Effortless Style; Parisian Chic

Image courtesy of Orange Square PR

Back in April I attended the Knightsbridge launch of Ines de la Fressange’s new book, Parisian Chic. For those younger generations unfamiliar with this French fashion stalwart’s name, Ines de la Fressange started as a catwalk model in the late 1970s; becoming Karl Lagerfeld’s muse and the face of Chanel in the 1980s, going on to launch a clothing line in the 1990s. Fast forward twenty years and Fressange now works as an illustrator, creative consultant to Roger Vivier shoes and is an interior designer for a new Parisian hotel. As if all that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, aged 53 Fressange most recently returned to the catwalk to star in Chanel’s SS11 show, solidifying her position as a key influencer on style and international fashion.

Offering readers a variety of top tips to becoming the all-round sophisticated wardrobe mistress, Parisian Chic capitalises on Parisians international reputation for their chic approach, not only to fashion but to lifestyle. Bound in a beautiful and luxurious red leather-effect cover with gold writing and quirky – Quentin Blake esque – illustrations drawn by Fressage herself filling the pages, Parisian Chic is the modern style bible. Covering everything from choosing your wardrobe staples, what to pack for a weekend in the country, how to wear a blazer, shoe shopping pointers, how to choose the perfect jeans, and so much more! An all-round guide, the latter pages (also known as the ‘black book’), detail the best stores in Paris to find everything from the most exquisite jewellery and flowers to the best salons and cafés.

In the Dress Like a Parisian section there are fashion pointers including invaluable advice on how to build a wardrobe around seven affordable basics mixed with a few high-fashion touches and great accessories. Offering step-by-step do’s and don’ts for the wardrobe make it easy to avoid pitfalls, going one step further with a guide to avoid fashion faux pas for those who are 50 plus.

In Belle of the Ball, beauty tips are abound as well as an outline of beauty no-no’s. Chez Moi addresses home décor concerns for the studio apartment or the château. Ines underscores the power of flowers, how to create the perfect closet, and how to construct a sensational dinner party.

My favourite quote of this inspired book has to be within the Parade of Shoes, All About Heels section:
“Many women think they look better in heels, but this is quite wrong. Just ask any man. No man would ever say, ‘I’d love you more if you were four inches taller!’ And remember, many women have no idea how to walk in high heels. Nothing looks worse than a girl tottering about on unimaginable heels! So she wants to look sexy? The key to sex appeal is a feline walk, not a precarious wobble. I know girls who have ended up on crutches because they wanted to walk tall without mastering the rudiments of striding with confidence in eight-inch heels. Practice first, at home!”

My sentiments exactly. Learn how to add some je ne sais quoi to your personal style. Parisian Chic, published by Flammarion and priced at £19.95.

A Point Of Design: Vogue Light Up Bond Street

To much excitement and anticipation, today sees the launch of Vogue magazine’s Street Lights initiative: a new artistic endeavour taking over London’s second most-iconic shopping street, Bond Street. The brainchild of Vogue’s Jewellery Editor, Carol Woolton - in collaboration with Bond Street Association - Street Lights is an artistic collaboration between the street’s renowned fine jewellers, The Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins.

Collaborating with 50 2nd and 3rd year students from The Royal College of Art  and Central Saint Martins(studying a mixture of Goldsmith, Silversmith, Metalwork and jewellery courses), the brief was to create conceptual and innovative approaches for the display of jewellery within the windows of the fine jewellers of Bond Street. Iconic brands such as: Asprey, Cartier, Chanel, Mappin + Webb, Van Cleef + Arpels and Tiffany +Co are all taking part, in addition to many more.

From simply removing the usual constraints of traditional jewellery displays such as boring busts and generally black Perspex plinths, the results are both intriguing and unexpected, showing exquisite luxury items in a whole new light.

“It’s a fantastic artistic collaboration of some of the world’s most beautiful jewels being showcased in extraordinary, fresh and innovative ways, provoking us to think about the role of jewellery in our cultural life. The students are bringing wit, originality and imagination to the street in a way that London does better than anywhere else in the world. The idea was born out of my time as a judge at the Royal College of Art each year, by the displays the students created for their work and the manner in which they dealt with scale and environment.” comments Carol Woolton.

Street Lights runs from 10-15 May inclusive and is a celebration of the excellence of the capitals jewellery courses, drawing attention to the fact that more creative jewellery design comes out of London than anywhere else.

LFW Diary SS11: John Rocha

Citing the inspiration for his SS11 collection as the Grand Tour; the bohemian travellers of the last Century combined with images from Deborah Turbeville’s Past Imperfect, John Rocha darkly smudged the lines between fragility and strength, width and refrain, creating an atmosphere of curious beauty.

True to form Rocha’s colour palette remained as his trademark monochrome, utilising nude, rose and ivory hues taken from his favourite paintings to give garments further depth. With heavily textured summer bonnets, delicate knits, raw summer tweeds and tufted lace, woollen skirt suits in white were reminiscent of Coco Chanel’s trademark cardigan jackets, which also manifest in the form of a short shift-dress and a sweeping fishtail skirt.

The menswear conveyed a certain vagabond air with cut-away coats, drawstring details, high cropped trousers and exaggerated shirts, reminiscent of wayward pilgrims. Cocoon shaped backpacks in contrasting black and white flooded the catwalk sporadically, hinting at journeys to be taken, intriguingly teamed with even the smartest of dresses, creating an altogether modern aesthetic that may well just catch on.

AW10 Press Days: Part Eight

Last week I attended well over 30 press days in three days, and whilst tiring I have to admit that I loved every minute of it. Kicking off the first day with a bang was the Moschino press day held just above the beautiful Conduit Street store, hidden away behind a chic red door.

For me the AW10 Moschino mainline and Cheap and Chic collections had many highlights and key pieces, with the fringed leather jacket (above) being a firm favourite.

I love it when you realise that your preconceived notions of what constitutes good and bad colour palettes for example, are totally wrong, which happened when I loved how they had tastefully worked lots of gold into a predominantly black collection.

I really aprreciated the subtle nods to Chanel present in the use of pearls, tweed mixes and heavy deatailing. I also like the gold chain print on black which reminded me very much of the likes of Lanvin and Celine. Whilst certain pieces in particular clearly reminded me of pieces by other designers, I quite liked this as it added a playful feel, and I don't think there's anything wrong with channelling something as long as you either do it better or put your own spin on it - which Moschino certainly did.

Buckstyle present fashion short 'Centurion - A New Decade Begins'

Check out Buckstyle's new animated fashion short animated by Caco Neves:

Absolutely love it especially the part where the model wears a Chanel-esque quilted handbag as a busby hat- genius!

Ethical Fashion Show, Paris 2009 (written for Amelia's Magazine)

The dawning of October saw the fashion world descend on Paris to experience what is arguably the most highly anticipated of fashion weeks. With highly influential and renowned designers: Lanvin, Givenchy, and Chanel showcasing their collections for SS10, you would be forgiven for thinking that Paris was only about the ubiquitous fashion houses. Whilst the presence of big name designers and celebrities alike was a mathematical certainty, thankfully there was one big ethical reason to keep an eye on Paris...
To continue reading about the Ethical Fashion Show go to Amelia's Magazine.
Image coutresy of Studio Jux.