Photo of The Week

Tiah Eckhardt by Akila Berjaoui in 'Red Blooded Woman'.

GQ Street Style: The Men of Milan

Images: Tommy Ton for GQ

- A x

Anna Dello Russo's Wish

When Anna Dello Russo makes a wish, chances are it's likely to come true - and here's hoping.

Anna announced on her blog recently that her next wish is to "do a book with my whole collection of clothing by Tommy Ton".

As for the size of the book? - Well, one can only image - given that she has an entire apartment dedicated to her clothes.

image: via Tommy Ton's twitter @JakandJilBlog

- A x

Street Style Favourites - Paris Fashion Week

source: Tommy Ton for Style.com
- A x

The Masquerade Ball by Garance Doré: Part 2

III Crystal & Me

“What do you think? How cool is this mask?” Crystal Renn asked me showing off her silver mask that made her look like cat-woman from space.”
I love it. I want the same one.
“And the whip? What do you think? Do I need the whip?” she asks me showing me a silky whip snapping it against her thigh.
I love the look. It’s so Newton. Wow. Yeah, get the whip.

And the suddenly, she says, “Okay wait. I’m going to go get my outfit on to show you and you can tell me if it needs anything. I have it with me.”

I took advantage of this little interlude to realize that Crystal Renn is right there in front of me, scantily clad, and asking my opinion of her whip, and then I remembered why I was there to begin with. I picked out a few things to try on and hoped into the dressing room next to hers.

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried on an Agent Provocateur corset, but it’s a pretty funny little exercise. Because yeah, a corset is pretty much impossible to put on all by yourself. You need someone’s help. You become pretty intimate pretty quickly with the hostesses who strap you in or lace you up… You tell yourself the same thing you say at the doctor : No need to worry. She’s seen quite a few.
So, pretty quickly there you are barely clothed in the dressing room.
And Crystal, weeeeeeelllll, she’s a model. Scantily clad ain’t nothin’ to her.

So there we were, Crystal Renn and me, exchanging notes on our outfits.

“Wow, that corset makes your breats look great!!!” she says to me.
I love “plus-sized” models.
“And what do you think of mine?”

She was wearing a skintight jumpsuit, all in black, just to die for. Around her neck was a sort of giant feather collar… So classy. Add on her silver mask and her whip, right in front of my eyes she turned into a living fantasy.

Eyes Wide Shut ? Check.

Ohhhh great. I’m not gonna look stupid in my trench.

IV – The party.

The only really good thing about being so late to a party is that you don’t have time to ask too many questions. I would have loved to just burst out crying on myself for a little half hour (no dress, no mask, flat hair) but right when I opened my mouth to sob, Scott stopped me :

“Uh oh, no time. It’s 10. Let’s go.”

Pfffff, not even allowed to complain. I had tied my hair up (no choice), closed my trench like a dress (no choice), and made up my eyes AND lipsticked my lips (even is you’re not supposed to do that at all).

Ah, I almost forgot. To complete the picture here, “the price of preparing for party of the century in the classiest way”, I have to tell you… We realized at about 9:59, right when we were totally ready to head out, that we were DYING OF HUNGER.

We had about 3 mins to find something to eat (Yeah, I have nothing at all in my fridge during fashion week.)

And here’s how we ended up dressed to the nines eating McDonalds on the floor (mountains of clothes everywhere around the apartment, what’s necessary to get ready for Carine’s masquerade ball).

V – The Party – but for real this time, not the pre-party with Mc Donald’s.

We get the rue de l’Université, into Karl Lagerfeld’s mythic apartment. It’s almost a mansion with a huge garden in the heart of Paris. Sublime. The ideal place for a masquerade.

Before you can enter the party, we are asked to do the photo call… It’s where you pose in front of a wall of photographs, like in Cannes, you know? It feels weird to me, I say no. Little by little, I am getting used to people recongnizing me on the street and it’s always very nice, but there are some things that I just don’t know how to do.

So now we’re making our way into the actual party. It’s beyond fantastic, I feel like in a movie. Everybody really played the game. The outfits are mesmerizing. Everyone has a mask on. You recognize them… sorta… and are never quite sure. Everyone gives you a big hug and then asks you “Who are you?” It right away gives a perfect lightness to the atmosphere.

We take a tour through the rooms.

In a dark little corner, in costume, I see Hedi Slimane and I get chills up my spine.
On the stairs, a strangely beautiful couple are heading up the steps, intertwined. She’s got a long dress on and he’s in a black suit… Both are masked and I can’t make out who they are until I see that the guy has a tattoo on his neck. “It’s Freja!!!” I whisper to Scott. She hears me and smacks the ground with her whip… and then sends me a huge smile.
In the garden, Alexander Wang’s gang is complete. He cracks everyone up with his disguise : no venetian mask, he’s wearing a… Ski mask. The kind you wear to rob banks.
Giovanna comes and sits next to me. She’s wearing studded Louboutin leggings that must weight 200 lbs. She gotta take some breaks. We have a cigarette (Cool French Girl attitude, right?) and then off she goes and off I follow.

We get back to the main room.

And there I see… a living sculpture. Hidden behind a spectacular feathered mask, weaved into a white dress with a giant train is Anna Dello Russo. She is amazing… But she can’t really move. So we make a circle of friendship around her. We bring her something to drink and make conversation….

And Crystal Renn finds me and gives me a big hug. I think this woman is an angel.

The party is everything I could imagine and more. The second I stepped foot in the house I completely forgot about my outfit. We danced, we drank, we gossiped and told secrets. It’s very subversive and very refined at the same time. And it’s soooo beautiful. I could have spent hours just watching people go by, beautiful and happy in their costumes. It gave me the feeling I was at one of those mythic parties where you see the photos and everyone says they don’t exist anymore.

It was the ideal party where every age mixed, where the temperature was always perfect, where the champagne was cold and never far, where you had enough space to dance, or find yourself alone in a comfy corner. Yes, it still exists. Like a dream. It’s rare, but it exists.

Eventually, it was time to leave. Once we got outside, no taxi in sight. Aaaaah, reality. Paris. It rains, it rains, it rains…

Oh I don’t care. I’ve got a trench on.

Bonne journée!

source: Garance Doré

- A x

havaianas X bassike

Aussie favourite havaianas, have collaborated with Sydney fashion label bassike, to give the iconic footwear a minimalist makeover. First seen backstage at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, they will now be available to the public just in time for summer at $24.95.

- A x

The Masquerade Ball by Garance Doré: Part I

I – You are not on the list !

So Garaaaaaaaaance! What are you gonna wear to Carine’s party? Anna asked me. Wait, Carine is having a par… wait, what? What party are you talking about? I dunno… I… I don’t think I was invited.

And that was the first time I heard about the masquerade ball celebrating Vogue’s 90th.

First time that I realized that this week would end in a crescendo of frustration. The dress code? Black tie. The host? Carine Roitfeld. The locale? Karl Lagerfeld’s Parisian apartment. The theme? Eyes Wide Shut. It was the only things on everyone’s lips.

Everybody was super excited :

> IRL : “Oh my god Garance, you’re not going to recognize me Thursday night. I’m going to be more incognito than the phantom of the opera.
> E-mail : “GARANCE!!! Do you think I’d be crazy if I made a stop over from New York to Paris for a quick two day stint just to go to Carine’s party?
> Telephone : “Shiiiiiiiiit Garance I don’t know what to wear!!! Everyone’s gonna be to the nines! Get over here and we’ll go shopping? Wait, what? You’re not invited? What’s this about?

After about a week of it, I didn’t even react anymore. I just had that sour feeling of being the only one not invited. Poor little Garance, the entire world has left her behind. Boooooo… And even after all that, you know, yeah, I kinda super wanted to go to Carine’s fancy ball.

The day before the party, the frenzy was palpable. People would share adresses of the stores that sell Venetian masks. Girls would be exchanging dresses by text message and everyone left the runway shows to go find the finishing touches to their outfits.

Except for the Balmain show, T minus three hours before the party. Just like magic, everyone was there. It was packed, electric, and in every corner of the room, only one subject : The masquerade ball. You could literally see on peoples’ faces who was invited and who wasn’t. I was commiserating with a friend of mine who was not on the list just like me when suddenly, Carine walks in, accompanied by Scott. And she looks like she’s in a state of shock.

“Why didn’t you call me? Someone just told me you weren’t invited. Of course you’re invited. It’s just been hell the past couple days. Imagine trying to keep track of a guest list 600 plus. What do you mean you’ve got nothing to wear? What do you mean it’s too last minute? C’mon, you’re coming! They’ll be giving out masks at the door. You’re coming!”

I took my seat at Balmain totally petrified. Julia, Carine’s daughter, turns to me and says, “So what’re you gonna wear?!”

II : So, what’re you gonna wear?!

Arg. I have no idea, Julia. Oh but I didn’t care and I wasn’t about to start whining. I was so excited! There was only two hours for me to find an outfit that everyone else had three months to get ready for, but I’d find one, oh yes I would. And if I didn’t, well, I’d go naked and bring a whip. It’s Vogue Paris, right? Carine? Not so much?

After Balmain, I met up with Scott at a café. Battle plan. He didn’t have a tux. They were all in New York. As for me, I didn’t have any dresses I could wear to level of party of the century. But I wasn’t about the get down. I’d find one. I’d find one.

We decided to make a quick run around Printemps, the Paris mutli-brand store. A half-hour, no more. We only had two hours before all the shops closed and we had to find… well…. everything. We had to find EVERYTHING.

I went zooming through the aisles. A YSL pant-suit? A Lanvin dress? A jumpsuit from Stella? Every time I thought of something, Scott made a face. I wanted to strangle him just a little. I was getting hysterical. But I trust him so there.

After 10 infuriuating tries, he cries out : I have an idea!!! What if I bought you a nice black trench at Burberry? And then you leave it open just right to show your legs and decolleté, then put on some amazing lingerie and super high heels… Whaddya think? It’s the ideal outfit for the Cool French Girl. And then all you have to do is be confident and be the Cool French Girl. You would even be able to smoke, ahah.

A trench coat and a pair of Lanvin heels later, I just needed to find my inner Cool French Girl, oh, and the amazing lingerie. I waved a symbolic goodbye to my bank account, and a literal goodbye to Scott would was off on a mission to find a pair of shoes. All alone, I made my way to the basement of Printemps.

Direction : Agent Provocateur.

I get to the little corner all pink and black. I see the two hostesses fussing over a rather pretty girl. And on her nose, a silver mask.

I cry out, “You’re going to the Vogue masquerade ball! I just know it!!!

She takes off her mask, gives me a big smile and says, “Yeah! You too?!”

Before I can even open my mouth to say yes, I let out a cry. Oh yes, this girl is pretty. Sublime even.

It’s Crystal Renn.

To Be Continued...

source: Garance Doré

- A x

Last Days of Disco

Abbey Lee does disco in the November issue of Vogue Australia. Photographed by Nicole Bentley and Styled by Naomi Smith, Abbey channels her inner disco diva in true 70's glamazon style.

- A x

Getting dressed with Anna...

"When Carine Roitfeld invited me to the Vogue Paris 90th Anniversary party on 30th September in Paris, I was so thrilled, but when I knew it was a ball costume inspired by 'eyes wide shut', I was worried.

Why? Cause if Carine Roitfeld invites you to her party she expects to be surprised by your look.

All the guests are from creative environments, then are supposed to be creative even about themselves.

How to think of a dentist who hasn't the most white and beautiful teeth?"

Anna dello Russo's top 10 tips when dressing for Carine Roitfeld:

1. Carefull with the black outfits (it makes omologate effects).
2. Mask plus tuxedo? So obvious.
3. Don't go too literal. 'Eyes wide shut' is just a start point.
4. Don't rent the outfit (you'll smell like a dusty attic).
5. Don't go too far back with vintage.
6. Find your look in contemporary brands (Fashion is HINC et NUNC).
7. Headpieces is the key of the look. It needs your personal touch.
8. Shoes? Doesn't matter, nobody will note it.
9. Leave the couture to Carine. She will be the Queen of the party.
10. Go to Style.com and start your personal, creative, eccentric, surprising, unique, original, research.

The result?

A custom made Pucci gown designed especially for Anna, Gareth Pugh's extravagant feathered headpiece which both perfectly complimented her lace mask and white wig.

Street style photo blogger Tommy Ton of JAK + JIL, was invited to Anna's suite at the Ritz as she got ready for the Masquerade Ball celebrating Vogue Paris' 90th Anniversary.

This was the outcome...






AMAZING.

- A x

GQ Street Style - New York Fashion Week

Tommy Ton hits the pavement for GQ to find the men who bring it in New York.












- A x