Fashion and books galore at Paris '99!!

Dear Paris '99ers!
How do you be? It truly is the pointy end of the year isn't it, so much going on, so many parties, so many events, so many dresses to find, buy, wear and cherish!
As you know, over the years I have amassed a rather massive, haha, collection of fashion books, magazines, lookbooks, dvds, cut outs etc etc etc, most of which are stored in my family's trusty shed due to lack of space at the salon.
Well, I thought it high time to add volumes to the collection!
Amazon, the bain of book shops world wide, but truly the best source for picking up incredible books at minuscule prices (free plug, I don't do sponsored posts haha). After only about an hour on this glorious website I was rubbing my hands with glee, and impatiently waiting for my shipment of 18, yes its true, 18 fabulous fashion books both new and old.
Now before you say, what about Book Depository?? Well, an insider friend of mine informed me that this hyped UK site is actually owned by none other than, Amazon! So for all their free postage, the prices are slightly pumped up to compensate. It's true, check it out for yourselves.
Anyway, a few weeks down the track, and here they are, my new books!

Due to copyright and reproduction laws, and of course out of my respect to the authors, photographers and publishers involved, there is no way I could show you every glorious image from every one of these books. To do that you must come and visit and lose yourselves in book land, and clothes land too.
Many of the items pictured have come and gone through Paris's heavy glass door, some with me realising only later (oo I had that, amazing!).
The images here are taken from, in somewhat of an order;
'Love looks not with the eyes' Lee Alexander McQueen, by photographer Anne Deniau, who captured all the power and grace backstage at McQueen's shows over 13 years. Tiny moments and details glimpsed through the 15 minutes of madness.
'Story Teller' from Tim Walker, whose vision is as wild as it is grand. The production design, decoration and concept on all the shoots shown is just phenomenal. His work is funny, serious, historical, creepy, engrossing, theatrical, bold, isolated, fuzzy and spectacular all at the same time, both the fashion and celebrity images. Tilda Swinton, Alber Elbaz, Alexander McQueen, Polly Mellen, Rene Redzepi, Helena Bonham Carter and many more get the Walker treatment.
'Private View' the latest 'best of' by Mario Testino who needs no introduction. Shoots from a plethora of magazines appear, of models and celebrities, both posed and spontaneous, and the list reads like a who's who of the greatest calibre. Gwynth Paltrow, Josh Hartnett, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, the Beckhams, Kate Moss, Madonna, Keira Nightly, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Aniston, Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld,  all fashion and culture royalty. And though I haven't pictured any, a whole section is dedicated to portraits of all members of the Royal Family, Diana, Charles, Camilla, Harry, William and Kate. Of course don't discount him merely as a celebrity photographer, Testino has captured some of fashion's most iconic images, bold, sexual, modern, perverse. Gemma Ward as a Stepford wife cutting off her eyelashes and many images taken while Tom Ford reigned at Gucci, including the 'Pubic G' from the Spring 2003 campaign. Divine.

'Nick Knight' simply titled, by Nick Knight features my favourite fashion image of all time. Devon Aoki, one of the greatest models (big call I know), but also known for her roles in Fast and the Furious (one of them...) and as Miho in Sin City, in which she never spoke but ruled the screen, is seen with a 'glass' eye lens, a safety pin and floral pin through her forehead and in one of the brocade high necked dresses from McQueen's Spring 1997 collection. Her boring stare get me time, and by boring I mean she bores into you and doesn't let go! Also featured are many of Night's shots from the Christian Dior campaigns from the late 1990s into 2005, many featuring Gisele Bundchen of course.

Enjoy this visual feast, each photographer with a distinct and wholly different eye, and all working at the same time and often shooting the same garments with a completely different take.

Oh, and keep a lookout on Instagram and Facebook for more snaps from more of my new books, hooray!

till next time,
Yahav

Spring Summer 2013 Top 10 Collections!

Hello dear '99ers!
Tis been a while, and I promised I would reveal my top 10 of the Spring 2013 collections that we have just seen, et voila, here they are! And yes, you'll notice there are 12, I just couldn't pick!
After looking at almost every collection shown, narrowing down one by one as to who captured the season best, whose collection looked covet-able and actually who just put the biggest smile on my face as I was clicking from look to look. In simple alphabetical, enjoy...:)


BOTTEGA VENETA

ZERO + MARIA CORNEJO

CHRISTIAN DIOR

DRIES VAN NOTEN

HAIDER ACKERMANN

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ

PETER PILOTTO

PROENZA SCHOULER

RICK OWENS

THREEASFOUR

VALENTINO

JUNYA WATANABE

Have yourselves a fabulous entree to either summer or winter, wherever you may be reading! xx

Website down, all to be fixed soon!

Dear '99ers,

The website is down, no drama, please contact me via here, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email and of course phone! All will be fixed ASAP of course.
Hope all is well with alllllllll of you indeed :)
xx
Yahav

Paris '99, busy busy busy!!!!

Hello dear '99ers

Hope you have been enjoying yourselves muchly as winter slowly slowly gives way to spring and we all pull out fabulously coloured sartorial goodies from our wardrobes ready for racing, parties, and not too far away Christmas, Hannukah, all other faith festivals, New Year's Eve and beyond!
I've been a rather busy man myself up to this point and it only gets busier, which is just great!
Melbourne Spring Fashion Week was a blur, I had a fabulous Thai dinner with some fabulous girls followed by Ready to Wear 1, showcasing Gwendolynne, Scanlan and Theodore, Lui Hon, Michaelo Lo Sordo, Aurelio Costarella, Ellery, Toni Maticevski and more. Enjoy my shot of the finale, not bad for the back row of the balcony haha!

As part of the festival my friend Sally and I saw 'The Fashion Pack' series at ACMI's fashion film program Deep in Vogue. It was spectacular, detailing the rise and (both rise and fall) of the fashion world's 1980's Parisian upstarts Jean Paul Gaultier, Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaia. Being as obsessed with fashion as you all know I am I thought I had seen it all, but no! There was amazing footage of early shows, interviews with the designer both back then and 'today', the way things changed for better or worse, it was just fascinating!
The next installment, 'Antifashion' of course detailed what was going on parallel to this power shoulder movement; the Japanese in the 1980's and the Belgians in the 1990's, both schools still going strong of course. Prior to that we had a fabulous catch up and Italian dinner.
Then, super exciting, Paris '99 was profiled for the Jewish News, a full page article!
Zelda Cawthorne, founding editor of Poster Magazine, and Fashion editor for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, called me and we organised a time to meet. Little did we know the interview would turn into 2.5 hours of chatting one day, and a further 2.5 hours of chatting the next! I could not be more happy with the piece, and in full size you should be able to read it too, thank you Zelda indeed!

In very exciting news you may have just got your hands onto a copy of Fashionista's Guide To Shopping In Melbourne, written by the beautiful Emily Power who came to visit me in Elwood at the start of a long and intense journey which finished a couple of weeks back when the book came out. It is the perfect companion for shopping in Melbourne (duh..), but really all you need to do is come to Paris '99, do mind the plug haha!
Here is the page from that, and it is a must visit! Thank you Emily indeed!

And as part of the launch for the book at the Olsen Hotel in South Yarra tomorrow, I was invited to participate in the showcase fashion show too, so flattering. Of course being the perfectionist, sort of, that I am, I slaved away for hours putting together the perfect look, such a process; omg, not the right silhouette, the colours aren't working, too heavy, too light, too dark, too sheer, omg! But in the end it is done, and I'm so happy with it; its summery, yet with a few tweaks would be perfect for winter. It doesn't slavishly bow to the colour trend, but is totally colourful etc etc. I won't give too much away, but I can show you the look that came, say, third in my experiments, Menichetti tied jacket, Valentino frill top and pleated Kenzo skirt, see what you think! Can't wait for the launch, should be a fantastic evening indeed!

Coming up on Friday is the fabulous Spring Fashion Lunch, where I have been asked to be part of the panel discussing spring trends and fashion in general, something which I think I'm pretty good at, and certainly love! Have to plan my outfit for that too, hahaha, such dilemmas, this jacket or that, to fur or not to fur???

Finally dear '99ers, the next post will actually be from Sydney! Yes, Paris '99 is going to Sydney for a series of private events, the mini salon experience. I will of course be driving in my van up the Hume Highway, perhaps I need to paint the van gold or something, for fashion's sake. Hmmm, I don't think the rental company would understand nor appreciate this happening. But of course it's all totally exciting and I can't wait to report!
Till then, adieu, and keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, this a gram, that a gram, or for the best fun, come and say hello and enjoy a drink or two, or three, call a cab I say! xxx