Burberry’s youth play
Burberry swapped out its interactive show format this season with a much-simplified version. In recent seasons it has created cultural exhibitions as its catwalk backdrop that are then open to the public for a week or so. This season – Christopher Bailey’s last collection for the brand – it took place in a vast, dark warehouse with plain Jane chairs lining the perimeter.
I’m not sure if I’ll make it to Frieze London, but if I do it will most likely be Frieze Masters than Frieze.
One of the hits of last year was dealer Helly Nahmad’s depiction of an imaginary collector’s lived-in apartment. I missed it but it famously inspired the set design for Erdem’s Aw15 LFW show.
We all love to see behind the scenes of an artist or creative. There’s definitely something very magical about getting a glimpse of an artist’s messy studio space. Paul Smith has tapped into this with his own Frieze installation in the Albemarle Street store. (more…)
Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…
1. GLOSSIER GOES GLOBAL
Did Christmas just come early? Yes, if you’re one of the gazillions feeling the #FOMO of Glossier’s much-coveted beauty products. Glossier’s Balm Dotcom all-purpose salve just arrived at Net-a-Porter, so you can order a 3-pack and get it shipped to anywhere that NAP ships to. Buy it here….
2. ERDEM’S HOME-TAIL STORE
Shall we all just move to Mayfair and be done with it? The latest British luxury designer to set up shop in or around Mount Street is Erdem, whose first store has just debuted at 70 South Audley Street, W1. As is the current retail vogue, it has a ‘home-tail’ feel, with perfectly placed lamps, plants, furniture and of course, an expertly-selected edit of books to complement the romantic floral frocks and brocade coats. Style Bubble has the low-down…
3. HERMES UNVEILS ITS MENSWEAR MANIFESTE SITE
For what’s considered the most storied and traditional of luxury brands, Hermès has certainly been killing it on the digital front lately. While the Hermès X Apple Watch hoo-ha hogged the news this week, Hermès also launched a new men’s editorial and e-com site. Called ‘MANifeste’, it’s witty, interactive and beautifully executed.
4. PAUL SMITH REINVENTED?
Are we in for a big Paul Smith-shaped surprise when we see the SS16 womenswear collection at LFW next Sunday? This article in i-D hints that things on the womenswear design front are being stepped up a notch…
5 OTHER SHOP X FINERY
If you like physical shopping as much as (or more than) shopping online, you might like to know that OTHER Shop is now stocking an edit of Finery in its Kingly Street store. The highlights for me are this structured pleat skirt (above), the brilliant leather skirt and the high neck tees. The prices are crazy good, especially if you like your office-wear with a bit of a twist… Read more at OTHER Shop or shop here.
WORDS: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl
The answer to the question “why do we still need fashion shows?” was answered succinctly on Monday with Thomas Tait’s powerpacked, techno-soundtracked stomper of a show. Fashion shows need emotion, energy and feeling in order to express something these days, the clothes are only part of the story. And so Tait created tension and anticipation in his concrete box of a location, with walls painted in collaboration with artist Georges Rousse setting an intriguing scene. (more…)
