Doutzen Kroes models my favourite FW12 pieces for Vogue Paris
TFS, Style.com

I received the August issue of Vogue Paris this weekend and even though I've been drooling over the Marion Cotillard cover for the most part I have also managed to take a look inside. I always really enjoy the August issues because there's just enough new season content to digest. The September issues are amazing to go through but they take several goes to process. Vogue Paris always does a long new season editorial story for August. This year's is called 'Paris mon amour' and is shot entirely by Mario Sorrenti (like 90% of the issue) and styled by Emmanuelle Alt, Joe McKenna and Marie Chaix. There are some incredible shots in it and I love how each stylist brings their different view to the story. My favourite, though, are the Doutzen Kroes pictures styled by Emmanuelle.
I've been infatuated with Doutzen ever since I saw her at the Giles show last season and I'm glad that Vogue Paris has got behind her. She even got her own cover in April. In the new editorial she models some of my favourite pieces from the FW12 collections. From the black croc Tom Ford number that Rihanna already rocked at the Met Ball, to the Miu Miu winter prints that will be all over the covers in a few months. The sexy emerald leopard Gucci dress Natasha Poly wore in Cannes and the stunning Burberry Prorsum quilted velvet coat that closed the FW12 show.

TFS, Style.com

Natalia Vodianova covers the new Vogue Paris
TFS

I have realised today that as of the last few months it's only the covers of Vogue Paris that keep me excited every month. There have been fantastic moments such as the Adele one for the latest American Vogue or Kate Moss' double cover for W but there is always a certain element of surprise with Vogue Paris.
I hate the negative comments about how Emmanuelle Alt is not doing a good job as Editor-in-Chief because I feel like the magazine has become a lot more stable with her. I loved Carine's inner rebel but sometimes she did things just for the sake of it and they didn't necessarily make sense for the magazine.
The March cover can only be described as sweet & chic. NataliaVodianova looks stunning in the front picture by Mert & Marcus. And like in previous months it reminds me of past covers, it's almost like Emmanuelle is revisiting all their past hits.
The layout, which you know is always a bit worry of mine, is perfect this time. The headlines are intriguing, you want to know what's inside, and the white font works perfectly. But what really makes this cover, of course, it's the bubblegum pink header.

Courtesy of Roger Vivier

I am still amazed by the turn out at Fashion's Night Out Tokyo last Saturday. If we thought that New York's or London's were really big this one has very easily put them to shame.
Bloggers, stylists and editors in general all came together making it evident that the Japanese capital is quickly becoming sort of a new mecca of fashion. Even all of the world's Vogue editors made their way to Tokyo for the fashion events.
And, of course, brands from all over the globe also travelled to the city to share their products with the Japanese market. Among them was, of course, Roger Vivier. Their pop up shop was the first opportunity  Tokyo shoppers had to buy the brand in their own country. Not only they could stock up on the FW11 classics from the current collection but they could also enjoy a preview of the new SS12 line.
Seda Domanic, Victoria Davydova, Emmanuelle Alt and Anaita Adajania stopped by the pop up shop, which was decorated as a good old French Maison with vintage and original pieces of furniture.

Photo Credit: Condé Nast via RedCarpet-FashionAwards

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Vogue Paris

I've been hesitating between posting the new cover of American Vogue with Sarah Jessica Parker in Burberry or the August cover of Vogue Paris. Eventually, I've gone for the latter because I really did not like SJP's one and I was once told that if you don't have anything nice to say is better to say nothing. A rule that I normally don't follow but hey, it's Vogue Paris.
I first chuckled when I saw the plane because, really, why would you put a plane on a cover? "Le best de la rentrée" gives the issue a sort of a theme and starts to make sense of the cover. Although I'm not sure of whether Lara Stone (shot by Inez & Vinoodh) has just come back from her holiday (plane leaves) and so she starts prepping for the new season or if she just arrived to the beach for her holiday and that's why the plane leaves.
The fact is that, whether the idea behind the cover composition is BS or not Emmanuelle Alt is at least trying something different. I really love the styling, very Vogue Paris, and how the black outfit really contrasts with the beach landscape.

Est-ce que vous aimez?

I've never hidden my fascination with Vogue Paris. It's my favourite of the magazine's editions and, regardless of what's been said, I think Emmanuelle Alt is doing a remarkable job with it after a somewhat weak first issue.

One of the stories in the latest Juin/Juillet issue, 'Down Town' shot by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by Joe McKenna, is a standout and my favourite. Sasha Pivovarova stars in it with a mixed inspiration of maculin, feminine and free alliances of always favourite pieces —a good coat, the classic jean or your accomplice blouse, in the words of the magazine.

To me, it's a brilliant amalgamation of two styles. Firstly, Gabrielle Chanel's garçon look, which she herself sported for the first part of her life, as illustrated by Audrey Tautou on 'Coco before Chanel'. It takes from Coco the manly tailoring and oversized fit (which also reminded me of one of Marylin's famous pictures) and the sportswear pieces she famously brought into high fashion such as the Breton striped t-shirt.

And secondly, Madonna's 80's style. From it they draw the references to popular urban pieces such as classic high waisted jean and elements like the headband bandana, the hoops and a rock'n'roll attitude.

J'adore.

[TFS]

The first thought that crossed my mind when I first saw Britney's story on the new Harper's Bazaar had to do with how much I wished she dressed like that for public events. If she stuck LBD's, however short, and classic pumps there wouldn't be much risk of her looking, well, like she normally does. Her latest Hervé Léger red carpet moments haven't been the best, which is a shame because she can still rock anything like you can see to the right.

I'm not the biggest fan of the story, shot by Alexi Lubomirski, but I can appreciate some of the good ol' Spears smile along with a few nice fashion choices signed by Dolce & Gabbana, Isabel Marant and Ungaro. Once the Brit-shock wore off I suddenly realised the editorial looked very familiar to me. And this is why.

Back in 2009 Emmanuelle Alt styled a story shot by Mario Sorrenti called "Graffiti Couture". It's one of my favourite shoots of all time because it seemed to me like such a brilliant idea to bring together the highest of fashion and the most urban form of art. Also, the Vogue Paris teamed up with American designer KAWS to create the set for the story.

[HB, TFS]

Bearing this in mind, Britney's story is not only unoriginal but a blatant (bad) copy. Additionally, if you look closely enough at the full-size pictures you'll realise Brit has actually been photoshopped into all of the backgrounds and not shot in them. Maybe simple studio pictures would have worked better?

Emmanuelle's first cover

I was anxious to see this. I  didn't know whether Emmanuelle Alt would swift from Carine's cover aesthetic to mark her reign as Vogue Paris queen or if she would instead progressively settle into the job by kind of continuing to do what Carine had done before and (maybe) slowly changing things to her aesthetic. I love the fact that Giselle is on the cover, especially in Dolce & Gabbana. For some reason supermodels give those southern Italian dresses a different flair than everyone else. I also really like the way the text has been laid out and how white completely takes over the page. It's not the most original of covers but it's better to be safe than to aim to high and fail massively on your first issue, non?

Shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

I'm off.

[Picture: RDuJour]

Carine's colourful farewell

It's that time late in the month when pictures from all the new month magazines start filtering into the Fashion Spot before they magazines actually come out. And, of course, this means I have to post about the new Vogue Paris. And I don't only have to do so because the March issue is particularly good (I am in love with Giovanna Battaglia's story) but because this is Carine's last issue as Rédactrice en Chef. After the big controversy of the Tom Ford issue Carine seems to be making up for all the advertisers she left out then by making incredible over-the-top styling on the spring editorials. My favourite, by far, is Pop Égerie, styled by Emmanuelle Alt and shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Not only they have used an obscene amount of Jil Sander (officially my favourite SS11 collection) but also those Prada stoles that are everywhere, a lot of Blumarine and Miu Miu all modelled by Daria Werbowy!. Do you love?

I'm off.

[Pictures: TFS]

It's Spring in Paris

It's that time of the month again when new magazine covers and storied start surfacing. Vogue Paris (surprise, surprise) is among them and I am in awe of their über-colourful cover. Lara Stone (again, surprise) presents the issue dressed in some of the genius Louis Vuitton collection for SS11. The cover also promises some private time with Colin ("Colin Firth en privé") and it includes their Spring/Summer collections special. And that's exactly the feature I am most excited about, as no other Vogue does the one-look-per-designer editorials like the French do.

Part of their 65 looks of summer special is an editorial featuring also Lara Stone and Sasha Pivovarova shot my Mario Sorrenti (yes, surprise again) and styled by Emmanuelle, Jane How and Carine. I realised this is most likely the last work as both editor and stylist we'll ever see from Carine, which is terribly upsetting but also slightly exciting.

What do you think of the issue?
I'm off.

PS. All the "surprise" in this post are meant to be pronounced in French.
[Pictures: TFS]

EA's Greatest Hits

As days go by after the announcement of Emmanuelle Alt as the new Rédactrice en chef of French Vogue I think more and more that we can expect great things from her. Vogue Paris is the only version of the fashion bible that I have religiously bought every month for most of my "adult" life. No other excites me as much as it does. There's a question of affinity as well. Their vision and style is the closest to my personal one. And so I have looked back at my little archives to dig out some of my favourite Vogue Paris editorials styled by Emmanuelle. I stopped at three because I have an endless array and you'll guess from it that many of them include Daria Werbowy and are either shot by Inez and Vinoodh or by Mario Sorrenti.

September 2008

Lignes et Attitudes

Photographer: Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

April 2006

Noces Blanches

Photographer: Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

February 2006

Le crédo du soir

Photographer: Mario Sorrenti

Do you have a favourite Emmanuelle-styled shoot?
I'm off.

[Pictures: TFS]

Collage Sunday, 09.01.11

Who else, but the new Rédactrice en chef of Vogue Paris. Giulia and I were at first unsure of whether Emmanuelle Alt would replace Carine Roitfeld as the head of the French bible. Thinking it throughly, there is probably no one (except Carine herself) who knows as much about the magazine as Emmanuelle does. Style-wise, she epitomises a new kind of French woman. She retains that chicness for which they've always been famous but she mixes it with different references. She's a big fan of rock elements like the biker jacket or the leather pants but she just as easily wears military-inspired coats, breton tops and skinny jeans. It's the kind of very refined, almost minimalistic style that one normally sees on the streets. (Even though I have a friend who dresses exactly like her, only she's blonde. Yes, I'm talking about you, S.) We wish Emmanuelle all the best and we can't wait to see what she does for her first cover. After all, some of Vogue Paris' most famous editorials were styled by her.  - Bon Dimanche!

I'm off.

[Pictures: fashion.telegraph.co.uk, TFS]

What happens in Milano...

... definitely doesn't stay in Milano. It goes around the world. There are still two days left from Milan Fashion Week but we have already seen a lot of the biggest names turn things around on the catwalk. The SS11 trends have radically changed to opulent minimalism focused on cuts and details rather than flamboyance. It's the traditionally more pompous brands like Versace which are the biggest surprises. The colours were strong but clear and red was king even though Donatella's nudes seemed even more appealing. We also saw a lot of stripes and Versace's famous Greek motifs adding dashes of colour to otherwise monochromatic dresses. I particularly liked the extra long fringe details, the cutout shoes and the just-below-the-knee pencil-skirted dresses.

While the new collections that will dictate next summer's trends keep coming down the catwalks of the world's fashion capitals, its attendees, the fashion elite, unconsciously set another handful of trends that the rest of the industry's adepts will follow later as well. The best example of this is the cropped trousers and stilettos combo that the team of Net-a-Porter have already tweeted about. A few months ago people couldn't believe that the infamous chunky heels and wedges would be kicked out of the spotlight by their skinnier sisters but everyone from our favourite style icons to Vogue's popular editors are embracing the stiletto. Good news for Prada and Marant!

I have always been and will stay a faithful Etro fan. It is one of those houses that strongly holds on to their spirit season after season yet never fails to provide contemporary takes on their staples. However, their latest line felt incredibly restrained. We did see plenty of ethnic prints and fringes but their SS11 collection had a much more sophisticated city vibe. The prints were versatile and so were the maxi dresses. It was as if veronica Etro had envisioned her bohemian muse paying a visit to the big city. Very refreshing.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Net-a-Porter.com, Zimbio.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com]

An Officer and a Gentleman?

'Corps d'Elite'

by Terry Richardson

Styling by Emmanuelle Alt

Models: Natasha Poly and Jamie Dornan
Vogue Paris September 2010

Some people have argued Emmanuelle's styling is too simple. Personally, I find the concept genius to introduce the military trend we have seen millions of times before. Thoughts?
I'm off.

[Pictures: TFS.com]

Oops, it's Kate again

Kate is, once again, on the cover of the June/July issue of Vogue Paris. I know many people are still keen on pointing out how every Vogue sticks to the same models and even the same designers over and over again but I suppose we all have our preferences. This is mine. Kate Moss looks stunning on the cover as part of the inside editorial shot by Mario Sorrenti and styled by Emmanuelle Alt in a (surprise, surprise) 60's revival of the pin-up movement very much á la Raquel Welch of back in the day. There is nothing very exciting about the shoot, some nice Versace and, of course, Marant that looks great on a slightly sweaty Kate.

I'm off.

[Pictures: TheFashionSpot.com]