Marc By Marc Jacobs.

Inevitably, all roads lead back to the seventies for Marc Jacobs. That’s true for Marc Jacobs, the label, too, and as of Tuesday, his Marc by Marc Jacobs fall collection.

As I am writing this, I am kind of kicking myself for it, because, really, you’re not surprised, are you? If I had told you 1670s, well, maybe, but we are talking about the gleaming, throbbing, Shelley Hack 1970s here, and that is like telling you the sun will rise and fall each and every day: You know it already. But, actually, it’s a surprise, because here’s the thing—for season after season now, Jacobs has mined all sorts of the nexuses between street style, pop culture, and music for Marc—from the X-Ray Spex punk days of the seventies, to the shambling acoustic pop of the Marine Girls eighties (go check them out; it’s why God gave us YouTube), to the acid-rave nineties.

All young, young, young. Yet fall was, instead, all grown-up, a collection of great pieces—the likes of a gold leather cardigan, a striped camel blanket coat, and a yellow-gold velvet dress, all of which were worn with shearling wedge booties or high oxfords, a great example of the man’s shoe cantilevered onto a heel that has been around this past week. Jacobs caught a little of the glossy, fetish hardness that was slicked all over his Marc Jacobs collection Monday, but softened with his fluid, looser seventies-isms that will introduce a whole new generation of girls to looking dressed up without eschewing fun. And that can only be good.

Victoria Beckham to adorn American Vogue, naked and pregnant?

Now that Victoria Beckham has left her WAG roots behind and transformed herself into the darling of New York Fashion Week, there has been much chatter in fashion circles about when she will land her first solo American Vogue cover. Gossip reached fever pitch today amid internet rumours that the pregnant 36-year-old was set to pose 'Demi Moore style' for the cover of the US style bible, claiming editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was keen to depict Beckham at seven months pregnant with her fourth child - rumours which Victoria's people have now flaty denied, refusing to give any further comment on the claims.

Rarely pictured wearing anything but her own label these days, it seemed a long-shot that Beckham would pass up possibly the world's greatest piece of free advertising for it, but Star magazine earlier reported that it was all set to happen. A fashion insider told them: "Knowing Victoria, she'll do something completely unique with it. It's not a very Vogue thing to do, but the team can make it work and make it 'fashion'. Anna's apparently really keen on it. Everyone's expecting it to fly off the shelves. Victoria's a huge style icon. There's a real buzz going around about it. Although nothing's been officially signed yet, Victoria would want to be sure she's the sexiest pregnant woman to ever grace a magazine cover. It will be a huge boost to her career from a fashion point of view."

The former pop star, who is set to present her sixth ready-to-wear collection during New York Fashion Week this Sunday, has starred on several covers of Vogue internationally over the years. But she's only graced the US version of the Condé Nast style bible once back in 1997, alongside her Spice Girl band mates.

Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for Victoria's star turn, but watch this space - we're sure it won't be too far off.

Kate Moss For Longchamp 2011.

Kate Moss’ latest shoot for Longchamp has proved that there is indeed no better person to shill Kate Moss' style than the supermodel herself. Philip Green recently promoted his teenage daughter into the supermodel’s place as the Topshop design queen.

Seventies-style photos were taken by Alasdair McLellan in Morocco and Mark Moss's eighth season as the face of the French luxury bag company, reports the Daily Mail.

Moss's design efforts have decreased in recent seasons, but when she is at it, there’s nothing stopping her.

Longchamp's Artistic director, Sophie Delafontaine, says,“I don't think people imagine how involved Kate is or how much thought she gives the details. She's involved in every decision.”

The model is equally complimentary when she explains why she chose to work with Longchamp.

“I just really like them as people,” Moss said. “I find them lovely to work with.' “Longchamp is a family business, it's been going for more than 60 years, and I just love the whole feeling of it.”

The 'Faraway' Kate Moss for Longchamp spring/summer 2011 collection features 12 pieces divided into three special lines: 'Faraway Chic,' 'Faraway on the Road,' and 'Faraway Exotic.'

London Fashion Week - Autumn / Winter 2011.

This February, from Friday 18th until Wednesday 23rd the eyes of the fashion world will once again be upon London, as it hosts London Fashion Week 2011.

Giles Deacon, who usually shows in Paris, will be making his return to LFW. He will also be joined by Swedish design house, Acne, who will make their debut showing at LFW on September 19th. In addition, LFW staples, such as Burberry Prorsum, Matthew Williamson and Pringle of Scotland will also show their now collections at Somerset House.

The full London Fashion Week schedule is provided by the link below.


              http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/catwalkschedule_newAW11.aspx

What Makes a Great Model Portfolio? Interview with Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer.

Your model portfolio is many times the first contact a potential client or agency has with you. This means that your portfolio images are extremely important to your modeling career. If you look at portfolios those models who don’t have a professional portfolio find it hard to get work. It’s a simple fact that being more relaxed and having fun during a model photo session will produce better images.

There are a few EXTREMELY important concepts to think about:


· Remember that this is truly a “first impression” business. You know the quote – “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” – There is no business where that is truer than modeling. Every agency or client that you contact – your photos, comp card or modeling portfolio will always go in the door before you.


· Consider this: If McDonald’s were going to launch a new print ad campaign for the Big Mac. . . do you think that they would go to the nearest McDonald’s, order a few Big Mac’s and return to the studio to photograph them? Of course not! They would hire the most creative and skilled food stylists from New York or Los Angeles to build and photograph a Big Mac – the likes of which you nor I will ever have the opportunity to eat – but it sure will make us want to go out and buy one! What is my point?


· Set your standards HIGH! You MUST use a very critical eye when selecting any images to put in your modeling portfolio. Make sure that the pictures that you show have the ability to WOW agencies and potential clients.


· You are only as good as your worst image – and believe me – photographers, agencies and art directors WILL remember the worst image.


· Testing is a huge part of getting started in the world of photography, and is also vital to staying alive creatively along the way. When you’re more established, testing keeps you fresh and relevant to the current world of photography.


Image kindly reproduced courtesy of Rory Lewis Photography.

Clothing of the Future in the Year 2000 - A 1930’s Perspective.

Found from the archives of Pathe News, a 1930’s perspective on what we will be wearing in the year 2000.

If you’re well versed in Miu Miu, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen and Salvatore Ferragamo you will not be disappointed with this ensemble. Look out especially for McQueen’s cantilevered heels which could have been straight off his Paris 2009 A/W runway show.

For the males, a touch of Calvin Klein’s utilitarian chic finishes off this remarkably valid prediction.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9eAiy0IGBI&feature=player_embedded

Fashion Week. The Industry Definition.

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, it lets the industry know what's "in" and what's "out" for the season. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the four fashion capitals of the world New York, London, Milan  and Paris.

In the major fashion capitals, fashion weeks are semiannual events. January through April designers showcase their autumn and winter collections and September through November the spring/summer collections are shown. Fashion weeks must be held several months in advance of the season to allow the press and buyers a chance to preview fashion designs  for the following season. This is also to allow time for retailers to arrange to purchase or incorporate the designers into their retail marketing.

New York, London, Milan and Paris each host a fashion week twice a year with New York kicking off each season and the other cities following in the aforementioned order.

There are two major seasons per year - Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer. For Womenswear, the Autumn/Winter shows always start in New York in February. Spring/Summer shows start in September in London. Menswear Autumn/Winter shows start in January in Milan for typically less than a week followed by another short week in Paris. Menswear Spring/Summer shows are done in June. Womenswear Haute Couture shows typically happen in Paris a week after the Menswear Paris shows.

Over the past few years, more and more designers have shown inter-seasonal collections between the traditional Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer seasons. These collections are usually more commercial than the main season collections and help shorten the customer's wait for new season clothes. The inter-seasonal collections are Resort/Cruise (before Spring/Summer) and Pre-Fall (before Autumn/Winter). There is no fixed schedule for these shows in any of the major fashion capitals but they typically happen three months after the main season shows. Some designers show their inter-seasonal collections outside their home city. For example, Karl Lagerfeld has shown his Resort and Pre-Fall collections for Chanel in cities such as Moscow, Los Angeles and Monte Carlo instead of Paris. Many designers also put on presentations as opposed to traditional shows during Resort and Pre-Fall either to cut down costs or because they feel the clothes can be better understood in this medium.

Some fashion weeks can be genre-specific, such as a Miami Fashion Week (swimwear), Rio Summer (swimwear), Prêt-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) Fashion Week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion Week and Bridal Fashion Week, while Portland (Oregon, USA) Fashion Week shows some eco-friendly designers.

In 1943, the first New York Fashion Week  was held, with one main purpose: to distract attention from French fashion during WWII,  when workers in the fashion industry were unable to travel to Paris. This was an opportune moment - as for centuries designers in America were thought to be reliant on the French for inspiration. The fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert  organized an event she called ‘Press Week’ to showcase American designers for fashion journalists, who had previously ignored their works. The Press Week was a success, and, as a result, magazines like Vogue  (which were normally filled with French designs) began to feature more and more American innovations. Until 1994, shows were held in different locations, such as hotels, or lofts. Eventually, after a structural accident at a Michael Kors show, the event moved to Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, where it remained until 2010, when the shows relocated to Lincoln Center.

However, long before Lambert, there were fashion shows throughout America. In 1903, an NYC shop, called Ehrich Brothers , put on what is thought to have been the country’s first fashion show, to lure middle-class females into the store. By 1910, many big department stores  were holding shows of their own. It is likely that American retailers saw that they were called 'fashion parades' in Paris couture salons and decided to use the idea. These parades were an effective way to promote stores, and improved their status. By the 1920s, the fashion show had been used by retailers up and down the country. They were staged, and often held in the shop’s restaurant during lunch or teatime. These shows were usually more theatrical than those of today, heavily based upon a single theme, and accompanied with a narrative commentary. The shows were hugely popular, enticing crowds in their thousands – crowds so large, that stores in New York in the fifties had to obtain a license to have live models.

Nowadays, access to New York Fashion Week is by invitation only, and only fashion magazine editors, fashion magazine journalists, models (and ex-models) and celebrities are invited. Other buyers are restricted to the showrooms and stores, and the articles in the magazines.

The dominance of the big four has been criticised for benefiting industry participants. For example, buyers, journalists, models and celebrities can limit their travel and simply move from one city to the other over the four week period. This arrangement has been criticized for stifling manufacturing employment in the UK and design talent in emerging fashion hubs such as Los Angeles.