Where have I been? It’s more a case of where haven’t I been! The New Year is finally here, and with open arms I welcome 2010, it’ll be interesting to see what comes of this year. I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year, and that you did not suffer too much (be it from a hang over, or financially!).
I dusted off the old Ted Baker shirt, and celebrated New Years in style clubbing avec my close friends in Worcester – I, of course, naturally had to have Dom Pérignon at midnight – after all that is the only way to do it. Quite frankly my dear readers, I do not think you would expect any less from me?
Oh, and boy, what a night that was! I have had a few mad nights recently, consisting of excessive consumption of alcohol to the extent I have spent too much, and cannot even recall any of my night at all, that a routine ritual of intentionally smashing champagne flutes (now that’s just shameful…) has developed, and I best leave it at that before I get shipped off to rehab, or arrested for that matter (as much as I’d love a mug shot on my wall!).
It’s a New Year, and time to look to the future, and think about refinement, and self development. I’ll get back to you on that one… still haven’t decided my New Years resolutions yet – better late than never I suppose right?
I must admit I did not have any last year, this year I am determined, so watch this space.
What are your New Years resolutions? How did you do with last year’s?
I hope you all made use of January sales, I know I did! Picked myself up a few delightful pieces, which I shall have to share with you sometime. I have a new blazer it is absolutely divine, I’ll show you next entry!
Recently I have made like Rita Hayworth, and haven’t got out of bed till the afternoon (because I can, of course!). Need rectify this now the holidays are over, and I need to get on with my life.
I’ve been thinking about “fashion moments” (as you do, well I do), and I thought I would share some of my personal favourites.
Think back to September 2007, the Kate Moss vintage silk Dior fiasco. Kate wore that gorgeous gold silk dress to the Golden Age of Couture Gala at the V&A, which ended up ripping (apparently due to Courtney Love, but who knows!). At the end of the night Kate emerged in the same dress with a “bit” of a change, she turned the silk gown into a mini dress to hide some of her decency.
Not only innovative, it looks absolutely divine as a mini dress. I don’t think we can even mourn the death of a vintage Dior gown when the end result is so spectacular. The same dress was donated by Kate to her celebrity hair dresser friend James Brown, who used it in an eBay auction for charity. The dress sold for roughly £800 even in that state!
Now think back to May 1971 (before my time!), in sunny St. Tropez – a wedding that made fashion history. The work of the great British bespoke tailor Tommy Nutter who bought Saville Row into the future, yes it’s the wedding of Mick Jagger, and Bianca Perez Macias. I think the photo speaks for itself. Oh, and of course I love the champagne in that photo.
It is one of my favourite moments as it is just such an iconic wedding, it is up there with the late Diana Spencer’s marriage to Prince Charles. The eccentric British icon that is Mick Jagger, the beautiful Bianca, and the incredible tailoring of Tommy Nutter (who actually dressed The Beatles on their Abbey Road album cover) – it was an instant recipe for successful. I think the fact that the relationship between Mick, and Bianca, was so high profile, and the turbulent nature so to speak only adds to the iconic wedding.
The assassination of John F. Kennedy, well to be precise Jackie Kennedy in her pink Chanel suit. On that awful day in November 1963 when the thirty-fifth president of the United State was killed, his wife made fashion history. The late Jackie Kennedy (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis) already a style icon in her right, made the classic Chanel suit more iconic that day. Despite the awful events which resulted in Jackie’s suit covered in the blood of J.F.K., she refused to change from the blood soiled Chanel suit.
It was a horrific image which made history, the Chanel suit is a representation of strength in my eyes, and that of female struggle, and so the image of Jackie wearing this blood stained suit is iconic. In a way it was almost as if she was saying, “look what you’ve done to me”, as she boarded Air One with her husband’s casket in her ruined suit.
Long gone are the days of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Emma Watson is a name in her own right these days – in June 2009 it was confirmed she had signed a six figure deal with Burberry for modelling the Autumn/Winter collection 2009.
Why have I chosen this a moment you may ask, well because I have a LOT of respect for Emma Watson. Unlike most stars of her age, she hasn’t let her fortune go to her head (she made over £10 million alone from Harry Potter). Emma has not gone off the rails, she is in fact very much in check. She has brains, despite her busy career she managed to be very academical successful, and she attends the Ivy League American private university Brown – which is quite a feat itself.
So here is to Emma Watson, she has her moments in the spot light, and still manages to keep her life on track, and be successful in every aspect of her life. Oh, and I suppose the fact that it was Burberry’s first show at London Fashion week in 10 years (as it was LFW’s 25th anniversary) adds to this photo, that Watson was there dressed by Burberry.
In August 2009 Marc Jacobs hit headlines again (and not for not rehab this time!), with a very strange fashion moment. It is one of my favourite moments, as it quite frankly just amuses me…
So yes the successful New York fashion designer who has worked with the likes of Kate Moss, child actress Dakota Fanning, Victoria Beckham, music legend M.I.A., the gorgeous Chloë Sevigny, and even Jarvis Cocker of The Pulp, created a couture gown for Miss Piggy – yes that’s right, The Muppet’s one, and only, Miss Piggy.
You can see the black taffeta number below with a picture of Marc Jacobs, and Miss Piggy “herself”. Must admit the “unlikely” duo look quite cute together, who knows Miss Piggy might just be Marc’s next Muse ha!
The last, and final one is not so much a fashion moment, but more so an iconic woman – as far as I am concerned; her entire life was one big fashion moment.
She was one of New York’s last proper socialites, she was considered an unofficial First Lady of New York so-to-speak, a generous philanthropist, and an icon of America. Even in her later years she was known to be wearing incredible gowns, lashes of emeralds, and dancing all night long. Not only was she entirely fabulous, but she had a generous disposition, and is reported to have given away incredible amounts of money to charitable causes.
She was the one, and only, Brooke Astor. Her tombstone is engraved with the words; “I had a wonderful life”, and hats off to the late Brooke Astor she certainly did have a wonderful one hundred, and five years of life.
I leave you with a piece of a fashion editorial I am quite fond of. It is from Vogue Paris February 2008, and features Natasha Poly, photographed by Terry Richardson (the full editorial featuring Pierre Gérald is well worth checking out if you’ve never seen it).
I just love how versatile Natasha Poly is, and how much of a glamourous classic beauty she looks in it.
P.S. I have started videologging if you would like to check that out http://www.lorien.me/vlog.
P.P.S. Those of you with Facebook interested in fashion should join the Nelou fanpage http://bit.ly/89Zd0i. Nelou will be a platform to showcase young fashion designers who are ready to present their collections to the public. It is very much in development right now, but never less worth a visit.