Haute Couture: In a Sketch

The rise of ready-to-wear and mass production has caused haute couture to diminish in demand become more lucrative than ever before. Undoubtedly the most fascinating part of the industry is in the making of couture garments. Churning out ready-to-wear pieces in the face of fickle trends and passing seasons means that sometimes, clothes are simply clothes. There may only be a a handful of women in the world who possess the riches to own and wear haute couture, but each season is anticipated by fashion followers the world over. Couture co-exists in a commingling of fashion and art, or fashion as art, or art in fashion?

There is a technicality to the craftsmanship of couture that is almost mechanical, yet something deeply romantic about the detail - so many fine details. 

Fashion is spectacularly rich when it becomes synonymous with art and British Vogue has collaborated with the Fashion Illustration Gallery to archive a collection of illustrations inspired by designers. 

The illustrations, spanning from the 60s until now, depict some of the most stunning collections in a way that makes the fantasy of couture more tangible for those who can't see it in the flesh. 

I really love David Downton's 2008 Valentino print, and I want every single one of Tanya Ling's pieces to hang in my home forever. 

The full archive of fashion illustrations can be viewed and purchased here. 

(All images credited to Vogue UK and their original artists respectively)

LUST

Céline Pre-Fall 2013

So elegant yet innovative, I love this collection in its entirety.

(TWO THOUSAND AND) THIRTEEN

It can be unanimously agreed upon that 2012 was a phenomenal year. It thrived upon change and almost everyone I know was uprooted from normality and thrust into new beginnings and adventures. Change can be baffling, disconcerting and scary and I think it's then that we can cling to the fashion, art and film to comfort us as it moves just as rapidly as the world does. I stumbled across this post a while ago and I think it resonated with me because our world is thirsting for creative evolution and its happening now: 

"If you had told me 3 years ago that Alexander McQueen would commit suicide leaving his label to (costume designer) Sarah Burton, that John Galliano would be fired for anti-Semitic behavior from not only his own label but also Dior where he would be replaced by Raf Simons - king of minimalism, that Jil Sander would return to Jil Sander, that Kanye West would start his own label showing at Paris Fashion Week, that Margiela would collaborate with H&M, and that ALEXANDER WANG would replace Nicolas Ghesquière at BALENCIAGA

I probably would have said you were on crack." - via dinnerwithannawintour

I've spent the entirety of my summer break working as a tea lady and reading fantasy, fiction and about the ins and outs of the industry I admire above all others - fashion, you're a beautiful thing.

I'll leave you with a cumulative appreciation trail of photos documenting my favourite parts of 2012. 

Grace Coddington on the cover of i-D, such an ethereal beauty with immeasurable talent

My dishevelled creative space where I've often sat up all night fixing disastrous university assignments. Over the summer I've scored a place writing men's fashion features and music/pop culture news at LUNA magazine. Perhaps I'll have to add to my wall of inspiration...

My bedroom is my sanctuary

My days off have been well spent soaking up a little bit of the things I love whilst avoiding the sun

Givenchy 2012 Haute Couture.  

Will and Alena 

Bek and Will 

Chloe Sevigny debuting for Miu Miu. I love vintage tea cups, I love Chloe Sevigny and I love Miu Miu more than most other things in the world. Perfection. 

Happy new year and all the best for 2013.

SILKANDMONEY

SAXONY

Gloriously designed like a catacomb for ridiculously well-dressed people to congregate, Saxony goes beyond its impeccable architect and design.

On the racks that embrace the room from corner to corner hang the emphatic designs of Saxony's latest collections. With moody lighting humming in the background, there's a sense of connectivity with the store.

After circling the store for some time, I came to the definitive conclusion that I needed all of Saxony in my wardrobe. I'm not exaggerating, I was incredulous at the seamless craft of the fabrics, both delicate and heavy. The fairytale ending to my experience at Saxony was turning over the price tag with a thudding heartbeat without wanting to drop dead.

In fact, I take back everything I said about the Karl by Karl Lagerfeld collection being somewhat accessible to style hungry students (ie. wistful and poor). Saxony is where it's at. It's entirely accessible for anyone to pluck pieces from the store's collection for each season and wear it with the collective envy of all those around them.

My only wish is for Saxony is to pop up somewhere in Brisbane to keep me sane until I make my move on Sydney or Melbourne.




All images/videos credited to Saxony

Ellery and Alice

MBFWA S/S 2012 brought about magic that only the threads of fashion can weave together. Tucked away underneath the globe, Australia is sort of the chilled out cousin of fashion week in New York, Paris, Milan and London. A season behind these colossal style capitals, MBFWA is on the cusp of sheer brilliance, particularly after some of the collections that showed this season. For me, the top two designers this season are Ellery and Alice McCall; fabrics so delicate that a feather might outweigh them, flawless design and my style vice - structure!

Kym Ellery's collection was a dream sequence of timeless colours and modern design. McCall's was like a couture twist on a little house on the prairie scenario.

Alice McCall S/S 2012/13

Ellery S/S 2012/13

Absolute, seamless perfection.

KARL WHO?

It's been a phenomenon built up relentlessly by the army of fashion followers around the globe, but not that it's finally here and causing a domino effect of hype, I thought it'd only be fitting to throw my two cents in regarding Karl's collection.


Curated by Chanel's creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, and possibly one of the most iconic men to have graced fashion and design, the collection was prompted by a lust for luxury that is otherwise inhibited by wealth. One article I read bluntly rendered the line one for "the great unwashed". What I'm trying to not-so-eloquently say, is that Karl's collection is one for us paupers; yearning for a sense of luxury, quality and exclusivity when expressing personal style, but who are also trying to scrape through student loans and university degrees unscathed by financial hinderances. 


Do I think the collection has lived up to all the conjured dreams of women around the world? Yes, yes and yes. 


Each piece visually embodies Karl Lagerfeld himself; minimalistic structure and monochromatic colour schemes dashed with a hint of metallic. Perhaps the stand out element of the collection is the masculine femininity (can such a term be coined?) with which the line is crafted. Collars, blazers and tailored pants teamed with models sporting Lagerfeld's statement trends: sleek hair, sunglasses and leather gloves. 


First we had Versace x H&M and now Karl Lagerfeld x Net-A-Porter. Can luxury transcend the runway onto the high street without becoming an abismal trainwreck? I guess us great unwashed can only live in hope.

Images/Video credited to Fashionologie and Net-A-Porter TV

IRIS VAN HERPEN HAUTE COUTURE S/S 2012

Allow me a moment to pause, catch my breath and recollect on the sheer wonderment that graced the catwalk during the Iris Van Herpen S/S 2012. As far as style stands, I am binded to the idea of effortless simplicity, mustered from chic, staple pieces. However once in a while, designers remind us that fashion is not merely the art of crafting and expressing one's sense of style. It's an art form. It comes from the inner musings of a designer's ability to translate dreams, imaginings and depictions of the ethereal into reality. 


Combining industrial materials such as recycled plastic and hand-carved wood with innovative takes on the female silhouette, Van Herpen has created a paradoxical collection which in my own interpretation can be pinned as digital yet dreamlike. Ever-daring and whimsical, Van Herpen's show at the Mercedez-Benz fashion week in Berlin is awe inspiring. From structured ivory to molten metal lustres, the 3D inspired collection is bold in its choice of palette and structure. I'll leave you to froth...

(All images credited to Dazed Digital)