had more wearable pieces than Louis Vuitton-sharp tailoring,with emphasis on satin,the ubiquitous red,accompanied by more dramatic ensembles,often with dragon print.
Of course,the question now is "How do I wear this??"
You can opt for the more discreet approach of wearing Eastern inspired jewelery or accessories.
Jade,coral and gold are always a good place to start-you can wear them as earrings,rings,in a necklace,bracelet,broche etc.
You could always buy a clutch with gold embroidery,or preferably, in that red with gold or black detailing,or with Chinese motifs.
Now for the clothes:
There are many directions that you can take,but the main ones are:
1.Either you go for a more minimalist but still Orient inspired clothing,as shown by the first few outfits in the Ralph Lauren Fall 2011 show.
2.Or,you go maximalist as in the case of Louis Vuitton.
If you go for option 1:
This is incredibly versatile,and you must concentrate on the fabric.Try a rather loose but still structured matte white blouse,paired with black trousers that have some sheen in them,preferably made out of something resembling satin or silk,with red pumps,and a red tote.Dead simple,dead chic.
With the right accessories,this look can go from work to after hours:Keep accessories to minimum during the day,add a couple of red or gold bracelets and earrings,as well as a statement ring or necklace,and you are ready for the night.
Make-up is important:I would suggest,to keep with the whole Chinoiserie theme,red lipstick and keep the rest bare and fresh.You can't have two statement features-it's either the eyes or the lips.
Another option is layers;Try a long kimono inspired jacket(printed,if you can),with silk or satin trousers,paired with a neutral blouse,and long necklaces,with statement bangles.
For option 2:
Be wary-this look is too powerful to be worn for the day.If you are going to wear a cheongsam or qipao,pay attention to how it drapes your body-if you have a bigger bust or bum,this especially applies to you-because if the fabric is too tight on the chest or on your bum it will cease to look elegant,and become garish.Try something that doesn't button up but has an amazing collar.
Otherwise,it's an amazing cocktail look to have.Very few styles of clothing can give this amount of chic drama.
For amazing pieces, go to Beautes de Chine, or visit the more traditional quarters of China Town.
The Royal Wedding.
Unless you have decided to live in total seclusion with no TV,radio or whatever,you know that today is the big day:Prince William finally marries Kate Middleton!
That means fashion,and lots of it,from the dresses,to the hats,to the shoes etc,it will be an event watched by around a billion viewers,and covered by all the major channels.
British Vogue dedicated an entire issue to the royal wedding,with stunning shots by Mario Testino.
Parties are happening around the UK as I write.If there was such a celebration in Mauritius,I would wear my beige blouse from Dharna Hassija-it really is an absolute treasure of mine,being so intricately detailed yet soft,and my black vintage skirt with a small slit,paired with neutral pumps.
Of course,as such an event doesn't exist here to my knowledge,I'll probably spend the day in Laurence Tavernier pajamas watching the event on E!.
My Week-What I've seen,heard and up to.
The biggest rising star I've seen so far is a photographer named Karen Pang.This is someone who has direction,inspiration,and real,raw talent.Extraordinary,powerful pictures.Visit karenpang.carbonmade.com and I'm sure you will agree.No other photographer has managed to imbue a sense of forgotten glamour revamped to present day on our streets-in her album aptly named "These Streets".It reminded me of some elements in November Vogue Germany 2009's issue where Alexi Lubomirski captured the glamour of 1920s Indochina-a sense of beauty in a distant time.That's how talented she is-and only aged 18.My personal favourite-although all her albums are stunning and one can spend hours just looking at the photos-is Oracular Spectacular.Here,she teams up with one of the most beautiful Mauritian models,Anne Lise Ramooloo,and the two best make-up artists,Jo-Ann Regnard and Valerie Lee,for an incredibly moving,powerful display of the magnificence,glamour and sensuality of a woman.Anne Lise transforms herself from human to an ethereal,out of this world being,keeping the vulnerability and sensual aspects of a woman,yet becoming a sort of majestic creature from another world,filled with emotion that pours over each photo.Karen Pang has captured all this in all its glorious splendor.
On photographers,the amazing Emma Grigoryan has her 7 Fairies of Mauritius exhibition from the 5th(invitation only) to the 15th of May-you must absolutely go and check it out.When I see her complete masterpieces I shall of course comment on them too-the photos you can see on Facebook are already extraordinary,and I can't wait to see them at Caudan.
Check my Events tab for details-there are a couple of events from the fashion,art and photography world coming up.Last Friday,Sanjeet Bolell and Samuel Yeung unveiled some of their designs at Phoenix Les Halles, in an event named 'Fashion Night Out'-I know,the name was taken directly from the original and amazing Fashion Night's Out Events that are held,but forgive us,the fashion industry here is only just starting out.Actually,I'm going to digress a little here.The only fashion magazine we have here is Essentielle,and that is owned by a newspaper/media company.I think they wanted to imitate what Conde Nast have done.Essentielle,as such,isn't exactly what you would call fashion centered- it focuses more on the woman, such as typical woman questions and so on,and heaps of interviews from the personalities of the day.In fact,apart from their photo shoots-once again,I don't understand how they can have contracts with only one agency here,no magazine runs like that-and their style on the streets sort of thing is a direct ripoff from French Elle-with the little boxes and the "On aime","On adore" thing.No coverage of international fashion shows or models.I'm here for that anyway.
Back to the point.You can check out the article about the show on www.lexpress.mu .Pardon the use of corny terms "sous les feux des projecteurs"(honestly!) and a fashion show that isn't exactly constituted with people sitting down,a proper runway,and proper models.My article on modeling in Mauritius was written some weeks back,so international viewers can refer to that if you don't understand why fashion shows are more a spectacle than an actual,serious business here in most cases.
But otherwise,I think that the clothes were OK.They have the education and knowledge,and also are interested in the international fashion community.What will help them enormously is that no-one will give them bad press-there are no fashion critics here.So they will evolve,maybe make mistakes,and find their way without having to endure,say,what up and coming designers have to in New York or London.In addition to them never getting bad press,the media will try and turn them into local "celebrities" as is the case now.It will be interviews a go-go,photos,videos.So that will boost their sales,and help our fashion industry.Of course,everyone reading this has understood the darker side of what may happen to them with no criticism (coming from critics that are in the international community)-the work could suffer,they may become big-headed.Let's just hope they keep themselves grounded and remember that the most important thing is their work.
And the final of Elite Model Look is on Friday night.Incredibly,there has been no news whatsoever on the finalists this year,or their journey through the competition.It has international prestige-treat it with a little more respect,Mauritian media.
I have also finished reading Madame Bovary and Socrates by Xenophon.Amazing books,go and read them.
Madame Bovary,especially,profoundly shook me and made me laugh-Flaubert's portrayal of la bourgeoisie is both accurate,hilarious,and quite dark,especially towards the end of the novel.
Have a great weekend and week,people
xoxo
Alex
