Sandra‘s Closet

Last week, it was Haute Couture S/S 2011 Fashion Week in Paris. This is always a feast for the eyes and one designer definitely caught my eye: Dilek Hanif.

Major player on the Turkish fashion scene, Dilek Hanif transmits a new sense of contemporary luxury in her designs. She lives and works in Istanbul where she started her own line in 1990 including Haute Couture and ready-to-wear collections. Since 2004, she became admitted on the official Paris Haute Couture calendar.

Gorgeous embroideries (all handstitched in her local atelier) on silk, lace, organza and chiffon are among her favourites. She also has a special love for drapings and for fluid, structured interplays.

What I like about her creations is the contemporary and modern approach to couture. For further enquiries, please contact the atelier at .

LoL, Sandra

On the S/S 2011 runways, there was an Yves Saint Laurent mood in the air. Many designers got inspired by the late master of colour and the father of the trouser suit.

The reason for this was probably the beautiful first posthumous retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s career with an exhibition of over 300 garments that took place last year at the Petit Palais museum in Paris. On display were his creations from his debut at Dior in 1958 up to the sumptuous evening dresses of 2002.

In 40 years of being a fashion designer, YSL revolutionized the female wardrobe by borrowing the tuxedo, the trouser suit and the safari jacket from men’s clothing in order to dress women, thereby transferring the symbols of power from one sex to another.

In 1961 Yves Saint Laurent decided to create his couture house. Just under 50 years ago, in January 1962, at the age of 26, he created a cultural shockwave by opening his first haute couture show with a caban jacket and trouser ensemble directly inspired by a fisherman’s pea coat.

The era in particular that was referenced for S/S 2011 was the 1970’s when Saint Laurent spent a tremendous amount of time at his second home in Marakkesh in his beautiful Majorelle botanical gardens. While being there he was greatly influenced by traditional Morrocan dressing and the gardens. His ashes were scattered there when he died in 2008.

I am in love with all those collections that are paying tribute to one of the greatest fashion designers of the 20th century and took the runways by storm. Therefore I put some collages for you together. I included photos of the exhibition of his previous creations to demonstrate the versatile references.

Enjoy this feast for the eyes.

LoL, Sandra

„Who said that real jewels have to be boring?“
Victoire de Castellane

When it comes to fine jewelry, Dior’s Victoire de Castellane is the designer that I truly admire for her amazing creations that are for me the most beautiful and outstanding pieces in the world. Often imitated but never equalled, Victoire is the lady of the rings.

Bold, chunky and huge are her designs that appear more like pieces of art than jewelry.

Born into an aristocratic Parisian family, her first experience with making jewelry happened when she dismantled her grandmother’s (Sylvia Hennessy from the cognac family) charm bracelet and transformed it into a pair of earrings, much to her mother’s dislike. As a young girl, her grandma and her best friend heiress Barbara Hutton involved the little girl in their love for enormous gems. A passion was born.

Victoire de Castellane started her career at Chanel working alongside Karl Lagerfeld as costume jewelry designer for fourteen years. In 1999, she was appointed by Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, as designer of the first ever collection of Fine Jewelry for the house Dior that allowed her to create her own daring and dramatic style that shook up the staid Place Vendôme from the very first beginning.

Each collection tells a story or evokes a place. The French aristocrat is inspired by the exuberance of technicolour, bright and fluorescent. Her designs are known for the best quality enamel with gems and semi precious stones.
“I prefer huge coloured stones instead of diamonds. And I like to wear and design things that look fake; like costume jewelry, but real” , says Victoire.
The collection Milly Carnivora, includes pieces that can open up to show the amazing inside creation. Love those surprises!

The Coffret de Victoire collection for Dior has some of the most unusual and original rings crafted from the finest gems, golds and materials. It includes creations with skulls, cameos and sealife inspirations – a reflection of world travels and exotic adventures with flavours from the ocean and the orient.

This year, the rose flower, which played a big role in the life of Christian Dior, has inspired Victoire de Castellane to create a new jewelry collection for Dior, so-called „Bois de Rose“.

This month, I was lucky to enjoy a presentation of how the rings are crafted at the Dior boutique in Zurich. After having seen the craftmanship and having talked to the goldsmiths who came from Paris for the event, I value Victoire’s designs even more.

Those fanciful wonders sometimes take months to be finished depending on the design. Every little detail is made by hand. I am truly fond of the jewelry’s bold presence.

If you are interested, please visit the Dior homepage for further information and store locations.

So lovely Ladies, think big and enjoy the little forest on your finger…

LoL, Sandra

 

Thom Browne is the darling of the fashion community. The shrunken suit silhouette – narrow lapels and short-cropped trousers, meticulously tailored – is his signature look.
Since he founded his own line in 2001, the US designer has transformed the direction of menswear, a world in which change happens at a glacial pace. Especially American men tend to wear clothes that are too big. Thom, an admirer of European tailoring, has created a new exaggerated take on the staples of a man’s wardrobe.

He got his start in fashion by designing for Club Monaco in the Nineties. In 2006, Browne was tapped to design Brooks Brothers’ more fashion-focused Black Fleece line, and in 2008 he was named creative director for Moncler Gamme Bleu.

For his menswear S/S 2011 collection, the designer made his Paris Fashion week runway debut with his probably most commercial show due to date. From his famous classic gray flannel to a shimmering sequined plaid, all interpreted with bermuda shorts and kneesocks underneath, he proofed his talent for proportional play and focused on his craft, his love for quality.

And good news is, for S/S 2011, Thom Browne is making a foray into womenswear with an amazing collection. Women look great in tailoring and the clothes boast the juxtaposition of traditional fabrications remixed with a his special kind of humour and exaggerations.

Thom Browne’s statement regarding his new womenswear collection: „I’m looking at it the same as my mens, like looking at really well-made clothes for girls that are tailoring-inspired but interesting and provocative, not just another collection of clothing for girls.“

One thing is clear, Thom Browne is poised to be as big as his suits are small!

Thom Browne Men is available in Switzerland at Trois Pommes, for further store enquiries, please contact .

LoL, Sandra

Finally we have an exciting preview of what Tom Ford has designed for his upcoming eponymous S/S 2011 womenswear collection. The master’s comeback to ladies dressing after six years is fashion meganews and he kept it pretty secretly which has made the hype even bigger.
The December issue of US-Vogue, with Angelina Jolie on the cover, shows some amazing photos of the new must-haves.

Glamour is, after all, what Mr. Ford is for in fashion. But his vision has changed a little, he is not designing for the trendy Gucci girl he left behind, he is more into reaching the Chanel and Armani league.

„It is about individuality. The Seventies is what I love. Soft, touchable beauty is what I love,“ says Ford. And we love you Mr. Ford! Cannot wait to become a Mrs. Ford… Thank God we have a Tom Ford boutique in Zurich!

LoL, Sandra

My last article concerning the Fashion Days Zurich is about upcoming Swiss designers. On Thursday morning, they had the opportunity to present their collections. Three of them caught my eye and I would like to present them to you.

First of all, Aleksandra Wisniewska, who during her studies at Esmod Paris, completed an internship with Chloé and launched her own label in 2005. Today, she is based in Lausanne where she designs her elegant, feminine and extravagant collections. Her S/S 2011 collection is called „Architecture Une Histoire de Famille“. I especially liked the well tailored shoulder details and the silver fabric.

Available for example online at styleserver.de or at Glam.in in Zurich.

Photos: Image Gate © 2010 Getty Images

ALEKSANDRA WISNIEWSKA

REDLEY EXANTUS

Redley Exantus was born in New York where she later studied at the famous Fashion Institut of Technology (FIT). She improved her skills while working two years for Calvin Klein. After having moved to Geneva, she founded her brand in 2006. Her creations are modern, combining the American way of dressing with European craftmanship. For S/S 2011, I liked her digital psychedlic prints even if they reminded me a little too much of Alexander McQueen.
What I absolutely adored was the well-tailored black dress with the moving hemline and the kind of woven fabrics, first and foremost the black gala cape. My absolute favourite.

TOUJOURS TOI- FAMILY AFFAIRS

The name has to be taken literally. New York based jewelry designer (Toujours Toi) Nina Egli, has teamed up with her mother Kaya to form Family Affairs. A transatlantic design partnership that stands for romantic, feminine fashion. For all women who adore bow-tie blouses and flowing materials. I fell in love with the headpieces and the feathers hanging down the hats.
In Zurich, they divided the show in their F/W 2010 „Moon River“ and S/S 2011 „Ocean Lemonande“ collections.
Available for example in Zurich at Dings.

Switzerland has more more to offer than cheese and chocolat. Not only the best watches are made here, as you see, there are great talents around.
Let’s support them!

LoL, Sandra

26-year-old Alexander Wang has been conquering the high fashion world since his first eponymous collection in 2007. Born and raised in San Francisco, the wunderkind moved to New York City at the age of 18 to try his hand at designing clothes. He attended Parsons School of Design for two years and interned with Mark Jacobs.

Wang has become well-known for his M.O.D., “model–off–duty–look“. He says: „Anyone can get all dressed up and glamourous, but it is how people dress in their off days, that is the most intriguing.“
With a growing fan crowd embracing his modern approach to dressing, he has taken the industry by storm.

The bag collection was launched in 2008, followed by the diffusion line T by Alexander Wang and shoes in 2009. Wang has created already many signature It-pieces like the cat’s eye sunglasses spotted first on Lady Gaga or the bottom-studded Rocco bag, Mary–Kate Olsen was frequently seen.

He is the recipient of the VOGUE/CFDA Fashion Fund in 2009 as the Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year, celebrated again in 2010 with another Swarovski Designer of the Year Award (this time in the Accessory category). 
Last year he won the Swiss Textiles Award. As a culmination of this year’s gala, the king of sexed-up streetwear cool showed his surprising S/S 2011 collection, seen before on the New York runway.
The colour range went from all-white to ivory, mint, curry and terracotta. Deconstructed looks, coverall straps, stiff canvas covered with paint spots and industrial materials like Tyvek played an important role. Rose gold stripes reminding of duct tape and white paint in the models’ hair finally evoke the theme of carpenters.

I was very lucky to meet Alex in person and do an interview with him. Enjoy his answers and the photos of his S/S 2011 show in Zurich!
Photos: Image Gate © 2010 Getty Images

You are back in Switzerland again. How do you like it here?

Unfortunately, I haven’t been out that much. Hopefully I will see more. I was pretty busy. This time, I am enjoying it not to be under the pressure to compete.

You received a lot of top honours, among them last year’s Swiss Textiles Award. Those prizes are accompanied by a generous financial support. Did that help you building up your company and gaining even more popularity?

The monetary component is always an advantage but I wouldn’t say it is a priority. I think just the recognition of being in a different market than where we are based, having that awareness and exposure was definitely something that we experienced over the last year. Especially the opportunity and the ressources to work with the Swiss Textiles Foundation gave us the possibility of developing new fabrications for our S/S 2011 collection, that are much more special and expensive. That was definitely the part that I thought was the top advantage of winning the award.

You launched the your first collection in 2007.  Despite the financial worldwide crisis, you were on the rise during those for many people very tough last two years.
After your Wall Street inspired Fall runway, you are trying something new again, something unexpected was seen on the summer catwalk. After the deconstructed bankers there are now deconstructed carpenters…. What is your message?

I want to show the world that they don’t have me all figured out yet. For me, the most important thing is having a very strong point of view that you can evolve.
Every designer has their own method of doing things. This is my way of communicating to my customer and to the industry of what I have to say.

This season, we didn’t show any black on the runway. It wasn’t something that felt too urban. It wasn’t about doing something downtown or New York. I wanted to create something that felt very optimistic, very uplifting and pure, so with print and colour. That was the outcome of my vision.

You are opening your first store in the old Yohji space on Grand street in New York. Will we see more of your own stores in the future? What does your first store mean to you?

Hopefully, there will be more to follow but nothing is planned so far. I really wanted to take the time and do something right that I feel very strong about. A lot of people rush into things very quickly. I can’t say that. We obviously had a lot of growth in the last couple of years but sometimes you really have to take a moment to think what you are doing, to consider the next steps and where you want to expand.
For us, the store has always been the best possibility to really showcase the full brand and its entirety, where you can really control the image. We are opening it in New York next year. It is an intense process and I want to make sure that each and every detail is done correctly to my standards of perfection.

You already did a collaboration with Gap. Can you imagine to do something similiar with H&M, too?

We have done a couple of collaborations in the past. I kind of promised myself to be somehow over collaborations in that sort of sense.
Any collaboration that I will be doing in the future moving forward will have to speak to the brand on a completely different level. It has to be organic. The period of doing high-low collaborations feels over for me, to what it represents to our company. I think anything that we do now has to be something that feels fresh and looks modern.
If we were to do another collaboration, it would have to be definitely different and not with a high street brand.

Let’s take all that a little further. If another long-established fashion house asked you to become their new creative director and you could dream of one, which one would it be?

I don’t know if I could answer that question right now. The opportunity has definitely been there before but I feel that my focus should be on growing my own brand and company. Building something solid is my top priority at the moment.

Wangsters, Wang-ettes, fashion editors come up with all sorts of names for your fan crowd. How does it feel to be the leader of a cult?

I find it very flattering of course that people really dedicate themselves to what we are creating.

I do what I love and I am very thankful for having an audience that really appreciates my work. That is why I am a designer. I create clothes for people that want to wear, buy and live in them.
It is not for my own selfish indulgence, to do something just purely creative. It is about the combination of creativity and yet being commercially buyable, that goes to the stores and makes people desire it.

You are very good friends with Erin Wasson? Would you call her your muse? Who is inspiring you?

Erin is a friend of mine, for sure, but I rarely use the term of muse. I think it is outdated and old-fashioned.
I am inspired by people who work for me that are my family and friends, that I interact with, that I constantly have a communication with.

You went to Parsons for a four-year programme and dropped out after two years to focus on your first collection that was mainly about knitwear and sold to over 200 stores. That is absolutely amazing. Did you have any connections? How did you do that?

(Laughs) There has been the myths that my family owns production facilities. Probably because we are Chinese, people make that association. Other rumors said that we made a big investment. This is all not true.

The brand started off very small with only six styles. It was just that people really responded to the authenticity, to the genuine feeling. When you have someone who really believes in doing something and would do anything to make it happen. Luckily, I had a very big support in terms of a family and I don’t mean just financial.
The people around me encouraged me to keep going. My mum who let me leave school and friends who encouraged me to do what I believed in and not listening so much to what the stores were telling me to do, what the showroom wanted me to do. Saying so what, that is my customer, this is the one I want to design for, that is the one, I want to sell to and this how I want to approach it! And I just stuck with it.

Can describe the Wang factor, the Wang DNA in three words?

I wouldn’t limit it to three words. There is definitely a sense of ease. At the end of the day, it is fashion, it is fun. People need to enjoy it. At a certain point when it is so strict, so controlled, pretentious, I don’t fun with it anymore. And that is not what our brand is about it. It is about individuality, ease and a sense of humour. I always look at it light-heartedly.

I love dressing men and women of all different ages and sizes. I don’t want to dictate how to wear my clothes. I get motivated by how people bring their own approach to my designs.

What do you think of all those fashion blogs? Are they the future?

This is part of a generation discovering a new method of communicating. It is definitely about being more acknowlegdeable of what is around me, my surrounding and how to communicate. It changed the way that fashion functions. I feel very priviledged to be part of this advanced generation.

And I feel very priviledged to have met you. Thanks, Alex, for this lovely interview!

It was truly a pleasure to talk to Alexander Wang. He is a very charismatic, energetic person with a very strong vison and full of enthusiasm. On one hand, he seems like the young boy he still is, a little hyper and kind of innocent, on the other side, he is an already experienced business man who goes his own way. This is a very interesting combination and probably his key to success.

LoL, Sandra

Last night, the 11th Swiss Textiles Award was presented on the occasion of the first Fashion Days Zurich. The highly acclaimed fashion prize is worth € 100.000.- and talented designers like Jason Wu, Duro Olowu, Adam Kimmel, Juun.J, Damir Doma and Mary Katrantzou were fighting for it.
But there can be only one winner! And this year, it went to the only woman in the competition.
I was very happy to meet all of them and talk about their visions and designs.

The winner Greek-born and London-based Mary Katrantzou was my guess and also my favourite. So I was very happy for her to receive the trophy.

 

The 27-year-old is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.

 

She belongs to a new generation of designers, using digital prints to create extraordinary trompe d’oeil effects. To me, she is creating unique pieces that the fashion world has not seen before, a true innovation! This is her fourth collection. The first was about perfume bottles, the second about artisanal blown glass, the third was inspired by jewels and this time it is all about rooms. Her stunning S/S 2011 interior-inspired collection was already the talk of London Fashion Week

 

Mary, congratulations, you have absolutely deserved to win. How do you feel at the moment?

Ecstatic! I couldn’t believe it and cried backstage so I think that says it all.

What does the trophy mean to you?

The financial support is amazing at a stage when the business is growing and it’s so important to have that support. I can invest in my company now on a multilevel, taking it to a newer and international level and award the people who have believed in me. It’s a very prestigious prize, it’s a benchmark and a great honour. You just feel you have been acknowledged.

Does your Greek origin influence your designs?

Probably in the concept of the female figure, meaning to design very closely to the body.
Moreover, it is very difficult and time-consuming to place the prints correctly on the clothes in order to flatter the feminine silhouette.

Do you think that your designs are wearable?

Absolutely! I mean the commercial aspect is important, too. I want women to wear my designs instead of hanging them in a museum. You should feel comfortable.
I like to make objects wearable and desirable. It is just my signature look, I don’t want women to feel objectified.

Any hints concerning your next collection for F/W 2011?

It’s a progression of this one, it’s not as thematic and it’s slightly darker. The thing is with my collections,  if I say too much then it will give it away. Like with this collection if I had said ‘rooms’, I would have revealed too much.

How do you like Zurich?

It is my first time and I haven’t been able to properly enjoy it as I was so busy with this show. But yesterday we were very hungry and went to the lake where all these old buildings are located. It was really nice and I love Zurich.

What will you do next?

Going home to my boyfriend and I think drinks will be on the list. (Giggles.)

Where are you going to put your trophy?

Top front in my new studio that we are right in the middle of moving in.

That Mary had to beat off stiff competition from fellow designers can you see below.

Jason Wu was born in Taipeh and moved when he was a child to Vancouver. He studied to be a sculptor and went to Parsons School of Design. His first collection was launched in 2006.

 

His career kicked off when Michelle Obama supported the young talent by wearing a custom-designed one-shoulder, floor-length white chiffon gown, at the ball on the night of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Later, she appeared on the cover of the US-Vogue once again in a Wu design, a magenta silk dress.

 

 

 

Today, Wu works in New York. His eye for details and colours is his strong point.
For S/S 2011 he cut out small petals and created beautiful embellishments.

Jason was very sweet and revealed some interesting facts:

My mum always supported me. She bought me a sewing machine at the age of 10 and paid a fashion student to teach me.
My beloved symbol, the owl, was inspired by my last name Wu because if you say it many times in a row, it sounds like it.

 

Born in Lagos and based in London, Duro Olowu went on a quite different career path.  He studied law in England, worked as a lawyer in Nigeria before switching to his first love, fashion. Drawing on the inspirations he found by the unexpected mix of fabrics, textures and draping techniques of the clothing worn by the women of his native land.

 

He launched his own label in London in October, 2004 which became an instant hit with his use of luxurious fabrics and ecclectic, clashing prints.
Last year, he opened his own boutique in London.

Michelle Obama has supported Duro’s carrer as well, as she has been seen many times in his vibrant styles.

 

For his S/S 2011 collection, Duro flipped easily back and forth between retro silhouettes and modern bright pop-like references, incorporationg the saturated colours of tribes in Papua New Guinea and the ever present influence of his Nigerian and Jamaican heritage.

I spoke briefly to him and was overwhelmed by his charming positive attitude. His aura reflects the joie de vivre that shows in his collections.

Being proud of his roots, he is a leading example of how you can life your dream and that everything is possible.

Damir Doma is a modern nomade. His collections are inspired by his own way of living.

 

He was born in Croatia and grew up in the southern part of Germany. Same like me, he studied fashion design at ESMOD (L’ Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) in Munich and Berlin. He graduated in 2004 with magna cum laude for the best collection and worked after that in Antwerp for Raf Simons whom he sees as one of the most inspiring designers.

In 2006 he started his label with menswear, followed this year by his first collection for women. He is widely considered the most improtant German fashion designer of his generation.

 

Damir explained:

I don’t like the body to adapt to the clothes, it should be vice-versa. I love soft materials and flowing volume. I grew up in my mother’s atelier and was playing with fabric starting in my early childhood. That might be the reason why fabrics play such an important role for me.

 

Adam Kimmel stands for the American way of life, uniting the worker and the artist. As he states himself; it’s all about giving the industrial style profile by infusing relaxed elegance.

 

He studied architecture, completed then later an apprenticeship with an Italian samples manufacturer before launching his debut label in 2002.

The New Yorker designer received standing ovations for the presentation of his S/S 2011 collection last night. The usually more quiet Swiss audience cheered from the first moment when the sounds of Snoop Dogg echoed in the hall.

The Snoop looky-likeys paraded down the aisle in a perfect mixture of hip-hop style elements produced in the finest Italian cashmere. I am sure Snoop would love it.

 

Later at the after party at Moods, Adam told me more:

I saw the Wall Street Journal including something about Snoop Dogg and got immediately inspired to create this collection.

As we could not bring the models to Switzerland, we did a fun street casting in Zurich before to find the best bad boys.

 

The final show last night was the one of last year’s Swiss Textiles Award 2009 winner Alexander Wang.
Stay tuned as I did a fantastic detailed interview with him which will soon be published here.

LoL, Sandra

Isabel and Ruben Toledo are what you would call a power couple, two highly talented individuals working in synergy. It is a marriage of art and fashion since 1984.

Cuban-born Isabel is a renowned fashion designer. Her creations are often seen on the First Lady Michelle Obama. Available for example at couturelab.

Ruben paints, sculpts, illustrates and draws. His surreal view of life brings humor and unconventionality to his fashion illustrations that have appeared in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Paper, Visionaire and the New York Times. His work has adorned many book covers and his sketches have been an integral part of the Louis Vuitton’s city guides for years.

The French luxury goods maker has just released a unique limited collector’s edition box of 100 postcards adorned with Toledo’s vibrant illustrations capturing the essence of various cities. A wonderful commemoration of an outstanding artist and an ideal gift for the lover of art and fashion. Available at Louis Vuitton stores or at Colette for €80.- ($115.-).

LoL, Sandra

Yesterday, Zurich’s best shoe shop Lovers Lane hosted a trunk show to present the gorgeous creations of Nicholas Kirkwood. The British designer is the biggest name in shoes today, known for his craftsmanship and innovative designs, that are instantly recognisable. He also has a lot of celeb fans, among them Sarah Jessica Parker who wore his extravagant designs all the way through the Sex and the City 2 promotions.
The famed footman came extra to the Swiss city for the event last night and I was very lucky to do an extensive interview with him before he left for New York for a meeting with Anna Wintour this morning.

 

You were born in Germany. Do you speak any German?

No, I was just born there because my Dad was living in Münster at that time.

Being here in Zurich today to present your amazing creations, do you have a vision of the typical Swiss woman?

I came to Switzerland quite a lot when I was younger for my ski holidays. We were always staying at the same hotel that was run by lady who was very firm, and very strict, you could never do something wrong.  When we were running around, she would say no-no.

So tonight I am looking forward to meeting another type of Swiss ladies and see how my customers here look like.

Which woman do you have in mind when creating your shoes in general?

One season is more feminine, the other more angular. It is quite open. Therefore I like to do events like tonight. Seeing the shops I sell to and  meeting the women’s wishes. Every market is different. You have to start somewhere.

You logded with the late Isabella Blow?  Has her eccentric style influenced your work?

She was very encouraging. Any new idea, any of her thoughts would make a good idea. And of course, knowing her was amazing, her inspiration and unique character.

Is there a celeb woman that you would love to dress in your shoes that does not wear them yet?

A very interesting question. Let me think. If I was walking in the streets and my cell phone would be ringing and somebody would be asking me for shoes, who would shock me the most? Mmh, Madonna, no… Now I know. Imelda Marcos! I just want her to have my shoes even if she probably can’t wear them anymore.

Lovers Lane sells other brands as well. Which one do you like the best?

I love very much what Charlotte Olympia does. A wonderful girl, very beautiful. I think we sometimes have the same customer, it is a very close but friendly competition.

I know that you are not a big fan of kitten heels. So how did you like this season’s shoe trend? Will we see one day a Kirkwood kitten heel?

I kind of did a kitten heel, but it was very strange looking. There is more a hype, than a reality to it. A lot of people want it to be a trend, are pushing it to be a trend.
The shoes might be not as high as they were in the last few seasons and I might be completely wrong but I just do not see this happen.

You have a signature look that is instantly recognisable . I truly admire that, especially with all the different collaborations you do, like for example Rodarte, Erdem, Peter Pilotto. Now, you are the new creative director for Pollini. You seem to be an unlikely fit for the traditional house. Do you have a carte blanche? How much freedom do you get in creating for other designers?

Pollini is a big challenge and I like it. I have a lot of work and I do not sleep much.

The best collaborations come out of working together. I’d hate it to be just told „do what you want“. The other party tries to bring the most into it. So the final product is the result of both rather than being too heavily weighted on one side or the other.

How did the pop-up e-commerce shop go? (The runway shoes he created for Peter Pilotto and Erdem were available for just a few days during London Fashion week.)
Would you do it again?

I think we will do it again. It was a great experiment.
In some ways it is the future. Probably sad to say but that is the way things are going to go and we like to keep ahead of the game. Burberry did it with clothes. I might be wrong, but with shoes we were the first.
Fashion is so quick. Something can seem old before it even hits the shops.

Will there be a Nicholas Kirkwood online shop soon? Do you dream of your own stores?

Yes, but we are not there yet.

In 2009, you created jelwery in collaboration with Swarovski? Will we see more Kirkwood in the future? For example handbags, menswear and more?

Men’s shoes, handbags, jewlery and sunglasses, yes! Soon…

Do you like things to be matchy-matchy? Like matching your bag to your shoes?

No, hate it. Similiar colour that is o.k..

Experimenting with heel shapes, negative spaces and shoe shapes might be pretty expensive. Do you have some base models you always start working with?

I try to always do something new. As soon as I have finished the collection, I start over again. I re-start and also keep something. Partly it is mostly somewhere close of what I have just done.  Fashion is too quick to always change.

I read once that you do not like fastenings and excess, do you still agree with that? Has your focus changed or developed during the last years?

No, it is not that I do not like it. There is sometimes a need to have a buckle and sometimes I try to think of other solutions than a buckle. But it is also nice to have those elements in there. When you are at a young stage, you start out on one tune.

Now, I am trying to expand the range, become more obedient to different types of customers, to become more of a shoe brand not just a niche for a small community.
Those details will become part of the collection more and more. There will always be my signature in it, but probably just not so in your face.

Is there a creation that you find horrible today?

Oh yes, especially a shoe that comes out crooked. I normally try to hide and burn it without anybody seeing the disaster.

Did you ever see a woman wearing your shoes and you did not like what you saw?

Sometimes, when I see somebody wearing my shoes completely beaten up. But on the other way, it is a sign that she very much loved them.

I hate it if they are wearing the wrong size and the toes are hanging out.

Have a you ever made a shoe in which it was impossible to stand or walk?

Yes, especially for photo shoots. You could stand in them for 10 seconds and that was it.

The Alice in Wonderland shoes that I made for Printemps in Paris, you could probably not walk in them because of the little hanging porcelaine cups.

Do you have a favourite of your designs?

In some ways I am never satiesfied with anything. Sometimes I am very happy with the way things come out. But once the shoe is made, I am over it. I have seen the process for so long, it gets kind of boring after a while.

It is like recording an album. You are listening to the same thing for such a long time, that by the time it is finished, you can’t stand it.

Your shoes melt contemporary art and fashion? Best example is the upcoming Keith Haring collection. Do you see yourself as an artist?

No, not at all. I am more of a product designer. I studied fine arts at St. Martins. I am a big fan of art. It is a completely other thing. You do not replace it so easily like a piece of fashion. It has more of a longevity to it. There are similiarities to it like the way  people get excited.

I feel a little like the art world looks kind of down on the fashion world, a little bit of a high brow.

Could you imagine to do a collaboration with H&M? Or to create a more budget-friendly second line?

Not yet. I have been approached by similiar kind of things. I always like to promote the quality manufacturing and made in Italy. That is what I sort of believe in. It is different with the ready-to-wear. Regarding footwear, you will really notice a cheap pair of shoes . I don’t want to say that I will never do it. (Laughs…) I will wait until I can make a hell out of money out of it for a one-time-thing. And make a big party after.

I mean, there are a lot of people out there, not everything has to be accessible to everybody.

I don’t say that I will never,  there is just no need at the moment unless I will be forced by a powerful editor who says you have to.

Like the one you are seeing tomorrow (Anna Wintour)?

Laughs again. No, not her.

I hope that you have liked the interview. I had a blast talking to Nicholas as he is such a sweet guy. The party at Lovers Lane was really great. I took some photos for you to get an impression.

And gentlemen, sometimes it is worth going shoe-shopping with your wifes or girlfriends. There might be a little treat for you, too.

LoL, Sandra