The march of the fashion editor

Fashion editors. No longer are they just an elusive name featured in the masthead of your favourite magazine.  Thanks mainly due to this decade's blogging phenomenon, the obsession with fashion editors has grown to the extent they've become celebrities in their own right. Anna Dello Russo herself even cited fashion blogs as the main reason for her style-icon status. Although you'll always have those few in the industry who are quick to dismiss the relevance or credibility of now-famous bloggers such as BryanBoy, Tavi et. al, (maybe with resent for their overnight success as opposed to the old-school coffee mule cum assistant route) there's no doubt the personal style of ADR & Co. would be as noted/copied/loved if it weren't for (certain) bloggers. Without turning this into a bloggers vs editors argument (as an aside- I'll be taking the coffee-mule route), what I'm trying to say is that I'm more than thankful the focus of celebrity has shifted from the talentless Paris Hiltons of the world to people who have worked hard (and stylishly so) for their success. If nothing else, their rise to cult status (in the fashion world at least) provides all of us envious hangers-on (guilty) with some very worthy eye candy. And it probably doesn't hurt sales when their staff are seen practicing what they preach outside their glossy pages. 

The above picture was snapped as I was skulking around outside Gareth Pugh in Paris towards the end of the spring-summer 2011 season. Representing US Marie Claire we have Style and Accessories Director Taylor Tomasi Hill,  Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi and Market Director Nina Sterghiou. I love the line formation they've got going on-  if you look a little closer you'll find they're all glued to their Blackberries- perusing the latest blogs, I'm sure. 

 all pictures my own

Anna Dello Russo.

While in Paris recently I was lucky enough to catch (several) glimpses of the infinitely amazing Anna Dello Russo. For those who have been living under a rock, she is the fashion director-at-large at Vogue Nippon, and famous for owning not one, but two apartments in Milan- one for her and her adorable chihuahua Cucciolina, and the other (climate-controlled, of course) to house her ever-expanding collection of designer clothes and shoes. You too would need a second house if you owned over 4000 pairs of shoes. (And for those who are currently rolling their eyes at the excess of it all- her plan is to eventually have her collection archived so that it can be studied by fashion students, historians and enthusiasts alike.)

She is even more gorgeous in person than in photos, and I'm not just referring to her glamorous style (or those legs). She was all too happy to flash her 400-watt smile every which way, pose for street-style bloggers and crazy paps and repeat with loving detail what (or who) exactly she was wearing. Whilst other high-profile editors slinked away silently through the crowd gathered outside of Le Grand Hotel, Anna seemed genuinely delighted to stand there and share her love for fashion with all. I doubt that there is anyone in the world who loves fashion more that ADR, and it is refreshing to see someone who is as proud in their passion as she. 

Above (outside Balmain)

Dress: Balmain

Shoes: Pierre Hardy

Jewellery: "My own"- ADR

Below (outside Gareth Pugh)

Brocade Jumpsuit: Rochas

Shoes: Valentino

Leopard clutch: Fendi

My First Fashion Show

My name's Ellie and I'm obsessed. An addict, some might call me. Shakes. Splutters. Physical aches. Just some of the symptoms I display if I don't get my regular fix. Keeping in mind the nature of this blog, I'm sure it has become obvious by now to those who have forgiven me for the lame opening and are continuing to read, just what sort of an addiction I am talking about. This isn't called Fashion Morebidity (think about it... morbid?) for nothing. So why is it you may ask that I am blabbering about such an addiction all of a sudden, if I have named my blog with this in mind all along? Well, you see, that is where we come to the point of all this. If I thought I was hooked before... well, that was then. Now? There is no hope for me. Obsessed. Enthralled. Trapped. Completely and utterly done for. I am a goner. For I have been to my first international fashion show.

What luck that I found myself smack bang in the middle of Paris during Fashion Week. Well, it wasn't an entire coincidence but it wasn't meticulously planned that way. So there I was, on a sunny September Wednesday, the second day of the ready-to-wear shows for the Paris Spring/Summer 2011 season- the last city of the major circuit. With my measly 3MB of international roaming (thanks T-Mobile) I managed to look up the locations of several shows that day and decided I would wander over to le Pont Alexandre III, which seemed to be one of the main locations for the week. As an aside, this is one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris, and is in view of many famous Parisian landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, les Invalides and le Grand Palais to name a few. Wandering aimlessly down the Champs-Élysées, I spied her. Sleek and shiny; groomed, was what she was. With her lithe frame swathed in head-to-toe black, a splash of neon citrus silk glinted among the dark layers and a Chanel 2.55 chain bag hung nonchalantly from her shoulder, she positively smelled of fashion. And she was holding an invitation. Ah ha! She was my answer, my ticket to an elusive glimpse of the goings-on of a fashion show, for a glimpse is all I was ever after. After carefully maintaining my distance behind her (ever the perfect stalker) I noticed a small flaw in my plan. She was lost. After several self-captured pics for her MySpace, she too realised the inevitable and lowered herself to asking some no-name passer-by where indeed she was headed. By this time, I had already figured out for myself the location of the show. Too bad I was pretty sure she was onto my pathetic following attempts, or I could've marched boldly on ahead. So after a few more wrong turns, self-portraits and aimless wandering, we both stumbled off Avenue Montaigne past the Grand Palais and onto Pont Alexandre III.

Fashionable wanderer: my unknowing (and probably unwilling) tour guide, lost at the top of Avenue Montaigne.

Guy Laroche. Admittedly not a designer I know a whole lot about. I could ramble off a whole lot of wiki facts (ha, wiki facts) but as my university lecturers say that never does anyone good. As the designer has since passed on, the artistic director of the house is now Marcel Marongiu, and ready-to-wear shows have been running in Paris since 2007. Anyway, I was quite content with my space on the bridge's parapet; close enough so I could see the action but far enough away I could still be a little incognito. So as the time ticked over to 12.30pm (half an hour after the official starting time) and the guests slowly started to file their way past the obviously uninvited street-style photographers and bloggers (aka me) I'd made up my mind that this was as far as I was going to get, nothing to see here folks. But then Geraldine Saglio (assistant to French Vogue's Emmanuelle Alt) whisked past me, and was ushered into the show at the now empty entrance. And a few of the initial hangers-on started to go in without so much as a second glance. It was now or never. I took a breath and quickly descended the stairs as if I belonged. I stood in front of the gated entrance and before I had a chance to mumble so much as excusez-moi, the security guard stepped out of my way with nothing more than a head tilt. I was in! There I stood, a mere four rows from the front as the beat found its way into my viens whilst models flounced past me towards the wall of steady flashbulbs. And the rest is history.

Yulia Kharlapanova after the show 

Rose Cordero

pictures: mine!

Lanvin loves H&M

...and I love Lanvin. Even though I'm heading over to the UK in three days, I would seriously consider buying another ticket so I could be in line for this November 23rd release. Although... I have been tipped off not to do so until September 9. Wonder what news could possibly be bigger than this collab? Nothing, you say? We'll see.

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via:Sockholmstreetstyle

Couture by Night

I wasn't going to blog today, I swear. I was going to be a good girl and finish all my assignments. But then, just as I was almost done with my quick fix of editorial for the day, I found this. I've always said to myself that someday I would start an inspiration wall of sorts, someplace to hang all the stories, snapshots, styles and supers that have been saved and stored over the years, but have never found that one really great image to propel me to do so. Until now. Natasha Poly and Baptiste Giabiconi, lensed by Karl Lagerfeld (who else?) for Numéro #116. Featured in the editorial Couture by Night, I love every single element of this shot.

I love the two street lamps in the background; the way they cast a mellow shadow over the provincial apartments whilst providing a scene for these wandering lovers of the night. I love the ease with which Baptiste is holding Natasha, like she is nothing more than her own dainty champagne flute. I love the black and white of the photography, and how it is deliberately mirrored through their matching couture. I love the way Natasha's toes are pointed down, like a ballerina; aware but effortless in her positioning at all times. I love his strong, and her soft - but both smouldering - stares. I love it, I love it all.  

via FGR

Topshop Twiggy

What else can be more iconic in British fashion than Topshop and Twiggy? Now it seems the two have come together, yet somehow not in the way either imagined, I'm sure. Flicking through the latest Topshop collection I spied this fabulous kimono featuring an ink-splatter print. Look closely and you'll find it's actually haphazardly placed twigs. Ah, all is revealed. Anyway, in the spirit of my love for Topshop (and my impending trip back to its home country) here's a collection of a few of the things I have my eye on for when I set foot in their Oxford Street store. What better combination is there than a lightweight, oversized knit cinched in with a cropped leather bustier? Teamed with ripped jeans, wedge boots and topped off with a the Twiggy waterfall jacket? And if we're channelling the mod posterchild for the swinging 60s, we can't dare forget those kohl-rimmed eyes.

Shout out: Adelaide fash-pack

Calling all emerging Adelaide fashion designers! Whether you're still a student, a recent design grad, or anyone else who thinks they've got enough design talent for an upcoming showcase, we are looking for YOU.

Titled "The Uglee Challenge" - the show is the brainchild of fellow Adelaide blogger + law student Katherine, who has been documenting her own "uglee" makeovers (for want of a better word) over at her blog, CaughtCouture.

The basic concept is turning an odd (and don't forget, ugly) assortment of discarded clothing into something new and beautiful, using parts from all of the items as well as 1 random object. The chosen designers will be provided with this goody-bag and fashionable freedom to get their creative juices flowing, with the general theme of the show being "Bad Romance". Only restriction? The finished garment must incorporate at least 20% of each ugly piece. 

The chosen contestants will get to show off their garments in a fashion show on the 24th of November at Garage Bar, along with entertainment, high tea and cameos by some already established labels. The night aims to capture the design talent of Adelaide, as well as promote other SA-based creatives and business, and all proceeds raised will go towards CanTeen.

If this sounds like a great chance to gain some exposure and work with others in Adelaide's fashion scene, we'd love to hear from you (aspiring designers or otherwise).

Entries close November 10. Good luck!

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(for more information visit CaughtCouture or email fashionmorebidity@live.com.au or caughtcouture@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter to stay updated!)