EDITOR’S LETTER
Embrace the new season in all its exuberance
Fashion is barely about clothes anymore, which is especially surprising for this season that typically majors on covered-up looks. Marc Jacobs campaigned this very notion with his recent show featuring various states of undress. There were lace negligees, silk slips, sheer brassieres – some worn under mannish coats, others styled into daywear – suffused with 1940s nostalgia and the sweet scent of intimacy. “It was about the mystery of what is behind a closed door. There was a little bit of exhibitionism and voyeurism, just like the world we live in,” said Jacobs, who took a bow after presenting his boudoir-styled collection for Louis Vuitton wearing silk pajamas (interview on page 190).
Ideas and emotions now rule the runway, from mid-century looks at Prada and Bottega Veneta; to soft cocooning fabric and shapes at Céline; also (who would’ve thought?) hearts-and-latex at Burberry Prorsum – all of which are presented in BAZAAR’s 70-page Autumn/Winter ’ 13 Report (from page 89), given substance with funky furs, audacious accessories, and scintillating shoes. There was a lot of deep-thinking evident in these collections with designers going beyond surface value in order to uncover just what brings clothes to life. It is often a beautiful mind, where the aptly called fashion spread (page 310) evokes the intelligent, engaging style of Katharine Hepburn; while Carine Roitfeld collaborates with Karl Lagerfeld to pay tribute to “women of diversity” (page 282). It’s certainly a strong season about strong women, and the forces that motivate her.
Our cover star Victoria Beckham personifies this very idea, styled with her trademark subversive and seductive spirit by Kenneth Goh in London and photographed by the legendary Ellen von Unwerth. Quick witted, sharp, and a bona fide fashion icon, Victoria has reached the top of the global A-List with her particular brand of girl power – oh, a hot superstar husband always helps, too. She designs, she says in ‘Victoria’s Secret’ (page 302), for the “engaged intellectual with a sense of humour”, which this season translates to high-chic menswear accents, with touches of dazzling colour. I’ve just bought myself a VB dress and know exactly what the raves are all about – super sophistication, quality work, and an empowering silhouette. But Victoria’s fashion sense is more than this, taking the cue from one of her favourite designers, Yves Saint Laurent, who once said, “What is most important in a dress is the woman wearing it.”