YSL’s Le Smoking X Farfetch

August 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Bowes Museum and the Fondation Pierre Berge are collaborating to create Yves Saint Laurent: Style is Eternal exhibition, which will be presenting a major display of the French fashion designer’s work and life. The YSL show will highlight the defining elements of his vision, and the significant influence it has had on fashion and the way we understand women’s fashion today.

But one of the most revolutionary womenswear items Saint Laurent has ever created is the ‘iconic’ smoking jacket. In collaboration with Farfetch and their Saint Laurent selection, I created my personal interpretation of how a modern-day woman can wear this chic jacket, in a “seasonless” way, always matching her auntentic style. I chose a silk boho top, a pair of classical denim trousers and bold, but timeless accessories (like the Sac du Jour bag) to make her outfit with the smoking jacket be a classical ensemble she can wear season after season. The blue wide brim hat brings the total outfit an individual touch, just like the lipstick pin.

Thank you Farfetch for inviting me to take part in this competition together with other fashion bloggers!

farfetch.com / Saint Laurent X Farfetch / YSL Exhibition

Rock ‘n Chic. Saint Laurent SS14

October 1, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

That was the third Saint Laurent fashion show under the wings of Hedi Slimane, and it was… the best! I am still blown up after this collection that was presented in Grand Palais in Paris yesterday. On the entry, there was a big, LED lights installation that reminded of some abstract piece of art. And then the show begun of course with… Edie Campbell, with gloomy hairstyle and eye make-up. She wore a beautiful V-neck dress in black colour. Sexy and chic. Then the classical Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking shown in a much more casual way. The collection wasn’t punk itself- it was very chic and elegant, but had a rock ‘n roll twist too. Stripes t-shirts, sequined jackets, sharp hair-cuts, over-large sleeves and lips/fire print on few mini dresses. Hedi definitely got mad with all these grunge boots from Winter, but certainly he did fell in love with socks under stilettos… I think this is one of the coolest trend, while most people are totally on NO when they see this. But in the Saint Laurent edition, it simply looked great. The SS14 collection by Saint laurent was definitely one of my favourite this season!

Le Smoking

June 21, 2013November 4, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking look is schanging every season, but always stays black, simple and classical. Even if it is now Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane! The campaigns of this famous Parisian style looks maybe slightly different (models for example) but usually it’s all about one beautiful women in the Le Smoking and other one totally naked! Just like in 1975, when Le Smoking began to be a bestseller of the master, Yves. After his death, Stefano Pilati came and strangely looking from persepective of now, FORGOT how the Le Smoking should look like! There were some black jackets but there was no this parisian chic thing. Now, when it’s Hedi, after few months later when his AW13 show was presented, I think Hedi Slimane keeps the tradition much better than Stefano! Just check Net A Porter- you look, and mostly we can see the elegant jackets and trousers to the Le Smoking costumes! It’s chick, luxurious and elegant but Ready to Wear! And now this amazing campaign with Cara Delevigne (advertising YSL Baby Doll) with this naked women… This is like a new Helmut Newton work (he took this fabulous pic in 1975 on Rue Aubriot in Paris).

And today (but before Cara) Anja Rubik looks amazing in Le Smoking Slimane photography for his campaign. Here are pics of past Le Smoking campaigns and runway pics from Yves era! Chic, Chic!

And now just one thing… did you see the Louis Vuitton film for Love Magazine presenting top models (Cara, Magdalena Frackowiak…) walking naked in furs around Paris at night? And sitting in a car and doing sexy poses? This film by James Lima did a lot controversy in the media worl, for example that LV accuses prostitution in their campaign! Well… in 1975 Helmut Newton did a controversy with his Smoking campaign and nobody set it’s prostitution. By the way, in 1975 (again) there was this TOTALLY naked (in film Cara wears fur) and there was no real commotion about it. And that was kind of good then? It is good, as well as the film. So for what do the politicians do this commotion? in reality, there is a really short moment when one model show some parts. I think this film is more about fashion and sensuality than about prostitutions. For sure for controversy that Marc Jacobs likes to do…But should we care? I like it, just as the amazing Le Smoking!