The commercial success of the J.W. Anderson brand definitely has something to do with girls/guys identifying with an aesthetic he proposes which sits between preppy and chic. Even though it was menswear he graduated in from the London College of Fashion, it was his womenswear – a subsequent incorporation into his brand (and a good one at that) – that brought him attention and acclaim. J.W. Anderson propositions unisex clothing naturally, and it is partly because of that that he is known as one of the hottest young designers in London today.

J.W. Anderson’s sharp tailoring and harsh take on womenswear (think tartan print and plenty of updated classics) are what essentially set his label apart from the rest of the London designer’s – that and Anderson’s relentless experimentation with fabrics such as neoprene.

His label is currently stocked in major fashion stores in London (Browns, Selfridges, LN-CC) as well as abroad.

Despite this extreme adherence to the idea of functionality, there is also a sense in which minimalists ached for some aesthetic form. It wasn’t always function over form but rather, an idealistic realisation that combines both function and form in the most extreme way possible: the purest simplicity. The ability to make one thing that can be used for various purposes resonates in fashion too. Think about how handbags are now used to carry dogs – or how scarves can be used as capes; clothes can be turned inside-out, trousers remain trousers still, but you get the point. The versatility of pieces is as important to fashion as simple, multi-functionality is/was to minimalist artists.

The artists that defined minimalism at the beginning might lament the state of our art today. The idea of minimalism has also changed as it has become popularised in fashion; some of the movement’s original meaning may be lost but the essence of the movement remains. The basic message? Less is more.

Phillip Lim takes cues from minimalism, the sixties and seventies as well as pop art in his AW12 collection here. All images taken from 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Speaking to people from China, I can see why they strongly believe in their country’s economic power, the opportunities and potential it has for fashion production and retail. With their economy’s rapid growth and the evident material wealth of its citizens, this confidence is grounded. So when people say that China is on the way up and could be the world’s largest economy in 2016, how far are we to believe this?

When we think of China’s wealth and the massive amount of potential it has for fashion production, one feels a sense of hyper-realism as the opposite is happening in the West, where there is so much creativity but no money. Having and showing one’s wealth is also a ‘taboo’ in this period of austerity in Europe. For the Chinese, the opposite is true. While modesty is greatly valued in Chinese culture, displaying one’s wealth is valuable. Pride plays an important part of this and is the key to understanding the Chinese.

Why does one think then that most of the newly wealthy Chinese people go for big designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel? It’s because they would rather do that than risk their money on lesser known brands whose products may not have an immediately recognizable monetary value. The wealthy Chinese like to put their money where their mouth is and they don’t shop around for the best price for designer fashion, they buy what they think is the best. And if you are wealthy or aspire to be seen as wealthy, the best product is the product with the most brand prestige. Design is often secondary. But of course, this is also changing as fashion magazines are introducing more foreign brands and styles into the market and as readers become more educated on fashion.

With designers like Phillip Lim and his business partner Wen Zhou spearheading sales into China and the influence of magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar there, there is no doubt in my mind that China is where fashion will see huge growth. There is so much potential to create a start-up company there. Afterall, who would invest in China if they didn’t know for sure that they would be reaping the benefits over the next decade or so? If Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim and the other big Europeans brands are putting their money where their mouthes are, one should definitely do so too. The only question then is: what will the next big thing be and when will it happen?

All images from DAZEDDigital.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) organised an International Fashion Showcase to coincide with London Fashion Week February 2012 for the first time here. It was part of a bid – I think anyway – to attract more international buyers to London and to project the image of the city as a multicultural and exciting city for fashion (without taking away the spotlight from British designers of course).

I was really excited about this because where else can you get international designers coming all over the world to publicity exhibit in a city as part of a cultural movement? London is so globally renown for fashion that I guess it made sense for them to come here to showcase their work.

Titled ‘A New Space Around the Body’, the international Korean fashion showcase was co-curated by Ji Hye Hong and Sofia Hedman. The featured work combined explosions of colour, modern techniques, craft, and unexpected fabric combinations. The young South Korean fashion designers exhibited were Ara Jo, Juhee Han, Kathleen Kye, Minky Jaemin Ha, Minju Kim, Unbounded A WE by Laykuni, Yoolhee Ko and Yeashin Kim, many of whom are well known in South Korea.

Please click here and here and here for more information.

IMAGES FROM LE GUN MAGAZINE

CHECK DOGEAR’S OUT HERE.

Some new magazines I pounced on recently featured some really cool illustrations.

These page layouts are absolutely lovely and simple.

KALEIDOSCOPE

Simon Foxton, British menswear stylist (who also recently took over SHOWstudio’s Tumblr) is a genius at sourcing for cool photos. He introduced me to Gerard Malanga, whose portrait photography I absolutely love.
Check out Simon Foxton’s work: http://www.ampersandson.com/blog/
and Gerard Malanga’s here: http://www.gerardmalanga.com/stock_frame.htm
This cover photo is credited to Nick Knight.

Marilyn at Getty Image Gallery February 5th March – 23rd May 2012

Recently I attended an exhibition called ‘Marilyn’ showcasing costumes Marilyn Monroe wore for her films as well as some exclusive images of the starlet, tracing visions of her during younger days into a riper self.

I was particularly impressed by the generosity of David Gainsborough Roberts (one of her greatest memorabilia collectors apparently) to the Getty Images Gallery in his lending – adding to the existing corpus of Marilynbilia sourced by the Getty Images Gallery.

A cream silk dress designed by Jeanne Lanvin of Lanvin intricately embroidered with gold beads was particularly exquisite.

If you do have time, do head down to Getty Image Gallery on Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8DX.

Click for more info: http://www.gettyimagesgallery.com/Exhibitions/Archive/Marilyn.aspx

What made you decide to be a fashion auctioneer at such a young age?
I’ve always loved vintage fashion and I think I was about 11 when I saved up all my pocket money and bought a 1930′s sequinned capelet – the sequins were oval in silver and gold, each about an inch long – and I’ve still got it.
I was brought up in North Wales on the Welsh mountains where it rained all the time so I used to watch lots of black and white films with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. And I was able purchase that little bit of magic, that little bit of 1930′s Hollywood all for myself and with my own pocket money. I’ve never looked back since.

Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire Dancing

Can you tell us a bit about the history of vintage and your experience moving through the decades?
To look at the market and put it into context, vintage was very cool in the ’70s. The fact that it is cool again now is wonderful but it was very cool then. If you look at Vogue during that time, it’s full of beaded flapper dresses and Jean Harlow-esque things and in fact the fashions at that point really did affect what was being produced by people like Ossie Clark and Biba with all the little button-back dresses and bias cutting… there is nothing new in fashion at all. So that was the heyday, a ‘golden age’ if you like, of vintage fashion.

BIBA bias cut rust gown

Ossie Clark

The 1980′s was very dark. I started as an auctioneer when I was very young, I was 21 – I’ve been on this for a very long time. I’ve kind of seen everything going through the sale rooms through those years. It’s remarkable how things have changed because in the 1980′s and 90′s, everything was to do with power-dressing. American ladies in those days would go to Paris, sit on the gilded chairs and buy everything.

What was it like starting out as an auctioneer in America in the early days?
I had a sale in New York which sold these 2 dresses by Elizabeth Parke Firestone of Firestone tires, the aubergine one, it did okay at the sale – it made two and a half thousand dollars. But I remember almost crying at the end of this auction in New York because no one understood, no one came to view it, I don’t think Sotheby’s did much of a publicity on it either. It was the first major vintage sale in New York. And I remember this lady with big hair coming up to me saying ‘Gee honey, why’d you got all this old stuff for? You know, I can afford new.’ That was it, that was the attitude. Everyone at the time had Gucci written all over them, had their brands written all over them, new was best and to show how much money you had was best. And the subtleties of vintage, to be able to understand and love something that wasn’t showing off, they just didn’t get at the time.

Elizabeth Parke Firestone in her wedding dress

What are some of the most memorable sales you have made?
I think I sold this beautiful Chanel dress for 450 US dollars. It’s embroidered by Lesage and it sparkled. It’s silver embroidered and has got coloured rhinestones. I sold a red version of it in 2004 for USD6,000 but i think if I had it today, you’d be probably looking at very much around USD20,000. It was a delightful little dress.
This was bought in a vintage fair rolled up in a plastic bag. The lady who brought it in to me, said the dealer flung it at her and said ‘do you want this dress? 150 pounds.’ When she got it home, she looked inside and found the Chanel label and brought it into me. It’s very rare because although Chanel loved to use lace, this was printed lace, of which there are very few surviving examples. She wanted to plug her new bathroom so I remember when I brought the gavel down and it made 20,000, I said ‘you can have gold taps now’.

What about record prices?
Here you can see some new record prices, USD58,000 for Vionnet. And USD50, 000 for Dior, the more surprising for of those 2 prices for me is actually the Dior because there are a lot of pieces and are relatively easy to find but Vionnets are as rare as anything, although I do happen to have 3 in my next sale. So it’s onwards and upwards in the auction business.

Vionnet dress from the 1930s

Madeleine Vionnet Outfit