Although being relatively new to the scene, Stella Jean, the Italian-Haitian designer who is one of Milan’s rising stars, has already found her own highly recognizable fashion recipe. Bold prints, optimistic attitude. That’s the label the Milanese women wear.
For February, Tina Burgos is the person that inspires me. She’s the owner of Covet + Lou, a place and e-shop in Boston, where curated objects meet lables like Rodebjer and vintage Dries Van Noten. So, here is a very special interview for you…
How did the idea of Covet + Lou appeared?
I’ve always had a career in fashion. For 10 years I co-owned a small boutique, called Stel’s, in Boston. For various reasons, including the birth of my twins, we closed the shop. Still desiring to own a retail shop while having more flexibility to spend time with my family I developed the concept for Covet + Lou.
What inspires you most while you choose and curate the items in your store?
Most of the buying decisions I make are based on my own personal aesthetic. I am trying to maintain a carefully curated selection while expressing the Covet + Lou lifestyle. Much of what I stock in the shop represents items I myself would wear and put in my home.
Covet + Lou is supplied with very eponymous, silent labels – Kapital, Ace & Jig, Gabriela Atigas are just to name few. Was it hard to find these niche, but bold labels when you started?
I’ve always been a champion of independent, under-the-radar designers. In many ways, this is the creative talent that keeps the fashion industry interesting and moving forward. Over the years, Stel’s fostered and developed many of these collections. So I relied on my past relationships to land these brands for Covet + Lou.
I love your VINTAGE category – where do you find these treasures?
Even though it takes so much work, this is my favorite category! It’s amazing to me what people deem as trash. I diligently hunt thrift stores, estate sales, antique malls and flea markets for my pieces. There is a wealth of mid-century product in the Midwestern states and more traditional, colonial items in the New England area. At some point in the near future I’d love to head to the Southwest and see what amazing things I can find there.
What do you appreciate most in clothes you wear yourself?
There has to be the perfect balance of form and function in anything I wear. My days are extremely hectic as I run the business and manage my family. So in addition to wearing clothes that appeal to my sense of style, these items have to be versatile and comfortable enough to work in a variety of situations.
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I mean, Schiaparelli didn’t gave much time to Marco Zanini. After two seasons, he’s out. Well, if it’s couture, then don’t count on high retail, right? Duhh. If talking of the collection – I am a bit annoyed. The collection was designed by Schiaparelli studio, so it doesn’t have any fresh touch. It’s just about taking archive pieces from pre-war period and making them a bit more modern. But from the other side, the dresses were impressive with all those embroideries. Then, the beaded saris and white smoking brought the old good Parisian elite to life. But… I want something more. I want the house to respect it’s legacy, but at the same time represent something individual, fresh. Hmmm…
Thom Browne ended the menswear fashion week in Paris with a beautiful, dark touch. And, it was definitely one of the strongest TB collections ever. Even if all others are masterpieces. But what I love about this one, is the romantic side of colour black. The models wore massively decorated hats by Stephen Jones millinery and the signature suits with a white shirt and tie. However it didn’t look simple. The blazers had embroidered whales and turtles; each leather glove had an embellished label tag on it; the fur coats looked magical combined with the brogues and the doctor bag. Everything clothed under a layer of black silk. Simply saying, an example of couture for men. A darkly theatrical opening (a man rising from a bed, dressing in black, and then apparently shuffling off this mortal coil) set the stage for a parade of mourners to make their way down a white runway, dusted with black snow. Bravo.
At the end of the show, every Instagram post said one thing: he’s back. Who? Of course John Galliano. The biggest couturier of 21st century, the story-teller of fashion, the provocateur – is back in great form. At Maison Martin Margiela.
His debutant show was presented in London – which is a major change because all previous Margiela collections were presented in Paris. But in reality, London was the main inspiration behind the Artisanal presentation. It’s youthful attitude, beautiful people and monarchy vs. punk conflict strongly influenced John throughout his career and while creating the collection.
The first look was suprisingly Margiela, but not that much at the same time – Galliano trailed toy cars across the collaged landscape of a tiny suede sheath. The sheath is the signature Martin Margiela piece, but the infantile elements are making us think of John’s spirit of fantasy. Within this excessively embroidered collection, we’ve met so many bold characters. The red queen coming straight from a fairy-tale. The tribal leader wearing a pagan veil. The rebellious dame looking like Vivienne Westwood. The chic dandy in black suite. Many of them were unknown to the house codes, but they feel close to it with their strong identity and need of experimenting.
With a blink-and-you-missed-it bow, John Galliano was seen wearing an iconic white coat from the Margiela atelier. Famous for showing off with his own outfit, this time he thought that’s not needed – the collection itself was so fearless, daring, heroic and stunning, that only the visual experience can express it!
