Mika narrated "CHANGE" Viktor&Rolf Haute Couture, A/W 2020

[Kumazzz]

Viktor&Rolf Haute Couture, Autumn/Winter 2020: three wardrobes for three mindsets in
extraordinary times of change. Viktor&Rolf subvert the traditional catwalk by showcasing this collection in a special haute couture presentation.

 

The film is directed by Marijke Aerden, narrated by MIKA and shot on location in the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam. The 'Change' animation is realised by Studio Maan Bijster. Concept and text by Viktor&Rolf.

 

VIMEO

YouTube

 

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Kumazzz
adding a video link

[Kumazzz]

Thanks a lot for posting.

 

Repubblica.

4 hours ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

 

Mika as a narrator for Victor&Rolf collection of Haute Couture 2020-2021.

 

https://d.repubblica.it/moda/2020/07/08/news/digital_fashion_week_haute_couture_viktor_rolf-4756627/amp/?timestamp=1594218105000&__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3Hz6NzQ0yqPfTNUoE-TV3VoAhvvJ6865GY3JCAaPyX5DehRApYzkrYljk

 

I am not able to download just the video from this website  @Kumazzz  Help!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTAGRAM

4 hours ago, krysady said:

 

It's here:

 

 

4 hours ago, BiaIchihara said:

 

[Kumazzz]

I think you have already noticed that Mika has attended Viktor&Rolf collection in January.

 

On 1/23/2020 at 10:00 PM, Kumazzz said:

Viktor and Rolf Fashion Show in Paris

 

 

 

On 1/24/2020 at 6:29 AM, Kumazzz said:

FASHION NETWORK

 

Viktor & Rolf : Défilé Haute Couture Printemps/ Eté 2020 à Paris (avec interview)

https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/videos/video/22156,Viktor-rolf-defile-haute-couture-printemps-ete-2020-a-paris-.html

 

 

 

MP4 ( 32.4 MB )

 

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

mikainstagram IG stories on 22 January 2020

 

On 1/23/2020 at 2:09 AM, Kumazzz said:

INSTAGRAM

 

Mika IG story

 

GETTING READY FOR PARIS HAUTE COUTURE

 

 

ON WAY TO @viktorandrolf

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

INSTAGRAM

viktorandrolf posted Mika'photo on 30 January 2020

 

 

[Kumazzz]

d.repubblica.it

 

  Viktor&Rolf, Mika racconta i loro abiti "umorali"

 

È il cantante inglese la voce narrante che accompagna la collezione del duo olandese, dedicata agli stati d'animo attraversati in questi ultimi mesi

• di SERENA TIBALDI
• 08 Luglio, 2020

L'idea di non poter presentare una collezione di haute couture attraverso una classica passerella non è che, di per sé, abbia preoccupato più di tanto Viktor Horsting e Rolf Snoeren, meglio conosciuti come Viktor&Rolf. D'altronde loro sono stati i primi a organizzare uno show solo virtuale e aperto a tutti (correva l'anno 2008), o a ribaltare senza farsi troppi problemi la concezione di sfilata di moda (come quando, nel 2010, hanno vestito letteralmente in scena Kristen McMenamy).

 

La questione in questo caso sta nel "come" si sia arrivati a una sfilata digitale, vale a dire la quarantena da Covid-19 affrontata negli ultimi mesi. "È stato un periodo molto, molto particolare", spiegano loro oggi da Amsterdam. "In Olanda siamo stati fortunati, perché qui il lockdown non è stato totale come in Italia, ma certo gli effetti si sono sentiti sul morale, eccome". Non solo sul morale: è stata la loro stessa moda a esserne colpita. "Al momento di lavorare alla collezione ci siamo trovati nell'impossibilità di utilizzare i nostri soliti fornitori, sparsi tra Francia e Italia: era tutto chiuso, quindi non avevamo i materiali con cui realizzare i capi". La soluzione? Local-sourcing, direbbero gli inglesi. "Ci siamo guardati intorno, abbiamo individuato i laboratori olandesi che facevano al caso nostro, e da loro abbiamo ordinato ciò che ci serviva. Non avevamo proprio tutto, certo, però ha funzionato. Ed è stato molto interessante studiare una realtà che non conoscevamo". 

 

LA COUTURE MODELLATA SUGLI STATI D'ANIMO

Lavorazione a parte, proseguono loro, era ovvio che l'estetica stessa della collezione finisse per essere pesantemente influenzata dalla realtà: 9 look suddivisi in tre gruppi, che esprimono altrettanti stati d'animo. Si inizia con la malinconia, la rabbia e la paura per ciò che s'è vissuto (e si sta vivendo), con tanto di mascherine protettive abbinate. Si prosegue con gli sbalzi d'umore, tra emoticon e soprabiti scultura pensati per avvolgere chi lo indossa in una specie di comfort-zone stilistica, e si chiude con l'amore e la speranza, in un tripudio di cuori. Notevole la presenza delle vestaglie da casa, indumento-simbolo del lockdown, elevate ad abiti da gran sera. "Questi sentimenti non sono solo i nostri: ce ne siamo resi conto nelle passate settimane parlando con il nostro team: siamo pochi, ma siamo molto legati: eravamo tutti spaventati, arrabbiati, timorosi e speranzosi".

MIKA, NARRATORE D'ECCEZIONE

Curioso anche il come la collezione viene presentata. "Proprio perché non è stato possibile sfilare alla maniera classica, abbiamo pensato di ricreare le atmosfere dei defilé di haute couture di una volta, quelle che si svolgevano nelle sale degli atelier accompagnate dalla voce di un presentatore che descriveva i capi in passerella. A fare gli onori di casa per noi è Mika, ci pareva avesse il tono giusto". Il messaggio della collezione non lascia adito a dubbi. Resta da capire quale ruolo oggi possano assumere certe forme di racconto: in altre parole, cosa rappresenta la moda nper il presente? "Sicuramente è uno strumento di comunicazione potente come pochi altri, perché permette di affrontare quasi qualunque argomento rendendolo chiaro e comprensibile a  tutti. Pensiamo alla discussione innescata dal movimento di Black Lives Matter, o anche a quella intorno all'eco-sostenibilità: non sono molti i linguaggi tanto malleabili e universali".

 

Viktor & Rolf, Mika talks about their "humoral" clothes

The English singer is the narrating voice that accompanies the collection of the Dutch duo, dedicated to the moods experienced in recent months

•     by SERENA TIBALDI
•     08 July, 2020

The idea of not being able to present a collection of haute couture through a classic catwalk is not that, per se, has worried Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, better known as Viktor & Rolf. On the other hand, they were the first to organize a show that was only virtual and open to everyone (the year was 2008), or to overturn the concept of fashion show without too much trouble (as when, in 2010, they literally dressed on stage Kristen McMenamy).

The question in this case lies in the "how" of a digital parade, that is, the quarantine from Covid-19 faced in recent months. "It was a very, very special time," they explain to them today from Amsterdam. "In the Netherlands we were lucky, because the lockdown here was not as complete as in Italy, but certainly the effects were felt on morale, and how much". Not only on morale: it was their own fashion that was affected by it. "When working on the collection we found it impossible to use our usual suppliers, scattered between France and Italy: it was completely closed, so we didn't have the materials with which to make the garments". The solution? Local-sourcing, the British would say. "We looked around, we identified the Dutch laboratories that were right for us, and we ordered what we needed from them. We didn't have everything, of course, but it worked. And it was very interesting to study a reality that we didn't know" .

THE COUTURE MODELED ON THE MOOD STATES

Working separately, they continue, it was obvious that the aesthetics of the collection itself ended up being heavily influenced by reality: 9 looks divided into three groups, which express as many moods. It starts with melancholy, anger and fear for what has been experienced (and is being experienced), complete with matching protective masks. It continues with mood swings, between emoticons and sculpture overcoats designed to wrap the wearer in a kind of stylistic comfort-zone, and closes with love and hope, in a riot of hearts. The presence of home dressing gowns, the symbol of the lockdown, raised to grand evening dresses, is noteworthy. "These feelings are not only ours: we realized this in the past weeks by talking to our team: we are few, but we are very close: we were all scared, angry, fearful and hopeful".

MIKA, EXCEPTIONAL NARRATOR

Curious also how the collection is presented. "Precisely because it was not possible to parade in the classic way, we thought of recreating the atmospheres of the past haute couture fashion shows, those that took place in the atelier rooms accompanied by the voice of a presenter who described the items on the catwalk. the honors for us is Mika, it seemed to us to have the right tone ". The message from the collection leaves no room for doubt. It remains to be seen what role certain forms of narrative can play today: in other words, what does fashion represent for the present? "It is certainly a powerful communication tool like few others, because it allows you to tackle almost any topic making it clear and understandable to everyone. Let's think about the discussion triggered by the Black Lives Matter movement, or even the one around eco-sustainability: they are not many languages are so malleable and universal ".

 

[Kumazzz]

W magazine

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/viktor-and-rolf-couture-fall-2020/

 

Viktor & Rolf Can Still Make You Laugh This Digital Couture Week

 

Have you been feeling anxious and confused? So have the Dutch designers behind Viktor & Rolf—to the point that they made an “Anxiety Wardrobe” and “Confusion Wardrobe” for fall 2020 couture.

On Wednesday, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeron debuted the collection in a campy, social distancing-friendly video narrated by the singer Mika.

And unlike the traditional salon-style couture shows of yore that inspired them, there’s a good chance it’ll make you laugh. 

 

Each of the three mini-wardrobes—themed love, confusion, and anxiety—is comprised of a nightgown, a dressing gown, and a coat. In the confusion portion, the latter is covered in spikes.

 

“There's a lot to feel angry about, and this garment will communicate exactly that,” Mika says.

 

As for the confusion portion’s massive, asymmetrical nightgown: “Its shell of bows endeavors to soften the impact of muffled horror.”

Completing the “manic mini-wardrobe” is an even more gigantic coat: “Its generous A-line volume guarantees you will remain in your own safe zone while venturing out into the world.”

 

Other standouts include a “one-of-a-kind bathrobe” to rival Palomo Spain’s, a rain cloud-covered negligee, and “the smartest new accessory of the season,” aka a face mask. But once again, the real crowd pleaser is a nod to the Internet age. Having already made memes into couture, this time, Horsting and Snoeron turned to emojis.

“Confusion already reigns in the shoulder line of this nightgown,” Mika says as the model twirls, showing off the full range of emotions, fit for couture in satin and lace.

 

 

[Kumazzz]

showstudio.com

 

Interview: Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren On Couture For A New World

 

by Hetty Mahlich on 8 July 2020

 

The artistic duo discuss creativity in a pandemic and their new A/W 20 haute couture film featuring musician MIKA.

 

After the pandemic hit and digital fashion weeks announced that the show would go on-albeit in alternate digital formats- Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoere weren't sure whether they would show anything at all. They decided that the only way forward was to design in direct response to the current climate. Their A/W 20 haute couture collection Change offers three 'mini-wardrobes', each representing a different state of mind. Each mood consists of a nightgown, a dressing gown and a coat, and are anything but the ordinary connotations these stay at home garments might first conjure. Silk and cotton quilted fabrics are particularly successful in applying a couture sensibility to the humble dressing gown, six foot wide social distancing coats are complete with maximalist, 3-D shapes, whilst nightgowns offer a more literal commentary on the designers' emotions via motifs. Here is the wearable art Viktor&Rolf do best, aestheticism offering meaningful commentary on how the world is feeling. It is the fantasy and escapism we all crave, but is by no means naive.

 

Since founding their label in 1993, designers Horsting and Snoeren have always taken a subversive and provocative approach to couture and the traditional fashion show format. In 1996, after both graduating from the fashion department of the Academy of the Arts, Arhem, they flyposted the streets in Paris, announcing a strike against the pressures of the fashion calendar, which was followed by their A/W 96 NO collection. They continue to be well versed in the expressive power of clothing- see the meme worthy S/S 19 Fashion Statements collection- and their A/W 20 offering is altogether conceptual, sculptural and somewhat surreal.

 

A short film directed by Marijke Aerden presents the collection in an intimate salon-style setting.

The special presentation recalls 1950s voiceovers, here narrated by French-Lebanese singer MIKA who takes on a posh, post-war British accent.

Bringing old school charm to the first fully digital haute couture season, the film takes couture back to its routes whilst also finding new modes for modern showmanship, and it will certainly translate well for the growing Gen-Z couture customer.

 

Hetty Mahlich spoke with the designers about the new collection, being creative in a pandemic and taking couture digital.

 

"We felt that this collection had to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that we and everybody around us is experiencing" Viktor Horsting

 

Hetty Mahlich: Tell me about the design process for this collection.

 

Rolf Snoere: What happened is that the design process started with us being completely paralysed by the whole current situation, it was just such a shock. For a while, we were wondering whether we should be doing something at all, is this the time for fashion? So it was really paralysing. Then we decided that we wanted to continue to work, we were never going to do nothing. But it took a while to gather our thoughts to come up with something that we thought was worthwhile and meaningful in this weird time.

 

Viktor Horsting: We felt that this collection had to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that we and everybody around us is experiencing.

 

HM: How have you found the process of working in lockdown?

 

RS: Well it did pose some very practical challenges, but fortunately here in the Netherlands there was never a full lockdown so we were able to go outside, we were able to go to the office and our team continued to work. We have a fairly big space so we can keep a safe distance, but there were less hands. Usually we have a big team of interns from all over the world who come to help us for six months, but they all had to leave and go home. It also took time to allow ourselves to go into that creative space, that creative mindset, with all this stuff going on.

 

VH: I wouldn't describe the process as enjoyable, it was really was a challenge. For us it was just important to bring something positive to the world, but it was extremely difficult to be creative- I think that was the biggest struggle, to have creative thoughts. It took a long time for us to reach that point.

 

HM: What's the premise behind the film?

 

VH: I think for years now we've been thinking about the identity crisis of the fashion show, and how for us the fashion show has lost its meaning and its lustre. So we're trying to see what we can do to make it meaningful again. Somehow with all the fashion weeks going digital, and us having tried so many different ways of expressing ourselves, we felt the need to go back to this fifties salon show where it was really about intimacy, the showing of the clothes.

 

RS: Back to the archetype of what the fashion show is, to where the fashion show comes from. We feel that there needs to be more of a focus, both for ourselves and with fashion in general. There's just too much.

 

VH: Everything is wrong, it's bad for the environment, clothes are shown in the wrong season, but we all just continue as if it's working.

 

RS: It's also over stretching the environment and the people who work in fashion, from designers to writers. There's constantly this treadmill of more, more, more. It doesn't feel healthy.

 

HM: How did working with MIKA come about?

 

VH: We were watching these fifties news items with voiceovers, commenting on the fashion from Paris, with this very posh, old-fashioned voice. We know MIKA and he has this unidentifiable accent, because he speaks seven different languages. We just felt he had the perfect voice for this.

 

HM: You've both always made a statement against the traditional fashion show format, your work functions more as an art form. Who is the couture customer now, and is the show format still relevant for them?

 

VH & RS: For us couture has always been an artistic experimentation, a lot of our designs are bought by museums, often not in the season. Museums will contact us for a design we did 15 years ago for instance. For us it's an artistic thing, our clients are collectors and our shows reflect that.

 

[Kumazzz]

Harpers Bazaar.uol.com.br

 

Viktor & Rolf analisam os sentimentos da pandemia com humor e ironia no inverno 2020

Alfinetadas e reflexões traduzidas em vestidos e casacos

 

Sempre com um humor ácido e uma pitada de ironia, Viktor & Rolf traduziram para sua coleção de inverno 2020 o que a maioria das pessoas têm sentido com o isolamento social e a pandemia do coronavírus.

 

A apresentação, dividia em três atos e com narração do cantor Mika, contou com nove visuais que revelavam o lado mais sombrio de como sairemos dessa situação. Grandes capas que promovem o distanciamento social, estampa de emojis que mostram a confusão de sentimentos pela que passamos, o uso da máscara de proteção e a inclusão de elementos caseiros, como roupões e edredons, em modelos da alta-costura foram o destaque da marca.

 

Novamente, a dupla consegue fazer rir e refletir com suas peças. Veja os modelos na galeria abaixo:

 

by Google translator

Viktor & Rolf analyze pandemic feelings with humor and irony in winter 2020

Pinpricks and reflections translated into dresses and coats

Always with an acid humor and a hint of irony, Viktor & Rolf translated into their winter 2020 collection what most people have been feeling with social isolation and the coronavirus pandemic.

The presentation, divided into three acts and with narration by singer Mika, featured nine visuals that revealed the darker side of how we will get out of this situation. Large covers that promote social distance, emojis print that show the confusion of feelings we have been through, the use of a protective mask and the inclusion of homemade elements, such as bathrobes and comforters, in haute couture models were the highlight of the brand .

 

Again, the duo manages to make them laugh and reflect with their pieces. See the models in the gallery below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

Fashionista.com

 

Viktor & Rolf's Latest Couture Collection Is a Reflection of a Truly Unprecedented Time

 

Think bathrobe-inspired gowns meant to be worn at home and voluminous coats that ensure social-distancing measures are followed.

 

For its Fall 2020 haute couture collection, Viktor & Rolf isn't avoiding any of the issues the world is facing right now. 

Instead, it's addressing some of the lifestyle changes brought about by a global pandemic — such as social distancing, stay-at-home orders and mask-wearing — head-on, not just in its video presentation for the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode's digital fashion week (directed by Marijke Aerden and shot at the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam), but also in the designs themselves. 

 

Titled "Change," the nine-look collection is broken down into three "mindsets" — three looks each — which are meant to capture the feeling of a time that is frankly (and fully acknowledging this word has been overused over the past five months) unprecedented. 

 

The first reflects "a rather somber mood," as the narration by Mika explains:

"a feeling of sadness and anger, familiar to many these days." There's a navy, satin empire-cut dress featuring raincloud motifs; a grey chenille wrap gown with quilted satin cuffs and collar reminiscent of a luxurious bathrobe ("meant to be worn inside the home only," Mika insists); and a faux-leather coat embellished with spiky cones throughout, which one can imagine makes it easier to communicate (and enforce) social distancing. (The model for the last look enters the room wearing a mask.) 

 

 

The second grapples with the roller coaster of emotions many are experiencing during this time. There's a nightgown-esque, one-shouldered, pink synthetic satin dress decorated with a range of emojis; another bathrobe-inspired gown, this one in a plushy pink with canary yellow detailing and oversized bows down the arm; then, another sculptural coat that "guarantees you will remain in your own safe zone while venturing out into the world," assures Mika, with an A-line shape and colorful cones jutting out down the skirt. 

 

 

The third and final "mindset" conveys hope for a better future via a heart motif story — seen in a silvery négligé with lace hearts in different colors, a white quilted bathrobe gown with oversized red-heart pockets and a white finale look with rows of glitter-trimmed hearts running down it. 

 

 

"The world around us is changing rapidly," Mika says, as the models take their final walks through the empty room where the Fall 2020 haute couture video was filmed.

"Whether apocalypse or new spiritual era, you will continue to be able to step into the singular universe of spectacular beauty, unexpected elegance and spiritual glamour of Viktor & Rolf."

 

 

[Kumazzz]

 

fashionweekdaily.com

July 8, 2020

 

Viktor & Rolf's Haute Couture Film Is Must-See! - Daily Front Row

 

Viktor & Rolf’s cheeky digital show includes a campy voiceover who walks viewers through each look in a 1950’s newscaster voice.

The voice actually belongs to singer Mika, who is a huge fan of the brand.

He says things like, “This will make you feel like a princess at a ball!” and “The extra long and slouchy sleeves accentuate the gravitas of the moment.”

 

The five-minute presentation is titled “Change” and takes place in a traditional couture salon. Looks were divided into three sections: one for anxiety and sadness; one for confusion, and one for love and hope. Kudos to the Emoji gown!

Who needs big budget production when you can be campy?

 

[Kumazzz]

MEXICO

 

ELLE.mx

Viktor & Rolf transforma la ansiedad y la confusión de la cuarentena en alta costura

¡No dejes de ver el video!

Por

Tamara Santillan

julio 8, 2020

 

Para su presentación de alta costura 2020, Viktor & Rolf vuelve a sorprendernos con piezas cargadas de mensajes. El año pasado presentó vestidos que tenían frases cínicas que representan a la mayoría de la sociedad y en esta ocasión, optó por plasmar las emociones que nos están invadiendo a todos en plena cuarentena con una colección llamada “Cambio”.

 

Los diseñadores holandeses detrás de la firma, Viktor Hosting y Rolf Snoeren abordaron la crisis sanitaria a través de tres mini clósets que simbolizan tres diferentes estados mentales: ansiedad, confusión y amor y cada uno está compuesto por tres piezas: una bata, un abrigo y un camisón.

 

“El tema principal de esta colección es la montaña rusa de emociones que todos experimentamos y estamos experimentando”, dijo Rolf Snoeren sobre su presentación de alta costura. “Estamos discutiendo un poco sobre la salud mental y cómo vestirte para tus emociones, así como también para decir que todas las emociones son válidas y necesarias”, añadió.

Ansiedad

Esta emoción está compuesta por prendas en tonos oscuros que simbolizan el sentimiento de tristeza e incertidumbre que se vive en medio de la crisis. Mientras que el camisón tiene un estampado de nubes grises, el abrigo tiene picos que representan el enojo y por último, la bata está pensada para usarse dentro de la casa solamente, tiene un aspecto de pesadez y que cuenta con el icónico moño de la firma.

Confusión

Las piezas de este estado de animo ejemplifican las emociones conflictivas que hemos experimentado durante la cuarentena y cómo las redes sociales pusieron en riesgo nuestra estabilidad en emocional en plena crisis mundial. El camisón de un solo hombro y de seda presenta emojijs de confusión, el abrigo asimétrico en rosa pálido con detalles en amarillo simbolizan.

Amor

Este mini armario irradia el amor por el otoño. El camisón con incrustaciones y corazones representa que el cambio es necesario y que la melancolía se convierte en serenidad. La bata voluminosa representa que el cambio es lo único constante y que lo más importante es estar segura y cómoda, mientras que el abrigo simboliza la unión y que todos merecemos ser amado sin importar la raza, edad, religión o sexualidad.

 

Los diseñadores también capturaron nuestra atención por medio de un video en donde el cantante Mika con voz en off explica cada uno de los looks.

 

 

[Kumazzz]

Footwear News.com

 

Viktor & Rolf’s Couture Film Spoof, Roger Vivier’s Cuissarde Capsule, Vauthier & All the Highlights of Paris Haute Couture Week Online

by Stephanie Hirschmiller

 

Day 3

Viktor & Rolf

 

July 8, 2020:

Dutch designer duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren created the most inspired spoof film to showcase their collection, tapping MIKA to do the voiceover in the style of an old fashioned British newscaster. Quilted dressing gown style ball dresses were a nod to out time spent at home in lockdown while emoji detailing referenced its ups and downs played out via the lens of Instagram. No slippers to be seen though. The film It is directed by Marijke Aerden. Scroll down to watch. With gallows humor in spades, it’s completely hilarious.

 

 

 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

Only today I have seen on the story from the 22nd of January these 3 letters on the dark blue purse: MHP (Michael Holbrook Penniman) 

 

[mellody]

8 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

HM: What's the premise behind the film?

 

VH: I think for years now we've been thinking about the identity crisis of the fashion show, and how for us the fashion show has lost its meaning and its lustre. So we're trying to see what we can do to make it meaningful again. Somehow with all the fashion weeks going digital, and us having tried so many different ways of expressing ourselves, we felt the need to go back to this fifties salon show where it was really about intimacy, the showing of the clothes.

 

RS: Back to the archetype of what the fashion show is, to where the fashion show comes from. We feel that there needs to be more of a focus, both for ourselves and with fashion in general. There's just too much.

 

VH: Everything is wrong, it's bad for the environment, clothes are shown in the wrong season, but we all just continue as if it's working.

 

RS: It's also over stretching the environment and the people who work in fashion, from designers to writers. There's constantly this treadmill of more, more, more. It doesn't feel healthy.

 

HM: How did working with MIKA come about?

 

VH: We were watching these fifties news items with voiceovers, commenting on the fashion from Paris, with this very posh, old-fashioned voice. We know MIKA and he has this unidentifiable accent, because he speaks seven different languages. We just felt he had the perfect voice for this.

 

Thanks for that. With this info I understand that the collaboration totally makes sense, from both sides' point of view.

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

43 minutes ago, mellody said:

9 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

HM: How did working with MIKA come about?

 

VH: We were watching these fifties news items with voiceovers, commenting on the fashion from Paris, with this very posh, old-fashioned voice. We know MIKA and he has this unidentifiable accent, because he speaks seven different languages. We just felt he had the perfect voice for this.

 

 

 

Yes, this is what I was wondering about. Mika's way of narration reminded me something but I couldn't find it out.

 

It's the way old chronicles and news were read!!!! That's why his voice is so different in this video  Bravo! Mika's talents for accent changes were well used.

[holdingyourdrink]

I love this, because at first I was confused and wasn’t sure as to take it seriously. I’m not that informed with haute couture 🙈 but I do know Viktor&Rolf and I love how they do things their way. The short film is so fitting to the situation as it is today and makes a colorful yet mocking statement with a serious and unified message of love, tolerance and acceptance. I understand why Mika is a fan of the brand! 

[krysady]

This might be a very appropriate outfit for going to a Mika gig while keeping the social distancing... plus you never know when you wanna sit 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by krysady

[Paoletta]

 Mika can do everything 

Mika n°1 forever!!!

Edited July 9, 2020 by Paoletta

[Kumazzz]

mikainstagram

Viktor&Rolf Haute Couture AW20 - Change

I first fell in love with the work of @viktorandrolf when I went to visit the retrospective show at the Barbican a few years ago. This year, I was asked by them to present their new collection for Paris Haute Couture Week, which for the first time ever went digital. I recorded this in Athens where I was for three months during quarantine. Beautiful, poetic and dreamy.

Film directed by @marijkeaerden
Concept and text by @viktorandrolf
Mika recorded and edited by @aris.athanasopoulos

 

 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

Some press  reviews posted by Mika on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mellody]

This is a Tweet Mika liked, the link leads to a transcript of what he's saying in the video:

 

[Kumazzz]

mikainstagram IG stories

 

 

Twitter

 

The New York Times

nytimes.com

 

Digital Dior. Remote Chanel. What’s Couture With No Runway?

By Vanessa Friedman

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The first streamed couture shows were more like mini-movies, music videos, trailers and perfume commercials. There were some clothes, too.

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In any case, only Viktor & Rolf managed to capture the absurdity of the whole exercise: us, sitting in our rooms around the world, staring into small screens by ourselves, mesmerized (or not) by well-intentioned efforts to elicit asynchronous rapture.

They did it with a five-minute play in three acts titled “change” (small c, all in gold balloons) that spliced the classic department store show with today’s working-from-home ethos, with a stentorian voice-over by the singer Mika, and a heavy dose of levity.

See, for example, an empire-waist sapphire satin negligee spotted with lace storm clouds to reflect “a feeling of sadness and anger familiar to many these days.” Or the pale pink chemises adorned with “contradictory emoji,” the “frantically entangled” sashes swirling around enormous bathrobe coats, and the enveloping A-line silhouettes to guarantee “you will remain in your own safe zone while venturing out into the world.”

There was a lot more like that. “If only we could change ourselves as easily as we do our outfits,” said Mika. That is, of course, the promise of all this; the beauty is that we all keep hoping.

It just seems so much more convincing from the ballroom chairs.

 

 

mikainstagram IG stories

 

 

Twitter

 

vogue.com

Viktor & Rolf Fall 2020 Couture Fashion Show

by Amy Verner

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Even when life felt relatively normal, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren were conceiving collections that often went viral. With this latest undertaking, they cleverly addressed couture in the time of the coronavirus: three mini wardrobes comprised of a negligee, dressing gown, and coat meant to represent pandemic-related emotional states.

 

Essentially, doom and gloom give way to a wave of mixed feelings that resolve in expressions of unconditional love. Meanwhile, each of the nine elaborate creations is a meme in the making. Think lace-incrusted emojis; sparkly, socially distanced spikes; a halo of hearts, and more.

On a video call ahead of their digital debut—an amusing yet informative film that riffs on bygone salon-style shows—they said they were initially unsure of the direction to take. “The situation has been so terrible, it made [us] wonder, Are we allowed to do this?” said Snoeren. After discussions with their team, they decided that doing nothing was not an option, but that whatever they did, “had to be meaningful,” said Horsting.

In previous seasons, the designers had already been espousing a more sustainable approach to fabric sourcing. This time, they worked with local suppliers around Amsterdam and drew from their own fabric stock. If they reached garish territory with the voluminous pink robe festooned with sashes, bows down one arm, canary yellow quilting, and a braid, they treated the negligees with lovely lightness. As for the coats designed for social distancing, the irony is that Horsting and Snoeren have always played around with unwieldy volumes—now, they were simply giving them new relevance.

Cue the film’s campy voiceover (recorded by singer Mika) guaranteeing that “you will remain in your own safe zone while venturing out into the world.” This was Viktor & Rolf at its best: bringing relatable messaging to their avant-garde vision, putting a pop spin on their more conceptual silhouettes.

Wit and swelling orchestral music aside, the descriptive narration also proved an effective hack to capturing couture through a screen, directing us to details that we might have otherwise missed. It seemed the designers were also making a meta statement on fashion shows within these empty salons—how removed we are from that original, intimate format. “For years, we have been saying to each other that the fashion show is losing a bit of mystique,” explained Snoeren. “Having said that, if a show is done well…nothing compares to it.”

Compared to those that have taken a downright escapist approach this week, this Viktor & Rolf collection attempted to rise above reality with imagination and optimism. At one point, the voiceover offered this: “We all deserve to be loved, regardless of age, color, gender, race, religion, or sexuality.” Sure, a dress itself might not get us there, but at least Horsting and Snoeren were reminding us that fashion should always have something to say.

 

 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

They receive a very good press 

[krysady]

His accent it's so weird, fits well with the collection