Mulberry Spring Summer 2012 Campaign

What do you associate with spring and summer? What images does your mind conjure up, even if somewhat generic. Is it the re-emergence of pastels following their long winter hibernation stuffed at the back of our closets that never cease to lose their appeal and charm notwithstanding their predictability? Is it the sound of waves thundering against the shore filling your eardrums, the wispy, fine upper layer of sand spilling over the gaps between your toes while the heat of the sun gently toasts the back of your legs? Or is it simply being confined indoors, watching in utter dismay, as the annual monsoon of summer, overly-familiar to Ireland and the UK, pummels to the ground?

Despite this Siberian weather we've been experiencing these past few days, we are now officially inaugurating the spring/summer 2012 season.

SS 2012 campaigns and lookbooks are cropping up all over the place like the blossoming buds of baby daffodils, poking their canary petals out of their green cocoons. The homegrown image of a commonplace English (and Irish) summer's day spent at the seaside indulging in pierside cuisine, flaked out in those deckchairs passed down by your grandparents, is captured in Mulberry's season shoot starring Lindsey Wixon and Frida Gustavsson shot by Tim Walker.

The Amazonian height of the models is overshadowed by the life size monuments of beach delicacies (99 cones in the process of melting under the summer sun, shattered shards of stick-of-rock candy and the very informal container for a meal of fish and chips - newspaper) almost tower over the models. The apt location of Brighton Pier, famous for it's connotations of seaside holidays and it's equally as famous fairground delight boardwalk, provides the backdrop for the shoot.

The clothes themselves are the epitome of the warmer months; not a harsh, bold berry tone in sight! Bright, feminine, fresh was the key with this collection, light textures and and short hemlines to soak up the warmth and sunshine but the precaution of lightweight coats and jackets because you never know when the rain will decide to spew itself all over your picnic.

The colour scheming is so very appropriate - just look at those sunny yellow mackintoshes, with complenting platform sandals and Holiday Bayswater handbags. Is it just me or does the colour palette remind you of ice lollies and ice creams? The soft chocolate browns that reoccur throughout. Especially the striped colour block dress worn by both models - the similarly patterned and coloured ice lollies that you begged your mother to buy you as a child (e.g. Twister and Loop the Loop) immediately sprang to mind. And if you have no clue what I'm referring to, click here for an insight.

During the process of writing this post, I paused often to dwell on the occasional instillation of nostalgia that a mere look at the images gave me; sand in your sandwiches, collecting bucketfuls of pearlescent shells only to be distraught when told you would return home without them as they would, and I'm paraphrasing here, "stink up the car" and lounging for hours on a sandy landscape submersed in a book, pausing every now and again to listen to the buzz of people doing the exact same thing as you or the jingle of the passing ice cream van followed by hoards of people or the gulls squawking overhead.

The power of advertising, eh?

Chanel: Paris Bombay Pre-Fall 2012

"It's much more inspiring not to go to places than to go" 
Karl Lagerfeld on India, a place which he has never been but is clearly captivated by, judging by the Chanel Pre-Fall 2012 show in Paris. So much inspired was he, that the show was aptly titled "Paris Bombay" effortlessly capturing the collection's merge of the two cities. The Grand Palais was transformed into a feast for the eyes, and literally for the lucky spectators, as the catwalk was bordered by a lavishly decorated, parallel banquet. An occasion fit for a raja, perhaps?

What a wonderful collection this was. All senses are evoked simply by beholding the stunning images. The feel of silk saris against the skin in explosions of golds, burnt oranges, brilliant magenta's, the colour of the sweltering, setting sun. Exotic spices and inscences invade the nostrils and is that your mind just playing tricks on you or do you really hear the enticing melody from a snake charmer's pungi? Lagerfeld invites us to visit the enigmatic country of our dreams without booking a flight. We get to experience a culture so very different from our own, with very Indian characteristics featured throughout the collection; turbans adorning the men's heads, extravagant headpieces, humble sandals and ethnic jewelry. 


The contrast between Western and Eastern culture is simply divine, as typical Chanel tweeds, luxe jackets and accessorizing of pearls are littered throughout to create the culture fusion. The very "un Chanel" black rimmed eyes and dreaded updo's signify this as a step in a new direction for Chanel, without losing it's signature aspects.
Such a beautiful collection. I shall be dreaming in a vision of the mysterious far east tonight.

       

                                         

Chanel Spring Summer 2012 @ Paris Fashion Week

You are cordially invited

Please forgive me for my use of a terrible pun, but there was definitely something fishy going on with the Chanel S/S 2012 collection at Paris Fashion Week.This show was too perfect to escape a blog post. Hosted under the glass-domed roof of the Grand Palais, it was very much under the sea (I hope you're all humming that for the rest of the day now) with a very tranquil looking catwalk which was the length of two football pitches; an underwater inspired paradise with clumps of seaweed, shells and "bubbles".

One by one, the models began to emerge from a bubble-infested cavern. The first few monochrome outfits are pretty basic - knee length skirts, structured shape and practical. A minute or so in and we start to get a taster of the pastels that seem to be so popular for Spring/Summer, after Daphne Groeneveld, in a glitter adorned white ensemble - the perfection being that it doesn't end up looking tacky. When they zoomed in on her, that's when I noticed, all the model's had pearls adorning their slicked back hair. A cute, fitting accompaniment to the underwater theme.

The outfits were very much sea inspired, the shapes and patterns reminded me very much of fish; the use of metallics symbolizing the metallic sheen of a fish, the criss crossed patterns that resemble a fish's scales, chiffon skirts flaring at the bottom recreating the shape of a fish's tail.
A fusion of very 90's transparent, plastic rain coats, chiffon, florals, metallics, and of course, the trademark tweed jackets and quilted, chain bags.
As if this wasn't a spectacle for the lucky front-rowers, the life sized clam opened itself up to reveal Florence Welch, concealed inside. Welch proceeded to sing What the Water Gave Me (another cleverly suiting addition) looking like a modern day, Chanel-clad Venus, while the models continued their rounds along the "seafloor".

On the beauty side, were pearlescent nails with matching eyeshadow and natural groomed brows. It was a very metallic affair, and natural like the sea itself.
All in all, a very cutesy, mermaid inspired show. My favourite was the minty coloured outfit worn by Lindsey Wixon.

I don't know about any of you, but this show was most aesthetic to behold. Ya done good, Lagerfeld.