Top row, from left: Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane, Eilish Macintosh, Giles, JW Anderson.
Bottom row, from left: Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchhoff, Richard Nicoll, Simone Rocha, Thomas Tait.

BEST OF LONDON F/W 2013

London has often been thought of as the undersung little sister of the fashion week calendar, the upstart with the endlessly youthful energy. That vigor and audacity were no less apparent for Fall 2013, although The Last Magazine fashion director Alastair McKimm’s top ten looks from the week show that the foggy city may no longer be able to lay claim to underdog status. Luxury powerhouse PPR announced the acquisition of a majority stake in London favorite Christopher Kane back in January, and it was refreshing to see that the label’s new corporate backing did not prevent Kane from producing a winningly eclectic show of textures, camouflage prints, and intricate cutout detailing that started from the esoteric inspiration of a glowing MRI of a human brain. Mary Katrantzou, a genius with prints, worked her customarily ornate images into more sculptural shapes that contrasted sharp corners with Romantic curves. Giles Deacon went for full-blown Romanticism, with a collection that glowed with pale colors and burnished gold, and played off a flowing long silhouette and the ethereal otherworldliness of Kristen McMenamy’s opening gown. JW Anderson may be the best exemplar of what could be thought of as the New London School, a designer unafraid of pushing the boundaries and forcing us to question our æsthetics, but one who acts out of a sense of integrity rather than a desire for facile shocks—his latest pieces had a purity and coherence even as they veered from nuns’ habits to hospital dressing gowns and back again. Another major story out of London was unconventional materials, an innovative theme Christopher Bailey used to refresh the classic Burberry trench with the flat sheen of translucent latex as part of a provocatively sexy vision. The duo behind Meadham Kirchhoff approached the idea from the other direction, with maids’ uniforms and ruffled dresses accented with black vinyl that suggested the darker side of desire. Eilish Macintosh, the highlight of the Central Saint Martins master’s graduate presentation, echoed a similar sensibility with dark dresses that flaunted suggestive cutouts and were wrapped in bondage rope. There was a grown-up appeal to Richard Nicoll’s show, with its relaxed silhouette and a palette of pastels interrupted by eye-popping orange on the elegant sportswear and slinky dresses. Thomas Tait found his inspiration in race cars, sending out a series of athletically energetic looks that popped with racing stripes in vibrant colors and an attitude of brashness and vitality. One of our favorite newcomers, Simone Rocha, went for unabashed femininity, with softly sheer dresses and a girlish silhouette that emphatically made the case that even as London becomes more and more like New York and Paris, there will always be fresh new talents to keep the city on its toes.

Esteban Gomez Finds Creatives a Home

With years of experience in the fashion industry, the Creatives Agent at Compass offers designers, photographers, stylists, models, and others a new approach to find a place to call home.

The Last Magazine Celebrates the Fall 2019 Issue

The cover story of our Fall 2019 issue is a love letter to New York City by photographer Dan Martensen and stylist Clare Richardson starring one of our favorite models of the moment, Binx Walton. For our launch party, we packed into Lola, one of the East Village’s newest hotspots, for an all-night dance party […]

Peter Ash Lee's New Magazine 'Burdock' Celebrates Asian-American Talent

Named after a root vegetable common to Asian cuisine, photographer Peter Ash Lee’s new magazine and digital platform celebrates Asian-American culture in an attempt to welcome a more diverse group both in front of and behind the camera.

Hans Neumann's Berlin Skaters

In an exclusive photo essay and “video poem,” the Peruvian photographer and director explores his family’s ancestral home through the lens of a group of young skateboarders who reflect the vitality of a new generation of European youth.

FUMI NAGASAKA STARTS A 'TEENAGE RIOT'

In her second book, the Japanese photographer captures the individual personalities and æsthetics of four adolescent girls in their hometowns in a collection that is both intimate and anthropological.

RO KWON ON CULTS AND YOUNG LOVE IN 'THE INCENDIARIES'

In her propulsive début novel, ten years in the making, the author ponders the unfathomability of others in the tale of a young woman who joins a cult.

MARTIN ZÄHRINGER GOES FISHING WITH JOHN BAKER

In his first book, the London-based photographer documents every facet of the life of a Barbadian fisherman with whom he felt an immediate kinship, acting as both visitor and companion.

JONAH BOKAER'S FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY

The collaborative, media-mixing contemporary choreographer celebrates fifteen years of his own company with a retrospective program and world premiere to look back while moving forward.

MARIO SORRENTI SHOWS A NEW SIDE OF KATE MOSS

In a new book of previously unreleased photographs, the famed photographer spotlights the iconic model’s innocence from their days of youthful love.

ROMAN MEJIA SHINES IN A NEW GENERATION OF DANCERS AT NEW YORK CITY BALLET

As the company makes its way through tumultuous times, the eighteen-year-old demonstrates the promise of a rising young crop of dancers with his clean lines and bounding jumps.

NEW YORK BY THE LAST MAGAZINE: VICE IMPACT PUBLISHER KATHERINE KEATING CHANNELS YOUTH ACTIVISM TO CREATE CHANGE

In an era of flourishing youth activism, the politically-minded advocate is harnessing the tools of social media and the internet to effect positive change by a young generation through direct calls to action.

NEW YORK BY THE LAST MAGAZINE: AUTHOR ALEXANDRA KLEEMAN SAYS WRITING IS LIKE PLAYING A VIDEO GAME

In her novel and short stories, the Staten Island-based author probes the border between science and literature with discomfiting tales about the body and its relationship to the perilous world around it.

HERMIONE HOBY'S 'NEON IN DAYLIGHT' REINVENTS THE NEW YORK NOVEL FOR A NEW AGE

In her début novel, the young British author ponders questions of selfhood and power dynamics in a thoughtful bildungsroman set during a sweltering New York summer.

ADWOA ABOAH HOSTS OUR TENTH-ANNIVERSARY PARTY WITH BURBERRY

Take a look at our tenth-anniversary celebration with Burberry at Radegast Hall in Brooklyn, hosted by our latest cover model Adwoa Aboah.

KANAZAWA

Photographer Marie Zucker was given rare access into an okiya, or boarding house, in the Japanese city of Kanazawa, where she captured these reflective images of geisha-in-training.

THE LAST WORD: ICEBERG

The Arctic ice pack puts the freeze on a teetering relationship in the latest edition of The Last Word, our ongoing series of original short fiction.

THE LAST GIFT GUIDE 2017

Our annual selection of gifts for you and yours, including everything you can imagine from a silk toothbrush on up to your own private island.

DAVID HALLBERG ON INJURIES AND INSECURITIES

In his new memoir, the celebrated principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre recounts his intense childhood training, joining the Bolshoi Ballet, and the arduous yearlong rehabilitation after a nearly career-ending injury that gave him a new perspective on his talent and the art form.