film: Mrs. Arris goes to Paris

Sometimes I crave a simple film (with nice costumes) that would not be a pain to watch but also would not demand much thinking of me. With Mrs. Arris goes to Paris I can happily tick all the boxes.

Even though the film, set in 50s Paris, is more like a fairy tale for adults - ok, for adult women, one can still spot some depth in it. That is in the approach towards clothes, towards the proper luxurious clothes. Just watch how determined Mrs. Harris was to get one Dior dress, what she was able to crucify for it, and then think about what Fashion truly meant to people.

That "appreciation" of fashion is what I'm missing today. Or maybe it's the impact of my current environment of Hong Kong. Where else is one more surrounded by luxury brands on every single step than in Hong Kong? What other city can be likened to a huge shopping mall and still it'd not be an exaggeration?  

The world has turned into a consumption bubble that is all about consuming a product in one second, and getting rid of it the another. Sigh.

Anyway, on a happy note, fashion week in Paris has slowly started. Let's go there with Mrs. Harris. Nevermind, if it's just fictitiously.

Moschino: help me understand this (URGH)

Be honest, please. Tell me whether you like this fashion show or not. And telling why is it so would be also nice of you. And do not feel any need to agree with me, I actually enjoy more of disagreement than agreement. Too many people agree with everyone and everything in this blogosphere.

Fashion people are one of the demographic groups (perhaps rare ones) where you find more people who dislike McDonald's than like. And if they tell you they love or actually eat at McDonald's, don't believe them. They are just being pretentious and trying to hide from you the latest diet they're on. So is Jeremy Scott playing with paradoxes? Maybe the McDonald's part of the collection was a statement declaring that models eat junk food (or not). Or that fashion becomes fast fashion. There are many possible interpretations. If there was any message with good intentions, it got lost. The clothes were too much screaming for attention and just bit too literal. 

The same goes for the rest of the collection. It was just too much. The MOSCHINOs hanging all around the models were just tacky and I couldn't imagine anyone who would really want to wear it. Even fashion victims would put their hands off. And sorry but a handbag as a top (or whatever it is supposed to be)? Are we on Etsy or what?

Nevertheless, there are a couple of things I liked. Really just a couple. I like the coat. It reminds me of my purchase failure in Hong Kong when I bought a similar coat in an anticipation of a tough winter which has never actually come (I got carried off because of the omnipresent air-con). Now the coat is in a suitcase waiting for a proper winter in England next year. Sadly, the Moschino one looks much better. Or fortunately for Moschino. Next are the boots. Put off all the MOSCHINOs and they are actually really nice. I like the idea of knee-high boots (which appeared on more catwalks this season) and I certainly will look for a similar pair for the next winter, trying hard to pull them off together with my HK coat.

Well, I think that I've said enough. 

Me no likey.

Mulberry: Cara bags

What do you think about the Cara bags for Mulberry?

I have never been a big fan of Mulberry bags because they epitomized to me a sophisticated version of Guess bags and that to me always brought associations of fake social aspirations. In short, of wannabes. And to confirm my theory, just walk down the Ladies Market in Hong Kong - Mulberry fakes are one of its staples.

I'm not impressed by the collection since it's not a fashion miracle and it basically only well combines standard formulas. However, otherwise it's very in time with trends, if not little bit ahead. Look at the straps. I believe that there is a big trend coming - of handbags that can be worn as backpacks. I don't know whether Asia is ahead of trends or already late, but many people are starting to wear such handbags, and, hey, they're really practical! I know that we've already seen such bags with Fjallraven Kanken but their bags still look more backpack-ish than glam. So, in a way, Mulberry only put on them a Mulberry mask, glammed them up little bit and associated them with the It-girl Cara. Voilà Cara bags. 

I have to admit that I really like their functionality. They're like a solution to my everyday dilemma when I decide what to take to school - a handbag or backpack? The handbag means sore arm and shoulder (ugh, the heavy laptop) while the backpack means just an unflattering look. And with such bags I could avoid the unflattering and go for the trendy.

If only I could afford one of them! Student life, sigh...

Belstaff: London power

London fashion week has already started and I'm so behind (fortunately, I've had so little time). Anyway, I went fast through what was already shown and the collection by Belstaff really caught my eye. The outfits were just right for the British weather and if I could I would definitely wear them the next winter which I'll happily be back in the UK. 

What I really like about this collection is the way the outfits are layered and styled, and then the jackets and coats! Overall, I see in there quite strong reminiscences of working class which is in a way mixed with the British punk. The whole collection certainly resonates with the London scene. Plus, the clothes seem to not only be nice garments that protect one against bad weather and make one warm, but also they seem to be able to incredibly empower the wearer. And the message of empowerment is pretty strong here. The Belstaff girl is definitely not a sweetie but, hey, it's a tough world out there! 

Victoria Beckham: Jean Arp, maybe

EN: In one of my previous posts I mentioned The Row and their 'celebrity origins'. Here is another such example. Although, I think that Victoria proved enough her status of a fashion designer and doesn't really need any further introduction. 

CS: V jednom z předchozích postů jsem zmínila The Row a jejich 'celebrití počátky'. Tady je další takový příklad. I když myslím, že Victoria již prokázala víc než dost, že je hodna statutu módního nárháře a celkově vlastně ani není třeba ji více představovat. 

Victoria's collection was as always great. She gave us sharply defined outfits which are based on a perfect tailoring and quality materials. Even though the collection revolved mostly around black, white and red, it also featured four outfits with a more organic touch. Sticking only to black and white at first, the outfits felt like nervously stepping into unknown waters with the waters being successfully tamed soon after as Victoria later offered us a confident play with colours. Moreover, perhaps to add an artistic flair to otherwise sobre collection, the organic forms quite strongly recall artworks by dadaist Jean Arp.

Victoriina přehlídka byla jako vždy skvělá. Podala nám ostře definované modely, které byly založeny na perfektním šití a kvalitních materiálech. I když se kolekce pohybovala víceméně jen v rozmezí černé, bílé a červené, objevily se tam také čtyři outfity s více organickým dotekem. Nejprve působící jako nervózní vkročení do neznámých vod, ale brzy nato vody byly úspěšně zkroceny a Victoria nám nabídla sebevědomou hru s barvami. Navíc, možná aby obohatila jinak střízlivou kolekci o uměleckou stránku, ony již organické formy celkem silně připomínají umělecká díla dadaisty Jeana Arpa. 

 

The only thing I really didn't like were the shoes. In close-up I didn't find them attractive in any possible way (and there are many types of attractiveness, surely), although on the other hand these outfits weren't calling for feminine stilettos but instead heels (and flats) worth a strong confident woman. And such a woman can pull off anything. 

Jediná věc co se mi opravdu nelíbila byly boty. Ani po pečlivém prozkoumání fotek detailů se mi nezdály atraktivní z jakéhokoli možného hlediska - a ono těch hledisek může být hodně, že. Na druhou stranu je pravda, že tyto outfity nevolaly po frivolních jehlách, ale namísto toho po podpatcích (a 'flats') hodných silné sebevědomé ženy. A taková žena dokáže unosit cokoli.

Tziporah Salamon: know your body first

EN: A wonderful interview with Tziporah Salamon for anyone interested in fashion, aesthetics and developing very own style. Beware, probably not very helpful for trend followers.

CS: Skvělé interview s Tziporah Salamon vhodné pro kohokoli se zaujetím pro módu, estetiku a rozvíjení vlastního stylu. Pozor, pravděpodobně ne moc užitečné pro přívržence trendů. 

The Row: less is more

EN: I've never been a fan of celebrities pursuing careers of fashion designers. I mean, the fact that they have money to launch a brand doesn't mean that they can be legitimately called designers (except for Victoria Beckham, that's a different story). Therefore, I've never been interested in collections of the Olsens' brand The Row. Ok, maybe it was strongly influenced by the fact that I thought about most of their films that they were stupid and never really got all the hype about them. 

But today I've clicked on a certain button on style.com to finally view their latest collection. I was shocked. In a very good way. I loved it. It was completely completely my style (let's say what I wish to wear or if I was a designer what I would design). Being a hater of all sorts of unnecessary embellishments and stupidities on top of coats, dresses and all sorts of outfits there was no other option than to eagerly welcome the collection. It was clean, simple, beautifully cut and fitted and spoke of taste and classiness. 

Less is more. Amen. 

CS: Nikdy jsem nebyla velkým příznivcem celebrit pokoušejících se rozjet kariéru jako módní návrháři. Fakt, že mají peníze na to založit značku z nich prostě nedělá návrháře. Tečka. Teda kromě Victorie Beckham, ale to je jiný příběh. Tím pádem jsem se nikdy moc nezajímala o The Row - značku Olsenových dvojčat. Ok, možná to bylo i zapříčiněno tím, že se mi většina jejich filmů nelíbila a nikdy jsem v podstatě moc nepochopila všechen ten 'hype' kolem nich.

Dnes jsem však klikla na style.com na jejich poslední kolekci. Byla jsem šokovaná. V dobrém slova smyslu. Byl to totiž naprosto ale naprosto můj styl (řekněme, že se jednalo o typ oblečení, o kterém sním a který být návrhářkou bych zcela jistě navrhovala). Plus pro mě, jakožto odpůrce všech nezbytných ozdob a stupidit na kabátech, šatech a všech možných druzích oblečků, tady nebyla jiná možnost než tu přijmout s naprostým nadšením. Vše bylo jednoduché, čistý design, nádherně střižené a skvěle padnoucí a vypovídající o vkusu a stylovosti nositelky.

Méně je více. Amen.