Michel Gaubert
If the worlds of fashion and music are by now inextricably linked, then it is in no small part thanks to DJ Michel Gaubert. As the man behind runway soundtracks for houses like Chanel, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Fendi, and Rodarte, he has turned the catwalk into an incubator of new sounds and a crucial platform for young artists seeking international exposure. And his collaborations with the iconic Parisian boutique Colette have yielded a hugely successful mix-CD franchise that encapsulates cool in 12 tracks each season. He wanted to be a rock star, but his obsession with music and image pushed him in the direction of fashion, which has proved fruitful, to say the least. Here he talks about barnyard raves, Karl Lagerfeld, the New York Fashion Week celeb circus, and why Paris always feels like home.
On his origins:
I got into music when I was 5 or 6 years old. I created my own world, and I wanted to be a little rock star. I wanted to be like Bowie. I wanted to be a performer, but I’m not disciplined enough. So I said, Fuck it, it’s easier to use other people’s music. I was buying records and I knew lots of people from record stores in Paris and London. I also loved fashion from a very early age. There was a link between fashion and image and music that has always fascinated me. When the music is perfectly synced with the image, that’s always such a thrill.
Read more »
 |
Christopher Bartley & Pippa Lord | Categories: Craft, Inspiration | No Comments » |
|
Article Tags: Balenciaga, Chanel, Colette, Fendi, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld, Michel Gaubert, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Rodarte
|
Image inspired by Yves Saint Laurent
I truly believe that with the proper training, almost anyone can learn to draw. Sure, skill and accuracy will vary, but the basics (straight lines, color application, etc.) can be taught. However, illustration requires much more than just decent training and practice. It requires the ability to convey emotion and mood.
The work of Danny Roberts first caught my eye when a group of his illustrations, appropriately entitled “The Blogging World,” swept across the web. In the series, Roberts pays homage to the bloggers who have inspired him. All are depicted in ways that seem to reflect their personalities. While viewing the series, I was pleasantly surprised to see how often the chosen bloggers (Tavi Gevinson of Style Rookie, Sea of Shoes, for instance) seemed to be exactly as I had imagined them.
Read more »
 |
Ashley Simko | Categories: Design + Designers, Inspiration, People + Personalities | 3 Comments » |
|
Article Tags: Alexander McQueen, Art, Chanel, Christian Dior, Danny Roberts, Illustration, Paris Fashion Week, Tavi Gevinson, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent
|
Brigitte Bardot as a bohemian trendsetter
Okay, if you’re less than 100 years old, you may not know her, but believe me: Brigitte Bardot is an icon. A beauty icon, a sexual icon, a fashion icon and of course, a French Icon.
Last week during Paris Fashion Week the French paid tribute to their icon by celebrating the first major exhibition of her life and work, and there’s a lot to see.
Read more »
The Dutch duo of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren
From the second the lights went down and the music went up, I knew. The Viktor & Rolf show, my last of Paris Fashion Week, would be legit.
The Dutch duo of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are known for their wacky fashion sense and concept-driven shows. I literally squealed with joy when I received the invite, and all week, I had been looking forward to seeing how their latest collection would push the envelope.
Read more »
Karl Lagerfeld at the Chanel showcase – Paris Fashion Week 2009
“I believe it’s supposed to be Marie Antoinette’s play farm at Versailles,” remarks a colleague as we enter the Chanel show and are confronted by a vast barn decorated with double C’s, like a set for a road-company production of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” sponsored by Chanel. I assume she is being ironic, since I know she shares my view that when it comes to revolutions, French or otherwise, the side to be on is not the one occupied by decaying royals and their sycophants.
Read more »
An intricate bustier at Hiroko Koshino
For me, a large part of fashion’s magic lies in the little things — an exaggerated zipper, a sky-high platform heel, a creatively executed sleeve. These details make the difference between a piece of clothing and a work of art. During Paris Fashion Week, I took the time to really examine and document the details of the collections I was viewing.
Mesh and studded skirts at Lutz
Tranoï trade show
Tranoï isn’t your average trade show, they tell you. It is “an artistic platform for designers as we organize fashion shows, artistic installations, exhibitions, and all sorts of events which arouse the interest and desires inherent to fashion.” It is a place to “gather, combine differences, share artistic and commercial experiences, innovate, surprise, and conjugate ideas and ideals.” It’s a “state of mind.”
It still looked like a trade show to me, though, albeit a really big, really cool one, with catered continental breakfast in the morning and a Grey Goose and Veuve Clicquot–sponsored happy hour in the afternoon. Plus, my press bag came with an awesome burnished-silver key necklace that is about to become my next go-to accessory.
Read more »
Look designed by Dries Van Noten – Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010
What scandalous act are you required to perform in order to secure a front-row seat at Dries Van Noten? Apparently merely winning the Pulitzer Prize isn’t enough, because there is Robin Givhan, who received the award for her Washington Post fashion criticism in 2006, relegated to the second row. Of course I am way behind her, but do I care? When you are sitting in a glorious hall just off the Place Vendôme, about to see the riot of spangles and nutty prints that Van Noten parades down the runway, do you really have any cause to be unhappy? As Carrie said to Big in the restaurant of the Plaza Athénée, “Don’t you worry about me. I’m in Paris.”
Read more »
Magdalena Schaffrin with line
Magdalena Schaffrin and Jana Keller are out to show Paris that ecologically responsible fashion is more than just yoga clothing and bio-cotton bags. They are the founders of GREENshowroom, a traveling showroom that promotes an understanding of sustainable materials and politically correct manufacturing standards. The project kicked off in Berlin in early July, and the Paris installation took place October 1 through 4, to coincide with Fashion Week. During a break on Friday, I stopped in to take a look.
Read more »
