Style of Effy Stonem

 

Today I want to introduce you to the girl who grabs my heart from the start. Effy Stonem is a fictional character in british television series "Skins", played by Kaya Scodelario respectively. 
Effy is a large-eyed comely beauty who mercilessly seduces boys. It is just when a mysterious smile flickers about her flushed face, boys eat out of the palm of hen. In my view, Effy resembles nowadays femme fatale. Despite her prettiness, she is so abstruse and anigmatic that the audience thinks that she hides a secret.
 

 
Yet, what I like about her is the ambiguity. On the one hand, she is a good student who loves her family, on the other she makes an impression that there are not many things she really cares about. She lives according to "carpe diem" philosophy and catches the fleeting moments.

One time Coco Chanel says- "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening" and for me, this quote perfectly suits to Effy. This is the reason behind my writing.
 

 

She is a slim teenage girl with medium long brown hair. She mostly wears it down in loose or messy waves. Being a natural beauty, she doesn't need to applay make up, yet she sometimes takes an advantage of smoky eyes or black mascara. As I said before, Effy is a confident character who knows her value and so is her style.

Grunge, gothic and rock seem to be an inspiration for her. She wears a lot of dark colors, leather jackets, extremely short dresses, oversize and quirky T-shirts, loose fiting sweaters, ripped jeans and fishnet stockings. We cannot forget about accessories as they are very important. These are mostly chunky necklaces, bolds prints, pearls or a lot of bracelets or strings around her hands. I think her style is very up to date and many girls from all over the world are inspired by Effy's choice of clothes.

Here are a few pics! Enjoy!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Thank you a lot for 1000 visists!

Thakoon Panichgul

Following the two themes which I have touched upon- "Alexander Wang" and "The September Issue" I want to introduce you another figure of eastern origins who made a huge career in the U.S. His name is Thakoon Panichgul.

Born in Thailand, Thakoon moved to the U.S with his family at the age of 11. He grew up in Nebraska because his mother got a job sewing blankets and coats in Pandleton Woolen Mills. Observig her tailoring skills, he simply fell in love with fashion. He followed the way people put their clothes together in order to create perfect sets. Moreover, he was very into reading fashion magazines in order to create his own, sophisticated sense of style.

Although Thakoon was a very talented boy, his mother wanted him to have a practical and well paid job so he graduated from Boston University with a business degree. Having his diploma, he finally decided to purchase his dreams and started studies at Parsons School of Design. (Graduated in 2003). And here his advanture started!

He got an intership at Showroom Seven (press and sales showroom in NY), worked in production for J. Crew as a liaison among the designers and merchandisers. Undoubtedly, Thakoon gained some experience there but it was not enough for such an ambitious guy. Yet, where is a will, there is a way so Thakoon became an assistant in the fashion features department at Harper's Bazaar which allowed him to learn about fashion industry from the top. He spent four years tracing new trends and writing about them.

Possessing a technical knowledge but at the same time being new, fresh and creative, in 2004 Thakoon launched his first ready to wear collection and became recognized by the world of fashion. His next step was producing a fashion line for GAP in 2007 after being selected and discovered by Anna Wintour ("The September Issue").

 

 

 

 

What is his style?

His collections are very classy, chic and timelessly feminine. He like up to knee dresses, skinny trousers and elegant coats. What distinguishes him from other designers are new, original spins on classical and oridinary pieces. Moreover he takes an advantage of colors, mixing prints and geometric patterns.

When asked about references in his collections, Thakoon asserted that America itself is the source of inspirations for him. He was digging the past and noticed that the most noticable are the two cultures- Indian and Cowboys. In his last collection he wanted to emphasize the cowboy style with Indian colors (orange, turquise, lavender, pink, cumin)and prints so as to show his respect to the past.

 

 

 

The last thing which is worth mentioning is the fact that Thakoon fell into favor with the First Lady Michelle Obama. When her husband- Barack accepted Democratic nomination for the president 2008, the choice of the floral dress wore by Michelle was widely discussed in the media. She won an approval and simultaneously became one of the best dressed women in the world.

 

The September Issue

What is the most powerful and at the same time best-respected fashion magazine in the world? The answer is as simple as it may seem- it is VOGUE! The documentary made by R.J Cutler “The September Issue” depicts the creation of a fall issue in 2007 which sets a record at well over 800 pages.  

As we have learnt from the picture, the September Issue is the most important for the world of fashion. Each year the whole journal is devoted to the designs and designers that the editors think will be influential and potent in the coming season. Thanks to watching the documentary, one has  a chance to see quite an intriguing study of the office politics of Vogue and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour from behind-the-scenes.

From 1988, when Wintour assumed her place at the top, she has ruled with an iron hand. There are many stories about her ,but on the whole, it is easily visible that she isn’t warm and friendly woman, yet, she is just doing her business. She creates the world brand and seems to cultivate it no matter how high the price is.

Wintour doesn’t say a lot, her statements are limited to “yes” and “no” and what is more, she never explains “why”. Still, in the world of fashion her opinion matters most. Being over 60 years old, she seems to have the “zero” seize the same as the models in her magazine. Worth emphasizing is also the fact that in public, she almost always wears the same dark glasses which for me, create an invisible barrier between her and the common man. Her clothes are not only sophisticated and elegant but also made by the designers from the highest shelves.

As far as Wintour actions are concerned, I found it interesting that it was her who introduced the actresses or singers on the cover of Vogue. In short, she takes and advantage of the power of popularity of those people. She gave them a spot to shine and in return, she increased the number of sold copies.

Although the documentary aims at digging deep in the magical world of Vogue, its formation and people who are responsible for its success, for me,  it only briefly touches upon the subject. It is more about creating a desire and the transformation of wants into needs.  Still, it is a nice piece to watch.

Fashion in Museums

What I really like about fashion is the fact that it is a kind of art but simultaneously it is at arm’s length. There is no denying that designing and sewing is hand’s on process, the same as stretching the canvas and using colors in order to create an image in paint. Both a designer and a painter are artists and in my view, they have to be equally appreciated.  

Thanks to this, I am very glad that the two famous museums- Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Metropolitan Museum in New York opened exhibitions in order to honour beautiful ballgowns and red carpet evening dresses and so their originators.

Starting with London, the exhibition name is “Ballgowns, British Glamour Since 1950” and one is able to see it from May 19, 2012 to January 6, 2013. To cut a long story short, it covers over sixty years of British fashion by displaying around sixty designs for many events, namely: royal balls, movie’s premieres, private parties and opening nights. This is a retrospection of the greatest masterpieces of Alexander McQueen,  Giles Deacon, Erdem and Jenny Packham and many more. If you are not familiar with the names, the exhibition is still worth visiting as it is a possibility to admire the gowns which were worn by Queen Elizabeth or Princess Diana on the most important occasions. For those who are more into present days, the collections also includes dresses worn by actresses, singers and celebrities such as Sundra Bullock or Bianca Jagger.

To visit the Metropolitan Museum in NY one has to hurry up as the exhibition is on view from May 10 to August 19, 2012. “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” takes an advantage of the kinship and closeness in perceiving fashion by the two Italian designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. It depicts how the ideas of the two creators were connected, concerning innovative ideas and perfect sewing techniques. Those incredible women explore similar themes in their work through various approaches and that is why seeing their masterpieces one could not take their eyes off. Their designs are arranged in seven themed galleries "Waist Up/Waist Down," "Ugly Chic," "Hard Chic," "Naif Chic," "The Classical Body," "The Exotic Body," and "The Surreal Body."

Vans- shoe of choice

If you are a young man interested in skateboarding, BMX and the street culture having Vans is something that really put you on a map. Those classical shoes are so popular since 1966 when the two brothers (Paul and James Van Doren) and their three partners opened up their first store in sunny California.

They were the first who introduced both manufacturing and selling shoes on their own. Their most recognizable models were those with rugged make-up and sticky sole. Thanks to this phenomenal hit, the company begins to grow and also produce wool lined canvas and rubber mukluks. Above all, the best-selling were Vans #95 designed by Tony Alva (an American skateboarder) and Stacy Peralta (an American surfer). They were destined to skateboarders thanks to their non slip bottom that allow the skaters to grip better.

In 1966 there was made another hit model  #44.The brand evolves and by the end of 1970’s Vans had around 70 stores in California. Driven to success, Vans decided to produce shoes for a number of other sports such as: motor cross or wakeboarding. As it turns out, it wasn’t the best fit for the owners because it totally drained the company’s resources. Finally, the company went bankrupt in 1983.

However, three years later, some others’ companies gave Vans a helping hand and bought the rights with the promise to get the business going. Right now, Vans is prospering well and to prove it in 2000 and 2001 Forbes recognized the company as one of “America’s Best Small Companies”.  Following the success and being eager to keep the business afloat, in 2001 Vans (on its www addressee) launched the possibility to design your own shoes by using many different colors and patterns.
Also, the company collaborates with very talented designers namely: Luella Bartley or Rebecca Tylor.

Here a few pics!

Alexander Wang

One time, an American politician- Jimmy Carter says: “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” And to finish this quote one can say… “but all of those are to fulfill one goal- the American Dream”.

There is no doubt that America is a multicultural country and people who live there have (apart from the indigenous inhabitants) different ancestors, sometimes from Africa, sometimes from  Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and sometimes even from the far east, I mean China or Japan. It is easily visible that those people grow in power and contribute to the fact that the U.S has many different faces. This is why the modernity mingles with the tradition, haute couture with street style or sport with elegance. Each ethnic minority gives something from its national traditions and all of them create one coherent whole. Thanks to it, eyes from all over the world are fixed upon America.

As far as the world of fashion is concerned, right now, the most outstanding and at the same time influential are the Americans of Chinese origins. It is even more clear when one takes a closer look at The Parsons New School for Design. 40 % of all students are Asians who either were born in the U.S or came there in order to purchase their dreams.

At the moment, I think that they are those talented young Asians’ designers who get the  business going and above all, my favorite one  is Alexander Wang. In my view, he has taken the fashion industry by storm and greatly finds himself in it.

To cut a long story short, he was born and raised in San Francisco but being at the age of eighteen he moved to NYC to try his hand at designing clothes. Wang was a student of aforementioned The Parsons New School for Design but actually he has never finished it. Still, he gained some practical knowledge (eg. tailoring skills) which being mixed with his new and fresh ideas enabled him to launch his first women’s ready-to-wear collection in 2007. Wang favors everyday clothes so he uses standard patterns, sizes factory equipment and faster construction techniques in order to keep the costs low. His style can be described as a casually urban due to cut, color and patterns. 

Wang’s woman is a bit  tough and masculine, she listens to grunge and is inspired by this style. She takes an advantage of dark and grey colors and wants to be casually cool. Sometimes, when her mood changes, she chooses a cashmere sweater, cozy cardigan or oversized blazer, baggy trousers and match them with shrunken vests. She mixes vintage and haute couture and simultaneously adds a bit of modernity. Alexander Wang is now one of the hottest name in the world of fashion. His talent and clarity of vision was appreciated by Vogue magazine and that is why he won the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund in 2008. Then, in 2009 he was announced as the winner of the Swarovski Womenswear Designer and the recipient of the Swiss Textilies Award. Due to those awards (and money he earned thanks to them) he was able to open his first shop on Grand Street in Soho. 

For all interested, checked his www address  http://www.alexanderwang.com/ and when being in the neighborhood visit his boutique.