The registration is open for the upcoming Liberty’sBest of British Design Open Call when budding crafters, fashion & textile designers get the chance to present their creations direct to Liberty’s buying panel. Silken Favours designer Vicki Murdoch– the talent behind these fun & fabulous feline silk scarves– was discovered at the 2011 event.
Watch her style her silk scarves whilst she describes her design process, transforming ‘British beautiful things that I love‘ into stylish accessories.
According to the introduction Skald was ‘an ancient Scandinavian poet who memorialised the epic deeds of the Vikings with elaborate recitations at court’, Skald is also an award-winning art & literature publication produced by the students of Villa Maria College New York. Featuring work from many college departments there’s plenty for a fashion-lover to enjoy!
Stella McCartney is the Creative Director behind Adidas‘ Team GB 2012 Olympic athletes’ performancewear, modelled here by heptathlete Jessica Ennis, synchronised swimmers Jenna & Asha Randall & cyclist Victoria Pendleton . With such tight competition every advantage is key- from the latest Adidas swimwear technologies to the iconic Union Jack fashion-styling of the kit. In this video hear Stella talk about her design process & Adidas’ Udo Mueller introduces some of their new sportswear technologies.
Great Britain is famed for its high street fashion retailers & one of the biggest- next– has designed team GB’s formalwear modelled here by gymnast Louis Smith.
Swimmer Ryan Lochte, decathlete Bryan Clay, rower Giuseppe Lanzone and women’s football player Heather Mitts model the 2012 US Olympic team opening ceremony uniforms blissfully unaware, as they pose in the Ralph Laurenretro loveliness, of the controversy about to boil over regarding their offshore manufacture in China.
In this CNN report Senator Harry Reid & fashion designer Nanette Lepore express their frustration at what they see as a missed opportunity to highlight onshore manufacture. But is this a realistic option in today’s globalised fashion industry? Dan Ikenson from the US think tank the Cato Institute argues that offshoring is a natural result of free market economics.
According to an article in the LA Times, Li Giulian founder of DayangTrands (the Chinese manufacturer of the Ralph Lauren US team uniforms), questions whether the US has the capability to produce the uniforms, stating ‘We have cheaper costs here so you can have cheaper prices in America.’
This story provides an interesting ethicaldebate for fashionistas.
As you know Raf Simons recently debuted his first couture collection at Dior. In this video he describes his design approach as juxtaposing the history of the house with a modern fashion attitude. Whilst acknowledging the architectural genius of Christian Dior’s constructions Raf seeks to fuse the label’s heritage with futuristic techniques to create a new 21st century couture explains about how the cropped & slashed gowns worn over pants offer a nod to the past but with an eye very much on the future. Fab fashion illustration from Paola van der Hulst at PvdH.
Karl Lagerfeld, Geza Schoen & Gerhard Steidl have collaborated on a new scent with a little help from Wallpaper* magazine. Paper Passion captures the aroma of a freshly printed book & is presented in the secret cavity of a book that includes writings from Karl Lagerfeld, Günter Grass, Geza Schoen & Tony Chambers.
Liberty of London was founded in 1875 by Arthur Liberty who travelled the globe sourcing innovative design in ornaments, furniture, jewellery, textiles & fashion; in Oscar Wilde‘s words ‘Liberty is the chosen resort of the artistic shopper’.
The iconic tudor-framed building on Regent’s Street dates from the 1920s when the original store was remodelled using timbers from 2 ships: HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan.
Hear Alex Monroe describe his inspirations & design process in this video
Before you leave wander upstairs – past the marvellous fashion floors- & check out the beautiful ceramics collection Hybrid by CTRLZAK– tableware that literally fuses traditional Chinese porcelain & classic European design- love it!
Us fashionistas have been waiting with bated breath for Raf Simons‘ debut couture collection for Christian Dior & I’m sure noone was surprised to see Raf’s reworking of some classic Dior silhouettes. The show opened with a trouser suit whose jacket references Dior’s iconic 1947 Bar suit worn with a cigarette pant that proved a staple of this collection- shown in multiple ways; with jackets, under cropped & full-length strapless 1950s mood gowns. Check out the whole collection at style.com
Another couture collection giving us a history-of-the-house was Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel– signature tweeds fashioned in silhouettes from the 1940s through the 1980s. The clothes were for grown-ups but lurex tights & hair & make-up in the style of Alexa Chung brought a more youthful feel. The show closed with a spectacular white dress- ahhh couture.