Still smitten by David Bowie’s breathtaking retrospective at London’s V&A, we were ridiculously excited when we came across another glitzy exhibition dedicated to one of our favourite decades, the all colourful, all glittering ‘70s. Under the name “Glam! The Performance of Style” the museum SCHIRN Kunsthalle in Frankfurt are set on showing how “glam” became a world wide phenomenon.
From the moment you step into this exhibition you can’t help but fall in love with one of fashion’s wildest eras! Life size perches a photo of Brian Eno with colorful eye shadow and glittery flared pants, in the middle Bryan Ferry poses with an Elvis-esque quiff and platform shoes and to the right David Bowie in an out of this world all-in-one. It’s the perfect intro to an exhibition where over a 100 works are displayed from disco balls to glittery curtains.
The ‘70s was all about re-inventing yourself and the perfect example (and our favourite snap in the whole exhibition) shows a black and white photograph of a glam fan sitting on her bed in her one-room apartment with a spiky David Bowie mullet! After seeing this exhibition, us Topshop girls will be definitely be looking at Rosy Music’s Bryan Ferry and acts like Iggy Pop when we need our next fancy dress party fix.
Showing until the 22nd of September, get over to Frankfurt if you can and get set to loose yourself in a world that’s glam, glam, glam!
Stylist to the stars, creative consultant and model maker. Grace Woodward is one of Britain’s biggest fashion insiders and if you don’t already know about her, you should! From styling the glitterati for the Sunday Times Style magazine to perfecting the looks for PPQ before they hit the runaway, Grace really has got her very fashionable fingers in most pies. She won Stylist of the Year at the 2009 Clothes Show and British Fashion Council and even turned her hand to the X Factor when she became Fashion Director in 2010. That’s right, Grace is about as busy as any fashion champion can be.
We asked the creative director about her favourite people to dress, working in TV and what makes her happy.
When did you first fall in love with fashion and realise it was for you?
It was an image I saw in the Sunday Times when I was a teenager – a Brintons carpet campaign that Vivienne Westwood had brilliantly collaborated on. It stoked my integral love of fantasy, art, images, history all into the thing I really was fascinated with. It didn’t define that I wanted to work in the fashion industry but it felt like the thing that had come closest to the inside of my head. It definitely influenced my choice to work at Agent Provocateur as my first job.
Who has been your favourite person to dress?
Oh wow, there are so many and for so many different reasons like shooting Karen Elson - amazing models of that level come in looking so freaky then transform into this mega woman/machine who doesn’t shoot a bad frame. I really admire women who use their mind to dress rather than just their body or sexuality. Some of my images I love the most are of Fever Ray – Karin Dreijer Andersson - I work a lot with the idea that clothing is a mask and through the mask you reveal your true self. She is the antithesis of the usual woman in music which is ‘do I look sexy and cool’, there’s real art, cultural and historical references here. Oh, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers for obvious reasons!
Most people will know you for your role on Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model – what’s it like being part of such a popular show? And is it as fun as it looks?
All good TV entertainment shows look super fun and bubbly and easy breezy and belie the huge amount of hard work goes into them! It was an amazing thing to do, especially as I’d wanted to be a presenter right back at college but wasn’t as confident enough back then. It’s hard though when you are criticizing young girls not to have a conscience about it, brushing it under the carpet as it’s just fun TV. That level of constant critique about perfection slips in your own psyche too, I felt really self critical and analytical on the flip side of it but wouldn’t change having done it as I learned so much.
Florence from Florence and the Machine as styled by Grace Woodward.
How would you describe your own style?
Shambolic chic. I’m rebellious and so I find being told what to wear and when to wear it difficult. I don’t dress on trend or to fit in, I want to look like me which is a risky business when people have such high expectations and judgments on what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ these days. I wear my heart (or how I’m feeling) on my sleeve and so it doesn’t always look like ‘fashion‘ and I find my antennae is a little bit too far ahead sometimes, I’ll wear stuff too early to look mass market. I think dressing is a really creative thing like painting, layering texture and colour instinctively.
What item of clothing couldn’t you live without?
Right now as I’m 6 months pregnant my maternity jeans and my zipped black very stretchy Alaia dress. If I was stranded on a desert island the thing I’d grab from the sinking ship would be my Lara Bohinc cashmerescarf – it’s more like the size of a flag – it’s good for winter as a scarf and summer as a beach wrap.
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
I had quite a traumatic teenage time with lots of drama and unsettling things around me. I think I’d just say have faith that one day you will be in charge and things can be different.
For any budding stylists out there what advice would you give?
Get a team around you. A photographer and hair and make-up team. Build your aesthetic that way at first, then work with people with different vibes to build your skills and widen your experience. Be prepared to be creative in everything including paying bills.
What makes you happiest?
Cocktails and a good read but not necessarily together. Anything to do with my car with my husband and cat involved somehow. I find a hard days work really fulfilling – my self esteem is very linked to what I output.
What’s next for Grace?
A BABY! And buying a 300 year old house in the country (fingers crossed) where I also have sights on a crazy venue to do a food and drink project which has always been another passion in my life. I’m also writing a fictional fashion book. Not quite sure in what order this will happen though. I’m spinning plates!
Sofia Coppola may be a constant champion when it comes to fashion – the woman wears Marc Jacobs like no other – but when it comes to directing, her films are a little more hit and miss. We swooned over The Virgin Suicides and sat in awe after Lost in Translation but her more recent Marie Antoinette and Somewhere left us wanting. Enter her latest feature, The Bling Ring, which follows six fame-obsessed teenagers as they break in – usually through the front door – and rob the houses of Hollywood’s elite.
We can’t say she’s returned quite to the perfection of The Virgin Suicides but The Bling Ring is definitely a step up. Based on true events from 2007, part of the attraction is the story itself, where a group of high schoolers stole $3 million in cash and designer gear after googling celebrity’s home addresses. Another particular Topshop highlight was the eye candy – and we don’t mean boys! – as the film is jam-packed with incredible pieces of clothes that are gaudily paraded about on screen. If you’re partial to poring over rows of Louboutins and racks of Herve Leger and fancy nosing into Paris Hilton’s LA mansion, then this is the film for you.
Minus all the gorgeous garbs and buzzing nightclub scenes there’s also a particular gem in the film in the way of Emma Watson. Yes, the nerdy Miss Granger has swapped her wizard robes and haughty intonations for uggs and a mighty good Californian accent that will have you thinking of The Hills. She is pretty much every girl (and mother’s) worst nightmare and it’s clear she relishes the new part. (Did we mention she even does a little bit of pole dancing?) So whether you fancy drooling over designer pumps or seeing Hermione in a new light The Bling Ring might just be what you’re after.
The Bling Ring is released in cinemas on July 5th – get a sneak peek of the film in the video below.
This summer is a summer of movies for us Topshop girls! We’re in for a treat with our Silverlake movie screenings over in LA and are excited for Somerset House’s outdoor summer screenings here in London. But what we’re really looking forward to this summer is going to Paris next weekend for a drive-in cinema experience like no other. Now that’s not something we’ve done before and we can’t wait to see Parisians do cinema the classic American way!
The venue? The spectacular glass roof of the Grand Palais where Cinema Paradiso – Paris’ biggest drive-in cinema ever – has made its home. So girls, the time has come to put on a ‘50s dress, grab yourself a soda and some popcorn and sit back and relax!
The best thing is that for visitors like us, there’s no need to worry about driving there . The French have thought about everything so you can enjoy one of the cult movie scenes from films like Pulp Fiction and Dirty Dancing in one of the 35 pre-parked convertible Fiat 500s that are fitted with wireless headphones for a modern take on retro style. Cool right?
We can’t wait to enjoy a movie on this huge 35 square metre screen bang in the middle of Paris! And that’s not where the fun stops . You can also grab yourself some fluro vintage roller skates and get on the dancefloor and grab a bite at the American diner where Gita Seaton, Queen of the North-American cuisine, will be serving up her famous cheeseburgers.
So if you want to feel like John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John cuddling up, be quick and get your special seat. Open until the 21st June, make like us Topshop girls and book a last minute trip to Paris for next weekend ! And if you’re in Paris already, all we can say is lucky you…
Deap Vally’s Twitter bio describes them as “Bad Ass” and we have to agree, there’s really not a better way to describe this carefree duo. Julie Edwards – a redhead who goes wild on the drums – and Lindsey Trott – the singer and guitarist with a blonde fro that would make Jerry Hall jealous – are the striking figures behind our new favourite band. These girls are anything but tame and the music they produce is equally so.
Blues and rock and something primal mix up in Deap Vally’s punchy sound. With musical inspiration from Janis Jolin and Led Zepplin there are big riffs and screeching vocals to keep you on your toes. Baby I Call Hell has already received 300K+ views on YouTube and received praise from NME and Billboard alike. It’s not just the headphones that have been appreciative but Deap Vally have been getting a lot of love for their rowdy and impassioned live performances too. So much so that they’ll be kicking off LA’s Bonnaroo tomorrow with huge expectations for a night to remember.We chatted with the glam rock loving duo to talk the euphoria of gigs and the necessity of manuka honey.
What inspires the music you make?
Making and playing music is one of the most meaningful and rewarding things in my life. My relationship with it and my appreciation for it only evolves as I get older. Playing music is both spiritually and physically addictive. Music is the highway to truth.
When did you know that you wanted to go into music?
In utero? I’ve been singing and playing music for nearly my entire life. It’s always been there. There have been times in my life where I have tried to divorce myself from it, but I always came back. Music is soul food. If I don’t have it I starve.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
It’s kind of funny because most times I get asked that question, my inclination is to answer with the latest show we’ve played. We really live in the moment because we are so busy and we play shows all the time, and every show is magical and euphoric in its own way, and so the memory of the most recent show is always impressed upon me. (That being said, on rare occasions we have had what we like to call a “public pap smear”. This is a show that feels like–well, a public pap smear. But even public pap smears are valuable in their own way.) To answer your question, I’m gonna ramble a little and make a list of all-time favorite gigs because I can’t just pick one: both weekends of Coachella, our last headlining show in London at Dingwalls, a gig we played in Madrid opening for Mumford and Sons, festival called Rock en Seine in Paris, and a show we recently did in Melbourne at the Northcote Social Club.
What music have you been listening to recently?
Black Angels, Savages, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra,Tame Impala. I have such an enormous respect for each of these bands and I hope to tour with each of them one day. We played a couple shows with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs recently and that was truly a dream come true. They are one of my favorite bands. They set the bar so high.
What past or current artist most excites you?
Led Zeppelin will eternally sit in the thrones of rock. That being said, there is so much incredible music out there for me to obsess over. I’m currently really inspired by Savages. If you haven’t heard of them, do yourself a favor and check them out. Four women who play really intense, hypnotic, shoe-gazey post-punk. They’re so committed to what they do. They put on an incredibly fierce and inspired performance.
If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be?
The Rolling Stones
How would you describe your style?
Rock’n'roll glamour
What are your touring must-haves?
My leather jacket, knitting needles, a good book, cuticle trimmer, aromaco deodorant from Lush, Manuka honey, sleep mask, neck pillow for flying, my journal, music.
Catch Deap Vally in tour here, watch more of their videos here and watch their most recent video below.
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