Fashion Copious

Good Reads *

Fine Art

The important question to ask these days isn’t “Is it art?” but “Is it any good?”. And by “good”, I don’t mean technically accomplished, I mean able to convey its meaning, to get its point across. This is the point on which Hirst fails for me. It’s not a matter of taste, or of abstract considerations of artistic worth, it’s a question of whether the art works or not.

In view of this, it’s no surprise that Hirst’s greatest talents lie in self-promotion and the fact that he exists as a celebrity artist, in the same way that Lady Gaga is a celebrity musician.

I’m going to bet that as the years pass and the work of celebrity conceptualists like Damien Hirst is slowly shorn of the force of their personality and renown, interest in it will wane. It’ll remain in art texts and courses, and perhaps the subject of artistic debate, but ultimately it lacks the ability to connect with people. And that’s what makes art so important.

An excellent argument; and one with which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Dirty Durty Diary: Tom Hawking’s State of the Art: Damien Hirst.

 

Balenciaga SS11 Faces

[...]

Brad & Rachel Rumor:

"Fashion week was definitely the turning point," a friend of Rachel's tells me. "Brad was sitting on the front row of every show and getting invited to as may events as his boss. However the final straw was when Brad appeared on the cover of The New York Times style section. Rachel hit the roof and reminded him he was her assistant and it was called 'The Rachel Zoe' show not the Brad Goreski show. That was the moment that the two of them were over."

Pop Eater: About That Rachel Zoe and Brad Goreski Split ...

 

Editorial | Back To School

Back To School
Vaga Magazine Issue #1
Shot by: Jason Mickle
Models: Amanda Chamberline, Emily Wake, Ilona, Jessy, Mariel, Tilda, Gene

Good Reads

In its bravura, its beauty and its possibility of going viral to hundreds of million of people via ShowStudio and over the Internet, this grand slam in the virtual world poses a question that is increasingly being asked by both designers and executives: Is a fashion show really necessary?

NY Times: Is a Runway Show Really Necessary?

 

Looks

up1 | up2

Then3 & 4.

How do you feel about the magazine at 90?

In 90 years, we haven’t changed the mood of the magazine. It’s still very audacious. It’s still about beauty. It’s still about excess. It’s still very avant-garde. When we started to do the research, we discovered the same mood in the past, so we are very happy to feel that we are still looking like the iconic Vogue of Newton and Guy Bourdin. We try to be sophisticated, while a little on the edge all the time. But what I can see is that now, the censoring is bigger than it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. I think we have less freedom. Today some pictures would not even be publishable. It’s not just about the nudity, but when you talk about things politically, the military, kids, it would all be politically incorrect and not publishable today.

Politically Incorrect is turning out to be a major hinderance in moving forward.

NY Times. Carine Roitfeld on Vogue Paris at 90.

 

Editorial | Bal Masqué

Bal Masqué | Masked Ball
Vogue Paris October 2010
Shot by: Josh Olins, Sharif Hamza
Models: Karmen Pedaru, Dree Hemingway, Anja Rubik, Shannan Click, Frida Gustavsson

Covers | Harper's Bazaar Australia November 2010 #2

This is the 2nd cover with runner up to Australia's Next Top Model, Kelsey. We've already seen the first one, with winner Amanda Ware.

Both covers are stunning.

Olivier Theyskens:

I really admire people who have that incredible discipline to draw all alone every morning. But that’s not me. I’m too sporadic in my desires. That said, when I began in fashion, I believed as a designer you had to draw all alone, to be isolated in your creative space, à la Yves Saint Laurent. But it’s not true. Not even for Saint Laurent, he had Loulou and all these other little satellites revolving around him, showing him fabric, accessories, saying ‘What do you think of this, of that?’ and that, would it look good… So, in fact, despite the myth, he never really worked completely alone. Sure, sometimes he found himself alone in the room, him and his solitude. He had a kind of mini Court of Versailles nonetheless. And the thing with having a little court is that from time to time you feel the impulse to escape, the need to be alone in order to breathe.

BOF: Olivier Theyskens speaks out about his Love of Cats, Creative Process, and the Role of Drama in his Life.

 

Around

— "Just when you thought you knew what the House Of ________________ stood for , its chief designer has decided to topple over those cliches. But will women want to be ...uhmmm ...brought down to earth?" [The Imagist]

Happening Around

1— Tom Florio Named Senior Advisor for Fashion at IMG. [DFR]

2— Pierre Cardin Is 88, Loves Gaga, And In Very Good Shape. [Styleite]

3— Cashmere For [Designer] Claudia. [Vogue UK]

4— Books | Master of All He Surveys: Albert Watson. [T Magazine]

5— A new fragrance - LOVE, Chloe. [Cori et la Fleur de Cerisier]

6— Salt & Pepper Shakers. [DFR]

7— Dries Van Noten Opens First Men's Store. [WWD]

8— Behold Anna Wintour’s ‘Challenging’ Rural Farmhouse. [The Cut]

9— Michael Jackson’s Blue Eye by Arno Bani. [Viacomit]

10—  Summer Stunner. [Style Bubble]

Extra: Editorial | Inspired by controversy. [Fashionising]

Watch | Gareth Pugh SS11 Collection

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Daisy Lowe:

"I've always felt I'd been born in the wrong era. All those floaty, hippy dresses to be worn with flowers in your hair, while singing along to a guitar… I love all that."

The Telegraph: Daisy Lowe: 'Why I love being put into the curvy category'.

 

Around | Model Edition

Happening Around

1— Single Image | Alessandra backstage at Hakan in Paris. [Elite]

2— ANTM Fiasco. [Frock Writer]

3— Editorial | Eliza Sys shot by Nikolay Biryukov for Elle Ukraine. [Just WM]

4— Ad Preview | Marc Jacobs Daisy's Fall 2011 Ad Campaign. [Stylelist]

5— Louise B. Sørensen By Sigurd Grünberger. [Elite Copenhagen]

6— Ad | Rosie Huntington Whiteley For Loewe. [Iconic]

7— Q&A | In Conversation with Chanel Iman. [Dossier]

8— Editorial | Silviu Tolu & Mike Scar in ELLE October 2010. [Allure Models]

9— Editorial Preview | Anastacia L. (Ford) & Michael Z. by Billy Rood.

Extra: Australia's Next Top Model - Announcing Wrong Winner.

Good Reads

[Not] Made In Italy

While a new law designed to set exact guidelines about what constitutes “Made in Italy” Prada is taking the opposite approach. Delicate dresses with Chikan embroidery, particular to Muslim India, will be labeled proudly “Prada Milano, Made in India”.

“‘Made in Italy’ — who cares? It’s not a brand strength if you have to defend your work,” says Ms. Prada,

“Mine is a political statement and it comes from a personal appreciation of originality,” she says. “You have to embrace the world if you want to live now.”

The NY Times: Throwing Down the Gauntlet.