Lost in Time: Vivian Maier

I recently found out about this photographer, an American lady named Vivian Maier, who in her lifetime amassed a huge collection of photographs documenting the streetlife of her time. The official website has the whole story:

"An American of French and Austro-Hungarian extraction, Vivian bounced between Europe and the United States before coming back to New York City in 1951. Having picked up photography just two years earlier, she would comb the streets of the Big Apple refining her artistic craft. By 1956 Vivian left the East Coast for Chicago, where she’d spend most of the rest of her life working as a caregiver. In her leisure Vivian would shoot photos that she zealously hid from the eyes of others. Taking snapshots into the late 1990′s, Maier would leave behind a body of work comprising over 100,000 negatives. Additionally Vivian’s passion for documenting extended to a series of homemade documentary films and audio recordings. Interesting bits of Americana, the demolition of historic landmarks for new development, the unseen lives of ethnics and the destitute, as well as some of Chicago’s most cherished sites were all meticulously catalogued by Vivian Maier.

A free spirit but also a proud soul, Vivian became poor and was ultimately saved by three of the children she had nannied earlier in her life. Fondly remembering Maier as a second mother, they pooled together to pay for an apartment and took the best of care for her. Unbeknownst to them, one of Vivian’s storage lockers was auctioned off due to delinquent payments. In those storage lockers lay the massive hoard of negatives Maier secretly stashed throughout her lifetime.

Maier’s massive body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof."

What I find most appealing about Vivians photography is her containment of a certain energy and spirit of the time. Working her way through Chicago and New York in the 50's, she elegantly captures this iconic time in a vast series of tiny moments and anonymous portraits of her time - hundreds of people, many glamorously chic, the first embodiment of "streetstyle", and many others timeworn and destitute but never victims of pity. Never taking advantage of her subject, Vivian Maier dedicated herself to capturing, but not changing, the curious world she lived in. 

I would urge you all to check out the rest of her work online - each photograph is a moment of beauty. All photos credited to Vivian Maier

Spring 2012 Couture - Jean-Paul Gaultier

You never quite know what to expect from a Jean-Paul Gaultier show, but you always know it's going to be different from what you've seen before, yet as the first model stepped onto the runway I couldn't help being reminded of someone. In what has definitely been the most theatrical show this couture season, Gaultier presented a surprisingly fun yet moving tribute to the late singer, Amy Winehouse. The long procession of outfits were all evidently inspired by Amy's personal style, which mixed retro 50's pencil skirts and basques with preppy sportswear, and as is traditional with couture shows, more than a few extravagant gowns.

The couture spin on Winehouses style extended to hairstyles, as girls modeled the outfits adorned with the singers iconic beehive hair-do, this time in garish primary colours.

Corsetry and the "undewear-as-outwear" concept once again made its appearance, along with gender-swapping feminine suits and decadent fabric detailing.

The show ended with a procession of deconstructed outfits, the models adorned with lace veils which served as a poignant yet fabulous reminder of the tragic, untimely death of the legendary singer who inspired the collection. Amy Winehouse is gone but certainly not forgotten. I think she would approve.

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Haute Couture in Paris - Day 2

Chanel kicked the day off in a typically glamourous fashion with an aeroplane themed runway and models in "Stewardess-Luxe", suit dresses in pastel blues giving way to flapper style dropped waist gowns. The collection remains youthful with punk-inspired hair and dramatic eye make-up.

Chanel

Giorgio Armani Prive produced a breathtaking selection of underwater-inspired outfits, each creation painstakingly adorned to produce a scale-like effect, the models channelled their inner mermaid as they walked in these elegant pieces.

Giorgio Armani Prive

Zuhair Murad played it safe with some pretty but otherwise fairly predictable gowns, their saving grace being the highly-worked detailing that is so important with couture pieces.

Zuhair Murad

Stephane Rolland contrasted traditional elegance with fierce body-armour, set against dramatic decor on the collars and billowing skirts.

Stephane Rolland

My main excitement today was focused on Givenchy, whose sumptuously gothic collection had me completely in awe. Definitely the best collection this season, these staggeringly beautiful dresses hold exactly the right balance of beauty and darkness, Ricardo Tisci's designs feature a range of textures and fabrics from leather detailing and studs to zip features. The whole extraordinary collection screams drama without being over the top - the violence of the dark detailing balanced out by graceful flowing skirts, the models themselves wearing minimal makeup and hair tied in chic buns and a final dramatic flourish of a silver nose ring. This collection will be incredibly hard to beat in my books, yet I remain hugely excited for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Valentino tomorrow. 

Givenchy

Spring 2012 Couture - Day 1

Today has marked the start of the spring/summer couture 2012 shows in Paris! The incredibly expensive, incredibly detailed outfits that are showcased in the bi-annual couture shows may be beyond any attainable sense of reality (unless you're fantastically rich, of course), yet there remains something highly appealing about these other-worldly displays of glamour.

Atelier Versace was the first showing of the day, and expectations were high - their first public presentation since 2004, and after the hugely successful collaboration with high-street brand H&M, Versace seems to be heading back to the top. The couture outfits today were a mixture of bold metallics and high-gloss fabrics, to achieve a some-what "space age" effect. Whilst not incredibly exciting, the attention to detail was obvious, although i've never been Donatella's biggest fan and won't be converting any time soon.

Atelier Versace

Next was Bouchra Jarrar, with a rang of soft, ultra-feminine gowns, accentuated with sculptural elements around the neck and waistline.

Bouchra Jarrar

Likewise Christopher Josse paints an ethereal image of grace and serenity with a beautiful palette of feather and silk

Christopher Josse

Alexis Mabille presented a somewhat surreal affair, mixing sumptuous gowns with overly-large headwear and dramatic makeup. I love this collection as it managed to be fun as well as lovely to look at.

Alexis Mabille

The next big show was Christian Dior, and notable in his absence was John Galliano, who has been temporarily replaced by Bill Gayten. I have very mixed feelings on this collection, as there is obviously a sad lacking of Galliano's trademark dramatic flair; in its place is a selection of looks evidently inspired by the 1950's Dior heyday and whilst there is nothing wrong with this collection, it still feels like i've seen it all before. 

Christian Dior

Maurizio Galante aimed for the complete opposite of Dior's vintage high-society feel, instead creating a series of deconstructed "outfits", complete with webbing, loose trails of fabric and some positively avant-garde headwear. I really want to like this collection, yet it feels far too messy to sit well in a couture show.

Maurizio Galante

 Giambattista Valli focused on a selectively monochrome palette of blacks, whites, and deep purples,  occaisonally shot through with flashes of hot pink. Particularly love the diverse range of multi-layered textures on show here.

Giambattista Valli

Iris Van Herpen finished the day off with a futuristic collection of sculptured angles and intricate patterns.

Iris Van Herpen

All images from NowFashion