Sandra‘s Closet

M∙A∙C x Philip Treacy represents a unique partnership – London’s leading couture hat designer collaborating with the world’s boldest makeup brand and the outcome is to die for!

Philip Treacy created three dazzling headpieces that accentuated different parts of the face, including the eyes, cheekbones, and lips. From there, M∙A∙C Cosmetics produced a makeup collection that complemented the milliner’s designs.

ABOUT PHILIP TREACY

Beginning his millinery label from a basement workshop in Isabella Blow’s house, Philip Treacy’s fantastical creations have graced the runways of Givenchy, Chanel and Valentino and earned him an OBE in 2007. Handcrafted in London, Treacy himself sculpts the molds and forms that each individual hat is made from.

Buntal scroll parisisal hat by Philip Treacy

My favorite products from the collaboration are:

Lipsticks
No Faux Pas, Cardinal and Holly wood Cerise CHF 28.00

High-Light Powder
Nude Pink CHF 41.00

Fluidline
Royal Wink CHF 26.00

The collection is now in stores. In Switzerland at the MAC counter at Jelmoli Zurich, MAC store Lucerne and online at www.maccosmetics.ch.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Philip Treacy, MAC Cosmetics

I couldn’t be any happier and more excited. I am in a book, a real book that will be launched during Berlin Fashion Week on July 9, 2014 at the high fashion concept store The Corner.

The new coffee-table 208-page tome “Fashion Germany” is published by Prestel in German and English editions and presents the country’s increasingly important role in the world of fashion by telling the inside story of the designers, creative directors, stylists, photographers and journalists, who have placed Germany on the style map. The author Martina Rink (see photo left), who has become famous for her first book in a similar format, “Isabella Blow,” told WWD that “the Germans are way too modest about what they do and there are loads of them out there playing in the top leagues of international fashion.”

Today a label reading “Made in Germany” connotes quality, durability and attention to detail. Although it wasn’t always this way, the past decades have seen an emergence of high fashion coming out of Germany. Designers such as Jil Sander, Markus Lupfer, Dorothee Schumacher and Karl Lagerfeld, photographers such as Peter Lindbergh, Kristian Schuller and Armin Morbach; and models such as Johannes Huebl, Claudia Schiffer and Heidi Klum have become world-famous icons. I am sure that after reading those famous names, you can imagine my excitement to be featured in a book like this. Thank you, Martina!

To celebrate the launch in July, the book will also come with a special MCM cover in the brand’s iconic cognac logo print, embellished by an illustration of Irma, Jasmin Khezri’s famous character.

FASHION GERMANY by Martina Rink (without the MCM cover)
Prestel Verlag / ISBN 978-3-7913-4889-6
€39.59 – $55.00 – £35.00 – Can.$60.00
Europe Launch July 2014 / US Launch September 2014 / UK August 2014

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Martina Rink, MCM and Prestel

“A person carries off the hat. Hats are about emotion. It is all about how it makes you feel.”
– Philip Treacy

Perfect for weddings or a day at the races, Philip Treacy‘s outlandish headpieces are entirely handmade by his small team in London. He believes wearing a hat should make you feel empowered. The Irish-born milliner received his first headdress commission from Isabella Blow when he was studying at the Royal College of Art. Since then, his extravagant designs have been spotted on the most famous heads in the world.

TO SHOP PHILIP TREACY ONLINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Philip Treacy, © Andrew Crowley

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabella Blow was a fashion editor and  an international style icon. Her unique, free spirit was admired and she inspired many artists and designers. High-profile names in the fashion industry owe their start to her, Philip Treacy, Alexander McQueen, Sophie Dahl and Hussein Chalayan among them.
In 2007, Isabella Blow committed suicide after having severly suffered from depression and ovarian cancer.

Today is the official launch of an amazing book dedicated to her: “Isabella Blow” by Martina Rink with an introduction by Philip Treacy. First presented in Berlin last Thursday at Fashion’s Night Out at The Corner, it is an hommage to her original, outrageous personality. This lavishly illustrated volume includes reminiscences and stories along with personal letters written exclusively for this book by Mario Testino, Manolo Blahnik, Dita van Tesse and Anna Piaggi, just to name a few.

The author Martina Rink is a Parisian-German born Fashion Director who began her career working with Isabella Blow as her personal assistant. Her insight knowledge makes this oeuvre so special. £29.95, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978 0 500 515358.

LoL, Sandra