Stars from the ‘Music World’ have been the favourite with Fashion Designers when it comes to be their Muse. We have seen Pete Doherty being idolised by Heidi Slimane of Dior, Amy Winehouse’s Beehive Hairdo inspiring Karl Lagerfeld and most recently Lady Gaga almost resurrecting the forgotten label – Theirry Mugler.
David Bowie the Rockstar with the famous Mullet seems like the Fashion’s Muse for the year 2012. The January 2012 issue of Vogue, Germany shot by another Rocker – Bryan Adams - completely nails Bowie’s glamrock sensibility. Daphne Guinness is almost unrecognisable in a red mullet, glam makeup and gold sequins, the typically goth socialite in a David Bowie-inspired editorial.
It was Kate Moss who channelled Bowie on the cover of Vogue Paris’s 2011 music issue. In the May 2011 issue of Numero, model Edita Vilkeviciute did her best impression of David Bowie, sporting lightning bolt face makeup for the shoot. Even Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2012 campaign, featuring a mullet-ed Anja Rubik is giving us Bowie vibes.
It’s probably never been said by any fashion designer in an interview – “Who will remember Anna Wintour in the history of fashion? No one.” Nor would you have heard or read a fashion designer stating in clear terms, “Karl Lagerfeld never touched a pair of scissors in his life.” But then there is always this one guy with ‘balls’ and the designer I am talking about is none other than the designer par excellence Azzedine Alaïa. Alaïa’s no-holds-barred interview appeared in a fashion mag – Virgine.
Could you ever dream of any of our Indian designers speaking out their mind about a fashion editor to Press? But I personally feel that at times our designers should speak out as there are many floating around as Fashion Critic or Fashion Scribe who can’t tell the difference between the Warp and the Weft and thinks Bias-Cut is a cut when the designer is Biased towards a person or trend!
Well Azzedine Alaïa is in a different league. As long as he knows that women love his clothes, he cares a damn about what magazines write. He shows when he wants and when he is ready — not when there’s a fashion week. He does the same with his seasonal deliveries. Michelle Obama is a fan of Alaïa’s designs and he is probably one of America’s best-selling designer.
Now here’s what Alaïa said about Anna Wintour, Editor of the American Vogue: “She runs the business [of Vogue] very well, but not the fashion part. When I see how she is dressed, I don’t believe in her tastes one second. I can say it loudly! She hasn’t photographed my work in years even if I am a best seller in the U.S. and I have 140 square meters at Barneys. American women love me; I don’t need her support at all. Anna Wintour doesn’t deal with pictures; she is just doing PR and business, and she scares everybody. But when she sees me, she is the scared one. Other people think like me, but don’t say it because they are afraid that Vogue won’t photograph them. Anyway, who will remember Anna Wintour in the history of fashion? No one. Take Diana Vreeland, she is remembered because she was so chic. What she did with the magazine was great.”
About Karl Lagerfeld, Azzedine Alaïa had this to say, “I don’t like his fashion, his spirit, his attitude. It’s too much caricature. Karl Lagerfeld never touched a pair of scissors in his life. That doesn’t mean that he’s not great, but he’s part of another system. He has capacity. One day he does photography, the next he does advertisements for Coca-Cola. I would rather die than see my face in a car advertisement. We don’t do the same work.“
One week ago I had no idea what or who Vanessa G was, except that our very own talented designer Ashish Soni has been engaged by Vanessa Gounden as the Chief Design Officer. But the launch show of Vanessa G at the Banqueting House at Whitehall was monumental.
From Vanessa G website I discover she has a background in, well, pretty much everything; Vanessa has worked in or owns businesses in trade unions, mining, healthcare and finance to name just a few sectors. However, as far as I can tell, she has no background in fashion and that makes me believe that the Autumn -Winter 2011 collection has to be entirely Soni’s creation. By the way the entire Vogue India team was flown in for the night!.
Veuve Clicquot flowed incessantly with DJ: Sophie 
Ellis-Bextor turning up the heat. All this added up to one hell of a fashion show The art-inspired floral prints, particularly the red and green garden-print silk blouse and the one-shouldered looked nice. The collection had coats, shift dresses and trench coats with prints of fantastic landscapes, flowers, flamingos and zebras and embroidery such as jewels and beads.
The post show party had few well dressed celebrities scattered in the crowd. Jade Jagger, Connie Huq, Emilia Fox and Poppy Delevigne grooved to Sophie-Ellis Bexter and her hubbie’s tunes from the DJ booth.
Seems that someone is more interested in what the editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, has to say. At the Gucci show. Milan, September 2. 
But then judging by the content in Italian and American Vogues respectively, who wouldn’t be more interested in what she had to say? But Anna could have done better than just looking away when she was upstaged by Franca. She could have checked her phone like I do when I’m uncomfortable - “Oh, look, is that a text from Karl?”