The Ballet, the Muse

Short movie about Sylvie Guillem.

Bolero staring Sylvie Guillem.

Today I would like to write a few words about inspirational Sylvie Guillem. This french ballerina, became famous because of her amazing technique, astonishingly long legs but most of all her stubbornness in persuading her own vision of modern dance. She was not afraid to challenge the traditional ballet routine and to this day is considered as one of the most experiment driven ballerina in the world. What I truly admire about Sylvie is her both physical and emotional strength. She can easily be called a 'self made woman', because of her total devotion to dance and incredible regime of daily exercise and  drive to perfect the craft. It is truly bewildering that her strict and in the way humble way of life is a making stone of the most glamorous art performances that exist. One of my favorite is 'Bolero'; where she is dancing part usually reserved for the male performers (guess, I have already mentioned her being a rules barker), she is a vision of an absolute perfection and her androgynous look channels a mysterious force, reserved for those who make history. Sylvie Guillem defines what the real icons are made out of; courage, hard work and plenty of passion.

Ballet inspiration

    

What goes inside the Ballet shoe.

    

Anatomy of Tutu.

Valentino at NYC Ballet.

Menswear 2015 (Favorites)

 

 

 

Phillip Lim

 

 

 

Dries Van Noten

 

 

 

Louis Vuitton

Menswear S/S 2015

My favorite look from S/S 2015 menswear shows is by Maison Martin Margiela.

Chanel (Resort 2015)

 

 

 

My favorite show of this year's Resort is undoubtedly Chanel. I have to say that this choice of mine has proven to be surprising and confusing for both myself and most of my friends. As a keen textile lover I have been religiously following every Chanel show, and have to admit that there were always few looks and many more textiles that I would particularly like, or even love. However the overall hand of Mr. Lagerfeld has never particularly appealed to me. As a result, I have always tried to understand the public's fascination with Chanel. I agree that it is very innovative (especially regarding textiles), it is always changing (the differences between Resort 2015 for example and Fall 2014 were remarkable), but in the same time it often appears unfaltering and (here comes the blasphemy)... a bit tacky.

This year was different. I am not too sure why. Maybe it is me maturing enough to finally understand the phenomena of Mr Lagerfeld, maybe it is a move to the big city or maybe the fact that I used to be obsessed with dressing up like a princess up to an age of about seven. Ladies and gentlemen, I was absolutely swept away: the show was beautiful, sensual and truly magical.

There was shimmer, there was sheerness and there were always reliable tweeds. Models wore tunics paired with pants, cardigans or short jackets. Texture was rich and adorned with decorative fringing or beading. Print was also present: defined and full of color that even Zandra Rhodes could be jealous of. It featured flowery motifs which floated gently on the chiffon dresses and floor-length tunics. This year's collection was presented in Dubai and carried strong middle eastern references. As a consequence the audience could admire the fair amount of harem styled shoes, the most outrageous (in volume) harem pants and plentiful of crescent motifs. The last one could be spotted in bracelets, necklaces, hair accessories and even hem of a jacket.

 

This year hair and make up artists have decided on the very feminine, Sherezada inspired look. Models wore either loose, perfectly smooth hair or paraded a main of soft curls. In both cases the hair accessories were the crucial element of the styling, silver pins were safely secured on the top of the heads or in other cases the chains of Chanel pearls cascaded from the hair bands onto the models' temples. Skin was flawless with gentle touch of blush on the lips, brow was natural and there was a strong focus on the eyes. Smoky, almost sixties like eye was enhanced at the top and bottom by the sets of fake lashes. The smudge of gold in the inner corner of the eye had added the richness and intensity to the gaze.

This year Mr Lagerfeld's tale felt dreamy and romantic. It projected the nostalgia about the forgotten time were femininity was equal with natural grace and beauty, and it brought the memory of the place where any girl can become a princess.

In retrospect, I have to admit that although Resort 2015 was absolutely beautiful, Chanel's aesthetics did not manage to escape it's usual weaknesses: yes, the selection was not functional at times, yes, it did feel slightly too costumy and yes, maybe it did feel a bit tacky. But this time it was my kind of tacky, so I guess that I have succumbed to Mr. Lagerfeld's spell after all.