Music and fashion (6): Elvis - Long live The King

What would be about fashion and music without Elvis Presley?

Elvis was just a teenager with greasy hair when he spent lunchtimes soaking up the music of Beale Street in Memphis, while gazing at the fashionable clothes in Lansky Brothers' shop window.

It was a revolutionary time and the gangsters ruled the city, wearing the famous zoot suits at the rythm of the radical sound played at underground nightclubs. He ain't no black, but still he joined the trend of squared-pattern and estructured suits, with wide backs that became the proud symbol of the mexican and black etnicities. 

Elvis' pelbis movements were a threat, and so was the zoot suit to the point at which Little Richard had to wear a softer version so he could play at white clubs.

Again, both music and fashion were playing a crucial role during the events that happened those years, and artists were leading the change.

Elvis, the ever masculine and sexual, dared everyone with his black leather jumpsuit during his comeback special in 1968.

And then the Vegas phase came, and with that the bling and the excess. Of any kind.

Las Vegas, aka "Sin City". Where everything is possible and available at your hand's reach.

He was a kid when he broke the barriers and taboos of music, singing like a black man and with those hip moves.

He was a grown man when he changed the way showbusiness was done. 

Men looked up to him and women cried over him.

Unforgettable 

Always

The King  

You must create (YMC)

Their name was borrowed from Raymond Loewy's slogan back in 1995: "You must create your own design and style". A new contemporary fashion brand was born maintaining this ethos through all collections and since then YMC has become reliable, with functional, timeless and modern clothing inspired by vintage style and above all military, work/industrial, and sports wear.

The lines are neat, no tricks out there. The product and its quality speak for the brand.

Beautifully tailored pieces suiting the most demanding fashionistas. 

 Ladies first

 

Ethical fashion pop-up shop - Designers of the future

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Ethical fashion has changed significantly during the last 20 years.

Now is more than using organic cotton and the designers acknowledge that their customers still want beautiful and contemporary designs, and not look like grannies.

High street giant H&M has set the example for their peers and has a whole range based on sustainability and ethical principles.

Even luxury designers are conscious that they need to catch this train, and Alberta Ferreti, Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino have already taken the actions to be at the top of luxury brands in terms of human and workers rights and policies, pollution and supply chain management and environmental reporting.

Ethical designer Mayamiko is organising a Pop-Up shop at The Rag Factory (just off famous Brick Lane in East London) on 27 and 28 October.

If you are you an ethical designer and you want to promote your brand this is a great opportunity for you. 

And if you are a fashion addict, this will be your "non-guilty" pleasure of the week.

Not that you need an excuse for shopping...

And if you're not convinced yet, let's see what the last London Fashion Week Esethica showed us:

Contemporary bold and feminine designs from Henrietta Ludgate

Natural dyes by Ada Zanditon

Deconstructed tailoring made by Junky Styling

Reclaim to Wear and their recent collaboration with Topshop

Knitted hats, scarves and gloves by The North Circular

Street style

I´m starting a new section of the blog to share with you the street style pics that I love most.

Because sometimes it´s hard to say what was first: catwalk or street?

This photo was taken in Clerkenwell Green, queuing for the Alexander McQueen sample sale.

She is wearing a scarf/pj print vintage dress, softly tied just above the hips with a black ribbon, and paired with cat like shades. 

A fresh face with a touch of rouge in the lips and hair tied up with a twisted hair band.

The sartorial hunting continues 

Band of Outsiders (and II) - Oh Boy!

The LA based fashion brand Band of Outsiders has two women's collections: Boy, or the main collection, and Girl, the more casual, girly, softer collection

With Michelle Williams as the face of their Spring 2012 collection, the fashion label played with feminine versus tough women, Hitchcock-ish style. 

For the pre-fall 2012 collection Scott Sternberg has taken the inspiration from the East Coast and the cooler weather from NYC has lead the brains of this fashion brand to forget for a second about the beach, sun  and laid-back style from his adopted hometown

A buttoned-up and androgynous look, double-breasted woolen coats with leather elbow patches, khaki trousers nipped at the ankle like the ones worn by Arizona Muse below

Vintage reminiscences 

Leather jackets and pleated skirts

Menswear revamped for strong women

  

Band of outsiders (I) - Good stuff

Band of Outsiders "makes clothes and other stuff like that"

Check out the Band of Outsiders LEGO project celebrating the 30th anniversary of the toy-lifestyle brand

The blog-like website shows artists like Ed Ruscha, Mick Jagger, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint and Joseph Gordon Levitt on Band's clothing

The new dandies, contemporary and rough

Wool blazers, denim shirts, thin ties and trenches

Quality materials and edgy designs for a non-conventional lifestyle 

H&M range with Maison Martin Margiela

After some very successful collaborations with luxury designers brands (Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Marni...), the Swedish house has recently announced the production of a new collection for Autumn 2012 with the great Maison Martin Margiela.

Yes, I'll definitely queue for this one

Music and fashion (5): David Bowie

This is the story of an artist that has reinvented himself so many times that we cannot but agree that it's very intriguing. Every character was created to suit the music, the mood and the stories told. 

Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke and the feminine and confusing image for the album cover of Hunky Dory. 

One of Bowie's contributions to the fashion industry is that he opened a whole new world of possibilities: glitter, jumpsuits and eccentricity with Ziggy- the man from space, a smarter style with the Duke - the contemporary dandy. Always changing, always evolving, playing with perceptions, rules and sexuality borders, whilst maintaining the expectations of the audience extremely high. 

Bowie's image has been discussed, criticised and subject to different opinions for years. What was never questioned was his talent as artist. 

With Ziggy Stardust, Bowie created the glam-rock in 1972 threatening the traditional American youngsters with all that glitter and declaring himself bisexual, playing with the ambiguity of his acts and words. 

Musicians, through fashion, challenge the audience's believes and rules set by the society.

When David Bowie had his last show as Ziggy on 3 July 1979, many thought that it was also the end of Bowie as musician.

But the show must go on

McQueen (II): One name, two lives

Steve McQueen is for many one of the best actors in modern cinema history.
But he wasn't called "The King of Cool" for nothing.
With a combination of "farm boy and street tough" as described by his wife Barbara, his rebellious attitude was inspiring and sometimes misunderstood.
He had a classic American style, wearing slim-cut tailored suits, zip-up windbreakers, khakis, button-downs V-neck sweaters and shawl-collar cardigans, worn in a very masculine way.
And his passion about motorcycles and racing cars also influenced his style: leather jacket, gloves, boots and of course denim are also the type of clothing we are used to see in pictures.
Brands like Rolex named a watch after him - The Steve McQueen Explorer.
 Iconic sunglasses company Persol has a special collection named after him.
His anti-hero persona and tormented life made an impact that won't be erased easily.