ANDROGYNY IN FASHION: EACH X OTHER

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

As I've scooted about London and Paris this season, one of the biggest themes I have noticed is the number of emerging brands who describe themselves as 'no gender' or 'androgynous', although quite a few of them don't even seem to like that term. Perhaps its the influence of JW Anderson creating a sort of preference towards these kinds of designers? It's not that they're a totally new thing, but now is their time. It could even be that the minimal, tailored theme of which Phoebe Philo is the high priestess lends itself to women buying into menswear. In yesterday's Times Luxx, Sarah Mower wrote 'at the moment men’s clothes are better than women’s on almost every count'. Mower's piece makes you stop and think about about the rituals of womenswear; fast and furious. You're pretty much always behind because the thing you just bought is no longer cool, so short is the life cycle of a trend and they are so not made to last that they come apart before long anyway. So, in the spirit of this not new, but certainly relevant mood, expect posts about the likes of NEWGEN designer Paula Gerbase of 1205 and Antonio Azzuolo (who is exhibiting at Americans in Paris) in the near future. 

The inspiration for for Each x Other

First though, is Each x Other, a Paris based brand which I've had my eye on for a while. When I spoke to co-founder Jenny Mannerheim this afternoon, she quickly pointed out 'You know we are no gender? My favourite phrase is I am Man. It's so ambiguous'. Each x Other isn't just clothes, in fact it's quite difficult to get your head around everything the brand is really trying to do but it's main function is the marriage of art and fashion. 'Art is useless!' Jenny exclaims, just moments after telling me that she's worked on art magazines (like Beaux Arts) and has her own gallery (Nuke in Paris). However if you take art and put it onto something useful, like clothes, then it becomes functional, so the philosophy seems to go. Each x Other came about when Jenny met Ilan Delouis, who had a solid fashion background as founder of Faith Connexion. They bonded over a Robert Montgomery piece which reads:

'The city is wilder than you think and kinder than you think it is a valley and you are a horse in it it is a house and you are a child it it safe and warm here in the fire of each other'

That was a year ago and now there is a large group of artists from all over the world who are putting their own particular stamp on the core aesthetic of Each x Other which is probably best described as left-bank rocker Parisienne, lots of printed skinny jeans, luxuriously soft biker jackets, silky blouses, simple throw-on tees and functional pea coats. There is a main collection with off-shoots designed in collaboration with any artist whom Delouis and Mannerheim feel a 'magnetism' with. For AW13, those artists include Alessandra D'Urso, Daniele Innamorato and Yi Zhou (whose biker jacket is my new dream thing). Robert Montgomery is a permanent fixture on the roster too. 

Jacket by Daniele Innamorato for Each x Other 

Silk front polo neck by Daniele Innamorato for Each x Other

Dream biker jacket by Yi Zhou for Each x Other

At today's event, the Each x Other philosophy was brought to life with the presence of Blair Chivers who was screenprinting the brand's signature life affirming, positive phrases onto anything you wanted. There's hardly anything which doesn't come without an epic sentence on the label or tucked into the lining. As well as clothes, Each x Other will publish and exhibit the work of like-minded creatives, a vision which should really come to life when a Parisian flagship opens 'as soon as possible, this year we hope', Jenny says. It strikes me that Each x Other is less about shopping somewhere because you're a boy or a girl, but buying into something because you appreciate what it stands for or just really want a great jacket. 

Buy Each x Other at Net-a-Porter

Blair Chiver screenprints for Each x Other

FRIDAY FASHION TO-DO LIST

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

FEAL is off to Paris for a few days so expect updates on our escapades while we're there. In the meantime, here are three fashion things to do now...

1. GET TO SOMERSET HOUSE FOR YOUR FLYKNITS

Nike do a brilliant job of creating real excitement around their brand and product launches. Next week, they're bringing the new Flyknit Lunar1+ to the good people of London with a big event at Somerset House. Pop in and get the supremely cool knitted trainers steamed to fit your feet then take off on a run in which you'll 'explore the city in a whole new way'. The experience will be based in the courtyard of Somerset Houseand you'll also get to see lots of inspiring outakes from Nike's running history. The experience is open all day from 9-6. Go, go, go.

2. BUY A BLACKSCORE T-SHIRT

The slogan tee thing is completely huge right now. Every other street style picture is a girl with a kooky phrase or wittily altered slogan plastered across her chest. The latest, and sweetest, version of the trend comes from Blackscore who have produced Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn tees. The man behind Blackscore is Simeon Farrar, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing sometime back. He is both an artist and a fashion designer who brings a great sense of beauty and fun to whatever he does. That's what is so great about these tees; they're whimsical rather than confrontational. Get yours here 

Queen Delevingne tee £30

3.  FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE NEW BALENCIAGA

Alexander Wang showed his debut collection for Balenciaga yesterday. Rather than going completely mad for it, as one might a Wang bag, most commentators have been measured, calling it "a confident, uncomplicated debut" (Jess Cartner-Morley in The Guardian) and "quietly respectful" (Hamish Bowles on US Vogue). From my chair, it looks like terribly complicated stuff made to seem simple, see the knits made to look like crackled leather (that detail via Cathy Horyn on Twitter). The detail I am most obsessed with  is how the catwalk images were taken with a mirror behind the models so that you can see front and back views at once, genius.

Front view/ back view Balenciaga AW13

THREE IS A TREND: ALL ABOUT NANNA

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Crunching through the substance and hot air of London Fashion Week post-event is a task almost equal to attempting to do the thing itself. Despite spending half of my time in a car (thanks Mercedes, I worship at your altar) crawling in traffic between Somerset House, Tate Modern and grand avenues behind Pall Mall I did manage see a lot before getting home to put baby Horatio to bed. And then I was able to watch live streams. Ahhh. Loved them. My favourite kitchen table shows were J.W Anderson and Simone Rocha who I will be seeing in person with their clothes this weekend in Paris, and I can't wait. With an uninspiring Milan Fashion Week just wrapped, I am still discovering layers of London Fashion Week that gave me goosebumps.

One recurring theme was that of young designers looking to their grandmothers way of dressing for inspiration.  Henry Holland named his AW13 House of Holland range 'Nana Rave' inspired by a fictional teenager from 1989 who herself gets inspired by her grandmother's wardrobe of funny patterned skirt suits, clunky shoes and tunic dresses; a sort of 60s fashion hangover viewed through the eyes of a bored teen from the 80s. How a guy born in 1983 can channel this fashion vibe in 2013 gives it (intentional) ncomedy value; his is just an idea of a perceived memory and that pretty much sums up modern fashion ideas, even the best ones.

Brazilian NewGen designer Lucas Nascimento (whom Bethan recently interviewed)  is obsessed with old women in general. "I love watching them walk down the street," he told her when she previewed his AW13 show, "what fascinates me is the proportions of the clothes, the way their skirts hit below the knee, how they colour block peculiar colours and generally the way they put their outfits together."

Simone Rocha said this of her collection for Autumn/Winter 2013. "The collection is inspired by my grandmothers: my Irish granny Margaret Gleeson and my Chinese grandmother Cecelia Rocha, my relationship with them and my relationship with clothes. It is a story of respect that is rendered in the fabrication, the consideration and understanding of cut and detail."

Her words made me think of my own Irish nanna, Janie Clynch of Lathaleere, Baltinglass, County Wicklow, a mother of seven and independent woman whose catchphrase was "Don't vex me child" said with a loving smile and a discreet whisht motion with her hands. "Out of my way. Go and play." She was never a fashion plate, but she loved a periwinkle blue cardigan and a sensible skirt, always worn with her St Christopher medal, a discreet crucifix and very often a jazzy hat and well tailored coat.  I can't help seing shades of Simone Rocha's show when I look at Nanna in this photo with my cousin Marita. Miss you Nanna.

Janie Clynch circa 1971

Simone Rocha AW13

Simone Rocha AW13

Lucas Nascimento AW13

Lucas Nascimento AW13

House of Holland  'Nana Rave'

LFW AW13: BRAVO LUCAS NASCIMENTO

Posted by Bethan Holt. Junior Fashion Editor at Large

A few weeks ago, I visited NEWGEN designer Lucas Nascimento to preview his AW13 collection, which was shown at Tate Modern this morning. It was a beautiful, chic and clever collection which had  several editors and buyers I was sitting near to actually cooing out loud. Quite a feat on the last day of the week. Obviously not the actual week, the fashion week you understand. Today is London Fashion Friday. Here's the preview, which also appeared in today's The Daily interspersed with some pictures from today's show....

As with most East London designer’s studios, it’s easy to get lost en route to Lucas Nascimento’s Hackney Wick abode. Indeed, at first glance it’s a lighting and furniture factory. But venture further round and you come to the right place. It’s not rails of samples and acres of fabric which greet visitors, as one might expect. It’s an enormous, industrial sized Stoll knitting machine.

Brazil-born Nascimento has confounded those of us who thought we knew what knitting looked like by producing light as air, fine as feathers modern wardrobe staples. In his debut season of NEWGEN sponsorship, A/W ’12, there were bafflingly novel carpet-like knits, for S/S 13 the look was light, fine and sheer. Knitwear like you’ve never seen it before.

The wild-haired 32 year-old has been engrossed in the M1 Plus software which he calls ‘the Photoshop of knitwear’. It allows him to experiment with new techniques which he then tailors into the simple yet voluminous shapes, like shell tops and sculpted shift dresses, which are fast becoming his signature. The night before we met he produced a fabulous double-sided, flock effect pattern which he likens to ‘oil on water’. It is constructed with a combination of shimmering gauze thread and luxurious chenille. It could be jacquard but it has sheen and stretch. Then there’s bouclé yarn knitted with cellophane thread in a way which Nascimento compares to quilting. This squishy, waffled creation will be crafted into a pencil skirt. Prepare to be astounded too by fur tightly knitted into yarn. It’s all about balancing wintry richness with a lightness of touch. 

Nascimento studied knitwear at London College of Fashion, having learnt from his Mother when he was growing up. ‘I love hand knitting and I’m really good at it’ he emphasises, remembering the ‘brilliant’ internship he did with Sid Bryan and the gang from Sibling during his second year. It was post- graduation factory visits while working for the likes of Neon and Basso and Brooke that piqued a curiosity about what technology could do for knitting. 

‘We go through the yarns for the season, but it’s always a surprise because they will do something you didn’t think they would’ says Nascimento of the starting point for every collection. He has a beautiful mood board, which includes a 60s photograph of Jean Shrimpton, Nefertiti-like in James Galanos, and a tufty haired rabbit. But those images play out in specific details, like the way he wants his knitted fur to look. It is the pocket of The Shrimp’s dress which informs the pouches you will see on dresses in today’s collection. 

He has his fashion aesthetic down to a tee. Those sleek, modern pieces such as a column skirt or neat bomber jacket. For A/W ’13, dresses take on a cocoon shape while jackets are cropped, or cut out at the shoulder. Old ladies are a constant obsession, ‘you must put them in!’ he exclaims in his lyrical Brazilian accent. He goes on, ‘their proportions and how they put together their outfits fascinates me’. While we don’t think geriatric when we see a Lucas look, those demure lengths and inspired colour combinations make sense in this context. Navy is Nascimento’s favourite colour and is guaranteed to appear in every collection. This time it is teamed with ochre, grey and blush pink.

 

At a time when Céline is selling mink sandals, and Margiela offers leather joggers, it is savvy of Nascimento to experiment with imbuing his simple shapes with high-end luxury. One look comprises a fur sleeved sweatshirt and matching rabbit panelled pencil skirt. Perhaps it’s something to do with hailing from a BRIC country? ”I really want women to look at something of mine and say ‘Oh my god, I need that. I want to rock that’” Nascimento enthuses. Cue, a whole new wish list for Autumn.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: SUNO COLLABORATES WITH SWAROVSKI

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

In fashion, aesthetic usually comes before ethics. We think first about how lovely a dress is before we think about its backstory. There are a very few labels showing at the big four fashion weeks which shout loud about their conscientious credentials, though it has to be said many of them manufacture in specialist and often local factories. Hot NY label Suno stands out from the crowd, precisely because its first function was to provide jobs and hope in response to economic and political instability in Kenya. It was 2008 and Max Osterweis wanted to find a practical solution to the difficulties he was witnessing in his "long time second home". Suno has travelled quite a trajectory since then. Osterweis and his design partner in the venture, Erin Beatty, have set about ramping up the fashionability of their brand, dressing Kate Bosworth and Solange Knowles as well as earning nominations for the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund two years running. If there's anyone destroying the stereotype that ethical fashion must be fusty and irrelevant, then it's Suno.

Can you spy the twinkle of crystal kneepads? (images via style.com)

Osterweis and Beatty started out using traditional African kanga prints and manufacturing mostly in Kenya. Since then, they have opened further outposts in Peru and India, employing skilled locals. Crucially, their work looks very at home on the New York catwalk. In their show on the evening Storm Nemo hit there were stripy jumpsuits, embroidered jumpers, crisp shirts, lots of tartan and sparkling evidence of their first collaboration with Swarovski. The most original and dazzling result of the hook-up is a crop top and dirndl skirt set, but there were also chunky gems embellishing black neoprene shift dresses. The look was all about "modern armour", Beatty told Vogue. Swarovski have very kindly given FEAL an exclusive first look at the video they have made, showing how Suno used their gems in the collection. "There is nothing so chic as crystal kneepads" exclaims Beatty. So very true, and all the more exquisite given they were crafted by expert artisans in Suno's Indian workshop.



Swarovski also worked with Creatures of the Wind, another show we loved from New York. Check out their collaboration below...

TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE OUR FASHION FUTURE

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

If you're following the critical reception to AW13 so far, then you will likely have seen Cathy Horyn's withering take on the first few days of New York. She claimed it was "shocking to see the lack of energy and imagination". That is an understandably upsetting statement for the NY designers it is describing. However, it does say something about how little the clothes we wear are really changing. How often do we see the same old 70s/ 60s/ 50s trends rehashed in some way? They were so new in their time, but not so much any more. That course of action cannot go on forever. We may consider a sharply tailored coat, the best black trousers and the like as wardrobe essentials now, but will we even be wearing such items in a few years? Why will we need heavy layers when perhaps we will be able to wear a single item which regulates our body temperature by reacting to in-buit sensors? It's a baffling possibility, though perhaps already in action on some of the girls who somehow survived Storm Nemo at New York fashion week wearing heels and pencil skirts. Maybe they know something we don't? The possibilities of print were blown wide open with the advent of digital software which allowed designers to play round with images like never before. Think Mary Katrantzou. It may not be so very long before the next big technology leap changes fashion once more.

Mary Katrantzou's print wonders facilitated by technology

If you want to see something that might genuinely be a glimpse at dressing for the future, then you should look up Studio XO. Their work currently revolves around big showpieces for stars like Lady Gaga and Azealia Banks but the film they've made for Crane TV, along with a quick scour of their website, suggests that their work could change how we dress. Studio XO's newsfeed describes how, at a recent conference,  their fashion director Nancy Tilbury, "offered a view on the physical/digital landscape and proposed the opportunity for a connected wardrobe of fashion garments coupled with interactive, intuitive accessories". That suggests to me that this is not just about outlandish, wearable art to wow huge stadium crowds but could be a path to fashion which works for us, in an even more magical way than the best white shirt or miracle dress ever.

NYFW AW13: CREATURES OF THE WIND GROWS UP

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

We are huge fans of the Creatures of the Wind guys, Shane Gabier and Chris Peters, at FEAL. We'll put it out there... this is pretty much the best start to AW13 we could hope for. Just the right balance of the boys original aesthetic with a new slick, grown-up edge which is very appealing indeed. Behold, five brilliant first looks at the new season...

Images via Style.com