An unassuming, fuss-free, clean-cut personal style, that often eschews anything resembling a trend and still remains completely relevant. Virginie Mouzat, who says that her style icons often come from the cinema (Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Katharine Hepburn), is former fashion critic and deputy editor of Le Figaro and current editor-in-chief of Fashion at French Vanity Fair. Her classic, part feminine, part tomboy style is one of the things I admire about her and only the first thing I wanted to talk about today.
The second one is her work as a fashion writer. You see, the Pre-Fall collections have started to be presented and my only thought was “Not again!” (and “another eighty something designs by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel!”). The last Spring 2015 collections only showed in October. Now it’s December and the Fall 2015 fashion weeks start in February. It’s just too much! And what makes it even worse is the subjective press coverage. Many of the collections of legendary fashion houses or of the supposedly most talented designers have become repetitive, to say the least (and who is to blame them, having to meet all those absurd demands?), bridging the gap between runway and fast fashion, but the critical reaction is always mostly positive, filled with accolades, abounding favours and enslaved to the advertisers that keep the fashion magazines and newspapers in print. Fair and objective are a lot more difficult to find, even though designers themselves can only benefit from honest criticism, which can only help them evolve.
Virginie Mouzat is one of the few who voice their own opinion, an independent and informed opinion, and I only regret that I don’t read French better so that I can fully appreciate her fashion reviews. As she told The Business of Fashion earlier this year (it’s a great, thought-provoking article, you can read it here), she grew up reading books. In fact, she is not just a fashion writer, she is a novel writer as well (she had her first book, Une Femme Sans Qualités, published in 2009, and the second one, La Vie Adulte, in 2010). But “people in fashion don’t read my books, because people in fashion don’t read… Instead of becoming some sort of outcast because of the novels, I tried to turn them into tool for more freedom and richness. I tried to give my job more width”, she explains in the same interview. That should give you a clue of what a down-to-earth kind of person she is, of her blunt, feisty, uncompromising personality. She also talks about “creating content that goes beyond just talking about textile and trends — trying to make fashion intelligent, like a symptom, an expression of oneself, of the time. Fashion is a way of thinking; dressing is a way of thinking.” Yes, that’s what a fashion writer should do. Just as a fashion editor should have a visionary mind. It’s how fashion can be taken more seriously by not just the people who work in the industry, it’s how they can be explained why it matters so much, how clothes fit into a wider cultural and economic context.
Virginie was also one of the names taken into consideration for the position of Paris Vogue editor-in-chief after Carine Roitfeld’s departure, and I have the feeling things would have stood quite differently if it had been her in charge.
photos: 1-Vogue.com / 2-François Halard/Trunk Archive, via Net-A-Porter / 3-Juanlu Real, Vogue Spain / 4-Imaxtree, Elle Germany
Interesting take. I had never thought about it that way, as I tend to go for color and pattern. Beautifully simple looks!
i love the quote used in your title. i feel the same way. and i am pretty quiet, so i suppose it makes sense that i dress that way too. and it also makes sense that if you are that way it’s nice to invest in clothes that still make you feel confident.
the rest of this is really interesting. i love fashion, but two truths – one: i don’t know that much about it beyond the ‘classic’ labels and what i personally like (whether or not i can personally wear or can afford it). two: yours is the only fashion driven blog that i read. the latter i believe is because you really dive into the art of fashion, the essence of it, the history, etc.. you approach in a way that doesn’t necessarily reject trends (because obviously there are trends in fashion and some of those through time become classics) but it’s not about acquisition, or looking hot, or or or. it’s about the heart of fashion. and having said all of that i adore these introductions to people who share this passion for it in the same way you do. this was fabulous.
Christine, I appreciate your readership very much, especially that my blog is the only one of its kind that you read. Yes, my love for and interest in fashion go beyond what I may be currently coveting, must-have lists and the trends everyone is talking about (although, yes, some are worth mentioning and taken into consideration and one must not disregard them completely, even if they don’t follow them – you must be in the know to get an informed and the bigger picture). That’s why I consider my blog a style blog first of all and I try to delve deeper into fashion and connect it with other aspects of life, or other artistic mediums, like the cinema.
yes, sorry, i didn’t mean to categorize it as fashion because, yes, i definitely see it as a style blog. i suppose that’s exactly what i was trying to say 😉 – that approach really speaks to me and, for me, your style in that particularly speaks to me. and, of course you know i LOVE the cinematic thread of your blog too, and i absolutely love how you weave the fashion/style within that and give it the voice it undoubtedly deserves there.
Oh, I understood what you meant, I was ‘t correcting you.:) I think that the fashion-cinema relationship is what fascinates me the most.
Love the title of this post Ada. I must say, a uniform of sorts comes to mind, certainly for me, something easy and stylish suits my day to day and makes going about my business much simpler. I can’t believe were doing the rounds of yet another fashion schedule ( I feel like I’ve missed a few weeks there somewhere, or was it months?)…
Hello,
I am doing a marathon night with your blog for the second time around and I love it.
Wanted to point out something. You write that you are pretty immune to trends and focus on style above all. And then in this post critique Chanel for making yet another similar collection. Shouldn’t we be glad that they are focusing on an underlying style and not making trendy pieces with every collection ? Or did I misunderstand that part ?
Rick Owens does the same styles year after year. And very similar collections. He said in an interview if you are looking for something dramatic, its not going come from him. And that he will stick to his style and aesthetics. I love that about him.
– Archana.
Hello, Archana,
Glad to read that you are enjoying the blog. As for my comment on Chanel, I think you misunderstood what I wanted to say. I am not criticizing the style, but the large number of designs in every collection – Lagerfeld could easily prove his point and transmit the message of every collection in fewer looks. Why so many? 80 looks per collection and 10 collections per year do not impress me, however they are indeed in tune with what fashion is about today – consumerism. Style is something else. That was my point.
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