From New York to London to Milan and now Paris, there is a trend. After reviewing fashion weeks looks and pieces for Spring 24, there is definitely a change happening. Wearable styles without selfie friendly monograms are charging down the runways.
Fashion Season is here with the big runway shows from the capital cities of style showing off their newest collections.
Looking over the designs, we have some opinions. Before Tacky is coming soon.
Of Course Not! We have not forgotten Fashion Week. We will have news, reviews and opinions coming.
Introducing our new web show on conversations with fashion creatives from around the world. We will get down to business with anyone who wants to talk. Stay Tuned.
From #Berlin, we have started producing our program centered on having conversations with #fashion #creatives around the world. Stay tuned for "Before Tacky". #fashionstyle #mfw #pfw #lfw #style #fashion #streetwear #fashiondesigner #StreetStyle #Content #webshow pic.twitter.com/2qo705Vg9r
— BlackandPaper (@BlackandPaper1) December 2, 2020
I had a conversation with Magazine Editor Alexander Popov from Effect Magazine. Are fashion weeks needed in theses times? Travel restrictions, publications squeezed, brands under pressure, returning to the normality of fashion seasons looks far off. From empty chairs at shows to buying things we may or may not need. We had a fun discussion on theses topics and more.
Click below to watch the webcast.
Who needs the latest Gucci Bag these days?
Alexander Popov is Editor in Chief of Effect Magazine. He regularly attends fashion weeks, but this year viewed the shows remotely. Hopefully next year life will be different.
The United Kingdom is going through a lot. A government just holding its head above water, under siege on all fronts. Like the rest of the world, Covid has taken a toll on the country. Citizens refusing to understand the gravity of the virus. The Brexit drama continues its tortuous walk to an end of a year climax.
On the fashion side, London Fashion Week, the smallest of the Big Four events mixed online and live shows. I have always had the opinion the British capital city charts a different course from Milan, Paris, and New York. The ability to make “quirky” work. To take a classic style, then completely transform the look with an edgy print, material, or cut. This is London’s secret as a fashion tolerant city.
Burberry by Tischi, not a great collection shown in a forest setting. But I liked the solid colors of blues and oranges. The mix of denim on an all weather coat not so much. Save that for the influencers who take 30 selfies a day.
As an American, when I saw Erdem’s collection I though of romantic fantasy from an 18thcentury novel. The story reads, woman meets man on a walk, they fall in love but have others while longing for each other. The long lengths, whites and soft floral prints would be worn by the heroine of the tale.
I am not familiar LaQuan Smith but better late than never. Street fabulous meets Glam best describes a brand that goes for sex appeal without the guilt.
Halpern decided to feature real front line workers in his presentation. Normally, I am not in favor of “real people” as models. However, his creations were about empowerment merged with optimism. Frilling Pom Pom Dresses and suits made of spirited colors and prints.
Emilia Wickstead’s white sail boat prints, cropped tops and cottons made for delightful collection. I wished I had been there to touch each piece. The complication was the fact each delicate look came across as simple.
This collection from Fashion Designer Halpern at the London Fashion Week shows the power of imagination merged with function for style. Using different materials and shapes each look had the theme of female empowerment.
Women who mattered during these times. This season the house used front line workers as models. Fabulous!
Stay tuned for more coverage from London Fashion Week.
Being Fabulous! Aspirational living! This is the lifestyle Vogue and other Conde Nast publications put in our faces. That $1500 bag matched with a $900 linen top. Advice; Pay the rent before heading to Bloomingdales.
All that FABULOSITY yet Vogue-Conde Nast cannot pay the rent! HUH! #Vogue #CondeNast #fashion #fashionblogger #fashiondesign #fashionblogger #style #nyc #NewYork https://t.co/WTG324URZx pic.twitter.com/5Rt50UJRSa
— BlackandPaper (@BlackandPaper1) August 7, 2020
Once again the magazines find themselves in the headlines, but for the wrong reason,,AGAIN! Six years ago Conde Nast debased from Mid Manhattan to the World Trade Center. Fast Forward to the 2020 Pandemic, ad revenue flat lined. Suddenly, those palatial 1.2 million square feet became a brick tied to an ankle in a sea storm.
Fashion magazines have been in a denial stage for a decade. Bloggers and social media elbowed in once exclusive territory. Brand advertising splintered. But to the heads of Conde Nast, this was a bump on a Champagne Boulevard. They had become victims of a movement they help create, “Living In A Fake Reality”.
Nothing says success than new digs. Trading up, moving to 1 World Trade in lower downtown New York represented the future, optimism. Anna Wintour and staff sat on top of the world. August 4th 2020, reports started circulating Advance Publications, parent company of Conde Nast, is scouting for a new office. I had to do a double take. Suddenly, Vanity Fair, New Yorker, Teen Vogue’s 21 floors lost its appeal or a need to “trade down”. Six months ago I saw Vogue editors coming in and out of the Bristol and Hotel de Crillon hotels in Paris.
In April requesting government a bailout, today negotiating cheaper rent. No more fashion week teas in “Le Boudoir”. Have the company credit cards been cut? No worries, if a Vogue Staffer is reading this, send me a message. I know a few affordable places in Paris and Milan.
Looking over the magazines social media channels, I could see problems. Access to the best writers and photographers in the world, yet, a lack of original content replaced by recycled stories. How many pictures can be from the archives? Or Vogue Challenges every week? HMMM!
All smokes and mirrors, denial is a fabulous way to live until a “reality brick” hits the face.
The first fashion week in the “New Normal”, London Fashion Week goes digital. An event once exclusive to fashion insiders, LFW is now available to the public via Internet.
In comparison to the other fashion capitals, London’s beats the other cities with its experimentation, a quirky stance on style. Does this translate to digital? In a manner of speaking “no”. On screen, the awe value is lessened. The spectacle is not as spectacular.
Adding to this, he value of having fashion weeks comes into question as the industry faces pressure on many fronts. Magazines have lost relevance. Retailers are closing stores. Shoppers have cut back on none essential purchases.
I hope next year LFW goes live again.
I like this:
A veteran of Louis Vuitton, Daniel Fletcher interprets menswear and streetwear designs into minimalistic fluidity. Harry Styles wears his suits.
I liked #RiccardoTisci's #Burberry collection shown at #LFW. But I think 400 for a #tshirt is a bit too much for simple cotton material. I love #fashion but there are limits. #style #streetwearfashion #menswear #mensfashion #ootdfashion #fashionstyle pic.twitter.com/bCrFcKGR3n
— BlackandPaper (@BlackandPaper1) September 18, 2018
YES! I thought the first Tisci collection for Burberry was a shot in the arm for the brand. He made the looks feel modern while a bit edgy at London Fashion Week.
I will say, I think the new $400 t-shirt is a bit too much, simple cotton at that price. I think this becomes fashion fooletry! Hype, madness, perfect for the Bling Instagram Age of faking it until you make it. I need more than a logo over my heart to make me part ways with that amount of cash for a basic item. Is it JUST ME?