Kate Moss covers the new issue of W
TFS

How amazing is this cover? Kate Moss always makes everyone talk whenever she makes the cover of any magazine but as of late we have seen more of a 'pretty' side. That is why I love the new cover of " so much. It's more of a gritty side of Kate, which all thanks to Steven Klein. I must say I've missed seeing his work in the fashion glossies as often as we did years ago. He was the photographer who first interested me in editorials.

W have created a double cover for this occasion – a good Kate and a bad Kate. Although I must say she looks more like he bad Kate in the white lace veil, no? I love the metallic teeth and the iridescent glimmer of her eyes. That one is also my favourite of the two. The March issue is the spring equivalent of the September one although summer fashion never seems to be as big a deal as winter's.

The styling, by W genius Edward Enninful, looks super interesting and I am curious to see the full editorial inside.

What do you think?

Read the interview with Riccardo Tisci by Donatella Versace and see the rest of the pictures here.

[Interview]

Collage Sunday, 13.06.10

Summer is here (only some days if you live in London) and it's time to make your swimwear picks. I am tired of the good old triangular bikinis, which is why I have tried to give a bit of a contemporary-meets-vintage feel to today's Collage Sunday. Think 70's with a touch of 20's brought to today. Avoid pink and go for orange and choose interesting shapes and prints for your swimsuits. Happy Sunday!

I'm off.

[Pictures: CoutequeCoute.blogspot.com, Net-a-Porter.com, Hermes.com, Demarchelier.net, StevenKlein.com, Mariotestino.com]

Alejandro: the old and the new

The hype around every one of Lady Gaga's videos grows with the release of each one. I Have to admit I always get a little excited to see them for the first time but this time it was different. I can't remember how long ago it was when I read that Steven Klein, my favourite photographer, was directing her 'Alejandro' video but ever since then I literally couldn't wait. I won't admit to the number of times I have watched it since yesterday but, believe me, you'd think me a freak.
Anyway, the Gaga and Klein combination very much delivered. The video is, visually, one of the best things I have seen in music in a very long time. The Klein aesthetic covers every single shot and light choice and mixes influences that Gaga and himself share as well the ones ever-present in all his work.

Gaga's first couple of outfits consist of a black cape (top picture) and a lace outfit both custom made Alexander McQueen pieces as well as a Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen custom made hat. It is no secret Lady Gaga adores McQueen and we have often seen many of his pieces in her videos. This is brought to the maximum with Steven Klein, who was close to the designer (and Daphne Ginness) and who shot editorials (like the one above for W back in 2002) and adverts for him.

If you follow Klein, you'll know he is known for having a fixation with, among others, horses, Madonna, religion and sex. In 'Alejandro' the references to Madonna are endless. Gaga's "blasphemous" scenes from the video have so much in common with Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' video from 1989. crosses, rosaries and religious attire irreverently mixed with sex, custom made Atsuko Kudo (nun outfit), Hussein Chalayan (leather jacket) and custom made Jaiden RVA James (hooded dress).

'Alejandro' switches between Madonna eras mixing all the different aspects of the singers that characterise Gaga. Suddenly we're in the 'Vogue' video from 1990 where Gaga more literally replicates Madonna's black suit and famous (Gaultier) pointy bra. Once again, more genius styling from Mr. Formichetti -Dolce & Gabbana waistcoat, Fracesco Scognamiglio trousers, gun bra custom made by David Samuel Menkes and Calvin Klein underwear.

Again, the Steven Klein point of view is so present that many still shots of the video could very well be editorial pictures. The 'bed theme' has been such a recurrent one in his work, from Madonna's W editorial in 2002, to the Beckham's for the same magazine in 2007 or some of his more recent work. If you look at the 'bed dancing' scenes in 'Alejandro' you might even see some resemblance with Britney's 'Me Against the Music' video, a suggestion from Maddona?

Click here to enjoy the video in HQ. Here to go to Steven Klein's website. And here to check out Nicola Formichetti's blog.
I'm off.

PS. I really liked the Evandro Soldati cameo. Have a look at some of his work here.


[Credits: NicolaFormichetti.blogspot.com, Style.com, StevenKleinStudio.com. Screencaps from youtube videos.]

printemps de mode

I have been looking for an intellectual excuse to go back to Paris for a while. It seems as if strolling down Champs Élysées and stopping for cafés before an hour visit to Colette are not enough for most people. Well, now I have that excuse. A very good one. This Spring the city of lights hosts, among others, three exhibitions about some of my favourite people in fashion —Steven Klein, Yves Saint-Laurent and Dries Van Noten.

In the first, an unpublished video of the enfant terrible of photography portrays a decadent and deteriorated America. The Saint-Laurent retrospective looks back at the designer's work through 307 haute couture and prêt-à-porter pieces that go from his debut in 1958 at Dior to his late work in 2002. At the Van Noten exhibition, images of the Noailles family are projected onto the walls in contrast to those of the world of the Belgian designer —a walk through Dries' inspiration and savoir-fair. I am getting my Eurostar tickets as soon as this bloody volcanic cloud fades and prices come down.

I'm off.