Paris Fashion Week: Vibrant and Versatile Designs at Victoria/Tomas

The lively Victoria/Tomas runway show in Paris, with a model wearing a neon-hued jacket worn with a black shirt and long shorts that are all reversible. Cover picture and this image by Elli Ioanou for DAM Magazine

This Spring/Summer 2022 season at Paris Fashion Week, Chanel, Valentino, Dior, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton return to physical shows while many other brands remain digital due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Victoria/Tomas was one of the independent labels who had a full runway show to present their new reversible designs, aimed at making fashion more sustainable, writes Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photographs by Ell Ioannou

At the finale of their show in Paris, 

designers Victoria Fejdman and 

Tomas Berzins take their bow

FRENCH designers Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins have made their latest collection about creating imaginative reversible pieces, following on from the last two seasons experimenting with this theme. The designs can be worn showing one set of colours and patterns and then when turned inside out there is another design and hue. You have two different outfits in the one creation. This is aimed at reducing the amount of clothes people buy and going towards lessening the fashion landfill. 

The duo also love mixing up art, design and music into their shows. This season, after a year's hiatus, they collaborated with Edward Crutchley. His work features in prints and on their crisply-designed leather accessories. While Cyril Lancelin created the towering, inflatable pyramid of fuchsia pink, forming the centrepiece of the runway. The show was held in Paris' 10th arrondissement at La Caserne, a complex for new fashion and design, to live music by French musician Lewis OfMan. It didn't rain and the sun shone as models criss-crossed the concrete of the open courtyard.

Against the subdued hues of the 19th century buildings, the rotund pink installation and the exuberant clothes made a dynamic contrast, The collection included neon separates with sharp tailoring, some finished with fluidly-flowing fringes. The vivid colours were combined with a subtle range of streetwear that was more low-key and comfortably slouchy. 

French designers Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins love mixing up art, design and music into their shows

A long, fringed reversible jacket

and pants in vivid hues

The designers like to collaborate with artists from different backgrounds. The inflatable pyramid at the heart of the catwalk was part of their inspiration for the collection. Cyril Lancelin wanted to highlight the name of the collection, Mirage. The artist also uses recycled materials which works with the ethos of Feldman and Berzins. 

The prints by Edward Crutchley have a Surrealist look and add to the artistic motifs of the collection, The designers wanted the sand, khaki and greige colors to suggest the calm of a desert which would then be enlivened by the clothes' fluorescent colours and the frenetic rhythm of Lewis Ofman's live performance. 

The collection was inspired by the optical phenomenon where light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects, in fact, a mirage. Like the last two seasons, the collection is 100% reversible. And the designers wanted to make the collection all embracing, with short skirts for men and voluminous suits for women.

Highlights included the fringed, reversible jackets in brilliant hues like butter-yellow and burnt-orange, along with sporty miniskirts with zip fastenings and well-cut shirts with black on one side and a bright colour on the other. The shirtdresses were embellished with appliqué and looked easy to wear as well as having a loose and unique graphic style. 

Some of the well-designed leather cross-body bags were finished with pastel hues like a night sky, one colour merging with another, look particularly appealing. They should be best-sellers. The roomy trench coats in grey and beige have open shoulders, allowing them to also be worn sleeveless. Some of the suits were overlaid with tulle on the reverse, giving the utilitarian outfits a softer look. 

Like the last two seasons, the collection is 100% reversible. Customers get more wear out of their clothes and buy less of them 

Open shoulders, reversible colours

and long zips allow the wearer

to create different looks from

one outfit 

When Feldman and Berzins were developing their new reversible concept, they called it binôme, meaning in pairs. They also wanted all of their creations to be made in their atelier in Paris or at least in France. 

Berzins was initially concerned that there would a good side and another that wasn't so "cool". To get around this, they created one that was more pragmatic for day wear while the other would more glamorous for the evening. 

The French ready-to-wear brand was originally founded by Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins in 2012. They first met at fashion school in Paris. Berzins then went on to New York to work for Alexander Wang before coming back to France to launch Victoria/Tomas. This was only four years after they graduated from college.

Their aim was to create wearable separates for urban, city-dwelling people that need pieces that are both functional and have a sense of uniqueness and whimsy. While Berzins is inspired by the skater world and hip-hop, Feldman loves art and avant-garde fashion.  

The designers' collections are meant to evoke an art sensibility with dynamic forms and brilliant dashes of luminous colour. This venture with reversible designs is taking the label in another innovative direction, allowing their customers to get more wear out of their clothes and buy less of them. 

Milan Fashion Week: Highlights from the Etro Spring/Summer 2022 Collection

Milan Fashion Week: Highlights of the Fendi Spring/Summer 2022 Collection

London Exhibition Preview: Hogarth and Europe at Tate Britain

William Hogarth's Miss Mary Edwards (1742), a painting not seen in the UK for over a century and a feature of the new exhibition. It depicts the eccentric, wealthy patron who commissioned many of the artist's best-known works. The Frick Collection, New York. Photo: Joe Coscia Jr.

Few artists have defined an era as much as William Hogarth, whose vivid, satirical depictions of 18th century England still capture the imagination. In London, Tate Britain’s major new exhibition Hogarth and Europe, will present his work in a fresh light, seen for the first time alongside works by his continental contemporaries. It will explore the parallels and exchanges that crossed borders and the cosmopolitan character of Hogarth’s art, reports Antonio Visconti

Self-portrait by William Hogarth

The Painter and his Pug, (1745). Tate

EUROPEAN society and culture changed dramatically in the mid-18th century. This was an age of opportunity and change, enlightenment and innovation, but also materialism, exploitation and injustice. In an affluent, cosmopolitan Europe, the seeds of modern empire, revolution and global war were being sown.

In Britain, William Hogarth (1697-1764) became famous for paintings and prints that captured the new modern experience with energy, wit and humanity. But he was not alone. Across Europe, artists were creating vivid images of contemporary life and social commentary. The rich and the poor, the immoral and self-deluding, the selfish and the selfless, were made characters in pictorial stories that caught people’s imaginations and took art in novel directions.

For the first time, this exhibition ~ which opens in November ~ will bring together Hogarth’s greatest works with those of his peers across the continent. The artist's best-known paintings and prints, such as Marriage A-la-Mode (1743), The Gate of Calais (1748) and Gin Lane (1751), will be shown alongside works by famed European artists, including Jean-Siméon Chardin in Paris, Pietro Longhi in Venice, and Cornelis Troost in Amsterdam. Together they reveal how changes in society took art in new directions, both in Britain and abroad, showing the cross currents, parallels and sympathies that crossed borders. 

William Hogarth captured the new modern experience with energy, wit and humanity

Marriage A-la-Mode: 2, The Tête à Tête,

(1743-45) by William Hogarth 

© The National Gallery, London

Featuring more than 60 of Hogarth’s works, brought together from private and public collections in Europe and North America, the exhibition will draw on decades of research to show Hogarth in all his complexity: whether as staunch patriot or sharp critic, bawdy satirist or canny businessman. It will also examine the shifting status of artists in the 18th century, from workshop artisans and court painters to independent freelancers enjoying prominence alongside actors, musicians and writers. 

The rapid expansion of urban centres like London, Paris, Amsterdam and Venice also saw the city itself become a major subject in art for the first time. The exhibition juxtaposes these metropolitan scenes from across Europe, showing the bustling London streets of Hogarth’s Southwark Fair (1733) and The March of the Guards to Finchley (1749-50) together with vibrant depictions of Étienne Jeaurat’s Paris and Longhi’s Venice. 

The show features more than 60 of Hogarth’s works, brought together from private and public collections in Europe and North America

Gin Lane (1751) by William Hogarth.

Andrew Edmunds

This was an age of opportunity and innovation, but also materialism, self-delusion, exploitation and injustice. In Europe, new heights of luxury emerged with extreme poverty, while growing cities saw overcrowding and disease. The rising demand for consumer goods at home came at the expense of the labour and lives of enslaved and colonised people overseas. 

Against the backdrop of this changing world, artists like Hogarth pioneered a new painting of modern life, revealing its pleasures and dynamism but also its dangers and stark inequalities. In the 1730s he began his ‘modern moral series’: frank and engaging narratives charting the rise and fall of everyday characters corrupted by immorality and vice. 

Hogarth and Europe showcases these celebrated series, including A Rake’s Progress (1734), which were immediately popular and widely circulated through print. They will be seen alongside paintings by the Italian Giuseppe Crespi, including The Flea (1707-09), and the Parisian Nicolas Lancret, to show how this new artistic genre of urban storytelling developed across Europe. 

 

Hogarth pioneered a new way painting of modern life, revealing its pleasures and dynamism but also its dangers and stark inequalities

The Heads of Six of Hogarth's Servants
(c.1750-55). Tate

The 18th century also saw greater informality and ease in portraiture, expressing the new ideas emerging around individuality and personal freedom that remain familiar today. 

The exhibition will culminate in a room focussing on such pictures, including Miss Mary Edwards (1742), a painting not seen in the UK for over a century. It depicts the eccentric, wealthy patron who commissioned many of Hogarth’s best-known works (see main picture above). 

Additional highlights will include paintings of his sisters Mary and Anne Hogarth, as well as Heads of Six of Hogarth's Servants (c.1750-55). Through juxtapositions with European artworks, the exhibition will look afresh at these and many other works showing Hogarth’s position on the international stage.

Hogarth and Europe opens at London's Tate Britain on November 3rd, 2021 and runs until March 20th, 2022. 

Photo Essay: A Look Back Behind the Scenes at the Cannes Film Festival

Sharon Stone hosted the amfAR gala in Cannes and wore, for her first outfit, a lavender tulle, beaded and feathered Dolce & Gabbana gown. She is pictured arriving at the Villa Eilenroc at Cap d'Antibes with her son Roan. Cover and main picture copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

Our special correspondent in France, Elli Ioannou looks back at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, the first after a hiatus last year, due to the pandemic. She captures life behind the scenes in the Côte d'Azur town, at the Art Nouveau Villa Aloha, the fashion show at Villa Forbes and the stars gathering at the 27th amfAR gala, including Sharon Stone, Regina King, Orlando Bloom and Spike Lee

TWELVE months ago, the Cannes Film Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19. This year, in it's 74th season, it was also completely different. There were screenings, parties, premieres and photocalls, yet all on a reduced scale, and attendees had to get tested for Covid-19 every 48 hours. Famous faces were often covered in masks. Although the atmosphere of joie de vivre made it hard for many to stop themselves from embracing friends and colleagues they had not seen for months. 

While the festival was a smaller event, there were still crowds lining up to see their favourite actors along Cannes' palm-lined Boulevard de la Croisette. Locals went about their business but were caught up in the festival's exuberant events. Even the French police looked glamorous in their uniforms and ties with some on horseback as they rode through the town.

During the Cannes Film Festival's traditional closing ceremony, the amfAR gala, founded by Elizabeth Taylor in 1985, was held at the Belle Epoque Villa Eilenroc in Cap d'Antibes.The American Foundation for Aids Research brought together many celebrities to raise funds. President of the event, Sharon Stone, arrived on the arm of her son, 21-year-old Roan. Although the usual 900 guests were cut down to 400, there was still the gala dinner, fashion show and signature auction.

Orlando Bloom was present at the reception along with Sean Penn's daughter, Dylan Penn, actress Nina Dobrev, French model Cindy Bruna, comedians Nicolas Maury (Ten percent) and Lucas Bravo (Emily in Paris) Spike Lee and actress Lyna Khoudri, from the cast of Wes Anderson's film, The French Dispatch, which had a seven-minute standing ovation. ~ Jeanne-Marie Cilento

Scroll down for pictures and captions or tap for full-screen slide show 

Lit up in pink and orange, the Belle Epoque Villa Eilenroc at Cap d'Antibes, was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera, and was home to this year's amfAR gala. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Photographers getting ready before guests arrive at the Villa Eilenroc. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Actor Orlando Bloom wore a navy and black tuxedo with satin lapels. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Zita Vass twirls at the amfAR photocall while Julian Lennon looks on and Bella Thorne and Benjamin Mascolo pose for the cameras. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson on the red carpet for their film "The French Dispatch" that had a seven minute standing ovation in Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Spike Lee, this year's jury president was a special guest at the AmfAR event. Copyright Elli Ioanou for DAM Magazine

Regina King looked splendid in a Schiaparelli strapless couture gown with a bugle-beaded bodice and a voluminous black and white skirt. She wore winged Boucheron earrings to finish her striking ensemble. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Crowds gather along Boulevard de la Croisette waiting to see the stars arrive. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Morning meetings, Cannes style. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

Even amid the gelati-hued 19th century buildings in Cannes you can't miss the festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Julian Lennon looked relaxed in a floral tuxedo by Dolce & Gabbana. Copyright Ell Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

Girls wait in line in the summer sun to enter one of the film screenings during the festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Actor Lucas Bravo who plays the chef in the Netflix hit "Emily in Paris". Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Lyna Khoudri, Ellen von Unwerth and Sofia Resing are photographed at the amfAR event. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The Carlton Hotel was closed during the festival this year but is usually at the hub of the action and home to the stars. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Even the French police look chic during Cannes Film Festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Ash Foo wore a black Alberta Ferretti silk-chiffon dress with a cutout bodice and Swarovski crystal Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini bra. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Once inside the packed screenings, with only a few masks in sight, it was hard to know there was a pandemic on. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Jessica Wang in a spectacular Nicolas Jebran gown of black silk and white tulle. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Fireworks light up the night sky of Cannes during the film festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Model Sofia Resing wore a fluid, custom red Hugo Boss gown. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Mask and no mask on the way to screenings in Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Another hive of activity during the Cannes film Festival is the Hotel Martinez, seen here lit up in neon with the palm trees silhouetted against the building. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Going against the grain of long gowns, Marjan Jonkman wears a mini dress to the Cap d'Antibes gala. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The Palais des Festivals ready for the 74th edition to begin, with crowds outside trying to get tickets for film screenings. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Photographer Ellen Von Unwerth in her signature pant suit, this time in silvery sequins. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

People gather under the curving awning of the JW Marriott Cannes to escape the hot sun on the Boulevard de la Croisette. The festival was moved two months later from its usual May dates. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

"RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Miss Fame wears Jean Paul Gaultier Couture on the amfAR Gala 2021 red carpet. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magzine

French model Cindy Bruna wears a quirky Jean Paul Gaultier creation with a tuxedo with a billowing cream taffeta skirt below. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Chopard artistic director and co-president Caroline Scheufele attends the reception with her dog. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The Villa Forbes party had a spectacular view across gardens and fountains out to the bay. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Alicia Rowntree in a flowing, transparent gown at the amfAR event. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The handsome historic buildings that line Cannes' boulevards add to the enjoyment of being in the town for this summer edition of the film festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Lara Leito in brilliant red sequins, draped like a Grecian gown. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The stone path and red carpet leading to the historic Art Nouveau Villa Aloha in Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine  

 A guest in gold enjoys the summer, twilight breeze on the balcony of the Villa Aloha for the launch of the film "The Lady of Heaven." Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

A photocall at the Villa Aloha for the stars of the "The Lady of Heaven", an upcoming epic historical drama film directed by Eli King. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

At the reception for "The Lady of Heaven,"  the film bills itself as the first movie on the life of the historical figure, Fatima, during the era of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The Villa Aloha was built in 1905 by the architect Henri Stoecklin, who designed many buildings in Cannes and Le Cannet. The film party was held in the gardens amid the fragrant, flowering trees and plants. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine.

Oriane Strohhacker wears Miu Miu and the most striking necklace at the amfAR gala. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The stunning marble stairway leading down to the gardens and sea of the villa hosting the Forbes party and lingerie show. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Canadian actress Nina Dobrev wears Monot with a plunging decolletage. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magzine

Stylish attendees of the Cannes Film Festival wore eye-catching outfits. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

A coffee pitstop at the Chiara Ferragni Nespresso outpost. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Sean Penn's daughter Dylan wore pale-pink Chanel with a simple, unembellished design by Virginie Viard. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The red carpet at the Palais des Festivals, waiting for the next premiere. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Dasha Yanina wearing her own creation, a gown created from a cascade of fuchsia ruffles. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Livy Lingerie Show designed by Lisa Chavy at the Villa Forbes during the film festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine. 

Maike Inga in a beautifully-fitted evening dress in subtle hues by Aadnevik. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Faretta wearing a diaphanous mauve Alberta Feretti gown. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

As night falls on a summer evening in Cannes, screenings can be watched under the stars on the beach. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Where else can you wear bright-red ruffles and a thigh-high split except at a gala in Cannes? Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The new $2.3 million aerodynamic Delage D12 Hypercar was on display at Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Barbara Valente in a strappy yellow and orange Bottega Veneta gown. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The gelati colours of the Belle Epoque buildings and the police on fine steeds made Cannes look like a movie set itself. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magaine

French singer, rapper and artist Lous and the Yakuza in a dramatic black, cut-out gown. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Exuberant clothes and a sense of joie di vivre signatures of this year's festival in Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

One of the glamourous guests in a shimmering gown at the amfAR gala. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The Majestic Barriere in Cannes where many of the receptions and events are held during the festival Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Lyna Khoudri wearing Chanel, a layered, voluminous crepe and black feather dress worn with  a black sequin, crop jacket is with Ellen Von Unwerth in a silvered, sequined tuxedo. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

Belle Epoque architecture, contemporary steel stairs and a palm tree capture the dichotomies and pleasures of Cannes. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Sofia Steinberg wore a black lace dress over a satin body suit at Cannes most glamorous event. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The romantic Riviera architecture of Cannes is part of the charm of the festival being held in the seaside town. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine 

The luxurious interior of the villa for the Forbes party with marble stairs, ornate balustrades, crystal chandelier and ceilings frescoed with clouds. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Masks were mandatory as were Covid tests every 48 hours for those who attended the screenings and events during the Cannes Film Festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Local parents and children enjoy the celebratory atmosphere at Cannes, after last year's cancellation due to Covid-19. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Despite the Covid restrictions and testing every 48 hours, crowds were still out and about during the film festival, pictured here at the Hotel Martinez. Copyright Ell Ioannou for DAM Magzine

The actors from the new Suprêmes biopic in Cannes, including Theo Christine (middle) who played Joey Starr and Sandor Funtek (right) who took on the Kool Shen role. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova in black and pink-sequined Armani Prive. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Going up the red carpeted steps of the Villa Forbes event and runway show for Livy lingerie. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

The lavish fountain on the terrace of the villa overlooking the bay at Cannes that hosted the Forbes party and fashion show. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Jessica Wang changed into Tony Ward couture, a lilac-lace mini dress with a playful side, ruffle cape, for her her second outing in front of the cameras. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

American actor Jay Ellis wears a navy tuxedo to the gala on the penultimate evening of the Cannes Film Festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine

Sharon Stone enjoyed her first outfit for the evening of the gala, as a long term chair of amfAR she was an enthusiastic host for the event that is a highlight of the Cannes Film Festival. Copyright Elli Ioannou for DAM Magazine