contents6 foreword by Erin O’Connor

8 preface

10 the front row48 the editors84 the catwalk

126 the designers168 the buyers190 backstage228 street style266 model style

302 select bibliography

304 acknowledgements

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30 A FRONT ROW SEAT THE FRONT ROW

above:

DAISY LOWE, ALICE DELLAL, PORTIAFREEMAN AND PEACHES GELDOF front rowat the spring/summer 2010 Dolce & Gabbanawomenswear show; Milan, September 2009

opposite:

SELMA BLAIR AND VICTORIA BECKHAMfront row at the autumn/winter 2008 Marc Jacobs womenswear show; New York,February 2008

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010-047 front row seat_HR:Layout 1 10/10/11 09:16 Page 31

A FRONT ROW SEAT THE CATWALK

above:

MICHAELA KOCIANOVA in the autumn/winter 2010Christian Dior womenswear show; Paris, March 2010

opposite:

KSENIA KAHNOVICH in the autumn/winter 2010 ChristianDior womenswear show; Paris, March 2010

112

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113A FRONT ROW SEAT THE CATWALK

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124

above left:

ABBEY LEE KERSHAW in the spring/summer 2010 Versacewomenswear show; Milan, September 2009

above right and opposite:

VLADA ROSLYAKOVA in the spring/summer 2010 Versacewomenswear show; Milan, September 2009

A FRONT ROW SEAT THE CATWALK

“The catwalk is a cabaret of talent that’s addictive andwhich provides endless reportage opportunities ”ANTHEA SIMMS

Catwalk photographer

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084-125 catwalk_HR:Layout 1 10/10/11 10:37 Page 125

128 A FRONT ROW SEAT THE DESIGNERS

AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR, during the 1920s, Frenchdesigner Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel introduced far-reaching changes to the fashion industry through herprogressive designs and modernist perspective. Usinginfluences from men’s fashion in her womensweardesigns, Chanel helped to change the perception ofhow women were expected to dress. She promoted amuch more androgynous, athletic look in her dayweargarments, and, through her eveningwear and ‘littleblack dress’ designs, showed women that they couldbe comfortable as well as sensuous and sophisticatedby wearing less structured shapes than werepreviously available through other designers’ work. Inits many guises, the little black dress remains a keystaple in most women’s wardrobes today.

Another highly influential designer from the1920s and 1930s was Jeanne Lanvin, who becamefamous for creating women’s clothing that featuredintricate, skilful embroidery and trimmings, often inthe floral designs that would go on to become hertrademark. Lanvin branched out into menswear,sportswear, lingerie and interior design, too, a then-novel approach to marketing that many fashionhouses continue to follow today, as a way of allowingtheir brands to diversify.

In 1947, Christian Dior presented his firstwomenswear collection, for which he used refreshinglyextravagant amounts of fabric when compared to thework of earlier designers for whom cloth had beenrationed. Dior presented dresses with tiny waists, fullskirts and a majestic bust, and his elegant, femininedesigns greatly appealed to his post-war clientele andrevamped the way that women dressed. His work washeralded as the ‘new look’ by Carmel Snow, Harper’sBazaar’s editor, and helped to put Paris back on the mapafter the Second World War as the centre of fashion.

Towards the end of the 1950s, by means of massproduction, a wealth of fashionable clothing began tobe sold in standard sizes for fixed prices throughretail outlets and department stores. High fashionhad hit the streets, and for clothing, as with society asa whole, boundaries distinguishing superiority andvalue were becoming increasingly blurred. In post-warParis, progressive designers such as CristóbalBalenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Hubert de Givenchy

were creating style sensations through tailoredglamour, introducing the empire line, the tunic dressand mix-and-match separates, among other looks.

The following decade witnessed the emergence ofa youth subculture that had none of the constraints orconventions of the older generations and fashionbecame about making a personal statement. Many ofthe more radical changes in fashion at this time tookplace in London, developing on the streets as well asthrough the work of up-and-coming designers. It wasin the 1960s that Mary Quant became famous forlaunching the mini skirt and when Barbara Hulanickifounded Biba. Biba became one of the first labels tobring popular fashion to the British high street ataffordable prices. Paris had its fair share of newdesigners, too: Yves Saint Laurent became known forhis revolutionary yet elegant fashion while EmanuelUngaro’s imaginative use of colour and contrastreached out to a young audience.

FROM THE 1960S ONWARDS, WITH the help oftelevision and a more wide-reaching fashion media,catwalk shows were being reported on all over theworld, which led to Western styles going global. Pariswas no longer the centre of fashion, and internationaldesigners, including Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo Takada,Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake and Jimmy Choo, werecoming forward with their work and making aprofound impact on the industry. Kenzo, in particular,became famous for using a mixture of Asian andWestern influences in his unusual prints andaccessories, which particularly appealed to his youngcustomers. Yamamoto, on the other hand, was fêtedas a master craftsman for the cut of his garments,and created designs that didn’t really follow anytrends but were more about a mood.

During the 1970s, designers continued to keep upwith changes in popular culture. Vivienne Westwood,for example, is famously linked to the punk era andcited as being responsible for its visual constructionthrough her fetishistic ranges of clothing andaccessories. The punk movement also allowed Londonto retain a great deal of influence over fashion at thetime, as it was seen to represent a direct reaction to theglobal financial crises that were then being endured.

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VIVIENNEWESTWOODbackstage beforethe spring/summer2011 VivienneWestwood GoldLabel womenswearshow; Paris, October 2010

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198 A FRONT ROW SEAT BACKSTAGE

opposite:

ROSIE HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY backstage at theautumn/winter 2006 Wunderkind womenswear show; NewYork, February 2005

above left and right:

CLAUDIA MERIKULA backstage at the autumn/winter2006 Wunderkind womenswear show; New York,February 2005

MARIA DVIRNIK backstage at the autumn/winter 2006Wunderkind womenswear show; New York, February2005

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“I am an anti-star, so I always enjoy shows in retrospect.The euphoria of coming off stage having rocked thecatwalk was immense though! ” KATHERINE POULTON

Model and designer/art director at The North Circular

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279A FRONT ROW SEAT MODEL STYLE

above top:

DOROTHEA BARTH JORGENSEN after the autumn/winter 2010womenswear show; Paris, March 2010

above bottom:

MELISSA TAMMERIJN at the autumn/winter 2010 womenswear shows;Paris, March 2010

below:

CONSTANCE JABLONSKI AND SIRI TOLLERØD after the autumn/winter 2010 Christian Dior womenswearshow; Espace Ephémère Tuileries, Jardindes Tuileries, Paris, March 2010

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