Ballet Anyone?

Created by iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin, he has designed a pair of eight inch, red sole stillettos based on the ballet shoe to be auctioned off to raise funds for the English National Ballet. Designers including Giles Deacon, Moschino and Julien Macdonald have also donated ballet inspired pieces to the auction and is expected to raiuse over £50,000 for the EMB.

Louboutin said: 'I could not help being inspired by English National Ballet... after all... isn’t the classical dancing ballet slipper the ultimate heel?
'The heel which makes dancers closer than any other women to the sky, closer to heaven!'

Alexander Mcqueen

At the age of 16, Mcqueen was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional tailors Anderson and Shepard, and then neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes, both masters in the technical construction of clothing. From there he moved to a theatrical costumiers where he mastered 6 methods of pattern cutting from the melodramatic 16th century to the razor sharp tailoring which has become a Mcqueen signature.

Alexander McQueen shows are known for their emotional power and raw energy, as well as the romantic but determinedly contemporary nature of the collections.

McQueen's early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy and shock tactics, earning the title “l’enfant terrible" and ‘the hooligan of English fashion’. He has been credited with bringing drama and extravagance to the catwalk. Mcqueen used new technology and innovation to add a different twist to his shows and often shocked and surprised audiences.   

McQueen was known for his lavish, unconventional, runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck for his spring 2003 collection, spring 2005's human chess game and his fall 2006 show, "Widows of Culloden", which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in yards of rippling fabric.

McQueen designed a range of dresses under the name of "manta", priced at around £2800. The line, named after the manta ray, was inspired by a holiday McQueen took in the Maldives in 2009. The designs have been worn by various models and celebrities, including Lily Cole.

Alexander's collections combine an in-depth working knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, the fine workmanship of the French Haute Couture atelier and the impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing.

 McQueen has been credited with bringing drama and extravagance to the catwalk.

He used new technology and innovation to add a different twist to his shows and often shocked and surprised audiences. The silhouettes that he created have been credited for adding a sense of fantasy and rebellion to fashion.

1920's - Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer, epitomised the modern women. She designed comfortable loose blouses, chemise dresses and clothes that were sporty, relaxed, wearable and well suited to the outdoor lifestyle that was being promoted as healthy in the 1920’s. These clothes were designed to be worn without corsets and were make with fewer linings to make them lighter and more flexible. Chanel believed that fashion must meet the needs of modern lifestyles and give women freedom of movement. In 1916 she began using kitted jersey fabric, a relatively cheap fabric used for underwear and by the 1918 was producing cardigans and twinsets. Chanel was one of the most influential designers of the 20^th century. Her clothes broke away from the fussy over decorated clothing of the 19^th century.

She adapted men’s tailoring and produced classic suits with short skirts, always relying on good cut, finish and high quality fabric. What we all now consider to be normal part of women’s clothing – trousers, tweeds, pea jackets, blazers and the little black dress were all introduced by Chanel.

Fashion became more widely available as clothing by designers were copied for RTW – ready to wear. Clothing that had once only been available for the wealthy was now available to women on the street. This was a dramatic change for ordinary people who had previously only had every day and ‘best’ clothes that had to last for years. Even though it was still unaffordable to most, this gave it a desirability factor.

The production of RTW was an important turning point in the democratisation of fashion. The very styling of the clothes themselves, together with the lower prices means that social class was now immediately shown by what you wore.