History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition: 1990-2010 (Paris, France)

As some may remember, a while ago I blogged about the first part of the History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition (aka 'Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine'), which covered the 70s and 80s. Hosted by the 'Musée des Arts Décoratifs', the showcase featured the more iconic styles of eras long forgotten by some. The second part of this installation, which was presented this Spring, might be a little closer to heart for most though, considering the pieces presented, stem from very recent history. Curated once again by Olivier Saillard, the journey through the 90s and 2000s took a look at key designers who revolutionized the fashion world and runway shows with their unique voice, whether it was the Japanese heavyweights Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo - or subsequently the Belgian designers who followed in their footsteps: Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester or Veronique Branquinho. Then there were the newcomers such as Alexander McQueen or Hussein Chalayan, not to mention the designers who gave established fashion houses a breath of fresh air: Galliano for Dior, Ford for Gucci, Lagerfeld for Chanel, Elbaz for Lanvin and Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

The key look from the exhibition poster: Maison Martin Margiela blazer.

As with all exhibitions, it was impossible for the curator to feature every designer from recent history. So while some may question the lack of American talent (with the exception of Tom Ford) or omissions which included Jil Sander, who ruled 90s minimalism, - or fellow female creatives such as Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo to name a few - it was definitely still a very well laid-out and expansive presentation. At times it was a bit odd to see pieces, which had so recently graced the runway or appeared in boutique windows, displayed in a museum setting. But if anything, it's a nice reminder that even collections of the recent past, already deserve a place in fashion history.

Apologies if some of the images aren't of the best quality. The lighting wasn't ideal for photography.


Maison Martin Margiela

Veronique Branquinho

Ann Demeulemeester


Dries van Noten


Junya Watanabe / Issey Miyake


Comme des Garçons


Yohji Yamamoto


Azzedine Alaïa


Helmut Lang


Prada


Lanvin par Claude Montana


Hussein Chalayan


Alexander McQueen

A dress from SS04, which was almost impossible to capture.

Christian Dior par John Galliano

Click here to see the rest of the exhibit, which includes Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Lanvin, Balenciaga and more.

London In Bloom - Spring Florals

Mount Street Gardens.

Spring has finally sprung - at least here in London. Temperatures are rising, the days are getting longer and the sun is making more frequent appearances. But of course Spring would be nothing without the beauty of blossoming flowers. And because the eight cherry trees in front of my living room window are a constant reminder of how wonderful this time of the year can be, I've been inspired to hunt down more floral delights in the shape of both the real thing and the fashion world's recurring love affair with the flower print.

Are you embracing floral patterns this season? Or would you prefer to just admire the botanical version instead? I know that there are a few pieces below I wouldn't mind owning...

Mulberry flagship window display (Bond Street).

Left: A stunning gown from Central Saint Martins graduate Hermione de Paula. Right: A blossoming tree in East London.

Left: Liberty's flower section. Right: A fun print on a Christopher Kane SS11 dress.

Current season Alexander McQueen (skull) scarves take on a floral twist.

Left: A vibrant dress by Cacharel. Right: Flower power at London's Bankside.

Claude Monet's Water-Lilies (1916), photographed at the Tate Modern.

Left: More flowers in front of Liberty. Right: A beautiful Dries van Noten piece.

Left: A modern take on the floral trend from Thakoon. Right: Jonathan Saunders mixes flowers with graphics.

Liberty's current in-store display, caught in a blur.

Another Jonathan Saunders creation.

Left: One of the many cherry blossoms in front of my window. Right: A gorgeous draped Vivienne Westwood dress featuring pink flowers.

Frimousses de Créateurs (Paris, France)

Fashion tends to have a reputation of being somewhat superficial and shallow, especially if you ask those who have absolutely no interest in it. But even the haters will have a hard time saying a bad word about a lovely project called "frimousses de créateurs" ('frimousses' supposedly means doll-face), which was launched in 2003 by Laeticia Halliday and Delphine Arnault-Gancia for UNICEF France. The idea was to ask some of the world's leading fashion designers and artists to create or dress a doll to their liking, which would be presented over the course of a week, then auctioned off the following week. The proceeds benefit various causes and this year all donations will go towards vaccinations to aid the children in Darfur. Last year's event allowed over 260,000 children to be vaccinated in Africa. As this year's tag line states: Une poupée adoptée, c’est une vie sauvée - A doll adopted, is a life saved…

Overview of the exhibition. A small area had leaflets and videos providing more details of the cause.

Now, dolls aren't necessarily the most covetable thing in an adult's life... in some cases it might even come across as creepy if you are a collector (anyone remember the SATC episode where Stanford's crush turns out to be a collector of Victorian dolls? Scary...). But having your favorite designers take a swing at creating mini-outfits and revamping small puppets puts a very different spin on the traditional Barbie or old-fashioned porcelain number. The costumes themselves were quite adorable and if I were very rich, I'd probably participate in the auction, which took place yesterday (the exhibition itself ran last week), but I think I'll just have to stick to the regular donation route for now.

I loved everything I saw... some ideas were more original than others. I took pictures of every figurine, but I won't show them all since there were well over a hundred dolls on display. Most of them were presented on a wall surrounded by a real or painted frame - others were placed on large tables towards the end of the hall. The venue itself in the Petit Palais, was a magnificent setting. I'd probably have to say Christian Dior, Lanvin (I'm biased) and Chantal Thomass created some of my favorites. Although anyone who participated in this, deserves an acknowledgement. Which ones would you have bought?

Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior's "Saskia".

Dolce & Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro

Damian Hirst (top left) and Dries van Noten (lower left), as well as Jeff Koons and Gucci (lower right) chose to embroider and paint their dolls. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac decided to create a giant skull (center) and Kenzo grouped several floral patterned ones (top right).

Christian Lacroix, Oscar de la Renta

The queens of lingerie design: Princesse Tam Tam, Chantal Thomass, Fifi Chachnil.

Missoni, Jean-Paul Gaultier

Top row: Franck Sorbier Couture, Jean Claude Jitrois, Jay Ahr. Lower row: Cartier's Panther, couture house Maison Lesage, Gilles Dufour.

Prada, Miu Miu

Top: Pucci. Bottom: Sonia Rykiel's three-headed doll.

Top: Loewe, Corinne Cobson, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Esmod. Bottom: a Miss Audrey doll, dolls attached to a golden heart by Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paco Rabanne.

Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent

From the French high street... top row: Antik Batik, Faith Connexion, Zapa. Bottom: Agnès B., Comptoir des Cotonniers, Cacharel.

Giorgio Armani, Lanvin

Top: Christophe Guillarmé used Beth Ditto's pic as a head, Jérôme L’Huillier. Bottom: Lolita Lempicka, jewelry designer Clémentine Mauboussin.

A few wedding inspired dolls, which were a firm favorite among a crowd of 10-year-old girls. The incredible dress to the left is by Elie Saab.

Van Ravenstein (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

(image: Eve McQueen/shopgirl.nl)

While this boutique is also situated along the 'Nine Streets', it couldn't be any different from Exota. Instead of quirkiness and vintage charm, you'll find lots of sleek white minimalism. The shop windows rarely feature more than one dummy - usually they will showcase one of the current season's handbags draped in front of the white walls.

This is also probably one of the most expensive shops in the area, so don't expect to find too much under the 200 EUR price-range. Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend shopping designer brands in Amsterdam (unless you really can't help yourself) Van Ravenstein not only offers current season Balenciaga and Givenchy, but also a very good selection of Belgian and Dutch labels (Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Spijkers en Spijkers, Klavers van Engelen, Veronique Branquinho and of course Viktor & Rolf). If you do happen to find yourself in this shop, make sure to check with the staff if they still have some old season stock. I managed to find some limited edition accessories from previous collections (dating back to 2005!) when I was browsing a few months back.

(image: Michael Thieberg)

As the clothing range offers both international and more local designs, you will find anything from classic evening wear to avant-garde futuristic jackets and coats. There are usually 2-3 sales assistants who won't bother you too much, but are helpful enough. On certain Saturdays, the boutique will offer some discounted items in the basement area, so it's worth popping in, just to see if you can snag a good deal.

Address: Keizersgracht 359, 1016 EJ Amsterdam
Opening Hrs: Mon: 13:00-18:00, Tue-Sat: 11:00-18:00,
Thu: until 19:00, Sat: 10:30-17:30
Van Ravenstein Homepage

Le Bon Marché (Paris, France)

Founded in 1852, Le Bon Marché is about as Parisian as department stores come - although most locals prefer calling this a "very large boutique". Owned by LVMH and originally designed by Gustav Eiffel's team, this little emporium (some claim, the oldest in the world) might not be as huge as its competitors on the right bank, but the selection is still amazing and carefully chosen by its buyers. And the one benefit it has over Printemps and Galeries Lafayette? It's never too busy and very few tourists actually venture to the store, which makes shopping here so much more relaxing.

(image: wikimedia)

The main area on the ground floor is home to the men's department, various accessories - from designer shop-in-shops (such as LV of course) to the latest luxury handbags, scarves and jewelry - and a large cosmetics section. Go one floor up and you'll find a wide array of both hip and chic French and international designer labels such as Azzedine Alaia, Maison Martin Margiela or Dries van Noten to name a few. Don't leave this floor without checking out the shoe department - whether you're into Chanel or Repetto, you're bound to find something here.

Heading over the walkway on the same floor will bring you to the next building, where you can find the more edgy and streetwise diffusion and local French lines, such as Etoile by Isabel Marant or Vaness Bruno Athé. There's also a trendy cafe here, if you need to take a break. This building also houses the amazing La Grand Epicerie on the ground floor, which with it's incredible selection of gourmet foods deserves a post of its own.

Of course if fashion isn't all you're looking for, taking a look at the homeware and design section is worthwhile as well. As with all high-end stores, Le Bon Marché also offers a personal shopping service, valet parking and a concierge although the normal service it provides is already way above average. If there's only one department store I could visit in Paris, I would pick this one.

Address: 24 rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris
Opening Hrs: Mon-Wed: 10:00-19:30, Thu: 10:00-21:00, Fri: 10:00-20:00, Sat: 9:30-20:00
Le Bon Marché Homepage & Online Shop