Ten Things to Look Forward To in 2010

As 2009 draws to an end and we prepare to greet 2010, I thought I would share with you a few things that I'm particularly looking forward to in the new year.

1. Monocle

While media pundits have been busy proclaiming the impending "death" of print, the team behind Monocle has been quietly proving them wrong one well-written, thought-provoking issue at a time. I just finished reading their year-end issue which is filled with solid writing and analysis on a wide range of eclectic subjects. Along with The Economist, it is one of the few magazines I plan to subscribe to in 2010. Kudos to Tyler Brule and his team.

2. A Helping Hand for France's Petites Mains

French Industry Minister Christian Estrosi announced this past November that a Charte de Bonnes Pratiques would be adopted in January 2010 to address some of the more pressing issues that affect small luxury industry suppliers including intellectual property rights, payment schedules, etc. These suppliers are often very small, very vulnerable operations with little or no leverage over the large luxury houses they depend upon for survival. It's about time measures were put in place to protect their interests. It's not much but it's a start.

3. Tom Ford's Directorial Debut in A Single Man

For me, the appeal of this movie (based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood about a gay British college professor living in 1960s southern California) has less to do with the dramatic performances or the quality of Ford's directorial talents (sorry Tom) than the film's sets and costumes. In other words, it is a pure exercise in style. Incidentally, the production design is by the same team who worked on the critically acclaimed and hugely influential U.S. television series Mad Men. A Single Man opens on 12 February in the U.K.

4. Pheobe Philo's Spring/Summer 2010 Collection for Celine

I suppose it was inevitable. After pilfering the fashions of the 40's, 50's and most recently the 80's, the fashion industry's "new" direction is now set on the 90's. If we absolutely must bring back that decade's fashions, Philo's clean lines, trim silhouettes and hint of no-nonsense cool is the way to do it. Just so long as we avoid resuscitating the strange brown lipstick and the white orthopedic-like shoes that were all the rage for a while.

5. RM by Roland Mouret Inaugural Menswear Collection

Womanswear designer Roland Mouret (a personal favorite) is set to unveil his first menswear collection in January 2010. This bit of good news makes my dapper husband very happy indeed and it fills me with utter joy! Not only will I have my stash of sexy RM dresses to wear but now there will be pieces to pilfer from my husband's closet too. Merci Monsieur Mouret. C'est vraiment trop gentil.

6. The Launch of Hermes' New Brand Shang Xia

Based jointly in Shanghai and Paris, Shang Xia will reportedly include ready-to-wear and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. We in the West have come to consider goods produced in China as cheap or badly made. In fact, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans imported all manner of finely crafted decorative arts and other goods from China which were highly sought after by the French and English aristocracies. If done right, Shang Xia will likely challenge our perceptions of quality and craftsmanship as it relates to "Made in China".

Moreover, we're likely to witness over the next decade or two the emergence of a local or homegrown luxury brand from Asia (my guess is it will either emerge from China or India as both these countries have strong historical traditions of skill and craftsmanship). The luxury industry's current model of selling Western luxury goods to Asian consumers will therefore have to adapt. My sense is that this move by Hermes is a first step in a new strategy for the brand in China which is likely to be implemented over the next decade.

7. +J Spring 2010 Collection from Jill Sander and Uniqlo

The quality and range of their first collaboration for Fall 2009 set a new bar for high street/designer collaborations. It's no coincidence that Sander was personally involved with the collection from start to finish including fabric development and production. +J is the antithesis of the fast fashion trend that has fueled many previous designer/high street collaborations. This is good news for all followers of fashion and for the industry.

8. The U.K. Release of Chanel and Stravinski - The Secret Story

Starring sultry Chanel spokesmodel Anna Mouglalis as Coco Chanel and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (the perversely sexy "Le Chiffre" from the James Bond movie Casino Royale) as the tortured composer Igor Stravinsky, the movie is based on rumors of their purported affair. The film by French director Jan Kounen debuted in France this past December and will be released in the U.S. and U.K. in early 2010. Again, for me, the story and the acting are secondary to the 1920's fashion and early art deco interiors featuring historic decorative arts pieces by René Lalique.

9. Grace Kelly Exhibit at London's Victoria and Albert Museum

Grace Kelly, one of the most iconic actresses of the 1950s, will be the subject of an exhibit at London's Victoria and Albert Museum from April 17th until September 26th, 2010. What fascinates me about Grace Kelly is less her movie career than her transition from screen idol to royal consort and her use of style and fashion to transition to her new public role. If politics is indeed theatre, then she more than anyone else had a keen understanding of how to use fashion to define and project her character. Modern-day political consorts could learn a thing or two.

10. The Release of the Apple iSlate

While I'm not exactly what you would call a "techie", my very first computer was a Mac and I've always appreciated Apple's intuitive interfaces and sleek design. The release of Apple's long-awaited, much-hyped tablet (potentially to be called iSlate) is therefore cause for celebration. My hope is that it will (when combined with the iPhone) replace the need for a laptop when I travel (a kind of mobile office that fits in my handbag).

I would love to know what you're looking forward to in 2010. Please feel free to add to my list those things you may be looking forward to and why.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Comments

[Helene]

Dear Barbara:

I share your frustration with fashion's youth cult. In fact, I suspect it is largely to blame for the ridiculous trend of mothers dressing like their teenage daughters and this disturbed need for women and a growing number of men to torture their faces with all manner of injections and fillers. To be honest, I find both trends creepy.

I'm afraid I have little advice to offer you beyond a few names. There are a number of designers who seem to be going off the beaten track by offering what I would call grown-up clothing that covers you and hold you in while flattering your forms: Roland Mouret is a personal favorite. I'm also increasingly warming to Jason Wu (all the hype and houpla surrounding this designer seems justified - I attended a trunk show a while back here in London where he lovingly explained the various details of his garments and he really seems to have the substance to justify the hype). Many of his dresses and separates are timeless and done in very flattering colors.

Also, have you considered custom made or bespoke clothing? I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

Helene

[Barbara Mundall]

What I'd like to think will happen in 2010. I'm 60+ and beautiful and I want beautiful clothes for myself. I work out and am slender BUT. I want clothes in color that flatter now that I've gone silver haired. I want clothes that hit at the knee, the most flattering length for a mature woman. I want clothes with sleeves. I want heels, 3" heels not 4" heels, and kitten heels. I want choice. They are gorgeous clothes out there. Most are just not for me. I just looked at DVF spring show...and there are only l or 2 skirts that aren't mid thigh....then out comes Diane herself, wearing a knee length....hey, how about the rest of us! I love your clothes, make them available in two skirt lengths? Maybe make the longer length available only on-line?
So all you 20's and 30's are going to age eventually...and you're going to hope that designers offer choices are you move through age appropriate fashion.

[pulchra]

I can't wait to see the ISlate, Apple is going so far compared to all the other IT brands. I imagine that it's because they work on the people needs...cool design and user friendly...what can we ask more?

I also would love to see new brands designed by young people coming out and taking advantage of the change in the customers approach in terms of buying. There are some very good designers like Marco de Vincenzo (still collaborating with Fendi), who recently launched his own brand and presented his collection in Paris and Milan.
I'm afraid that Tom Ford is over now...let's see what the new generation can propose

I hope that 2010 will be the year of the next generation, new ideas, a new approach to life, a cultural revolution? Let's not waste time...
I wish that 2010 will be the year of core values and frugality, the year of awareness.

From the product to the people. An important shift, I believe, is needed by this entire world.
Peace and love.

[willowblue]

If it's the 1990s, it has to be...Tom Ford & Chloe. A former Gucci assistant mentioned (with a trace of a smirk) over a dinner gathering some time ago that ``fashion misses him(TF) much less than he thot it would.''
Looking back, fashion misses Tom Ford much more than it knows. Nobody does sex and glamour, Hollywood style, with cool Italian arrogance than he does - except maybe Dolce Gabbana, but with much more frills.
Sometimes he tilted towards vulgarity - but nothing that a modern woman with chutzpah and cash could not handle.
Chloe was the modern Gigi defined by Phoebe Philo, who has grown up and gone to Celine. How she matures there remains to be seen. But it was a delicious debut.