Elle Macpherson, Vogue Australia, March 1995. Photo: Andrew Macpherson. Image: Vogue Australia.
It’s spring in the southern hemisphere, and Australian Vogue is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The festivities kicked off in Canberra last week with the opening of Women in Vogue: Celebrating 60 years in Australia (at the National Portrait Gallery to November 24, 2019). A special anniversary issue of the magazine will hit newsstands in December.
Fernanda Ly, Akiima, Charlee Fraser, and Andreja Pejić on the cover of Vogue Australia, April 2018. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier. Editor: Christine Centenara. Image: Vogue Australia.
The late Tania Mallet graced the cover of Vogue Australia’s first issue in spring, 1959. (Click the image for a history published for the magazine’s 55th anniversary.)
Tania Mallet on the cover of the inaugural issue of Vogue Australia, Spring/Summer 1959. Photo: Norman Parkinson. Image: Vogue Australia.
Vogue Australia editor Edwina McCann sits on the board of directors of the new Australian Fashion Council, and the magazine’s cover archive is a gallery of famous faces, especially Australians like Cate Blanchett.
Cate Blanchett on the cover of Vogue Australia, January 2006. Photo: Richard Bailey. Image: Vogue Australia.
Vogue Patterns counts two Australians among its current designers: Rebecca Vallance and Nicola Finetti.
A Rebecca Vallance design on the cover of Vogue Patterns lookbook, Winter 2016. Image: Issuu.A Nicola Finetti design on the cover of the Vogue Patterns lookbook, Summer 2018. Image: Issuu.
Vogue Australia was still in its first decade when Butterick introduced two Aussies—Norma Tullo and Prue Acton—to its Young Designers line.
Butterick 5126 by Norma Tullo (ca. 1968) Image: Etsy.Butterick 5617 by Prue Acton (1969) Image: Etsy.
In the 1980s, Carla Zampatti and Frederick Fox both signed licensing deals with Style Patterns. The milliner to the Queen contributed more than one bridal design in classic Eighties style.
Style 4438 by Carla Zampatti (1986) Image: Etsy.Style 1249 by Frederick Fox (1987)
In the 1990s, Richard Tyler briefly designed for Anne Klein. It’s possible that an Anne Klein pattern or two showcases Tyler’s work.
Nadja Auermann in Richard Tyler for Anne Klein, Vogue, February 1995. Photo: Juergen Teller. Editor: Camilla Nickerson.Australian model Gemma Ward in Junya Watanabe, 2005. Photo: Nick Knight. Image: SHOWstudio.Vogue coverup (Adolfo hat), Wanda Beach, Australia. Photo: Helmut Newton. Vogue, May 1, 1964.
Fall 2018 Balenciaga campaign image by Charlie White. Models: Eliza Douglas and Martina Almquist. Image: Fashion Gone Rogue.
Last week, it was announced that Demna Gvasalia is leaving Vetements, the label he founded in 2014. Vetements will continue under his brother, CEO Guram Gvasalia; the Georgian designer remains creative director of Balenciaga.
Martina Almquist in Balenciaga’s Pre-Fall 2018 ad campaign. Photo: Ilya Lipkin. Editor: Lotta Volkova. Image: Balenciaga.
Vogue 1638 after Balenciaga by Demna Gvasalia (2019) Image: McCall’s.
The godet draped skirt is a permanent design, seen variously in different wool checks with a partial raw edge, and in current-season stretch wool twill.
Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2018 by Demna Gvasalia. Image: Vogue Runway.
As the check reveals, the godet is true bias at the inner edges. (Also at Farfetch.)
Balenciaga asymmetric check skirt by Demna Gvasalia. Image: net-a-porter.Balenciaga asymmetric Prince of Wales check skirt by Demna Gvasalia. Image: Matches Fashion.
Here’s a fuchsia version from Pre-Fall 2019:
Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2019 by Demna Gvasalia. Image: Vogue Runway.
The stretch wool iteration was shown with a fluid silk blouse. (Also at Farfetch and net-a-porter.)
Balenciaga Vareuse logo blouse and godet draped skirt in rose bubble gum twill. Image: Balenciaga.
Vogue’s second Balenciaga-inspired design can be shortened from dress to top. (View A, not photographed.)
Vogue 1632 after Balenciaga by Demna Gvasalia (2019) Image: McCall’s.
This one’s adapted from Balenciaga Fall 2018.
Balenciaga Fall 2018 by Demna Gvasalia. Model: Amanda Hermansson. Image: Vogue Runway.Balenciaga Fall 2018 by Demna Gvasalia. Model: Sunniva Vaatevik. Image: Vogue Runway.
According to the Balenciaga webstore, the original was inspired by ice-skating. For knit fabrics with a lot of stretch.
Draped velvet dress by Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. Image: Browns.
Ready for a cybergoth revival? The Matrix is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Variety has just announced that there will be a Matrix 4, to be directed by Lana Wachowski and again starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The costumes in the first Matrix were hugely influential. Working within a tight budget, costume designer Kym Barrett (Romeo + Juliet, Us) placed the emphasis on texture and movement, using low-cost materials like PVC and a wool blend for Neo’s coat. The rebels were also outfitted in custom accessories, with boots by Barrett and bespoke eyewear by Richard Walker.
On March 31st the fight for the future begins. Poster for The Matrix (1999) Image: IMDb
The first Matrix film even inspired John Galliano’s Fall 1999 couture collection for Dior. Presented at Versailles, the collection mixed futuristic raver-couture with more fanciful references like “Gainsborough in Persia.” (“The dresses are evil, evil,” Galliano was quoted saying. “But you have to have the Romantic. They die for that, my ladies.”) As Vogue’s Hamish Bowles wrote, the couture clients warmed more to the 18th-century looks than to “Matrix cybervixen.”
John Galliano with models backstage at the Dior couture show, the Orangerie at Versailles, July 19, 1999. Photo: Jean-Claude Deutsch. Image: Paris Match via Getty Images.Dior haute couture by John Galliano, L’Officiel, September 1999. Photo: Randall Bachner. Editors: Bernât Buscato and Luciano Neves. Image: jalougallery.com.Dior haute couture by John Galliano on the cover of Vogue Paris, September 1999. Model: Molly Sims. Photo: Ruven Afanador. Image: Molly Sims.
It wasn’t until 2003’s big-budget sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, that Neo got his famous cassock coat.
Keanu Reeves as Neo on the cover of French Premiere, October 2003. Image: Famous Fix.
The first Matrix-inspired costume patterns came out in 2003.
Promotional image for The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Image: Foxtel Movies.
Simplicity’s Neo and Morpheus / “Men’s and Teen’s Duster” must have sold well: the pattern was rereleased with an updated envelope in 2017. (See top of post.) Now backlisted, it’s still available from the company website.
Thanks to the sequel’s higher budget, Barrett designed Trinity’s pieces for better-quality PVCs (then newly available), with patent leather used for closeups. For the women’s pattern, Trinity’s PVC bustier-coat ensemble effectively devolves into its separate elements: a princess-seamed duster, corset top, and pants. The pattern calls for stretch vinyl, leather-like fabrics, and synthetic patent leather.
The following year, Butterick and McCall’s released men’s and children’s Neo patterns, but none for Trinity. Both cassock coats share an authentic, if painstaking touch: lots of covered buttons.
It would be another decade before Andrea Schewe designed a more accurate Trinity duster. Released in Simplicity’s 90th anniversary year, the PVC duster was paired with a Kingdom Hearts cosplay coat.
Simplicity 8482 (2017) Kingdom Hearts and Matrix costumes. Image: Etsy.
Here’s S8482 with more sci-fi (Firefly and Rogue One) in the seasonal catalogue:
Find the Adventure – S8482 and S8480 in Simplicity’s Autumn 2017 catalogue. Image: Simplicity.
There’s no word on the costume designer yet, but production on the new Matrix begins in 2020.
The Matrix Reloaded Trinity character poster (2003) Image: IMDb.
Guinevere van Seenus in Rachel Comey Fall 2018. Photo: Annie Powers. Editor: Samira Nasr. Image: Vogue Runway.
This season, Vogue patterns have a new format. For Fall 2019, illustrations are out, and photography is in, even for the company’s house line. Also consolidated is the line branding and numbering, which used to differ between licensed and internal designs. Paris Originals, Designer Originals, even Vogue designer knockoffs — they all have the same new look.
Vogue Patterns Fall 2019 lookbook. Model: Tatyana Cooper. Image: Issuu.
Autumn means outerwear, and Laroche comes through with a chic trench coat with interesting details: a storm flap, arm band, and oversized belt carriers.
Vogue 1650 by Adam Andrascik for Guy Laroche (2019) Model: Amber Mitchell. Image: McCall’s.
The coat is a design from Fall 2017, Adam Andrascik’s last collection for Laroche. The original also sports a collar hook and jumbo belt buckle.
Guy Laroche by Adam Andrascik, Fall 2017. Image: Vogue Runway.
Vogue noted the alternate version in tobacco leather — also seen in the Swiss magazine, Annabelle, which has a nice view of the shoulder dart.
Guy Laroche by Adam Andrascik, Fall 2017. Image: Vogue Runway.Guy Laroche leather coat in Annabelle, October 2017. Image: Guy Laroche.
From the late Paco Peralta, a cropped jumpsuit with Custom Fit sizing (for multiple cup sizes). The contrast insets are a signature touch, also seen on the bestselling V1550.
There are two new patterns by Rachel Comey. First, the coat ensemble at the top of this post: a collarless, raglan-sleeved coat and the Oscillate skirt, a gored, high-waisted skirt with notched waistband detail.
For Pre-Fall 2017, the designer showed it layered, jumper-style, with a blouse.
Rachel Comey Pre-Fall 2017. Image: Vogue Runway.
As worn in white by the editor Giannie Couji:
Steadfast jumpsuit in white Italian Foam. Model: Giannie Couji. Image: Rachel Comey.
Vogue’s latest Gucci adaptation includes a jacket, dress, and pleated skirt. (Also sized for petites.)
Vogue 1643 after Gucci (2019) Model: Lauren Buys. Image: McCall’s.
Some will recognize the long, tan Gucci jacket from Peter Schlesinger’s photobook for Pre-Fall 2018 (last seen in my Summer post). Pair with a print dress and coronet for the full maximalist effect.
Gucci by Alessandro Michele, Pre-Fall 2018. Model: Unia Pakhomova. Photo: Peter Schlesinger. Image: Vogue Runway.
Gucci’s red, cardigan-style jacket and pleated skirt were a key look for Spring 2018.
Gucci by Alessandro Michele, Spring 2018. Model: Sarah Wilson. Image: Vogue Runway.
As seen in the brand’s digitally painted Spring ’18 ad campaign:
Gucci Spring 2018 campaign. Illustration: Ignasi Monreal. Image: Gucci.
Vogue’s other Custom Fit design for Fall is a version of Roland Mouret’s Royston dress.
Vogue 1631 after Roland Mouret (2019) Model: Amber Mitchell. Image: McCall’s.
First presented for Resort ’18, the Royston is an update of the hit Galaxy dress. For an even more faithful copy, serge the sleeve edge and add an exposed zipper. The dress is currently available in navy, white, and red through Roland Mouret’s webstore, or at Selfridges in new-season pink:
Roland Mouret’s Royston dress in new-season pink, 2019. Image: Selfridges.
The Royston dress is also the basis for Mouret’s Clovelly bridal gown.
And rounding out the Fall collection, a version of an Alexander McQueen coat reminiscent of Spring ’99 Givenchy. (Includes petite sizing.)
Vogue 1649 after Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton (2019) Model: Tatyana Cooper. Image: McCall’s.
Metamorphosis was the theme of Sarah Burton’s Fall 2018 collection for McQueen. Military touches in red and black referenced the Household Cavalry, the Queen’s bodyguard. Exhibit A: Burton’s asymmetrical blanket coat, as worn on the runway by Stella Tennant.
Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton, Fall 2018. Model: Stella Tennant. Image: Vogue Runway.
A closer look at the fringed edge reveals a meticulous finish on the reverse:
Detail, Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton, Fall 2018. Image: Vogue Runway.
Those military colours are also seen in this season’s ad campaign featuring Kate Moss. McQueen Fall 2019 was inspired by the textile mills of Northern England, where Burton grew up.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2019 ad campaign. Model: Kate Moss. Photo: Jamie Hawkesworth. Art direction: M/M (Paris). Image: Alexander McQueen.
On now at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, another blockbuster curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the force behind the museum’s 2011 Gaultier show. (A previous Mugler show wrapped at FIDM last year. For more see Suzy Menkes’ interview.) The catalogue design is by Paprika, who also designed the Gaultier catalogue.
Thierry-Maxime Loriot, ed., Thierry Mugler: Couturissime (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2019) Design: Paprika. Image: Phaidon.
Mugler himself never signed with Paris Originals, but there are still some Vogue patterns with a connection to the designer. The Dutch-born Mei Xiao Zhou (who, like Mugler, is a former ballet dancer) was hired by Laroche after six years as Mugler’s assistant in the 1990s.
Karen Mulder wears Mugler Spring 1997 couture on the cover of George magazine, February 1997. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Image: eBay.
Zhou designed two collections for Laroche in the early aughts, resulting in a handful of Vogue patterns, circa 2002. Even if the pattern envelopes downplay it, his designs for Laroche have a vampy futurism that gives them a Mugler-esque edge. For more see my post.
Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche Fall 2001 runway. Images: firstVIEW.Mei Xiao Zhou for Guy Laroche Fall 2001 runway. Images: firstVIEW.Guy Laroche advertising campaign (Mei Xiao Zhou for Laroche), Fall 2001. Image: jalougallery.com.
This month in Galicia, the late Paco Peralta is among the artists whose work is on view in Visible (Visibility), a Pride Month exhibit curated by the photographer Daniel Agra.
Agra was a close friend of Paco Peralta. For the exhibit, he has included the designer’s original sample garments for Vogue 1602, a sculpted top and skirt in sequinned tweed. Peralta’s originals were worn by Nadja Giramata for last year’s Winter/Holiday release.
Nadja Giramata in an ensemble by Paco Peralta on view at CPS Spazo gallery, Galicia. Photo: Jack Deutsch. Image: McCall’s.
Behind the scenes note: makeup was by Joseph Boggess / YSL Beauty. Peralta was a great collector of Yves Saint Laurent.
Pat and Anna Cleveland, both in Zandra Rhodes’ Summer gown. Photo: Claire Rothstein. Image: Instagram.
Have you seen the new summer patterns?
Cover look V1627 is an archival design by Zandra Rhodes, as worn by the Latvian-American model Ana Kondratjeva.
Zandra Rhodes dress pattern V1627 as worn by Ana Kondratjeva on the cover of the Vogue Patterns lookbook, Summer 2019. Image: Issuu.
Rhodes reissued her 1973 Field of Lilies dress — renamed the Summer, in memory of Donna Summer — for Matches Fashion’s recent 30th anniversary. The designer commissioned Claire Rothstein to take the mother-and-daughter portrait at the top of this post, in which Pat Cleveland and her daughter, Anna, both model the dress. The original is printed silk chiffon.
Vogue 1627 by Zandra Rhodes (2019) Model: Ana Kondratjeva. Image: McCall’s.Matches Fashion 30th anniversary illustration by Zandra Rhodes, 2017. Image: Instagram.
Inspired by Alessandro Michele’s Gucci, the new Very Easy Vogue pyjama is illustrated with ribbon trim, and in a version of the Gucci Flora print.
Vogue 9375 after Gucci (2019) Image: McCall’s.
For Gucci Pre-Fall 2018, in place of a more conventional lookbook, American artist Peter Schlesinger shot a photobook on location in Rome. Called Disturbia, it was inspired by the films of Dario Argento, the director behind the original Suspiria.
Inside Disturbia – Gucci Pre-Fall 2018 by Alessandro Michele. Photos: Peter Schlesinger. Image: Another Man.
A variation of the Gucci Flora pyjamas in printed silk twill.
Gucci by Alessandro Michele, Pre-Fall 2018. Photo: Peter Schlesinger. Image: Vogue Runway.
Michele paired a full-length version of the trousers, trimmed in the distinctive Gucci ribbon, with a faux-fur coat.
Gucci by Alessandro Michele, Pre-Fall 2018. Photo: Peter Schlesinger. Image: Vogue Runway.
The Pre-Fall 2019 ad campaign features another version of the Gucci Flora pyjama, as seen in the ancient ruins of Selinunte, Sicily. Vogue’s reference kimono top and pant (on pre-order at Neiman Marcus) is silk georgette.
Gucci Pre-Fall 2019, with members of Brooklyn punk band Surfbort. Photo: Glen Luchford. Image: Instagram.
The new Tracy Reese sundress has a cowl neckline, criss-cross back, and midriff that extends into waist ties. (See WWD for recent news.)
Vogue 1625 by Tracy Reese (2019) Model: Ana Kondratjeva. Image: McCall’s.
Martha Graham was the inspiration for Reese’s Spring 2015 collection, where the dress was shown with a kimono jacket in the same botanical print.
Tracy Reese Spring 2015. Photo: Alessandro Garofalo. Image: Vogue Runway.
There are two patterns from Rachel Comey. The first: the Willow peasant top and Basin pant with grosgrain waistband. Judging from the pattern number, it may have been delayed from the Spring release. Hopefully this doesn’t signal the wrapping up of the designer’s contract. (See: Laroche?)
Both pieces made their début in Comey’s country-and-western themed Pre-Fall 2016 collection, shot by New York street photographer Gus Powell. The original Willow top (right) is rayon gauze.
For Fall 2016, Comey showed the top in a cute print. Later, it could even be seen in a lace and gingham combo.
Rachel Comey Fall 2016. Image: Vogue Runway.
The second Rachel Comey is a pair of unisex shirts. The unisex / menswear angle is welcome, since Comey made her name with men’s shirts. (See my earlier post.)
Vogue 1622 by Rachel Comey (2019) Tre and Selleck unisex shirts. Image: McCall’s.
The Selleck shirt is short-sleeved, with seam interest, while the Tre shirt is a long-sleeved button-down. Both were shown in Comey’s Spring 2017 15th anniversary collection, which saw the launch of her unisex line.
Rachel Comey’s Selleck shirt, 2017. Image: Uncover LA.Rachel Comey Spring 2017. Image: Vogue Runway.Detail, Tre shirt by Rachel Comey in printed charmeuse, 2017. Image: Lyst / Farfetch.
After a decade of licensing, Simplicity has released a swimwear design by Cynthia Rowley. The colour-blocked one-piece is called the Heather, and retails in Rowley’s signature neoprene.
Simplicity 8928 by Cynthia Rowley (2019) Image: Simplicity.Cynthia Rowley’s Heather one-piece in colour-blocked neoprene. Image: Cynthia Rowley.
The new pattern also includes a button-front maxi dress with ruffle sleeves. Add bodice tucks and you have the Nairobi kaftan — Rowley’s opening look for Spring 2017. The original caftan dress is 100% cotton.
Cynthia Rowley Spring 2017. Photo: William Eadon. Image: Vogue Runway.
Finally, a stealth bridal pattern: Very Easy Vogue V9373, a version of a Stella McCartney gown that was the first change of a newly minted duchess. (More at Vogue.)
Vogue 9373 after Stella McCartney (2019) Image: McCall’s.The newly married Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, leave Windsor Castle to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House, May 2018. Photo: Steve Parsons. Image: AFP/Getty via Vogue.
The bride’s silk crepe, open-backed gown was an advance look at the Stella McCartney Made With Love collection, which launched in autumn, 2018.
Stella McCartney Made With Love bridal collection. Images: Stella McCartney.
Make in cruelty-free, sustainable fabrics for the authentic Stella McCartney touch.
Stella McCartney Made With Love bridal collection. Images: Stella McCartney.
