“ ( Manchester)ALIVE WITH A VIBRANT POP SPIRIT BORN IN MANCHESTER AND KEPT ALIVE ACROSS THE DECADES, THE CHANEL 2023/34 MÉTIERS D’ART SHOW EMBRACES THE CREATIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE HOUSE, SO DEAR TO GABRIELLE CHANEL AND TODAY TO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE FASHION COLLECTIONS, VIRGINIE VIARD.”

Chanel’s announcement statement – https://www.chanel.com/gb/fashion/collection/metiers-art-2023-24/

Manchester has been the birthplace of many revolutionary bands and musicians that have completely changed the British music scene. Manchester bands like The Hollies, The 1975, The Smiths and Oasis make it clear how culturally relevant the city is to popular culture and memory when it comes it art. The parts of the collection are undoubtedly inspired by the grunge music scene of the 80s that blossomed in the city while the others were a seamless marriage between Chanel’s signature tweed and the English’s love for it. Chanel manages to finally break through the banality it had made itself victim to. The pops of colour that remained consistent throughout the collection, brought vibrancy to the Northern Quarter of the city. The models walked on a covered catwalk set up along Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter. The show was attended by A-list celebrities like Kristen Stewart, who has been their brand ambassador since 2013, Hugh Grant, Tilda Swinton, Jenna Coleman and Alexa Chung.

“A TESTIMONY TO THE ARTISANAL PRECISION OF THE MÉTIERS D’ART, THE COLLECTION SHIMMERS AND SHINES WITH PLAYFUL NODS TO BRITISH MUSIC CULTURE AND CHANEL’S ART OF TAILORING”

Chanel’s statement from the announcement statement- https://www.chanel.com/gb/fashion/collection/metiers-art-2023-24/

Leading up to the show, Chanel used youths from Manchester to model the clothes from the collection for a photoshoot photographed by Jamie Hawksworth. The city was embraced by the design house in its entirety to bring the collection to life.

The Collection

While Jacquard tweed and Chanel are synonymous with each other, the collection brought colour back to the Chanel palette, far from the neutrals the brand had grown too comfortable with.  The incredible colours set across the backdrop of the historically industrial town created a visual contrast that elevated the staple Chanel suit into more than just the usual rehashed version of the house “uniform”. The accessories were classics of the house but, the play on the iconic Camellia brooch as it donned new colours, moving away from its original, virginal white.

The Tartan checks on tweed were a great way to convey the way Chanel was inspired by British creatives and artistry while designing the collection. There is a hint of Lee McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, more so her, as we head towards a grungier, punk look later in the collection. The Tartan checks are not alien to the British consumer, as a fabric that has been part of the culture memory since time immemorial. 

What Chanel does is adopt the Tartan and make it its own. The integration of the bright colours on the mellowing effect of the tweed fabric tailored to perfection into a mini skirt and coat is Viard’s genius. There is a break in monotony but, not tradition which is highly appreciated and expected of a brand like Chanel.

This part of the collection could possibly be seen as one of the most direct homages to the Manchester music scene. The feather-lined, suede jacket radiates rock chic; the quilted, leather coat atop a red and pink blouse resembling a military jacket which was popularised during the British music invasion by the Beatles in their album cover art for ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. While the band is famously Liverpudlian, there is no question about the rock and roll influence it holds over the collection. There is a grunge, punk revival but it is ever so slight as to not distract from the eternal Chanel aesthetic. The sequined mini and darker colour palettes are very reminiscent of the silhouettes of 80’s rock chic.

The final part of the collection was the knits. While the design house has perfected the woollen, daywear suit, it was the patterned and monotone dresses that caught everyone’s eye. The silhouettes were simple however, the patterned knits with matching scarves were a huges hit. A break from the menagerie of colours, the pattern adopted earthy, autumnal tones of varying kinds. The pink bandeau dress enveloped the richness of the colour into the fold of the foundationally, elegant Chanel sensibility with much ease.

The collection was overall, a huge breath of fresh air not only for the UK’s second city but also, for the brand. The brand felt revitalised and young after many seasons of churning collections catering purely to an older generation. Viard has managed to capture the post-Covid need for colour and nostalgia with great artistry. The collection is exactly what Chanel needed.

Attendees

Kristen Stewart

Brand Ambassador, Kristen Stewart wore a quintessential, Jacquard tweed Chanel dress with a structured A-line silhouette to the show. Stewart’s stylist, Tara Swennen chose to accessorise her look with layered silver jewellery, a messy bun and a dark smokey eye.

Alexa Chung

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Model Alexa Chung was dressed in a grey and black blended, Chanel tweed trench coat dress. Chung styled the look with a very casual and cool English approach—opting for sheer tights, black leather black, patent leather boots, and a classic double flap Chanel handbag created by Karl Lagerfeld in 1983.

Laura Bailey

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The English model, Laura Bailey embodied the Chanel clientele and ideal with the signature tweed suit in black. The suit was embellished at the pockets and cuffs. Bailey finished the look with a low ponytail, statement earrings and the Chanel mini flap bag.

Lily Rabe

American actress, Lily Rabe opted for a black, sheer Chanel dress with lace detailing across the body of the fabric. The maxi dress was finished with pink metallic Mary-Janes and a black mini bag.

Caroline De Maigret

The French model, Caroline de Maigret opted to go for nonchalant, French chic. The model was in a monochrome black outfit paired with a sued beige coat and black loafers. She completed the look with loose, shaggy, rocker hair and minimal makeup.

_{Words By Indra Gupta}

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Kristen Stewart is set to take on the most demanding role of her career as Princess Diana in the upcoming drama ‘Spencer’.

Directed by Pablo Larraín, the biopic will focus on a weekend in the early 1990s when Lady Diana realises that her marriage to Prince Charles isn’t working, thus leading her to renounce to her regal title and the path that would have put her in line to become queen. The title refers to the family name Diana had before meeting Charles.

Larraín is known for directing and producing films that cover high- profile personalities pressured by fame or power, such as ‘Jackie’ starring Natalie Portman as the first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. This time, he decided to focus on the Royal family, specifically on the relationship between Lady Diana and Prince Charles. The former ‘Twilight’ actress will star as the loved British princess in her final Christmas holidays in the House of Windsor.

The casting choice was explained by Larraín in an interview with Deadline: ’Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile and ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need. The combination of those elements made me think of her.’

Stewart has taken roles that were often part of big studio productions – from Bella of the Twilight Saga to the innocent Snow White of Rupert Sanders – that shaped her career. Lately, she’s been an ‘angel’ in the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ remake.

Since Kristen has experienced the same fame pressure after the success of the Twilight Saga films, her involvement would make her character feel more real and connected to Diana’s personality. Indeed, both women share several similarities in regard of their personal lives: just like the princess, Stewart was a victim of intense media scrutiny, due in particular to her controversial relationship with Brit co-star Robert Pattinson, which convinced her to restrain from Hollywood conventions and follow her own path.

If taken into consideration, even Kristen’s looks are reminiscent of the young princess: the actress has challenged the ‘Hollywood etiquette’ multiple times, refusing to respect any specific dress code apart from her own. An example may be the removal of her high heels on the red carpet in Cannes in 2018, which was considered a sign of rebellion against the strict policy valid only for women. Her tomboyish style makes her even more suitable for the role, since Lady Diana was often seen rocking jeans, sweaters or shirts which were unusual for a member of the Royal family. This rather ‘rebellious’ or free spirit towards the industry is what establishes her resemblance to Lady Diana, who was known for her independence and favouring her own will over society’s expectations. “It’s about finding herself, about understanding that possibly the most important thing for her is to be well, and to be with herself and by herself,” Larraín told Deadline.

Of course, there were many people reluctant about this choice due to Kristen’s nationality and her reputation, although roles like this one have already been portrayed by American actors such as Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones, Judy Garland) or Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher). For others, Stewart is an intriguing choice set to break the cycle of bland English representation.

The real challenge for the actress will be holding up to the expectations: she will have to manage to represent at her best one of the most iconic and influential British women of all time, but most importantly a hard-loving mother.

The production of ‘Spencer’ is expected to begin in early 2021 and will most likely hit theatres the following year.

Words by Gennaro Costanzo

Graphics by Georgia Walters

The post Lady Diana: Kristen Stewart to Play The Princess in “Spencer” appeared first on Voir Fashion.

In light of the upcoming Charlie’s Angels film, we take a look back at 2019’s explosive trend of remaking, revising and rebooting familiar titles. From the supernatural horror worlds of IT Chapter Two and Child’s Play to the revisitation of childhood nostalgia in The Lion King, it is undeniable that we have entered into a prime generation for taking the old and making it new. Due to rapid development in technology and CGI capabilities as well as an eagerness to imbue well-loved, classic stories with refreshing interpretations, it is not surprising that many visionary directors have recently contributed to a proliferation of remakes and taken special interest in the form of the seriality.

This idea of reinterpretation serves as a main enticement for director Elizabeth Banks in rebooting the Charlie’s Angels flick, an action comedy that will be placed as the third installment in the theatrical film franchise of the same name. With a gap of almost 16 years since the last film, it will be interesting to witness the differences in approach to representing women onscreen, especially with the presence of a female eye behind the camera. As one member of the angel trio Naomi Scott has revealed in a Vogue interview, “you don’t see much about their personal lives or who they’re dating. It’s about the agency going global, getting into intelligence and tech, whistle-blowing. You don’t see bikini shots of their bums.” Kristen Stewart has also chimed in to this concern with the spy-action genre rather than a fetishisation of the female image as she tells Variety, “it’s kind of like a ‘woke’ version…there’s a kitsch nature to the last ones that was super fun. But nowadays, if you see a woman in combat, everything should be completely and utterly within their ability.”

Along with this new angle of representation, many more exciting twists will be incorporated into the storyline, one of them being the international expansion of the Townsend Agency—the spy operation where the angels are currently employed. They will be shown travelling around numerous locations around the globe such as Berlin, Hamburg and Istanbul, working in collaboration with a network of highly-trained women for private clients of the elusive Charlie Townsend. Elizabeth Banks herself has mentioned that one of her motives for reviving the franchise is to present to younger generations this theme of collaborative women over the glorified efforts of a single protagonist. The globalisation of the agency as a security and intelligence service is a clever way to do this, with increased job opportunities as a channel for reaching out to women across the world. The lead single of the film’s soundtrack, ’Don’t Call Me Angel’, from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey also supports this theme of female collaboration.

A second modern twist is found in the characterisation of John Bosley, portrayed by Bill Murray in the original films, with 3 actors now taking on the iconic role: Sir Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Banks and Djimon Hounsou. This offers a look at 3 different versions of the same character, taking the cinematic pleasure of viewing popular stars in familiar roles to a whole other level.

Although embellished with all these new stylisations, the film is far from being disconnected from the classic franchise. Previous angel Drew Barrymore has been announced as an executive producer, providing audiences with a touch of comfort as the star and producer of the original films has cashed in her approval for the reboot. Actress Lucy Liu has also shown support, stating that “I think there’s a comfort level in trying to relive something and also to redo something in the modern time, and I’m always curious on how that works out.”

Whether the new version will become an instant classic and garner critical praise like this year’s Spider-Man: Far From Home or receive disappointing reviews in comparison to the original franchise, we can nonetheless be sure of its contribution to discourse surrounding the nature of the remake—what tropes should be eliminated? What elements should be included? As we meet with future remakes in production, such as Little Women (27th Dec) and Mulan (27th March), these questions are bound to resurface again and again, allowing us as audiences to compare, contrast and contest this idea of cinematic renewal. One more thing to keep an eye out for in Charlie’s Angels is the film’s signature vibrant outfits, with the trailer showing sneak peeks of chic blonde wigs, sparkly party gowns and athletic ninja jumpsuits.

Charlie’s Angels is set to release in UK and US cinemas on 15th November 2019, starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska.

Words by Shir Ariya

Graphics by Aamir Potrick

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