Andre’s world: Just go ahead sweetie and leave those trousers at home
I remember my days at Patricia Field, where I worked as PR director. I would wear outfits very similar to the one I’m wearing above to greet clients and television crews. They would usually gag in disbelief, and I would smile and continue to act as professionally as if I were wearing a power suit. Life is about expressing yourself and I feel very comfortable in a bodysuit. So why not? Am I the only one out here? Would you wear a leotard on the street? Or should it stay in the gyms and dance studios of the world? Let me know!
I love my leotard. It’s interesting how fashion and history repeats itself so rapidly. Jules Leotard, a French acrobat, first made the one-piece famous back in the mid-1800s. In the ’70s, everyday people wore them as exercise and street wear. The leotards and bodysuits that the IT girls wore to Studio 54 in the disco era especially captured my attention. It turned me on to the idea of being glam. Then there was Madonna expressing herself in leotards in the ’80s, and Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Rihanna shaking a tail feather in the look now. I personally have always enjoyed wearing a bold, leg-less bodysuit. I love how it leaves the legs free.
Categorised as: fashion
Happenings: Fun with awards season outfit changes
It’s one thing to nail a red carpet look for a single event, it’s another thing entirely to keep it fresh and funky for nights on end. This is the skill that truly separates the “women” from the “girls” in red carpet land. Last night’s Golden Globes ceremony was just the latest in a seemingly endless line of award show extravaganzas that lead up to Oscar night. Chloë Sevigny (she always brings just the right amount of edge), Diane Kruger (painfully chic), and Zoe Saldana (always pretty and polished), are a few of my favorites from the month so far.
Categorised as: fashion
London: Playing with texture
Name: Joanna Nicola
Occupation: Owner of the London shop, Oxygen
What she’s wearing: “My shoes are Bottega Veneta, the leggings are LMA, the jumper is Opening Ceremony and my blazer is by Gryphon. I accessorized it with a Zara belt.”
The trend she loves and the one she could do without: “The ’60s look, especially the mini dress. I love the Twiggy style. But I don’t like it when people pile on too much vintage. That look is getting a bit old.”
-Wayne Tippetts
Categorised as: fashion
Random: Not, “save the dang chipmunk”
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about fur lately on this side of the pond. And surprisingly, most of it has been very pro-fur, a fact I find to be interesting considering how many dirty looks I’ve gotten in the past when I’ve worn mink or fox out in public. The talk started during a girls’ night last Friday when several of my girlfriends showed up to a performance of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake wearing vintage and new fur. The outfits prompted a discussion during intermission about the ethics of wearing animal skin. Several of us only buy vintage (although I kind of lamely broke that rule with my recent furry trapper hat purchase), while one happily buys the new stuff and the fifth sticks to leather and wool. I told them about the time I, dressed in an old fox coat, had to walk through a line of animal rights protestors who were blocking my entrance to a show in Paris. I tried my best to put on the stink eye (there would be no paint throwing that day) and stomped through the surly crew, even though I really wanted to just run around the building and find a back entrance. Then yesterday, my friend emailed me this letter that the singer Kelis wrote to PETA. Here’s an excerpt:
“There is no humane way to kill anything, let me start there. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of life. With that being said, I would eat pterodactyl if you found some and you told me it was meaty and delicious. And after doing a very minimal amount of research……. I found out that the founder Ingrid Newkirk is completely batty. I had a feeling but she far exceeded my expectations. I mean certifiably insane! Lol this chicks will is nuts, google it – it’s a riot! Beyond the fact that I think she’s a diabetic, which means she needs insulin, which is taken from lab pigs (I know this because my sister happens to be in veterinary school), which would be completely hypocritical. It’s like don’t abuse animals unless it can help me.
I feel very strongly about a lot of things such as the sweatshops that spin cotton and the blood on their hands. Btw it’s not just the look of fur. It’s warm as hell and feels glorious, ever rubbed faux fur on your body? Nothing luxurious about that. Then the letter proceeded to name artist and designers who don’t wear real fur. Great! More for me! I don’t judge them, don’t judge me.”
The letter is pretty hilarious. And an even ballsier move than my Paris moment. The same day that I read Kelis’ letter, I saw a op-ed column in the Evening Standard, arguing that vintage furs are perfectly okay (better to keep recycling them than letting the warm clothing go to waste, after all.) And then, when searching for that column online in order to link to it here, I found this. So fur is clearly in the collective fashion consciousness. On one hand, this is not surprising. Fur was all over the autumn/winter 2009 runways. On the other, I’m quietly amused by how many people are openly identifying themselves as a member of Team Fur. Wearing my vintage pelts on this side of the pond, I was beginning to feel like a political conservative — which I’m totally not, big surprise there — living in New York. Sheesh.
Categorised as: fashion
London: A vision in chocolate
Name: Slava Barber
Occupation: Human Resources administrator
What she’s wearing: “A leather coat by Salvatore Ferragamo, a skirt and tights by Next, and Cucio boots. The bag is CC Rossi.”
Her sartorial must: “I love to wear a color palette with lots of greens and browns. And I love leather and fur when it’s cold. Sorry Green Peace.”
Categorised as: fashion
Milan: Winter basics, clean lines
Name: Linda Nordmyr (remember her?)
Occupation: Student
What she’s wearing: “My coat is Calvin Klein. My velvet leggings are market bought. And my boots are ancient. I can’t remember where and when I purchased them.”
-Tamu McPherson, All the Pretty Birds
Categorised as: fashion
Happenings: Weighing in on the plus-size model debate
So Andre J, Michael, Jessica and I are talking about the plus-size model issue. What sparked the conversation: The Karl Lagerfeld-photographed editorial in V magazine’s size issue, featuring the buxom burlesque performer, Dirty Martini. First of all, Whoa! Wasn’t Karl Lagerfeld just saying that “no one wants to see curvy women”? Second of all, is the big girl officially “in” now? And what defines a big girl anyway? I present to you, our office debate (with a lot of tangents and back-tracking, ha!)
Andre J: I love it. These women are beautiful and they aren’t starving themselves. Women want to eat. We need to celebrate these real bodies.
Kenya: I agree. It’s funny, though, because I’ve heard complaints about the fact that plus-size models are usually photographed nude. But the truth of the matter is, few designers produce samples that fit their size. So what else can these magazines shoot them in?
Jessica: Sophie Dahl complained about that very thing an interview.
Kenya: Wait, I’m Googling that now. Here it is. She told the Daily Mail, “[being photographed nude] became common practice when I was first modelling at 19 or so; hazardous by-product of my curves, as none of the clothes samples ever fitted me.” So designers are, in fact, only catering to a very specific group of shoppers when you take into account that the average size of a woman is a lot larger than the size range they’re offering.
Michael: I know this is a very un-PC thing to say. But I’m kind of with Kate Moss and Karl Lagerfeld on this. Every body shape has its place in the world. I just don’t think that there should be a backlash against these smaller women. Models are just naturally thin.
Kenya: Um, what backlash against skinny women? I don’t think that exists.
Andre: And most of these models are not just naturally thin. I lived with a photographer in Paris who would joke about the fact that the models would only eat candy, smoke and drink diet soda on the shoots. These girls are starving themselves. They are really hungry (or drug-induced.)
Michael: Okay, wait. This is what I think. The fashion industry should allow anyone who is beautiful to be a model. The agents and bookings editors should say, “I want a beautiful model.” I don’t think you should say, “I want a big model or a small model.” It should be, “I just want a beautiful model.”
Kenya: That’s what people said about the black models’ debate too.
Jessica: But what does a big model mean? I’m objecting to the idea of the fashion world dictating what a normal size woman is. Because then you end up excluding things like being healthy. We come in all shapes and sizes. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t expect for fashion to reflect what is normal. Maybe it’s our expectations that need to change.
Michael: I don’t think fashion is about “normal.” It is usually about the unique, the unusual, the hyper-abnormal.
Andre J: But who wants to see these slumped over, emaciated girls? We can’t have 13-year-olds starving themselves, now.
Michael: I agree.
Andre: If a bigger girl becomes “the look” then the samples need to be larger.
Michael: The ’80s supermodels looked healthy and they were bigger.
Kenya: But they were still smaller than average.
Andre: But the clothes back then were about celebrating the curve. That’s how the supers were able to look great in Versace. Those clothes were for women with boobs. And Bob Mackie gowns, back in the ’70s, needed hips and cleavage. Now, it seems like the clothes are anti-curve. Tomorrow, who knows? It all keeps changing faster and faster to keep everyone frantic.
Kenya: No, it’s changing to keep everyone SHOPPING, season after season. It has been that way ever since Dior’s New Look. And he ironically had to create a new New Look every season. It’s the same system now, only on speed. It’s all about the bottom line.
Andre: So then, the new market is the big girl. Because she has money to spend, honey. I’m just curious to know if more big girls will be on the runway next month during the shows.
Jessica: But what is a big girl??
Andre: A size 6.*
Michael: Yup.
[Silence.]
Kenya: Sigh. That is crazy talk.
Jessica: Nonsense.
Andre: But in the fashion world, it’s true. I’m going to McDonald’s dammit.
[*Hi guys, as I'm beginning to get emails from you, I thought it worth pointing out that the guys were talking American sizes, not English. It's also worth pointing out that an American size six is larger than an English size six. An American size six equates to a UK size 8, French size 36 and Italian size 40.]
Categorised as: fashion
Problem solved: Make your own dry shampoo
Say goodbye to oily fringe.
Q: “I just got my hair cut into long layers and bangs. The only problem is that after every blow dry, my bangs* look oily the next day. Do you have any advice on how I can keep them full and oil-free?” -Lisa Garcia
A: “To keep bangs oil-free I suggest using dry shampoo,” says Paul Labrecque, best known for his popular eponymous haircare line. “There are varieties available, but it can be easily made at home. My favorite recipe is to combine one teaspoon of talcum powder with one teaspoon of cornstarch and place the mixture into a sugar shaker (you can buy one at any store). Sprinkle the powder on your bangs, then brushed it through with a boar bristle brush. Your bangs will look freshly washed again.”
*Funnily enough, I’m in the process of growing out my bangs, or fringe as it’s called here in the UK, because of the same problem. Maybe I should experiment with them again.
[Email your beauty gripes to style@metro.lu and we'll have an expert answer them here.]
Categorised as: fashion
