“There’s only one thing the world loves more than a beautiful girl, and that’s a beautiful girl who’s a little bit bad”

I know it’s a bit taboo, but let’s be honest, smoking can sometimes, not always, look quite cool (why else do youngsters start? It’s not because they like taste.) And I don’t think there is a better person to validate my point, than Kate Moss, the epitome of cool, smoking on the Louis Vuitton catwalk.

… Now, before there is a surge of outrage, I’m not saying it IS cool, just that I think we can all admit, that at some point in our lives, we’ve clocked an unlikely candidate lighting up for the first time, and for a split second seen them in a whole new, edgier, light..

As controversial as it sounds, I absolutely love what Marc Jacobs has done here! When it comes to smoking, I’m fairly impartial, I have succumbed the odd cigarette, but I don’t support or encourage it. However, Kate Moss casually smoking a cigarette, whilst walking for one of the most revered fashion labels of all time, in PARIS, on national anti-smoking day, after the announcement of UK plans to hide cigarette packets beneath shop counters, sends a tingle up my spine. 

She has made headlines in the past for her drug abuse and bad choice of rock star boyfriends, and has been snapped countless times pissed, falling out of taxis and smoking; essentially, she oozes rock n roll (without ever having picked up a guitar). So as bad as some of the things she has done are, you can’t get away from the fact that rock n roll is a bit cool. Kate Moss’s smoking on the catwalk is just her giving one last V-sign the system, before she goes back to a life of normality.

Louis Vuitton AW11

Whether you love or hate Kate Moss’s part in the LV show (and I’m sure there is a clear cut divide), you must be able to appreciate the cleverness of it. Not only has she jumped straight back into the limelight after 3 years off (you only have to Google Kate Moss or LV to find a host of related articles), but Marc Jacobs has potentially made one of the most memorable shows in history and placed his collection at the forefront of everyone’s mind. I have never really been a big Louis Vuitton fan, but admittedly, it was the sight of my favourite British icon that lured me to the Louis Vuitton Fall 2011 page of style.com, where I sat, clicking away for a good 20 minutes, mesmerized by some of the creations. And even if those flasher macs and maid uniforms only appeal to a select few, special, individuals (…Lady Gaga), those handbags will be everything and everywhere come Autumn.

Title quote from The Guardian’s Jess Cartner-Morley

Kate Who?

Popped along to the Saatchi gallery the other weekend to roll with the cool kids of Kings Road and soak up some contemporary art. I went once before when it was on the South Bank and housed mannequin sculptures of mutilated men, and children with anuses for mouths and penises for noses – courtesy of the Chapman brothers. No shock factor this time around though, it was a bit more toned down. Maybe the curators got a slap on the wrist after people left in tears. Anyway, I’ve always liked to think of myself as a contemporary art enthusiast… Cos it’s a bit cool and indie to say you like contemporary art isn’t it? And it’s even cooler to take a real interest – actually visit the galleries and be able to discuss it. I think we can all admit that arty references have slipped ‘casually’ onto our facebook or twitter pages every now and then. With me, it would have to be my mention of the ‘Mumblecore‘ independant film movement as one of my facebook interests… which I stole from my brother who had told me about it, and I thought it sounded cool so… BAM – straight on facebook. I hadn’t even seen a Mumblecore film! But rest assured, I’ve since removed this horribly cringey LIE.

And so….I think it’s a similar situation with contemporary art – I looked forward to going to the Saatchi because I thought it was right up my street, but standing amongst the other arty types ‘considering’ a display of luminous cups and plates in a glass cabinet, I realised I was just copying their thoughtful poses whilst actually thinking “this is shit. I’m bored”. Jeeeez was it just that particular piece didn’t interest me or have I become a moron? I’m faiiirly sure that it’s the former, since there was a lot of stuff I did like including…. Mario Testino’s ‘Kate Who’ exhibition, that greeted me on the top floor. And so let’s bring this back to fashion…

Being a hard core Kate Moss fan, I LOVED this exhibition, the purpose of which was to coincide with Testino’s latest book entitled ‘Kate Moss’, consisting of various intimate and unseen photos or her, taken by him over the years of their friendship. As the publishers explain, it’s a photographer’s tribute to his greatest muse, d’awww.

The exhibition is like the public’s free sample of the book – because at £450 it does burn a bit of a hole in the old pocket! The Saatchi displayed a select few larger than life Kate portraits across the walls of the gallery. It really is heaven for a superfan like me – the pictures are so powerful and beguiling, I could have sat crossed legged in the centre of that room and stared up at her until closing time.

Here’s the boyfriend musing over the portraits. I can excuse his musing (oggling) at the many topless photos, because, to be honest I sometimes think I love Kate more than him! It’s great that the 3 of us can all get along like that.

That weekend was also my first ever experience of the Notting Hill Carnival. At risk of being shot down by fervent Carnival lovers, I’m gonna say… I’m not entirely sure I liked it. It just kind of seemed a bit… all over the  place. Some streets were just completely dead. Where was the heart of the action? Plus I couldn’t help but feel sliiiightly intimidated… but I think I was just influenced by The Guardian, who, in an article I’d read before I arrived, described it as always having an ‘undertone of violence’. Always nice to read that about an event you’re about to go to. Jeez. Spoke to a friend about it afterwards who somewhat matter-of-factly informed me that, ‘only two people got stabbed this year’. Oh, well that’s fine then! What was I even worried about?

Am I showing my non-London roots a bit too much? Have I misunderstood the Notting Hill Carnival – did I go on the wrong day perhaps (Sunday)? Should I have gone with a large group of mates (instead of just a boyfriend) and got pissed? Should I have stayed later than 6 and skanked the night away?