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

What the water gave me

In terms of which season I'm in right now it couldn't be clearer: winter bloody winter but when it comes to which season of fashion I'm supposed to be paying attention to I couldn't be more confused. I'm still clinging to the gorgeousness of some of the Fall 2011 collections, staring at Resort 2012 in the stores, trying to acclimatize to the Spring 2012 collections and then I'm being slapped with Pre-Fall 2012 faster than I can keep up with. And to make matters worse the Fall 2012 season is creeping creeping closer.

While I bathe in deep hydrating moisturizer to battle the effect of winter winds and try layering without looking like the Michelin Man I turn to the onslaught of Spring advertising campaigns to make me feel better. And no-one does it like Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.

For Spring Karl created an fantastical white underwater world which was the perfect backdrop for the gorgeous nymph-like creations he showed.

 The Grand Palais transformed into a pristine ocean floor

Pearly pastels and graceful sea creatures. 

The fine details are always my favourite part of the show, especially these coral heels with their lovely subtle ocean allusions. 

Low and behold after the last model had finished Florence (of Florence & the Machine) pops out of a giant clam shell singing her glorious little heart out in a stunning beaded Chanel creation that looks like ropes of seaweed, but in the best way possible.

The power duo leading their army of fishy models

After twenty minutes of runway magic could it get any better? 

And the answer is yes... The spring campaign is absolutely stunning. Shot in black and white, by Karl himself, Saskia de Brauw and Joan Smalls pose in an array of airy dresses in the most fierce way... on gymnastic equipment suspended over water. 

I almost forgot that it was an advertising campaign, it's so high fashion it could be performance art. Andre Leon Talley would definitely frame this and hang it in his salon. Maybe I shouldn't have quit gymnastics as a kid...

- Life is good

Listening to: 'What The Water Gave Me' - Florence and the Machine

Observations: Winter skin is driving me insane

Craving: To sign a house soon

For your pleasure

I've always loved Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci, but his fall 2011 collection for the house was one of my favourites he's ever done and quite possibly my favourite of the season . Think panthers, purple, patent leather, orchids, peplum, velvet, chains, Baroque, organza, palm fronds, symmetry, sheer, bombshells, yellow, silk and body-con... and that's only just the beginning:

What made the collection so successful was it's subtlety and suggestiveness. It wasn't the overt sexiness that you expect, instead there was a modesty to the collection, yet it was slightly tousled by the body-consciousness of the cuts and the sheer skirts. I've been trolling the internet trying to find one of those panther shirts or Baroque looking tops, sadly to no avail.

Found some wonderful Givenchy editorials and when you've got a good thing going... why not keep it going. 

Sigh... still can't find myself a piece of the collection that I could afford although there is a very badass black, silk panther scarf that I could convince myself is worth it. 

You may have already seen this Roxy Music For Your Pleasure album cover before in my posts, but it seems very appropriate here as Riccardo must have used this as one of his sources of inspiration... don't you think?

Kanye West is one of Riccardo's biggest celeb fans and in addition to sporting Givenchy on multiple occasions (do you remember the rottweiler sweater?) he's even had Riccardo design two of his album covers: on the left is Watch the Throne, his collaboration with Jay-Z (actually such a good listen) and on the right is the cover for the single H.A.M which features the rottweiler motif from Givenchy's fall menswear collection.

- Life is good

[All editorials from Fashiongonerogue, album covers from Wikipedia and runway from Style.com]

Listening to: 'Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley Remix) - Silversun Pickups

Observations: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Craving: Dad to get here