Les Flaneurs
Feed

080 BARCELONA FASHION

Posted: January 5th, 2012 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Fashion, Front Page | Tags: , , | No Comments »

080 BARCELONA FASHION
EDITION 8 : SPRING SUMMER 2012

AND THE GIRLS WEREN’T FAR BEHIND…

YIORGOS_COM_WYIORGOS SS12

MANUEL_BOLANO_COM_WMANUEL BOLANO SS12

KriziaRobustella_COM_WKRIZIA ROBUSTELLA SS12

MalAimée2_COMMAL AIMÉE SS12

MONTSE_LIARTE_COM_W2MONTSE LIARTE SS12

MONTSE_LIARTE_1MONTSE LIARTE SS12

MANGO_COM_WMANGO SS12

Photography by Michael Stephens


080 BARCELONA FASHION

Posted: January 5th, 2012 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Fashion, Front Page | Tags: , , | No Comments »

080 BARCELONA FASHION
EDITION 8 : SPRING SUMMER 2012

HERE COME THE BOYS…

JosepAbril1_COMJOSEP ABRIL SS12

JosepAbril3JOSEP ABRIL SS12

YIORGOS_COMYIORGOS SS12

KARLOTALASPALAS SS12KARLOTALASPALAS SS12

JAN IÚ MÉS SS12JAN IÚ MÉS SS12

JAN IÚ MÉS SS12JAN IÚ MÉS SS12

MANGO SS12MANGO SS12

EHUD SS12EHUD SS12

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA SS12KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA SS12

OMAR KASHOURA SS12OMAR KASHOURA SS12

Photography by Michael Stephens


080 BARCELONA FASHION

Posted: February 7th, 2011 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Fashion, Front Page, Photo Essays/Videos | Tags: , | No Comments »
Carole Touati (lelook.eu)

Carole Touati (lelook.eu)

Haute Couture shows came to an definite end last week in Paris but Barcelona was eagerly preparing for their 7th Edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion, showing collections for Autumn Winter 2011. The primarily Spanish designers and guests invited to attend were also joined this season by a select group of international press, guest judges and designers. As well as LesFlaneurs.com, this included the lovely Sonny (MykroMag), Kristina (Stylist) and Dominiqe (i:D Magazine) – pictured below – just to name a few.

Sonny, Dominique and Kristina out and about the town.
Having arrived in the Catalan capital a couple of days early we were able to really take in all the extensive cultural sights, smells and tastes of the city – and by this, I am obviously referring to sun, sand and shopping! On the very first morning I stumbled upon a very cute vintage shop in ‘El Born’ called ‘LA LENTEJUELA’ (pictured below), which means ‘sequin’ in English. The clothes were all very reasonably priced and of course, I wanted everything. Unfortunately, due to a suitcase already overflowing with last-minute friperie purchases from Paris (CHINE-MACHINE, Paris 75018), I had to settle for a merely few floral silk shirts and a fine-knit Missoni-esque cardigan: Spring is coming soon after all…isn’t it…?

A combination satisfyiny all bodily urges. Well, almost.

After satisfying our initial impulsive retail urges, it was inevitably onto conquering hunger and thirst. We were kindly introduced to an incredible quaint café (BAR PASAJES – C/ Sant Pere Més Alt, 31-33 – pictured above), carefully hidden away through an inconspicuous stone opening, down a dark narrow passageway, just off a tiny peaceful side street – you get the idea: without knowing it was there you would most probably have just walked on by. Thankfully, we were in the capable hands of a knowledgeable local flâneur, who assisted us every step of the way: from locating the establishment itself, to ordering several rounds of honest but delicious tapas accompanied by numerous glasses of traditional Spanish Vermouth. Combine this incredible food with an effortless atmosphere and good company; it’s easy to see why when stepping back out into the sunlight we all appeared more than satisfied with our afternoon’s accomplishments.

A Leisurely Sunday Brunch.

Sunday took much the same course, enjoying the clean sea air while promenading alongside the port, casually absorbing the city’s beautiful architecture and naturally, sampling as much of the incredible local cuisine as our stomachs could handle.

Monday: Showtime. Over the next 3 days we were presented with a mixture of menswear and womenswear, some designers thriving off that vibrant Spanish eccentricity that they are so famous for, while others opting for darker more subtle shapes and colour pallets.

Anyway, here is a run-down of our favourite designers and looks. Enjoy.

BRAIN AND BEAST

BRAIN AND BEAST

CARDONA BONACHE

CARDONA BONACHE

Strong flashes of colour paired with more subdued natural tones. A favourite combination was the use of orange leather with soft sienna-brown knitwear.

CARDONA BONACHE

CARDONA BONACHE

JUSTICIA RUANO

JUSTICIA RUANO

KARLOTALASPALAS

KARLOTALASPALAS

This menswear collection stood out against the other collections for its sensitivity both regarding colour and layering. The colour palette derives from the rusting of metals and contains some wonderful earthy tones ranging from deep oranges and browns to pale turquoises.

KARLOTALASPALAS

KARLOTALASPALAS

The bags were definitely a favourite.

KARLOTALASPALAS

KARLOTALASPALAS

MIQUEL SUAY

MIQUEL SUAY

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

A guest international designer, who had already debuted his AW11 menswear collection the previous week in Paris, put on another fantastic show in Barcelona. His impressive body of work and innovative tailoring received immense celebration throughout despite the unfamiliar surroundings and fresh audience.

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

This designer was the winner of best Menswear and Womenswear for this edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion.

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

She describes her collection as “Sports Deluxe” and fully embraces the eccentric Spanish style. The show itself was fresh, fun and upbeat, and her collection displayed originality and a strong identity. It also culminated with hundreds of personalized condoms being launched from the balconies above into the laps of the unsuspecting audience, surely a finale to win over any jury…Hmmm.

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

KRIZIA ROBUSTELLA

TXELL MIRAS

TXELL MIRAS

For more photos from 080 Barcelona Fashion Week visit our facebook page here.

By Michael Stephens


ESCAPISM – IRIS VAN HERPEN SS11

Posted: February 7th, 2011 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Articles/Reviews, Fashion, Front Page, Photo Essays/Videos | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

Iris Van Herpen, a young designer originally from the Netherlands, recently showed her eagerly anticipated SS11 Haute Couture Collection in Paris. This particular collection was presented as a collaboration with the much celebrated milliner Stephen Jones and embodied everything both artists stand for – innovation and eccentricity. Every piece projected creative individuality but a high level of consistency still ran throughout.

The garments were both intricate and delicate in their designs but still remained structurally rigid as they worked their way along the catwalk. The collection, named ‘Escapism’, ironically lacked a certain level of flexibility, displayed by the models inability to navigate smoothly down the runway at a regular walking pace (probably something to do with the remarkable 6inch ‘broken glass slippers’ being worn).

However, this staggered progression, aided by the intense beating music, only added to the overall drama and certainly ensured the amount of attention it deserved. Here are our photos from the show.

IVH1

IVH2

IVH3

IVH4

IVH5

IVH6

IVH8

IVH9

IVH10

IVH11

By Michael Stephens


MENSWEAR AW11 PARIS

Posted: February 7th, 2011 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Articles/Reviews, Fashion, Front Page, Photo Essays/Videos | Tags: , , | No Comments »
It was time again for the Autumn Winter collections and kicking things off with Menswear, here are our favourite looks from some of the shows we attended this season in Paris. They included Graphic Sportwear from BERNARD WILLHELM, Flashes of Red from PETAR PETROV, Innovative Tailoring from JUUN J, Monochromatic Shapes from JULIUS and Vibrant/Subtle Colour Combination from WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK.
BERNARD WILLHELM AW11

BERNARD WILLHELM AW11

PETAR PETROV AW11

PETAR PETROV AW11

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

JUUN J AW11

CERUTTI AW11

CERUTTI AW11

MIHARAYASUHIRO AW11

MIHARAYASUHIRO AW11

ISSEY MIYAKE AW11

ISSEY MIYAKE AW11

JULIUS AW11

JULIUS AW11

SONGZIO AW11

SONGZIO AW11

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK AW11

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK AW11

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK AW11

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK AW11

By Michael Stephens


NERD BOYFRIEND

Posted: May 10th, 2010 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Hitlist | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Picture 8

Retro photos + stars and icons paired with clothing items for purchase = Brilliant.

http://nerdboyfriend.com/


Sweat Shop: An Interview with Café Couture Owner Sissi Holleis

Posted: March 29th, 2010 | Author: Sarah Moroz | Filed under: Articles/Reviews, Front Page | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Martena&Sissi_6727

Merging do-it-yourself purpose with communal creativity, Sweat Shop is a recently-opened venue intent on helping you realize your crafty endeavors. The café couture, located in the 10th arrondissement, features 10 work stations equipped with SINGER sewing machines. People are encouraged to drop by and work on sewing and knitting projects. For those needing more instructive assistance, there are 5 courses offered a week to help people perfect their couturier skillz (including workshops specifically for kids and special customizing sessions). Guest designers and collaborators will pop by keep the creativity rolling, and neighboring Bob’s Juice Bar provides tasty treats to keep your concentration sharp as you whip up your personal Project Runway fantasies.

LF: When did you first start sewing? Was it something you learned through your family, or did you start out on your own?

Sissi Holleis: As a little girl I started sewing and crocheting for my Barbies and other favorite teddies.

LF: How did you select the space on rue Lucien Sampaix? Is this locale off the canal specially selected?

SH: It was Martena [Duss, the co-owner of Sweat Shop] who fell in love with this shop next to [Bob’s] Juice Bar; she lives just around the corner it seemed like the place to be.

LF: What was your background before opening Sweat Shop?

SH: I’ve been a “young designer” for over 12 years. The label of my brands were SISSI HOLLEIS and sissishirt. I had a shop in the Oberkampf quarter, exporting mostly to Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

27063_377474483417_312968278417_3488810_4310467_n

LF: Sweat Shop is a cheeky name for such a lovely place as your store. It brings up a loaded concept: the tension between creation, production, and commerce. What is your philosophy about these elements of design?

SH: For native English-speaking people, yes, there is that connotation. For the French, they even don’t know the meaning, they think more of ‘sweat shirts’. Anyway, we don’t joke about the reality of sweatshops in China, no way. It’s more like a “jeux de mots”, and it’s defending our philosophy: less buying-more trying, overcoming the impulse to “acheter-porter-jeter” (buy-wear-get rid), and instead “recycler sa garderobe”…

27063_377474493417_312968278417_3488812_7480491_n

LF: The design of the shop is fantastic; what did you draw on for inspiration to create this atmosphere?

SH: We love Berlin style, very cozy, retro-vintage ambiance,  like being in somebody’s living room. We had the great help of a Belgian team, they brought furniture in from Belgium and produced special pieces for Sweat Shop.

LF: Do you feel Paris, once renowned as the epicenter of couture, has completely lost this reverence for craftsmanship? Are you trying to bring attention to this old tradition, or are you trying to liberate it from an elite art form and democratize it?

SH: Of course it’s still a very important center of couture, but time and lifestyle change. New places and atmospheres of couture here can be created — we try to give people the chance to get back into couture, like our great grandmothers did, passing on their gift from generation to generation. Sweat Shop is the place to find inspiration, creativity, and, why not, relaxation.

LF: Do you have any personal “sewing specialties”?

SH: I like free-style hand sewing and “wild” machine forward-backwards sewing.

LF: You’ve already organized some collaborations/collaborators. Who would you like to collaborate with in the future? In real life, and in a fantasy world?

SH: We’d like to collaborate with Bernard Willhelm soon, young new designers who work we admire, and… Alber Elbaz is the fantasy.

SWEAT SHOP
13, rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010 Paris
Metro Jaques Bonsergent
tel: 09 52 85 47 41
Open Tuesday-Friday: 1pm-9pm, Saturday-Sunday: 1pm-7pm, closed on Mondays.

Sewing machine rate:  6 euros
Workshops: 20–80 euros
Special offer coffee/cake: 5 euros
-10% reduction for students


Les enfants s’ennuient le dimanche

Posted: March 19th, 2010 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Front Page, Photo Essays/Videos | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Oliver Peoples‘ new video campaign featuring Elijah Wood and Shirley Manson. Directed by Autumn de Wilde and edited by Miky Wolf.
Music “Just You And Me” by Zee Avi from her debut album with Brushfire Records Inc.

Easily recognized for his roles in Lord of the Rings, Sin City, Everything is Illuminated and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Elijah’s debonair personal style was an ideal fit for the campaign. Despite such success in his acting career, Elijah is also dedicated to photography and music, including the creation of his own record label called Simian Records in 2005.

Stunning, scarlet-haired Shirley is best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-nominated alternative band, Garbage. In the last year, she assumed a role in the television series Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles. Her edgy and dramatic sense of style lent a modern, mischievous air to the otherwise serious scenes of sunnies and spectacles.

Orchestrating the imagery is internationally renowned photographer and director Autumn De Wilde. Her work has been featured on the pages of Vanity Fair, W, Elle, Rolling Stone, and V Magazine, and her most recent subjects include artists such as Beck, The White Stripes and celebrated fashion designers, Rodarte.


________________________________________________________

Also in the same 60s retro vein see Tom Ford’s trailer for A Single Man (below), Lone Scherfig’s An Education (2009), Mad Men, and Steven Klein’s shoot “Domestic Bliss” for W Magazine (2005).



Older references include North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock (1959), Pierrot le Fou (video below) by Jean-Luc Godard (1965), Blow Up by Michelangelo Antonioni (1966), and the original Alfie by Lewis Gilbert (1966).


Alice au Printemps des Merveilles

Posted: February 13th, 2010 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Articles/Reviews, Front Page | Tags: , , | No Comments »

alicedior

As the release date for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland approaches, fashion labels are jumping on the Lewis Caroll boat, adapting their marketing campaigns to the children’s book. Such has already been seen in Paul & Joe’s limited edition cosmetic line lending images from the 1951 Disney animated film based on the themes of “daydream” and “fantasy”.

In Paris, Printemps asked several designers to interpret a modern day Alice, similar to the idea behind Liebovitz’s shoot for American Vogue in 2003 (featured above). The designs, now displayed on the department store front located boulevard Haussmann, include those by créateurs Alexander McQueen, Chloé and Manish Arora.

Maison Martin Margiela fashioned garments for both Alice and the Mad Hatter, but all visible signs point out the Hatter should really be the March Hare (mainly the hat was nowhere to be seen and his head was that of a hare).
Tea cups, pocket watches, rabbits, and playing cards were also recurring icons presented against a backdrop of posters of the upcoming film.

Inside Printemps, you can find the Salon de Thé Éphémère in collaboration with la Maison de Ladurée, serving their “Merveilleux” macaroon à la pomme verte*. The animal shaped hedge in the tea room was a thoughtful reference to the Queen of Heart’s garden, and the warped checked floors gave a nice dizzying sensation. Especially when looking from the escalators above, one would almost find oneself going down the rabbit hole.

Picture 9Views from the escalators. More of the tea salon here.

Sarah Moroz reacts to the displays below…

Heck yes! Look at them shoulders! This new kind of “carded” — that doesn’t reek of dashed teen ambition to desperately chug a six-pack — is something we can all get behind.

Picture 20Alice in Manish Arora


Coyly hiding  behind a curtain of tulle: is it Alice — or Margiela himself, the enigmatic man who kept us all guessing has-he-or-hasn’t-he quit his eponymous company? (…P.S. He has.)

IMG_3350The “Mad Hatter” and Alice in Maison Martin Margiela


Oh! Such a flouncy Victorian bedruffle of a dress, fit for a tea party or, hell, a martini bar too. Wish you hadn’t gone down the rabbit hole, Alexander McQueen.

Picture 18Alice in Alexander McQueen


Would the same adventurous Alice who sasses a catepillar and tells off a March Hare really wear such a sober black dress? Discuss.
Frankly, she seems more like a Chloé client circa Spring/Summer 2007 gal, with dresses in punchy colors and florals prints with rhinestones and embroidery.

IMG_3366Alice in Chloé


What’s with this drab on top and leggy on the bottom? That combo is as ridiculous as using a flamingo for a mallet!

Picture 12Alice in Haider Ackermann


On display now through March 13, 2010
Alice chez Ladurée open everyday from 12h to 20h and Thursday til 22h.
Printemps Mode, Etage -1

64 boulevard Haussmann
75009 Paris


Photography by Ana Lee-Karkar

__________________________________________________________

* Granny Smith apple flavoured


Give Yourself Up To The Allure Of The Catcher In The Rye

Posted: February 2nd, 2010 | Author: Les Flâneurs | Filed under: Articles/Reviews, Front Page | Tags: , | No Comments »

Photography by Michael Stephens

What to expect for Autumn / Fall in 2010 for Men? The modern day greaser look. Think of James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” but also Holden Caulfield, a rebel with many causes. In memory of J.D. Salinger, we’ve matched highlights of Paris Fashion Week’s F/W men’s shows with some of the author’s most memorable quotes…


“I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.”

TIM HAMILTON - ed0150s inspired cardigan knits at Tim Hamilton.


“It’s really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs.”

HENRIK VIBSKOV ed14Ecolier canvas and leather bags with buckled straps at Henrik Vibskov.


“I don’t exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.”

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK - ed05Graphic tribal prints on sweatshirts at Walter Van Beirendonck.


“This fall I think you’re riding for – it’s a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn’t permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement’s designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with.”

DRIES VAN NOTEN - ed06An armless trench and boldly striped suit with peaked lapels at Dries Van Noten.


“How long should a man’s legs be? Long enough to touch the ground.

TILLMANN LAUTERBACH - ed02We really loved the jumpsuit at Tillmann Lauterbach.


“Sex is something I really don’t understand too hot. You never know where the hell you are. I keep making up these sex rules for myself, and then I break them right away.”

GASPARD YURKIEVICH - ed02Spread collar shirts with contrast panels, and skinny suit pants are worn with daypacks at Gaspard Yurkievich.


________________________________________________

*Article title:  lyrics from Belle and Sebastian’s “Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie”