SUNSHINE & ROSES
I am writing this on a drizzly day, when London’s grey skies seem to be mirroring the gloomy Brexit negotiations. As a natural optimist, however, I cannot help but see a silver lining in the rain clouds, at least when it comes to the prospects for midsummer. True, we may still be living in an age of uncertainty when June dawns; though whatever the political climate, at least the newly planted roses and honeysuckle in my garden will have benefited from the spring showers, along with the country’s hedgerows and meadows of wildflowers.
Indeed, in fashion as in horticulture, one cannot exist without an innate sense of hopefulness; for, just as all good gardeners look ahead towards the coming season, so too do we at Bazaar. The glorious, glittering sequined costume worn by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in this issue first appeared on the catwalk in the bitter cold of January, as the closing look of what turned out to be Karl Lagerfeld’s final couture show for Chanel. Bazaar’s fashion director, Avril Mair, turned to me as soon as we saw it, and whispered: ‘That’s our June cover’; while Rosie herself was similarly smitten, describing it as ‘a truly iconic piece’.
And we will continue to celebrate the art of couture, which is in itself an act of faith in past traditions, as well as an expression of hope for the future. Great couturiers – and Karl Lagerfeld was one of the greatest of our time – create beautiful sculptures for the human body to wear; but they also have the gift of imagining the life that might be lived in a dress. And we share their ambition – for a genuinely memorable fashion story relies as much on the character and spirit of the model as on the clothes that she wears (especially when being photographed outdoors on a blustery British day).
So here’s to having the courage of our convictions, and to the promise of summertime. With any luck, you’ll be reading this in dappled sunlight, and filled with good cheer; but if by happenstance, these are not yet in evidence, there is every chance that you’ll soon find them conjured up by Bazaar…