Skin-tight
rubber and lots of leather: John Galliano injected raw sex appeal into
Paris fashion week on Thursday, with a high-octane show for Christian Dior
briefly interrupted by an animal rights activist.
The
female protestor, a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA), scrambled up onto the catwalk with a sign reading “Fur, Shame,
PETA”, momentarily blocking a model before being removed by security
guards.
But
her objection to Galliano’s use of animal fur in his autumn-winter
2003-2004 collection for Dior did not spoil the in-your-face show, full of
body-hugging latex rubber minis, dresses and trousers laced up the legs.
The
sexed-up vibe driving the bad boy British designer’s collection was
anything but subtle: the number “69” was emblazoned on everything from
a purple rubber knee-length skirt to an otherwise demure floral silk
chiffon dress.
One
skirt made from the unforgiving tight-fitting rubber was transparent,
revealing a lacy red thong. Sky-high platform stilettos, which even
tripped up supermodel Alek Wek, had tough-chick buckles and silver details.
A
racy short white rubber dress with spaghetti straps and ample decolletage
further upped the heat in the already stifling packed-to-capacity show
venue, located just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
The
PETA activist’s forced exit kept her from seeing a full-length fur in
shades of lilac, a shorter version in mint green worn over a white leather
mini-skirt and a brown leather vest with fox fur trim.
In
between the streamlined biker jackets, fun furs and too-hot-to-handle
mini-skirts, Galliano sent out voluminous jackets in black or red leather
with immense folds of material at the collar and billowing sleeves.
He
concluded the show with a series of organza gowns in black and white
geometric patterns — held in place with short leather skirts.
Christian
Dior Couture on Thursday announced a 2002 operating profit of 33 million
euros (36.2 million dollars) on a sharp increase in sales, attributing the
success to the popularity of Galliano and menswear designer Hedi Slimane.
Galliano’s
latest high-energy effort and the audience ovation that followed,
including raves from star clients like rocker Gwen Stefani of the group No
Doubt, would seem to indicate that sex really does sell.
Naoki
Takizawa’s collection for Issey Miyake went to the other extreme: zen
calm through a creative mix of stripes, checks and prints — from toile
de Jouy to flowers — in comfortable cotton and flowing silk chiffon.
Jackets
and blouses were gathered with large buttons, creating a padded effect,
while trousers — pure black and white or with fine multi-colored stripes
— were straight-leg and shown under flowing free-form skirts.
Takizawa
gave his creations some volume with crinkled ruffles, whether snaking down
the front of a simple jersey dress or along the side seam of a pair of
trousers. As for shoes, funky high boots looked like floorboards.
Marithe
and Francois Girbaud set out to recreate denim by cutting patterns and
texture into their creations for both men and women with laser technology.
Result: a collection of sturdy separates in black, blue and stone-washed
hues.
Dozens of models playfully interacted with 10 black-clad modern dancers,
who twisted themselves through 15 minutes of poses along the stark white
catwalk under a mobile that called to mind the works of sculptor Alexander
Calder. —AFP
La
mode n'a jamais pu se passer du cuir et des fourrures pour vêtir
les Belles élégantes
Matériau
contemporain utilisé depuis la nuit des temps, le cuir est le
produit de la transformation de la peau d'animaux. Grâce aux
stylistes, il pare les femmes avec élégance.
Un
peu d'histoire...
A
la préhistoire, le cuir fut très utile. L'homme l'utilisa pour
son confort, de l'habit à l'habitat. L'Antiquité, d'Athènes à
Rome, vit s'exprimer sa force dans la solidité de ses cuirasses
et la calvacade de ses chars. Le cuir des canots ou celui des
outres à eau aidèrent l'homme à vaincre les éléments ou
contribuèrent à sa subsistance. Le Moyen-Age lui donna son âge
d'or avec des dizaines de métiers (tanneurs, mégissiers,
parcheminiers, cordonniers, savetiers, culottiers, gantiers,
selliers).
Aujourd'hui,
la filière française du cuir comprend, en amont, les collecteurs
et négociants de cuirs et peaux bruts qui s'approvisionnent
directement auprès des abattoirs français ou étrangers. Ils
distribuent, ensuite, ces peaux aux industries de transformation
(tannerie, mégisserie). En aval de la filière, 433 établissements
produisent des biens de consommation pour une valeur totale de
2896 millions d'euros.
L'Hexagone,
qui dispose du plus gros cheptel bovin avec l'Allemagne, demeure
un gros exportateur. Plus des deux-tiers des peaux de boeuf et les
trois-quarts des peaux de veau sont vendues à l'Italie.
Le
travail de la peau…
Plus
l'animal est jeune, plus la peau est de belle qualité car elle a
subi peu de dommages.
A
l'abattoir, on sépare la peau de la carcasse, manuellement ou mécaniquement.
Chaque peau est ensuite classée en fonction de ses qualités et
de ses défauts. Elle est appelée peau fraîche. La peau est salée
ou séchée pour être conservée. Elle est nommée à ce stade
peau brute.
Le
travail de la rivière…
La
trempe a pour but de réhumidifier la peau salée ou séchée et
d'éliminer les produits de conservation et les souillures. L'épilage-pelanage
élimine chimiquement les poils et l'épiderme, par frottement ou
rinçage. L'écharnage enlève mécaniquement les restes de chair
et de graisse. Le déchaulage complète le travail de rivière et
prépare la peau au tannage en la neutralisant.
Le
tannage…
C'est
l'opération destinée à transformer la peau en cuir par une
solution d'agents tannants ce qui la rend imputrescible. Le type
de tanin employé caractérise le cuir obtenu: sels de chrome ou
tanins végétaux.
Le
corroyage-finissage…
C'est
l'opération qui transforme le cuir en cuir fini. La mise à l'épaisseur
est obtenue par le refendage: le dessus (fleur) et le dessous (croûte).
Le dérayage permet d'affiner l'épaisseur des fleurs et des croûtes.
Après essorage, le cuir est étiré. Le séchage se fait par
circulation d'air chaud dans des séchoirs ou sur glace ou sous
vide. Le cuir séché est assoupli par palissonnage. Le ponçage
donne des cuirs velours ou nubucks ou fleur corrigée. Enfin,
couleur, toucher et souplesse sont apportés par le retannage, la
teinture et la nourriture. Viennent les dernières opérations:
finissage, satinage et impression ou grainage.
Pelle
Moda Women's Collection...
Idéaux pour parfaire une garde-robe " fatiguée " ou un peu
trop sage, misez sur les tenue cuir : pantalon, tailleurs
classique ou minijupes, microrobe et shorts tendances...
Choisir l'option du cuir, c'est l'assurance de rencontrer la qualité pour
une utilisation au quotidien, mode et durable.
Pour garantir à vos looks de rentrée un brin de naturel,
d'authenticité ou de gaieté, petit tour d'horizon mode en un shopping sur la planète cuir.
Twice
a year, in the city of Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the
world - the best creations in leather , fabric and alternative
materials, are presented. The top names in the Italian leathers
goods and accessories industry will present their collections and
many overseas firms will be exhibiting from countries such as
India, China, Spain and Portugal.
This year trends for Spring/Summer 2003 will be presented
as a "Trend Book".
The themes are "Il Bianco (White) "Il Parco"
(The Park) and "La Terra" (The Earth). As well as
trends, visitors can go see an exhibition entitled "La
Pelle nella Vita - L'arte e la creatività dei Pellettieri
attraverso due Secoli di Stile" (Leather in Life - the
art and creativity of leather craftsmen across two centuries of
style). The exhibition recounts the history of the handbag. From
the tiny ones of the 19th century, which ladies carried and
changed depending on the time of the day, to the rich creations of
the 1930's.
Also
on the program and now in its third edition is MIPEL….ISSIMA
THE BIG BAG, a competition which pays tribute to the skill and
commitment of the companies exhibiting who have distinguished
themselves internationally for their quality, tradition and
innovation. For the winners a unique prize the only one of its
kind in the world, original and creative; an enormous and splendid
tribute to the leather goods industry - three gigantic bags 100cm
wide by 100cm long and 30 cm deep. Each is depicticed with three
famous nudes in Art history. The Maya Desnuda by Goya, the Grand
Nude by Matisse and Il Nudo by Modigliani. The idea for depicting
the nudes come from an ironic play on the Italian word
"pelle" which means "leather" but also means
"skin" translating as "Skin on Skin" or
"Pelle su Pelle".
For designers of the future there is "Lezioni di Borsa"
( lessons on how to make a bag) now in it's third edition.
Students from Italy's most prestigious training schools for the
leather industry will participate in a hands-on experience under
the guidance of designer Roberto Ricci who organised the event.
And finally a chance for exhibitors, buyers and the press to
socialise together. A special gala evening has been
organised at the Milan Mariott Hotel where famous Italian
TV personality and singer Luisa Corna and her Tequila band will
entertain the guests.
For
further information visit the MIPEL web site:www.mipel.com
"DKNY
is all about the street. Hot, sexy, urban, skin on skin -
literally, technically and viscerally." Her style is
inimitable, and along with the Donna Karan collection, DKNY and
signature lines, there are also accessories, shoes, hosiery,
eyewear, jeans, menswear, childrenswear, home furnishings,
jewellery, fragrances and beauty products to add to her ever
growing list. She is at the top of her career - her Spring/Summer
2000 collection for both Donna Karan mainline and DKNY were
scorchers, among the best of the season.. What then is her secret?
She happened upon her trademark look by designing clothes that she
wanted in her wardrobe.
IN
a hotly-anticipated show at London Fashion Week on February 17,
the big black boot marched down the catwalk as veteran British
designer Jasper Conran took inspiration from the countryside for a
smart and sexy equestrian-themed collection.
Conran,
a classicist and one of the week's biggest draws, dressed his
models in knee-high boots, chalk leather breeches, black leather
gloves and wool jackets for his collection.
Chocolate,
plum and purple - hailed as one of the "it" colours at
New York Fashion Week - added dashes of contrast to his trademark
black and white.
"It's
equestrian, girls and horses, you know the thing," Conran
said. "It's riding britches and boots for the English heroine.
I'm using chiffon, leather, suede and cashmere."
A
London Fashion Week stalwart who has dabbled in jewellery, china
and cutlery lines, Conran said he plans to open a shop in the city
in September where he could "play with new ideas about how to
do retailing".
Just
don't ask him about the so-called demise of London Fashion Week -
a theme that has dogged the event in recent years because many of
the world's biggest designers seem to prefer New York, Milan or
Paris.
"I
think newspapers just press a button about the demise of London
Fashion Week and out goes the story they wrote last year," he
said.
Designers
Julien MacDonald, Jean Muir, Ghost and Pringle are among the
highlights on February 28 at the twice-yearly shop window.
La
France dispose d'un cheptel bovin et ovin très important: la peau brute, matière
de base de la tannerie n'est qu'en réalité qu'un sous-produit de la viande.
Les peaux exotiques (crocodiles, lézards, serpents, autruches, galuchats),
certains types de peaux d'ovins et les peaux de chèvres sont importés pour être
transformés en cuir.
La
peau de veau provient d'un jeune bovin, d'un grain très fin et d'une grande
douceur au toucher: ces peausseries raffinées sont d'un prix élevé.
Vachette
:
peau de bovin (vache ou taureau). C'est la matière la plus utilisée en raison
de l'abondance de cette matière première.
Buffle
:
peau provenant d'un buffle d'eau des meilleures régions d'Asie. Grain très
caractéristique par son irrégularité et son aspect sauvage.
