Valentino: The Last Emperor

Matt Tyrnauer's documentary traces the two years leading up to fashion legend Valentino's 45th anniversary in 2007. Beyond pugs and arguably the greatest love story of all time, you get an amazing look into the process of couture creation - from a sketch by the designer through to its translation into 3D form by an army of sassy seamstresses (complete scene stealers). Valentino's absolute dedication to the art of fashion underscores the bittersweetness of the couturier's decision to retire after the company's sale to private equity firm Permira. Truly an end of an era.

Boy George

Beauty Icon by Laird Borrelli-Persson

Style.com profiles Boy George - New Romantic poster boy - as they continue to dispatch reports on the ubiquitous eighties revival seen on the runways this past season.

"As it turns out, the crooner has an affinity for the kind of nostalgic escapism fashion gave into this season. "It's ironic," he told Rolling Stone way back in 2000, "that if you go back to Thatcherism and Reaganism, a lot of cool things happened during that decade. A lot of sexual attitudes were loosened up a bit, and we had some interesting music. So sometimes, within these right-wing climates, you have an artistic reaction." What the runways proved for Fall is that a financial crisis breeds a similar inventiveness. Call it karma." [Style.com]

Gareth Pugh - A/W 2009

Gareth Pugh as Video-Maker, Dream Tester By Colleen Nika

Interview magazine reviews Pugh's Fall collection...

"Last week, British designer Gareth Pugh presented one of the most directional collections of the Fall 2009 season. But this time, it wasn't just his cyberpunk couture that turned heads. Equally unorthodox was Pugh's choice of presentation: audiences experienced Pugh's collection via video display. Lucky for us, Gareth Pugh gives Interview exclusive insight into the concepts and inspirations behind the execution of his Fall 2009 fashion film." [Interview]

Advice from i-D

Photography: Collier Schorr, Styling: David Vandewal

Flipping through i-D mags from last year, I came across advice on an effective method for stress release. "Make like Julien, relax, listen to Morrissey and dream yourself beautiful."

Raf Simons - A/W 2009

Simons talks to Suzy Menkes about Jil Sander...



I Feel by Raf Simons, All Shadows & Deliverance, A/W 2005

Grupdom?

Photo: Ari Versluis & Ellie Uyttenbroek

Up With Grups By Adam Sternbergh
"He owns eleven pairs of sneakers, hasn't worn anything but jeans in a year, and won't shut up about the latest Death Cab for Cutie CD. But he is no kid. He is among the ascendant breed of grown-up who has redefined adulthood as we once knew it and killed off the generation gap." [NY Magazine]

Will this be the fate of everyone I know?

Dior's Road Trip

Vogue, May 15, 1950

The best finds are often accidental. I recently came across this delightful article from a 1950 issue of Vogue magazine where couturier Christian Dior details a motor trip from Paris to Cannes, taken "with an eye for the worthy detour." Along the way we rediscover Dior's love of antiquities, art, architecture, landscapes, wine and dining, and easily see how his impeccable taste influenced and shaped his iconic collections.

Chalayan at 15

"Hussein Chalayan marks 15 years in fashion with a solo exhibition at London's Design Museum. Here, the avant-garde designer reflects on his most memorable moments." [Style.com]

The Allure of Chanel

At the end of World War II, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel invited diplomat and writer Paul Morand to St. Moritz and offered him the opportunity to write her memoirs. His notes of their conversations were put away in a drawer and only came to light a year after Chanel's death in 1971. They included candid memories and thoughts on diverse subjects - from her childhood to the men in her life to social issues. Originally published in 1976, The Allure of Chanel has been reprinted by Pushkin Press (2008). A must read.

Fashion Plates

British Vogue, November 2008

Loose yourself in the glossiest, most au courant fashion coffee-table books. By Harriet Quick

"So you've got the Rodarte dress and the Shaun Leane diamond vulture-skull brooch, but perhaps you lack the academic credentials to be a true urban goth? If so, start with Gothic: Dark Glamour (Yale University Press, 2008). One half of this dark tome is devoted to fashion, the other to rock music, so slide on that Sisters of Mercy album and a Rick Owens jacket, and let your nerves be tingled."