The Luxe Chronicles

When Artists Act Like Brands.

2016-04-11T15:33:48+02:00

Can I get away with this?

Tiffany blue, Hermes orange and now Kapoor black? I've been mulling over news reports from a few weeks ago that British artist Anish Kapoor has secured the exclusive right to use the high-tech color "Vantablack".

"Vantablack" was developed by UK firm Surrey NanoSystems for military purposes. The pigment is so dark that it absorbs 99.96 percent of light making anything coated with it nearly invisible. Those of you who are fans of the U.S. television series The Americans will know it's strategic value and the lengths the former Soviet Union were willing to go to during the Cold War to discover it's properties.

While it's argued that Kapoor is not the first artist to secure rights to a particular color (French abstract artist Yves Klein co-developed his signature matte cobalt blue color for which he secured a patent under French law), that is not entirely accurate. Kapoor now reportedly has an exclusive right to use the color to the exclusion of all other artists while in the case of "International Klein Blue" as it's called, fellow artists (and non artists alike) can use the color but need to pay a licensing fee to the artist's estate.

Moral issues relating to the monopolization of a color by an artist aside, Kapoor's move struck me as one that might be made by a brand trying to lock down and protect it's identity. Like logos and brand names, colors are an important part of brand identity and so brands go to great lengths to protect their exclusivity. It brings to mind the legal tussle between Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent over the use of red soles. If you recall, a U.S. court upheld the validity of Louboutin’s red-sole trademark but with caveats.

In this instance however, we're not talking about brand identity or sales of shoes but artistic expression. It makes me wonder whether Kapoor will likewise aggressively pursue his rights should a fellow artist attempt to use "Vantablack" or something close to it in their work. What if a fellow artist wishes to use it merely as a commentary on Kapoor's brazen appropriation of a color? What then? Wouldn't that usage constitute a form of freedom of expression worthy of legal protection?

If nothing else, the issue is a fascinating one. I doubt we've heard the last of it.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Saint Laurent Under Slimane: A Legacy?

2016-04-05T14:10:15+02:00

So it's now official. Hedi Slimane has left the once-fabled house of Saint Laurent. His replacement is a relatively unknown young Belgian designer by the name of Anthony Vaccarello.

Slimane's tenure at Saint Laurent will have been brief making any kind of assessment of his "legacy" tenuous at best. Still, that hasn't stopped the usual cast of fashion insiders, especially French fashion editors, from waxing poetic about Slimane's midas touch: "He brought street cred to luxury." "He elevated youth culture and made Saint Laurent cool again." "He brought the house of Saint Laurent back to its roots."

Far be it for me, a fashion consumer, to question the edicts of fashion's gatekeepers but that's not exactly what I saw when I looked at Slimane's Saint Laurent. Rather, I saw a forty-something designer with a fetish for teenaged boys "designing" clothing that would have been better suited for teenaged boys than for grown women with hips and breasts. Perhaps that's why his runway shows and many of his adverts featured models who looked like boys rather than women.

Moreover, can we really call what he did for Saint Laurent "designing" when it seems like virtually every single look he sent down the runway for Spring/Summer 2016 could just as easily have been pulled from Courtney Love's closet circa 1990's? Perhaps that would account for the overwhelming feeling of deja vu I so often got after viewing Slimane's runway shows. The effect was not unlike walking into Zara.

Personally, when I think of what Saint Laurent (the man, not the brand) contributed to fashion, I think of a designer who broke with tradition by introducing pret-a-porter because he believed it was more in keeping with how modern women wanted to consume fashion. I think of a man who freed women from the cumbersome process of haute couture fittings because women had better things to do than submit to multiple fittings twice her year just to be well-dressed.

I also think of a man who made trouser suits for women both fashionable and feminine thus giving women a new uniform to conquer the workplace. I think of a man who sent a virtual rainbow of diversity down the runway. Indeed, the "Saint Laurent woman" came in all skin colors and ethnicities. They were confident, beautiful and not one of them looked like they needed to be carted off to an eating disorder clinic.

By contrast, when I think of Slimane for Saint Laurent, I can't help thinking of the The Emperor's New Clothes. Some legacy.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

On Risks And Rewards: Erwin Olaf For Ruinart.

2016-03-29T12:47:20+02:00

To anyone who observes the luxury industry even casually, it's fairly clear that while many brands talk a good game about innovation and risk-taking, a lot of it is just that, talk. Advertising and communication styles have become formulaic with brands relying largely on glossy images of famous people. It's all very pretty but rarely generates more than a blip on your radar.

So rare is it to witness a luxury brand reaching beyond it's comfort level that when it does happen, you pay attention. When I learned that the venerable house of Ruinart would be collaborating with contemporary Dutch artist Erwin Olaf, my ears perked up. While Ruinart, France's oldest champagne house and arguably it's most prestigious, does have a long record of artistic collaborations dating back to 1896, there is a world of difference between an association with say, The Royal Opera in London and a contemporary artist well-versed in the art of provocation.

Known for his highly stylized photographs, Olaf clearly relishes playing with taboos. Whether issues of race, sexuality, children or violence, a just below the radar kind of provocation has become his signature: As a viewer, your eye is drawn to the static perfection of the image but it's the underlying tension that holds your gaze and draws you in. The surface image may be cool and controlled but something is simmering below the surface that threatens to erupt at any moment. For this reason alone, Olaf would be a surprising choice for any luxury brand.

The images shot by Olaf for Ruinart are a stark departure from his body of work. They're also not in keeping with the concept he started out with. While he set out for Reims with a brigade of models, stylists, hair and make up artists and assistants in tow, after a day and a half of shooting, Olaf started to feel the niggling of self-doubt. "Everybody was doing their best but it just didn't feel right. I was starting to feel this mounting pressure so I just took off by myself and started wandering through the crayeres".

As he explored the eight-kilometer long former chalk mine that now houses Ruinart's finest vintages, he became fascinated by the graffiti left by successive generations across the newly-minted UNESCO World Heritage Site. That's when he came to the realization that his initial concept was all wrong. "I think I let myself be a little bit too influenced by the glamorous side of champagne." Instead of the carefully orchestrated, glossy tableaux he had initially imagined, Olaf decided to place the crayeres front and center. Using a Hasselblad and shooting exclusively in black and white, he proceeded to explore the naturally-occurring cracks, grooves and indentations along with the manmade scratches and doodles. What emerges from his exploration is a series of photographs displaying an almost Brassai-esque primitiveness reminiscent of the artist's graffiti series shot throughout Paris.

There is a beautiful, ethereal quality to Olaf's photographs that are infinitely more interesting than the typical glamorous depiction of the "good life" found in most champagne imagery. Perhaps they serve as a reminder of the benefits of pushing beyond your comfort level both as a brand and as an artist. The collection of 26 photographs will be traveling to a succession of contemporary art fairs around the globe. They're well worth seeking out. For more information, please visit the Ruinart website.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

London, We Have A Problem.

2016-02-15T12:00:39+01:00

I was perusing the March edition of British Vogue this weekend and I came to one rather sad conclusion.

If there is any diversity to speak of in the pages of the magazine, it is largely thanks to the growing diversity displayed in brand adverts. Indeed, the adverts for Chanel, Celine, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Moschino, Balmain, Issey Miyake, Stuart Weitzman and Prada (yes, even Prada) all feature at least one woman of color. By contrast, the magazine's four fashion editorials, over 50 pages worth of photography, are entirely white.

For whatever reason, the absence of racial diversity in the pages of British Vogue continues to shock me, more so than in the other Vogues. Perhaps it's because each time I go to London, I'm reminded of just how richly diverse the city is. In fact, I would argue that of the world's four major fashion capitals, it is by far the most racially and culturally diverse of the lot even surpassing New York City. Street style photographs bear witness to this. So, why do the editorial pages of British Vogue remain so stubbornly white when British society is anything but?

To be fair, there is one model of color featured in the March edition of the magazine but she is relegated to the Vogue Shops and Vogue Spy features (the same woman appears in both features). One more appears in the Vogue Beauty pages but the image consists of a look taken from the Moschino Spring 2016 show. The magazine's editorial section however, the back of the book where a magazine's editor-in-chief expresses a point of view and exerts her influence, has not one woman of color in sight. Not one.

Perhaps this state of affairs would not be so galling had Alexandra Schulman, the magazine's editor-in-chief, not uttered the following statement during an interview:

"All the Vogues—and I believe there are 19—have separate identities that cater to the country where they are produced. We are more idiosyncratic and diverse than American Vogue, and more mainstream than French or Italian. We have to sell a large number of copies, and so the magazine is designed to appeal to a range of readers rather than only fashion fans. We have a lot of interviews and arts coverage and social observation pieces. I like to think that we are a magazine of record, and when you look back it will show the culture and society we live in and not only the clothes we wear."

If Ms. Shulman were to peer over the gilded parapet of British Vogue from time to time, she might notice that her magazine doesn't in fact reflect the current state of British culture and society at all. Not even a little bit. If a major title such as British Vogue is this out of touch with the culture and society it serves, then I believe it may be ripe for a shake up. I suggest they start at the top.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Raise A Glass To The Weekend!

2016-01-29T16:28:42+01:00

It's Friday at last and that deserves a toast. Raise your glass high, raise it often, repeat.

A lovely weekend to all.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Art Above The Fragrance Counters?

2016-01-27T11:52:59+01:00

I must admit, I was curious about the Ai Weiwei installation at Paris' Le Bon Marche but I had my doubts. Can serious, culturally relevant art co-exist with fragrance samples? Would the art of commerce overshadow or even cheapen the artist's message?

Turns out the Ai Weiwei installation has a quiet elegance to it on the surface but remains every bit a caustic commentary on China's human rights failings. The massive mythological creatures suspended from the rafters over the store's famous atrium are captivating, their bamboo frame and white silk construction echoing the building's architecture details. Inspired by traditional Chinese children’s tales, they are unknown to several generations of Chinese as they were banned under China's strict censorship laws. The smaller installations in the store windows facing the street have an autobiographical element to them and reference Ai Weiwei's well-publicized political struggles with his government over surveillance and censorship.

While Le Bon Marche has housed temporary art exhibits in the past, they were usually consigned to a small exhibition space located in the basement. This time, some of the store's most valuable real estate has been turned over to the dissident Chinese artist including all of the windows fronting the rue de Sevres. In retail terms, that's not nothing.

A cynic might argue that all of this is just a clever ploy to increase foot traffic and sell the store's pricy wares. They would be at least partially correct as the exhibit was reportedly commissioned to promote the store's annual “White Sale.” But does it really matter if it also offers people the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of an influential contemporary artist. Not everyone has the opportunity to frequent galleries and museums. Besides, there are far easier, cheaper ways to advertise a sale.

I actually enjoyed the exhibit tremendously (especially the smaller works exhibited in the windows). Then again, I personally don't think art belongs exclusively between the sterile white walls of museums. If it takes a "White Sale" to bring Ai Weiwei and his unique point of view to the masses, so be it.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Progress Measured One Advert At A Time?

2016-01-26T12:01:11+01:00

Last April, I wrote a post on racial diversity in the fashion industry in which I suggested that progress on this front seemed to be more forthcoming from brand adverts and e-commerce sites like Net-A-Porter than mainstream fashion editorials in magazines like Vogue.

In that post, I sited as examples Liya Kebede for the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2015 campaign and editorial content produced on Net-A-Porter's "The Edit". This time, what caught my eye is the Spring/Summer 2016 adverts for Chanel which feature Lineisy Montego. Incidentally, the nineteen year old also walked the Prada Fall/Winter 2015 show, only the third ever woman of color to do so after Naomi Campbell in 1993 and Jourdan Dunn in 2008.

Setting aside Prada's appalling runway diversity stats, the fact that Montego is featured in a Chanel campaign is significant. Chanel, like Dior and Prada, is the holy grail of advertising campaigns for aspiring models. While there is a context to the campaign which might account for the presence of a model of color (Lagerfeld shot it on location in Brooklyn presumably to give it an urban feel), it wasn't so long ago that context would have been overlooked in favor of a willowy white model all the same.

While critics might argue that Montego is relatively fair-skinned as far as women of color go (a point I don't disagree with), I maintain that this constitutes progress all the same. Our societies are increasingly diverse and brands have understood that displaying their wares on persons of colour makes sound commercial sense. Fashion editors like British Vogue's Alexandra Schulman who have been stubbornly resistant to the notion of diversity may want to take note. The winds have shifted.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Musings On Fame And Privacy.

2016-01-25T14:24:20+01:00

So much has been written about David Bowie's legacy since his recent death that there seems nothing truly of consequence to add. Except perhaps one thing: The manner in which he lived his life is, to me, proof that fame does not have to come at the expense of either privacy or dignity.

One could argue that the sheer breadth of Bowie's creative output during the course of his six-decade long career had enabled him to transcend the status of mere celebrity to become a genuine cultural icon. And lest we forget, he was married to Iman, a super model and celebrity in her own right making them what the media like to refer to as "a celebrity power couple". In terms of the sheer magnitude of fame and glamour, it's hard to top that. And yet, despite it all, Bowie and his family managed to keep his eighteen-month long battle with cancer (what a scoop that would have been) essentially private. So much so that for most people, even devoted fans, his death came as a complete shock.

I raise this point simply because we've become accustomed to hearing celebrities, both major and minor, lament the loss of privacy. When it's not George Clooney whining about the intrusion of the media in his private life and seeking to have anti-paparazzi laws passed then it's Kanye West trying to compare being photographed by paparazzi to sexual assault.

Mr. Bowie who lived in New York City reportedly went about his business unrecognized and unencumbered by his fame. He chose cabs over limos and walked alone rather than surrounded by body guards. Perhaps what's missing from Mr. Clooney's and Mr. West's lives is not tougher legislation or bigger body guards but rather a sense of dignity and maturity about their fame. Could they, like David Bowie, handle walking out into the street and not being recognized?

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Friday At Last ...

2016-01-15T08:00:00+01:00

I've spent altogether too much time in airports this week and it has taken it's toll. And to think there was a time when the thought of zipping through airports seemed grown up and oh so very glamorous. What was I thinking?

When I was an undergraduate, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up but I knew I wanted a career that took me all over the world. I wanted to travel, experience new cultures and discover new places. Of course, when these dreams took root, 9/11, the London Shoe Bomber, the Underwear Bomber and all the indignities that terrorism and the threat of terrorism has since heaped upon modern day travelers hadn't happened yet. It was before we had to remove our shoes and belts, decant our toiletries, dump all of our possessions into plastic bins and submit to rude pat downs from surly security officials. Unless you're flying private, air travel now feels like a perverse obstacle course. As a result, I have come to loath airports.

Problem is that I still love to discover new places and experience foreign cultures. I still love working with people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. I find it personally enriching in ways I hadn't even anticipated and so I wouldn't trade it for anything. If only airports were just a little less aggravating, a little less off-putting and a little less depressing. Maybe jet pack technology is the future? Or better yet, Star Trek-style transporters? Hope springs eternal.

Wherever you are, a lovely, relaxing weekend free of air travel hassles to all.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Everything Old Is New Again?

2016-01-13T08:00:00+01:00

Is that a Prada coat? Or is it Mui Mui? Marni? Marc Jacobs maybe? Gucci under Alessandro Michele?

The above image was actually taken in New York City's Theatre District in 1967. So why is the fashion vibe (minus the hair and make up) in this vintage photograph so contemporary?

Is it the lingering influence of Mad Men? Or is it because fashion, with few exceptions, hasn't turned out anything truly "new" in a very long time and designers are constantly pilfering the past in lieu of actual inspiration? It does make you wonder what we're paying for, doesn't it?

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles