Innovation and art in Liverpool

The crew here at DiscoFashionArt have been having somewhat of a summer hiatus for the past couple of weeks but we promise we are back to normal and all our summer holidays and road trips are behind us.  Back to the fun, fashion and fabulousness!

 

Our first assignment back was to attend two parties (I know its a hard life), Think Publicity's 2013 Summer press day and the launch of Fevro Drop in the Met Quarter. 

 

 

Think is a leading communications and PR company with offices in both Liverpool One in Liverpool and Shorditch in London.

 

Known for their expertise in launching and repositioning brands, think devises multi-levelled, interactive strategies tailored to client goals and delivering relevant and innovative campaigns.
 

It was founded in 2005 and its collective talent represents years of experience across all aspects of brand, communications and public relations. Their clients include Hugo Boss, A Hard Days Night Hotel, H&M, Liverpool One, Boodles, Albert Dock, Rare, Cavern Walks, Raddison Liverpool, Alma de Cuba, Guess, BabyCream and many more. 

 

The night was a chance to meet their new marketing director Anna Barclay and the rest of the crew and have a sneak peak round their fabulous new office in Liverpool One.   

 

 

There were goodie bags and beauty treatments provided by Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar and a selection of tasty treats from Eat and Starbucks! Oh and the odd glass of Proseco too - Why Not!  There was also a sample sale from independent London designer Manikiin, the proceeds of which went to North West Cancer.  A very nice night indeed and a great way to meet their fabulous team. 

 

Then it was onto the launch of Fevro Drop in the Met Quarter. 

Frevo Drop, direct from London’s V&A Museum, is a stunning exhibition of hand-painted and illuminated umbrellas which is going on display as part of this year’s Brazilica festival. The installation of 30 original frevo umbrellas were available to view in the Metquarter from Friday July 12, right through the Brazilica festival week. Frevo Drop is curated by arts collective Braziliality.

 

Dancers with frevo bands are known for their energetic moves accompanied with the waving of colourful parasols. The relevance of the umbrellas is more than just spectacle, and can be traced back the late 19th Century and the origins of the dance, when competition between frevo bands on parade could be deadly.

There were art instillation's, performances from the Liverpool Samba School (as well as a display of their amazing costumes - they must be so heavy to dance in - true dedication!)drummers, DJs and fabulous Caipirinha Cocktails and nibbles.  There were also some fashionably fabulous attendees!   

(loving this outfit, especially the silver holographic clutch!)

A great night was had by the entire DFA crew and it was a great way to end our holiday blues. 

Sweatshirts.... well it is meant to be getting cooler!

Haute Couture 2013 / 14

Like the majority of you, us mere mortals here at DiscoFashionArt do not have the budgets or the bank balance to indulge in couture fashion however it doesn’t stop us dreaming.  Nor does it stop us looking at the delicious designs and deciding how to incorporate aspects them into our everyday styling for the coming season.  

Here at the blog, the couture collections are the shows we look forward to seeing the most each year.  The beautiful designs and outstanding craftsmanship is a feast for the eyes and this year’s collections were no different. 

One observation we did make here at DiscoFashionArt was that most of the designers produced some very wearable clothes and in the new age of extravagant couture this was a pleasant surprise. 

Alexis Mabille’s collection had a whimsical, regal theme made up of sumptuous layers of colourful and hand painted silk.  Models were either Parisian pompadours in short, tailored, ornate trousers with feminine bows at the waist and matching boleros adorned in jewels or dazzling mademoiselles in ethereal, full length, layered gowns or short, silk dresses with the same Parisian theatrical tailoring.  Makeup was simple and hair was pulled back slickly and worn with delicate, futuristic petal effect headpieces.  Other gowns in the collection had an Asian feel with Japanese inspired waists, pastel Asian prints, small feminine bows, billowing sleeves and dramatic necklines.  The collection closed with more opulent gowns but these looked like a Disney villainess’s dream.  An altogether feminine and magical collection.   
 

At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld made the audience in the Grand Palais look to the future from the apocalyptic remains of an old world, where models seemed to walk in from a shiny Chanel utopia.  Shine and iridescence was a strong theme and they peeped out from the stitching in the traditional Chanel tweeds, used in big, modern shapes.   Karl played with proportions and layering and there was a strong look towards 80’s tailoring and styling with big buttons, sharp shoulders and wasp belts.  Then there were also some artful, oversized, geometric knitted dresses with woven front detail and matching masculine jackets, definitely a hint of couture grunge.  Models all had greatly highlighted cheekbones and were adorned with a Cara Delevigne brow.  Hair was worn back with a hillbilly quiff and models wore small angular hats on the back of their head that seemed to frame their hair.  Karl once again proved why he holds his throne as the Kaiser of Couture!  Oh and the front row as usual was a show all in its self with all Karl’s muses to hand. 

 

Then there was Raf Simon's third couture collection for Dior.  There was definite multi cultural influences from Africa to Asia, but it was also a collection  as seen through the eyes of Willy Vanderperre, Terry Richardson, Patrick Demarchelier and Paolo Roversi – the four photographers who had taken pictures of the models in their looks pre-show which were then simultaneously projected onto the wall above the girls as the show unfolded.  The collection was an invasion of the senses, rich in thought from the global influences to the contemporary presentation.  The Dior staples did appear, the Bar jacket, the hounds tooth and the black wool day dresses, but they were barely recognisable, hidden under African adornment and lost in new shapes and silhouettes.  The collection was all in all modern couture and another step towards Raf Simons futuristic vision for Christian Dior. 

 

Elie Saab only has one destination in mind for his couture creations, the red carpet!  With a palette of red, navy, green and dove grey, the designer did not waver from his traditional patterns that work oh so well. 

 

 

Armani Prive’s collection was entitled ‘Nude’ and it had a definite nod to the twenties with the models hair secured into Marcel waves but not a flapper dress in sight.  Here at DiscoFashionArt we loved the fur sleeves.

 

I could not be happier that Maison Martin Margiela is now a permanent fixture on the couture lineup.  This collection was like fashion porn!   A completely fresh and new take on couture that included rubber trousers and Chinoiserie-embroidered gowns that split away at the back to reveal a pair of jeans beneath…. Who does that.. we just love it.  All worn by models wearing the recognisable, Margiela jeweled masks.  Definitely a different and interesting way to wear couture.  Oh and the rubber boots with diamante spears that can be removed and used as braceletts… erm hello genius!

 

 

Ulyana Sergeenko created dresses for the modern, luxe, Russian maid.  There was traditional Russian shapes and embroidery techniques mixed with modern textures and materials.  The flowered headpieces were reminiscent of old American football caps but added a modern artistic touch.

 

 

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccoli’s collection for Valentino was simply beautiful and it is safe to say that these two truly talented designers know exactly what makes up the DNA of a Valentino couture collection.  The pair took elegance to a new level with caped dresses, cinched waists and beautiful splaying skirts of queenly proportions.  Tweed and cashmere with embroidery, pearl-encrusted high necks, skirts adorned in feathers, dresses decorated in shells and coral branches.  The collection was delicately extravagant with Medieval and Baroque references. Simply gorgeous.

 

 

This was definitely a more refined outing for Donatella for Atelier Versace this year.  It all started dramatically with the return of Naomi Campbell to the catwalk after a 15 years hiatus.  The collection was less sexual then usual and more sensuous and subtle.  There were sumptuous silhouettes and plenty of flesh and most of the pieces were bejeweled, slashed and glittered.  It was all very rock ‘n’ roll, lace jumpsuits with thick chains, flared trouser suits with rivets running down the body, corsets of little lace bra cups and extreme detailed sequined dresses.  It wouldn’t be Versace without a generous dose of bling and a sense of naughtiness, but these pieces, rendered in a controlled and the sober colour palette made for a more contained offering.  The makeup was dark, mysterious and to die for. 

 

 

And finally Viktor & Rolf were back to couture week with a bang after a 13 year break.  This was not their typical flower bomb aesthetic at play today though, it was a modern and futuristic look at couture.  Maybe it was because even before the show started half of it had been bought by an anonymous art collector but this collection had balls.  It was all black and voluminous and all a little Comme des Garcon but marvelous all the same.     

 

 

Well we hoped you liked our review and enjoyed looking at the collections as much as we did.  Until next year Au Revior Couture week. 

 

All pictures from vogue.co.uk

Happy 4th July

To all you fashionable Yanks in Liverpool - Happy Independence Day Y'all!