Kunstkammer

On Sunday I visited the Fondation Pierre Bergé to see it's Saint Laurent rive gauche: La révolution de la mode exhibition. What struck me, aside from the vast array of impeccably crafted garments dating from 1966-1978, was the notion of collecting. The exhibition relies heavily on the private collections of Loulou de la Falaise, former Chanel model and Saint Laurent's muse Betty Catroux, and the man who is allegedly responsible for starting the 'vintage' craze, Didier Ludot. The 'collector' is nowadays revered as someone who exhibits qualities of both perseverance and passion. Indeed, the famed Anna Della Russo has an entire flat dedicated to housing her impressive clothing archive. The only thing I intentionally collect is Vogue UK, much to my mother's chagrin, as they are stacked on top of one another resulting in a sort of makeshift bedside table, the rest neatly arranged in date order in bookshelves concealed in my wardrobe. I started collecting in 2002 and have continued with each yearly subscription. I imagine they are worth very little but I prefer to see my collection more as a tangible outlet for my love of fashion; it gives me such pleasure to see an inspiring fashion photograph in the knowledge that I can go and look up the rest of the editorial in my own little archive. However, undoubtedly there is money to be made in collecting, I constantly regret not jumping on the Lula bandwagon earlier, with issues 1 to 4 going for as much as £130 on eBay. My collection starts at #5, and it is my life's aim to acquire the full set! Sadly my bank balance does not allow for this at the present moment! For drastic times such as this, there's always The Fashion Spot which holds a vast archive of every magazine you could possibly dream of. I've recently been reminiscing with editorials from Carine Roitfeld's reign at Paris Vogue here. But for me digital will never be an adequate substitute for print, so if anyone has a copy lying around of the June 2005 issue of UK Vogue, then please let me know, it's the only one missing from my collection!

(photograph: the Selby, title: 'kunstkammer' or 'Cabinets of Curiosities' were popular amongst collectors in 1750-1800)

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

Caroline Issa, market editor of Tank and editor in chief of Because magazine is my new style crush. Edgy without sacrificing elegance and grace, she is a perfect style icon for our time. Her outfits are an endless lesson in paired down chic. Who's style have you been stalking this fashion month?

(Photographs: Caroline Issa fashionspot, quotation: Coco Chanel)

Peekaboo

Over the past few years, we have witnessed the monumental influence bloggers have had on the fashion community. Having just reached my one year blogging anniversary I got to thinking about what blogging means and where it will lead fashion to in the future.

Recently I have found myself addicted to blogs such as The Coveted, Into The Gloss, The Selby & Closet Visit which all offer a behind-the-scenes insight into the lives of the fashion crowd, whether the focus be on the inner workings of their wardrobes, make-up bags or apartments. These blogs essentially serve as platforms which allow the viewer to discover the (most probably artificially constructed) world of the 'other' i.e. the fashion insider we all, myself included, long to emulate. It is the ability to tap into this sense of romance and mystery that is, for me, what makes the blogger powerful in the world of fashion. However, this voyeurism, so intrinsic to the concept of blogging is nothing we fashion followers haven't seen before. Indeed, in the days long before blogs existed, I always found myself drawn to features such as the Closet Confidential in Elle UK and Une Fille Un Style in Paris Vogue, longing to see what my style icons wore and were inspired by. For me, despite the blog’s ability to provide instant gratification, it will never come close to the pleasure of spending my last five euro note on a copy of Vogue and the subsequent excitement that comes with pondering which stylish ingénue’s wardrobe I’ll be able to snoop around that evening.

What sort of blogs do you enjoy reading? And what are your favourite magazine features?

edit: Have just discovered this wonderful project - Where They Create - basically The Selby but solely for creative work spaces. Well worth a look.

(photograph by Ana Kraš)