THE WEEK IN FASHION: A QUEEN SPECIAL

 Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Our usual round-up of the week's news is taking on a new guise today. In celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, we're talking all things Queen related, from her corgis to the new look Donatella is proposing for her...

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Stewart Parvin, the Queen's dress designer for the past 11 years, has given some fascinating insights into the behind-the-scenes operation which ensures Her Majesty never has a wardrobe slip-up.

“[The shoes] have to be immediately comfortable . . . She does get someone to wear them. The Queen can never say, ‘I’m uncomfortable, I can’t walk any more.’ She has the right to have someone wear them in.”

“She does drop on the shoulder slightly, as people do, so we put an extra pad in one shoulder,that’s the kind of thing we do for most people.People have one arm longer than the other, one leg longer, so that’s what the fittings are for, to make sure everything’s as perfect as it can be.”

“Every dress has got a name — we’ll get that in an email. It’s the only way we know which is which. There is one called Buttercup, which is a really popular one. So they can ask, ‘Have you got Buttercup?’ ‘Oh it’s that yellow dress!’ The one thing that she likes, so she wears it a lot.  Then they catalogue where the outfit has been worn — so if she was going to meet President [Barack] Obama, she wouldn't wear the same dress. That’s why people will think she wears things once, because there’s such a system.”

The Queen in her favourite yellow hue (image from royal-splendor.blogspot.com)

“She does like quite an outrageous print. Things that are bold suit her, and she knows that”

Her Majesty's version of 'outrageous' (image from thetimes.co.uk)

Donatella Versace appeared at the Oxford Union this week where she was interviewed by the brilliant Tim Blanks. Among the questions he asked was who the designer, known for her sexy, skin baring designs, would like to dress. Her answer? "If I could dress anyone I'd like to dress the Queen - she can handle anything. I'd put her in black - she never wears black - and add a little leather, maybe. A little rock 'n' roll."

Could this be the look the Queen works at Monday's Jubilee concert?

The Queen wears Versace AW12, with a little help from FEAL

In the run-up to Jubilee weekend, many of the Queen's secrets have been uncovered. Ok, so we're not talking hard-hitting scandals here, but more answers to niggling wonderments about how on earth everything seems to always run so smoothly for Elizabeth II...

In The Queen's handbag- a Launer, of course, a handkerchief, lipstick, a tiny mirror and a copy of the day’s programme. However, a Lady-in-Waiting is always on hand with the 'brown bag' which holds a spare pairs of tights, gloves, sweeteners and a moist, lavender-scented cloth in case of extreme heat.

Her Majesty travels everywhere with sixty vials of homeopathic medicine

She drinks only Malvern water- still only. If she is forced to go without then she apparently suffers withdrawl symptoms. 

The royal hairdo has barely changed throughout its sixty years as the Monarch's crowning glory. But ever noticed that there is never a flyaway hair or loose curl? Well, that because 'liquid concrete', so her staff call it, is applied to the Queen's hair to ensure that it remains perfectly styled, even in gale force winds.

Forever loyal to her 'liquid concrete', Her Majesty's style has been almost as
long serving as the woman herself (image from Tatler, June 2012)

And how does Her Majesty avoid Marilyn moments? Well, first of all, the linings of each of her outfits is a size smaller than the outfit itself which keeps everything firmly in place. In addition, small lead weights, usually used on curtains, are sewn into the hem of the Queen's skirts to prevent them flying up in the wind. Genius, non?

If you haven't seen enough pictures of the Queen yet, then The National Portrait Gallery is now hosting The Queen: Art and Image. The exhibition features 60 portraits which sum up her reign up to this weekend's Diamond Jubilee. One of my favourites is this one from 1952, the year of the coronation, by Dorothy Wilding and hand coloured by Beatrice Johnson.

The Queen in 1952 by Dorothy Wilding (image from the times.co.uk)

We all know that the Queen is owner of a full on hareem of corgis (I know that's the wrong collective noun, but it sounds good). Thus, the breed has become inextricably linked to royalty. Anya Hindmarch is celebrating the Jubilee by stationing corgis Linnet and Willow outside her stores around London this weekend. There are also special edition Maud clutches (pretty sure Duchess Kate has a few of these) which come with paper tiaras and guides to being Queen for a day. Hindmarch has also recruited @Queen_UK- the twitter account which sends tweets as if from her Majesty- to post tweets for her throughout the celebrations. Example tweet:

"Gary Barlow's popped over. He got one a "new song" for one's Diamond Jubilee. What part of "new handbag" wasn't clear?"

Corgis take up residence at Anya Hindmarch (image from Anya Hindmarch on Twitter)

After sixty years on the throne, Tatler decided it was time the Queen had her own cartoon...

Cartoon from Tatler, June 2012

It looks like the amazing weather might be over so Pimms this weekend won't be quite the same. Never fear because we can now make our very own cocktails with Her Majesty's preferred tipple, Dubonnet. Here's how to create a Diamond Dubonnet

INGREDIENTS

25ml Tanqueray gin
50ml Dubonnet
2 drops Orange bitters

Top sparkling English wine or champagne

Garnish: Edible diamonds (available here)

METHOD

Shake gin, Dubonnet and orange bitters together and then double strain into glass. Top with sparkling English wine or champagne and drop a handful of edible diamonds into the flute

A diamond dubonnet (image from dailymail.co.uk)

One of my favourite tweeters, Derek Blasberg posted this yesterday: "I'm so sad to miss the Jubilee celebrations this weekend in London. I mean, imagine all the puns about queens and crown jewels I could make" Oh Derek, our weekend will be all the poorer for not having your witty commentary on events. However, let's be cheered by the fact that Karl Lagerfeld will be letting us all know his thoughts on French TV channel France 2

King Karl's jubilee illustration (image from fashionista.com)

To round off our Queen news special, we have a video for the proper royal obsessives amongst you; it shows Her Majesty enjoying one of her horses race. A very sweet look at the Queen as a real person and an excellent representation of how brilliant lilac and baby pink look next to one another. We also wanted to put up Cassetteboy's amazing mash-up of Andrew Marr's The Diamond Queen documentary, however I've just seen that it's been taken down due to copyright issues- boo too. Keep checking YouTube to see if it gets reposted, it's most witty. In the mean time, Happy Jubilee weekend from Melanie and myself at FEAL!

ADVENT DAY 4: OPEN THE DOOR ON THE WORLD OF CARINE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Carine's Irreverent £42 at Amazon

It's the fashion book of the year from former French Vogue Editor Carine Roitfeld. This tome is full of fabulous photos, anecdotes and mementoes from her career thus far as well as intimate pictures with her family and friends. We think anybody who loves fashion would regret not having this close to hand.

'Fashion is all about happiness. It's fun. It's important. But it's not medicine' Donatella Versace

Lady Gaga's new video is so many things, on so many levels... but she does confirm that 'mint green is gonna be huge next season'... Her 13-minute long Marry The Night Video really needs a Sunday-like time void to be properly viewed. 

DONATELLA SAYS...

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

In the new Ponystep (OUT NOW) the FashEd has interviewed Donatella Versace. As you would expect, there are some gems in there. Here's the full spread for you straight from the beautifully designed Ponystep pages...

And here's the lady herself, explaining her upcoming H&M collaboration...

THE WEEK IN FASHION: OCTOBER 17th-21st

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Welcome to another week of  news from the fashion world, brought to you by FEAL. Happy Weekend!

I'm going to start this week's news on a sort of business-y note as I've been a bit perplexed by a lot of the big money news which seems to have emerged over the past few days, despite the doom and gloom of the financial pages. I'm no economic whizz kid but I do find it baffling that while Europe is apparently in deep crisis, spending at the Frieze art fair was brisk and Marc Quinn's statue of Kate Moss in a rather tangled yoga pose was snapped up for a mere £577,250 at a Sotheby's sale; the lucky owner is apparently a private individual from Europe, lucky them!

Marc Quinn's 'Microcosmos' (Image from Vogue.co.uk)

A couple of big fashion houses have posted massive profits this week as well, and not just due to expansion in the East.  This week LVMH and Dior both reported rises of around 15%. Of course, Asia is where the greatest opportunity lies for luxury brands; LVMH saw a 27% increase in the last four months. That said, Europe and the US are not THAT far behind with profits rising by 7% and 18% respectively in those areas. One of the many brands under the LVMH umbrella is Celine, where Phoebe Philo is still being lauded for her game changing collections;  results were said to have been 'remarkable' there, perhaps showing that it is not just a catwalk phenomenon which Philo has masterminded. It's worth highlighting as well that Dior's lack of solid design direction doesn't seem to have done them much harm at all- clearly perfume and leather goods can ride even the most potent of media storms.

Everyone still wants a bit of Celine, according to LVMH results (Image from FashionGoneRogue.com)

The importance of the Asian market is underlined by the expansion which many brands are currently undertaking. The latest is Vivienne Westwood who opened her first Chinese store in Shanghai earlier this week. Dame Viv is in China to take part in lots of activities promoting the opening including being guest of honour at the opening of Shanghai Fashion Week. Never one to be seen and not heard, she's also promoting her concerns about the environment and sustainability by addressing the 'Can China survive the world green economy?' conference.

Dame Vivienne Westwood at the opening of her new Shanghai shop

Enough of the business chat and on to some excellent images by Steven Meisel for W magazine's annual art issue. He has employed the talents of various stars including Linda Evangelista, Karen Elson, Coco Rocha and Joan Rivers to create fake ads for imagined products dreamed up with a little help from the W team. Among them the predicatable next project of Petra Ecclestone and a retro spin on shampoo promotion. I've included some of the images below and somewhere in there is Anna Dello Russo, can you spot her? Hint: You have NEVER seen her quite like this before.

All images from nymag.com

When I read this next story, it made my skin crawl with its subtly anti-woman undertones. Christian Louboutin has been explaining why he thinks women love shoes so much. He says 'That's why women are happy to wear painful shoes. For some a little discomfort is balanced by something else, which has to do with desire. You feel yourself, empower yourself, know yourself. You are aware of your body. This little act of discomfort pays off in lots of other ways... There is an element of seduction in shoes that doesn't exist for men...The language starts with the shoe and radiates over the whole body. A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes. Shoes for men are about elegance or wealth; they are not playing with the inner character''

Image from ftape.com

I'll let you make your own mind up about whether there's any element of truth in that account of why we wear heels, and we can't argue against the fact that Louboutin has had an epic effect on what we wear on our feet. In the interests of balance, I thought I'd post an extract from Caitlin Moran's amazing 'How to be a Woman'-
 'The unwearability of high heels is self-evidently all around us- coming to a head at the average wedding reception, a uniformly high-heeled occasion. In our minds we see it as an elegant and serene gathering of women in their finest. One of the big chances of the year to pretend you're at the Oscars, in your stilettos. In actuality, of course, it looks like the annual AGM of the Tina Turner Impressionist Union- women staggering around in unaccustomed verticality; foot flesh pouring out over tight, unkind satin, toes going numb for days afterwards''. 

Image from telegraph.co.uk

Miu Miu's decision to hire Hailee Steinfeld as the face of their AW11 campaign caused quite a stir with the debate divided between those who thought she was freakishly young and those who thought the images were charming and sweet (and lots in between). So, the Resort campaign starring 34- year old Guinevere Van Seenus represents something of a leap for Miu Miu. Guinevere was chosen by Erdem earlier in the year to model his Resort 2012 collection, inspired by Hitchcock leading ladies. In a matter of months, the Miu Miu woman has doubled in age and transformed from childish slip of a thing to assured lady, quite the genius move or confusing?

Erdem Resort 2012 (Image from fashionologie.com)

In an interview the FashEd did with Donatella Versace a while back, she told us that the Versace for H&M collection would revive lots of the prints which the label was famous for back in the nineties. True to her word, there is a wealth of fabulously flamboyant baroque references in the full lookbook for the collection which we got to see for the first time this week. It's so darn bellisima, bring on November 17th!

Versace for H&M- Image from telegraph.co.uk

Finally, we may not all be able to fork out the £60,000 paid for a Tracey Emin at Frieze but for a mere tenner you can get your hands on Emin engraved soap at Liberty's Beauty Hall. The project is part of Emin's support for Art Against Knives project which she is involved in 'Because I am against people stabbing each other. Full stop'. Each soap comes wrapped in a poem which Emin has composed especially for the collaboration. If you can't make it to Liberty then you can purchase yours here.

SS12: UNDER THE SEA

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

JW Waterhouse's The Mermaid. This season's collections are moving the image on

As one might expect from Spring/Summer collections, we have seen a myriad of references to all things seaside related during this fashion season; Mulberry took us on a seventies day out at the British beach, Daks (amongst others) was all fifties riviera, Craig Lawrence used sand as his starting point and Jonathan Saunders was all about Miami. But in Milan and Paris, some of the key collections have left the familiarity of the waterside and plunged to the mythical depths of the ocean to draw inspiration from sea creatures, shells and mermaids. 

Givenchy SS12

At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci served up a streetwise version of mermaid-ness. There was the irridescence of a pearl scattered seabed and a scaled effect which echoed a translucent ocean dweller but the addition of a blazer and flash of leg meant these did not descend into being unwearable back on dry land.

Givenchy SS12

At Versace, Donatella referenced her brother's signature baroque prints and presented a sexed up modern mermaid,who looks like she might be off to the Marine Bar to sit on a shell and scout out the sea horse talent.

Versace SS12

Versace SS12

Versace SS12

At Alexander McQueen, it was all about drawing comparison to the textures of coral and pearl for Sarah Burton. Padded hips and fishtails, not unfamiliar features of a McQueen collection, leant themselves to the creation of  a mermaid silhoutte. The lace caps, called fetishistic by some, emphasise the other worldly, sea bed effect.

Alexander McQueen SS12

Alexander McQueen SS12

Alexander McQueen SS12- This looks like it's slicked in sea water

Finally, at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld drew on one of the house's most important symbols, the pearl, and paid homage to its oceanic origins not only in the clothes but also on the pure white, ocean floor set. The pièce de résistance was Florence Welch, singing from inside a giant clam shell, 2012's incarnation of the Mermaid fantasy. 

Chanel SS12

Chanel's ocean floor set at the Grand Palais

Florence serenades the audience from her shell stage as the models encircle the set, spines encrusted with pearls.

All images, aside from The Mermaid (from JWWaterhouse.com), from Catwalking.com

VERSACE FOR H&M

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

 The Versace clan back in the day: Santo, Donatella and Gianni

This morning the fashion world is all a-Twitter with the news that Donatella Versace has stepped up to the plate as the next H&M/high end design collaborator. Following on from the sell-out success of last season's Lanvin collection, it has been announced that Versace will produce 40 pieces for the international high street heroes, except this time the approach will be slightly different to H&M's previous collaborations. Instead of more 'budget friendly' versions of a designer's contemporary work, Donatella has explained that instead, she will be revisiting some of Versace's most iconic pieces from the archives. ‘For me, this is an opportunity to show to a very, very big audience... what Versace has been, and what Versace is now,’ she explains, in the vid below.



In fact, Donatella is so excited about this project that she wore one of the H&M pieces to take her bow at the end of the menswear show in Milan yesterday. That's dedication to the cause! 

Always on the pulse, the Fash Ed was only saying yesterday how all the coolest kids are wearing vintage Versace shirts, revelling in all their baroque 80s glory. Fashion blog Zone 7 Style has some choice examples of Gianni Versace's finest work:

We can only HOPE that Donatella dusts off those 80s prints like these for the H&M range, which is also set to include homeware for the first time. Can you imagine a bed spread in one of these colour combos? With a bit of chain print edging and maybe a Medusa head or four? FULL. ON.

Images: Versace archive, Zone 7 blog