Monday, February 7, 2011

Glossy Dreams: my favorite magazine spreads by my favorite stylists


     Glossies is a term referring to the glossy pages of a fashion magazine [file this away with words like 'skinnies' for skinny jeans and 'sunnies' for sunglasses] These pages are the ultimate gateway to my fashion fantasies. I feel like I'm always dreaming, fantasizing, and obsessing over fashion during every possible minute of the day. One minute I'm obsessing over Blair Waldorf's wardrobe ensemble in a recent Gossip Girl episode and the next, I can't stop thinking about Erin Fetherston's new line of tea cup volume dresses. It's like an ongoing slide show of images constantly going through in my head. So for the very first edition of this new segment which I appropriately call 'Glossy Dreams,' I'd like to share with you all some of my most favorite fashion spreads of all time. 


Vogue - December 2003 
Styled by Grace Coddington
Natalia Vodianova in "Alice in Wonderland: A Fashion Fairytale"

     The first is a spread that appeared in the December 2003 issue of Vogue titled, "Alice in Wonderland: A Fashion Fairytale." This spread was styled by none other than Grace Coddington, American Vogue's most famous creative director. The shoot itself was very ahead of its time because it actually appeared seven years prior to the hype of Tim Burton's remake of the famous Disney tale. The whole idea of the concept, which featured the Russian supermodel, Natalia Vodianova as Alice, comes straight from the pages of Lewis Caroll's classic tale of her journey through Wonderland, except with a wicked brilliant twist. Each memorable character in the book is represented by a famous designer like John Galliano as the queen of hearts, Marc Jacobs as the blue caterpillar, Jean Paul Gaultier as the cheshire cat, and Karl Lagerfeld as... well, Karl Lagerfeld! The blend of couture gowns and Grace Coddington's fantastic imagination, plus the mix of fashion's most prominent designers, was pure brilliance. 

 Model: Natalia Vodianova 
 Tom Ford
falling down the rabbit hole 
Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga
 John Galliano 
as the Queen of Hearts 
Oliver Theyskens of Nina Ricci
Marc Jacobs
as the Blue Caterpillar 
 Karl Lagerfeld 
Jean Paul Gaultier 
as the Cheshire Cat
 Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren of Viktor & Rolf
as Tweedledum and Tweedledee
 Christian Lacroix 
with the Mad Hatter for tea
Donatella Versace

Teen Vogue - November 2009
Styled by Havana Laffitte 
Emma Watson in "Emma Enchanted"

     My other favorite fashion spread appeared in the November 2009 issue of Teen Vogue which featured Emma Watson as the cover girl [look familiar?!]  I've read all seven of the Harry Potter books and I'm such a closet geek about it [but I guess the secret's out?] But as much as I'm obsessed over the franchise, I'm even more obsessed over the British beauty, Emma Watson. There's a reason why Burberry chose her to become the face of the famous British brand. Not only is she unbelievably stunning she is pretty much just as in love with the fashion world as I am. I distinctly remember reading an interview of her during the early years of her movie career in which she said that upon turning 21 and becoming in charge of her finances, that she will probably spend a whole chunk of it on couture dresses and shoes. What a great idea and an even better investment! This particular shoot was shot in a manor outside London when she was filming the sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies, The Half-Blood Prince. And the entire fashion spread is my kind of heaven. Styled by one of my favorite fashion director and stylist for Teen Vogue, Havana Laffitte, the entire shoot was a mixture of a colorful, playful, and whimsical fantasy with a great flair of a British royalty feel to it. Burberry [no surprise there] and Dolce & Gabbana dominated the entire wardrobe ensemble, along with this gorgeous plum colored, Monique Lhuillier tulle gown. *Sigh -- lovely. 

top, skirt, and brooches by Dolce and Gabbana 

 dress by Toga
boots by Burberry
feathered headband by Teeny House Bunny
blouse and brooches by Dolce & Gabbana 
skirt by Erin Fetherston 
boots by 7 for All Mankind 
tights by Fogal
dress by Burberry 
blazer by Moschino Cheap and Chic
faux fur stole by Adrienne Landau 
dress by Monique Lhuillier 
jacket by Gryphon New York
shoes by Burberry 
 t-shirt by 2K by Gingham 
skirt by Dolce & Gabbana 
shoes by Pleaser 

Harper's Bazaar - April 2010 
Styled by Rachel Zoe 
Demi Moore in "Demi Moore's Dream Life"

     I'm not a big fan of Demi Moore at all, but I am a huge supporter of team Zoe. In the third season of the Rachel Zoe Project, Rachel Zoe was booked for a job to style Demi Moore for her cover shoot for in the April 2010 issue of Harper's Bazaar. And aside from the magnificent idea of the shoot -- either very small or very big props, the wardrobe was so beautiful, I could cry. From a navy blue Oscar de la Renta halter dress complete with a there's no place like home, Wizard of Oz inspired red glittery Christian Louboutin pumps to an ethereal white Chanel dress with a matching bolero jacket, the entire spread was embellished with so many famous names [the late and great Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, and Carolina Herrera.] This is just a stylist's ultimate fantasy. In keeping with the Rachel Zoe dictionary of fashion expressions -- I DIE. 
dress and shoes by Alexander McQueen
 dress by Oscar de la Renta 
shoes by Christian Louboutin 
 dress and bolero jacket by Chanel 
sandals by Fendi 
 dress by Dior 
dress by Carolina Herrera 

Love, KB






3 comments:

  1. Love your "Styled by Grace Coddington" posts and am in awe of the post archives. Where did they find the sweet baby pig in the "Alice in Wonderland" layout - styled by Grace Coddington and how could Karl stand to be so far from it?
    I'd never realized how many wonderful shoots Grace had styled until I saw "The September Issue". It's great you've archived some of them as a group.

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    1. I'm not sure where they found the baby pig but all I know is that Karl Lagerfeld didn't want to play a character from the Alice in Wonderland story so they let him play himself lol
      But thanks for the feedback =] I'm glad that you enjoy my Grace Coddington for Vogue posts! She's my absolute favorite stylist.

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  2. Amazing shoots! The alice in wonderland is my ultimate fav!!!

    SSSx
    www.stylestreetstalker.com

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