PORT ELIOT: A FASHION DOLL'S TEA PARTY HOSTED BY SARAH MOWER

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Rare is the festival where there is a corner so civilised that it is worthy to play host to the treasured childhood dolls of fashion's great and good. Port Eliot house is nestled at the bottom of the valley where the festival takes place and is open throughout to offer festival goers an antedote to tent and field based activities.  Thus, its Dining Room was the ideal setting for an auspicious gathering of Barbies, Sindys, Kens and traditional dolls owned and much loved by the likes of Viktor&Rolf, Simone Rocha and Lady Amanda Harlech. There are few with the cachet to persuade designers and fashion luminaries to allow their treasured possessions to go on a little trip to the country but luckily Sarah Mower, who came up with the whole idea and is the festival's fashion curator, and LOVE magazine editor Alex Fury were on hand to prise the dolls from their owners' hands for a few days of tea partying. 

It seems almost obvious that a fashion designer might begin their career making clothes for dolls. After all, our childhood toys are what we use to act out our fantasies of adulthood, giving them the lives and looks which we on some level aspire to- I remember that I would ensure all my dolls had nicely plaited hair and pretty party dresses before lining them up in neat rows in my bed to be taught by me in the role of teacher or to go on imaginary trips to the zoo (my brother's farmyard animal collection) and model in fashion shows. For an aspiring designer, the doll is an ideal canvas to begin on- take Erdem Moralioglu who was "violently jealous" of his twin Sara's Skipper Barbie, which had "a flatter chest and bigger shoulders" than the Barbie Bride Sara previously had. Erdem kidnapped Skipper Barbie whilst his sister was at Brownies and "got hold of this cheap-y blue polyester , and fashioned a circle skirt from it and put it over her head", he then got his Mum to help him make a strapless bustier- "very Spring/Summer". Whether that has anything to do with the fact that he's now a very successful fashion designer is anyone's guess.

The" cheap polyester" dress which Erdem made when he was five, and a dress
 from his AW12 collection in Barbie size.  

Many of the stories which Sarah, Alex and their team of curators (Jess Dubeck and Ben Evans) unearthed as they collected designers' dolls were far more extraordinary than them simply being childhood toys. In fact, this tea party was such an insight that I reckon the V&A would be mad not to hound Sarah and Alex until they agreed to host the same tea party, or even an expanded version, as an exhibition in the capital so that even more people could realise that the power of the doll is far more than a mere plaything. These are some of my favourite stories....

CHRISTOPHER KANE

The line-up of Chris Kane Barbies is a mini retrospective of his work to date. That's because a member of Chris's team recreates a look from each season in Barbie form as a record of the collection. They do it rather speedily too because Resort '13 already has its own outfit (far left). 

ALBER ELBAZ

It was Alber Elbaz's story which sparked Sarah's idea to host a Fashion Doll's Tea party. And it doesn't even involve dolls but a distinct lack thereof. Elbaz's family were too poor to afford toys for him and so he took the ingenious approach of dressing the figures on the family's chess board. Elbaz describes how he would "use my Father's silver cigarette paper, and use flowers and sequins, and stick hair on their heads with a piece of chewing gum". Decades later, Elbaz has an endless supply of real-life dolls in the form of Lanvin customers and models but has also created the Miss Lanvin dolls which perhaps go some way to making up for his doll-free childhood. The chess set which appeared at the tea party is one he recreated especially for Port Eliot. The process made Elbaz reflect on his chess piece dressing and he remarks in the tea party notes "It made me think: maybe the best creativity comes out of lacking resources". I think it also shows that when something is innate- like his desire to dress and design- there will always be a way around it.

JASON WU

Jason Wu's doll connection is probably the strongest of them all and he probably wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for his love of doll dressing. He describes how "at the age of sixteen, while at boarding school in Connecticut, I decided to call the president of Integrity toys offering them my sketches, astonishingly they offered me a job designing for their fashion dolls. A year later, I was named Creative Director, then partner. Both positions I still hold today and am extremely proud of". In fact, Wu has financed his label through the money he makes designing for Integrity, meaning that without dolly fashion, he may not be doing real lady fashion now. 

SARAH BURTON AT ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

A doll version of a piece from Lee McQueen's final, posthumous collection

The dolls sent by McQueen's Sarah Burton do not have so much of a childhood resonance but represent a key stage in house's design process which began with the Plato's Atlantis collection of SS10. Each season, McQueen's famously tailored and complex shapes are engineered in doll form before being scaled up when perfect to human size. This reminded of the way that Vionnet would do all her groundwork on mini mannequins. It's not a practise unique to Burton and her team, but the dolls looked like works of art in their own right, especially as the paper dresses they have were printed with the patterns which would eventually make up the final dress. 

Lulu Kennedy's rabbits, Paul and Amanda, would be entertained by Lulu and her little brother dressed as pirates or gypsies for hours on end.

Giles Deacon sent dolls he made, dressed in miniature versions of dresses from his AW12 collection...

Simone Rocha's doll attends the tea party, complete with scars from being thrown down banisters by her loving owner.

Tallulah Harlech's Barbie with her Mother Lady Amanda's dolls

Sarah Mower at one of the first doll's parties she curated 

With such a prestigious group of dollies in attendance, this had to be a truly spectacular party. So set designer Michael Howells, who also curated the flower show at the festival and has decorated the house's chandeliers with feathers and dried flowers, scattered sweeties amid sets of doll's china to create the perfect backdrop for proceedings. The pièce de résistance was the doll's house which Sarah Mower spotted in the window of the Trinity Hospice charity shop in Kensington.

Sarah sent us this photo of (left to right) Hannah Lambert (her assistant),
Jingle-Jangle James, Meggie and designer Louise Gray beside the main table at the tea party

And Sarah couldn't get away with not inviting her very own doll. She sits, dressed in a paisley dress and knitted knickers made by Sarah's fashion loving grandmother, Maisie- the doll is named after her.  Maisie sits centre stage with Tammy Kane's (sister and business partner of Christopher) doll who is called Toni Bonnie Bella- Tammy has recently had a baby called Bonnie, perhaps named after the doll?

THIS WEEK'S FASHION LOWDOWN...LANVIN'S "REAL" WOMEN PLUS A BIT OF SHOPPING

Posted by Melanie Rickey and Bethan Holt, Team FEAL

Our usual news update takes on a slightly different guise for the moment - as you read this Bethan is on her way to Cornwall for the weekend to attend her first Port Eliot Festival. So, together, we've decided to bring you a round-up of the best fashion stories of the past week to keep you all in the loop. As always, the fashion machine cranks to a halt in July and August while its members take their summer holidays before the fun of September and October fashion shows. Look out for Bethan's Port Eliot updates on Instagram and Twitter.

For now then, here's all you need to know...

Meet the new faces of Lanvin. 
Woman #1
Her name is Jacquie Tajah Murdock, and she is an 82-year-old African-American woman who was born in Harlem and had a long career as a dancer before retiring to state funded housing in Greenwich Village, New York City. Imagine her surprise, then, when the street style photos taken of her by Ari Seth Cohen for his brilliant blog Advanced Style were spotted by none other than Steven Meisel and Alber Elbaz of Lanvin who cast her in the latest Lanvin advertising campaign for AW12.

Meisel and Elbaz looked outside of the usual pool of genetically-blessed models for this campaign, aiming for something more "real."  Though an 82 year old in Lanvin by Meisel is about as real as Carla Bruni's suspiciously smooth forehead. The designer explained his decision to use non-models to Women's Wear Daily :"I was interested to bring these clothes back to the street somehow, and seeing how they look on different ages, different sizes. It felt like a crazy family, and I like that."

And here she is.. I'm guessing the below is not Jacquie's apartment.. but still FEAL applauds anything outside standard fashion behaviour. The other "real" woman in the campaign has not yet been named, but we're guessing her life story is as extraordinary as the wonderful Ms Murdock's who told The Daily Beast her future plans: "Paris!"

Jacquie Tajah Murdock in the Lanvin AW12 Campaign

Midnight update on Woman #2

This is Stella Rose, a self described "female drag queen" which means that she is a woman who dresses like a man who dresses like a woman.  And a fine specimen she is too. Thanks to @JenikaClair on Twitter I now know this, so couldn't resist a late night update. Stella Rose has a blog called Confessions of a Female Drag Queen. Here are a few of her insights into her day on set...

Stella Rose in Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2012 Campaign by Steven Meisel

"Yes, I was street cast for this. If anyone is trying to make you feel bad for looking different I am telling you now that this is where being yourself will get you. 

Yes, Steven Meisel shot this. He was very nice and the shoot went completely smoothly. It was an absolute honor to shoot with him and his team.

Yes, Alber Elbaz was there. He dressed me- hand picked my outfit and everything while a team of french ladies put me into it. Both sample dresses were too big on me and I was pinned into this one. So take that everyone who has a problem with skinny models."

Adorable, right? 

An AW12 look from Wes Gordon, one of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nominees. 

The short list has this week been announced for one of fashion design's most coveted prizes, the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund which was won last year by the gorgeous Joseph Altuzarra, who took home $300,000 to grow his business.

The 10 shortlisted designers for 2012 won't be sitting on their laurels until the winner is announced on November 13th. Instead, they must complete a series of challenges including presenting their work to a judging panel and making a one-off piece for Tiffany & co. The nominees include one of Melanie's favourite sunglasses makers, Illesteva.

Andrea Lieberman, A.L.C.
Greg Armas, Assembly New York
Sofia Sizzi, Giulietta
Justin Salguero, Daniel Silberman, and Alina Silberman; Illesteva
Jennifer Fisher, Jennifer Fisher Jewelry
Jennifer Meyer Maguire, Jennifer Meyer
Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, Suno
Tabitha Simmons, Tabitha Simmons
Greg Chait, The Elder Statesman
Wes Gordon, Wes Gordon

The divine Valentino Resort (image from style.com)

In another sign of the times, Italian makers of fairytale dresses Valentino, has been sold to an investment group believed to be owned by the Qatari royal family which also counts Harrods among their assets. It's a long way from the early days under founder Valentino Garavani, who retired from designing for the label in January 2008. £556 million was reportedly paid for the business by Mayhoola for Investments. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli will remain as creative directors, which we're very happy about after drooling over their gorgeous Resort collection. 

Yves Saint Laurent blows a kiss at his Autumn/ Winter 2000-1 couture show (image from bbc.co.uk)

Since he was appointed to Yves Saint Laurent in March Hedi Slimane has caused a stir, first by deciding to rename the ready-to-wear label of the brand "Saint Laurent Paris" and secondly by showing his first collection, Resort '13, to select buyers only. However, his latest pronouncement may appease those whose feathers have been ruffled up to now because he has hinted that he may bring Yves Saint Laurent back to the couture calendar. He has reportedly told Vogue Paris that "Haute couture is a legitimate subject for Yves Saint Laurent and could resume one day" Watch this space. 

Joanna Sykes' final collection for Aquascutum (image from catwalking.com)

Joanna Sykes, formerly at troubled Brit brand Aquascutum, has got a new job as Creative Director at Nicole Farhi. She starts in September and will show her first collection for AW13. Sasha Wilkins, a.k.a LLG, summed up Sykes' appointment rather brilliantly, writing on her blog "Finally we can expect something new and fresh from a Nicole Farhi show, rather than just the prospect of dozing fitfully through one. It’s just the jolt that the label needed to make it relevant again." We couldn't agree more.

THINGS TO DO & BUY THIS WEEKEND:

A cap created for the Opening Ceremony pop-up by needlepoint experts Tucker-Blair and Harding Lane (image from WWD)

If you're in London, get down to King's Street, Covent Garden on Friday 20th July and onwards where Opening Ceremony's olympic pop-up launches on Friday. It is a long forgotten fact by most people in the industry that Opening Ceremony was originally founded by Humberto Leon as a way to celebrate the diversity of the Olympiad through fashion.  Opening Ceremony adopt the Olympics mission statement for the brand ethos; to creatively merge sports, business, and global participation. There will be exclusive collaborations and great pieces from Adidas, J.W Anderson, Rodarte and more. Surely the most stylish way to get in the mood for the coming sporting extravaganza. 

Jonathan Saunders' charity tee for Matches(image from hypebeat.com)

If you the weather does turn and we get some sun then you'll be needing a t-shirt. Happily, Matches have teamed up with J.W Anderson, Mary Katrantzou and Jonathan Saunders to create some very cool t-shirts to raise money for the Evening Standard's London Dispossessed Fund. Mary has even recreated her legendary AW12 typewriter print for the project. Get one for £60 from tomorrow (Friday 20th). 

Mary Katranzou's typewriter for charity print (image from hypebeast.com)

Set your Sky Plus/ phone reminder for the last instalment in the Ab Fab comeback, due to air next Monday evening. This is the one centred around the Olympics and starring Stella McCartney alongside Patsy, Eddy and Saffy. We can't wait!

Olympic style, the Ab Fab way (image from vogue.co.uk)

YOU SHOULD KNOW...

Kate Middleton has not done her first magazine cover, as this dodgy photoshopped issue of South African Marie Claire might suggest...

Kate Middleton does African fashion, not (image from huffingtonpost.com)

Harper Beckham can WALK.

Mario Ballotelli has sounded the rallying cry for this Summer's best beach look war. Mohican, neon accessories and underwear as swimwear, Mario?? We're hooked already and look forward to bringing you more of our top ranking twisted beach looks in the coming weeks...

I'm Sexy and I Know It Balotelli 

DO THE LANVIN DANCE!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

You've mastered the macarena, the YMCA et al, but really we wouldn't dare crack out those routines wearing Lanvin. Well, now the label's dance challenge positively encourages a little foray into cheesy moves. Alber Elbaz is letting us know about it in a fun-filled video which also just happens to showcase the capes and cocktail dresses which dominate the AW11 collection- a feast for the eyes and ears.

Raquel Zimmerman and Karen Elson (who loves a party- she even threw a joint one with her ex Jack White to celebrate their divorce) are joined by Lowell Tautchin and Milo Spijkers in this manifesto for having fun in your high fashion. Elbaz himself was obviously loving Steven Mielsel's shoot so much that he makes a cheeky cameo, can you spot him?

Never fear, the fun is not reserved for the lucky models. Those of you who will be in New York on September 8th (when Vogue's Fashion Night out is taking place) can bust a move at the Lanvin boutique in a bid to win prizes, surely the chicest dance contest ever? And if you're not in NY then any dancefloor/ bedroom will do.

UNIQLO’S CHARI-TEES SAVE JAPAN!

Posted by Bethan Holt and Fashion Junior at Large

Charity t-shirts are not always the coolest – harsh but true. However, everybody knows the place to go for cool t-shirts is Japanese wonderbrand Uniqlo. So it makes perfect sense that Uniqlo have teamed up with Vogue Nippon to help Save Japan. Unveiled at the brand’s AW11 press day yesterday, this latest t-shirt project is one we feel is worth investing in, not only for the cause but because they are very good T-shirts. The creatives behind the T-shirts include Queen Gaga and everyone’s favourite Uncle Karl. The 10 tee designs will be available in store from 25th June, and Uniqlo have pledged a donation of 100 million yen (approx £750,000) towards relief efforts in the areas most affected by March’s earthquake and Tsunami.

We were really impressed by the unique designs, the common thread in all the designs is the message of love, solidarity and hope. Some are more fashion-y others are more conservative. Weirdly, one of the coolest is by 80s icon Cyndi Lauper (LOVE her). It’s bright and cheery, embodying her inimitable personal style. It is perhaps a little known fact that Ms. Lauper is a huge fan of all things Japanese and visited Japan in the wake of the recent disaster. 

Karl Lagerfeld’s design is somewhat of a departure from the formal Chanel aesthetic; he has fused the Japanese flag design with a sunny, happy landscape, and written the simple message ‘Love’. Meanwhile, Alber Elbaz has added a little Lanvin fun to proceedings with a his sweet personal message decorated with cute hearts.

UN goodwill ambassador Nicole Kidman’s expressed her inner Picasso with a beautiful design featuring an outreached hand offering love and support to Japan.

Blake Lively, Charlize Theron, and Orlando Bloom also leant their scribbles to the project, along with Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow. Nicola Formichetti (who worked with Uniqlo pre-Gaga, and still styles their seasonal lookbook) posted a picture of himself wearing his customised Gaga for Uniqlo design.

The tees will be on sale from 25th June 2011 at £12.99 each.

Images: Uniqlo/Nicola Formichetti

A TRIO OF FASHION SHOW REVIEWS BY LOUISE WILSON

FROM THE FASHION EDITOR AT LARGE IN PARIS....

First, a gratuitous picture of the gorgeous Natalia Vodianova that I took from my perch at Stella McCartney this morning. I’ve been thinking about doing this blog properly for too long. Time to do get on with it! And what better way to start as I mean to go on, than by kicking off with the most straight-talking women in fashion, Professor Louise Wilson, OBE, head of the MA course at St Martin’s. A significant majority of the best young designers working in the world of fashion design today are her former students, and she is held in high esteem by all (that is, if they're not scared of her). These include Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Sophia Kokosalaki and many others. This weekend Louise Wilson was invited to Paris fashion week by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, her first trip to the Paris shows since 1986. (“Because I’m always in my f***** office.”) I caught up with her at the ‘Guy Bourdin: His Movies’ launch at Le Bon Marche, met Alber Elbaz (jeeezus!) popped a glass of Champagne into her hand, and asked for her personal reviews of the catwalk shows she has seen so far. I was laughing so much while she recounted her views on Margiela that I could barely decipher my notes afterwards. Over to you, Louise!

Louise Wilson and Alber Elbaz last night at 'Guy Bourdin: His Movies' launch at Le Bon Marche in Paris.

LOUISE WILSON ON MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

“It was horrific on many levels. Having been a long term fan of Martin Margiela you wanted to weep at how a parent company cannot enable their designer. How anyone with a modicum of understanding of the house of Margiela could produce things as bad as that, (Style.com), I don’t know. How anyone could clap for a skirt as long as a runway I cannot imagine, unless they were the people who made the damn thing. The giggling models, and streamers that burst from the lighting rig at the end of the show also ruined it for me.”

“Martin Margiela has left his house because they could not enable him in his work. His work had integrity. I never knew he used Italian mixed jersey. [What she means is, he didn't use the fabric, ever. So further proof he is not actually working there]. The company [Staff International, owned by Diesel founder Renzo Rosso] doesn’t know the brand, and should know better. The show I saw wasn’t trying to appeal the the faithful fans of Martin Margiela, of to lure in new fans, or attract the young to the brand. I don’t know who they were trying to appeal to, maybe a motorbike rider in Rimini?”

Maison Martin Margiela photos by Chris Moore/Catwalking.com

BACKSTORY: (It was confirmed at the weekend that press-shy Belgian Martin Margiela has departed the label he founded in 1988 after it was bought by Diesel owner Renzo Rosso and both clashed on the direction of the company. Rosso told WGSN that Margiela had "left a long time ago". Meanwhile my source says he finally left the building early this year, and had little to do with his Autumn/Winter 2009 collection, and nothing whatsoever to do with the one just presented in Paris. His die-hard fans are in mourning. Though on an up-note for those still pining for genuine Margiela designs, I hear that store-buyers are finding plenty at the showroom. Small consolation, but a consolation nontheless.)

LOUISE WILSON ON LANVIN

“ What I thought of Lanvin was it restored my faith in fashion. It rocked, and it felt young. A lot of fashion is not young enough. And this also felt like an event from cocktail to final dress. What I liked was the angriness; the sexuality; the colour; the crassness of the beading. I think every young designer looking at it should endeavour to put that much work into a collection.” Lanvin SS10 photos by Chris Moore/Catwalking.com

BACKSTORY: (This was mine, and everyone else’s for that matter, show of the week (so far, anyway). Alber recieved a standing ovation at the end, and while watching it, you felt instinctively that this was the best a fashion show could get.)


AND FINALLY, LOUISE ON COMME DES GARCONS...

“Loved the pieces. Loved the silhouettes, but it didn’t feel new. I am someone who is constantly searching for new, and feeling 99.9% of the time that I don’t see it. When I look at the way Comme present their shows I think it’s old fashioned. They are only talking to a certain kind of person. [She means conceptual] The clothes could be relevant for totally different people. I could see some of these as event dresses, for an audience entirely unlike the one they currently have. I am about applauding people trying to do new. If they can’t take that forward themselves what hope is there? It’s like not changing your hairstyle for years. You can get trapped in a look."
CDG SS10 photos by Chris Moore/Catwalking.com

Thank-you Louise. Now all we have to do is find that biker from Rimini you were talking about.