Gergeous Sneakers: Derrick Rose adiZero Crazy Light Team Shoes

Shoes Glorious Shoes-Errol Arendz

It is said that you never really know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes.
On this note, let’s get to know South African Master Designer Errol Arendz and walk not just a mile, but all year long in every pair of exquisite shoes he designs.

Having graduated from the Johannesburg Fashion Academy in 1973 with Top Honours and having spent years in Paris and London studying and working in the fashion industry, it is little wonder that his designs exude that indulgent, top quality, unique international flair.

ErrolArendz1

ErrolArendz2

ErrolArendz3

His latest collection has caused quite a stir: a stir that will excite and entice as the collection is vastly different to anything he’s done before. Every Fashionista worth their weight in designer collections, every high-glam career woman whether young or middle-age will revel in Errols current collection which is undoubtedly chic with a cutting-edge “spice” to it.

ErrolArendz7

ErrolArendz6

Now the land “down-under” is able to enjoy this sensational designer’s shoes as Denstock (footwear company) has clinched the deal, at the 2010 Australian Shoe Fair, to the Errol Arendz shoe collection distribution rights.

Sharon Stone, Joan Collins, Charlize Theron, Jaclyn Smith are but a few who are ardent Errol Arendz Fans and clientele…ensure your name is added to the list.

ErrolArendz4ErrolArendz5

Fascinating Treacy: The Milliner of Choice

If you watched the Royal Wedding, the one thing that would have stood out (besides Kate’s magnificent McQueen dress) was the beautiful collection of hats and fascinators atop the heads of the royal guests. One thing that certainly stood out for me was that a large number of those hats and fascinators were made by one man: Philip Treacy. In fact, to be accurate, thirty-six (36) of Treacy’s hats were worn at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011. Let’s put this into perspective:

His hats are priced on three-tier levels, on average £95 for street-wear hats and fedora’s; £200-£500 for occassion-wear hats and £5,000 for couture hats. The wedding was a royal occassion so let’s ignore the fact that most, if not all, of the women probably wore couture hats. Working on the middle tier, Philip could have anything from £7200-£18 000 on the wedding alone!! If those 36 hats were couture hats, he made in the region of £180 000 on one event, albeit a very special event!

Irish-born Treacy studied journalism at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. The 44 year old ‘mad hatter’ has designed hats for Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karen.

The miliner has been awarded the title of British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards on five occasions during the early 1990s and he was also awarded an honorary OBE for services to the British fashion industry by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at a ceremony in Clarence House on 19 November 2007. Isabella Blow, former style editor of Tatler, is known to have championed his design genius and helped Treacy launch himself as a well known milliner by often wearing many of his hats.

A part from working with many haute-couture designers, he has also designed hats for a number of celebrities.

“Most will have three or four fittings because, of course, it has to be right; something like a billion people will see them on the day.”

 

 

Treacy with model Iman

Gaga for Treacy

 

 

Photos: Daily Mail, Telegraph

Burberry Prorsum Menswear Autumn/Winter Collection

Christopher Bailey showcased the new Burberry Prorsum, Menswear Autumn/Winter Collection at Milan’s Fashion week recently where the collection immediately became available for purchase via a new innovation in technology on the Burberry.com website.

Indeed a very bold yet classic approach to men’s trenchcoats with this collection in a range of colours from mustard to turquoise to red.

The collection was overall well received but without a doubt the showstopper in the show- a black and white fur cow-spotted coat- was exactly the breath of fresh air needed to top off a brilliant collection like this one.

I personally loved the pairing of the coats with complimenting bags throughout the collection, it added to the whole look and made it all the more stylish.

Here’s a few of my favourite looks from the collection.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

wadieM

Savage Beauty

That’s the title of the Alexander McQueen exhibition to be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

The exhibition opens tomorrow the 4th of May until July 31st.

According to the museum’s blog:

The exhibition, organized by The Costume Institute, will celebrate the late Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary contributions to fashion. From his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final runway presentation, which took place after his death in February 2010.

Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion.

The exhibition will feature approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen’s prolific nineteen-year career. Drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the “bumster” trouser, the kimono jacket, and the three-point “origami” frock coat will be on view. McQueen’s fashions often referenced the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s, but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard.

The exhibition is organized by Andrew Bolton, curator, with the support of Harold Koda, curator in charge, both of The Costume Institute. Sam Gainsbury and Joseph Bennett, the production designers for Alexander McQueen’s fashion shows, will serve as the exhibition’s creative director and production designer, respectively. All head treatments and masks will be designed by Guido.

The Romantic Mind

McQueen doggedly promoted freedom of thought and expression and championed the authority of the imagination. In so doing, he was an exemplar of the Romantic individual, the hero-artist who staunchly follows the dictates of his inspiration.

“What I am trying to bring to fashion is a sort of originality,” he said. McQueen expressed this originality most fundamentally through his methods of cutting and construction, which were both innovative and revolutionary.

This technical ingenuity was apparent as early as his graduation collection from the Fashion Design MA course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Entitled Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims (1992), it introduced such iconic designs as the three-point “origami” frockcoat. In his first collection after graduating, entitled Taxi Driver (autumn/winter 1993–94), McQueen launched his “bumsters,” pants that sat so low on the hips that they revealed the buttocks. Indeed, McQueen was such a confident designer that his forms and silhouettes, such as the “bumster,” were established from his earliest collections and remained relatively consistent throughout his career. Referring to his early training on Savile Row in London, he said, “Everything I do is based on tailoring.” McQueen’s approach to fashion, however, combined the precision and traditions of tailoring and patternmaking with the spontaneity and improvisations of draping and dressmaking—an approach that became more refined after his tenure as creative director of Givenchy in Paris from 1996 to 2001. It is this approach, at once rigorous and impulsive, disciplined and unconstrained, that underlies McQueen’s singularity and inimitability.

Pink silk satin printed in thorn pattern lined in white silk with encapsulated human hair

“The inspiration behind the hair came from Victorian times when prostitutes would sell theirs for kits of hair locks, which were bought by people to give to their lovers. I used it as my signature label with locks of hair in Perspex. In the early collections, it was my own hair.” -Alexander McQueen-

 

“Bumster” Skirt Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995–96

Black silk taffeta

Plato’s Atlantis Dress

Sarah Burton: He was interested in this concept of hybrid. With those tailored pieces, specifically; they had tailored arms, but the body was jersey. So there’s this weird sort of hybrid and juxtapositioning of different fabrics and how would they react together.

Gray wool and silk/synthetic knit printed in jellyfish pattern

“When you see a woman wearing McQueen, there’s a certain hardness to the clothes that makes her look powerful. It kind of fends people off.”

Jacket Joan, autumn/winter 1998–99
Black cashmere

Jacket
It’s a Jungle Out There, autumn/winter 1997–98

Silk/cotton twill printed in Hieronymus Bosch pattern

 

“I spent a long time learning how to construct clothes, which is important to do before you can deconstruct them.”

Coat
Dante, autumn/winter 1996–97

Black wool felt embroidered with gold bullion cord

Romantic Gothic and Cabinet of Curiosities

 

Ensemble
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, autumn/winter 2002–3

Coat of black parachute silk; trouser of black synthetic; hat of black silk satin
Hat by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen

Ensemble
Autumn/winter 2010–11
Dress and glove of printed silk satin; underskirt of duck feathers painted gold

Sarah Burton: It was very much inspired by handcraft and the idea that in a way in our culture there’s the loss of the artisan, the loss of people doing things with their hands and making beautiful artisanal clothing or carvings or paintings or sculpture.

The Horn of Plenty Dress, autumn/winter 2009–10

Black duck feathers

Feathers play such an important role in McQueen’s work. He loved birds. And feathers was a material that he would revisit again and again in his work.

Ensemble: House of Givenchy Haute Couture
Eclect Dissect, autumn/winter 1997–98

Dress of black leather; collar of red pheasant feathers and resin vulture skulls; gloves of black leather

“Spine” Corset
Untitled, spring/summer 1998
Aluminum and black leather

“Coiled” Corset
The Overlook, autumn/winter 1999–2000
Aluminum

Shaun Leane: The “Coiled” Corset was a particularly amazing piece because I had to cast the model’s torso in concrete to get an exact form of her, and then I had to literally form every coil, one by one, front and back, and work all the way up, so that it was a perfect fit. And she’s actually placed into the corset, and then it’s screwed all along the side, and up the arms, and beside the neck. There are tiny, little bolts, so the model’s actually screwed into the piece.

Ensemble
The Hunger, spring/summer 1996
Silver wool/synthetic with red silk faille lining; bodice of molded plastic encasing worms; skirt of red silk faille with silver antlers
Antlers by Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen

“It’s the ugly things I notice more, because other people tend to ignore the ugly things.”

Dress
It’s Only a Game, spring/summer 2005
Lilac leather and horsehair

Naomi Campbell: He knew exactly what he wanted, and he knew exactly what he saw didn’t look right on you, and what he wanted on you. So fittings were very . . . they weren’t long and exhausting at all. They were quick. I love when someone just knows and tells you from A to Z exactly what they want. I love that.

Dress
No. 13, spring/summer 1999
White cotton muslin spray-painted black and yellow with underskirt of white synthetic tulle

Shalom Harlow: I walked right up to it and stood on top of this circular platform. And as soon as I gained my footing, the circular platform started a slow, steady rotation. And it was almost like the mechanical robots were stretching and moving their parts after an extended period of slumber. And as they sort of gained consciousness, they recognized that there was another presence amongst them, and that was myself.

And at some point, the curiosity switched, and it became slightly more aggressive and frenetic and engaged on their part. And an agenda became solidified somehow. And my relationship with them shifted at that moment because I started to lose control over my own experience, and they were taking over. So they began to spray and paint and create this futuristic design on this very simple dress.

And when they were finished, they sort of receded and I walked, almost staggered, up to the audience and splayed myself in front of them with complete abandon and surrender.

 For a fullview of the collection go to http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/about/

 

 

 

 

 

Cake Couture

Fiona Cairns, next to the wedding cake that she and her team created, the project took 5 weeks to complete.

A Look Back at the Royal Affair

We weren’t sure which designer Kate would choose for the most important day of her life…We predicted McQueen by Sarah Burton- it just made sense. Not only is the fashion house known for it’s beautiful gowns but with it’s British heritage, it was a mtach made in heaven.

She chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing-Telegraph-

Alexander McQueen’s designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day…Sarah Burton

I think Kate looked lovely. Although it must be said that an updo would probably have suited the dress more and complimented her pretty features. I also think she should have opted to get a makeup artist rather than do her own makeup. Even though she went for the classic, natural, bridal look I recon she would have  had a fresher, crisp look had she used an artist instead.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Kate’s reception dress, also by McQueen

Photos where not credited: Vanity Fair, people Magazine and Daily Mail UK

Royally Stylish

According to reports, Kate famously caught Prince William’s eye in 2002, while they were students at the University of St. Andrews. Kate modelled the “see through dress” in the college charity fashion show called “Don’t Walk” sponsored by Yves St Laurent. The dress sold for just over $125,000on the 17th March 2011.

Designer Charlotte Todd with her See Through Dress, which was originally meant to be a skirt.

The dress, by former student Charlotte Todd, was inspired by the charity show’s theme “the art of seduction.” According to Robin Givhan, a special correspondent for style and culture for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, Todd’s interest was in textiles, but as a result of the fashion show, she needed to make it into a garment.

What distinguishes Middleton’s dress (and that term is being used loosely here) is its lack of seductive finesse. It’s a look-at-me, sexual shout-out, reflecting both the youth of the wearer—Middleton is now 29—and the culture of its times. It resembles the sort of going-out garb young women weaned on Sex and the City might choose. It recalls Carrie Bradshaw’s blurring of the lines between high fashion, low style, and kooky costume: a cultural moment when bra straps were accessories, tutus became skirts, and a pair of knit knickers were perfectly acceptable “pants” for a night trawling the clubs -Robin Givhan

Since she began dating the Prince, the future princess has found herself on several best-dressed lists. She also pursued a career fashion by working at the fashion retailer Jigsaw.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos: The Telegraph Fashion

“The Fashion Eye”

SteelVelvet presents an all new edition to its already exquisite brand of fashion- The Fashion Eye! From all things ‘Steel’ to all things ‘Velvet’, The Fashion Eye will cater to all your fashion cravings daily. Exclusively pertaining to everyday-street-fashion, The Fashion Eye will showcase the simplicity and creativity of ordinary fashionistas out there; to top it all off, we’ll add a SteelVelvet ‘Look of the Day’ too. Hence without further a due, here’s to a long road of innovation and ingenuity in fashion, with SteelVelvet’s very own “Fashion Eye”! 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By wadieM!

Retrospect: Japan Fashion Week Tokyo AW 2011/2012 [Part Three]

Hideaki Sakaguchi

 

Akira Takeuchi and Tayuka Nalanishi

Izumi Hongo

This slideshow requires JavaScript.