Fashion news

Makin Jan Ma has taken a rather odd route to get to filmmaking, travelling through many mediums and finally through a fashion context. A Central St Martins graphics grad, Makin moved into fine arts, opening the M+R gallery in Shoreditch, then co-founded the Jan Family, a collective of artists who create whimsical multimedia collaborative creations. Now Makin's focus is creating clothes for the characters who will populate his short films. The first of which, Life Sucks But it Tastes Good, was screened last Friday night at the fancy Mayfair Curzon cinema. The collections form the story for the films, while also clothing the characters. While Guts is the name of a piece from an earlier collection, he is also a central character in the narrative- a very sweet, very self-consciously naive love story. Guts dreams of playing the drums, Snow dreams of owning her own bathtub. Aw...nothing like a bit of simplicity to lighten the load of fashion week.

For those who aren't stuck in the thick of LFW, you can immerse yourself in the fun via The Daily Rubbish (byline- "Everybody's Talking It!").  Irreverant fashion tidbits, random interviews (by random, I mean the questions as opposed to the interviewees) - Mandi Lennard asking Gareth Pugh whether he would like to make a rug for elephants in Africa for example, show-goer streetstyle pics, party snaps and some pretty collages...

As London Fashion Week sashays into another crisp September, it does so for the first time in twenty years, without the glorious, the notorious Isabella Blow. Starting out as an assistant to Anna Wintour in 1981, Blow, always attired in some eccentrically beautiful hat, was an integral presence in the fashion world – she bought up McQueen’s first collection, discovered Sophie Dahl and was muse to Philip Treacy. Blow died in May and a tribute was held this week. In her life, Lee Lapthorne, creative director of On/Off explains, she was ‘a living icon and ambassador for new talent’: inquisitive, inspired and one of a kind.

Just got homw from Perth boy Richard Nicoll's London Fashion week show, which I watched alongside the lovely Immy Barron- YEN and Dazed's resident fashionista. Nicoll sent some beautiful creations down the white concrete runway, beginning with white transparent high waist pencil skirts, and fitted jackets with broad shoulders. In typical Nicoll style each look was relaxed glam embellished with slightly skewed detailing- such as transparent box frames around the hips or sculpted jacket hems. The colour palette was stunning, from crisp whites, soft pinks and mauves to gritty gunmetal silvers, to the final pieces which were gorgeous metallic nude skin tight dresses with pleats and button down backs. With more sponsorship than ever before behind him, Nicoll has had complete freedom this season. His use of fabrics and intrictaely crafted detailing is testament to what a bit of money can add to a hugely talented designers eouvre.

The newly refurbished Hype DC shop on the corner of Pitt St Mall and Market St, Sydney is now open - get down there & check it out.  ++ Don't miss the next issue of YEN on sale Friday September 29th for another special Hype DC initiative...++

It’s no secret that Sydney fashion worshippers are regulars at Paddington’s William Street. But now William is being given a run for its money by its bigger brother, Glenmore Road.

Over the last few months, Glenmore has experienced a spate of boutique openings. It’s now home not only to Scanlan and Theodore, Parlour X, Ksubi, Kirrily Johnston and Amorica but recently welcomed New Zealand brand Zambesi. In the last two weeks there’s been a further flurry of activity. Number 30 whipped away curtains to reveal the first store for young designer Brooke Benson and then established local Sally Smith took over number 12.

The opening of Benson's flagship store coincides with the release of her Spring/Summer 08 collection. The collection is irreverent with a capital 'I'. David Bowie and Marie Antoinette shadow the glamrock brocade and blinding metallic jackets; there's sweet seduction in the luxurious floral maxi dresses, bite in the animal prints and shock exoticism in the kimono minis. Benson says the decision to open in Glenmore was a no-brainer, as the street's mix of femininity, decadence and irreverence suited her brand perfectly. Smith’s store opens tomorrow and signals her reentry into the flagship retail market after a two year hiatus. The designer says she felt it was time to get her cheerful feminine designs back onto the boutique bandwagon and when a space came up in Glenmore she just couldn’t resist becoming part of ‘fashion paradise!’

Chloe Sevigny debuts her fashion line Sep 10th at Opening Ceremony in New York. Though no garments have been revealed yet, her logo has- umlaut and all! Judging from the analogue angularity of it all, we're looking forward to her early Gameboy fall collection. Who can say no to a Tetris camisole and a deconstructed minimalist Donkey Kong shrug?