September 11th. Lower Manhattan. The mesmerizing twilight sky outlining the Freedom Tower. An exquisite delivery of "Ave Maria". The emotion all but overwhelmed.

Few expect a fashion show to be a contemplative experience, yet this is what they got from Riccardo Tisci on the night he brought his Givenchy show to New York City, coinciding with the 14th anniversary of 9/11. With the aid of performance artist Marina Abramovic and a staggering sunset across the Hudson, Tisci approached the show as a moment for reflection. He acknowledged the resonance of September 11th not by drawing inappropriate parallel to fashion, but by noting the importance of fashion as an expression of self and an outlet for emotion.

There was also a serene sense of celebration. Tisci marks his tenth-year milestone at the house of Givenchy and a Givenchy store opens in New York City. 

The show’s major themes were lingerie and tuxedo dressing, often worn in resplendent contrast, and always with lyrical grace. The play of feminine against masculine.

White laces and silks wrapped, tied and floated over fluid black trousers, some looks finished with languid robes and others, mannish tails.

Tisci incorporated sensual couture gowns with intense constructions and surprised with a significant showing of men’s wear.

Tisci subscribes to the value of ritual; the religious references in his work are well-known. He also revisited last season’s facial decoration, now more exaggerated and ritualistic.

A different kind of performance art unfolded during arrivals, a dazzling celebrity showing — Julia Roberts, Christina Ricci, Steven Tyler, Liv Tyler, Nicki Minaj, and of course, Kim and Kanye. Representatives of New York fashion turned out as well: Michael Kors, Tory Burch, the Proenza guys, Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra.

Image Sources: vogue.com   nowfashion.com

Text Sources: wwd.com  vogue.com

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“China: Through the Looking Glass,” a spectacular exhibition curated and organized by Andrew Bolton opened Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with production design by Nathan Crowley. Two years in the making, installed both in the Anna Wintour Costume Center and within the grand backdrop of the museum’s Chinese Galleries—a first for contemporary fashion—the show juxtaposes masterpieces of Chinese art and rare artifacts with works by (mostly) Western designers, inspired by the idea of China but emerging from the wilder shores of the imagination. By Leslie Camhi
 

Fashion Editor: Grace Coddington   Photographed by Steven Meisel, Vogue, May 2015

At the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring 2009 show in Paris, John Galliano’s lining on a cream silk ball gown (worn by model Fei Fei Sun) referenced the designer’s fascination with blue-and-white porcelain.

Designers’ imaginations have been fired by visions of pleasure pavilions and blossoming branches, with a handful of familiar motifs emblematic of China itself: the peony, the pagoda, the phoenix captive on the grounds of a summer palace.

Alexander McQueen dress embroidered with birds, butterflies, and flowers, from Autumn 2006.  

Many of the garden motifs we associate with China were first popularized in the West by the aristocracy of France and England as patterns on imported or domestic-imitation china and wallpaper.

Valentino created this blue-and-white bouquet-printed gown in Autumn 1968.

Peacocks, cranes, and other gorgeous winged creatures appear on many of the garments in the exhibition.

Mei Lanfang, a 20th-century Peking Opera singer famous for playing female roles, inspired John Galliano’s Spring 2003 Christian Dior Haute Couture collection, including this theatrical ensemble and gilded headpiece, which will be showcased in the exhibition.  

Scarlet has so many associations: firecrackers in their bright wrappers; the lucky red-paper trinkets of the Chinese New Year. John Galliano summoned to mind these references for Christian Dior Haute Couture in Spring 1997 with this silk fringed dress with a delicate tracing of flowers from the shoulder.

Image Source & Rights:  Vogue    Steven Meisel    Text Source & Rights:   Vogue    Leslie Camhi

Hair: Guido Palau; Makeup: Pat McGrath for CoverGirl: Produced by PRODn at Art + Commerce; Set Design: Mary Howard; Wallpaper: Courtesy of de Gournay; Dressing: Madame Paulette   Photographed by Steven Meisel, Vogue, May 2015

It was not your average night at the museum, but the biggest and boldest night on fashion’s calendar—the Met Gala. About 600 guests wound their way through the red-carpet tumult and into the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s entrance hall, dominated for the night by a gigantic chinoiserie vase created entirely by white and blue roses. Up the grand staircase lined by fragrant, verdant bamboo they walked, past Vogue staffers clad in pale jade and lapis–toned Michael Kors pajamas.

Met Gala Entrance, photo by Kevin Tachman

Tabitha Simmons and Coco Brandolini D'Adda, both in Dolce & Gabbana  Photo by Taylor Jewell

Entrance Hall dominated by a gigantic chinoiserie vase created entirely by white and blue roses. Photo by Taylor Jewell

Ivanka Trump in Prabal Gurung and Jared Kushner. Photo by Taylor Jewell

Photo by Taylor Jewell/ Vogue

Karen Elson in Dolce Alta Moda        Photo: Kevin Tachman/ Vogue

With fashion's heavy hitters and Hollywood's most stylish in attendance, the arrivals always end up being the most jaw-dropping of the year.

Rihanna in Guo Pei Couture      Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris

Rihanna in Guo Pei Couture                                         Getty Images/ Dimitrios Kambouris

Rihanna arrived draped in a vast fur-lined gold robe —a couture creation that took more than 50,000 hours to make by Chinese designer Guo Pei.

Kim Kardashian in custom Roberto Cavalli                      Getty Images/ Larry Busacca

Kerry Washington in Prada       Getty Images/ Larry Busacca

Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu            Wireimage/ Kevin Mazur

Brie Larson, Courtney Eaton and Annabelle Wallis        Getty Images/ Larry Busacca
 

Bee Shaffer in Alexander McQueen     Getty Images

Karen Elson in Dolce Alta Moda               Getty Images/Larry Busacca        

Jessica Chastain in Givenchy Haute Couture     Photo: Taylor Jewell/ Vogue

Annabelle Wallis and Tabitha Simmons both in Dolce Alta Moda     Photo: Taylor Jewell/Vogue

The Table      Photo by Daniel Arnold/ Vogue

Fan Bingbing in Christopher Bu       Photo by Taylor Jewell/ Vogue

Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Wendi Murdoch, and Li Bingbing           Photo: David X Prutting/bfanyc.com

Rihanna performing  Photo: Kevin Tachman/ Vogue

Image Sources :  Vogue.com   Style.com  Hollywoodreporter.com  Popsugar.com

Text Source:  Vogue.com   NYTimes.com

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