By Holly Meehan
With the flurry of the festive season over, we're gearing up for another year of runway shows, celebrity collaborations and exclusive exhibitions that looks set to be even bigger than the last. We round up the fashion dates for your diary this year.
2014 promises at least two unmissable exhibitions in Paris, four in London and the annual fashion extravaganza of the Costume Institute exhibition in New York, complete with all the glamour of its opening night, the MET ball. On top of that, this year's Fashion Weeks will see a wave of new designer faces present their first collections at the helm of some of the most established and best-loved brands, to keep you on your toes through the shows. But if all of that sounds too much like hard work, there'll be plenty of opportunity to relax with some retail therapy, thanks to upcoming designer collaborations from the likes of Kate Moss, Isabel Marant and Proenza Schouler or even to enjoy a trip to the cinema to celebrate not just one, but two Yves Saint Laurent biopics that will be gracing the silver screen this year. So sit back, and let Vogue.fr guide you through the landmark fashion events 2014 holds in store.
2014: The Vogue Paris Guide
In Paris(01 of08)
This year sees two unmissable fashion retrospectives opening their doors in Paris, both on March 1. The first celebrates the work of Dutch designer Dries Van Noten, one of the Antwerp Six, a group of designers who all graduated from the Antwerp Royal Acadamy of Fine Art in the same year, and went on to change the face of fashion. Since the release of his first womenswear collection in 1987, Dries van Noten has become the stuff of style legend, reinventing classic cuts with refined fabrics and unusual prints. The exhibition of his work at Paris' Musée des Arts, will showcase his creations alongside pieces from the museum's permanent collections representing the art and history that inspired the designer. The second exhibition, Papier Glacé, brings together 100 years of work from over 80 fashion photographers from the Condé Nast archives from 1918 to the present day in the recently re-opened Palais Galliera fashion museum. Featuring some of the biggest names in photography and most famous faces in modeling, the 150 works are a must-see for any fashion lover in France's capital.Photo: Inez & Vinoodh, Vogue France, October 2002 © Courtesy Inez & Vinoodh and Gagosian Gallery
In London(02 of08)
Just a short train ride from Paris, London is set to be a hotbed of fashion exhibitions this year. At the forefront, The Victoria & Albert museum is holding not just one, but two impressive retrospectives. The first, opening on April 5, traces the development of Italian style, and its impact on the fashion world from the end of the second world war to the present day, featuring works from celebrated Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Missoni and Versace. The second looks back over two centuries of wedding dresses, examining each and every aspect of the all-important dress, with over 80 gowns, archive images, sketches, accessories and anecdotes all set to go on display from May 3. Elsewhere in the capital, the works of British photographer David Bailey will be celebrated in an exhibition titled Bailey's Stardust at the National Portrait Gallery from February 6, which will showcase over 250 of his intensely atmospheric black and white photographs, while in April, travelling retrospectiveJean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk will land at the Barbican, celebrating the enfant terrible of French fashion in an installation of over 140 pieces and never-before-seen material. If all of that's not an excuse for a weekend break, we don't know what is.
In New York(03 of08)
Thanks to the work of Diana Vreeland, the Costume Institute's annual exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum has become the annual climax of the fashion calendar. After paying tribute to the punk movement last year with Punk: Chaos to Couture, this year it's America's first fashion designer, Charles James, who's stepping into the limelight. Showcasing 100 of the designer's most iconic pieces, the exhibition will be divided into two sections presented in the recently refurbished Costume Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As if that wasn't enough, the whole thing will be polished off with the opening gala, as much a tradition as the exhibition itself. The MET ball will see a whole host of famous faces celebrating fashion in what's sure to be one of the most stylish red carpet events of the year.James Ball Gowns 1948. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, Beaton / Vogue / Condé Nast Archive. Copyright © Condé Nast
Fresh designer faces(04 of08)
2013 saw some serious designer reshuffles for some of the biggest names in fashion, from Louis Vuitton to Loewe. With the new creative directors unpacking their bags and settling into their new offices, it's time to barter for front row seats, ready to watch their first steps on the runway. We've made our own list of this year's unmissable first collections, starting with Marco Zanini for Schiaparelli at Paris' Haute Couture Week in January, followed by the new wave at Autumn/Winter Fashion Week this spring: Jeremy Scott at Moschino in Milan, then Alessandro Dell'Aqua for Rochas and Nicolas Ghesquière's eagerly awaited collection for Louis Vuitton, both in Paris. June will see David Koma take the reins at Thierry Mugler's Haute Couture show also in Paris, and we're still waiting with baited breath for the release dates of Jonathan Anderson's first collection for Loewe and Anthony Vaccarello's capsule collection for Versus Versace...
Yves Saint Laurent at the cinema(05 of08)
Directors Jalil Lespert and Bertrand Bonnello are both offering their own interpretations of French designer Yves Saint Laurent this year. The first, Yves Saint Laurent, was approved by Pierre Bergé himself, and sees Pierre Niney of the Comédie Française starring as the designer, with Guillame Gallienne depicting Pierre Bergé alongside Charlotte Le Bon, Laura Smet and Marie de Villepin. Directed by Jalil Lespert and focusing on the designer's budding career from his appointment at Dior in 1957 to the famous Opéra-Ballets Russes collection in 1976, the film hit cinemas on January 8. Still to come, Bertrand Bonnello's Saint Laurent will be released on May 14, starring Gaspard Ulliel, Jérémie Renier, Léa Seydoux and Willem Dafoe in an interpretation of the designer's personal and professional life between 1965 and 1976.
Designer collaborations: Capsule collections(06 of08)
On the cards for 2014: three fashion icons releasing collaborative capsule collections, and they're all at the top of our wishlist. First of all, on February 1, Isabel Marant and Oliver Peoples will be releasing a collaborative collection of sunglasses in Isabel Marant's signature, romantic, rock and roll style. Next up, New York design duo Proenza Schouler will be touching down in Paris, bringing an exclusive exhibition of 50 of its most important pieces and a film tracing the brand's development to Bon Marché on the Rive Gauche, where it will be taking over the window displays as well as offering up a new capsule collection designed exclusively for the collaboration. To top it all off, this April Kate Moss will be cementing her place as queen of the British fashion industry with the release her latest collection for British brand Topshop. Three and a half years since the phenomenal success of her last collection, Kate has returned to the design scene to bring us a new selection of style treats for Spring/Summer 2014.
Designer Collaborations: Jewelry(07 of08)
There are plenty of glittering treats in store for the magpies among you, as photographer-come-jewelry designer Laura Melchoir teams up with Swedish brand & Other Stories for a classic jewelry collection inspired by chains, honeycomb, marble and ginko (a japanese tree). The collection is predominantly silver and gold, with a dusting of semi-precious stones, and will be available in & Other Stories stores and online from mid-February. Also coming up this year, Polish model and Vogue Paris girl Magdalena Frackowiak has announced she will be trying her hand as a jewelry designer, sharing a sneak preview of her upcoming work with her Instagram followers.
Designer Collaborations: Shoes(08 of08)
To the delight of trainer fans everywhere, sportswear giant Adidas announced a re-release of their legendary Stan Smith sneakers last May. Amongst the first sports shoes ever to be worn off the tennis courts and on the streets, Stan Smiths attracted a cult following and are being brought back to the brand's shelves following public outcry when they were discontinued in 2012. In other shoe news, British designer Sophia Webster's first collection for J. Crew - which had audiences in raptures at Spring/Summer 2014 Fashion Week - will be released on sale this year. The designer's capsule collection features 12 pairs of feminine designs making use of prints, crystals and Aztec inspired motifs. A summer treat for your feet.