3 posts tagged "Valentine Fillol Cordier"
H&M’s Got Other Stories To Tell
H&M is on a roll these days. In quick succession, there was the recent Becks “bum double” drama (read: mega publicity), the Paris fashion week show, and, for the hat trick, there’s the launch of & Other Stories, the Swedish high-street giant’s new London concept store. Last night, H&M celebrated the opening of the 10,000-square-foot Regent Street space, which is filled with meticulously edited beauty products, jewelry, and fashion. The best part about the whole thing is the knowledge that you won’t have to walk away simpering with desire—even the tightest budgets can afford this stuff. Apart from their in-house designers, who clearly favor architectural shoes and sculpted silhouettes (very Scandi-chic, if we do say), the brand also introduced their “Co-Labs”—temporary collaborations with finger-on-the-pulse talents like The Lake and Stars, Clare Vivier, and Alyson Fox. In other words, the two-story behemoth is the A-to-Z for cool hunters on a budget. Naturally, the ultrahip store needs some ultrahip ambassadors. “We invited a small group of people—including stylists, DJs, and editors whose style we admire—to our atelier in Stockholm and asked them to put together pieces from our collection,” said Samuel Fernström, who’s head of & Other Stories. Flying the flag last night were Portia Freeman, Valentine Fillol-Cordier, Bat for Lashes (Natasha Khan, left), DJ Misty Rabbit (Mimi Xu), Julia Sarr-Jamois, and Mary Charteris, whose self-styled wares (like an ocean-print suit, a sheer top, a pleat-front skirt, and more) can be seen in the online shop, which launches today. “We chose people who wear things that feel right to them,” added Fernström. Judging by how & Other Stories’ ladies looked at yesterday’s fete, job done.
& Other Stories is located at 256-258 Regent Street in London.
Savannah Miller Keeps it Cheap and Cheerful
At yesterday’s tea party celebrating Savannah Miller’s second collection for her eponymous line, the designer was thinking about how to keep both the prices and the mood light. “I suppose I’m trying to make being happy cool again. This collection is about a blown-out summer, a dreamy life: It’s about butterflies and sunshine—being joyful again.”
The happy vibe worked its way across Mari Vanna, the cozy, kitschy Russian eatery where the tea was held, as sister Sienna Miller, mom Jo, Matthew Williamson, Irina Lazareanu (who stars in Savannah’s spring campaign—last season’s ads featured Dree Hemingway), Valentine Fillol-Cordier, Lady Kinvara Balfour, and more perused the sixty-piece collection, which included platform sandals, sweet, floral lace frocks, slipdresses, denim and lots of fringe—”Nothing in the collection is over £125,” said Savannah, who’s committed to keeping the line affordable. “It really struck me lately that a lot of people, friends included, are just hanging in there by a thread financially. But they also want to feel fashionable and cool—and I want to fulfill that need.”
Both Miller sisters resigned as co-creative directors of Twenty8Twelve early last year, but that doesn’t mean they had any downtime. Sienna recently had a baby (Marlowe), and Savannah, who’s already a mother to three, likens her new line to having a fourth child. “This is very much my project. It’s the first time I am really standing alone as a designer,” she says. Even so, the bohemian look we’ve seen in the past (and that her sister has all but owned throughout the last decade) is still in her fashion DNA. “Bohemia is who I am. I think once you have a taste in design, it is very difficult to move away from. Though I hope throughout the collections I can evolve that look a lot more.”
Nicholas Kirkwood: Mixologist
Good things rarely come of mixing high heels and cocktails. But when combined by Nicholas Kirkwood, the two make a tasty couple. Last night at his Mount Street flagship, the London-based shoe designer launched “The Chambord,” a collaborative pair of limited-edition holiday pumps inspired by the brand’s black raspberry liqueur.
Gwendoline Christie, Princess Julia, Peter Pilotto, Valentine Fillol-Cordier, and more dropped by Kirkwood’s Christmas fête to check out the festive ruby red and gold cocktail-themed shoes. And, of course, to enjoy a glass (or two) of holiday cheer.
2012 has been a big year for Kirkwood, what with shoeing the Victoria’s Secret Angels and winning the BFC’s Accessory Designer of the Year award. And he has his sights set high for 2013. The new year will see Kirkwood open a shop at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, launch a handbag range, and, at long last, debut his men’s line. So how will crafting gents’ kicks differ from designing for the ladies? “We’ll find out,” said Kirkwood. “I’m visiting a factory for men’s shoes tomorrow, where I intend to learn the ins and outs. I am expecting it will be a very cool journey.”