We will not apologise for the Mean Girls reference. It is the hub and soul of all relevant quotes and therefore, excusable by its own nature.
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Silence by C&R
It's safe to say that, amongst our top Maltese fashion designers, Charles&Ron reign supreme. Twenty years in the Maltese fashion scene are a milestone and a half, as longevity and relevance are hard to achieve in a relatively small community like ours. What is admirable about Charles Borg and Ron van Maarschalkerweerd's work, especially in recent years, is their fidelity towards current trends, which never rang truer than in their latest collection, Silence, which they presented at Moda Malta on the 1st of November.
Pierced
There was a certain frisson (to use one of Nicole's favourite words) of anticipation as the guests filed into the hall. Their large number alone was testament to Luke Azzopardi's popularity. We watched curiously as they shuffled into Sir Robert Sammut Hall, reverently keeping their voices down as if in the presence of the Dalai Lama. "Reverence" is a good word, because it encompasses both the attitude of the attendees towards Luke's creative genius, and the designer's approach to the art he 'borrowed' for his Pierced collection. A twisted reverence, perhaps – if one had to imagine a conversation between Luke and the artists he referenced, with lots of hair whipping and flicking for good measure, it would go something like this: "I admire and adore your work. However, I have my own way of showing my appreciation, so you sit back and watch the show and let me do my thing with your work. You don't have a say in it, but you will like it." And like it we did.
Four Rooms
If you don't know Ritty Tacsum's name, get with the programme. The experimental photographer's work is both disturbing and entrancing, and her non-traditional approach to subject matter has earned her major popularity in both the underground and the mainstream art scenes, also landing her a book-cover gig for Alex Vella Gera's Is-Sriep Reġgħu Saru Velenużi. The title of the exhibition, held at St James Cavalier, is self-explanatory: four rooms, depicting four different aspects of Ritty's being. Very faithful to her vision, and unapologetic in its portrayal of religious iconography and intimate scenarios, amongst other things, the exhibition resonates with the human psyche on various levels.
Armani Jeans
You may remember that one of our sponsors for our very first feature on the Sunday Circle (which already seems like aeons ago) was Armani Jeans, so we were very happy to attend the opening of their new store in Bay Street. Take note: if you want to throw a great event, make great cocktails. Campari Mojitos? Our arms, and mouths, are wide open.
Power Dressing to the MAX(&Co)
Earlier on this week, we were invited to a preview of Max & Co's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection at their store in Tower Road, Sliema. Having made use of some items from the brand's current collection for our Sunday Circle feature earlier this month, we were more than eager to visit once again.
a night of fashion in the heart of sliema
My busy work schedule means that I rarely have time to actually physically hit the shops, often reverting to the Internet for my little sprees. So I was thrilled when I received an invite to the Bisazza Street Night of Fashion, where shops were open until 10pm. Sliema's busiest shopping street was full of people, hair and beauty stalls and a runway of course! I managed to squeeze in a few shots of the show before my iPhone battery gave in to hours of usage.
Printed Silk
A while ago we had the pleasure of attending the launch of Saz Mifsud's wonderful scarf collection. A student of Textile Print at the University of the Creative Arts in the UK, Sarah (or Saz) uses intricate patterns in her prints to create beautiful pieces and accessories, namely her silk print scarves. At only 21 years of age, Saz Mifsud is surely one to watch!
Marks & Spencer A/W 2013-14
Props to the Marks & Spencer team for coming up with this wonderful idea to launch their new Autumn-Winter collection, which is available in stores now. Styled by Caroline Paris and Marisa Grima and featuring the great models at Supernova, it was perfectly complemented with lively music and sunshine (and wine, too). I would highly recommend browsing the shops as the collection targets both men and women of all ages and different walks of life. Click "Read more" right under the title to see some runway shots of the event!
To Err is Human
I was watching a video in one of the many rooms at Blitz, when I had an epiphany of sorts. Not a major one where you get a flash of universal understanding about Life with a capital L. Rather the equivalent of finally finding that one missing puzzle piece that's been eluding you for the last thirty minutes (although the puzzle is far from being complete). I realised that, whether I understood art (or Art – it's a capital letter kind of day today) or not, I was still glad that we had an exhibition space where it can be displayed without fear of judgement, rejection or even censorship. I'm not saying that we don't have plenty of exhibition areas or art (or Art) here in Malta – au contraire – but the kind of art that is immediately classified as "weird" or "pointless" without being given a chance to explain and justify itself rarely gets a spot in the limelight.
C
We love art exhibitions. Seeing new and established talent displaying their craft here in Malta gives us hope for the future, as we shine our beacon just that little bit brighter in the global eye of fashion and art. We had the pleasure of attending the opening of C, a collaborative effort between photographer Elisa von Brockdorff, stylist Gayle Zerafa (aka Gayle Fashion Stylist), make-up artist Gabrielle Zammit Grungo and hair stylist Chris Galea, who had all previously worked together as a team but had never exhibited their work before last night.
A Bridal Dream
[To skip to the photos, click here]
Let's talk cliches for a second.
It is a well-documented allegation that a woman's dream is to get married to a fabulous husband and live happily ever after. Call it hope, wishful thinking, Disney Syndrome – yet people nowadays roll their eyes at the very idea of a marital institution. For others, it symbolises a concretisation, or the sealing, of a promise made between two people who love each other.
And what does the conjugal fantasy essentially boil down to? The dress. The fairy-tale gown that makes the air sparkle and eyes well up. I'd hazard saying that a woman's ideal wedding dress is the ultimate personification of her character. Do you want simple and sophisticated, or flamboyant and impactful?
'An Evening With Vera Wang' managed to turn the blasé idea of bridalwear on its head, by presenting the audience with a dress that filled a brief they never knew they had. These two-week labours of love by New York designer Vera Wang delivered more than was expected. The designer's name itself attracted a host of women from all walks of life like moths who are attracted to the sound of wedding bells rather than light.
Camilleri Paris Mode Ltd, the host of this wonderful event (and also Claire's workplace, where she works as an architect and interior designer and was heavily involved in the preparations of the event – we're just so chuffed about her!) also had a surprise in store as they introduced two more awe-inspiring gowns by up-and-coming designer Tony Ward, who has been heralded as the new Elie Saab.
All that's left to do is sit back and feast your eyes on these wonderful wedding delights.
Skagen
We were very kindly invited by VIP to their launch of the new Skagen jewellery and watches at the Lido in Sliema. Exciting not only because we got a chance to chill out and have a few lighthearted conversations over a drink or ten two, but also because we had a black-and-white dress code to adhere to (we love a good challenge) and because we could see the new products first-hand. The display included classic yet modern timepieces and silver and gold jewellery, some also in agate, which we thought were vaguely Native American in aesthetics. Perfect gifts for any occasion!
Blitz
Welcome one, welcome all!
Here are three snaps of the outfits Nicole and I wore to the Blitz private viewing of the Tampered Evidence exhibition by Alexandra Pace, at No. 68 in Valletta. We apologise for the quality of the photos; we didn't take our nice camera with us!
The atmosphere was incredible, with a candy floss and popcorn stand inside and people standing or sitting outside in the street (fanning themselves, might we add), immersed in their own private conversations. The exhibition itself was awesome; my personal favourite was Time Remapped, "five second slices of (cult) movie time in an exercise meant to trigger the re-membering [sic], and further re-bonding of the cinematic moment" (taken from the exhibition programme). You can also read a great review of the opening here.
A Fashion Week Retrospective
Here's a round-up of the events we have attended through the lens of the many talented photographers who participated during Malta Fashion Week 2013. Thank you to all the photographers and make sure to click the links and check out their work.
On with the freak show!
Malta Fashion Week & Awards Launch Party
Malta Fashion Awards (or what I wore last Saturday)
Photo taken by the lovely Brian Grech
So last Saturday I ended the wonderful week of fashion at the Malta Fashion Awards. I must say it was a bit of an anticlimax, what with my lovely blog-mates Sandro and Nicole escaping the island, and with the non-attention-grabbing atmosphere onstage. The runways in the previous week though were an absolute joy to attend on the whole!
International Designers at Malta Fashion Week
Things we liked about the International Designers Show:
✔ The venue. We got to attend the show at the Auberge de Castille. Not everyone can say they had the opportunity to enter the beautiful Knights-era building, which houses not only the offices of the Prime Minister but also a lot of historical and artistic value.
✔ The models. Some of them were absolutely gorgeous: towering, statuesque, energetic and with a presence that remains etched into your brain. We also loved the mixture of foreign and Maltese talent walking down the runway together.
✔ The designs. We will go into further detail once we get to the individual photos, but to give you a brief outline of the guest designers, we saw Marella Ferrera hailing from Sicily, the Nigerian House of Jola, Fabryan and Muscat London by Kevin Muscat, Nigerian and Maltese respectively but both based in London, and Biljana Tipsarevic from Serbia.
✔ The reception. After the show, all the guests gathered in the courtyard to discuss what the fashion and the following Fashion Awards over a glass of wine or Nestle hot chocolate. We met a few familiar faces as well as some new ones before we headed down for drinks and chit-chat.
There was also a slight air of despondency as people came to the realisation that this would be the last show of the year. The excitement, however, for the upcoming Fashion Awards was a lot higher. Claire will provide you all with the coverage, as Nicole and Sandro went on a weekend getaway to the sister island of Gozo to watch something very special.
Daniel professing his love for snakeskin and Boy London.
New Designers Fashion Show
When the subject of the New Designers Show came up in conversation, we realised that we were both anticipating and dreading it. Not knowing what you're going to encounter is both thrilling and nerve-wrecking, but it's a good mixture of emotions because it keeps you on your toes but also lends a slight sense of cynicism and distance.
However, we were pleasantly surprised with what we saw at the show held at the Xara Lodge in Rabat. The runway itself was spectacular, as were the Supernova Models walking down in the new designers' creations. We had the pleasure of viewing some old favourites, like Sef Farrugia with her Casa Azul collection, as well as relatively new ones like Ritienne Zammit, who showcased her second venture in design – we were in loooove! Check out our favourite looks and designers from yesterday's show.
