Summer Luggage

In homage to my vintage leather hatbox, I bring you some ads for Prada luggage from the 2006 Spring/Summer campaign. Of course I am partial to the rose-trimmed hatbox, but my favourite is the enormous vanilla bag in the third spread. (Isn’t it funny that people use ‘vanilla’ to describe white, after the ice cream of course, when a vanilla pod is actually quite black?) I love white in general, as high-maintenance as it is – it is a far more energising and uplifting non-colour than black.

I also enjoy the languor of the model, Sasha Pivovarova, lounging about decadently with her white cat, as though it is far too much effort to rise, and I love the dove-grey socks, and the bamboo-soled shoes. There are quite a lot more images in the series than I managed to collect; you can view them here.

(Click on images for larger versions.)

Nights of Shining Glamour

Yesterday while I was frantically looking for historical images of women bedecked with bows (that I didn’t use anyway), I came across this lovely fashion editorial from a 1987 issue of Australian Vogue. It looks so quintessentially Eighties, doesn’t it, but a more sophisticated style than one usually thinks of – or perhaps that is just a trick of photography?

On the opening page of the fashion section, the fashion editor has written:

“As though by design – exactly what it is – dressing this winter has crystallised into two distinctly different images, as different as night and day, each counterbalancing the other, in an ideal blueprint for a modern woman’s life. There is the pared-down polish of looks made to move upward in corporate realms, to aid you in confronting your day with authority and competence. And clothes for nights of shining glamour, fantasies in taffeta and velvet, tulle and sequins, clothes cut out for nothing but pleasure.

There’s no better way to signal the flip side of your workday self than by the way you look. Shed your corporate carapace and emerge as another kind of creature, more fantastic than earthbound. Your transformation may come as a surprise to those who know you as a no-nonsense competent. Good. Who wants to be predictable? More important still, you may surprise yourself.”

Now I’m imagining a sturdy little caterpillar, working away by day, and a shining butterfly, frivolously beating through the night. Wearing bows, of course.

Tearsheets from Vogue Australia, May 1987; phographed by Claus Wickwrath

Alice Blue

I’ve had a very strange and surreal May, so to celebrate it I’m sharing Annie Leibovitz’s beautiful photoshoot inspired by Alice in Wonderland, for US Vogue’s December 2003 issue.

Natalia Vodianova models unique gowns by eleven designers, each of whom appear on the pages with her as different characters from Lewis Carroll’s famous story, which I have loved since I was a child. The gowns are wonderfully imaginative, not surprisingly all rendered in the blue made famous by Disney’s animated film. It is one of my favourite shades of blue.

The book was written in 1865, and it has stood the test of time, inspiring so many – from children whose imaginations are sparked by this magical tale, to Hollywood master storytellers.

Scroll down and be transported along with Alice. (Don’t forget you can click on the images for larger versions.)

Autumn Leaves

Autumn stole in hand-in-hand with an Indian summer, but finally the chill has really set in. Winter is breathing down our neck, and autumn leaves. (Geddit? I always poke fun at fashion editors when they make headlines out of puns, but that one was irresistible.)

Melbourne has become cold cold cold, I have finally succumbed and brought the winter wardrobe out of storage. I’ve been wearing winter coats in the mornings on the last week or two. I can’t say any of them are Hermès though, sadly.

How very lovely are these pictures? A perfect and literal segue into the season. The clothes are nothing to sneeze at either.

As usual, click on the images for bigger versions.

Colour in Your Closet

Cotton candy pink with blood-orange! Whoop! Rochas leather gloves, silk camisole and black skirt. American Vogue, ph: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. So you’d like to spice up your sober wardrobe with a few bright colours, but you don’t know where to start? Here are fifteen pages (torn from magazines mostly of the last two years*) full of ideas. There are subtle combinations for the shyer types, and eye-popping brights for the adventurous. (Don’t forget to click the images for larger versions.)

Bearing in mind that mixing and matching is a challenge for some (including one of my sisters who mournfully admitted to feeling flummoxed), I have tried to include outfits mostly in separates. Don’t forget you can always glean more ideas from not only your stylish friends, but from the street, and also in stores. Referencing printed fabrics is a great way to learn which colours go well together.

Update some of these shades with this season’s colours – whichever hemisphere you live in – and go shopping!

* Apologies, I don’t know exactly which issues – it is a pity only a few magazines print the issue date in their folios (alongside the page number).

These are great colours for autumn months: claret would also look great with sky blue, or camel, while forest green would work with pink or lighter shades of purple such as lilac or mauve. British Vogue.How beautiful are these shades of cobalt and indigo? They would look fabulous with acid yellow too! Grey goes with practically anything – go to town. British Vogue.This Vera Wang outfit is such a lovely, subtle combination of tones: true violet and an ususual shade of mushroom/taupe are worn with black. The fabrics and textures really set these shades to best advantage. Awesome! I love this unusual match of indigo, teal, and berry with brown and gold-accented shoes. So sophisticated.What stupid person said pink and red don’t go together? This coat is FABULOUS and utterly covetable. It looks like a Rothko painting! British Vogue.This shade of pink didn’t make it into Genevieve Antoine Dariaux’s list, but it looks great with black. British Vogue.
Heading into contrast territory here: two slightly different shades of red worn with mint or pistachio green, and I love that the gloves are actually blue – it’s a lot of fun mixing colours of the same tonal value that are slightly ‘off’, in this case the mint and blue. The blush chiffon panels of the skirt marry nicely with the currant red sweater. American Vogue.
Another great colour combo: kelly green with cinnamon and cream, and a plaid sash that lifts the outfit out of the ordinary. Kate Spade.See you can wear more than two colours: pastel green is saved from sugariness with scarlet and acid yellow, and the necklace adds in cobalt and green too. British Vogue.Beautiful shade of blue, but this Chanel bag is insanely expensive. Australian Vogue.A heavenly combination of purple with berry tones and sky blue. American Vogue.This page shows some great examples of contrasting colours – that warm lettuce green with tangerine (sounds like salad) really stands out. British Elle.These heels are a very nice example of harmonising colours: raspberry, peach and cinnamon with black (another great dessert too). American Vogue.Read about Serbian-born, London-based designer Roksanda Ilincic’s experiments with colour. Australian Vogue.