At Viktor & Rolf’s fall presentation in Paris in March, I had a thoroughly modern fashion moment. The gentleman next to me was madly tweeting about the show, as was I. About five minutes in, he leaned over to me and whispered, “I think we are following each other.” Indeed, I was reading his tweets, and he mine.
Kinship, whether online or otherwise, is a marvellous thing. I covered fashion for The Toronto Star for 20 years, and while I loved the buzz of the newsroom, I know what it feels like to be the lone fashion follower amid co-workers with radically different priorities. But I couldn’t imagine not keeping up with what’s new—especially at this time of year, when silhouettes and sensibilities leap ahead.
Not that we followers of fashion are necessarily followers. Case in point: Ashley Olsen. Our cover girl is a true original. “She arrived at our shoot in this incredible sheer, red, ankle-length slip from The Row, with a mint-green polka-dot coat and red kitten-heel sandals, both from Marni,” says fashion director Susie Sheffman. “Most tiny women would not be able to carry off such an outfit. But Ashley has this slouchy insouciance that is more commonly seen on a five-foot-10 supermodel, and on her, it worked.”
Many celebrities defer to stylists when it comes to getting dressed. But as co-designer with her sister, Mary-Kate, of four fashion collections—including The Row and Elizabeth and James—Olsen has a decisive eye. There were seven racks—everything from vintage lingerie to Vuitton brocades—for Olsen to pluck from. “She picked out a handful of pieces and mixed them with wild abandon,” Sheffman says. “She was fully in charge, right down to the socks. She is a style powerhouse.”
Olsen’s fearless attitude is an example of how clothes can so closely reflect what we are feeling—whether that is defiance, shyness, lust or gloom. Which brings me to the fact that I am savouring every page in our September issue—except one. I can’t look at the fragrance memoir I wrote without wishing my mother were alive to share my joy at being appointed editor-in-chief of this magazine. But I have the perfect escape from sadness—deciding what to buy for fall.
Let me know what you thought of our Trend Issue at letters@fashionmagazine.com.
First published in FASHION Magazine September 2010
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