The fashion month

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Now sheer is just sheer bad taste

MAY WAS the month where one minor TV celebrity finally killed off a major fashion trend. Emma Noble, ex-TV hostess and fiancee of the ex-PM's son, James Major, has made transparency an ex-look.

Noble swept the board at the BAFTAs when she turned up to the awards wearing a sheer Julien MacDonald dress, a G-string and a smile. Even Patsy Palmer (complete with tattoo) and Daniela Nardini (compete with BAFTA) couldn't compete. The press went bonkers. "Emma's in the Buff-tas", declared the Sun, while the Star commented on "Emma's Golden Globes". "BAFTA dress on general release," quipped the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian talked about "flashing the flesh."

The column inches on Noble's dress were so vast, they could have been fashioned into a more modest ensemble. The Sun, not known for its insight, spearheaded the debate with a four-page pull-out, "Fashion or Trashion". "The pounds 2,500 frock," it opined, "borrowed from Welsh designer Julien MacDonald, follows the latest trend of flashing as much flesh as possible."

Experts offered their opinions in the tabloid. Nigel Ambrose, editor of Maxim, said there was nothing wrong with Noble's flashing look, while Lowri Turner was inclined to disagree. "On the fashion show runway," she said, "outfits like these are par for the course. Remove them from this artificial atmosphere, however, and what was a bit risque is in danger of looking downright tarty."

A week earlier, Liz Hurley had flashed her pants at Henry Dent-Brocklehurst's wedding when she wore a slit so high on her Versace dress that it got vertigo. Choosing who borrows your frocks is almost as tricky as designing them, and Julien Macdonald might not have chosen wisely. Hurley made result dressing so classy she could be the subject of The South Bank Show, whereas Noble could only be a prize on Sale of the Century.

The dress Noble wore is from Macdonald's Autumn/Winter couture collection, and come the Autumn will be in the shops, complete with an under-slip, for a princely pounds 3,000. It's unquestionably a beautiful dress, but will anyone want to buy it? The sight of a one-time topless model in a see- through frock will have fashion aficionados running for everything opaque. Mimi Spencer has already jumped ahead of the pack by declaring "leave those see-through dresses at home..." in the Evening Standard.

"The sheer look has coincided with this mania for 15 minutes of celebrity," says Lisa Armstrong, fashion features director of Vogue. "In the old days you had to have done something, now all you have to do is flash your breasts.

"I think it was always a bit naff to wear sheer like this," she continues. "The fashion idea of sheer, the idea we had, was that all these clothes came with under-garments, that made you look like you were wearing less that you were. They were clever at concealing and revealing."

Perhaps as a justification, Julien MacDonald released a press statement on his new-found fan. "Emma is the perfect muse for my clothes," he says. "I love women who are in touch with their femininity. I think that if a woman has a fantastic body, why not be proud of it and show it off".

There were fantastic bodies at the Vogue party, which was held on the same night as the BAFTAs. Pretty pink frocks were the order of the day, and Stella McCartney's style, if not her presence, pervaded the night. "A Vogue party is a better indicator of the future shape of fashion than reading the magazine itself," said Mimi Spencer in the Standard. "Splashy floral prints are evidently the hot thing for glossy summer evenings, closely followed by anything beaded and every thing pink..." Well not everything pink. There was not a nipple in sight.

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THERE WAS a time, during Euro 96, when the chant of "Terry Venables' Indigo Army" was enough to send any fashion victim screaming to the Mezzo Bar. Now we're more likely to hear "Glen Hoddle's Indigo Style Squad" chanted by fashion and football aficionados alike. Why? Because the two worlds of fashion and football, once like chalk and cheese, have fallen in love. Posh Spice and Dave Beckham, Louise Nurding and Jamie Redknapp, Chris Evans and Paul Gasgoigne are the pairings of the moment. At last, head-to-toe Gucci and kebabs are one big style statement.

To consummate the romance, Paul Smith, a homegrown designer with his eye on fashion's stopwatch, was enlisted to design the England World Cup squad's suits. Apparently, Smith was assisted in this honourable task by Glen Hoddle, who helped him come up with the two-piece, single-breasted classic summer suits in light colours.

Meanwhile in Paris, the French were not to be outdone. Home-grown label Daniel Hechter is set to design the French team's suits, while Yves Saint Laurent is doing everything else. At the request of "Michel Platini, co- president of the French organising committee,." notes the Times, "the veteran couturier is dressing 3,500 World Cup participants." And just to prove the point, 300 of the "world"s most beautiful women" will parade around the Strade de France before the final kick-off on July 12. At this rate we'll see Des Lynam in Dior.

But fashion and football were never such bedfellows. The FA Cup Final in which Arsenal triumphed against Newcastle earlier this month was dogged with controversy even before the whistle blew. Both sides wore pre-match suits by (dare we say it) German menswear label, Hugo Boss. David Seaman and Arsenal defender Steve Bould appeared in press shots back-to-back in Boss, sporting designer sunglasses, looking for all the world like The Blues Brothers who had wandered onto a Miami Vice set.

While the Evening Standard was rather enthusiastic ("A Hugo Boss suit costs pounds 399 compared with approaching pounds 1000 for a Ralph Lauren equivalent"), the Independent was slightly more indignant. It suggested that Arsenal should look closer to home and that Katharine Hamnett would be a better choice. "She could do a great line in Reservoir Dogs-style slim-line two- pieces for the boys..." mused Tamsin Blanchard.

Meanwhile, Julia Robson in the Daily Telegraph and Melanie Rickey in the Independent decided it was time to set the sartorial goal-posts. Robson reckoned that Bernstock Spiers airtex clothing was cool, while bobble hats were not; Rickey, meanwhile, opted for the limited-edition Monogram football (at pounds 290) which "is probably the chic-est thing to be seen kicking around this summer." Alan Shearer, take note.

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A Month of Exhibitionism: Juergen Teller opened his one-man show at the Photographers' Gallery in London while "The Warhol Look: Glamour, Fashion and Style" opened at the Barbican. Objects of desire by Comme des Garcons, Versace and Gaultier are shown, all heavily influenced by the peroxide one.

Million Dollar Babes: Claudia Schiffer was said to have been paid pounds 3 million for that daft Citroen Xsara advert. Schiffer is worth pounds 20.5 million, which makes her the third richest model in the world, according to Business Age. Elle MacPherson came out tops with pounds 23 million. Meanwhile, Clinton- snitch Monica Lewinsky was photographed by Vanity Fair in a little black dress because, according to her lawyer, "she's starting to get depressed". We're not surprised. Just look at the competition.

My Life, the Book: Liz Tilberis (above), the editor of Harper's Bazaar, brought out her autobiography. No Time To Die charts Tilberis's rise to fame and her fight against ovarian cancer. Not a little mischievous, it led the Guardian to comment, "those who recognise the characters that appear in the book will delight in the fact that they have all, in the nicest possible way, been rumbled."

Hide & Speak: The fur count might have been high on the Paris and Milan catwalks, but Stella McCartney (right) is following in her mother's footsteps. The Chloe designer provided the voice-over for a six-minute video attacking women who wear fur. The film, made by Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), was sent to movers and shakers in politics and fashion.

No Cannes Do: Talking of Stella, she was due to make an appearance at Cannes but got the chop at the last minute. While Kate swanned about with Johnny, Stella landed up on the cutting-room floor when a cameo part in the Francis Bacon biography Love Is The Devil fell to the editor's hand. "I felt so bad about it that I gave her a special credit at the end of the film," said director John Maybury.

Out of Africa: Waris Dirie, the African model and UN special ambassador, is to be the subject of a movie. Rocket Pictures, Elton John's film company, have bought the rights to her life story. Waris fled Somalia at 13 to escape marriage to a 60-year-old man and has since campaigned against female circumcision.

Who'll Reign At Ricci?: The troubled French fashion house, Nina Ricci, is looking for a young British blade to sharpen up its act. According to the Sunday Times, sales of Nina Ricci's haute couture have slumped, the company has noted the success of Galliano at Dior and McQueen at Givenchy, and are wooing Matthew Williamson and Antonio Berardi.

Movie Man: David Bailey is heading for the hills. The Hollywood hills, that is. The old snapper is trying to get his $15 million action adventure film made, called The Cull, and he's negotiating with Johnny Depp and Billy Connolly for the lead roles.

Dressed for Success: Vogue listed its 50 most stylish women, which included Patsy Kensit, Amanda Harlech, and Deborah Milner. Categories like Eclectic Chicks (Stella again) and Aggro Girls (included poshos no one's ever heard of), made it all a bit safe. Hence no Karen Elson (too red), Sophie Dahl (too fat) or Iris Palmer (too Oxfam).

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"I HAVE my own pricing system: if all the clothes are wired up with alarm bells I know I'm in an expensive area."

Posh Spice on shopping abroad, the Sunday Times

"I'm not obsessed by sex; I'm obsessed by photography."

Helmut Newton answering his prudish critics, Frank

"No wonder the Germans beat us at football. We're wearing their suits."

Designer Charlie Allen, on the Arsenal and Newcastle teams wearing Hugo Boss

"While it's had more publicity than most other garments on the high street, and looks great in photographs, if you try it on, frankly, it's a dog."

Sally Brampton on the Owen Gaster suit at Bhs, The Guardian

"She's average height, so in real life - or as real as her life gets - she looks like a proper person: a kind of uber-girl next door, rather than a gorgeous freak."

Lisa Armstrong on the charms of Kate Moss, Vogue

"Why do designers such as Alexander McQueen and Antonio Berardi persist in draping their muses in the sort of indiscreet chiffon that, while it may be suitable for prancing about in the desert, is hardly the sort of thing one can wear for dinner at The Oak Room?"

A reader gets cross with impractical fashion, Vogue

"Balenciaga took his inspiration form Velasquez, I take mine from Princess Leia's dress in Star Wars."

Nicolas Ghesquiere, the head designer at Balenciaga, the Independent

"The French may be chic, the Americans professional and polished, and the Italians glossy and glittery, but the Englishwoman's sartorial speciality is to render feminine the most hard-edged of looks... and to make individual the most obvious designer indulgence."

Vogue gets stylishly patriotic

Business News

YVES SAINT Laurent has chosen the Italian jockey Frankie Dettori as its new face in the UK. The company decided that Dettori was "elegant, good-looking and chic.". He has already appeared in YSL adverts in glossy magazines, but there are no plans to put him on the catwalk.

(Source: The Independent on Sunday)

Victory Corporation, Richard Branson's new fashion and beauty venture, has decided to keep labelling subtle on its forthcoming clothing ranges. Flashing the Virgin signature was deemed "inappropriate in a fashion environment". A bit like Branson's sweaters.

(Source: The Observer)

Tesco was issued with a writ by sportswear designer Tommy Hilfiger. He has accused the supermarket, which sells cut-price designer clothing, of stocking what appears to be fake windcheaters, jackets and chinos in 25 Tesco stores.

(Source: The Evening Standard)

who shot what

Hardy Perennials: Flowers are still with us. Embroidered roses in the Times; garden prints in The Guardian; Chanel's camelias in Marie Claire; roses in Harper's Bazaar and the Observer; flowery frocks in the Telegraph and all things floral in Elle. Fly spray, anyone?

Cover girls: Kate Moss (above) on Vogue and Harper's Bazaar; Eugenia Silva and the new brunettes on Frank; Naomi Campbell and Amber Valetta on Scene.

A Fine Romance: Frocks were floaty (Elle), gossamer-fine (Frank), wispy (the Sunday Times), winsome (Marie Claire), cobwebby (Times), fey (the Observer) and delicate (the Times Magazine).

Variations on a Theme: Fashion shoots got fancy with pirates and princesses in Elle; the Warhol Factory in Scene; sunday school best in the Times; mermaids in the Observer and Naomi Campbell's Cuba in Harper's Bazaar.

Profiles: Alek Wek in Elle and the Evening Standard; Carlo Ponti, Manolo Blahnik and Kate Moss in Vogue; Betsy Johnson in Scene; Yves Saint Laurent (below) in the Sunday Times; Stephen Jones and Owen Gaster in the Guardian and Deborah Milner in the Daily Telegraph.

Eastward Bound: Zen got stylish in Elle and Vogue and ES magazine looked to the Orient.

Shore Thing: Swimwear got bright in Elle; Liza Bruce picked out six of the best for Vogue; Frank went for cut-away swimsuits; safe bikinis with sarongs in the Times, flowered-up costumes in the Daily Telegraph; Woodstock bikinis in Marie Claire and no-nonsense beach wear in Harper's Bazaar.

Residential Flair: Paul Smith's new house-come-shop in swanky Notting Hill got an emphatic thumbs-up all round. "I wanted this to be a statement about individuality," said Smith (below) in the Standard (perhaps Prada will now customise a two-up, two-down in Surbiton as a post-modernist, ironic statement).