Purple magazine | cheriecity.co.uk

Designers, Fashion, France, Paris, Photography

Zadig & Voltaire x The Kills

August 15, 2010 by cheriecity

Paris rock ‘n’ roll fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire has become known for its black and white, ‘caught in the moment’ photography campaigns featuring music’s coolest couples and this time its the bandmates Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, aka The Kills.

Last season’s story centred around Mark Ronson and his Parisian love, Josephine de la Baume and before that the effortlessly chic Charlotte Kemp-Muhl and Sean Lennon.

The Kills were shot by Purple Magazine founder and photographer, Olivier Zahm, in the Parisian gardens of Parc Monceau and are wearing pieces from Zadig & Voltaire’s AW 10-11 collection.

Other images from the campaign see the pair during ‘down time’ in their hotel writing songs and reclining for Olivier Zahm’s trademark ‘bed shots’.

Zadig & Voltaire was literally made for laid-back, mussed up rock girls like Alison and her wardrobe of skinny jeans, flat ankle boots and tough leather jackets perfectly reflects the free-spirited look of the brand. Zadig’s penchant for diamanté skull and logo knitwear may be questionable, but then again, Alison can barely be parted with her gold spangly boots.

Jamie Hince’s style DNA is unsurprisingly close to Alison’s (I’m sure he pinches her leopard print scarves) but he bring more of a dandy element, mixing up the roughness with a tux jacket, waistcoat, cravat or slicked-back hair.

The Kills have a special kind of bond and while their on-stage relationship is intense and tumultuous, Olivier Zahm has captured their closeness and unabashed intimacy.

To see more of the campaign shots, visit www.zadig-et-voltaire.com

Art, Exhibitions, France, Paris, Shopping, Stores

André moves from street to gallery…

February 7, 2010 by cheriecity

I’m becoming more and more convinced that it’s not Sharkozy who runs Paris, but in fact André. No party is complete without him and you’d find it pretty hard not to encounter Monsieur A, his dandyish graffiti character, around town.

André made his name as a world-renowned graffiti artist with his Love Graffiti and has redefined nightlife in Paris, New York and Tokyo with his clubs Le Baron, Le Paris Paris and Beatrice Inn.

This month, André is showing a different side of his work in his ‘drawings’ exhibition at Colette. This is a rare opportunity to see some of his work in a gallery setting, as he would never confine his graffiti to a space.

In an interview with Dazed Digital, André summed up the street art debate perfectly by saying: “You can’t put street art into a gallery, it’s condescending and limiting: 80 per cent of the graffiti is in the act, the challenge. The result is meant to disappear. Galleries are traditional spaces, and street art is what it is: it’s a vandalizing act.”

André took inspiration from the love imagery/LSD art of the 1960s and 1970s, Krazy Kat comic strips and Pierre Le-Tan’s illustrations. Many are very personal with references to his past and present, such as his favourite novels and his whirlwind love affair with ex-wife Uffie and the arrival of their baby Henrietta.

On display will be over 30 sketches, limited edition silk screens and pieces made for Purple Fashion Magazine. The space has also been given a slick André make-over, with spray painted columns, customised surfboards, Monsieur A. rubber balls and a viewing space painted black.

A selection of André’s framed silk screens are available to buy online, priced at an affordable €1000-€2000 and ‘Drawings’ is on at Colette until 27 February.

Designers, Fashion, France, London, News, Paris, Photography, Shopping, Stores

Mark and Josephine snuggle up for Zadig & Voltaire

February 6, 2010 by cheriecity

Mark Ronson just can’t seem to do anything wrong sartorially at the moment. Not only was he voted Britain’s Best Dressed Man in GQ last year, but his particularly daring, dandyish style caught the eye of Zadig & Voltaire founder Thierry Gillier.

Mark and his actress/model/singer girlfriend Josephine de la Baume are the new couple featuring in Zadig & Voltaire’s Spring campaign, taking over from last season’s lovers Sean Lennon and the impossibly gorgeous Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Fittingly, Mark and Josephine met at a club in Paris and even ‘got married’ last year for a Jalouse cover shoot, in an ethereal ceremony with only their closest and dearest hipster friends (at least I think they knew all of the guests).

The well-dressed couple were shot on Paris’ Left Bank in Saint-Germain by art curator and Purple founder, Olivier Zahm. True to form, Zahm has captured those amazing, spontaneous moments that tell a story and let you into their private world.

Despite Josephine’s lineage (her parents are the Baron and Baronne de la Baume) and transatlantic lifestyle, she’s a proper ‘downtown girl’ with a wardrobe full of Alexander Wang, Rick Owens, Opening Ceremony, Number 6 and presumably now Zadig & Voltaire. Shunning the BCBG look, she invests in more creative, avant-garde designers include Rodarte, Gareth Pugh and Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy.

I’m not such a fan of Z&G’s clothes, as they can be a bit flashy with all the diamante skulls, but where they really get me is on the accessories! Every collection taunts me with ‘the bag of my dreams’, with an equally whimsical price tag and then there’s the boots, the belts, the smokey wood candles…*sigh*.

The only person to come close to the Zadig lifestyle that I know is Steven, who is the proud owner of a silver Z&G watch with black skull face that I bought him for his birthday in Paris a few years ago.

With my other favourite French brand The Kooples already using ‘cool couples in love’ in their ad campaigns, I’m more convinced than ever that there’s just something so magical and magnetic about Paris. Call it clever advertising or capitalising on the city’s romantic image, but take a walk along the Seine or the Canal St-Martin and tell me you don’t feel it too…I bet Mark and Josephine do!