“It is time to straighten ourselves out, we are too slovenly. Everything seems to be allowed, even eating and drinking in a church square while stripped to the waist.”
Giorgio Armani wants his fellow countrymen to smarten up
As Jen at Mahalo fashion bemoans, every drop of interest has been squeezed out of the ’70s so what’s next on the retro rehash front? I hate to say it but the fact cannot be ignored, it’s time for the nineties revival proper. It’s had a couple of false starts, the latest being nu-rave, but I think we can start looking at the 90s revival from a grown-up point of view. As Fashionista reports that 1990s finest alterna-models Kirsten Owen and Stella Tennant are rumoured to be the faces of Marc Jacobs’ fall campaign, I’m thinking the following will start looking fresh now:
Skinny black suit trousers and pointy black ankle boots -very Helmut Lang/Jil Sander, very Alison Mosshart
Spiky kitten heels – Remember when Dolce & Gabbana did these? I can totally see Vicky Beckham working a kitten heel and sheath dress combo
Non-trashy silver: Who can forget Jean Colonna’s silver jeans, silver leather jackets, silver-sprayed Cons?
McQueen’s ‘ugly’ aesthetic – think edgy tailoring, angry walks, intricate details, elaborate shows
Tom Ford for Gucci’s smoky eye and liquid jersey dresses with punky patent boots (wow, was that really 10 years ago?)
Isaac Mizrahi’s AW04 ballskirt and tee combo – legendary!
Joseph – when did it all go wrong with Joseph? I used to lust after those big black slouchy knits like a junior fashionista possessed, not to mention the boyish trouser suits, luxe hoodies and flat-front trousers with trademark stripe up the side
Patrick Cox loafers – I’m still regretting that I could never afford the gold ones. With news that Patrick Cox has been bought by Eddie Davenport, may I suggest they revive these pretty sharpish?
Camel: AW 94/95 = Camel suits at Calvin Klein (complete with chignons and 60s eyeliner), camel Crombie-style coats at Helmut Lang, camel dresses at MaxMara and Ann Demeulemeester (with aforementioned black ankleboots)
1990s models – Supermodels aside, who doesn’t miss the golden greats: Emma Balfour, Bridget Hall, Lorraine Pascale, Kiara, Veronica Webb, Kirsty Hume, Cecilia Chancellor …
1990s photographers: Ellen von Unwerth, David Sims, Juergen Teller, Corinne Day
CK Jeans: That iconic ad is imprinted on my brain!
Agnes B garconne look – admittedly I never stopped rocking this look but I reckon it’s time for it to resurface. Agnes B has been under-the-radar for most of this decade so let’s hear it for the stripy tee, Black picot-edge cardi and beatnik sunnies. PS, old Agnes is opening up shop in Spitalfields Market soon too.
Pics:
CK One
CK One
Emma Balfour in iD
Juergen Teller for Katharine Hamnett Denim
iD cover with Lorraine Pascale
Milla Jovovich wears Alberto Biani in iD photographed by Bob Richardson
Elle
This season sees the Resort/Cruise collections go mainstream. As customers are increasingly fashion-aware and exposed to newness 24/7, the onus is on designers to give them more fashion, more frequently. Whereas Cruise used to be something of an also-ran (see this article from 1988!), this season it’s become an event in itself with proper celebs – witness Jennifer Lopez, Charlize Theron and Christina Aguilera at Dior – and coverage in the dailies.
This quote from Karl Lagerfeld on Style.com sums it up:
“It’s not Resort anymore. It’s another collection—in the story of Fall, pre-Fall, Paris/London, pre-Spring, Spring—called “cruise.” It’s like a code name, but the thing is that Chanel needs six ready-to-wear collections a year, every two months completely new things at the shops. There are hundreds of shops all over the world that have to have something new all the time or else there’s no reason to go back. Or else you go to a place like Colette where they see 100 labels. If it’s one label, this label needs to have something new all the time.”
Pic: Style.com
A shocking spate of fashion robberies has hit London in the last couple of weeks with Luella, Christopher Kane and Brora all being burgled by moped-mounted mobsters within days of each other. The question is, who could possibly be responsible for these mysterious boutique break-ins? Let’s see… someone with a taste for sensible cashmere twinsets, avante-garde frocks and grandma-style handbags? Come out, come out wherever you are Miuccia Prada, the game’s up dear.
