Nothing beats the buzz of a good fashion week show, but when the music stops and the season is over, we're usually left with some rather clinical look books to remember the collections by. Not this season though, thanks to the timely arrivals on our desks of a spate of beautifully produced pubications by the fashion houses themselves.
Playing the role of both publisher and creative director, fashion houses are turning to the method of print to get the message across. Whether it's to express a feeling, a philosophy, the theme of a collection, or even just a news teaser, these evocative fashion supplements are giving us that crucial post-show fix.
This AW 2010/11 edition of Le Monde D'Hermès had a black theme, in tribute to Jean-Louis Dumas, Chairman of Hermès from 1978-2006, who died on 1 May 2010.
A long-running publication, Le Monde Hermès reads like an editorial magazine
Part of a menswear in Le Monde D'Hermès, titled 'East Enders'
A jewellery spread in Le Monde D'Hermès, with styling by Hélèn Leverrier
Chanel's 'Le Tribune', a newspaper-style publication based on the concept of the colour blue, created to celebrate the launch of Bleu de Chanel, the brand's latest men's fragrance. This 8 page editorial, printed in blue-black ink on white newspaper, was published for the menswear day of London Fashion Week SS2011 and sent out to London fashion press and stylists.
The content included the generic interview with parfumeur Jacques Polge using photographs Chanel have in their labs, an interview with Gaspard Ulliel (face of the fragrance), and the 'making-of' shots of the Bleu de Chanel film.
Pictured on this page is a commissioned article based on the idea of being 'unexpected', by British journalist Jack Dyson.
The white portrait-style envelopes that we receive regularly from Comme des Garçons are always a treat
Usually arriving post-marked from Japan...
Always as part of a numbered series...
... The Comme des Garçons pamphlets showcase fashion, art and photography in relation to the brand.
Inside pamphlet no. 25...
... which opens up within itself to reveal an annoucement that new selections of the new AW 2010/11 collection have arrived
Comme des Garçons pamphlet no. 26 features a photograph taken of the artist Ai Wei Wei...
... in addition, it opens up to feature a collage of images of his work
J. Lindeberg's biannual book.
Titled 'The Documentary And A Dream', this book is the third one since J. Lindeberg started this publishing project.
As the J. Lindeberg headquarters is in Stockholm, the AW 2010/11 book edition digs deep in the brand's Nordic environment in terms of its nature, culture and people.
The hefty publication is a large A2 tome...
... documenting photography, interviews and features from contributors
A spread titled 'Some Good Men' in the J. Lindeberg's book, photographed by Jörgeb Ringstrand, illustrated by David Agbodji
'Like The Moon', with a intro piece on the left hand side written by Parrott herself
A spread from the 'Neo Artisan - Made in Komatsu' feature on Komatsu in Japan, written by Manako Yamamori, art directed by Pierangelo d'Agnostin
The new AW 2010/11 collection showcase,
Front cover of the Prada AW 2010/11 look book
Also the front cover of the Prada look book - the book is split in two, with womenswear on one side and menswear on the other.
The book can be is flipped over and turned upside down to showcase either menswear or womenswear, depending on which way the book is opened first.
The layout, production and art direction of the graphic-style book was taken on by OMA
Not your typical lookbook, the Prada one features the mingling of illustrations and photography to show the collection
Centre spread of the Prada AW 2010/11 lookbook, featuring a collage of the menswear and womenswear
Swarovski's Salt magazine, an evolved first edition magazine from the brand's previous publications, Crystallized and Rocks
Swarovski Salt magazine, yours for €12
The magazine celebrates the use of crystals in the fields of fashion, jewellery, architecture and design
One of the fashion spreads featured in Salt, titled 'Artistic Endeavours', photographed by Guy Aroch and styled by Soraya Dayani
An interiors shoot in this edition's Salt, styling by Lyndsay Milne McLeod
The Yves Saint Laurent 'manifesto' for AW 2010/11.
A large A3 sized booklet, the manifesto is cased in a cloth bag lined with black piping, sealed with a zip at the bottom.
The front cover of the Yves Saint Laurent booklet
The Yves Saint Laurent manifesto showcases the collection against the backdrop of a parisian staircase...
... featuring models Daria Werbowy and Ian O'Brien
The many layers of the Yves Saint Laurent booklet
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