Tag Archives: Fashion

We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today

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We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today

Manchester celebrates London 2012 Festival

2 June to 16 September 2012

· City-wide exhibition of leading contemporary artists from West Africa

· Major new installations commissioned for galleries and parks

· Concerts with many world-renowned musicians, including AfroCubism

· Further exhibitions of fashion, photography, football and storytelling

· African art bus to tour creative activities around Greater Manchester

We Face Forward is a season of contemporary art and music from West Africa, celebrated across Manchester’s galleries, museums, music venues and public spaces, from 2 June to 16 September as part of London 2012 Festival.

The exhibitions, concerts, events and community activities recognise both the historic and contemporary links between Manchester and the various countries that make up West Africa. They will explore ideas of economic and cultural exchange, environment and sustainability, and the place of tradition in contemporary culture.

The core of the season is a city-wide exhibition of contemporary art from the region, the first major collaboration between Manchester Art Gallery, Whitworth Art Gallery and Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall. It will feature painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, video and sound work from a wide range of internationally acclaimed artists, including Georges Adéagbo, Meschac Gaba, Romuald Hazoumè and George Osodi. The exhibition will also be the first major display in the UK of work by emerging artists such as Lucy Azubuike, Emeka Ogboh, Charles Okereke, Nyani Quarmyne and Victoria Udondian.

New, large-scale installations have been commissioned from Barthélémy Toguo at Manchester Art Gallery, and from Pascale Marthine Tayou at Whitworth Art Gallery.

The Gallery of Costume will show work by three esteemed Malian photographers, Malick Sidibé, Abderramane Sakaly and Soungalo Malé, whose archives are being preserved by the National Museum of Mali. Their extraordinary studio and social portraits will be shown alongside West African dress from the gallery collection, photographs by Hamidou Maiga and contemporary fashion pieces from British-Nigerian designer Duro Oluwu.

A music programme, curated by Band on the Wall and The Manchester Museum, will feature world-renowned acts including: AfroCubism (the new international supergroup formed by Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club and Toumani Diabaté); a multi-media concert by Niger supergroup The Endless Journey (Mamane Barka and Etran Finatawa); Angelique Kidjo; Jaliba Kuyateh; Kanda Bongo Man and many more to be confirmed. Taking place in music venues and galleries across the city, the season will open with AfroCubism at Bridgewater Hall on Sunday 3 June.

Exhibitions and events will also take place at The Manchester Museum and the National Football Museum. The city is hosting nine football matches during the 2012 Olympics and the National Football Museum will present African artists for whom football gives a means to explore protest, politics and social engagement.

The Manchester Museum is working with the African Caribbean Carers Group to present a re-interpretation of the Anansi spider stories using the Museum’s natural history and anthropology collections. The programme will be launched with Big Saturday: Manchester Anansi Spider on Saturday 2 June where the story will be performed by the Men’s Room community group, working in partnership with the Royal Exchange Theatre Company.

A summer-long creative programme will engage with a range of people right across Greater Manchester. Modelled on the highly decorated taxi-buses that ferry people across Dakar, Accra and Bamako, an art bus will take creative activities out beyond the participating galleries and parks to other locations across the city.

To draw the different locations together, artist Meschac Gaba has been commissioned to design an artwork which incorporates the flags of all the West African nations. This colourful motif will be on display at participating galleries and venues.

The title for the season is taken from a speech by Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, made in 1960. Stating his resistance to Cold War super powers, Nkrumah’s full quote is “We face neither East nor West: we face forward.” The festival takes its direction from Nkrumah’s statement of independence, deriving inspiration from his sense of West African cultural dynamism.

Dr Maria Balshaw, Director of Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester City Galleries, said: “Manchester’s connections to West Africa are part of its industrial and trading history. This exhibition brings the dynamism of West African art today to Manchester, as the world comes to the UK for the Olympics.”

Ruth Mackenzie, Director, London 2012 Festival, said: “I am particularly delighted that this exceptional exhibition of art from West Africa will be part of the London 2012 Festival programme bringing once in a lifetime opportunities to experience culture to people across the north west.”

www.wefaceforward.org

Add a touch of vintage to your ready-to-wear wardrobe: ShopStyle 1st Event announced.

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Add a touch of vintage to your ready-to-wear wardrobe

with these top tips from Mrs Jones for SHOPSTYLE.CO.UK

Have you ever fancied adding a touch of vintage glamour to your high street party dress, but then frozen in fear when you face paying for something that smells like it has a history? How much is a fair price? What’s an investment? And what’s a mistake?

To mark the launch of ShopStyle.co.uk’s vintage styling evening with Mary’s Living & Giving (the charity shops set up by Mary Portas) and in aid of Save the Children, the UK’s leading online fashion shopping site has invited celebrity stylist Mrs Jones (clients include Rihanna, Goldfrapp and Paloma Faith) to give her top vintage shopping tips.

Mrs Jones for ShopStyle.co.uk says vintage clothes shopping can be fun but warns of the pitfalls. “Check fabrics carefully as the smallest hole will enlarge before you know it. I bought a silk dress for a video thinking I could repair it to last forever. The garment was in tatters by the time the shoot was over”.

Mrs Jones tips for vintage shopping:

Where to Shop

· The best places to get a vintage bargain are normally charity shops and boot sales. Not only are you finding some great items when shopping at a charity shop, but you’ll also be aiding those in need.

· Vintage clothing stores can be found in most major cities. They have some beautiful collections but can be pricey. This is good for people who want the vintage look but don’t want to do the searching.

· Auction web sites are great for vintage shopping. Be careful you don’t get carried away on bidding, stick to your maximum limit otherwise it’s not a bargain. Look out for bad pictures (some purposely upside down). Be sure to read the garment details. Some items look great in an image but if the fabric is synthetic polyester (unless you’re going for the 70s look), you may be disappointed when it arrives.

· Vintage fairs and festivals are becoming popular throughout the UK. You’ll find experts in vintage clothing selling their wares and whilst some pieces may be expensive, many vendors also have bargains.

How to Shop

· Don’t be put off by smells. Some bits can have a whiff of mothballs or smell a bit musty.
These can easily be removed with a trip to the dry cleaners. Although, and it is not very pleasing, body odor left on garments is one of the most difficult smells to get rid of, even with dry cleaning.

· Some old clothes and accessories such as handbags can look beautiful and very tempting but be careful as they can just disintegrate especially silk and lace. Give the garment a little test, pull the fabric in both hands and with your thumb nails give it a rub/scratch. If you see the threads of the fabric move about or crumble, leave it on the rack.

· Make sure you try things on or properly hold up to your body if you don’t like the idea of trying before cleaning. Older clothes are generally a lot smaller as people were smaller than they are now. (eg., a size 12 will usually be a size 10.)

ShopStyle.co.uk will host its first in-store event on 29th March at Mary’s Living & Giving in Notting Hill, London, in aid of Save the Children. With canapés and champagne in hand, guests will enjoy their very own vintage styling tips from Mrs Jones and take part in an amazing fashion raffle. ShopStyle.co.uk’s online style team will also be on hand to help digital fashionistas find out how to bag the best vintage and new fashion online.

WHO: ShopStyle.co.uk and Mary’s Living & Giving Shop

WHAT: Styling tips, champagne and canapés, raffles and fundraising for Save the Children

WHEN: 29th March 2012 from 6pm – 9pm

WHERE: Mary’s Living & Giving Shop (Notting Hill location)

177 Westbourne Grove

London

W11 2SB

Entry to the shopping evening is free, however there will be a small gift for all guests who show up with stylish donations of their pre-loved designer fashion or vintage pieces.

Frost will be there, we hope you will be too.

Storm Launch New Range | Preview

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I love watches. It must run in the family as my dad has well over 100. The first ever watch I bought was a Storm watch, it was silver with a big purple face. So it is fair to say I am a fan of the brand. I went along to The Sanderson Hotel to check out their new range.

Storm are always have cutting edge designs. Their watches are well made and beautiful to boot. Storm is the only recognised British watch brand on the market today. Storm is still quite young, it was launched in 1989. Their range has expanded to include not only watches but also jewellery, bags, eye wear, sleepwear and fragrances. All of which is sold in 45 countries internationally. Well, it’s enough to make you feel proud.

I will be honest and say that I did not know that Storm did perfume, but they do, for him and her. The packaging is slick (like everything with Storm) and the smell of the Touch and Electric are both divine.

The Touch gift set is only £19.99 for 100ml fragrance and 150ml of shower gel. It smells the right side of tropical with lemon, green leaf and tropical fruits on the top note with a blend of white jasmine, cedar amber and brown sugar. The make version runs along the same lines but is a but different with patchouli and sandalwood, ginger and lavender. Makes me want to eat it….

Another thing I love about Storm is that I am not allergic to any of their jewellery. I really love men’s watches on women, I am partial to a chunky watch, but love a slimmer, elegant one for evenings. I have chosen some of my favourites from the range. Which was a hard thing to do, as I love them all!

Featured watch: Atlas

Bion. £99.99

Black Out

Dualon

Elody Gold

A multifunctional timepiece with a pearl dial, sparkling crystals and stainless steel case and strap. The Elody is Storm Black’s Newest gem. It has Swiss movement and Storm Black’s signature Onyx set in the crown. This watch is perfect if you want a bit of luxury in your life. Price is £279.99 – £319.99.

Excalibur

Limited Edition with only 5.000 piece available worldwide. Has a wonderful fully exposed watch face showing it’s mechanisms. Also water-resistant up to 50m. Silver: £369.99

Kelli

This is very in at the moment. It embraces this seasons colouring blocking trends. Has cut away strap. £99.99

Trilogy

This is another limited edition piece. Only 3,000 made. It has 3 time zone, raised face, leather strap, stainless steel case and is water resistance up to 50m. Perfect for travellers. From £169.99

It is the Olympic year and Storm is a British brand, so it makes sense for the Nexon to have the colours of the British flag featured in the polycarbonate links in racing stripe form. RRP £109.99

The Una also has patriotic style. These stylish watches can be bought in red, white and blue. £69.99 – £84.99.

Storm also does some great bags for men and women.

And some great jewellery.

GEOX AND PATRICK COX SS2012 CAPSULE COLLECTION

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GEOX the premier Italian brand famous for the innovative use of breathable technology and the
renown British shoe designer Patrick Cox have teamed up to create a capsule footwear collection
for Spring Summer 2012 that is an exciting fusion of sportswear and urban chic.

This SS2012 capsule collection marks the start of an ongoing collaboration between GEOX and
Patrick Cox and will see the development of footwear collections for men and women that bring
together elements of active sportswear, big city living, innovative materials and cutting edge
design.

In a statement about his collaboration with GEOX, Patrick Cox has said:

“I want to create pieces that are casual in spirit and reflect London’s cool urban vibe building on
GEOX’s exceptional and innovative shoemaking technology.”

Patrick Cox who became a global household name following the launch of his Wannabe loafer,
arguably the most commercially successful loafer launched in modern times, is famous for shoe
design that skillfully mixes traditional and the avant-garde and for shoes that are ‘must have’ items
for a knowing and fashion conscious market.

Mr Mario Moretti Polegato, Chairman of GEOX comments:

“I’m very pleased with this collaboration that will further increase the value of our respective
strengths and excellences. This new and innovative project will enable our clients to find designer
shoes interpreting in a modern and contemporary way our innovative shoes technology”

The GEOX brand was originally inspired by the style of a British Gentleman who liked to meld
functionality and comfort with a stylish urban twist when choosing his footwear and the idea was
later extended to a broader customer base to whom this mix of styles appealed.

The debut collection that will be launched this weekend features 18 styles for men and 20 for
women that perfectly illustrate the meld of active sportswear and city chic. The designs include
classic wing tip moccasin and derby shoes but with lightweight, flexible GEOX BREATHING soles
or the combination of a traditional tubular loafer with a tennis sole.

The shoes are crafted in beautiful soft leathers in a vast assortment of colours. Available now this
new collection will be distributed in key European markets such as the UK, Italy, France and in the
USA and Asia. The range will be available in top department stores, selected Geox shops and
specialty stores.

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London Fashion Week in Pictures

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I had a ball at London Fashion Week, which you can read about in my Huffington Post blog. I still had some pictures so I have decided to share them even though fashion week is over. The first one is from the opening of Christopher Shannon, the second of TV presenter Jameela Jamil, and the rest of Jasper Conran and Holly Fulton from London Fashion Weekend. I was sitting front row with Keshini and the clothes were amazing. I have always been a fan of Jasper Conran. I would like to thank my amazing fashion writers Keshini, Paloma and Kate. They were amazing during fashion week and wrote some great posts. See you in September.

To see a bigger version of the pictures, click on them.

Christopher Shannon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

How To Measure Yourself Properly

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Having correct measurements makes it easier to do clothes shopping. Your size could change from shop to shop so you should always have your measurements to hand. Here is how to measure yourself.

It is better to measure yourself in your underwear for a more realistic result. Do not pull the tape measure too tight. It should have some give to it.

Shoulder
Should be done from shoulder to shoulder in a straight line

Head
Measure around your forehead.

Bust.
Your bust measurements should be taken at the fullest part. If you are taken your bra size then you will also have to do under your bust too.

Waist
Your waist is usually the narrowest part of your body, and this is where you should measure. For the majority of women, this is an inch above your belly button. Don’t hold your breath in! It is better to know your actual size. Wearing clothes that are too small for you will just make you look bigger.

Hips
You should measure the fullest part of your hips. The part of which you sit down on usually. Not around the hip bones, which is what most people think.

Inseam
From your groin to your ankle bone. It is better to get a friend to help you with this.

Do not measure yourself around the time you have your period. You will be retaining water and your dress size will be bigger.

Once you have measured yourself put your measurements into this dress size site to see what dress size you are. It does both UK and US sizing.

Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs Exhibition at the Arts Decoratifs in Paris

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Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs Exhibition at the Arts Decoratifs in Paris, This exhibition shows how, with over a century between them, both Louis Vuitton, founder of the house of Louis Vuitton in 1854, and Marc Jacobs, its artistic director since 1997 were able to fully discern their specific era and take advantage of all the possibilities offered.

The exhibition space, curated by Pamela Golbin and designed by Gainsbury and Bennett, is spread over two floors, each dedicated to the creators.

The first floor, devoted to Louis Vuitton, explains how, under the Second Empire, he was able to develop his packing company in a rapidly growing district. The industrial revolution brought about new technical possibilities, while giving rise to affluent customers: an increasingly high number of aristocrats, bourgeois and rich tourists were beginning to travel more frequently, yet the expanding number of garments required made transportation more difficult.

The second floor explains how, since 1997, in a world of fashion that has expanded on an international level, Marc Jacobs has adopted the Louis Vuitton cultural codes and added his own personal touch. And so, quite naturally Marc Jacobs, who perfectly embodies today’s contemporary creator, called upon artists like Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince – associations between art and fashion that have become textbook examples for the industry.

Fashions Finest London Fashion Week Shows

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Fashions Finest London Fashion Week Shows take part on 18 & 19 February 2012

Fashions Finest LFW shows continue to grow from strength to strength attracting designers from across the globe from as far afield as India, Nigeria, Poland, Zambia and numerous emerging and established designers from across the UK.

Fashions Finest is not your ordinary London Fashion Week show as it continuously pushes the boundaries and gives opportunities to new, aspiring and emerging designers that would not ordinarily be given the opportunity to showcase during London Fashion Week.

This season Fashions Finest added an extra dimension to its shows by for the first time having solo shows alongside the group shows. John Peter and Yes London showed male and female collections
respectively. These two shows were absolute road blocks with guests being turned away in large numbers,
All of the shows attracted celebrities such as celebrity hair dresser Stuart Phillip and a lot of the top media outlets and buyers from across the world.

FF LFW Catwalk Schedule

Saturday 18th February 2012
Day 1
Venue: Westbury Hotel, London

Designers Showcasing:
3pm Show – Emerging Designers
• Ocansey Bianchi (UK)
• Bukki (UK)
• Gruni (Scotland)
• BZion(UK)
• Rouge by Rachelle (UK)

5pm Show – Established Designers
• Beata Guzinska (Poland/UK)
• Smart Phiri (Zambia)
• Fee Uhssi Designs(UK)
7.30pm – Solo Show
• John Peter (Italy/UK)
9pm – Solo Show (Italy/UK)
• Yes London
Sunday 19th February 2012
Day 2
Venue: Westbury Hotel, London

Designers Showcasing:
3pm Show – Emerging Designers
• Motohiro Tanji (Japan/UK)
• Yola Walaszek (Poland/UK)
• Heart 365 Emporium (UK)
• LinmiR Millinery (UK)
• Chatenya Mittal (India)
• GUZOVAART (Scotland)
6pm Show – Emerging Designers
• Lakot Couture (UK)
• ODF Clothing (UK)
• AGR (UK)
• BZion (UK)
• Thre3e.ten Clothing (UK)
• Eva Cammarata (UK)
8.30pm Show – Established Designers
• Jan Knibbs (UK)
• Mia by Mia Nisbet (Scotland/Malawi)
• House of Silk (Nigeria)
• SVE (UK)

Detailed Information on the designers can be found on Fashions Finest