This season’s runway tracks were a schizophrenic medley, veering from hardcore rap and opera to techno and old-school country—occasionally, all in a single show. Here, a selection of Milan’s music to watch clothes by.PradaBreakout Track: Brenda Lee’s All Alone Am IThe Final Note: Lee’s plaintive and sweet fifties-era croonings were mixed up with rap and classical tunes. Well, you wouldn’t expect a single musical message from Prada, would you?Alberta FerrettiBreakout Track: Puccini’s Oh Mio Babbino Caro from the 1918 opera Gianni SchicchiThe Final Note:Uplifting and emotional Italian drama that could move you to tears. A moving way to take in the romantic, gauzy parade.Jil SanderBreakout Track: Jerry Garcia’s Love Scene Improvisations from Zabriskie PointThe Final Note: Garcia’s twangy, free-form guitar came from the NSFW scene from the 1970’s Antonioni film, shown on screens during the runway proceedings. The result? An aptly arty, earthy, and cultish backdrop to Raf Simons’ rough-hewn intellectualism.Bottega VenetaBreakout Track: Pianist Maxence Cyrin’s version of Don’t You Want Me?The Final Note: Eighties pop merged with classical piano. A high-low mix that’s so appropriate for modern wares made with old-school artisanship.Dolce & GabbanaBreakout Track: Grace Jones’ remake of Rita Hayworth classic Amado MioThe Final Note: Neo-Latin romance with an avant-garde edge. Right on point, boys.GucciBreakout Track:The Gossip’s Heavy CrossThe Final Note: A energetic yet tough pop hit from the band’s latest album. In other words, a soundtrack made for the Gucci girl’s direct, turbo-charged look.—Jasmine Serrurier
Photo: Px18/Wireimage<!–
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As jewelry designer Lynn Ban laid out her silver pieces on a table at the Bowery Hotel’s Gemma restaurant last week, the stark contrast between the antique-chic setting and the industrial-inspired jewelry was marked. But that’s the dichotomy that’s categorized much of the Singaporean designer’s career so far. Ban first made her mark curating a collection of vintage designer clothes for Barneys New York, but her new jewelry endeavor has taken her in a new direction that’s razor-sharp—even a little dangerous.Ban’s line, which includes silver “finger armor” rings (above), twisted cuffs, and a bold, plated necklace inspired by the protective shield of “bulletproof vests,” made its official debut in Barneys stores last month. But even before that, it turned up in covetable editorials: some of Steven Meisel’s shoots for Vogue Italia, for example, and a Mario Testino spread in V.”I love exploring the idea of something that is beautiful that can either harm or protect you,” the designer explained, waving an arm stacked with hinged handcuff bangles set with diamonds. “It can be in nature or something manmade.” Her twisted propeller cuffs, for example, were inspired by “a large stainless steel ship propeller,” she went on. “I did a variation of this cuff where the edges were inspired by the jagged edge of a chop saw blade—I liked the sculptural form of the propeller in contrast with the sharp blades.”Sharp, indeed. Has anyone actually been injured by a piece of her jewelry? “Maybe my husband,” she joked. “But they did stop me at airport security on my way to Paris last week because they saw my collection on the monitors and had to ask what it was.” Luckily, you can’t ban a thing of beauty just because it looks dangerous.
But he still will. The famously private Alexander McQueen jumped headfirst into social media on September 1 with this maiden tweet: “STRESSED! Microwave head meltdown! Sparks flying out of my brain! Preparing for the show—Lee McQueen.” Yes, it was really him. While McQueen’s Twitter @McQueenWorld has some of the publicist-driven tweets like other major fashion houses, the designer himself has been giving us intimate and occasionally expletive-filled little glimpses into his world, like this and this, and revealing abstract hints about the upcoming collection. It might actually be the case that for the shy designer—he once insisted on doing a TV interview with his back to the camera—Twitter may be the perfect mode of communication. And McQueen is joining the likes of Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, and Burberry in live-streaming his show, called Plato’s Atlantis here on October 6 at 8:15 p.m Paris time. SHOWstudio head Nick Knight will be directing the live broadcast which will be spliced with footage already shot by McQueen and Knight that stars Raquel Zimmermann. Considering McQueen is usually one of the most thrilling and theatrical 15 minutes of Paris fashion week, it’s worth your while to tune in. In the meantime, you can pre-game on the site with a reel of past highlights.—Meenal Mistry
