There’s nothing particularly unique, special, or amazing about this Elle Greece shoot by Dimitris Skoulos but I just love that there’s a lot of crazy outfits, wind machine, and jumping around. We really don’t have enough of those things in real life, so I like to see them in the magazines. It is a reminder that fashion can be fun.

See the rest of the shoot on Fashion Gone Rogue.

Here are two questions that have come to me about fashion schools.

Hello Alexandra,

You have written quite useful advice regarding fashion education, but I’d like to know which fashion schools would you say are the best ones in continental Europe, or what would be the most advisable source to find that out. I have found the Fashionista ranking to be a very strange patch of information, given the fact that it lists fashion schools no one has ever heard of while being extremely vague about their qualities. Given the fact that realistic, reliable data for it is scarce (online forum comments are always tricky), and after reading your insightful “5 things to consider before choosing a fashion college,” I thought you’d have an insight that is clearer than most.

Many thanks, and congratulations for your blog,

Rudolf

Hi Rudolf,

This is a tough question that I really wish I could answer for you properly, but I don’t have the knowledge to do this. On that note, neither does Fashionista, I saw their list of Top 50 Fashion Schools in the World, and I will agree it is totally flawed. Marangoni and Esmod on top of Royal College of Art? That is CRAZY! Plus, they don’t explain how they created the ranking, so I don’t think it is accurate at all.

Anyway, here is some advice I can give you, based on what I know. And remember, this list is based on my personal experience only.

• The UK has a lot of good schools, the best being St. Martins, but other schools of note are Royal College of Art, London College of Fashion, Ravensbourne, Epsom, Middlesex, and Kingston. I know about five Kingston graduates very well, and they are all based in Paris now. Between them, they have all held VERY senior roles at companies like Hermes, Dior, Sonia Rykiel, Burberry, Ungaro, Giambattista Valli, and Givenchy. As far as I know, their graduates are highly valued, as are the other ones on this list.
• Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale in Paris is good, but very technical and not great at training designers, although they are super well connected in the indsutry. Studio Bercot was good when I was in Paris ten years ago.
• Antwerp Royal Academy also has a good reputation, but it is very hard to get in, and extremely difficult to make it through the four year course.
• I have no opinion or knowledge of the schools in Italy, but in my many years in the fashion industry, I have never met someone in a senior, or even middle, role in the fashion industry who studied at an Italian school, which leads me to think that the Italian schools aren’t much good unless you plan on staying in Italy.
• Stay away from American schools abroad (ex. American schools in Paris or London) as they generally have bad reputations and are total rip offs.

Hope that helps!

Hi,
I am interested in finding out which schools have the top ‘fashion design short courses’ internationally, for people who do not have the time and money to spend on getting bachelors or masters in fashion design. People only discuss what schools are best for bachelors and masters, and we all know the top names. but for someone like me who already has a bachelors degree in textile design, and a couple of years of work experience, finding and choosing what school would be most useful for me to go to for short courses in fashion design and pattern making/draping is very difficult. I would really appreciate your help and knowledge on this one.

Dear Myra,

I worked for the short course programs for both Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, and I highly recommend both of them. They are either evening, weekend, or summer school classes. The summer school classes are intensive 5 day courses, and you are taught by instructors who are on the degree and MA course teams. Sure, there will be a lot of international rich girls who think they are entitled to jobs in the industry because they can afford the designer clothing, but you can make the most of it by asking a lot of questions from the instructors and showing a lot of interest.

Plus, you get to spend some time in London and it is a fantastic city!

If anyone has any follow up questions on this post, feel free to ask them in the comments! I will be answering them as they come in. And also… I am working on an ebook about how to break into the fashion industry. If you are interested in getting info about this when it launches, drop me an email to searching4style@gmail.com with “Interested” in the subject line.

Fashion illustrations by Rachel Elisabeth Wilkinson, a graduate from London College of Fashion.

Beyoncé definitely looks whitewashed in this album cover, compare it to the images I have posted below.

This is a rather depressing story to write about. Sure, I know that models and celebrities are very frequently photoshopped to look thinner and more flawless, but for some reason that seems more acceptable than the whitewashing that Beyoncé has been accused of on her new album cover. I suppose that the suggestion that people should look thinner or have more perfect skin is less offensive than suggesting that dark skin should be lighter.

The story I’m referring to is that her latest album cover looks like her skin has been lightened. And let’s face it, she looks like a white person, so I’d say yes, the image has been seriously manipulated. I’ve always liked Beyoncé, primarily because I think she is one of the few major celebrities who is a good role model, until now. She doesn’t stumble around drunk, she’s been with the same guy for years, and her Mom makes her clothes. Aside from the fact that she gave her daughter an absolutely ridiculous name (Blue Ivy????), she is the type of woman I’d be quite happy for my (fictional) daughters to have as a role model. Although I think this image has made me change my mind.

Are we still living in a day and age where companies think they can shift more product by lightening someone’s skin? It’s not as if we didn’t know she is black. This is quite sad, it feels like a step backwards in the progression of racial equality. Apparently the term for this is “colorism” and it seems it is still a major issue today. I guess that doesn’t surprise me that much, there are still a lot of very sad people out there. What does surprise me is that Beyoncé is one of them.

(By the way, this isn’t the first time she has been accused of whitewashing. Read up about it here.)

I saw these images on Trendland, and normally I’d just store them in my “home inspiration” folder (to be consulted when I actually have some time to do some proper décor) but I wanted to share them with you. How amazing do these pastel-coloured paints look? And the stripes along the top of each wall? This REALLY puts me in the mood to do some painting.

I’ve been wanting to write about Palmer Harding for ages, but for various reasons (me being slow, them having an exclusive with US Vogue, etc…) I am only publishing it now. But the good news is, you can actually BUY their lovely shirts today. Which is much better than me saying “Look at how fabulous this is! But you can’t buy it for six months.”

Anyway, I’ve got this email relationship with one of the designers, who wrote to me a few years back, and we’ve been in touch since then. Both Palmer and Harding are CSM alumni and their debut collection has been getting a lot of hype. It is all about a re-interpretation of the traditional shirt, which is a great product. I love shirts and in my fantasy world I’d be wearing a lot of crisp white shirts (that would also be a world where babies weren’t drooling all over me, I had a top notch dry cleaners on my block, and I wasn’t afraid of using an iron.) But back to the point, here is an interview with the boys from Palmer Harding, whose collection of men’s and women’s shirts is available from Avenue 32.

Alexandra Suhner Isenberg: Why have you decided to re-work the white shirt?

Palmer Harding: Foremost we saw a lack in highly designed shirting and felt that the shirt was a neglected garment in most designers ranges, usually being used as a styling element in a pop colour or print to complement a jacket, etc… As a wardrobe staple that always remains stylish and versatile, we felt there was a need in the market for highly designed shirts. We also feel it is important to retain focus in every aspect of design, in order to refine and execute great design. By focusing on a single garment, and one that hasn’t been developed as a focus since Ferre, we were able to actually push our design abilities further by creating self imposed limitations and eliminating the need for styling, thus creating a distilled aesthetic in a singular garment.

ASI: You’ve worked wonders to the shirt by editing the classic placement, scale, and positioning of the shirt elements, like the placket and pleats. How do these ideas come about? Do you work primarily on the stand, or on paper?

PH: We start on paper by designing details and silhouettes inspired from our research first. From there we do a mixture of flat pattern and drape to develop a compromise between the calculated and the organic design process. Once a collection of drapes start to emerge, we then go back to to our initial designs and edit and adjust according to our new developments. It always remains an organic process and changes are constantly happening in order to try and push the design one step further than we thought aesthetically possible.

ASI: Like many of the young fashion talents today, you studied at St Martins. What are the most important things/skills/experiences you left there with?

PH: Mostly I would say it is conviction in your own ideas. The educational structure is quite loose and allows students time to play and make mistakes. While there are guidelines to all the projects, the end results can be as expansive as one’s project may take them. It is also a great place to be around, like-minds from differing backgrounds, where you can grow and embellish your ideas in a communal environment.

ASI: Why does a woman need a white shirt in her wardrobe?

PH: It is the ultimate classic. It is season-less and always looks chic and contemporary. It can be dressed up or down and has an ease associated with it that feels relevant to today’s modern life.

ASI: Tell me what the Palmer Harding woman is wearing today. Obviously, her white shirt, but what else?

PH: Aside from her white shirt she’s in a multitude of things, that’s the ease of the palmer//harding concept. By keeping all the garments in cotton it takes away the preciousness and pretension that some designer garments can have, but by contrasting this with directional design it maintains the same emotional connection and thought.

But back to what else she has on, for the daytime I can see our woman wearing her shirt with a pair of ACNE or Proenza Schouler chino’s to run around town, meet friends for lunch, work and live in. But then I can also see our customer wearing the same shirt with a Carven, Christopher Kane or Azzedine Alaia skirt to give it a more evening or event feeling.That’s the real beauty of the shirt. It encompasses all aspects of life and wardrobe.

Palmer Harding shirts, starting at $360, from Avenue 32.

Ok, ok, I know the Louis Vuitton monogram feels a bit… stale. Well, old and worn monogram items look good (I’ve got vintage trunks), but it does seem a bit odd that people are still buying the traditional monogram bags new, especially since Louis Vuitton so many other interesting bags to choose from. Despite this, I am making an exception for these little Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Rayures accessories. I really love the cosmetics case, and the wallet is cute too. I like that they are striped in tone on tone colours, and that they are very shiny. If my husband were to buy me a new cosmetics case for Valentine’s Day (which he won’t do, because I have a million cosmetic cases), then this would be the one I want. I just love a mix of red and pink (that was my wedding outfit colour theme!)

Available from www.louisvuitton.com.

I need a lot of things in my wardrobe, but the last thing I need is a pair of $250 jogging pants from Acne. Not only are these terribly tacky, but they have also really disappointed me. Usually I love Acne’s clothing, a collection of interesting, edgy, yet wearable casual wear that always whispers “I’m not trying too hard.” But these pants… Yuck. I have one question for Acne: WHY?

Luxury Joggers, $255.75 from My Wardrobe.

I know Jean Paul Gaultier likes to play with “interesting” themes in his catwalk shows, but I was not impressed with the Amy Winehouse story going on in this show. Thankfully it wasn’t the only thing happening in this collection, which was mostly a pleasure to look at. Of course there was the usual pinstriped tailored, corsets, and conic bras, but the evening wear was stunning and featured a lot of new ideas. But let’s forget about the lingerie, which looked rather silly and/or trashy instead of beautifully luxurious. I guess that’s what the Winehouse does to a show.

I love…

the most amazing sheer striped, sculptured jacket.

mad Gaultier tailoring, with a matching bra.

when you can't figure out what the hell is going on, but don't really care 'cause it looks fab.

that I am dying to figure out what this dress is made of becuase it looks incredible.

I loathe…

Amy Winehouse on the Paris catwalks.

an outfit that a weird raver, or "cyber punk" would wear.

too much weird, trashy looking lingerie.

All images from Vogue.com.

Valentino‘s couture collection was fantastic for several reasons. First of all, there were a lot of long sleeves, which is always preferable over strapless. The floral prints were gorgeous, and I liked that despite everything having a “proper” feel, there were pockets which gave the whole collection a feeling of ease. I am so glad Valentino’s owners had patience with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. They have definitely found their footing with the brand, and are starting to produce some lovely collections.

I love…

a full length, long sleeved floral dress. With pockets.

an amazing silhouette!

delicate prints and sheer sleeves.

prairie dresses.

All images from Vogue.com.

This Givenchy couture collection certainly lacked the incredibly ornate, breathtaking pieces we’ve gotten used to over the past few seasons, although I suppose it was time to try something different. I’d say the collection was a mixed bag, with a few beautiful dresses with incredible handwork showing off the skills of the atelier, but a few pieces that lacked the wow! factor we expect from Givenchy.

I love…

the scale-like embellishments on this dress. But what is the point of the basketball?

the couture version of a t-shirt dress.

I loathe…

this Western jacket. It is just... ugly.

the lack of breathtaking pieces in this collection.

All images from Vogue.com.