Your Haiderness

This man is a big deal.

Karl too, but we're not talking about him.

Meet Haider Ackermann, fashion's newest darling. 

He's the man Karl Lagerfeld playfully anointed as the possible successor to the Chanel design throne (but we all know Karl's ageless). Though he's been around for over ten years and has a very strong following, people really began to pay attention to him after his jaw dropping Fall '11 collection. His elegant silhouettes, drapery and leatherwork left many an editor speechless, even had some crying and was largely touted as the show of the season.

The colour palette was to die for: rich, jewel fabrics in olive, magenta, slate and cerulean. His work has a magnanimous quality about it. Luxe fabrics are artfully draped onto the languid bodies of the models giving them an ethereal effect, almost transporting you to another world. In a weird fashion/fantasy way I would liken his clothes to the costumes of the elves in Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, there is a graceful, forest-y elegance to them that seems quite apt. 

This Spring saw him embrace brighter pops of colour and clothes with more mannish tailoring. Ackermann even said backstage that "You love the idea that she would steal the clothes from her husband... Her lover not her husband." It was sensual femininity at its finest met with the slouched comfort of male extravagance, as he noted "rockabilly Lord Byron."

The word "slouch" comes immediately to mind, but so do the names Hugh Hefner and Mark Rothko, though for very different reasons. I say Hugh because of the silhouettes and the slipper/robe/ jacket combination, but none of the Playboy nonsense. Rothko brings no seedy connotations, instead he brings the colour and the soul of the collection. The Abstract Expressionist known for his huge one colour canvases, Rothko is the perfect artistic inspiration for this light-hearted collection. 

Another reason I love Haider so much is because Tilda Swinton loves him and I love Tilda. She's one of the most talented actresses working and she was robbed of an Oscar for her role in We Need to Talk about Kevin, one of last year's best films (go see it!) Swinton, is one of the indie film queens and has a free-spirited sense of style to boot. She is a huge advocate of Haider's style and I was the most happy to see her rock one of his looks at the Golden Globes no less. I have nothing but praise for this woman and her amazing, outgoing sense of style.

- Life is good

[Haider & Karl, Spring Review, Tilda 1, 2 & 3, Style.com Profile, Rothko 1, 2]

Listening to: Track 21 of my OUA CD - Artist unknown

Observations: Superbowl Sunday, aw yeah

Craving: A big glass of red wine