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FASHION

Spring fashion: Frills, thrills and jumpsuits

The weather might be bleak outside, but that's no excuse not to start planning your spring wardrobe as Jennifer Heape rounds up the hot trends for the new year.

Published: 4 December 2008 15:34 CET
Spring fashion: Frills, thrills and jumpsuits

If the spring/summer 09 collections showcased at this year’s Stockholm Fashion Week are anything to go by, then satins and silks are definitely going to be a dominant trend moving into next year.

The look stretched across the board from demure nudes at Ásta Créative to more extravagant, full volume blouses and metallic swimwear at Bea Szenfeld.

In eveningwear, gold and silver figured, including a full sequined dress from Lars Wallin and a stunning floor length gown from Christina Lovery.

Bows, corsages and ruffles were catwalk favourites, and a perfect and cheap way to update any credit crunching wardrobe for spring.

Some of the best examples were the beautiful headwear corsages at Bea Szenfeld, over-the-shoulder evening gown embellishments at Lars Wallin and Yde, and oversized bow jumpers at O Ella for the boys.

Block colour dominated for both men and women, especially at Blank, O Ella and Farzan Esfahani Mogaddam. The latter managing to bag another hot trend, dots, at the same time in a pretty selection of day dresses and waistcoats.

Usually the domain of the distinctly slender or the fashionably courageous, jumpsuits are still going strong from last summer and were seen back on the catwalk for the S/S ’09 collections.

For those with the figure to pull it off, skintight one-pieces were spotted at Blank and Lick My Label, or alternatively Seika Lee and Diana Orving offered some more wearable versions. The show at Diana Orving also included a lovely black satin jumpsuit perfect for evenings.

If the thought of donning what could be construed as an all-in-one adult babygrow is unappealing, then turn to Matila Wendelboe for a more forgiving way to nod at the jumpsuit trend. With a selection of loose and pretty outfits fitted either just above or below the knee, many of her takes on the traditional jumpsuit are also in satins, nailing two looks at once.

A hot colour for spring is green, particularly mints and jades, which were notable in both mens and womens collections. O Ella offered up complete outfits in various hues of green, as well as shirts and jumpsuits from Blank.

Tomato and orange red was a distinct tone in menswear, most notably at Uniforms for the Dedicated and Soulland.

So, in summary, dust off that yoga mat because if there are any unsightly bulges, a jumpsuit is bound to root them out. To update your wardrobe for short change, grab a selection of corsages and bows (H&M always come up trumps for cheap accessories).

Finally, let all your magpie instincts run loose and buy a gold or silver cocktail dress; invest for a festive New Year outfit and you can be confident it’ll see you through to next autumn.

See also: Photo gallery: Spring/Summer ´09 trends

FASHION

Paris exhibition celebrates 100 years of French Vogue

A new exhibition in Paris will tell the story of 100 years of French Vogue - from the post-war 'New Look' of Christian Dior through the sexual liberation of the 1960s to the dangling-cigarette waifs of the 2000s.

Published: 7 October 2021 08:21 CEST
French Vogue celebrates 100 years
French Vogue celebrates 100 years. Photo: Thomas Olva/AFP

But as well as celebrating the magazine’s storied history, the exhibit comes at a time of turbulence for the publication.

Just last month, it was confirmed that its editor of 10 years, Emmanuelle Alt, was out and wouldn’t be replaced.

She was not alone.

Looking to cut costs, owner Conde Nast International has axed editors across Europe over the past year, and put international Vogue editions under the direct control of global editorial director, Anna Wintour, in New York.

New York-based Anna Wintour now has overall control of French Vogue. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Like much of the media industry, Vogue is struggling with tumbling sales and ad revenue in the digital era.

But the latest twist is also part of the endless push and pull between New York and Paris going back to its early days.

“The whole history of French Vogue is one of back-and-forth with Conde Nast in New York – growing more independent for a while, then being reined back in,” said Sylvie Lecallier, curator of the new exhibition, “Vogue Paris 1920-2020″, which opened this weekend after a year’s delay due to the pandemic.

The Paris edition was often the loftier, more bohemian sibling to its more hard-nosed New York version.

But it was also the hotbed in which much of 20th century style and womenhood came to be defined.

“Paris was the place to hunt out talent and content and bring it to New York,” said Lecallier.

The exhibition charts the evolution from art deco drawings of the 1920s through the erotic image-making of photographers like Helmut Newton in the 1960s and 1970s.

Its last peak was under editor Carine Roitfeld in the 2000s, who brought back a provocative Gallic identity by ridding the newsroom of foreign staff and becoming a fashion icon in her own right.

Her successor, Alt, was a quieter presence, though she still oversaw key moments including its first transgender cover star, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio, in 2017.

But internet culture has created “a perfect storm” for Vogue, says media expert Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis.

“The first 80 years of Vogue’s life, it had the market to itself, it was the bible for fashion,” McCabe told AFP.

“But online today, there are so many other ways to get your information. Influencers, Instagram, YouTube — everyone’s a threat.”

In a world where new fashion trends can blow up around the world in seconds, it has become much harder for a monthly magazine to set the pace.

“It’s not that they can’t survive for another 100 years — but they will be differently sized,” McCabe said.

Vogue has tried to branch out into different areas, including events.

“I used to work for a magazine, and today I work for a brand,” Alt said on the eve of French Vogue’s 1,000th issue in 2019.

But the big money was always in print, and Vogue Paris sales are dropping steadily from 98,345 in 2017 to 81,962 to 2020, according to data site ACPM.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the new top job in Paris, redefined as “head of editorial content”, went to Eugenie Trochu, who was key to building the magazine’s online presence.

She declared herself “thrilled to be part of Vogue’s international transformation”.

For the curator of the exhibition, it is ironic timing.

“We had no idea it would end like this when we started work on the exhibition,” said Lecallier.

“Who knows where it will go from here.”

The exhibition Vogue Paris 1920-2020 is at the Palais Galliera in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. The gallery is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. Tickets for the exhibition are €14 (€12 for concessions and under 18s go free) and must be reserved online in advance. 

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