WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FASHION IN 2010 ?

Wunderkind

What to wear in 2010 ?

Fashion is an eternal rebirth. After 80's fashion for A/W 09-10, designers moved on for this new year. As we enter a new decade, look back into 90's fashion, and you will see the answer...

In the 90's, people stopped wearing clothes to show their wealth. No more bling ! Back to true values and welcome to the age of 'New Modesty' (according to Karl Lagerfeld).

However, modesty is not synonymous with black humor and pessimism, quite the contrary. For Spring/Summer 2010 out-in-the-country influences, light hues (lots of white) and rich melanges fight the crisis with some optimism.

Beside, in his S/S 2010 collection for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld presented a very pastoral collection.

Chanel

Look at this ultra-short dress for Chanel, it is literally cut out !

In brief : for 2010, break the rules ! No more constraints. Just be yourself.

For this, you can customize your own clothes...

John Galliano

... or tattoo yourself, as seen at Rodarte, Jean-Paul Gaultier or Chanel.

Chanel

Chanel will launch these ephemeral tattoos on March 1.

Don't be affraid to mix different patterns. All kind of patterns are allowed : floral (Etro), tribal motifs (Duro Olowu), digital designs (Givenchy), just to name a few. Print pants and tights with patterns are great.

Duro Olowu

No surprise then if the grunge style is back.

You can mix denim in the same outfit with different kinds of denim: jeans, torn denim, or patched jeans with messy hair.

Chloe

Minimalism (Calvin Klein, Celine, Michael Kors), like in the 90's but with more skin showing and lots of pure white.

Calvin Klein

Talking about skin showing and underwear as outerwear, Jean Paul Gaultier invented this concept with the famous conical bras corset for Madonna in the 80's. It is making a comeback with transparencies, nude colours, see-through lingerie, flouncing all popular – do not be afraid to show every part of your body like a romantical bitch...

Jean Paul Gaultier

Sport-chic is back too ! Alexander Wang S/S 2010 collection proved it brillantly. You have to take inspiration in football, baseball, hockey, tennis (Hermès), scuba-diving (Gucci), dance.

Hermès

Very short is in !

Bodies and swimsuits.

Prada

Cycling shorts (as seen on Louis Vuitton, Armani or Prada) instead of leggings.

Louis Vuitton

Knee High Socks too.

But it always must be chic.

Jumpsuits (Lanvin and Stella MacCartney) and playsuits.

Lanvin

After reaching the summit, heels are becoming lower this year, as we can see at Marni, Chloe, Calvin Klein, Missoni, Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton or Marc Jacobs for instance, where kitten heel shoes appear in different forms. Some very high heels though but the heel is very thin.

Wedge heels are very popular too.

Accesories still important :

Big necklaces by Lanvin and Dries van Noten

Oversized bows...

Marc Jacobs

Still some epaulettes...

Alexander Wang

Some fringing again (Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton)

Bum bags, small purses are totally in.

Colors are mostly white (Gucci and Calvin Klein are just a good example), yellow (Zac Posen, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton), nude. Some bright colors too, as vibrant green, bright orange (Balenciaga), red, blue, mauve.

Fabrics are light and fluid.

2010 is the best year to play with fashion !

So have fun dear readers... and happy new year.

- God Bless You,

Prince A. (Paris)

___ pix from style.com and vogue.com ___

Amazing spring for H&M guys !

Prince Alban isn't a snob. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money to be stylish. The style is in the mind, not in the wallet.

However I have very little respect for H&M in general : lack of creativity, cheap, bad shape, worn by everyone, luxury ready-to-wear vulgarisation ... Disgusting.

But some weeks ago, when I saw the new collection I had a terrible shock ! H&M has grown. Spring Summer 2010 is very interesting.

I've never seen so much refinement for H & M men before.

Colors and prints remind me Alexander McQueen for women.

The blood red jacket is similar to the Gucci one.

Transparencies, sensitivity, extravagance. Actually very Prince A style !

And the highlight of the collection: the kilt !!! (Thanks to Marc Jacobs ?)


I can't believe it ! I never thought I'd find it at H & M stores one day, did you ? I'll check out what comes of this in real life...

Now I have to leave you, dear readers, I have lots of projects.

- God Bless You,

Prince A. (Paris)

There's something wrong with Tavi.

Tavi at the Rodarte studio in New-York.

She is said to be the new buzz of fashion and has been called the next Anna Wintour. Who is Tavi ?

Tavi Gevinson is a 13-years-old middleschool girl living in the suburb of Chicago. Like every average little girl, she goes to school, does her homework, eats cheerios, and spends her time in her room.

However, most of her schoolmates think she looks silly and weird, because of her very unusual style. Indeed, she is fond of fashion and has got a very personal style.

In March 2008, at only 11, she decided to become one of the millions fashion bloggers who post their outfits, thoughts and comments about fashion every day.

She created an account on blogspot, ironically entitled "STYLE ROOKIE", and she has taken photos of herself, with funny and overall very keen observations for a teenager, showing a high artistic culture and a curious and fresh eye on fashion.

She is fond of 90's fashion although she had not been born then and thinks that it is not sufficiently met by the current designers. She loves Japanese fashion designers like Rei Kawakubo for Comme des garçons and weird vintage cheap and out-of-fashion things.

Consequently, numerous readers, impressed by the quality of her thoughts for her age, shared her blog on the net.

Who are her parents ? We don't know. She doesn't talk a lot about them. Tavi only said that they are Jewish and that she grew up listening to Bob Dylan. Before requesting their permission to appear in a magazine, Tavi claims her parents had no real idea on what she was doing.

She made the buzz, and was quickly propelled in the higher inner circles of fashion :

- only eight months after the creation of her blog, the Mulleavy sisters (Rodarte) contacted her.

- in August 2009, she appeared on the cover of Pop Magazine.

- she is invited to fashion shows and meet all people you need to know.

Chloe Sevigny giving way to the new generation

- she collaborated with Rodarte for their line at Target.

- she has sold her own tees with this face inspired by YSL Fall 08 collection that she painted one night when she could not sleep.

What a genius !

... And she has become a fashion icon for designers and billions of people in the world.

Really... Sounds like a fairy tale...

Her success seems to be mainly based on her age so should we take her seriously ? Doesn't it look too good to be true ?

When you know how much the world of fashion is elitist, a meteoric rise like this could be suspicious, couldn't it ?

Was the fact that she is so young and so mature and sooo talented at the same time enough ? Or is there some economic interests behind it ? I really think fashion industry uses her like a goose that lays the golden eggs.

Some people have even doubted her ability writing her posts unaided.

“You look at her video, and the writing doesn’t sync up with the way she talks about fashion." Elle's Anne Slowey said. "I watched that video it smacked of this ethereal vagueness – this vacantlike quality where it was like everyone was on Vicodin. Like everyone was uncomfortably dumb except for me.” She added, “I’m not trying to take anything away from her – her love of fashion, her love of style. She’s either a tween savant or she’s got a Tavi team.”

The author of the blog "The Sartorialist" said about the Tavi phenomenon : "The thing with teenage fashion bloggers, is that they're little girls trying to be 30 year old fashion editors. You can not grow without a blog original content or by pulling images. It's just not enough. It would be more interesting to consider the dynamic of who her friends are. I mean, what do they think of this girl who dresses all crazy? "

Is she unique ?
Many young girls her age show incredibly thoughtful outfits on the internet now. And Tavi does not have the best style.

She simply tries to copy and paste what she sees on catwalks...

Hmmm yeah... Sometimes successfully... Other times not...

Something else is very very STRANGE !

Here is Tavi in December 2008 :

She claims she took ALL the photos herself... 

NO HELP to take pictures or anything.  She describes her parents as being not really interested in what their daughter do. 

It's hard to believe, isn't it ?

At 11, alone in her corner, she would suddenly decide to become a fashionista ?

And this is Tavi, two years later...

WTF ?

Is she getting uglier with age ? 

Or perhaps it is too avant-garde a style to be understood.

And what happened to her camera ? Is it broken ?

Perhaps now she is famous she becomes lazy. Or perhaps she tries to avoid suspicion...

So why HER ?

The most impressive are not her photos but her comments on fashion. People are impressed by her extraordinary maturity. 

If she were 5 years older, nobody would care ! 

Have a look at her posts. Having such artistic culture at 11 is just IMPOSSIBLE. Does she have an older sister fond of fashion or something ? I'd say it's almost certain.

She is a novelty but will she LAST ?

I think It's very interesting to see what a 13-years-old think about fashion. She seems to be very creative, clever, curious and funny...

But I think all that happens around her now is not natural.... and very unhealthy.

So let her have fun and growing up through her blog and that's all...

It's my opinion.

- Pictures from http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com

Strange beard and moustache championships

Most Strange Beards and Mustaches
Every two years, the owners of the world's most elaborate facial hair come together for the World Beard and Moustache Championships. From 1990, the championships feature competition in a variety of categories that include everything from the delicate Dali moustache to the outrageous full beard freestyle. This facial-hair celebration is open to everyone and spectators are welcome. On 2007, Brighton (UK) hosted the championships, and the City of Anchorage (Alaska, USA) hosted the next one on 2009.
Meet some of the craziest beards and mustaches we've found at the championships.











Former Beard World Champion Gerhard Knapp


Gandhi Jones, 34, from Seattle, 1st Place winner in the Freestyle Moustache category in 2007

Ernst Krause from Steinau cultivated on this creation for weeks



Elmar Weiser, from Germany




Karl Heinz-Hille, winner of Imperial moustache category at the 2007 Championship in Brighton, UK

Jack Passion, a 23-year-old American crowned natural beard champion of the world at Brighton 2007


Willi Chevalier, Germany, 2001 World Champion of Full Beard Freestyle