Style Is Eternal

GC, Back in the Day

One of Her Most Celebrated Shoots

GC Currently

In the hoopla surrounding the release of The September Issue documentary, it's been interesting to see the personalities of editors come through. From my brief experience in fashion and magazines, our industry isn't as full of characters as Project Runway and The Devil Wears Prada would have you believe. In fact, most fashion people are intensely creative and hate the spotlight. Think the awkward, emo kid who liked to draw in the back of math class. However, it's fitting that Vogue, as a larger than life publication, has a larger than life staff. At this point, Anna is as legendary as Coco Chanel and as much of a caricature as Lagerfeld. Equal parts fact and fiction. The film and its recent publicity stints have done nothing to change that.

Her sidekick, the ever gorgeous and talented Grace Coddington, has proven to be true to her reputation as well. Grace, a former model, still loves the clothes she works with and is apparently the last major creative director who dresses her girls herself. I love the scene in The September Issue where she pushes and shoves a belted sweater to get it just right, practically lifting the model off the ground. I certainly don't doubt the talent and authenticity of people like Anna and Lagerfeld- in some cases I'm even their hugest fan. But I love to see someone who is as openly passionate about this job as I am- who seems unembarrassed and happy to be there. Perhaps that's why, at 16 or 60, Grace has appeared at the top of her field. She might be buckling instead of posing in the shoes now, but don't let that fool you. She still wears the pants.

Photos from Vogue

Save the Lacroix

I haven't always been the biggest fan of Christian Lacroix's work.  But due to recent events regarding his line's future, I feel compelled to stick on his side.  After all,  the fate of Lacroix could very well represent the fate of couture.   Lacroix is the last true couturier— he stopped relying on jeans, ready-to and bags years ago.  And while this preserves the integrity of his art, it also makes him financially vulnerable.  Despite having a very loyal client base and industry respect, Lacroix, like all designers, loses money on couture.  Yet unlike Lagerfeld for Chanel, his losses are not buffered by gains through coveted perfumes and status bags.  Because of this reality, couture no longer exists as business, but purely as art.  In a way, this allows designers freedom without monetary incentive.  What worries me however, is that this system seems to prove that art, perhaps like all things, cannot exist without financial backers.

Call me naive, but I find this to be a cruel reality.   As someone who is dedicating her life to fashion, not only as a business, but also as a lifestyle and philosophy, this truth would be too much.  Romanticism aside, fashion needs dreamers like Lacroix and their grandiose ideas to inspire and trickle down into the industry.  Couture isn't merely display.  It is the driving force, an impetus of the seasons.  It is the idea behind the action.  Lacroix's ordeal has touched me because he understands this.  As he wrote in an open letter to his workers, "I don't know what tomorrow will be made of, if indeed there is a tomorrow, but I will do everything to ensure we remain a couture house 200%, and to safeguard a knowhow without which the lungs and the heart of this house would not exist."  Someone who has been designing for free and is owed 1.2 millions euros for his work clearly had motivations other than sales.  Lacroix's courageous fight isn't only for his own house, but also for the creative, pure concept behind it.  His designs acknowledge the notion of escapism in the most triumphant way possible, as no other couturier can.

I'm reminded of something he said in an interview years ago, in more optimistic times.  Lacroix stated, "The world needs some excitement from fashion.  The big evolutions in fashion always come in times when things are tough.  They are an escape to a better world."  This assertion is undoubtedly right.  My hope remains that during the evolution we don't discard the past.

Photos from Style.com

Wish List

If I don't get this adorably retro yet modern swim suit ASAP, someone is going to get hurt.

Photo from Barney's

Inspiration

Thumbing through a magazine the other day, it hit me just how beautiful Chanel's SS'09 campaign really is.  And while I'm a huge fan of the clothes and Heidi Mount, the striking aspect of the photos is the austere interior.  Quietly beautiful, it lets the amazing light quality do all the work— and what work it does.  Apparently, Lagerfeld was inspired by the Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershoi.  When something works, why not run with it?

Photos from Chanel and Wikipedia

Let the Crazy Begin

From now on, whenever I feel sad, I plan on looking at this photo.  Thank you, Lezlo, for brightening my life.

Image from GoFugYourself.com

Model Muses

Rodarte

Versace

Chanel Couture

Marc Jacobs

These four ladies outshone the rest of the pack.  I love Jessica Stam's simple hair/styling, Claudia's sexy yet traditional black gown, Diane Kruger's delicate minimalism and Kate's statuesque vibe.  Bonus points for the arm candy on both counts.

Images from WWD.com

Plain Janes

Oh hey, we're just rolling into this thing called the Met Gala.  It's open bar, right? 

Image from WWD.com