Sílvia Sousa

Sally LaPointe is a brand I recently discovered, and her Winter 2014 collection a pleasurable surprise. Follow the link if you want to read the entire review on MyTRND.com

My review of the Delpozo Spring/Summer 2014 collection is now featured on MyTRND.com's Homepage.

The collection is beautiful, delicate and strong and it was a pleasure writing about it for MYTRND!

"It's a reinvention of something I don't really know, but that I like to play with." Karl Lagerfeld, about the Paris Dallas collection.

The Chanel Métiers d’Art show happened last night in Dallas and the theme of the collection conveniently revolved around cowgirls and pistols, feathers and other Native American symbols. 

This a special collection that Chanel first launched in 2002 to showcase the skills from the workshops and specialty ateliers they have been acquiring over the years. The collection also serves to present the Pre-Fall collection and has always been themed around a certain city. In the past there was the Paris-Moscow (Pre-Fall 2009), Paris-Shanghai (Pre-Fall 2010), Paris-Byzance (Pre-Fall 2011), Paris-Bombay (Pre-Fall 2012) and Paris-Edinburgh (Pre-Fall 2013).

This year, the inspiration came from the Texan city of Dallas and according to the official Chanel site 

“This event is the occasion to celebrate the strong bond that linked the French designer to the United States. "I admire and love America. It's where I made my fortune. (…) The climax of this mutual passion dates back to 1957, when Coco Chanel – accompanied by a delegation of 125 people from France – landed on October 14th at the Dallas airport. Stanley Marcus, co-founder of the Neiman Marcus store, awarded her with the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, the "Oscar of Fashion".” 

In a sort of full-circle moment, it was Lagerfeld’s turn to receive the same award last night. In his own words, this collection was "a reinvention of something I don't really know, but that I like to play with." And indeed, he played with all the stereotypes and clichés associated with the Wild West, cowboys and cowgirls, Native American tribes, feathers and pistols.

I follow some fashion professionals, ranging from hairstylists, make-up artists, models, bloggers, editors, designers, and fashion magazines on Instagram. This morning, my feed was full of pics from last night’s show, all of them mesmerized by the Kaiser’s incessant ability to create amazing fashion collections and Chanel’s impeccable party-planning structure. 

However, some of the images I saw made me cringe a little… Is is just me or is it not extremely wrong to create a hairpiece that puts together feathers and pistols? 

Photo from Vogue Paris' Instagram

The collection borrowed several references from Native American tribes and although they were not merchandised as Navajo (like Urban Outfitters did), it still came across, at least to me, as a case of cultural appropriation. The thing that upset me the most was the feather headdress worn by Caroline de Maigret in the last look. It was an all-white, floor-length, knock-off of Indian headdresses.

Image from Style.com

Headdresses or warbonnets are probably the first thing that come to our minds when we think about Indians and, in fact, they are one of the most copied or borrowed features from Native-American tribes. However, our interpretations always fail to convey the extreme importance and symbology attached to these objects. We reduce them to their aesthetic aspects and use them in a superficial way. 

This got me thinking a little further on this subject of cultural appropriation and, in the context of fashion design, where we draw the line between “inspiration” and “cultural appropriation”. Basically, when does it stop being OK using another culture’s iconography for inspiration and it becomes simply disrespectful? If Mr. Lagerfeld doesn’t know anything about Indian headdresses, then he probably shouldn’t also play with them. 

Mentally reviewing all other Métiers d’Art collections, it seemed obvious there was always a direct stylistic approach in terms of folklore and iconography. The Paris-Edinburgh show took place at the castle where Mary Stuart was born and featured a lot of tweed, plaid, argyle and knitwear —produced by Barrie, a Scottish company Chanel had recently acquired, Paris-Bombay was a spectacular show where models wore sari-like dresses and tunics, accessorized with jewelry that seemed to have been borrowed from a Rajasthani maharajah and their eyes outline in dark kohl. Paris-Moscow was a homage to Imperial Russia, Constructivism, Russian architecture and byzantine jewelry. 

It hit me suddenly, had all these collections been a great number of cultural appropriation from Lagerfeld? Again, how can we draw the line between using folkloric and cultural iconography as visual reference and inspiration and shamelessly ripping-off and misinterpreting another culture? 

The truth is, mood boards filled with visual reference and inspiring pictures are something practically all fashion designers use to guide their creative process. And very often, fashion designers cite a certain country, culture, era or place as their inspiration for a collection. From the top of my head, I can think of at least three or four examples: Frida Kahlo and Mexico, the Victorian era, Greek classicism, Asia - more specifically China and Japan, and, of course, Native American themes. 

Fashion designers can learn a lot from traditional costumes and take advantage of the skills and know-how that each country or people developed and applied to their costumes. Fashion designers shouldn’t ridicule other culture’s iconography and symbols and reduce them to their aesthetic and stylistic aspects, reinterpreting them in superficial, empty ways. 

In conclusion, is it possible for fashion designers to develop a different creative process? How can they still be inspired and genuinely interested in folklore and traditional costumes, while interpreting them in ways that are not harmful or disrespectful?

Loved & Found featured the styling I did a few months ago for Lori Ha's shooting! Yuhuu!

Check it out here.

Photography: Lori Ha

Styling: Sílvia Sousa

Some highlights from Wald’s latest Fashion issue.

(image from crfashionbook Instagram)

Supplies are to the fashion industry as eggs are to omelets: you can't have the latter without the former. 

This is all the more important in the context of luxury, high-end fashion. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès or Chanel became famed for only using the most exclusive materials and the work of the most crafted artisans available on Earth. 

Supplying these brands are outsourced businesses and ateliers. A famous example: Chanel's embroidery work is done at Lesage, a long-running family business specialized in embroidery and needlepoint. In 2002 Chanel bought Lesage, in order to ensure the Maison would be secure from bankruptcy, insolvency, basically making sure the company would stay around. Then last year Chanel bought Barrie Knitwear, a scottish cashmere maker, also threatened to disappear in this ever competitive scenario of fashion. 

(image from lediniz.com.br)

I used to find this approach very commendable and noble: big, powerful fashion houses saving smaller but highly skilled ateliers. Without this intervention, many businesses would disappear and with them a number of Haute-Couture techniques, skills, tools and professionals.  

However, there is another side to this reality, one that is a little more complex and deals with the aspect of monopoly. The point is, once certain suppliers are bought by big Fashion houses or luxury conglomerates, they can choose — and most likely will — to supply only their own demands and to stop supplying their direct competitors. This also means that independent designers and smaller brands will struggle even more to find good quality supplies. 

The trend to vertical integration can be seen not only in fashion, but also in cosmetics and watches. Is this a case of choosing the lesser of two evils? Is it best to save skills, suppliers and jobs, but have them working exclusively for a certain conglomerate or should this be a case in which these businesses should make an effort to stay independent for as long as possible? It certainly is a subject open to an interesting discussion and one that will evolve in future times. 

It's very uplifting to see that in the context of Fashion Weeks, events where people seem to be obsessed with consumerism, It-Items and the most exclusive trends, Vivienne Westwood chose to leave us with a very sensible message. In her own words, “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’s buying far too many clothes. (…) Instead of buying six things, buy one thing that you really like. Don’t keep buying just for the sake of it.”

She also used her Red Label runway show to promote her ongoing message against global warming. Models walked the runway with shirts and hats showcasing the phrase "Climate revolution". 

The fashion industry remains as one of the most polluting in our economy and not many high-end designers seem to be committed with this problem. The unsustainability of seasonal collections that keep hitting the stores and magazines with new products and persuades customers to buy yet another pair of jeans or the bag-of-the-season as not been questioned by most people in the business.

We should look for alternative methods of production and consumerism in fashion. Nothing forces us to remain attached to this system and it's not soon to start this discussion. Westwood has already started it!

We can always count on Vice to bring us articles and stories way different than the usual. The american magazine covers all kinds of subjects, from music to porn film festivals, including the recent US elections and also sports and technology.

Of course fashion couldn’t be ignored, but being Vice we can’t expect to find reviews from the parisian Haute-Couture shows, Guesquière leaving Balenciaga or an article about this season’s trends and must-have pieces.

We can find, however, a really interesting documentary about fashion weeks and other fashion events in countries such as Nigeria, Cambodja or Brasil! Fashion Week Internationale is the name of the series that tries to capture what is happening in terms of fashion all over the world. The production team goes to distant places, those that we never associate with fashion in any way. They gather testemonial and opinions from fashion desginers, models, make-up artists, musicians and photographers about their personal views on fashion, trends, beauty ideals and the fashion system overall. The series is an authentic, uncensored view of the ways fashion is understood all over the world and how it influences young people and urban tribes.

These are two brands I respect and admire for serveral reasons: Hermès for the craftsmanship and ability to modernise itself (just check their website) staying true to their values and Comme des Garçons for their conceptual and disruptive take on fashion. Since its inception in the eighties, Rei Kawakubo has managed to always deliver creative and original collections, both questioning beauty and fashion values and not compromising her artistic vision.

The Carrie Diaries

I watched the first episode out of sheer curiosity, I must confess i wasn’t very thrilled with the idea of a Sex and the City prequel. However, episode after episode the series has captivated me to the point that I’m now anxiously antecipating the next episode.

Catwoman + Dior Tulip line = Gucci Fall 2013

Benetton became famous thanks to their fashion campaigns that referred to controversial politicial and social isuues, such as HIV and Aids, racism or religious conflicts.

In their newest Summer campaign, the italian brand brings a similar approach and casts 9 personalities that represent some kind of inspiration or role model. Among them we can find Alek Wek, the Sudanese model who exiled in England and became one of the most popular models of recent decades. Besides her modelling career, Wek is involved with several charities, from cancer research to refugee protection and Doctors without Borders. In 2007 she wrote her autobiography, telling about her life since her native town, to refugee camps all the way to the international catwalks.

Image via TheSartorialist.com

Learn some beauty tricks that Scandinavian women hand down to each other and find out how to get that perfect complexion!

Water

Scandinavian women drink at least 1,5l of spring water every day. Besides that, they also sprinkle their faces with mineral water twice a day. This trick boosts the natural functions of skin and reduces puffiness.

Well, it doesn’t but you get the point. Berlin is on its way to become one Europe’s most important cities, surpassing Rome as the 3rd most visited city, just behind London and Paris. Urban culture and the music scene are very strong in Berlin, with fashion following right behind. Berlin is still defining its identity as a fashion capital, so it’s important to pay attention to your look and make-up when strolling through the streets of Berlin! You never know when you might be snapped for some street style blog!