Pre-Fall 2013: DSquared, Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, and Prabal Gurung

Previously: Ports 1961, Pringle of Scotland, Vera Wang, and more. 

I probably complain way too much about the aesthetic mid-season lookbooks. You know, they way the photoshoots are often just a series of sullen-looking teenagers standing in a glaring white refrigerator unit while wearing a minidress. WELL. DSquared's lookbook is not so. The clothes themselves are not exactly groundbreaking, but they are stylish as hell. And better yet, the model and her poses are full of personality.

"Make a comment about my socks and sandals. I dare you."

This lookbook proves just how easy (or seemingly easy?) it can be to create a great photoshoot without going all out. There are definitely some cases in which featureless white backgrounds can be beneficial to the look of a collection, but most of the time it just makes the models look washed-out and soulless. This collection has a kind of vampy noir aesthetic, but the individual clothes are relatively simple Ready-To-Wear. It's the overall design of the backdrop and the model's attitude that makes this lookbook interesting and fun to look at, while the clothes remain as saleable (ie, non-couture) as they would've done in a typically bland catalogue-style photoshoot.  

What with the instruments and antique furniture, the photoshoot theme seems to be vaguely jazz/blues-ish -- although most of the actual clothes aren't deliberately retro in style. The outfit below, with its slouchy high-waisted trousers and loosely-tailored shirt, looks heavily inspired by portraits of early 20th century blues musicians, but each individual piece could easily be taken and included in a modern outfit.

 SO DRAMATIC.

Badgley Mischka
Always nice to see someone designing clothes for the Asgardian deity market.

Carolina Herrera
If we ignore the rather glaring shirts, these two suits are awesome for two very important reasons:

1. HOUNDSTOOTH. Houndstooth is the best. Today my work outfit included houndstooth gloves, and houndstooth coat, and a houndstooth pencil skirt. I hope to one day work up to the lofty heights reached by Lady Gaga, but it may take a while.
2. These outfits make the models look like a girl version of Starsky & Hutch. Have you ever seen oldschool Starsky & Hutch? If not, DO SO. It's the best. Particularly all the disguises. I recommend the episode where Hutch is kidnapped and forcibly addicted to heroin, and then Starsky lovingly nurses him back to health in Huggy Bear's spare room. Or the episode where they go undercover as dance instructors and Hutch accidentally becomes a gigolo while Starsky wears a false moustache and speaks in an egregiously false Spanish accent. Really any episode where anyone has to wear a false moustache, to be honest.

Prabal Gurung
This is one of the collections that does work in the context of a near-blank white backdrop. Prabal Gurung's designs look beautifully clean, and the stark background just makes the colours pop even more. I love the contrast between the futuristic neon shoes and the baroque patterns on this dress.

Full marks for this origami-like robot suit. The shirt looks so flat and crisp, this could easily be a photograph of a statue rather than a model.

Menswear and The Hour.

Previously: Bel Rowley and Freddie Lyon.

I should probably save myself some time and just rename my blog "Not all suits look the same, you know!" since that's what I always seem to end up writing about. My favourite movies for costume design are often ones where the characters wear nominally similar outfits like uniforms (Alien; Master & Commander) or suits (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Inception), thus forcing the costumers to be extra thoughtful about differentiating each character's personal style. Since The Hour is a 1950s office drama it definitely falls into this category in terms of menswear, although the women do get a little more leeway. In fact the costume designers took pains to make sure each of the female characters has a very distinct dress sense -- even to the point of anachronism, in the case of Bel's unrealistically glamourous office attire. For the men this job was a little trickier since they were hampered by the ubiquity of the modern suit, but they still managed to include a great deal of character-specific variety within those parameters.

When he first appears, Hector seems like the ultimate upstanding English gentleman: masculine, confident, and soberly dressed. However, part of these assumptions stem from the way he clashes with the far more eccentric and scruffy-looking Freddie, a relationship that changes drastically in season 2. Actually, Hector has a very relaxed way of wearing a suit. He looks comfortable, and wears rather more casual styles than many of his peers -- paler, and often made from thicker, softer fabrics, which fits in with his past as a sportsman and a soldier. Freddie's transition from youthful rebel to ambitious adult journalist is illustrated explicitly by his new wardrobe of narrow, black suits, and as soon as he starts wearing them he begins to stand taller and have better posture. Not so with Hector, who was always comfortable in a waistcoat and tie -- and looks it. I think the difference is that Hector is happy to look conventional and has never really thought about dressing any other way, whereas Freddie's new appearance of conventionality is just a veneer he puts on for his own purposes.

Angus McCain (Julian Rhind-Tutt) and Randall Brown (Peter Capaldi) are the two most conservative dressers in The Hour. Randall's introduction in Season 2 was very exciting for me because I loved Peter Capaldi's infamous performance as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick Of It, plus Randall's presence gave us more insight into Lix Storm's backstory. But McCain has probably had a more interesting character arc because he's been around for two seasons. Up until the end of Season 2 I'd have said that his severe appearance was tied into his characterisation as an empathy-free government drone, representing the antagonistic relationship between the Eden administration and the journalists of The Hour. His wardrobe is restricted to dark grey suits and sombre ties, but a seemingly minor detail in the final episode has caused me to suspect he's a little different from the other government men.

One of the things that was obvious about McCain from quite early on is that he's gay and (necessarily, since it's the 1950s) in the closet. In Season 2 this comes into play in a far bigger way, as he becomes one of the victims of Raphael Cilenti's blackmail schemes. The threat of blackmail seems to mark a breaking-off point for McCain's relationship with the government, as he realises that the people around him may be so corrupt as to be no longer functional. It's not precisely clear whether he actually leaves his government post or not, but either way I wouldn't interpret it as a moral decision so much as just a continuation of his opportunistic attitude. Helping blow the whistle on the widespread corruption among his colleagues allows him to slip back into the shadows, and possibly begin a new career as an agent or crisis-manager for people like Kiki Delaine.

"There comes a time when one wants to stop hiding," says McCain when he finally decides to switch sides and speak candidly to The Hour. I can't help but think there's a double meaning to his attitude in this scene, particularly once you take costuming into account. Instead of the white pocket square and dark tie he typically wears, he goes for a vibrant red tie and handkerchief, the only spot of colour in the shot. I picked up on this immediately, not just because it was unusually eye-catching but because in the early 20th century, a red tie was a kind of undercover signal for gay men. It certainly makes me wonder if his abandonment of his government loyalties and his possible career change will allow him to be more free in his personal life. Perhaps his rigid slate-grey suits and dour expression were a costume all along, rather than an accurate representation of his own personal taste.

I have no way of knowing if anyone else notices or cares about Randall Brown's suits, but I know I love them. They're agonisingly staid to the point of fetishism -- possibly an offshoot of his OCD, which pops up whenever he's stressed. His pocket square is always unused; a perfect white line bisecting the near-black of his suit jacket. He's even more minimalist than McCain. (N.B. I noticed that McCain and Randall both wear the same glasses, which led me to wonder if they were NHS frames. Well, I did a little research and they are not. It appears that The Hour used vintage-inspired frames for most of the characters who wear spectacles.)

Norman Pike is a relatively minor character, but his style is such that he has a far greater visual impact than many of the characters who receive more screentime. He epitomises 1950s East End gangster style, wearing an oversized camel coat, meticulously-tailored suits and a patterned evening scarf. I love his costumes because they're such a brilliant example of the way fashions change but people's attitudes towards them do not. He's a criminal who works for a crooked nightclub owner, and he spends his new disposable income on the 1950s equivalent of status-symbol bling: a sharp suit and a fistful of signet rings. Actually the signet rings may well be my favourite thing of all because they are such a literal example of "the more things change...": guys like this still wear them today. The rich man's knuckle-duster.

(P.S. You should all feel grateful that I didn't title this post "50 Shades of Grey Suits". It was a close-run thing, OK?)

To be continued with the womenswear of The Hour.

Pre-Fall 2013: Ports 1961, Pringle of Scotland, Vera Wang, and more.

After the spectacle that was Chanel's Mary Queen Of Scot's-inspired show, I was fully prepared for the rest of Pre-Fall season to underwhelm me. And here, living up to those expectations, are some of the highlights of the first couple of days.

Ports 1961 was actually one of my favourite shows so far, for all that they went for that old favourite of mid-season lookbooks, the "teen zombie in a refrigerator" photoshoot. Focusing on Autumnal colour-blocking, this collection was dramatic and strangely oppressive -- perhaps thanks to the model's undead gaze directed straight into the camera.

Since Ports 1961 went for a lookbook rather than an actual runway show, I can only imagine they picked the sole model because her skin-tone matched this next outfit so precisely. The pale pink leather made it look as if either the dress was turning slowly invisible, or its material was slowly melting into her -- spooky and kind of gross, for what would otherwise have been a rather blandly pretty ensemble. I approve. 

I had to pick this next outfit as well because it's so utterly David Lynch Serial Killer Girl.

Pringle of Scotland
Still undecided over which of these I'll be wearing to the Star Trek premiere.  

Proenza Schouler
Metallic jewel-tones are already out in full force among the Pre-Fall collections -- handled better by Proenza Schouler than by many others. Proenza is one of those whose Pre-Fall and Resort collections are pretty much on the same level as their "big" seasons, since they never really go to couture-show extremes. On balance I think I prefer the martial arts-inspired collection from last year, or even last season's intense detail-work, but I still have a soft spot for their futuristic asymmetrical suits and chilly, metallic fabric choices.

Tory Burch
I super love this for a combination of totally valid fashion criticism reasons. 1) It's really fucking cold where I live, and all of these clothes looked deliciously warm yet chic, and 2) I had great fun imagining this model as a badass spy/adventurer/assassin type.

This collection seemed solidly Winter-oriented despite the Pre-Fall title, mostly due to the emphasis on thick opaque tights and woollen skirts. I particularly enjoyed the incongruous woollen peasant skirts, which livened up the more traditional range of pencil skirt/suit/coat combination outfits.

Vera Wang
Thanks to my fondness for brocade I did like the two main pieces of this outfit (separately if not together), but I mostly included this picture for the model. What on earth was Vera Wang's rationale here? All of the models in this season's lookbook looked like they were at death's door, which seems like kind of a baffling makeup/styling decision for a luxury brand.

Chanel Pre-Fall 2013: Lagerfeld, King of Scots?

Click here for previous Chanel posts.

As a Scot, I can be kind of snobbish about supposedly Scottish-themed fashion shows. However, this season's Chanel managed to avoid any of the expected ugly-tartan pitfalls and turned out to be just as spectacular as last year's Pre-Fall India collection. I suspect this is partly down to the fact that Karl Lagerfeld has the luxury of visiting Imaginary Scotland, which is significantly different from Real Scotland in that it primary contains castles and expensive whisky rather junkies, mud, and football hooliganism. Had it not been snowing on the night of the show, I can only assume that Lagerfeld would've hired kilt-wearing male models to grate ice-cubes onto the audience from the parapets above.

pics from Style.com

One of the problems with the backwards nature of fashion seasons is that when you're looking at Summer clothes it's usually Winter in real life, meaning that one's critical faculties are occasionally taken over by thoughts like: "WHY would anyone want to wear a floral miniskirt when everything is so damn cold?" Not so in this case, wherein the "Pre-Fall" (ie, Summer, as we would say in non-Fashionese) collection looks entirely suitable for the weather we're having in real life. I found it immensely comforting to know that all the models striding through the chilly hallways of Linlithgow castle got to wear flat shoes and blankets instead of looking knock-kneed and frostbitten as they so often do.

Lagerfeld's inspiration was a combination of Scottish history (specifically Mary Queen of Scots, who was born at Linlithgow castle) and Chanel heritage. Coco Chanel herself had close ties to Scotland, as she often stayed at the Scottish home of her lover the Duke of Westminster, and learned much about tweed and knitwear from the local clothing manufacturers. In fact, many of her masculine-styled suits were inspired by clothes she saw while on hunting parties in Scotland. The result of these two very different Scottish influences was a show mixing 16th century styles (MY FAVE; don't get me started on my love of pantaloons) and more typical (but still exquisite) knitwear and tweed outfits.

The reason for the unusual location this season was not due to a Lagerfeldian whim, for all that he embraced the Scottish theme. Over the past few years, Chanel has been producing collections honouring each of its offshoot workshops in turn. This year it's Scotland's Barrie Knitwear, which has been working with Chanel for decades but was only recently acquired by them (saving the company from liquidation, I believe).

I loved the warmth and layering in the more modern, street-style outfits. Lagerfeld can be very concerned with thinness (as a contrast to the traditionally boxy Chanel silhouette) so it was a welcome change to see these rather more padded-out styles. In some ways, several of them reminded me of traditional Russian and Eastern European-inspired designs such as those of Ulyana Sergeenko, possibly they acknowledge the existence of cold-weather clothes other than peacoats and cardigans.

I love both these outfits, even though neither are exactly my style. The above outfit has clear Mary Queen Of Scots-era inspirations in the form of the split-front skirt, whereas the outfit below is 100% mid-century Scottish Laird's wife.

OF COURSE my favourite section of the show was the series of outfits with clear links to the padded faux-armour of the 16th century. In most cases puffball skirts replaced outright pantaloons, but I loved the jackets tailored to resemble doublets, as well as all the ruff-like collars.

Oh, another detail I really appreciated about this show -- flat shoes. "Practical" isn't really something one expects from Chanel (especially Lagerfeld's Chanel), but this show proved that high-end designer clothes can be both interesting and comfortable.

Rather than the single traditional wedding dress at the end of the show, there was an entire final phase of white gowns -- all of them warm and taking certain elements of inspiration from Renaissance-era Scotland.

Click here for previous Chanel posts.

Star Trek Into Darkness teaser trailer theories.

If you thought my posts on The Avengers were in-depth, then gird your loins because Star Trek is gonna be 10,000x worse. Despite being raised in a household without access to television (yeah, I know, I'm making up for lost time now) I've always been a maximum Star Trek fan thanks to a combination of tie-in novels, and a mother who subscribed to xeroxed Bring Back Trek zines during her own childhood. So you could say that I'm kind of invested in this movie. 

This trailer really takes the name "teaser" to heart because it's so damn uninformative that the Star Trek corner of the internet is already self-cannibalising. WHAT IS HAPPENING? NOBODY KNOWS, BUT EVERYONE'S CAPSLOCK KEY SEEMS TO BE STUCK ANYWAY. To be honest, it would still inspire this type of reaction even if it was just a couple of shots of the Enterprise flying around and Kirk flossing his teeth. Unfortunately, we can't even analyse the style of the trailer for ~hidden meaning~ because it's clearly just following the same formula as the recent Avengers, Dark Knight Rises and Iron Man 3 trailers: vaguely apocalyptic danger, with the villain providing an ominous monologue in the background. The biggest question right now is Who Is Benedict Cumberbatch? There were already three popular theories knocking around -- Gary Mitchell, Sybok, and Khan -- but I think that all three can still be backed up by things we see in the trailer.
Gary Mitchell is my favourite because Khan's story has already been told, and since the first reboot movie was already very Vulcan-focused it seems less likely that we'd get an entire movie about Spock's renegade half-brother. Gary Mitchell is a relatively obscure character but could potentially be a very interesting villain thanks to the Original Series backstory of his Academy-era friendship with Kirk. The main thing counting in his favour, trailer-wise, is the presence of the woman pictured above (who also shows up wearing a blue science/medical Starfleet uniform).

Gary Mitchell and Dr Elizabeth Dehner.

She bears a strong resemblance to Dr Elizabeth Dehner, who appeared alongside Mitchell when they both gained god-like superpowers in the second Star Trek pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Of course, this woman could also be Janice Rand (unlikely, because Rand wears a red Command/Security uniform) or Nurse Chapel -- or indeed an entirely new character -- but her hairstyle is so similar to Dehner's that it can't possibly be unintentional, even if it's a red-herring.

Sybok doesn't have much going for him aside from the fact that Cumberbatch's voiceover is revenge-themed, and the film's subtitle is "Star Trek: Vengeance" in Russia. As a Vulcan he might well have reason to be angry at Starfleet for failing to save his home planet, which fits in with some things Cumberbatch has said about his character being more morally ambiguous than outright evil. However, I feel like "morally ambiguous outcast half-brother attacks earth" is really too similar to the Avengers plot to be a viable option in a major blockbuster only one year later? Particularly since they've hired another posh English actor with dyed-black hair to play the villain. There's also the detail that Cumberbatch doesn't have Vulcan features, but that doesn't necessarily negate him being a Vulcan since there are several instances in Star Trek canon where characters have plastic surgery to look like a different species.
Khan probably has the most trailer-related evidence, since in the Japanese version of the teaser there's a short clip mirroring the Kirk/Spock scene at the end of The Wrath Of Khan. But that scene is so iconic that I doubt they'd attempt to rereate it exactly, so this is probably some kind of homage. Also, Cumberbatch appears to have some kind of super-strength and is quite physically badass, which I think fits in slightly more with Khan's character -- even though Sybok has Vulcan strength and Gary Mitchell has telekinesis.
Personally, I think the costuming is a strong indication towards Khan, since several characters (including Kirk, Spock, and Uhura) wear a kind of semi-uniform of grungy black leather in the trailer. Obviously the "hey, check out my pecs" costume of traditional Khan fame couldn't really work in a modern movie because it's so utterly Barbarella, but the faintly grubby, post-apocalyptic theme of the leather outfits could well be inspired by that. If you look at the coat worn by Uhura in the picture below and compare it to Khan's costume from The Wrath Of Khan, I think there are definite similarities in the shape of the collar and shoulders. But whoever the villain turns out to be, I suspect that Kirk, Spock and Uhura will be dressing like Cumberbatch (and his followers?) as part of a disguise. (N.B. At one point we do see Cumberbatch wearing a dark Starfleet uniform, but that could mean anything.)

Misc. thoughts:

• "Star Trek Into Darkness" is still a terrible title.  
• I've already seen a couple of people saying things like "I find that blonde girl annoying already". CUT THAT OUT. If you hate the new blonde girl based on 3 seconds of trailer footage, then I don't know how to put this any simpler: you're being a sexist idiot. 
• If you're going to get annoyed by anything, get annoyed about the fact that the two women in the trailer spend half their screentime screaming or crying while the men do action stuff. I have no doubt whatsoever that Uhura will be awesome in the movie, but I'm not hugely impressed that the trailer-editors decided to devote half of her miniscule screentime to crying into Scotty's shoulder. If anything, someone should be crying into her shoulder. Maybe Chekov.
• I've also seen people on Tumblr getting excited over "how good Benedict Cumberbatch's American accent is". I'm sorry, what? He's speaking in his normal voice. 
• I do kinda like the brown/black leather outfits worn by Uhura et al, but sci-fi movies realllly need to retire the whole "badass/villain = long black leather coat" thing because long black leather coats are dorky as hell. The only way I can really legitemise them in this instance is if everyone's on a lava planet, because leather is relatively fire-proof.
• That red planet is super cool -- does anyone have any idea what it could be?