Meet Diane Pernet .. fashion legend

Somehow a “fashion week or event” wouldn’t be right if there wasn’t the pervasive, recognizable and ubiquitous presence of one of fashion’s great personages! I speak of Diane Pernet in her black floor length garb, a slash of red lipstick and of course her custom made Ozona shades. She might be the 21^st century muse of fashion or per chance she is the voice of fashion if you are a follower of ASVOF or have ever been on the internet!

 

Portrait by Marc-Antoine Coulon

After leaving her eponymous designer business behind in New York City she fled to Paris and during her 20 year residency in Paris she has become a huge voice of fashion as well as for documentary film, her film festivals are internationally known and her stardom, so to speak, spans continents. Her image is the subject of countless works of art and her mere presence at an event is a sign of success and acceptance.

art by Christopher Lee Sauve

Today, we have the opportunity to delve into the person and not just the image or countenance most know. It is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to someone whose contribution to the world of fashion will be remembered for ages to come... and yes, of course, so her “recognition factor” will register off the charts when it comes to the “fashion hall of fame”... that is of course if there is a such a thing .. Read on and enjoy!! Let me introduce Diane to all … 

1-What is the most treasured possession in your wardrobe?

My custom made sunglasses by Ozona

2-What is your most sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships?

Honesty - Integrity

3-What is your bliss?

24/7 chauffeur

4-What is your guilty secret?

Too many sweets

5-Where is your ideal home?

Paris

6-If you could not be a designer/retailer/etc:, what would you be

Philanthropist

7-What is on your bedside table right now?

Just Kids by Patti Smith

8-What do you wear to bed?

MA dishabille PJ’s by Akiko Murata

9-What if any, book are you reading now or last read?

The Psychopath Test A Journey Through The Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

10-What’s your advice to the “newcomer?”

Don’t start till you have something to say and then …be yourself.

11-Who or what is your inspiration/style icon?

Charlotte Rampling

12-What is the best advice you ever received?

Where there is harmony let it flow, where there is not, let it go.

13-In 3 words or less, describe the current state of fashion.

Corporate

14-If you were a retailer; would you wear your own designs or shop in your own store? Or where would you shop?

When I was a designer I only wore my own designs, now directly from the shops or ateliers from Dries Van Noten, Boudicca or David Szeto.

15-If you won a $200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?

A beautiful apartment in Paris with high ceilings, lots of light, great security, and spacious rooms, that could be both office and living.

16-If you could invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?

John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Anna Magnani

17-What is your favorite movie /or movie star?

Opening Night by John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands

18-What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

I would be taller

19-Whose opinion do you value most and why?

Emmanuel Asmar, my lawyer, because I would trust him with my life. Beautiful energy and of good character.

20-What store or which designer do you most like to shop in or wear?

Dries Van Noten and Boudicca and David Szeto.

21-What’s your take on magazines, books versus the internet?

They each have their own strength, magazines, I read the New Yorker, internet I read The Business of Fashion on a daily basis, books I read all of the time.

22-Do you have a dream collaborator?

I am very happy with my present team.

23-What is your crowning achievement thus far in your career?

Screening my festival at Centre Pompidou every year.

24-What’s your music library like?

Very varied from Arvo Part, Ane Brun, Leonard Cohen, Tomorrow’s World, Woodkid…

25-What and where is your favorite meal?

Dinner at YEN in Paris, eggplant in miso and grilled fish with green tea and macha cake for desert. For a casual lunch I love The Tuck Shop, vegetarian menu always changing always good.

The Illustrators..pt2 ..Icons of Fashion & Style

.. Today it is all about how illustrators perceive some of the great style and fashion icons, legends as well as the omnipresent fashion dynamo we call Diana Vreeland.  Mrs. Vreeland was, by far, the number one choice as subject for this amazing group of artists. So today, I will show you their interpretations of her as well some other notably fashionable and stylish personalities.

 

This series of posts can only be described as a runaway train!  The enthusiasm of these artists/illustrators coupled with their respective bodies of work have forced me to extend the topic beyond a single posting.  My aim is to educate, enlighten and excite the reader.  Every reader should be keenly aware of all of these talents and what they offer when it comes to fashion landscape.  Each day another approach will be taken in order to offer the broadest of views with regard to what we commoners refer to so simply as “fashion illustration.”  I am very excited about the series as well as flattered and awed by the overwhelming acceptance and grace that was offered during the “collecting” process.

Having grown up in a time when newspapers were in black and white and most fashion advertising in them was done via illustration rather than photo, illustrators have always captured my imagination.  It is of constant amazement and I stand in awe of those who are so ably and abundantly talented to convey a particular vision of fashion by using one’s signature technique and talents.

This feeling, combined with just having read and reviewed Tony Glenville’s marvelous volume on fashion illustration, spurred or reignited my interest in the subject.  Mr. Glenville was kind enough to contribute a quote for this article which pretty must speaks for itself and everyone who appreciates the art form...

I guess the thing is.....How wonderful to see a craft which was written off by many, in the 60's and 70's especially, now enjoying a renaissance. The joy of seeing classic and modern techniques; often combined, an extraordinary range of styles and attitudes demonstrating the magic of line and shadow in fashion illustration in the 21st century. Fashion Illustration still has the ability to enchant and delight.

With this in mind,  it occurred to me that there are so many wildly talented people out there who may not have not have been given  proper recognition or who might be “working” yet remain unknown to so many and so I have culled my “friendships” and come up with a glittering  roster of talent for your viewing pleasure.  The common thread I employed here is how these artists see icons, luminaries or legends of fashion.

Every one of these brilliantly talented artists can be found on their respective websites and every one of them can accomplish the impossible utilizing their well-honed skills of illustration.  The employed mediums are varied and the overall final products are stunning and arresting in their own individual ways.

I have also taken the liberty of pointing out some of the greatest and legendary of illustrators who have either left us their legacies or have moved on to other creative endeavors or mediums.  Each one of them had a recognizable signature and technique that revolutionized the world of fashion and advertising.

This article will be presented in several segments as so many of these prolific artists have offered me their archive and I would be foolish not to share it with everyone; stay tuned for the next couple of days and hopefully  I can open you’re your eyes to the talented artists and their talents!

Contributors include: Marc Antoine Coulon, Mel Odom, Richard Haines, Dan Romer, Joel Woodard, Mitja Bokum, Chuck Nitzberg, Marco Santaniello, Tim Otte, Gladys Perint Palmer,

Maurizio Andreuccetti,  Paul B. Elsen, Sue Tait Porcaro, Glen Hanson, Jaff Noel Seijas, Leland Neff, George Stavrinos, Rene Gruau, Antonio Lopez, Michael Vollbracht, Mats Gustafson, Kenneth Paul Block, Joe Eula, J.C. Leyendecker, Tony Viramontes and Barbara Pearlman.

 

***** New Icons of Fashion Illustration by Tony Glenville.. April 2013

Gareth Pugh Spring 2013 Paris Collections

I have watched this young man since he first appeared on the fashion landscape in London and I am so pleased to be able to notice the growth of the collection, both in quantity and design.
Gareth Pugh, favored by Daphne Guinness, is a young man who will not be accused of being a slave to trend and certainly will be lauded for carving his own path in the world of fashion. Do not think that that for one second, that this collection is beyond criticism but it surely engenders great respect for a young man of his age.

View slideshow:International style; Paris Fashion Week Gareth Pugh Spring 2013

Yes, I wish it wasn’t so black and yes I wanted to see more of the frayed edged pieces and yes I wanted more of the wildly layered georgettes. The opening exit was indeed an homage to Diane Pernet (Google her) which brought a smile across my face. There are references to her, YSL’s portrait collar and fringe, to fencing gear, to Latina costumes of the 40’s ( think Carmen Miranda) and possibly to Romeo Gigli but what is so delightful about the collection that oozes and exudes creative energy and originality . Mr. Pugh has grown up enough to use color to its fullest and one might even ponder whether Mr. Pugh has allowed a bit of commercialism to creep into this collection. Loosely translated, that means that women other than Daphne Guinness can wear some of these clothes to real places with even greater pride of ownership! P.S. these are no longer just editorial clothes!

Bottom line here, is that this is a collection that excites and will keep me tuned in for more as I knew from day one, that Gareth Pugh will be a force to be reckoned with some day very soon.