Paris Fashion Week SS15

As I arrived at Gare du Nord this morning, having left the house in a lethargic rush to catch the 5:58am Eurostar from Ebsfleet (15 minutes down the road from my partners house which I can't complain about) and planned the route to Les Sablons, a little further west along line 1 (the equivalent of the central line to us Londers) where my friend lives- and where I will be staying until 29th September for Paris Fashion Week.

She lives in a modest sized room on the 6th floor, no larger I guess than student accommodation in uni halls. It does however have a certain, rather irresistible charm; the building from the outside is quite beautiful, the ground floor typical parisian luxe hard floor, comparable perhaps to what you may see in a museum. The real moment  however is when you walk outside. You sense the alluring buzz of central Paris, and at this time of year (late September) enriched with a delightfully crisp, autumnal breeze. 

After a quick spruce (hiking up and down stairs in the Metro is hot and exhausting to say the least) I most importantly parted with my hefty suitcase in exchange for -much more preferable and lighter- invitations sent to my friends address in Paris. Following a brief WIFI pitstop at the local McDonalds, I made my way to the Grand Palais for the first show, Guy Laroche. 

Upon arriving a rather eager 45 minutes early, I waited patiently outside the Grand Palais (little did I know that I would also be waiting patiently inside the venue for another half an hour) engrossed in my latest read, 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt on my seemingly old school -well, first edition- kindle. I've been meaning to start reading 'properly' again and although I love everything about the sensory experience with books, the simplistic issue of weight; my Macbook Pro combined with god knows what else, unfortunately doesn't allow for any extra baggage. 

The show was beautiful, true to it's statement on the press release focusing on the parisian archetype of 'style before fashion'. The garments never wore the model, rather it was a harmonious balance, contouring the lines of the feminine form whilst projecting an effortless, sport inspired aesthetic. The girls strode confidently, non detatched as the typical procession of girls at fashion shows are predominantly directed to walk. 

I also appear to have been papped by Getty Images whilst outside waiting for the show, slightly illegal (probably) copy of the image below!

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

Paris 1900: The City of Entertainment

The Petit Palais is a special venue. Not only for the striking architecture and works of art within the building; on this occasion, it's history and relationship to new exhibition, 'Paris 1900 The City of Entertainment'. The Petit Palais (and the Grand Palais opposite) was built for 'L'exposition Universelle' in 1900; a world fair celebrating the achievement within machinery, architecture and invention; anticipating a prosperous future at the dawn of the 20th century. During this celebration, 50 million visited from France, Europe and across the seas, witnessing highlights such as the Eiffel Tower and newly built Metro underground.

The exhibition at Petit Palais covers many components of this era; introduced by advertorial posters, illustrations of the plans and the very first paintings of L'exposition Universelle, further enriched throughout the exhibition with the most significant forms of fashion, theatre, nightlife, and art of the era. The diverse range of objects on display allow you to truly immerse yourself; from a room of painting, leading to a room of furniture then fashion, each 'pavillion' offering a perfectly curated insight of stimulating content.

Art Nouveau was the prominent visual movement of the early 1900s and is interesting to see how characteristics were filtered into each aspect of Parisian life. From the swirling, hyper naturalistic Metro signs to the poster advertorials reflecting Pre-Raphaelite art for L'exposition Universelle; the style is distinctive and unique.

You can truly sense the excitement of Paris depicted in paintings during this era; showcasing the new buildings complete with the hustle and bustle of the crowds bringing each scene to life. From a fashion perspective, its also fascinating observing the typical dress codes contrasted with new architecture and visuals of Art Nouveau (which can be seen in the paintings below), composing a rich illustration of life in the early 1900s.

Narrow corridors link each of the 6 'pavilions' within the exhibition, a mirror along one side and video footage by the Luminere brothers (credited to be the first filmmakers in history) along the other. The film takes place on the streets of Paris during L'exposition Universelle, capturing both the density of the crowd in addition to individuals within the crowd as they flock past. The energy and excitement of Paris is perfectly expressed in the footage, with an additional curiosity of the newly developed video camera.

This is a wonderful exhibition, covering a wide range of compelling works of art celebrating the birth of the 20th century. There is nothing more satisfying than a well curated, sizable exhibition; the equivalent of a well written epic novel brimming with inspiration and stimulating content. If you, like myself, fall in love with Paris every time you return, this exhibition is a must see.

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