Friday 3rd October: Paris Fashion Week - KENZO via Hannah Morgan Studio

It would seem that it's possible to experience fashion week to its full effect by simply following the fashion editors and FROW-sters via their Instagram.  As soon as a show starts your feed instantly fills up with the same shots from each guests various vantage points.  One such occasion during Paris Fashion week was the epic futuristic set design of the Kenzo presentation which had a massive influx of snaps on stylist's streams with these hyper-real LED screens.  Thanks to Hannah Morgan Studio for sharing her beautiful photos with us to see further detail such as the cosmic pastel pink and mirror foiled nails.  

See more of Hannah's adventures on her Instagram here.

Thursday 2nd October: Paris Fashion Week - Keely Hunter

Following on from Kitty Joseph's collection showroom at Capsule in Paris, to our other Brit partner in crime - Keely Hunter.  Here are snaps from her stand at accessories destination "Premiere Classe" which is based just by the Louvre in the Tuileries Garden....... which explains our little impromptu photo shoot outside in the trees!   This season Keely has added to her architectural plastic signature style with some softer summer styles with these straw boaters, panamas and trilbies, trimmed with perspex bands.   If you wore this to a wedding it would certainly win the show!!!!!

See the whole collection "Tidal Frame" SS15 over at Keely's site here.

Wednesday 1st Oct: Paris Fashion Week - Kitty Joseph

Showroom report (i.e. me having fun trying on the beautiful garms in the name of journalism!).   

Kitty Joseph's SS15 "Skyline" collection has come from looking out of her studio window at the magical multicoloured sunsets of this summer and the hues intersected by the square grid of the frame.  Coming from a print background at the RCA, her mark-making is always a key unique quality of the brand with her latest materials being spraypaint mist and biro blue scrawl.  In addition to these unexpected stationary materials is a secondary subtle colour palette such as highlighter-pen neons and post-it note pastel shades.  These components that slice up her sketchbook have also informerd the shape in pattern cutting with asymmetric hems like the torn pages.  Textile textures range from shiny PVC macs to draped silk dresses to crepe knife pleat panels and fine Fortuny style funnels.  My favourite piece is this Silk Habotai dress with squares of gradient colours, clashing on sections of seams - see the tiny triangle of yellow just poking thru at the centre front.  LUSH!  Despite having picked out the most expensive and special item of the season, Im also excited by the stretch leggings and would LOVE a Kitty Joseph running outfit!  Check out these pieces, T-Shirt line and accessories all coming up over on her site.

See the history of her Instagram shots of the summer's skylines from her studio here.

Wednesday 1st October: Paris Fashion Week - Niki de Saint Phalle at Grand Palais

I have to give thanks to David Koma for first introducing me to the work / legacy of Niki De Saint Phalle via his first collection which was inspired by her use of mosaic.  I have been a fan ever since and was very excited that the timing of my trip to Paris would coincide with a major retrospective at the Grand Palais.  As the name suggests, The Grand Palais is absolutely massive and they have managed to fit a maze of works into this one show.  With each room and their varying themes I thought I had finally reached the end as I finished viewing each one.   However, as I turned every corner I realised that it was still rolling with more and more cosmic sculptures, paintings, illustrations and films.  Not only is her prolific approach perfectly translated but also her personal motivation which was the most inspiring element for me:

"In the eyes of Niki De Saint Phalle, one of the raisons d'être of creating is to bring joy, humour and colour into life.  The large architectural projects that she completed starting in the late 1960's are part of this vision of art; able to speak to everyone and make people happy.  In her most important project, The Tarot Garden, in Italy, Saint Phalle became one of the few artists to tackle such a complex and ambitious public work of art, entirely self-financed through the sale of related products and editions. Each of her pieces offers several levels of interpretation, the complexity of which is often omitted in favour of a more decorative, superficial reading.  To go beyond that reading is to recognise a body of work that feeds on the questioning of social issues.  Niki de Saint Phalle was one of the first artists to address the issue of race and to advocate for civil rights, and then multiculturalism, in America.   She was also one of the first in the 1980's to use her art to raise public awareness about the devastating effect of the AIDS epidemic."

It's these Architectural projects that take up the final room with mequettes of the buildings and footage of tours around the magnificent structures.  It immediately makes you want to plan a pilgrimage to visit one - especially the Dragon House with interior decoration by Keith Haring ............ another personal favourite legend..............

This is a MUST-SEE for anyone visiting Paris this year and also a walk down to the Seine just by The Eiffel Tower where there is a giant public art sculpture of one of her ladies in a bathing suit..........