Feminism is dead in the world. It comes from another time. I’m a feminist. I want to fight, but I don’t see many people with this desire to fight for something. Women don’t help each other, especially in fashion. I know Miuccia… but that’s it. Nobody else.
When Miuccia Prada sent Gary Oldman, Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe and Garrett Hedlund down the runway at Prada's fall menswear show it became a no brainer that al four stars would appear in the brand's Fall 2012 campaign. Now the first image of the David Sims-shot campaign is out.
According to a release, the diverse line-up of actors is supposed to 'represent a cross-generational broadening of the face of Prada Menswear,' and the campaign is supposed to look like a portrait that would be hung in a modern palace. The only person missing is Adrien Brody, who also walked in the show earlier on this year.
When it comes to red carpet events it doesn't get much bigger than the Met Gala. Unlike other big carpet events, this one is particularly special as it sees designers collaborate with their chosen celebrities on never before seen looks that tie in to the selected theme.
In the past we've had 'model as muse' as a theme and last year was all about Alexander McQueen but this year's event celebrates the opening of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's much-anticipated Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli exhibit. So with the excitement for this year's event in full swing, take a look back at some of the best looks from last year.
Which look is your favourite and who are you looking forward to see this year?
I realized that so many clever people respect fashion so much and through my job … I have an open door to any kind of field. It’s a way of investigating all the different universes: architecture, art, film. I also realized people respect me because I’m good in my job.
If there's one red carpet event worth getting excited for each year, it's the Met Ball. This year is even more interesting because like the Oscars, you'll be able to see all of the outfits as they hit the red carpet because for the first time, the arrivals and special moments from the gala will be livestreamed.
Rather than opting for a celebrity host, the organisers have bagged Elettra Widemann and ex-Vogue contributing editor William Norwich to talk to designers and find out what everyone is wearing. On top of that, the duo will also interview Carey Muligan, who has come on board this year as a co-chair, along with Miuccia Prada and Anna Wintour. The livestream will run from 6:30 to 8:30pm EST on Vogue.com, Amazon.com and Metmuseum.org.
Yesterday was the day of Louis Vuitton. In the morning Marc Jacobs failed to disappoint with his fall 2012 collection at the brand but last night was all about their much anticipated exhibition, which helped close Paris Fashion Week.
Two floors of the Louvre were taken over as guests including Sarah Jessica Parker (who flew in especially for both events) and fashion folk like Miuccia Prada and Anna Dello Russo explored the event dedicated both to the history of Vuitton and Jacobs' work at the house. While the first floor was dedicated to the classic trunks and heritage, the second floor featured Jacobs' partnerships with artists like Takashi Murakami alongside several of his big campaigns and memorable collections.
When Miuccia Prada cast 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld as the face, many criticised that the actress was too young evoking the whole young-models-and-stars-dominating-fashion-ads debate that never seems to go away.
But the brand decided to go in a different direction for their fall 2011 campaign by casting 34 year-old Guinevere Van Seenus. Shot by David Sims, the campaign moved away from the 40s feeling of the Bruce Weber S/S12 ad in favour of a stark look shot in a studio. Is the move surprising? Well, not really. It's no secret that older women, especially during this trying economic times, are the ones with the largest disposable income so whilst the Steinfeld campaign was beautiful, casting Van Seenus is clearly a smart business move.
Last year's Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition following it's incorporation as the the theme of the Met Gala was a big success - record breaking, in fact - so the pressure has been on for the Costume Institute to collaborate with a new designer this year to match the success. As expected, today they confirmed that next year's exhibit will showcase the work of Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada's designs at Prada.
“Once we got Schiaparelli as the core part of what we wanted to do, it became a logical jump to Miuccia. They are both Italian women, and even though Miuccia might not describe herself as a feminist, what we see is these two very strong women with a very strong aesthetic,” Harold Koda, Curator in charge of The Costume Institute, explained when asked about their decision to choose the designers for next year's exhibit. “They are both very provocative for their time,” he continued. “We thought it would be very interesting to pit these two women together in an anachronistic conversation.”
If, like us, you fell in love with Miuccia Prada's collection for Miu Miu this season not to mention Hailee Steinfeld's campaign for the brand shot by Bruce Weber, you'll definitely like the brand's eyewear offerings for fall.
The collection draws on the 1940's film noir reference from the campaign featuring acetate thick framed cat-eye shapes that will hit stores in September.