Age Of Innovation

Hussein Chalayan is one of those elusive designers who manages to create things that, season after season, leave one flabbergasted. A wooden coffee table/skirt hybrid, LED-lit sheaths and self-transforming robot dresses are just a few examples of ideas that have blossomed in the Cyprus-native’s mind.

Now in its final days of display, Hussein Chalayan: Fashion Narratives at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris pays tribute to a true fashion visionary. Comprised of past collections, installations, fashion shows, projections and research, the exhibition is as multi-layered as the CSM graduate’s work itself.

Even having to book an overpriced, last-minute ticket on the Eurostar seems like a small price to pay when you have the opportunity to spend an afternoon inside the mind of Chalayan the Great.

Hussein Chalayan: Fashion Narratives is at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris until December 11th.

lesartsdecoratifs.fr
husseinchalayan.com

A Reel Take On Fashion

From Edith Head’s designs for Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds to Audrey Tautou portraying one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary couturiers in Coco Before Chanel, fashion and film have enjoyed a well-documented and fascinating relationship.

On screen, clothing embodies the unscripted role of sculpting characters – would Cruella De Vil be as villainous without her floor-length fur coats? Clothes create unforgettable moments such as Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy little black dress outside Tiffany’s, adding to the aesthetic vision of a director – could one imagine Margot Tenenbaum in anything but her heavy eyeliner and preppy polo dresses?

Creative arts platform Test’s series of monthly film screenings and talks mark an intriguing new chapter in the genre. Accompanied by an introduction and Q&A with designer Roksanda Ilincic, the latest motion picture up for discussion will be Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter starring Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde.

More than simply a night of stylish cinema, the event is a testament to the lasting power and iconicity of fashion in film.

Test Presents…The Night Porter Introduced By Roksanda Ilincic takes place at Town Hall Hotel & Apartments, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF on December 13 at 7:00 pm.

testmag.co.uk
townhallhotel.com

Virtual Valentino For Twin Magazine Blog

This week marked the launch of The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, an archive of over 5000 images, videos and sketches set up in a three-dimensional palazzo landscape.

The fashion lover’s dream of a virtual maze, the tour animates the history of the Valentino empire, as well as the story behind the creation of the 79-year-old’s most iconic pieces. An ode to the lifework of the couturier who retired in 2008, the application is an engaging and fascinating look at one of the Twentieth Century’s most legendary designers. As breathtaking as one of Garavani’s designs in real life, Valentino gone virtual proves why fashion and technology make the perfect mix.

The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum is available for download here

Mercury By Ariana Reines On A Shaded View On Fashion Blog

 

Read my article on the stupendous work of Ariana Reines here.

A Shaded View On Fashion

In case you aren't reading the amazing blog by Diane Pernet already, please feel free to pop on over and read my two posts on Blue Rabbit By Mira and Angus & Soest here.

Female Fortitude

Check out my post on French activist JR's film Women Are Heroes on the Twin blog here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

The Monroe Factor

Check out my article on Marilyn Monroe for Twin Magazine's blog here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Vivian Maier

Read my piece on photographer Vivian Maier here.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Pretty Visitors

 

Check out my interview with the wonderful Madeline of the Tumblr Pretty Visitors.

Image via twinfactory.co.uk

Days Of Del Rey & A Rossi Revival

No overnight YouTube success can sing a tune quite like Lana Del Rey. Ever the DIY recording star, the 24-year-old’s self-edited clip of debut single Video Games has garnered over 2 million hits and spawned the album Born To Die, set for release in early 2012.

The New Yorker, whose stage name is derived from a combination of film noir actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey automobile, cites Nirvana and Biggie Smalls as two of her biggest musical influences. It is through this combination of retro nostalgia and catchy lyrics such as “you fit me better than my favourite sweater” that the artist also known as Lizzy Grant evokes the days of Sixties sirens singing in small jazz club venues, served with a 21st Century twist.

Del Rey kicks off her UK tour on November 4th in Manchester. It will be the chance to prove to her critics what we already know: she doesn’t just meet the hype surrounding her persona; she exceeds it.

The double single Video Games/Blue Jeans is out now.
lanadelrey.com

The Sergio Rossi boutique re-opening on Saturday was the perfect continuation of the shoe brand’s ethos: elegant decadence.

Inspired by feminity and the world of screen icons, the new flagship store displays creative director Francesco Russo’s designs including pony skin ankle boots, crystal embellished stilettos and fur pom-pom adorned sandals in an Art Deco-styled interior.

With guests including Georgia May Jagger, Roisin Murphy, Dinos Chapman, Liberty Ross and Erin O’ Connor having already given the beautifully decorated space their seal of approval, it’s safe to say that all Londoner shoe fetishists have found themselves a new mecca.

Sergio Rossi, 207A Sloane Street, SW1 X9QXsergiorossi.com