Friday, October 29, 2010

Who Cares What Vanessa Petey Thinks - Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum is that brand that basically defines British fashion to the rest of the world. In continuing with my critique of London Fashion Week as a part of Who Cares What Vanessa Petey Thinks – I’m going to discuss their latest biker inspired collection.

Appropriately, they’ve selected Emma Watson as the newest face of the label and the photographs are really stunning. Who’da thought that our little Hermione would become a big fashion model for a label as fantastic as Burberry?? I love her.

The thing about Burberry Prorsum, and especially with chief creative director Christopher Bailey at the helm, is that they never disappoint. Everyone loves a good trench coat and they definitely have the patent on that classic style. What was fantastic about their most recent collection was the ability of the designer to take the traditional model from the Burberry archives and re-create it for the modern woman. Of course this is and should be the goal every season, but this time Bailey really nailed it.

He begins simply by maintaining the image of the trench coat, but shortening it and fitting it to a more modern silhouette. He’s done this as a throw back to the motorbike clothing that the line was invented for when it was founded more than a century ago. As the collection progresses, we see this biker style become more and more evident with Bailey’s use of shiny fabrics, lots of zippers and snaps and a very structured, hard look. What I loved most about this collection was the mixing of bright colours with softer colours – an attribute I like to use in many of my own pieces for Petey the Troll Apparel. Coat after coat appear on the stage in neutral, plain colours – typical of the Burberry style – but they’re all synched together at the waist with a very bright neon belt and bag to match. By adding this little accessory to the mix, Bailey changes the entire image of the brand creating a more youthful, up to date, stylish look.

Every now and then a cocktail dress emerges on stage in one solid, bright bold colour – usually also synched by a fabulous belt. Another trend in the collection is the gathered fabrics which are pulled together to bring forth a combination of loose fitting, flowy fabrics and a very defined silhouette. The result is a garment that anyone of any size or shape can wear – all of those gathers hiding the “wobbly bits”.

The middle of the collection introduces silver and black as the central colours in Bailey’s vision. After seeing the feminine, elegant little dresses, this addition brings us back to the biker idea behind the line this season. He’s even included studs! Studs all over the lapels, shoulders and sleeves of the jackets begin to appear – a nod perhaps to the punk affiliation the brand received during the mid-late 70s in London. Shortly following are the animal prints. Everyone this year seems to be returning to animal prints for their Spring wardrobes. Something about a leopard print tube top always wins when accessorized properly by the stylists of Burberry Prorsum.

The last piece to come out on the runway featured model Nina Porter in a violet leopard print tube dress with a fully studded leather jacket on top. – Now, I watched this show live when I was in Toronto sitting in my friend’s apartment eating almond butter on bread, and my jaw was one of the many that dropped at the very end of the show when poor Nina Porter tripped on her shoes and crashed to the floor in that perfect Burberry outfit. When the camera switched to a back stage view, all you could see in the background was Nina crying to Christopher Bailey about how sorry she was for the incident. That’s fashion I guess. What would fashion week be without a model smashing her face into the runway at some point? What really made it worse (better?) was the presence of some of the fashion world’s top celebrity admirers.

They immediately panned to Sarah Jessica Parker’s face when Porter fell – hilarious – to say the least.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Who Cares What Vanessa Petey Thinks: Alexander McQueen 2011

To begin, I’d like to say that everything I write is of my own silly opinion and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. But maybe you will.

Spring 2011 London Fashion Week this year was epic. Of all the Fashion Weeks from New York to Milan this season, London takes first prize in unique elegance, dramatic evolution in the industry as a whole and emotional effect over the thousands who flocked to some of the biggest shows in the world. The first Spring 2011 collection I will discuss in this eight part series I call: Who Cares About Vanessa Petey’s Opinion, will be Alexander McQueen.

Last February 2010 the fashion world witnessed the tragic suicide of Lee Mcqueen, the celerated designer who changed the entire purpose of creating Couture clothing. McQueen introduced a Modernist perspective to the art of fashion design focusing on “art for art’s sake” in his process of designing garments. In 1999 he gained a career launching amount of praise from the presentation of his Spring/Summer collection for the label. The show featured a model in a white dress turning while being sprayed by robots with paint. The dress was being created on stage in front of everyone. It denied the entire concept of a fashion show and threw the obsession with ornament owned by the fashion industry in its own face. He was a risk taker and a rule breaker and I remember watching him with the label in question as well as with the House of Givenchy, never disappointing with a unique and memorable collection each season.

This year Lee McQueen’s devoted former assistant Sarah Burton was responsible for presenting a collection with the label, which over the years has come to stand for the creative and intellectual evolution of the art of fashion design. Burton has been expected to keep the spirit and poetic grasp of McQueen’s image while simultaneously introducing her own insight on the direction of the label. The consensus on the topic from the most influential figure heads has been overwhelmingly positive.

The presentation of the new line was a very key decision for Burton as the artistic director of the Spring 2011 fashion show. Lee McQueen was known for his dramatic and artistic productions, reflecting the vision of the collection he had in mind. Burton’s fashion show took place on a cement runway with green grass growing through cracks across the stage. Her meaning is simple but beautiful – new life can come of the bleakest times and the legend of Alexander McQueen will continue to thrive through the sombre memory of Lee’s life and death.

Okay so this collection is unbelievable. No one thought Sarah Burton could do what she did and that’s taking the image of McQueen as a label and twisting it with her own identity as a designer to create a fresh and hopeful look for the label coupled with trademark rebellion and daring. She begins the show with a series of white outfits, all committed to the McQueen silhouette and style. The pagoda shoulders that McQueen was known for in his prime were present, but slashed so the fabric hung open in defiance. This was the first indication that this collection would be rebellious, but faithful in only the most appropriate ways. She then went on to include the famous McQueen geometric prints in keeping with the textbook silhouette while gradually introducing more fluid lines and flowy fabrics creating a lighter, more optimistic look. The whole thing has a very earthy feel starting with the basket woven hair and proceeding through the earth goddess shapes and designs we see as the collection progresses. In the middle of the show we see the introduction of the McQueen detailing which has been so important to the label since its beginning. The tiny leather flowers sewn together to create a unique yet poetic garment that’ll for sure be seen on red carpets to come. In addition to the mother goddess, earthy feeling you also see strong tribal elements suggesting that Burton went back to basics while designing this collection – a feature which is evident in the purity and optimism of her collection.

There was always something about a McQueen dress that set it apart from everything else. It makes it timeless and unique – a dress for every age, every event and feels instantly vintage when worn. Sarah Burton’s 2011 Spring collection keeps the beauty and individuality of the Alexander McQueen line while introducing a new light of confidence for the future of the legendary label.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Who cares what I think about fashion: A series introduction.


Today’s blog starts with a question: Does my opinion really matter when it comes to the fashion world? The answer is probably not...though maybe a few friends or Windsor admirers might come to my humble defence.

For the next eight weeks I’ll be doing a synopsis and review of eight of my favourite collections at the Spring 2011 fashion weeks all over the world. Agree or disagree, but I’ll give you my honest thoughts about the most interesting, up in coming and legendary garments being produced by the most talented designers in the world.

My credentials? For what reason should I be upheld as an authority on clothing?

When I was eleven years old I discovered fashion. I watched Fashion Television with my idol Jeanne Beker every day and drooled over the luxurious fabrics and dramatic presentations of unforgettable collections. Fall/Winter 2007 featuring Coco Rocha Irish dancing down the runway for Jean Paul Gautier actually had me crying. (I say that as if I don’t break into tears every time I see something beautiful on the runway.) I recall Tom Ford’s final show for Givenchy; walking out in his gorgeously tailored black tuxedo – a symbol of elegance and luxury in fashion. One show I remember particularly was an early John Galliano for Christian Dior collection featuring Egyptian motifs and skirts that just layered and layered and layered. Or when Stella was just getting started and was hailed for her accomplishments at the forefront of the French house Chloe...

I’m rambling...

As the iconic Carrie Bradshaw once stated, every season the women of the world leave the foolish choices of their pasts behind and look forward to the future. This is known as Fashion Week. When done well, there is nothing as moving and beautiful as a fashion show when it comes to artistic expression. Obviously I view clothing as art, not just a venue of utility. Clothing is everything. It’s the way we express ourselves as individuals. Even the person with the least imposing sense of style still chooses their clothing for one reason or another. Fashion is life. It represents the economic, social and cultural state of the world as we know it.


I might start tomorrow. Yes. I’ll start tomorrow with the first of eight solid reviews on the following collections:

Alexander McQueen

Chanel

Talbot Runhof

Burberry Prorsum

Marc Jacobs

Dsquared

John Galliano

Vivienne Westwood

So stay tuned and see what I have to say about this stuff. I will not disappoint. ;)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Confessions of a Fashion Dreamer

I’ve been staying up way past my usual bed times over the past few weeks ago. It’s a bad pattern to get into, I think, because I always equate staying up late with no purpose as a negative thing. Not to mention that I do like getting up early and being in the quiet of the morning, free to do my work and drink my coffee. For some reason I’ve gotten into the pattern of staying up until 3 or 4 and waking up at noon for no particular reason. Maybe I should take up running.

I’m in the process of working on a list of Halloween costumes for many different clients. This week, the week before the week before Halloween is my go time. I’ve got a strict schedule that I make for myself that I must follow if I want to have time to make my own costume for heaven’s sake. It’s always the way, I end up making my own would-be-fabulous costume on Devil’s Night and it ends up second rate. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

So I’ve been buying a lot of fabric and clothing for the purpose of creating my Halloween costumes and I visit fabric and thrift stores regularly. I do this a ot when working on a collection for Petey the Troll Apparel too. My major confession is the amount of clothing I’ve acquired as a result of this affliction. I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I looked at my closet that the majority of my existing fall wardrobe consisted of black and gray. Me, Vanessa Petey, just black and gray. It had to be remedied immediately, of course. Since then I’ve become my own personal stylist, creating new outfits every time I visit a Value Village or Salvation Army.

I’ve got a new found appreciation for dress pants too. I’ve been getting brand name dress pants second hand then altering them to be skinny and wearing them. It’s a phenomenon in my personal style. Tomorrow I’m going to work at St. Clair College to finish up my work on Girls in the Gang, and I’m going to be wearing a mustard seed yellow, high wasted pencil skirt with a gray vintage men’s Pink Floyd t-shirt. Oooooooh yes. And the green heels I think. I’m in a good mood.

Until next,

VPH

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Thoughts on Working in Windsor's Fashion Industry

Sometimes I think I might talk about my job too much. I do this full time – this crazy fashion stuff, and it’s taken over my life. If, in order to have a design label all you had to do was make clothes, we’d be set. Other jobs included in the life of the owner of a small fashion label include:

Marketing Specialist: Absolutely any business requires marketing to be successful. Yes, it’s capitalist and heathen to make such a statement, but it’s a fact of our classist, money ruled lives. At Petey the Troll we’ve always designed our own posters and ads, we’ve also tried to use every venue the internet has to offer including Facebook and Twitter in addition to our Etsy store, our own website www.peteythetrollapparel.com and of course this very blog you read today!


Personal Stylist: Believe it or not, Meaghan and I spend a lot of time on accessorizing. I know I spend a good amount of time in the morning looking in the mirror matching belts, scarves and jewellery to whatever outfit I happen to be wearing. We’re in fashion. Who are we as designers if we can’t even appropriately dress ourselves with style and class? Do we care too much about the way we look? I guess you could say that... but I’d rather see myself as a blank canvas. I like dressing up!


Financial Advisor: Taking care of the finances for any business is a huge job in itself. At first we just let the sales and revenues go unrecorded which we now find isn’t possible if we want to legitimize ourselves in any way. So now it’s saving receipts, keeping inventory and putting every dollar of Petey money we make back into the business. Is it easy? Absolutely nothing about it is easy!

The list goes on.....


October 8th, 2010 was the Fashion Show portion of the Harvesting the FAM Festival. I can’t express how amazing this event was and can’t thank the organizers enough for their work! I wish I was one of those people who carried a camera around (not that I really wish I was one of those people...) because last night it would have been useful!

It was wonderful to be surrounded by such influential and unique people in the community last night. The Windsor eccentrics were out, the musicians, djs and artists too. And the models, my goodness, they blow me away every time! What fantastic people to work with! It was really a great way for Petey to wrap up the season and move on to the next project.



Speaking of the next project...

We’ve just shot the Fall 2010 Collection and the photographs should be out in a week or two! During that time, we’ll be making Halloween costumes, mainly, and also working on expanding the number of personal clients we have. The number is growing everyday!

So before November when we start working on Petey Couture and our next submission for Toronto Alternative Fashion Week again, get your orders in and let us know what you’d like! Also stay tuned for some awesome colabs we’ve got on our plates in the next couple of months!



There’s nothing in the world I love more than dressing people up to look distinctive, stylish and beautiful.