Balmain Spring/Summer 2011 Lookbook

The images seen here comprise the lookbook for the Balmain Spring/Summer 2011 collection for which Atelier Franck Durand (also known as the firm of Mr. Emmanuelle Alt) provided the art direction and Karim Sadli shot the photography. Our fabulous editor-at-large Kate Ringo Suzuki captures her impressions of Balmain's latest lookbook in a story about the main character, a wistful yet well-dressed lad.

Long ago and far away, way back in time, even before CBGB closed, there was a boy. A good boy who attended New York University and studied English Literature. He spent his spare time on streets and avenues that begin with the letter “B” like Bowery and Bleecker and Bond. To the boy, New York City seemed light years away from Boston Latin School. Back then he was such a good little prep. But then he moved to New York City and traded in his Ralph Lauren for edgier stuff and he blossomed. New York City helped the boy come out of his shell.

And now here he is on summer break visiting Fire Island. To tell you the truth, he is a bit bored. Fire Island is beautiful and all but the boy misses the big city. He wistfully reads a love letter from his boyfriend while listening to rockabilly in the background. He sighs and remembers the good times.

Balmain lookbook images © 2011 Balmain. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Mother's Day, Emmanuelle Alt!

Christophe Decarnin, Emmanuelle Alt, Antonin Durand

Due to her cool rock chic style, I often forget that Emmanuelle Alt is a mother of two and not a roadie on tour with the latest new band. In honor of Mother's Day I have added albums of her two children, Antonin and Françoise, to the photo gallery. Emmanuelle treasures her time with her family and finds a balance with her position as editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris: “I spend all my weekends with the kids. It’s that culpability of having been working at the magazine all week. Françoise is a good tennis player, so we do that. It goes so fast. A weekend is like ten minutes for me. And we’ll go to dinner with friends. I don’t see doing things any differently now. My job has changed. My life hasn’t.” Emmanuelle's own mother, Françoise, also worked in the fashion industry as a model for Lanvin and Nina Ricci in the 1960s and 70s although I regret to say that I cannot locate an image of her. Happy Mother's Day, Emmanuelle!

Emmanuelle Alt and Françoise DurandEmmanuelle Alt, Antonin Durand, Françoise Durand © 2007 Condé Nast and courtesy of Facebook and Fashion Spot.

Vogue Paris Translation: Editorial, May 2011

Below is my translation from French to English of the eloquent editorial penned by Emmanuelle Alt to introduce the May issue of Vogue Paris in which she pays tribute to Cannes, French producer Dominique Besnehard, and Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor.

Alors que la grand-messe cannoise est sur le point d'être célébrée, Vogue se met sur son trente et un (en smoking, indispensable) et file au cinéma. Direction Palm Springs tout d'abord où nous avons retrouvé les villas à couper le souffle de légendes américaines, de Steve McQueen à Frank Sinatra en passant par Marilyn Monroe. Des monuments aux lignes pures, livrées aux rayons brûlants d'un soleil exalté trois cent cinquante-cinq jours par an. Des écrins de stars, souvent intacts, à s'offrir pour une nuit ou pour la vie.

Il a veillé sur le gotha hexagonal : Sophie Marceau, Isabelle Adjani, Béatrice Dalle ou Jeanne Moreau. Agent vedette, charisme XXL, Dominique Besnehard, aujourd'hui producteur, évoque pour Vogue les coulisses d'une machine à rêves qu'il a maîtrisée comme personne. A propos de son escadron de bombes cinégéniques, il dit : ‹‹C'est beaucoup plus dur d'admettre le talent chez une actrice quand elle est belle.››

Elizabeth Taylor, elle, ne s'est jamais pris les pieds dans le tapis de sa beauté sidérante. Et pourtant. Malgré des immense yeux bleu-violet comme des éclairs, ourlés d'une double rangée de cils, ‹‹les plus grands que j'ai jamais vus››, dixit Richard Burton, son format tanagra, glamour absolu, ‹‹su-bli-me, somptueux, ténébreux››, dixit Burton toujours, la brune incendiaire s'est taillé une carrière éblouissante, incarnant dans l'imaginaire collectif le dernier phénix du mythe hollywoodien. Elizabeth Taylor nous a quittés le 23 mars dernier. L'étoile s'est envolée, et c'est une vie comme il n'en existe plus qui s'éteint.

Whereas the high mass of Cannes is about to be celebrated, Vogue puts on her thirty-one (in a tuxedo, essential) and queues at the cinema. Nonstop to Palm Springs first where we find the breathtaking villas of American legends, from Steve McQueen to Frank Sinatra while passing by Marilyn Monroe. Sleek monuments, delivered to the burning rays of a sun exalted 355 days per year. The jewel boxes of the stars, often intact, offer themselves for a night or for life.

He has watched over the hexagonal elite: Sophie Marceau, Isabelle Adjani, Beatrice Dalle, and Jeanne Moreau. Featured agent, charisma XXL, Dominique Besnehard, now a producer, evokes for Vogue the slides of a dream machine which he personally controlled. In connection with his squadron of cinegenic bombs, he says: "It is much harder to admit the talent in an actress when she is beautiful."

Elizabeth Taylor, she never tripped over the carpet of her staggering beauty. And yet. In spite of her immense blue-violet eyes like lightning, hemmed with a double row of eyelashes, "The biggest I've ever seen," said Richard Burton, her tanagra format, absolute glamor,"su-bli-me, sumptuous, dark," said Burton always, the incendiary brunette carved a dazzling career, embodying the collective imagination in the last phoenix of the Hollywood myth. Elizabeth Taylor left us on March 23. The star has soared, and a life like this exists even more after it goes out.

Vogue Paris editorial image © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt In 1998

I am pleased to present this little piece of Emmanuelle Alt's fashion history, the photographs featured here originally appeared as part of a short article in the July 1998 issue of Allure. Special thanks to ellastica scans on Fashion Spot for this fun look at Emmanuelle's stylish past. The caption reads: "Emmanuelle Alt: The Parisian stylist has two words for her dressing strategy — Helmut Lang — although designers like Ann Demeulemeester figure into her scheme of spare black separates, too. 'Clothes shouldn't be more important than the person,' Alt says." The article continues: "'I love Helmut Lang,' says French stylist Emmanuelle Alt, 'but so simple it might not be recognizable as Helmut Lang.' Alt, who commutes by car to the Paris shows from her home in the sixteenth arrondissement, finds that classic men's looks — cashmere sweaters, skinny pants, leather jackets — hold up well behind the wheel. 'Sometimes I wear different shoes for driving, an old pair of flats,' she says. 'But these are not glamorous.'" What do you think of Emmanuelle's sartorial choices in 1998?

Emmanuelle Alt photographs © 1998 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Emmanuelle Alt On Vogue Paris May 2011

I was reminded recently that not all of my readers speak French and so I have translated into English Emmanuelle Alt's remarks about the May issue of Vogue Paris. I also added the editorial "Haute Couture Été 2011" to the photo gallery featuring Kate Moss as shot by Marcus Piggott and Mert Alas and styled by Emmanuelle.

"Alors que la grand-messe cannoise est sur le point d'être célébrée, Vogue se met sur son trente et un (en smoking, indispensable) et file au cinéma." écrit Emmanuelle Alt, rédactrice en chef de Vogue Paris, dans l'édito du numéro de mai 2011. Honneur au septième art, avec un reportage dans les demeures de stars les plus grandioses et une interview avec l'agent Dominique Besnehard. Côté mode, c'est l'élégance ultime du smoking qui est à l'honneur, avec un série de looks du soir qui jouent sur l'ambiguïté du masculin-féminin. Kate, en couverture du numéro, pose quelques pages plus loin vêtue des dernières créations haute couture les plus spectaculaires, dans une série entre punk et glamour hollywoodien. Enfin, ce sont les couleurs fluo qui sont de mise cette saison côté beauté, avec des make-up aux couleurs néons aveuglantes, à porter en touche éparses pour illuminer une tenue.

"While the high mass at Cannes is about to be celebrated, Vogue puts on her thirty-one (in a tuxedo, essential) and queues at the cinema." writes Emmanuelle Alt, editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, in the editorial of the May issue. Honoring the seventh art, with a report on the homes of the grandest stars and an interview with the agent Dominique Besnehard. Side fashion, this is the ultimate elegance of the tuxedo which is honored with a series of evening looks that play on the ambiguity of the masculine-feminine. Kate, on the cover of the issue, poses a few pages later wearing the latest and most spectacular haute couture creations in a series between punk and Hollywood glamour. Finally are the fluorescent colors which are key to beauty this season, with makeup in blinding neon colors, to be scattered with a touch to brighten an outfit.

Vogue Paris editorial images © 2011 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.