& Other Stories releases irreverant Parisian film

H&M’s sister brand & Other Stories has unveiled a short campaign clip it refers to as “not your ordinary fashion film”.

Starring French It-Girl and blogger Jeanne Damas, the humorous spot portrays “the tormented soul of the self-indulgent ‘Bohemian’ who can’t decide which pieces from & Other Stories’ collection to wear”.

Shot inside a Parisian apartment, it sees the model conversing with the camera about how she feels; laughing, crying, jumping on the couch, running around the room, and all the while showcasing a variety of different looks from the line.

It was directed by Wendy McColm, who reportedly aimed to present a darker subtext pointing to changes that need to be made to the way women are portrayed both in, and by, the fashion industry.

Forget Instagram: what has happened to fashion week commentary on Twitter?

This post first appeared on Fashionista.com

Is it just me or has Twitter become much less inspiring during fashion week season? I say that as an avid user – both personally and profesionally. I peruse posts day to day, and particularly once the shows hit London, Milan and Paris, when I’m watching via livestream from New York. I scroll through my own feed, I consume via social dashboards attached to designers’ websites, and I go back and search using hashtags and brand names afterwards, too.

What I’ve always enjoyed is the live commentary that you gather from those in the front row, but there seems to have been very little of it for the past couple of seasons, and I for one really miss it. Not the tweets that tell me what show they’re waiting for, the fact the first model has appeared/the last model has walked out, or even what color they’re seeing. Those still exist, and I can gather all that from home.

No, what I really want back, is actual commentary. I want to hear from the editors –- the experts no less — about the 1930s theme emerging at Prada and the influence Miuccia drew from film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, or the details of the new Bloomsbury-inspired, hand-painted florals at Burberry Prorsum. I want to know what is sashaying down that runway that, from my own 13-inch screen, I can’t quite see.

The images that are posted can be nice, of course, and on occasion insightful (if not blurry, but that’s another issue). But what happened to a wonderfully descriptive annotation along with it? Or better yet a real-time opinion, a review-on-the-spot even? Here are some of the highlights from the Lanvin show Thursday:

Feathers lead the @lanvinofficial #pfw pic.twitter.com/Shmtfcsk93

— VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) February 27, 2014

We love everything about this navy number @LANVINofficial! #PFW pic.twitter.com/tWOm0jXfsG

— Saks Fifth Avenue (@saks) February 27, 2014

Here comes the white @LANVINofficial #pfw pic.twitter.com/qhXBAmtkR4

— Luke Leitch (@LLDailyTel) February 27, 2014

What a show. #finale @LANVINofficial #pfw #followthebuyers pic.twitter.com/Nj6Ugym917

— LUISAVIAROMA.COM (@LuisaViaRoma) February 27, 2014

Lots of pictures naturally, but did you gather much about the line really? Navy, white and feathers. It’s a start.

Now it’s not that everyone has put their smartphones back in their handbags to focus on the clothes as they come out of course. So what’s going on?

First up, quite obviously: Instagram. During London Fashion Week there were a total of 266,767 mentions on Twitter, and 316,359 posts on Instagram, according to Bell Pottinger, a British public relations and marketing firm. So arguably, much more time is being spent there.

It goes without saying there’s huge benefit in that space of course. But when someone is at at home watching a livestream, or has access to high-res images in near real-time — not to mention backstage ones from the brand themselves — Instagram shots from the front row don’t necessarily offer all that much. They’re a nice-to-have, and for a feel of fashion week in general, a fantastic stream to follow. But for those really wanting to know about the collections themselves, there’s still a gap — an information gap.

The skill of an editor who has worked in the industry for 10 or more years is to be able to quickly deduce what a collection is about, to analyze its importance for trends, to bring contextual knowledge of its applicability to the commercial market and to offer a clear understanding of the technical side (i.e., garment construction and fabrications).

Portraying that over Twitter is no mean feat. I attempted it as a guest Tweeter on behalf of my employer, WGSN, for the @mbfashionweek account during New York at a number of shows and it’s entirely consuming.

But I don’t think the fact few editors or publications seem to be offering anything like this anymore comes down to just not having the time. With social media now reaching maturity, there’s inevitably becoming a greater push in terms of strategy for organizations and individuals alike on what to do and what not to do to achieve audience engagement.

So here’s my question: Is this lack of Twitter commentary as simple as editors just becoming more obsessed with Instagram? Or is there actually a direct decision being made not to give away too much there and then? (The knowledge of these men and women is a valuable commodity — why hand it out on a free platform, when you can rather store it up and post it on your own site for traffic generation later?)

Then again, maybe it’s just as simple as the fact we’re also all just a little bit over it. Or overwhelmed. Or lazy. Still, I’d like it back.

Colette hosts Art Drive-Thru at Art Basel Miami

Parisian retailer Colette hosted an ‘Art Drive-Thru’ as part of Art Basel Miami last week, open 24/7 and complete with shoppable digital screens.

A partnership with local concept boutique, Alchemist, the initiative was inspired by retro American drive-thrus of the 50s. Far from typical burgers and fries, however, the menu offered everything from a $27,500 Bamford x Rolex watch to a $6,500 set of Damien Hirst skateboards (both sold out by the way). There were multiple other big names on sale including Jeff Koons, Kenzo, Thom Browne, Karl Lagerfeld, Zaha Hadid, Kitsune, Longchamp and of course Colette.

It was hosted at 1111 Lincoln Road on level five of the car park. Drivers could pull up to one of three kiosks reminiscent of pinball machines and use iPad size screens to order their items. Those pieces would then be delivered by girls on roller skates.

The temporary space, in place from December 2 to 8, was created by René Gonzales Architect.

 Additional photography by shelasher.com

Chloé provides access and interaction in #PFW show experience

Chloé launched a dedicated microsite for its Paris Fashion Week show yesterday, providing followers with multiple camera views as well as personal moodboards.

It might not a big, digital innovation, but there’s a lot to be said for the fact the experience was one of the most seamless I’ve seen this season.

Importantly, the initiative ticked the boxes for pre- and post-content.

It kickstarted on September 24 with a series of teasers that could be shared across social media sites. They ranged from detailed images and animated GIFs to short videos and quotes from creative director Clare Waight Keller. A heavy focus was seen on the Baylee bag, telling its story from inspiration to runway.

Yesterday, viewers could then follow three different live cameras in the build-up to, and during, the show. They included guest arrivals outside the Lycée Carnot venue, backstage with the models, and on the runway itself. This all worked via mobile too.

As the event unfolded, so too did different albums under a moodboard header, including one for the collection looks, one for accessories, another for the guests, and one from backstage. Users could click on individual images and share them via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Weibo, or heart them to add them to their own personal moodboard page.

“[We] are excited to see how you direct your own Chloé show,” read the invite.

All in, the initiative was a progressive one for such a traditional Parisian brand. Let’s not forget, as suggested by Fashionista last week, this is access to what remains a rarefied world.

Some assets from Chloé are posted below, (top image via Elle UK).

Thank you for watching the SS14 @chloefashion runway, pick and share your favourite looks at http://t.co/kjbm1sklMg #chloeLIVE #pfw

— Chloé (@chloefashion) September 29, 2013

Chloé’s new Blowing Roses film

 

Chloé has released a short film for its new Roses fragrance that sees multiple women dancing as though they are the petals of the flower in bloom.

Blowing Roses, as it’s called, is based on the idea of petals “multiplying and spreading to create a kaleidoscope of roses”. Each of the models wear long, flowing dresses in delicate shades of nude – the resulting vision bearing a strong resemblance to Bailey’s Cream with Spirit ad from BBH in 2012.

It was created and directed by French choreography duo I Could Never Be a Dancer – Carine Charaire and Olivier Casamayou.

Meanwhile, See by Chloé has also released a short stop motion film for its new Paint a Scent product.

Dior returns to Versailles with second Secret Garden film

 

Dior has released its second Secret Garden of Versailles film, once again shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and already well on its way to viral success.

Less than 24-hours since release, and the 60-second spot from creative director Raf Simons has over 3.5 million views on YouTube. That follows hot on the heels of the first film’s 24 million views to-date for both its short and long formats combined.

The latest one sees model Daria Strokous moving from the marble hallways of the grounds’ Grand Trianon into its accompanying parkland where a bevy of other “flower women” are waiting to join her. The result is an altogether more sinister, yet equally ethereal piece of creative to last season – silhouettes among centuries-old trees, autumnal picnics surrounded by layers of heavy mist and a doubtless sense of surrealism in an enchanted forest befitting the Secret Garden title.

“Versailles hums with well-kept secrets,” reads the write-up, referencing the idea of “an extraordinary world of poetry and colour” and inspiration pooled from Marie Antoinette on the one hand and Edouard Manet’s 1863 painting “Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe” on the other.

The fashion house’s autumn 2013 collection is front and centre, as is its Diorissimo handbag in a variety of colours seen tightly embraced by Strokous. Best of all, however, Depeche Mode provides the soundtrack again, this time with Behind the Wheel from 1987.

Below are some of the shots from its print campaign:

Video highlight: Jean Paul Gaultier talks 2014 Barbican exhibition

There’s three types of good fashion films these days: the conceptual creative type (think features for seasonal campaigns), the product shots (more for selling, a lot shorter in length but ideally still tied to a story), and then the interview. That was an idea coined by Harriet Mays Powell of The Look Now (formerly fashion director at New York Magazine), speaking at the first Fashion Forward conference in 2011.

Her focus was that each needs investment, not just in terms of money, but in terms of a strategic approach. The better interviews for instance aren’t haphazard behind-the-scenes clips that don’t do a high fashion house any justice, but well-shot and insightful pieces in their own right.

This one (below) just released by The Barbican Centre in London serves as a great example. It captures designer Jean Paul Gaultier animatedly discussing his upcoming exhibition in its art gallery in April 2014. Set in his Paris studio, with shots of various items from his collections interspersed, he jokes about the retrospective being shown while he’s still alive, and highlights his appreciation for the city of London.

The entire video is such an enthusiastic insight into him and his brand, that when he says, “I am very lucky because I am living my passion”, at the end, the viewer truly believes him.

 

The exhibition itself also sounds like a winner. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, as it’s called, will see more than 140 garments from 1970 to today presented. Included will be the infamous conical bra from Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour, as well as costumes for Kylie Minogue and films such as The Fifth Element.

The exhibition will also comprise catwalk footage, music videos, films, dance performances and snippets from Gaultier’s cult TV show, Eurotrash. It will be accompanied by an events programme and film season.

It has been initiated and produced by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with Maison Jean Paul Gaultier, and will tour worldwide.

Louis Vuitton’s #PFW live-stream sees shareable three-second video clips

Louis Vuitton rounded out the fashion week season in Paris this morning with a live-stream show that invited viewers connected via Facebook to record and share their own short video clips.

“Share your favorite moments with your friends,” said the intro from the brand. Accordingly, it allowed users to capture up to three seconds of the show in a small window on the bottom left of the stream they were watching. They could then play it back before agreeing to post it to their Facebook timeline for their friends to also see.

The idea is similar to that launched by Topshop last season, which enabled users to “Shoot the Show”, posting still images to their pages. LV’s idea moves the concept on, while simultaneously tying to the success of apps like Vine that are focused on short, easily shareable videos.

In practice it was a little bit sticky, as well as restrictive in terms of what you could capture – the smaller window mainly showed close-up shots of the collection, and the frame didn’t allow you to snap multiple sections like Vine does. Still, it’s a great leap forward again for the social side of fashion weeks.

LV also invited users to its “Social Room” during the show, a side bar that opened out to reveal a multitude of social media updates from both its own official accounts as well as from guests and publications in attendance.

Jean Paul Gaultier celebrates grown-up ‘enfants terribles’ with digital advent calendar

Jean Paul Gaultier has launched an online campaign for the festive period centred on a digital advent calendar.

Created with digital agency Isobar, and housed on jeanpaulgaultier.com, the calendar’s 24 dates appear as the inside pockets of Father Christmas’ coat (in this case with Jean Paul Gaultier playing the role).

Each one reveals a variety of games, entertainment and prizes to be won. Designed for “grown-up enfants terribles“ (Gaultier’s own long-standing nickname), and celebrating “the Christmas of naughty children”, it features animations including sexy reindeers and naughty elves, and names such as “Shake your snowball” and “Eat the log”.

“Once upon a time, it was a Christmas unlike any other. An alternative Christmas, an upside down Christmas, a new slant on Christmas, as only Jean Paul Gaultier could imagine it, “ reads the write-up.

Users will be able to open three pockets at random each day, followed by a further three when they share the experience with their Facebook or Twitter friends. Prizes include bottles and boxsets of fragrance, Jean Paul Gaultier stuffed animals and a special gift due to be revealed on Christmas Eve.

Check out the intro video below:

H&M teases digital content ahead of & Other Stories line launch

There’s some nice digital content going on to seed the launch of H&M’s new upmarket concept, & Other Stories.

The womenswear line, which will include ready-to-wear, shoes, bags and accessories, was teased through a one-minute video on Vogue.co.uk this week (as below).

The “Shoes & Other Stories” spot sees a series of polariod frames streamed one after the other as though a slideshow. It features a woman walking around Paris barefoot until she receives a delivery of & Other Stories footwear.

“Documentary-like snapshots tell the story of a day in the life of a Parisian girl while giving glimpses of & Other Stories’ concept and SS/13 collection,” reads the write-up.

There’s also a Tumblr page in action showcasing all manner of inspiration and product shots (including some from the film), as well as a couple of what looks like the & Other Stories team at work in the atelier.

Facebook, Twitter and a website have also launched, the latter inviting fans to sign-up in order to “receive tons of inspiration on a regular basis because we love to share our secrets, tips and tricks with you”.

The line aims, it says, to inspire women to create their personal style, or story. It will launch for spring 2013 in stores and online in selected European countries. Expect lots more to come…