Hello this is PLAY HUNTER
I'm a photographer & style hunter catching what's now&wow between the Swiss provinces and international catwalks.
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30
March 1st, 2010
21ST CENTURY ORLANDO
The scene: backstage Orschel-Read AW 10/11, Freemason’s Hall, London
Aristo-punks with strong Tudor and Victorian leanings gone tribal, via Japan and bird references, but it’s all making sense, and my cam loves the styling. That was the instant gut verdict. It’s probably at odds with what the official show notes said. But they never hand out those to backstage photographers. By the way, I doubt customers know or care much about show prose which, let me put it mildly, tends to be rather pretentious. A propos prose: Stefan Orschel-Read’s theme for his Central Saint Martins menswear degree collection in 2008 was Mourning for Orlando. Clearly, Virginia Woolf’s free-spirited, time traveling and sex changing English aristo beau continues to be the menswear label’s target customer. Yes, Lady GaGa, Orlando’s 21st century incarnation, wears his clothes (rather famously on German TV show Wetten Dass ). Nicola Formichetti, her principal stylist, will surly be placing orders.
© PLAY HUNTER
Directional eyecatchers aside, the collection was actually rather in synch with the season’s strong outdoorsy and military theme. British heritage staples, like a roll-neck cable knit jumper, tweeds tailored into a zigzag jockey jacket, or a sharply cut belted coat number, all in various shades of burgundy, rusted leaves and mushroom, will broaden Orschel-Read’s appeal to customers other than Lady GaGa and fashion editors.
Special mention for her tribal jewellery must go to Marie Parsons, a first year student at the RCA (Royal College of Art). She took part at the college’s recent Work in Progress exhibition. Definitely a name to watch. Sadly not online yet, but contact Marie via Fashion156. Hair pieces are by Tim Furssedonn.
FOR MORE ORSCHEL-READ BACKSTAGE PICTURE SEE SLIDESHOW ON PLAYLUST
© PLAY HUNTER
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29
February 27th, 2010
KOMAKINO
The scene: backstage Komakino AW10/11, Freemason’s Hall, London
The collection said Violator, the styling said early leather Depeche Mode, I say: Exciter.
KOMAKINO are Korean-Italian husband & wife team Jin Kim and Federico Capalbo. This is the 5th collection they’re showing during London Fashion Week.
© PLAY HUNTER
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28
February 17th, 2010
BACKSTAGE AT MARC BY MARC JACOBS
Just got these images in from my good friend Noel Stewart. He did the hat I wore at Swiss Textiles Award. Now, Marc Jacobs asked him to do the hats for Marc by Marc Jacobs AW10. And that’s exactly where Noel took the pictures. Yay, as in backstage MBYMY. Wow, I still can’t believe I’m remote-covering New York Fashion Week from right inside the epicentre of cool.
© Noel Stewart
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27
February 15th, 2010
GREEN GOES GLAM
Red carpet is not a term fashion animals usually associate with green fashion. Yes, we all want to make mother earth a better place. But we don’t quite want to look like her. A fact, many eco-labels still relying heavily on hippie and ethnic folklore will need to cotton on to. But a new crop of green labels is moving on from PET-bottle and T-shirt aesthetics. Welcome to the cutting edge of green couture.
Last Friday it met at Green Fashion Switzerland in Basel, the city better known as the global art hotspot. The event promised to send a ‘best of’ selection of global green designers on the catwalk, alongside eco-labels from sports & leisure.
If it was quite Swiss Textiles Award of green couture I cannot say. Partly because I’m new to eco lux fashion, partly because it was one outfit per label only. But most of what I saw on the runway was pretty impressive anyway. The labels’ online lookbooks confirm climate change in green fashion is definitely happening – and in a good way.
Here’s my selection:
FIN from Oslo, feat. that clean, pared down but ever so hot nordic signature style.
NOIR Sharp and edgy tailoring, v Vogue Paris friendly.
IVANA BASILOTTA V luxe, v floaty, v sophisticated Roman-inspired dresses in nude colours.
THE BATTALION Sexy jersey à la American Apparel for grown-ups who are also into chiffon.
LEILA HAFZI Vivid colours and prints, sumptuous evening dresses.
I caught up with the models seconds before they hit the runway. Pictured: Dress by Noir and trouser suit by Bllack Noir, their younger diffusion line.
© PLAY HUNTER
An afterthought:
Granted, Green Fashion Switzerland is only in its third year. But for a night dedicated to sustainable fashion I didn’t really see the point why the runway show was followed up by a rather lengthy award ceremony for a green innovation project which no fashion connection whatsoever. And please someone explain to me why the award had to include a car. Even if that’s a Toyota Prius the carbon footprint it’ll be leaving won’t be environmentally friendly.
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26
February 9th, 2010
DO YOU FEEL 2019?
After watching Blade Runner last night I feel LA 2019 is soo cutting edge.
© Blade Runner
25
January 27th, 2010
WHAT’S THE SCENE AT SAO PAULO FASHION WEEK ?
This season, I regrettably did not make it to Sao Paulo Fashion Week which took place last week. But my good friend Misha Janette, who’s an esteemed Tokyo based fashion journalist (The Japan Times) and stylist, did. En route from Sao Paulo to Tokyo, she had 20 minutes to kill at Zurich airport transfer zone. Thanks Misha for spending it on this roundup:
Fashion Highs:
Jesus Luz walking in a show and NO ONE cares. Seriously me and another journalist were google imaging him during the Ellus show because it was so quiet when he appeared we weren’t even sure it was him.
Cecilia Dean from Visionaire was at SP. ¨Whaaaaaa.¨
Great texture on the fabrics all week, from Osklen to Animale. Osklen was all cubism. Animale was…spiky. At Neon. Two words: TOUCAN DRESS
via flickr
Bienniale building (the venue, ed.) decked out in tons of little graphics for their “language” theme. The most OBSCENE graphics ever (threesome, doggy style, stripper, puking into a garbage can, 69, etc.). Love them Brazilians.
Model news:
Vivi Orth was the breakout this season, I thought…she was in every show (basically). Lara Stone (Animale), Isabeli Fontana, Caroline Trentini (at Herchcovitch), Raquel Zimmerman, Alessandra Ambrosio, Cyntia Dixon were there. Low: Raquel Zimmerman press conference. A model needs a press conference? Alessandra Ambrosio is looking orange.
Club scene:
New club The Lions Den is all the rage. Doesn’t open until March but Ellus and Neon had their afterparties there
Off scene:
SP has the second largest fleet of helicopters in the world behind NY. I swear we had 10 people arrive to the Hotel Tivoli by helicopter while I was there.
How about the weather?
Weather SUCKS. period.
Dumbo the elephant has landed on the catwalk / Neon
Animal Kingdom rules ok at Neon / via flickr
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24
January 4th, 2010
WALKING INTO HAPPINESS
Good morning 2010. Let’s stride into the new decade with a look fit and ready for a rollercoaster-ride of surprises.
Laquered mussel wig headpiece by London-based milliner Noel Stewart whom I met at a swimming pool party in Sao Paulo last January. A chance encounter which evolved into an instant fashion shoot on Halloween. I love fashion stories like that.
© PLAY HUNTER
23
December 14th, 2009
LOVE IN TRANSLATION
the scene:2nd Zine Sezession. A one day publishing fair at Perla Mode galleries, Zurich
Oh I love nothing more than a graphic statement. And no, I’m not going to translate the Swiss German. Thanks Benjamin Sommerhalder of NIEVES for organising:-)
© PLAY HUNTER / PLAYLUST.NET
22
December 13th, 2009
FREITAG I’M IN LOVE
It’s the Swiss fashion scoop of the year: Das Magazin, the renowned Saturday newspaper supplement (ie Tages-Anzeiger) introduces a limited edition messenger bag in collaboration with FREITAG, makers of the famous truck tarpaulin bags. The pared down messenger comes in purist dirty-white, sans signature car belt. It is accompanied by an ambitious fashion campaign, photographed by Walter Pfeiffer, featuring Magazin-authors and their musings on the perfect bag.
continue reading
© PLAY HUNTER
Give me a hug: Finn Canonica, Editor-In-Chief of Das Magazin wears his instinct for fashion on his sleeve. Yours for CHF 470 /USD 454 (bag).
21
December 8th, 2009
MORE BIRKIN BAGS THAN BRAIN: FASHION BLOG MAG IN SS-DISASTER
UPDATE: The Blogettes have deleted the controversial living-room pictures. More on this here
The Blogettes is a brand-new online mag by self-proclaimed Gossip Girl bloggers Julia Basagic (Austria) and Mirjam Herms (Switzerland). Key features include: How To Turn Your Blog Into A Ca$h Cow or This Is How A Gossip Girl Does A Fashion Shoot. So far, so innocent teen fodder.
But then I stumbled over a portrait of Material Girl Aurela from Austria. Aurela loves fur, and Birkin bags which she shows off to full effect in front of her parents’ bookshelf. Unfortunately, she strikes her sexy poses next to a framed portrait of a SS-man (granddad?). The situation isn’t exactly helped by the skull-print scarf pimping up one of the Birkin bags:
No style: posing with skull-print scarf on Birkin-bag in front of your parents' bookshelf feat. picture of SS-man, African primitive art. source: http://www.theblogettes.com/newissue.html
© The Blogettes (computer screenshots for magazine citation purposes)
Now. The SS ran the Nazi concentration camps, including Dachau and Ausschwitz. It was key in implementing the Holocaust. The Waffen-SS, known for its ferocity and fanatism, participated in WW2 massacres in France and Russia. The Totenkopf (Death’s Head) was the universal cap badge of the SS.
Which makes referencing Nazi-insignia in a fashion context a bit hmmm… tricky. It is textbook knowledge in German speaking countries that channeling Eva Braun or Hitler Youth will only lead to troubles. Even for Birkin-bag heads like Aurela. In fairness, it should have been the publishers’ responsibility to prevent the poor girl from starring in the worst fashion disaster in a blog publication.
Dear Blogettes, why not take your Birkin-bags to a trip to your local Holocaust memorial, for a change?
Unfortunately, this is only the latest incident in a string of recent Nazi-related style disasters. Last week, Pete Doherty had to apologise for singing Deutschland Über Alles, the first verse of the German national anthem which is banned, at a Munich gig. In November, budget airline easyJet was forced to withdraw their inflight-magazine because it featured a fashion-spread shot at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial.
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PS Dec 8, 12:37
Aurela now threatens to have my site blocked by her attorney if I don’t remove the pictures by tonight, adding: “I would like your site blocked “now” but I must have to give you the time to delete yourself!”
Can somebody please fedex me some leftover semtex, please?
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