Alexander McQueen ‘Savage Beauty’ at the V&A

Throughout history, an individual has emerges on occasion with extraordinary talent; visionaries as it were, whose ability to see beyond revolutionises and inspires the medium upon which they traverse- shifting the very perimeters of modern culture.

McQueen not only produced beautifully crafted designs but most importantly so, never failed to infuse with a breath of creative, intellectual underpinning. His collections were inspired by narrative, history, heritage and philosophy, with a reference to the duality ‘between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil’; aspects so poignant to humanity. He has become an immortalised entity, a godlike presence within the fashion world, much like the characters in history he so wondrously explored.

Much like an immortalised Da Vinci painting or grand Renaissance altarpiece, his work stirs something deep within when witnessed in person. In a way that fashion had never quite reached prior to his arrival, each collection feels as though one is looking into windows of his soul, exploring philosophical concepts through a pastiche of history; hidden within the seams of exquisite tailoring and theatrical grandiose.

Every detail is meticulously researched, for example, the purple corset in his ‘Dante’ collection (the author of ‘Divine Comedy, an allegorical vision of the afterlife in the 14th century) it’s soft purple tone deliberately selected as the colour of victorian half mourning. In his SS07 collection ‘Sarabande’, he featured a dress made of real flowers, their petals falling to the floor as their purpose has come to an end, much like fashion towards the end of each season and more philosophically, the transience of life itself- exploring the parallels of dark romanticism and his ‘romantic schizophrenic’ outlook.

McQueen also referenced the mundane, illustrated in his hyper theatrical SS01 ‘VOSS’ show featuring a razor-clam shell dress, the shells stumbled upon by McQueen himself along a beach in Norfolk. In ’The Girl Who Lived in a Tree’, the spectacular set centred upon a large twisted tree inspired by a 600 year old elm tree in the garden of his East Sussex home. In response to an interview question, his creative stimuli derives ‘from Degas and Monet and my sister in Dagenham’.

Whispers of homecoming echo amongst the fashion press for ‘Savage Beauty’; the retrospective originated by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, following the entire breadth his illustrious career; from meteoric rise to melancholic end. This is without a doubt, the exhibition of the year. 

Aspinal of London Lending Launch

I was delighted to attend the Aspinal of London lending launch on the 9th September, an exclusive drop in lounge for press to adorn their fashion week outfits with a bag from Aspinal's AW14 collection.

I selected the Marylebone tote, retailing at £895. This monochromatic beauty is the perfect balance of function and style, complete with USB phone charger which in my opinion, is utterly genius. I don't want to think about how many times I hunted out the elusive 3 pin grail last season, crouching on the ground whilst praying it would reach at least 20% in the next 10 minutes.

It's large enough to pop in my fashion week staples, including, but of course not limited to; invitations, a pair of black pumps, emergency blister plasters (you can never be too prepared), an apricot and almond Eat Natural bar and/or Propercorn sweet and salty for on the run sustenance and last but not least, my camera.

The lending launch ends on the 22nd September, covering the duration of all European fashion weeks; London, Milan and Paris. I'm looking forward to attending Paris Fashion Week for the first time this season, the cornucopia of all things chic- armed with my rather fitting monochrome tote. It's going to be hard to part with!

Faces of the Future: Part 2

Welcome to my part 2 blog post on faces of the future. There is such diversity of model talent in London and every season, the top influencers of the industry tend to gravitate towards a couple of girls, otherwise known as the 'breakthrough girls'- excelling and dominating everything, from major campaigns & editorials to catwalk.

Betty Adewole, a perfect example of a recent breakthrough girl -whom I met at a casting last year- is now shooting regularly for Tom Ford, walking for Givenchy and was recently featured as the 'it' model in Sunday Times Style Magazine. She's down to earth, switched on and a total knockout on camera; pulling off anything from super sexy beachwear to Shoreditch tomboy, the latter of which best reflects her personal style.

Yulia Musieichuk @ Select

Yulia is destined for great things, wholly dominating the pages of every major high fashion magazine both in London and internationally at this moment. Yulia possesses the perfect balance of chameleon-esque genes whilst retaining her distinctive appeal. She is literally on the cusp of breakthrough, having celebrated her first major campaign for J.W Anderson this season. 

Sofia Rivolta @ IMG

Sofia encapsulates the definition of raw beauty, the makeup free image above showcasing her undeniable potential. She appears to be super new to IMG London (only a couple of images on the website) but I anticipate she will be promoted up to mainboard at an above average speed. Her mother agency is in Milan. 

Karol Santos @ Next

Karol is a beautiful Brazillian model represented by Next Model Management; a razor sharp beauty with a promising future ahead of her. She's equally strong in both editorial and commercial and totally unforgettable once you've met her. 

Would love to hear your thoughts, who's your favourite girl?

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Crosseyes London: A Revolution in Eyewear

It isn't often that I find myself writing about press days as I like to keep this blog quite consistent to my work, writing about what inspires me both professionally and personally without mimicking the seagull chorus from Finding Nemo of 'what I wore today' posts. Based on my outfit preference of jeans and a black polo neck, I couldn't imagine style posts written by myself being particularly enthralling anyway!

The press day I attended yesterday was unique, anticipating a revelation in the future of opticians and simplicity of hunting down a stylish, well priced pair of frames. Considering the brand is still relatively low key here in London, I feel the potential within the fashion industry is immense, set to entirely evolve the perspective of eyewear in the future to come.

The glasses are minimalistic yet quirky, perfect for those -including myself- looking for a pair that are bold without being to fussy; the perfect level of unique without resembling comedy caricature Dame Edna.

According to the CEO Søren Møller, there are a limited number of each unisex pair made- no more parading around the streets of London to find hundreds of others wearing identical, discernible Gok Wans!

The first Crosseyes store opened in 2010, with the intention of challenging the eyewear industry, which Søren found to be 'old fashioned and not very dynamic'.

In the short space of 4 years, there are now 6 stores across Denmark echoing it's success. 6 months since Crosseyes launched in London, Søren Møller explains that 'British customers really like the informal, relaxed atmosphere in our store and aim for 'everyone to be able to come in and find a pair of glasses that exactly underlines their personality', ideal for style conscious Londoners. 

The pricing structure is also rather ingenious and will leave even the biggest of brands wondering why they hadn't thought of it first. All frames in store are the same very reasonable price, with a clear & concise list of options for both the faux short sighted and authentic partially blind, like myself.

The team at the Crosseyes store in London (5 minutes walk from the Barbican tube) are a delightful, down to earth bunch, with a clear passion for the brand, an encouraging knowledge of the eyewear industry and a fresh inspiring perspective. I really do recommend a visit- they have a gorgeous selection of sunglasses too.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Dries Van Noten at Les Arts Decoratifs

During my short visit to Paris last week I had a couple of hours here and there to visit exhibitions, one of which being the Dries Van Noten at Les Arts Decoratifs. This museum is one of my all time favourites; the Parisian parallel of the Victoria & Albert museum in London, conveniently situated next to the Louvre the central line 1.

Dries Van Noten as a designer isn't as globally known as the majority of designer retrospectives featured at Art Decoratifs including Madelaine Vionnet (queen of the 1920s empire line dress) and Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs, however as much as it is a showcase of the designer's work, the focus is centralised on the relationship between his collections and the inspiration leading to the final result presented on the catwalk.

My initial reaction was positive; a strong entrance to the show with a semi patent floral door to introduce his signature theme of hyper-real flowers & nature. Once inside, the show begins in a darkened room filled with names of models, photographers, pop stars etc of whom acted as inspiration to Dries in his early years of the 1970s/80s. The diversity of names featured, highlights the relevance of culture at this time, kick starting the ultimate focus of the exhibition, inspiration.

It takes a little while to suss out the layout and is worth making yourself familiar with this before wandering onwards to make the most of the show. Aside from the initial couple of rooms and final  room with a collage of catwalk videos, each cabinet features a selection of pieces from one of Dries' collections, contrasted with pieces by other designers (such as a Thierry Mulgar dress from 1978/79 in the middle of the gold/metallic room image below), paintings, film clips, graphic art and so on.

The juxtaposition of inspiration pieces next to Dries' collections is particularly fascinating, as you deconstruct the elements reflected in the clothing. Taking his Spring/Summer 09 collection as an example, he combined inspiration from 13th century art with contemporary optical art- enriched with sumptuous colour, crisp lines on the print and areas of curvature crafted within the piece itself.

Other themes featured in the exhibition include orientalism/ bollywood, high society, military, 'The Kiss' in Hollywood film and nature. Highlights include artwork by Damien Hirst and Francis Bacon in addition to film clips of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' with David Bowie and 'A Clockwork Orange' by Stanley Kubrick; inspiration triggering his imagination throughout his life and career.

Although a little dark as I attempt to write notes (I could barely read my own writing afterwards), the curation forms a compelling show; leaving you feeling inspired and creatively energised from start to finish- a must see in Paris!

'Dries Van Noten: Inspirations' runs from March 1st- November 2nd 2014

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Behind the Scenes: 'Light Years'

The concept 'Light Years' was inspired by S/S 14 beauty trends such as those seen below at Mui Mui and Holly Fulton. Nars international makeup artist Anna Priadka and I discussed that the sheer, glossy blues and purples would photograph beautifully under a selection of sci-fi-esque kaleidoscopic lighting to highlight both tone and texture.

Volt Magazine commissioned this as an online 'Volt Cafe' exclusive; a refreshing injection of S/S inspiration with a conceptual, cinematic aesthetic.

 

Click to view the shoot on Volt Magazine's website

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Day in the Life of a Film Extra: Martin Scorsese's Mermaid

Before my days of fashion photography I was signed to a number of 'supporting artiste' film extra agencies. I have been on the set of adverts, TV series in addition to big budget films such as Robin Hood and Xmen; each an entirely different, unique experience to the next. I've been painted a luminous shade of orange as a Zodangian civilian in 'John Carter of Mars', choreographed to learn 1920s dance steps for a period drama and doubled for Marion Cottilard in a Miss Dior advert.

My most memorable experience on a film set was Martin Scorsese's Hugo. The scene was inspired by John Méliès, a real life french filmmaker leading many developments in the early years of cinema. His vision was experimental, often using special effects including multiple exposures, time-lapse photography and hand painted colour work to depict narrative scenes. A still from Méliès most recognised film 'A Trip to the Moon' is below. 

My role was to be transformed into a 19th century mermaid, the scene inspired by Méliès 'Kingdom of the Fairies'. In the lead up to filming I attended 3 costume fittings (two of which were at one of the largest costumiers in London, Angels) and one rehearsal on set. The set itself was breathtaking, a greenhouse like structure at Shepperton studios, designed to mimic the Parisian studio where filming would have taken place in the early 1900s. 

You can see me below on the right in the film stills. 

Poseidon sleeping whilst we play a comparably non 19th century game of Uno in wellys and hair nets...

Film production is an unbelievably complex medium, with one 20-30 second clip for example often taking a full day to film. The team involved to make it possible and the attention to detail in continuity, set building, hair & makeup, costume etc is phenomenal.

Although witnessing film production first hand is a bit of an anticlimax when it comes to eventually watching it at the cinema, my involvement has opened my mind to the limitless opportunities of creating visually stimulating images- a valuable experience which continues to inspire me today. 

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Martha Parsey: Echos of Fashion Photography

It was a couple of weeks ago at the MATCHES.com press afternoon/ evening (which was rather wonderful I must add) that I first came across the remarkable work of Martha Parsey. It isn't often that I see a modern piece of art that I must know who the artist is and knew if I walked away without asking it would haunt me for quite some time...

Martha's work is alluring and emotive, evoking a sense of wealth and beauty often combined with an enigmatic overtone of melancholy. Art that you can get utterly lost in, gazing at the subject in search for meaning within the frame she will forever reside.

I  also see resemblances in a number of her subjects to current fashion figures. Taking the above images for example; the first painting is a carbon copy of fashion model Frida G, the brunette below Jaclyn Jablonski. I'm not entirely sure whether this was intentional but it would be interesting to find out. 

There is no denying that Martha Parsey is an exceptionally talented artist; utilising her studies of film and painting to produce works of art reflective of both film stills and high fashion photography, perfectly pertinent to the 21st century. 

Alice Luker

www.aliceluker.co.uk

'Wedding Dresses 1775-2014' exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum

On Friday 2nd of May I had the pleasure of attending the V&A members preview of 'Wedding Dresses 1775-2014' exhibition. After a major revamp in the fashion galleries, this is the 3rd exhibition hosted in the new mezzanine space, following a rather similarly stylised 'Ballgowns' exhibition and 80s club kid-tastic 'From Club to Catwalk'

Although the V&A is currently undergoing an epidemic of bookings from the much anticipated, recently announced exhibition 'Savage Beauty' featuring a retrospective of Alexander McQueen's designs, this is a rather beautiful exhibition of exquisite couture to stimulate your eager tastebuds before it arrives.

A feast for the eyes with both contemporary and vintage couture; a real 'history of art' style collection downstairs, with a more classical normcore-I really can't believe I just said that- outlook, whilst upstairs is brimming with both classical contemporary (see Alice Temperley 'jean dress') and aspirational, truly unique pieces such as Gareth Pugh's creation for fashion editor Kate Shillingdon and John Galliano's dip dyed dress for Gwen Stefani.

Talking of Normcore, queen of the norms Kate Middleton's wedding footage projected in a cosy corner was perhaps the most popular attraction of the exhibition, flocked with both nostalgic smiles of this generations most anticipated royal wedding complete with envious glares at Pippa Middleton's perfectly pert bottom.

The queen of Kates fashion-wise in this exhibition however was filled long before the royal wedding, with Kate Moss' John Galliano dress from her 2011 wedding to Jamie Hince on display. Taking a mind blowing 701 hours to embroider the dress and 253 to complete the veil, seeing the dress (most often referred to as understated..!) in all it's glory puts the beauty of couture into perspective.

With perhaps a more appropriate use of the word, the set design was perfectly understated, with minimalist illustrations on the glass and in the cabinets reflective of a contemporary wedding venue.  One of the highlights of the set were the mannequins; posed, styled and formed to reflect the character and aesthetic of the wearer. The finest example of this I believe to be the purple corseted Vivienne Westwood number for Dita Von Teese, with perfectly enhanced cleavage to accurately fit the corsetry splendour.

My personal favourite from the exhibition has to be the Christian Lacroix finale dress from his 1992/93 collection. The dark romantic concept of the black veil and spectacular gold intricacy on the collar and cuffs was an instant attraction for me. Probably one of the least wearable as a mere mortal wedding dress, this showpiece encapsulates couture wedding fantasy in its finest form, not to mention a spectacular piece of art.

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014' runs from the 3rd May 2014- 15th March 2015

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk