Campaign of the week: #YSL09 by Anthony Vaccarello
After Charlotte Gainsbourg enlisted Anthony Vaccarello to dress her for the César Awards ceremony in 2013, a friendship was struck, and a designer and muse relationship was born. As Vaccarello’s dramatic reinvention of house of Saint Laurent continues apace with the half-Italian, half-Belgian design talent stitching his glamorous and sexy aesthetic into the historic maison’s seams for his sophomore collection, it makes sense that he once agains turns to the actor for its campaign. Directed by Nathalie Canguilhem and styled once more by i-D Fashion Director Alastair McKimm, the preview clip follows Gainsbourg exploring an empty underground carpark deep in Los Angeles. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride…
Collaboration of the week: Alyx and Vans
“Vans were a major part of my childhood and it felt really natural and important to include them in the world of ALYX,” the Chicago-born, California-raised creative director Matthew Williams explained. Harnessing the nostalgia for his skater and DIY youth, the spring/summer 17 collection reimagines popular and pre-existing Vans styles — the OG Sk8-Hi, the OG Authentic, and the OG Style 36 — with several ALYX details, including ALYX’s signature lighter caps, lurex laces, logos and scrawlings. This is a match made in halfpipe heaven.
Notable departure of the week: Lucinda Chambers to step down at British Vogue
After 36 years at British Vogue, Fashion Director Lucinda Chambers is to leave the publication this summer. Both her body of work and her route to the top should be an inspiration to us all. Chambers began working for Vogue in the 1980s, initially assisting the accounts department, before catching the eye of then Fashion Director Grace Coddington and becoming her assistant. She was appointed to the role of Fashion Director in 1992, when Alexandra Shulman became Editor-in-Chief. Her departure from the title 25 years later coincides with Shulman stepping down. As announced in April, incoming Editor and former i-D Fashion Director Edward Enninful will take over in August. Before looking to the future, we should appreciate the past and present. “Lucinda has been the most wonderful creative collaborator, as well as friend, throughout my whole editorship,” Shulman explained in a statement on the British Vogue site. “She has produced many of the most influential and inspiring fashion shoots in the world during her time as fashion director of this magazine as well as a huge number of our most remarkable covers.”
Fashion is dead. #RomperGate #Romper #Romphim pic.twitter.com/qysTLA2aR4
— realNewYorkValues (@MisterAuntFancy) May 19, 2017
Curious combination of the week: Men, rompers and memes
A men’s style meme is a rare breed, but the male romper has garnered the attention of keyboard warriors, lol merchants, content-hungry journalists and the bemused masses alike. Why? All thanks to a Kickstarter campaign for RompHim. Launched with the aim of starting a “fashion revolution,” male rompers have taken centre stage in this week’s conversations around what men might be wearing this summer. So what are RompHim offering? Quite simply, a romper designed for men, in a range of pastel hues and prints. Don’t rompers already exist in menswear? Yes, of course and they’ve been worn by the likes of Bowie and Bond. Everyone from A.P.C. to Rick Owens, ASOS to Thom Browne, have all created their own versions in recent summers. Are people paying attention to ACED Design’s RompHim? Well, in addition to trending on socials and firing up the meme generators, they have absolutely smashed its pledge goal of $10,000, and at the time of writing has surpassed $220,000 from close to 2,000 backers. The revolution will not be televised, but it might be launched by a Kickstarter.
Credits
Text Steve Salter