“I’m ready to create.” – John Galliano

But are we actually ready for Galliano’s creations? To predict the future, let’s take a moment and return to the past. John Galliano did not succeed quickly overnight. It took hard work and dedication to get to where he is now. He was born in Gibraltar to working-class parents, then, later on, moved to London and graduated from Central Saint Martin’s having his final collection bought by Browns. A year later, his eponymous label was created. However, it wasn’t very long until he became bankrupt. He then moved to Paris where he met with friends and supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, who luckily offered to walk in his debut fashion show for free. His talent and creations were immediately recognized by Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley and introduced a financial investor for his label. His success in Paris became the catalyst to his securing appointments with Christian Dior and Givenchy. 

His first collection for Givenchy was highly praised by critics. It displayed a glimpse of his eccentric creations that he would, later on, reveal to the world while also keeping the brand within its elegant confinement. During his showcase of his first collection for Givenchy inspired by Spain’s Corrida de Torros (traditional bullfighting), Audrey Hepburn’s recognizable English accent blasted out singing “The Rain in Spain” from My Fair Lady. Ironically, he was the first British designer to be head of a French Couture House, while also displaying his Span- ish influenced collection. This collection consisted of Matador inspired tailoring, textiles and frills with feminine silhouettes in monochrome tones. It is completely distinct from his first graduate collection Les Incroyables which was inspired by the French Revolution. Although, some people would say his inspirations and tastes were simply European. 

Galliano’s efforts were known to be like theatrical spectacles more than anything. He clearly showcased it in his work with Dior and also in his own label. When Galliano worked with Dior, its original format was kept but had been adapted to be combined with a few theatrical elements. For example, during the Dior Spring/Summer 2003 Eastern show that he took part in, there were dancers showcasing martial arts amongst the models and also huge Chinese gongs going off throughout the show. Another example of one of his greatest theatrical works was with his own label, which was inspired by a Russian winter wonderland in 2009. A massive, shimmering kaleidoscopic was used as an entrance for the life-size Russian dolls representative of old folklore. No one else but Galliano could have come up with these incredible and artistic ideas. To Galliano, the shows aren’t just simply about the clothes; it’s more about the whole experience of it. He is known for his wild imagination, which makes his shows unforgettable and thoroughly enjoyable. His uniqueness in his theatrical spectacles captivates the audience's attention in his shows. Nowadays, the concept of theatricality is something I believe many people lack in the fashion world. 

However, one question still remains. Is Maison Martin Margiela ready for John Galliano? When they announced that John Galliano was appointed as Creative Director of the label, there was much confusion going around. Many eyebrows were raised and everybody was in a bit of a shock. Over the years, the brand has slowly been losing its potency and has become more consumer-centric than ever before. As seen in Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2015 catwalk, the brand was starting to give off a sense of ‘nothingness’. Renzo Rosso, the owner of a company that covers the brand Margiela, released a statement prior to the appointment of John Galliano, “I couldn’t be happier for Maison Margiela, which deserves a new visionary leader; and for John Galliano, who is a talent beyond definition and time. I always believed in brave, unpredictable choices, and this one is no exception.” Many people aren’t sure what to expect from this collaborative process. Will it result in a diluted version of John Galliano or in an overhaul of Margiela’s iconic look? All we can do is wait and see how John Galliano will maintain a balance between keeping the brand’s aesthetics while also still including his unique ideas. His creations have never overshadowed a brand’s renowned look. He has always seemed to know instinctively which boundaries to push and which ones to leave alone. I’m positive that his influences will lead to a highly anticipated and interesting reveal in January’s Paris Couture Week. 

What is the World of fashion going to expect from Alessandro Michele during Gucci’s upcoming collections? On January 21st Gucci announced Alessandro Michele’s appointment as the new creative director. The big question everyone is asking is whether Michele can bring new energy to the brand. There is always a sense of excitement with new appointments to world-renowned brands as usually new and daring surprises are presented. Fashion is always in need of fresh points of views from unknown sources, so many Gucci-followers are surely expecting fresh and great creations for future womenswear and menswear collections.

The spotlight is now on the 42-year-old Alessandro Michele to take Gucci and continue it on its path of success. Michele was a longtime employee of Gucci. As the head of accessories, he was promoted to replace Frida Giannini. During the menswear shows in Milan, you could have caught a glimpse of Michele as he took a bow at the head of the Gucci team. Reports say that the collection was redesigned about 5 days prior to the show and that it demonstrated “hipster gender-blurring influences” as said by Vogue magazine.

Bringing a back-room designer to the top isn’t very uncommon for Gucci. In fact, it’s more of a long-established company pattern. Just like Tom Ford who was working behind the scenes and then, later on, came forward to become Gucci’s star; There was also Alessandra Fachinetti who was a team member that took over.

All eyes are now on Michele as next month quickly approaches and his reason for being hired will become very clear as he steps out in front of his Gucci team to take his bow at the end of his first show for womenswear. It isn’t going to be easy for him as he has a lot to prove, but we will soon know if he truly has the potential to lead Gucci to it’s recurring success. 

Since the spring collections, the distinctive look of the famous flower children from the late sixties and early seventies has been starting to get in the picture. This type of bohemian spirit surely captured the atten- tion of Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for this year’s pre-fall collection. It influenced their whole collection as seen by their signature long-sleeved lace-trimmed dresses that were covered by four-leaf clovers and many mimosa flowers. It was paired with typical late-sixties ankle floral-print boots that matched the dresses. This sea- son, the artistic pair drew inspiration from Botticelli’s Primavera, and it is clearly seen that the outlook is never too far away from the Italian house.

With suede A-line skirts and cozy hooded cardigans patch worked with a floral pastoral bliss design, it is clear that the pair is giving off a sense of romanticism to the idea of traditional dressing. Even their classic denim jacket had butterflies incorporated into it, which was a recurring and endearing theme by Valentino. With over 80 looks in the collection, there is plenty of variety to accommodate fans at both ends of the spectrum and be spoiled with plenty of stunning clothes this season.

Many celebrities who have walked down the red carpet aiming to look poised, beautiful, and extravagant while also trying to impress their other competitors have all heard of Alberta Ferretti. This Italian designer who is very experienced in dressing the A-listers is well aware of how to deliver a strong message artistically through her gowns. As seen in her latest collection, she expresses what she calls “a sense of protection and strength” through her antique armor suit inspired clothes.

Many thought that this idea would have turned out to be models walking down the runways dressed in sartorial armor suit cans. However in this situation it definitely was not like that, instead Ferretti created her collection to give off a sense of womanly confidence in a simple and charming manner. Capes and evening coats were all standouts, and daywear styles like elegant coats, which appeared in many shades of black and gray, were richly decorated to resemble chainmail. Also inspired by the undergar- ments worn for armored attire, Ferretti brought the collection to the present and gave it a twist by adding a set of skinny knits, which worked very well and gave it a metallic, sheen appearance. Ferretti bended time in her collection bringing the past and future together and created a well balanced set of design which I’m sure will triumph on the red carpet like many of her other collections. 

On January 19th in Milan, Blumarine designer Anna Molinari, nicknamed “The Queen of Roses by Franco Moschino after debuting her first rose-adorned runway collection, continued with her floral inspiration in her recent pre-fall collection with luxuriant blooms and vintage romantic lace. Among many of her creations, her prized specimen was a mid-length black and dusty pink embroidered guipure dress, with an uneven hemline to give it a modern twist. Although the Blumarine designer is known for her sweet lace creations, she has always incorporated pieces like pants and pencil skirts that could turn it into an eveningwear alternative.

She also went for a sense of seductiveness and edginess with pieces like an alluring molto piece for whenever a Blumarine girl wants to act like a sexy enchantress. A lilac fur coat lined with patent leather was another piece of her collection that felt of-the-moment since sugary, colored pieces are making its great appearance during this fall’s outerwear collections. Sensual knitted bodysuits and scarlet jersey dresses were a nice breakaway from the primness, and showed Molinari’s determination to continue making naughty pieces while also still offering nice things to wear. This is personally one of my favorite collections designed by Molinari and I think she executed a great demonstration of her cleverness in her collection. 

It’s about time we see this young Depp rocking the fashion world. It is no surprise to anybody how she’s slowly starting to conquer the fashion world, as her family isn’t new to the industry. Especially her mother, the all famous French singer and model Vanessa Paradis. In this recent year, she has stepped over the wall and appeared in fashion shows and started acting. This new fashion Icon first caught everybody’s attention once she appeared in the Chanel fashion show in New York during these previous months. We can all say she was the most fashionable 15-year-old we’ve seen yet. It was no surprise that Karl Lagerfeld spotted her at such a young age and picked her up just like how he did with her mother. In such an advanced generation, it was nice to finally see a teenager know how to push the limits of fashion without overdoing it. Looking more into her iconic styles, Lily-rose can pull of many different looks. From rocking an elegant Chanel top, to pulling of a 90’s grunge look (considering that she was only alive during the 90’s for about 6 months). Her style is known to be very versatile, one minute perfectly embodying a sweet and young girly look, another minute she’s retuning to her dark and edgy style; which is why she is loved by so many people. We’re all expecting to see much more of Lily-rose Depp both in the movie and fashion industry in these upcoming months. Who knows, maybe she’ll surprise us even more with all of her different styles she keeps pulling off.

Now that London fashion week has officially come to an end, we look back on all the amazing street style spotted outside this week’s fashion shows. I would say that a common trend seen in this season’s street style was a continuation of the nouveau grunge look, while still keeping it classy and edgy. However, still quite alot of people were seen experimenting with their style, adding more layers and color instead of following the sleek, black trend. Or perhaps the cold London weather has something to do with all the puffy layers? Either way, it creates a great look and gives the public fashion inspiration; so lets be thankful for this cold weather, giving us an opportunity to experiment and layer up! Now these are some of the most liked street-style looks that were gaining the most attention right outside Ashley Williams Autumn/Winter 2016-17 fashion show. As soon as they appeared, all the fashion bloggers and photographers couldn’t get enough of them and every person strived to get a perfect shot. What I love about these looks is how most of these are truly just plain and basic items just perfectly all paired into an incredible and sleek look. Nothing too crazy, just your typical monochrome tones, maybe some paired with a pop of colour (top left corner picture-mustard leather jacket). This just goes to show that people don’t have to wear extravagant, and colourful clothes just to get attention, it can be a simple outfit as long as you manage to pair everything correctly.

Guillaume Henry has decided to stray away from the brand’s sex appeal look and go for a different image.

Quite a change has occurred for Nina Ricci this year. Has the brand gone sporty and decided to go for more of an on-street workwear? This is putting it in simple terms, but something new has definitely come up in Guillaume Henry’s mind for this spring.

With each powerful beat and chant playing from the song “Canto del Pilon” by Doboa giving a strong, powerful-woman feel to the audience and incorporating the collection’s Latin influences, the models appeared and the show commenced.

The opening piece was a soccer jersey made up subtle intarsia stripes which were an evident trend incorporated in countless ways throughout day and evening pieces. Plenty of slinky sequined tops, silk taffeta trousers, knee-length bodycon skirts, jersey morphed into see-through lace tanks and cutouts in a couple of pieces here and there were seen throughout the collection.

The high contrast fruity colour palette consisted of plum, raspberry, and prune shades influenced by Colombia’s colours of the sunset pictured in Bogotá. However, an eye-catching red drawstring-waist silk dress was the staple piece that lifted the spirits of the whole collection.

Henry’s tailoring gave off vague 80’s memories with his incorporation of slick fabrics and high waistline of cargo pants.

Towards the end, even though there was quite a lot of stripes and not enough variation, nonetheless in the midst, there was still plenty of an Avenue Montaigne feel to the collection. Especially in the form of the checked trench with raised seams.

While Nina Ricci is known for generally being very boudoir and full of sensibility, by the looks of it, Henry’s decision was to stray away from the sex appeal and go for more of a fun night out while staying classy yet sporty-chic.

Compared to their last spring/summer collection, there was a definite change of inspiration in the brand. Could bringing this collection into the category of “sports” workwear create a new image for Nina Ricci? Taking a dive into a different direction could be something refreshing for this brand. Who knows? Plum shaved stripes could be the next renowned trend being seen on the streets of Paris on a fun night out.

With such teenage hysteria going on over social media, a single word kept reappearing over many people’s screens all over the world. SKAM. While every non-Norwegian speaking person was wondering why this word kept reappearing everywhere, all of Norway was ahead of the game obsessing over this viral new teen drama show.

What is the deal with another teen cliché drama show? Many Scandinavians seem to argue that this isn’t just any ordinary teen show. Unlike many dramas who only show the typical white and black high school problems we all experience during our youth, this one explores more into the greyscale. Now yes, of course, the topic of sex, drugs, and partying are quite a big aspect of this show; however, it is still quite evident that something was different. Many compare this show to the well known UK teen drama series SKINS, but in reality, we all wondered if this was a less pretentious version of it.

This teenage obsession with this new series has come so far that fans are skipping school just to binge watch episodes over again and constantly refreshing the show’s Instagram accounts just to hear any update or clue to see what may be next. Some fans have even translated this show to English for others to watch and enjoy. I decided to reach out to Norwegian teens and attempt to get an idea of this immense passion they have for this show. Sandra Irina, a 17-year-old girl living in Lørenskog, Norway comments “Well we all have a guilty pleasure, and even though at first I really didn’t want to succumb to this mainstream TV series, I couldn’t help myself but fall in love with it. There are so many relatable issues that I assume most teens go through, and I feel like we all have a connection (or dream of) with one of these characters.”

I decided to take a dive into this show and see what the fuss is about. I was completely indulged with all this teen drama. There were social problems, exploration of sexuality, addictions, and regular teen drama all portrayed in a complete unexaggerated way. Which I found was definitely the reason of why this series exploded in popularity. There was no outrageous drug use, deep depression, or uncommon family issues. It felt real, like if it was a story being told by one your friend. However, overall it was relatable. Vilde who just craves acceptance from her peers, Noora the feminist who accidentally still falls for the promiscuous popular guy, Eva who is struggling with insecurities with her boyfriend, Sana the sassy Muslim character who faces low key prejudice from her friends, Isak who is coming to terms with his sexuality, and many many more. This show makes it feel like actual teens and not “25-year-old actors”.

“Something I like about this show is how it purely shows the point of view of these teens. Strictly to what they think, and feel about. While many have critiqued it about not showing any parental guidance in the show, I feel like their point was to display how teens feel. We don’t really pay attention and care about what adults or parents say at this point in our life, so there isn’t really any point to include much parental guidance in this series since it is being told from the point of view of a teen. We listen to our friends, make mistakes, and have our own opinions and this is what the show wants.” Says Ole- Jorgen Pederson from Oslo, Norway.

While the series includes relatable teenage problems, it also very cleverly disguises real-life problems. It deals with homophobia, feminism, Islamophobia, mental illnesses, date rape, eating disorders, slut-shaming and many other blunt truths that teens have to be aware of.

While binge-watching the whole series, I really thought about how clear these teenage experiences reflect real Norwegian teens. “These are real experiences that I definitely have experienced while growing up in Oslo. At a young age, we all sort of felt pressure to start having sex and drinking in order to feel a bit more ‘grown-up’. We all wanted to fit in and feel accepted by our friends, be liked by the older most popular boys, and prepare for our ‘Russe buss’ (graduation celebrations) early on. This is all really happening in our teen culture, which is why it probably gained so much popularity here.” Says Sonja Kristiansen, a 42-year-old mum.

SKAM, which translates to ‘shame’, is a show that helps teenagers feel like they belong, deal with personal and social issues, and most likely mature faster. It makes people think about issues that even I wouldn’t have been mature enough to understand or know about back when I was in high school. This is all about growing up, and the issues we go through. It is no wonder why 1.3 million viewers (over one-fifth of Norway’s population) tune in to watch.

Power dressing, 80’s idols, and broad shoulders – here’s the history of the shoulder pads you watched your mom wear in her teen pictures, and probably now you.

We all remember the time we gave into the curiosity of how our own parents looked back in their day. The way they dressed, looked, and acted. As we skimmed through hundreds of old family pictures, we see our mom wearing the recognizable embarrassing fashion trend of the 80’s: shoulder pads.

Looks like history always repeats itself, even in fashion. It’s been over 36 years since this popularized 80’s trend was last in the market; however, it looks like many designers are urging for it to make a huge comeback this fall 2016.

With many world-renowned fashion brands featuring bold shoulders in their fall collections such as Saint Laurent, where the saying the bigger the better comes into place, it really looks like you’ll be seeing the new trend of bold shoulders on the streets very soon. The shoulder pad look has been clearly inspiring designers to create their own version of big, broad shoulders. Ranging from intricate to daring, other brands like Balmain who featured intricate sharp shoulder details, Dolce & Gabbana keeping it classy with a soft fairy-tale look of the shoulder trend, and Giambattista Valli who incorporated beautiful designs in a range of ruffled lace and fabrics with a slight lift in each corner, have all decided it is time for broad shoulders to come back.

Sarah Boyd, the creator of simply stylist and a contributing writer for Forbes, commented on this new and upcoming trend and said: “I personally feel like it was about time for this reminiscent trend to make a comeback, so far I haven’t seen many people wear it on the streets, but hopefully that will soon change the more we venture into fall/winter season.”

Now even though most of us remember shoulder pads only being quite popularized in the 80’s, the evolution and creation of the appearance of broad shoulders started all the way from the 1930’s thanks to Elsa Schiaparelli who incorporated them in her 1931 designs. Broadening the shoulder showed a powerful and strong side of the woman attempting to bestow the perception of status and position in that period of time. From then on, sleeves got bigger and sharper which lead to the usage of shoulder pads in dresses, suits, and jackets in the 80’s.

There are still plenty of women who have been eagerly waiting for the day this trend returned after its decline in popularity in the early 90’s. Lori Ferraro, a blogger for the Huffington Post and creator of her own 80’s blog, is one of them. She recalls “Everything had built in shoulder pads — from T-shirts to turtlenecks, sweaters to dresses; no look was complete without them. In fact, surprisingly enough, the only items of clothing I bought that didn’t have them were my bathing suits.”

But we no longer need to wait more, as bold shoulders are coming in and will be soon hitting the streets this fall/winter season.