Business of fashion

On Gap, M&S, and the fashion paradox of Dressing Normal



Angelica-Huston-Gap-Dress-Normal

Well, isn’t Gap’s new ‘Dress Normal’ campaign interesting?

As we all know, this year’s buzzword ‘normcore’ is steeped in anony Gap-style dressing, so Gap has nodded to that in its Dress Normal strapline. But don’t expect 90s-tinged bland-chic. Gap’s imagery is far more elevated and beautiful, so we’re shown not normal people (thank God, I’m a bit over normal people), but Hollywood elite types in ‘normal’ situations to represent modern-day Gap.

My favourite is Angelica Huston (top) having a coffee in a gorgeously lit diner situation (as opposed to a normcore Starbucks). (more…)



Fashion meets art: my collection is bigger than yours



LVMH-Frank-Gehry- Fondation-Louis-Vuitton

Nope, still not bored with this year’s fashion-art love affair. Which is just as well as it’s only set to intensify. Late October sees the big reveal of the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton art museum in Paris (above), showcasing the LVMH corporate collection of art. The 126,000 square foot ‘glass cloud’ is rumoured to be the venue for the next Vuitton womenswear show, so expect your Instagram feed to be flooded with art-fashion-architecture amazingess of the highest order… (more…)



THE DRG STYLE INDEX: LOUIS VUITTON, YAHOO, LUCKY, MARC JACOBS



Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. DOVER STREET MARKET LONDON HOSTS ITS FIRST ‘EPHEMERAL’ VUITTON STORE

LOUIS VUTTION-Dover-Street-Market-London

Louis Vuitton has just opened its first London ephemeral store (don’t call it a pop-up)  at Dover Street Market. Stocked with the best bits from Nicolas Ghesquiere’s debut Vuitton collection, this is the first chance to snatch up those covetable (and probably collectible) runway pieces. (more…)



Liberty Best Of British Open Call 2014: top tips



liberty-best-of-british-open-call-2014

I noticed I’m getting a lot of blog traffic from people searching for Liberty Best Of British Open Call. This is the very popular X-Factor-esque competition that Liberty runs to find the next wave of home-produced talent. Alas, registration for this summer’s open call on 30th August is full to capacity, but if you have managed to nab a slot, then do re-read my post from a couple of years ago when I helped judge the fashion entries.

The post includes tips on how to present yourself (you only get a few minutes), price your work, what to research and how to stand out. (more…)