Annie Vazquez is a fashion poet. As the founder of Annie the Alchemist’s blog and brand, her products and blog aim to connect with readers while aiding their spiritual journeys.
Valentino has taken note, inviting four contemporary poets Yrsa Daley-Ward, Mustafa the Poet, Greta Bellamacina, and Robert Montgomery–to inscribe their poetry onto garments for Autumn/Winter 2019.
Effie’s Dress
Elizabeth Banks plays Elizabeth Trinket, an outgoing Capitol escort featured in The Hunger Games movies and known for her flair in fashion. Effie Trinket stands out among Katniss’ more subdued Depression-era outfits as an exuberant Capitol escort with oversized puffy sleeves, floral headpieces, and novel fascinators that will surely catch your eye – perhaps inspiring your style as well! Her unique outfits may not be wearable outside The Hunger Games world, but you can channel Effie’s style using high fashion brands!
Elizabeth Banks turned to Alexander McQueen for Effie’s eye-catching butterfly dress, known for its dark and skull-adorned designs, which perfectly suits Effie’s dramatic personality. Alexander McQueen was so inspired by Elizabeth Banks’ look that they created an exclusive design to mark their collaboration with this film.
Though Effie Trinket’s asymmetrical lace dress from Catching Fire might not be ideal for an intimate dinner date, it could still make an excellent party piece worn with a black velvet blazer. You could add extra drama by including some strappy heeled boots – making your Effie look all the more convincing!
Effie’s ruffled t-shirt and patterned skirt can also make an eye-catching statement when worn with leather leggings or skinny jeans for a night out on the town or a day at the beach. Or switch it up by pairing it with a tank top and shorts as casual wear for an easy weekend look!
The Effie mini dress is crafted of luxuriously soft, locally knit brushed jersey fabric that feels like cashmere against your skin. Effie’s love of nature inspired her embroidered heart and flower details; choose your perfect color match and match this dress perfectly to yourself and your personality!
Although we might not see Effie Trinket-inspired wigs, Shakespearean cuffs, and novelty fascinators appear anytime soon, they do make for fun fancy dress parties! If you want to channel your inner Effie, check out Net-A-Porter’s new collection designed by Trish Summerville precisely to fit with the themes and stylistic concepts from Catching Fire, featuring Alexander McQueen couture pieces as well as ready-to-wear pieces reminiscent of these looks.
Xu Zhi
Xu Zhi was an influential Chinese poet of the modern Chinese poetry movement. Foreign literature heavily influenced his poems, particularly Rabindranath Tagore’s works. After studying in America for some time, he returned home. He took part in China’s literary revolution of the early 20th century, writing various collections of verse and translating numerous books, eventually passing away in 1924.
Though his career was short-lived, he left an indelible mark on fashion. His designs feature elegant yet minimalist aesthetics with bold, experimental flourishes; his use of color and texture – often decorated by embroidery or hand-braiding techniques – made him stand out among competitors.
Born in Shanghai and based in London since launching his brand in 2014, Xu Zhi established his label under his name in 2014. Interning at JW Anderson and Craig Green before creating his eponymous label has helped build up his reputation for contemporary couture aesthetic and craftsmanship – his title can be found stocked by retailers such as Lane Crawford and Dover Street Market.
Central Saint Martins graduate and designer Jie Ji, took an unexpected approach with his AW19 collection, featuring patchwork denim and napa leather. His use of color and texture stands out among Chinese designers – his garments feature embroidery made with yarn and hand-braiding techniques!
For his Fall/Winter 20 collection, Xu Zhi experimented with fringe. From silky strands in the hems of chiffon dresses to the zigzagging seams of other skirts and even delicate ropes of yarn twisted and embroidered into barely-there halter tops, he created a polished look for this collection.
Xu Zhi is a fashion designer who employs traditional Chinese techniques to produce modern clothing. His work blends Chinese conventional style and Western aesthetics. His latest collection, “The Sacred Mountains,” draws inspiration from ancient Chinese temples and their spirit of freedom, featuring silk fabric handwoven embroidery and hand-embroidered leather shoes and bags from traditional Chinese fabrics such as handwoven satin.
Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen’s journey from a lower-class high school dropout to an internationally acclaimed designer was fascinating and tragic. Dubbed a ‘bad boy of fashion,’ his eye-catching styles and captivating shows amazed and delighted audiences, but behind his confident facade lay an emotionally fragile soul who battled to survive in fashion’s harsh world; alcohol and drug dependency ultimately contributed to his early death, while failing to find lasting love through multiple relationships exacerbated his troubles further.
His collections were often informed by history, with references dating back centuries. For instance, in 1995, he celebrated his Scottish heritage through the Highland Rape collection, an autobiographical nod to 19th Century Highland Clearances during which tenants were forcibly removed from their land by force. For other works, he looked towards Victorian Gothic for inspiration while radicalizing historical narratives through such pieces as slashed sleeve jackets, bumster cadet trousers with sharply-angled cuffs, deconstructed gold bullion jackets – plus works of art like 17th Century painter Joel-Peter Witkin’s Crucifix-covered mask.
His dresses reflected the shape and ripples on the surface of the ocean like ripples on a seashell’s shell lip; in one gown made of sand-colored organza, its hemline mimicked this form while its mille-feuille ridging referenced lines from its surface; this was one example of many poetic renderings of nature that he produced through his art.
History was evident in his captivating catwalk presentations such as VOSS (Spring/Summer 2001), in which models appeared as visions in a glass box reminiscent of a padded psychiatric cell, Scanners (Autumn/winter 2003), where models traversed wind tunnels suspended above the runway, and Plato’s Atlantis (spring/summer 2010) where models dressed like pirates and were accompanied by pirate music.
Valerie Wallace embodies and recreates in her debut collection, HOUSE OF MCQUEEN, the life and grandiloquent imagination of this iconic working-class British couturier, drawing from interviews, supermodels, Shakespeare plays, and Grimm’s fairytales to craft an imaginative portrait of both fierce and vulnerable at once.
Valentino
Valentino Garavani was an iconic fashion poet renowned for creating elegant gowns from ultra-feminine materials such as silk and lace for the world’s elite, such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn, who regularly patronized his couture designs crafted of luxurious fabric like these. He revolutionized glamour while cultivating his distinct style, becoming an iconic facet of fashion. Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn became his clients, serving as regular models credited with popularizing the “little black dress.”
Born into a wealthy Italian family in Milan, Giancarlo Giammetti decided early on to combine his economics and business studies with his passion for fashion. Beginning to design his clothing at seventeen, he moved to Paris for couture studies at both Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, additionally studying with Jean Dresses and Christian Dior at their respective ateliers before returning home and setting up his eponymous label with assistance from Giancarlo Giammetti.
Valentino debuted his inaugural couture collection in 1962 to immediate critical acclaim, quickly gathering celebrity clients such as Jacqueline Kennedy, who commissioned him for her wedding dress design. Additionally, he became well-known for designing white dresses exclusively – in 1967 alone, twelve dresses entirely comprised of pure white designs were created!
Valentino continues to succeed with his fashion line today, coining the term “red carpet glamour.” Numerous celebrities have worn his designs. Valentino serves as godfather to both Carlos and Sean’s children. At the same time, together with Giammetti, they own multiple apartments and villas in Rome where they lavishly live – often decorated with artwork by Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Balthus, and Cy Twomley.
In 1995, he joined La Rinascente department store in Milan as a buyer to hone his craft before joining Valentino in 2000 as Womenswear and Menswear Brand Manager and Ready-To-Wear Collection and Retail Image Director until 2015. Here he balanced market demands with creative direction requirements.
