Holt Renfrew Challenge #3

CHALLENGE #3:

Choose your favourite style icon from 1920 - 2000 and recreate their signature look.

When I read the challenge mandate, only one person came to mind - John Galliano!

John Galliano is Fashion's Pirate, Trustee of the Dior Legacy & my Mentor. His talent is monumental. But beyond this, it is his outlook on life and his humanity that I am so strongly drawn to. His business sense, immense creativity and humility teach me that you can become a success, while keeping your soul intact. I am forever in his debt.

A cool quote from John :

" It's been a long time since I left (college) but I still feel like a pirate that is plundering the globe for beauty and gems of ideas. A memory, a moment, a person is the greatest treasure... but a diamond is a very good second."

John is known for his outlandish looks. While some designers shyly poke their heads out to the crowd at the end of a runway show, John relishes the opportunity to make his entrance. He has been known for taking to the runway in full hair and makeup, strutting like his models and posing for the camera. What really gets attention are his outfits. Always interestingly-attired, John emerges to his public as character from his collections. One season it was Charlie Chaplin, another it was Madame Butterfly's Colonel Pinkerton. He has been the Spanish bullfighter, the bloody and sweaty boxer, or even the Marquise De Sade. John has explained that this is his way of closing the chapter on the present collection, and creatively clearing his mind for the next. Also, he is following all those beautiful models in their Dior clothes, so he has to make some effort!

Here are a couple of his iconic looks:

John as a vintage sea-explorer, a Spanish Bullfighter, a Colonel Pinkerton, & a street imp

Pinning John down to one look is hard, because he is such a chameleon. But if you look closely, some elements are always present. The fitted vest/ blazer, an theatrical coat/ jacket, and a hat. There must always be a kooky hat!!

I've chosen his look from the Fall/Winter 2005 Couture show, that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Christian Dior. John served up a genius collection of transparency, classic Dior shapes, and cultural influences.

Let me paint you a picture of his spectacular entrance: As the final girl exited the runway (more like a movie set with lavish props), there was a clash of thunder on the speakers. Smoke filled the room and an actual carriage, drawn by a horse, pulled up. The lights dimmed, and out emerged John looking amazing.

John Galliano after Dior's Fall/Winter 2005 couture show

This look would be relative easy to replicate. I already have the vest. I would need a pair of really funky pants, the hat, the flower pin, and a blond wig. The challenge would be translating his fierceness and energy onto camera. A friend of mine has a trampoline in his backyard, and I was thinking that I could ask him to take the shot as I jumped up and down in the air. Can you imagine the finished snapshot?! Hair flying, fabric flapping, arms and legs extended, all frozen in mid-air. How cool would that look! The only question is, would the wig hold up?

Photo Credits: Style.com

Holt Renfrew Challenge #2

CHALLENGE #2:

Stage a Walk Off showcasing your best runway walk.

How much fun is this!!!!! I can immediately thinking of so many songs to stomp to!

The Look:

Key components of my runway look.

I would pick a look that reflects my personal style. My style is all about easy comfort, old-school tailoring, and good fit. Add in a pop of colour and the odd accessory, and well...you have me! A typical outfit consists of dark brown pants/ boot-fit jeans, a fitted shirt (in either blue or a jewel tone) and brown shoes. To add interest I wear funky socks, and depending on the weather, a scarf and newsboy hat.

My runway outfit would be a reflection of this, but turned up to maximum volume. This is after all, a fashion challenge. Why not go for it?!

I'd pick up a pair of dark red Slim Fit pants from American Eagle (on sale), add a fitted blue shirt, and the black pinstripe vest I already own (H&M). I add comb my hair out into an Afro of curly madness, and tie a bandanna with the Guyanese flag around my forehead like a headband. It seems a bit much, but the red, blue, black and green & Yellow (from the scarf) actually complement each other. I'd wear a pair of bright yellow socks and my black & white Converse.

Hair & Pants like my friend on the right; black & white Converse, although mine aren't high tops; a bandana tied like a head band.

Music:

Three great songs come to mind for stomping fierceness:

1) Take me out - Franz Ferdinand (the beat just begs for walking)

2) Numba One - Kardinal Offishall ft. Keri Hilson (a great gyrating song)

3) Crazy in Love - Beyonce (the ultimate runway song...ever)

Sequence:

Since I'm only allowed about a minute and a half for my clip, I'd combine the best parts of two songs. I'd pick songs 2 & 3, with Kardinal in the intro. As he screams "Everybody light it up!!" I stand with my back to the camera, one hand in the air, counting down from 5. I'd turn around and the music would switch to the opening notes of Crazy in Love. I'd stomp down the runway, with my best emotive expressions. As I pause at the end of the catwalk, Keri Hilson's hook from Numba One would play "I'm going to be your numba one..." and I'd do my best 'The Rock' eyebrow.

Kardinal Offishall ft. Keri Hilson, 'Numba One'


Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love.'

Setting:

It would be shot during late afternoon, somewhere outdoors where I can see the sunset. I'd probably head to York U and find some deserted space there. I can already think of a small courtyard off Vari Hall with great shrubs and plantings that is always deserted. Better yet, the rooftop of of the Ross building. That would provide a great vantage point with both the architecture of York and the setting sun as a backdrop.

Scenes @ York U: Vari Hall ; The great rooftop of the Ross building

Holt Renfrew Challenge #1

I've been up keeping with the Holt Correspondent search, even though I wasn't able to be apart of it. It has been interesting to see the challenges the two contestants have to face, and it's been fun to see how they bring their own unique spin on thing to the tasks. Of course I can't help but wonder what I would have done, so I've decided to do that here.

CHALLENGE #1

Recreate your favourite look from the Fall/Winter 2009 shows.

Inspiration #1

The opening look from John Galliano; a tall ship in the Toronto Harbour

I selected this look because of all pictures that I scanned through during the Menswear shows, this one stayed in my mind. John Galliano, my fashion mentor and favourite designer, has a deliciously mad-cap way of approaching fashion, and this show was no different. Complete with ghoulish pirates, voyeuristic judges and lawmakers, John sent out a collection rich with imagination. What I love equally about John is his strong eye for cut. If you look closely at the opening look, beyond the crazy hair and makeup, you see a gorgeously-constructed trench coat, a brocade vest and a perfectly-fitted pair of pants. These pieces are the most practical parts of a guys wardrobe as a camel trench and brown pants go with everything in the closet. The fit and proportion of both pieces are so John: modern, tailored and theatrical.

Implementation:

What other way to look for such kooky gear than combing through second-hand stores?! I would head to the one on Yonge St. that specializes in old army gear. That's a great place to find an old overcoat. I love the broken-in, lived-in feel of John's version. Next I'd buy a pair of Straight Fit/ Skinny pants. Banana Republic and H&M always stock a pair of close-fitting brown ones. Finally, I'd rent a pirate hat & wig from a costume store and cover myself in white baby powder. Who says you can't have fun?!

Setting:

To create a really great picture, setting is key. To truly do justice to John's look, I would need to go all the way to find an interesting locale. I would the sign up for one of the 2 hour cruises onboard Tall Ship Toronto, a company here in the city that takes tourists out onto the Lake Ontario harbour on a tall ship. After begging the crew supervisor for permission, I would scale one of the masts. Can you imagine the picture?! ...wind in my coat, as I hang onto the mast with a fierce growl...billowing sails, the lights of the skyline in the background.

Inspiration #2: Dolce & Gabbana.

Look #31 from Dolce & Gabbana

The boys from Sicily outdid themselves this season. The fashion world has finally gotten the memo that we're in a global recession. Money is drying up everywhere, sales are down, consumer buying habit is radically changing. Therefore many of the collections for the Fall season reflected the shifting change from disposable, 'It' pieces, to solid investment clothing that will stay chic for years to come. Dolce & Gabbana provided a show that was chalk full of such gorgeous basics. I love their mantra this season - simple pieces, flattering fits, the best fabrics. What more does one need? Look #31 was all about the trenchcoat. As you can tell, I have a passion for outerwear. Which man alive wouldn't want to imagine himself as a dandy dressed to the nines like this?

Implementation

This would be relatively easy to do. I already own a great trench from last fall (H&M), and a newsboy hat in black felt (Big It Up). I'd need to pick up a white shirt and black tie (maybe H&M again?) and a pair of grey slacks. The real challenge would be replicating that great bag. I'm sure the original will cost thousands, but I'd probably find mine at a second-hand shop.

Setting:

While I can't fly to Italy, I can recreate old Europe right in my backyard. I'd head down to the distillery district where old factories and cobblestone streets abound. I'd snap a picture against an old wall, down a deserted alleyway. Can you see it?....dark shadows, a crumbling wall, moody glances, the hat?

What do you think?