Classiq - An online journal that celebrates cinema, culture, style and storytelling.

16 February 2015

Watch Me, by Anjelica Huston

Written with the same reckless sincerity and understatement as A Story Lately Told, Anjelica Huston’s second part of her autobiography, Watch Me, depicts her California life and Hollywood years, from 1973, when she was 21, to the present. There was a long and rough journey from an aspiring, insecure actress in her twenties, to the reassuring one that she is now. And it is told by a real and honest heart, by someone who is very frank about her bad decisions and humiliations, but who doesn’t dwell on them, always showing true grit and never pitting herself.

She may have had a privileged start in life, but she didn’t take this for granted and had to fight her way up. Being John Huston’s daughter and Jack Nicholson’s on-off lover for 17 years, she was made to feel lucky when she landed a part. “We’d like nothing better than to see her dropped from the film. She has no talent. Her boyfriend is the star and her father is the director, that’s the only reason we are even having this conversation”, a producer of Prizzi’s Honor told her agent when she was cast in the role for the film. It must have been very satisfying, and rightfully so, for Anjelica to win the Oscar for best supporting actress, the only one of the total number of eight the movie was nominated for, including Jack Nicholson for best actor and John Huston for directing – my favourite kind of story.

From the matter-of-fact portrait of her relationship with a philandering Jack Nicholson (they have remained friends to this day and he gave her his consent to write about him) and the realistic recount of her far from easy fight for self-affirmation, to the moving depiction of her husband, Robert Graham, whom she was married to from 1993 until his death, in 2008, this is an affecting, candid, uplifting, well balanced memoir.

Posted by classiq in Books | | Comments Off

10 February 2015

A Guide to Cashmere with Catherine Robinson

Danish model Pia Gronning wearing Catherine Robinson cashmere

Winter is not over yet and we all know how an outfit or a special piece of clothing can help battle the winter blues. Cashmere is the ultimate cold season wardrobe staple, which, with its unrivaled softness and comforting warmth, does not only make it your daily luxury, but also a cosy remedy for the freezing days. Furthermore, it can easily transition into spring (more details below), so if you’re thinking to treat yourself to something of the kind now, you won’t have to wait until next winter to wear it. But what exactly makes it so special and how do we invest in a long-lasting quality item? To that end, I have tapped Catherine Robinson of Catherine Robinson Cashmere (which specialises in the most beautiful cashmere knitwear – the ponchos are my weakness – and accessories, made in Mongolia, the land of the finest cashmere), to provide a few inside tips on why and how to buy, care for and store cashmere.

Why should one spend good money on cashmere?
The quality of cashmere is determined by the width and length of the fibre… long, thin fibres are the best quality and will get softer over time, making your cashmere purchase a great wardrobe investment. Good quality cashmere has a high price tag, but you won’t be disappointed, because, with care, it should last a lifetime.

How can you tell the quality of cashmere? How do you try it before buying? Are there any particular details you should look for?
There are several ways to tell the quality of cashmere. The tension in the knitting should enable you to stretch a section and it should, as you say, ‘ping’ back into shape. There is a density to quality cashmere.

Don’t be fooled by too much fluffiness, this indicates a shorter, weaker fibre. More expensive cashmere is often not as soft to the touch initially, but will soften with wear and hand washing. As I said before, the best cashmere actually improves with age.

Ply relates to the weight, not the quality. Additional piles add weight and colour options, but they do not add extra quality. How tight the garment is knitted is referred to as the gauge; my knitwear is 2 ply and the gauge varies from 7 through to 12.

How challenging is it to sell cashmere online, especially to a first-time customer?
Well, it certainly was in the early days, I was new, nobody had heard of me, I had to get out there and show my products. I did many shows across the UK building my brand and clientele base. Once people became aware of the quality of my products and, in addition, were able to read customer feedback, an increasing number of people were very happy to purchase. My blog has helped enormously with overseas customers… the power of social media! I do, of course, offer a returns policy should any customer not be satisfied with their purchase.

Why are the Catherine Robinson Cashmere products special?
They are a beautiful gift to either send or receive. The quality of my products makes them very special, they are simple elegance and beautiful to wear. I have had customers say ‘they feel special when they wear my ponchos’. For me, it doesn’t get better than that. My cashmere is wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon and I always enclose a personalised, hand-written note thanking my customer for their order and this is presented in a ‘Catherine Robinson Cashmere’ box. My customers love the box as they are then able to store their knitwear in it. It all adds to the enjoyment of the purchase and that is always special.

How do you make sure cashmere lasts a lifetime? How do you wash it? How do you store it?
Like everything that you wish to last a lifetime, you have to take care of it. To ensure your cashmere retains its beauty, you must take care of it. I recommend hand-washing or professionally dry cleaning your knitwear. My cashmere does wash well on the delicate/hand wash cycle, although many prefer to hand-wash their garments themselves. Make sure the water is lukewarm (30 degrees), turn the knitwear inside out (you can pop in a laundry bag too, if you prefer), squeeze the excess water gently, do not rub or wring the garment. Re-shape and dry flat.

Friction can cause tiny balls of fluff to appear on new garments. This has nothing to do with the quality of the cashmere, it happens to the most expensive you can buy. Regular washing helps to prevent this and a fabric comb used gently will remove any pilling you may have, and, with regular care for your cashmere, this will stop. When storing, remember moths are less attracted to clean knitwear. It is a good idea to store your knitwear in a breathable zipped plastic bag.

Cedar Wood Balls are a must for all cashmere lovers as they are very efficient at repelling moths, mildew and mustiness.

Cashmere care is very important to me and I am sourcing a mist spray and detergent to add to my cashmere care products. Hopefully, they will be available by early spring.

Cashmere is the ultimate winter-wardrobe luxury. Can it make a transition to spring too?
Yes, definitely. The beauty of cashmere is it is warm in the winter and cooler in the spring. One of the reasons I introduced my 088 style poncho is it is a lighter, finer weight and ideal for Spring/Summer months. Many of my customers love to travel with their ponchos and wraps, as the luxurious cashmere doesn’t wrinkle, the perfect travel accessory! Alongside my finer ponchos, I now have the finer buttoned cashmere poncho, which is incredibly versatile and the ideal Spring/Summer chic cover up. Just to let you know, Ada, I work very closely with my manufacturer in Mongolia on new designs and products.

photos: courtesy of Catherine Robinson Cashmere

Posted by classiq in Fashion, Interviews | 6 Comments

6 February 2015

Style in Film: Jeanne Moreau in “Jules et Jim”

In Jules et Jim (1962), François Truffaut, my favourite French New Wave director, wanted to depict something films never had: showing a woman who, throughout her life, loves two men simultaneously, all her life. And he wanted to do it in a way in which he would keep the film from being typecast into an existing film style. Which he did with exceptional flair: I avoid calling it a love triangle, because there is a true friendship among the three of them, such freshness, simplicity and naturalness in the relationship of Jules and Jim and Catherine, somehow “the ideal image of romantic life, minus the cruelty brought about by the desire of possession that leads to jealousy”, as Jeanne Moreau explained in a comment about the film. You don’t judge Catherine, because as Jim says to Jules, “she is an apparition on this earth, not a woman for a man.” This was pure film-making and the movie’s allure remains unmatched to this day.

As for Catherine, she was a new kind of femme fatale: she is intensely feminine and sexually provocative even when she disguises herself as Thomas, surprising herself too of how she gets away with wearing men’s clothes and a mustache in a scene of shared dandyism. Jeanne Moreau is stunning in her role: “her qualities as an actress and a woman made Catherine real in our eyes, plausible, crazy, abusive, passionate, but above all loveable, in other words, worthy of adoration.” (Francois Truffaut)

Jules et Jim is hardly a film I can call stylish. Catherine’s costumes at the beginning of the film are very simple period costumes. It was the character’s tomboy fashion that became iconic. The French New Wave invented a whole new cinema style, from experimenting with new film form, to costume approach. As Jeanne Moreau said in an interview, “I was at that age where one lives very egocentrically; I saw it as the chance of a lifetime a chance to escape the ‘star’ style… all of a sudden we were filming in the street with very little makeup, costumes you found yourself. No one was telling me anymore ‘you have circles under your eyes, your face is lopsided’, suddenly it was life.” A lot of the clothes Catherine is wearing in the film belonged to Jeanne.

After the war, Catherine’s outfits become more modern. She usually wears a white dress or a white skirt with boyfriend sweaters.

The film had such an impact that young women fantasized of cutting bangs, wearing a wide headband or a rakish newsboy cap and an oversized pullover or cardigan; they wanted to instill a little of Catherine’s spirit into their lives. There are stripes of every kind in Catherine’s wardrobe: from mariniere tops to a single stripe detail around the neckline or sleeve edges of a sweater. There are also checks and skirt pants and preppy looks, but what I am the most interested in is her take on the late ’20s-early 30s style: she always wears boyfriend sweaters so casually over a floppy dress or pleated skirt, paired with either t-strap character shoes, espadrilles or midcalf boots. It’s so effortless, but let’s not forget that the dandy woman loves showing off her most hidden feminine side. It’s the male/female puzzle that so much fascinated in those days as it does today.

Source: interviews with Jeanne Moreau and François Truffaut on the DVD Jules et Jim
photos: stills from the film, captured by me from French edition of the Blu-ray Jules et Jim

Posted by classiq in Film costume | | Comments Off

4 February 2015

Interview with Fashion Designer Oana Manolescu

Oana Manolescu showroom

A fashion designer who doesn’t follow trends, whose creations can be defined as an elevated functionality or beauty made to wear (and are made by hand) and who personally meets her customers. In our world today, and in fashion especially, these values stand higher than ever before. It is my pleasure to introduce you to a designer who stays true to all of the above in her work. Oana Manolescu is also the one who created my beautiful wedding dress and this special detail could rightfully entitle me to be a little biased. But the truth is that I wear with great pleasure every piece by the designer I have in my wardrobe (including my favourite jacket I have ever owned – ivory, with perforated suede insertions that lend it such an edgy look – which garners compliments every time I wear it), some from more than five years ago. An item of clothing that stands the test of time… now, that’s style we’re talking about.

Who do you design for? Who is the Oana Manolescu woman?
She leads a modern life, multitasking, being many women throughout the course of a single day: mother, professional, life partner, a creator of her own life and experiences. I cannot believe she can accomplish all that without a good sense of self, of simplicity and of beauty. I design the skin this woman lives in. My clothes tell her story.

Who and/or what inspires you? What fashion designers (if any) do you look up to?
Life in itself, as it is, is inspiring. Beauty and elegance could speak through anything around me: a book, a journey, a mood, a cup of coffee, a conversation with a friend. So I do not seek inspiration from the work of other designers, but I strive to stay open to life, and create from that. I must confess, though, my unabashed love of the ’50.

What made you go into fashion?
I am a graduate of interior design with a major in screen printing for fashion. I must have always loved surrounding myself with beautiful things I would actually use, and loved transposing architecture into fashion. And since I was such an admirer of Art Nouveau at the time, I created a collection inspired on galle art glass. It was made solely out of naturally printed and serigraphed fabrics and was featured at The New Generation Section of The Fashion Week. It was my first runway show.

Spring/Summer 2014 collection

I love the streamlined aesthetics and simplicity in your last two collections, Spring/Summer 2014 and Autumn/Winter 2014-2015. What was the inspiration behind them? Do I sense a change of perspective in your design style?
My life has changed so much lately, since I became a mother. The pace is different, I have new responsibilities that ask of me to be more practical and efficient. I guess it shows in my creations. So the lines are more geometrical, simpler, less bohemian, but in the same realm of the feminine. There are fewer colours as well, but the same twist I have always gone for.

Handwork has always played a part in your creations. The attention to details is amazing in all your designs. How hard is it to keep a high standard in an industry challenged by fast fashion?
I truly believe that clothes should be wearable on either side. They are supposed to serve the purpose, but also be things of beauty, of comfort one feels on the skin. I would never dare offer my clients anything less than my own definition of that. One must do as one’s fashion education commands (she smiles).

You personally meet all your customers. How important is the direct contact with them?
My clothes tell a story, but rather than be a story in themselves, they tell the story of the wearer. They must complement and bring out the feminine in my clients, and each one is unique and special. So I take time to meet them, get acquainted with their universe, not just their shapes and sizes. That is probably the secret to the longevity of my designs in my clients’ wardrobes.

How do you feel about trends?
True fashion is timeless.

Oana Manolescu showroom

What is the most rewarding thing as a fashion designer?
My work is to create life through the moods and experiences my clothes bring forth. So I am happy and touched to get odd hours messages from my clients letting me know how great that night felt in the dress I made just for them. Or to hear that my works made it through the closet cleanup year after year. One of them told me once that a good deal of her life happens in my creations. I cannot think of a better reward.

Are there any new lines you are working on?
Of course. Wait and see.

If you weren’t a fashion designer, what would you be?
I would probably be drawing all day long. But since my work has always been about making beautiful things of use to another, I would probably find myself designing something in no time. I always felt that a painting would always remind me of what I felt when painting it, while a dress could pass it on to the woman who wears it. And I chose to give it forward.

What does style mean to you? How would you define your personal style?
Style comes from a sense of self, of knowing and understanding who you are, what is you and what is not. I cultivate that in myself and I work to bring that forth in my clients. My designs definitely speak for my style, but if I were to choose just one object as a reference, it would probably be horseback riding pants. I love horses, and the way they complement the feminine. I have always associated them with the Amazons. They were not just women warriors, they were free spirits of great charisma. Only in my story, they dismount and put on a wide skirt and host dinner parties.

Autumn/Winter 2014-2015 collection

The best piece of advice you’ve been given:
I can’t think of one. Other than not to give advice, perhaps (she smiles).

You wish people appreciated more:
I am tempted to say enjoy life, but isn’t it a bit condescending to offer advice? Let’s all rejoice in what makes us happy. I hope my work contributes to that.

Your favourite moment of the day:
I am happy when I am happy. Morning, evening, coffee time or stories before bed time, with my daughter. The favourite moment is the one you make your favourite.

photos: 1,2,7,8-by me/ 3-6, 10-12: Oana Manolescu

Posted by classiq in Fashion, Interviews | | 3 Comments

29 January 2015

Interview with Fashion Designer Morgane Sézalory

Morgane Sézalory is the founder and self-taught designer of the French brand Sézane. She started out by creating the website Les Composantes, where she presented her vintage finds as monthly collections and soon began to develop her own designs, finally setting out to create her own brand, Sézane, exclusively available online, in 2013. What sets Sézane apart from other fashion brands is not only its insouciant French appeal, but also the concept of a permanent collection (the Essentials) it carries, besides the monthly collections – a sustainable approach and a clear sign of what the company stands for: style comes before fashion. The brand has also recently revealed a lifestyle line, featuring beautiful notebooks, candles and posters (one more reason for me to love the brand), and another exciting news is that it will launch the Appartement in spring, a showroom where customers can make an appointment for a private fitting session and order online afterwards. Yes, the Sézane team thinks of everything.

It is a great pleasure to have Morgane (who’s not only talented, but the very embodiment of French chic) as my guest today, who, despite her extremely busy schedule and her being a newly mother, kindly accepted my interview invitation.

What is the story behind Sézane? Why fashion design?
Everything began when my sister left for London and left me 3 bags of old clothes. I took nice pictures of each item and sold them on eBay. Everything sold so quickly! I realized that people liked my work and started hunting vintage items and organize monthly sales on my website, Les Composantes. Gradually I started adding creations that I had designed and created. In 2013, I decided to focus on creation and launched the brand Sézane with Corentin, who joined the adventure. My goal is to sell beautiful creations, clothes for everyday life, that are both useful and beautiful.

Who do you design for? Who is the Sézane woman?
At first, I design something because I feel like I need it and can’t find it anywhere else: the perfect heels, « the » little black dress… The Sézane woman is everybody, from 20 to 50. She loves beautiful materials, perfect cuts… She has an urban life, and is looking for great quality and design at a fair price.

Which is the most challenging part of the design process? What about the most rewarding one?
The most challenging part is making an idea come true. When I design a clothe, I know exactly what I want, the way it looks, the material and the cut. The hardest part is to find the perfect workshop to create it as I want it to be.

Who and what inspires you?
I find inspiration everywhere. From people around me, my friends, family, colleagues, but also in the street, when I travel. Life in general, even though it might sound a bit common, it’s true.

How do you strike a balance between changing fashion trends and the essence of Sézane? Do trends ever play a role in your designs?
Sézane is very different from other fashion brands. The idea is not to make a statement, but offer to women clothes that they can wear, that are trendy, but not too hard to pull off. Sézane adds a twist to a classical and timeless outfit, with a nice detail, a special material.

There is a fascination with the French that is unparalleled. Why do French, and especially Parisian, women intrigue us so much? Do French women really hold the key and have the answers to style and beauty? Is there really such a thing as a je ne sais quoi?
I like to think so, even though I don’t know what it is! I think that the power of the French designers, such as Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent… started that myth of the Parisian style. But it is true that in France women have this effortless chic attitude. Not too much make up, simple hair. We don’t make a lot of efforts compared to NY women who always look perfect, wear 12cm heels and can run a marathon! In Paris we are more practical and spontaneous. It’s funny because on our side we always admire the perfect looks of New Yorkers!

You’ve recently collaborated with Madewell for a capsule collection. What is the secret behind a successful collaboration? What differentiates French women from their American counterpoints and what do you think each admires about the other?
The secret behind our collaboration with Madewell is quite simple: we have the same vision of fashion, and I love the brand! Sharing the same vision is important, values too. Also be able to understand each other, and create together rather than forcing the partner to agree with your idea.
French women don’t wear as much colors, they wear more neutral colors such as grey, beige, white, black. I love the talent of American women to mix different colors and patterns together successfully ! We are not as bold in France, except perhaps in summer (she smiles).

You are a self-taught designer. What is your advice to someone who is thinking about taking this path, without having the standard training or studies?
Never stop believing, be extremely demanding towards yourself, always challenge your ideas, but don’t doubt yourself because you don’t have the same background as a student from St Martin’s. Stay confident, and work hard, always.

What is your motto?
Enjoy the moment.

Sézane is only available online. Have you ever thought about opening a brick and mortar shop? How do you see the relationship between physical stores and e-commerce developing in the future?
We developed Sézane as a 100% online business, in order to offer the best materials and designs at a fair price. A brick and mortar is very expensive, and you feel the costs on the price of the clothes. But it is very important to have a physical touchpoint with our customers. Fashion is something that you like to touch, try on… That’s why we are opening our Appartement in Paris in April: a 300m2 studio where customers will be able to schedule an appointment and have a private fitting session. Then they will be able to order online from the Appartement, and receive their order where they want a couple of days later.

What does style mean to you?
Style is so personal! To me, it means feeling good and confident in your clothes.

You wish people appreciated more:
Daily pleasures.

What makes you happy at the end of the day?
Having worked like crazy with my teams, creating, imagining, dreaming, and coming back home to my husband and little girl.

photos: 1,2- courtesy of Morgane / 3-6: Sézane

Posted by classiq in Fashion, Interviews | | 6 Comments