A parade in a gilded hall of mirrors: the firm footsteps of a woman seemingly rigorous yet sensual with an intense gaze. Her silhouette traced by a double-breasted overcoat of military cloth, leather lining and astrakhan collar.
An aesthetic study in linearity taking shape in the impeccable tailoring of asymmetrical, close-fitting jackets and sophisticated pencil dresses worn with knee-high boots. Elegance is a question of detail: the antiqued gold of the signet buttons, the astrakhan skirt is smooth resembling fabric, and hems enlivened by a subtle play of Paisley and braiding. Steppe, Steel Grey and Baltic Blue enhance the chromatic depth of this rigorous season, complimented by fur trimming and total black leather – almost a uniform.
For the evening, sartorial construction relaxes into an explosion of femininity. As in a fairy tale, the volumes of the overcoats become more generous and the fabrics change. Braiding enriched by touches of lurex and interlinking chains, hand worked crochet and alluring transparency produce sumptuously textured knitwear.
Black is the common thread linking day and night, which ushers in autumnal woodland tones: Purple, Blueberry, Malachite and Bordeaux.
This woman wears flowing skirts inlaid with a seductive patchwork of ribbon and braid, matching them with criss-cross chiffon blouses that bare her shoulders.
Against the skin, the liquid effect of printed velvet illuminates the cape and the draped dress.
In a crescendo of paisley patterns, embroidery and golden glints, fluidly soft chiffon dresses recreate the decorative flavour of a tsarina’s wardrobe.
At her neck, the lustre of Victorian glass cameos set in silk and Swarovski crystals.
Sandals and pumps with braided fastenings bare sensual portions of skin amidst a profusion of luxurious finishing. Embroidered velvet or breathtaking suede heeled boots are trimmed in rich astrakhan trimming.
The bags are small jewels of craftsmanship: from the fluid forms of the small embroidered velvet bags to the clutch evoking Fabergé’s work at the court of the tsars and the enamelled metal minaudière that resembles an antique cigarette case.
This is a double-edged femininity that revels in a sophisticated play of tailoring and seduction, in an exclusive mosaic of style: the new Salvatore Ferragamo collection for women.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, Salvatore Ferragamo, SALVATORE FERRAGAMO F/W 2012-13, SALVATORE FERRAGAMO FALL WINTER 2012-2013
Thu, March 1 2012 » Fashion Blog
“I love rock ‘n’ roll, so come and take your time and dance with me!”
The Frankie Morello collection for F/W 2012-13 is inspired by music but is not tied to the image of groupies and fans. It wants to evoke the attitude and style that is typical of the musician in the spotlight who plays a mean guitar and drives the crowds wild. Joan Jett, the icon who inspires these moods, and her “I love rock ‘n’ roll” take us below the stage where we dance to the music while the models on the catwalk pay tribute to the singer by wearing menswear blazers in wild flou colors like the one she wears on the cover of her most famous album.
Gymnastic references evoking the late seventies encounter the vibrant hues of the eighties, and the most sporty looks acquire a decidedly rock mood. The collection, which brings to mind a young, vitamin-charged American image, veers towards fierce video-clip style from the early years of MTV.
The collection is all about fusion and pop mix & match: it’s easy to wear but it also has some strikingly dramatic pieces that real stars need and want. The woman’s wardrobe is influenced by menswear: the man’s shirt is the perfect all-purpose item and the jacket is inspired by the biker’s jacket but fits like a man’s bomber jacket. “Good girl” preppie-style garments like the duffle coat or elegant sweater are given a “wicked” twist through bright colors and metal studs in shades tones that are even applied on an eyelet lace dress.
Metal mesh pieces worn with practically nothing underneath are sexy, feline and charismatic.
Frankie’s rocker girls, however, live in today’s hyper-technological work, so they can’t live without their potent leather or buckskin iPad cases with studded detailing.
Maurizio Modica and Pierfrancesco Gigliotti remind us, in pure rocker style, that good girls to heaven, but bad girls go EVERYWHERE!
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Tags: BACKSTAGE, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, FRANKIE MORELLO, FRANKIE MORELLO F/W 2012-13, FRANKIE MORELLO FALL WINTER 2012-2013
Thu, March 1 2012 » Fashion Blog
Urban Fairytale
A woman with two sides to her soul, romantic and severe; a woman who wants to turn her dreams into reality. A tribute to an understated, unconventional femininity, strong-minded and extremely seductive.
This is the Massimo Rebecchi collection for Autumn- Winter 2012-13.
Her romantic side is seen in the brocade capes and lace dresses; in the skirts made from a variety of fabrics – especially bouclé and brocade – with stones, three-dimensional embroidery, hand-knitted silks. Textiles are luxurious and versatile: brocades, silks, mixed with soft bouclés, felted cloths and new processes, exquisite details, lace inserts – black, burgundy, klein blue.
There is crochet work, and the lasered tassels are in a soft honey-camel shade. The fairytale comes to town while the dream becomes reality in the shape of delightful little yellow or pink coats that are almost felted; burgundy-red knitted parkas with shaded-fur collar and touches of silk; soft grey faux furs worn with tweed or knitted-gingham skirts.
Then colourful dresses made of floral spray-printed silks in yellow and black or black and burgundy.
Little knitted fabric jackets with a fresh light bestowed by new shades of dark green and teal.
The new matching set of a pumpkin cardigan-jacket and crochet skirt shouts casual-chic.
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Tags: BACKSTAGE, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, MASSIMO REBECCHI, MASSIMO REBECCHI FALL WINTER 2012-2013, MASSIMO REBECCHI FW 2012-13
Thu, March 1 2012 » Fashion Blog
To Milly
A letter. A sentence.
” I know you, madam. I repeat, I know you but only by sight.
I have followed you, sometimes I have observed you at length, never daring to approach you.
I know your outward form, a few moments of your life and, above all, the little knowledge of a soul which a face may reveal to a careful observer.
But it is very little, madam, compared to the immensity of what I should like to know about you “.
A bolt from the blue. And a strong, instinctive, tormenting desire to know more.
Her husky, alluring voice – hard and gentle, harsh and melodic – surprised me, won me over, forced me to stop.
In just a few days I read, saw and listened avidly, intensely, passionately to everything about her.
She doesn’t know me and perhaps this letter will surprise her, but I know her!
I see her in Turin, Milan, France, America and the back, with new success, to Italy, theatre, films, television, recitals, songs.
The relentless passing of time does not take her slowly away from us, like ships we see from the shore. Indeed, it brigs her closer.
Simple and elegant in her sophisticated little sheath dresses, wrapped in voluminous stoles as if to shield herself from human vulgarity. Fascinating and mysterious, discreet and nonchalant, slender and strong, shy and bold.
I immediately saw her as the ideal figure through which notes may introduce themselves to people.
Her ever-present trench coat, her jackets and clothes are pages, books and diaries that tell a story, describe a legend.
Through the layers, the unexpected juxtapositions, the inserts hoarded in her overcoats we can read her memories, interpret the experiences of a real life.
She sings and through her voice Milan rises and take shape. With its thick fog, the smoke, the silence illuminated by the street lights and lights navigating the Naviglio.
“It’s difficult to describe Milan if you were born in the city. Hard to know where to begin, to find a clear, precise image, or a smell, to start with.
The fog, perhaps: the kind that doesn’t exist any more, in town I mean, on its central streets, as it did when I was a little girl and used to go to school enveloped in a kind of off-white cocoon, a glass of Pernod, I’d find years later in a song.
The city belong to me, a desert I know well “.
And she was the interpreter, embodiment, living metaphor of Milan.
Both of them indecipherable, enigmatic, secret, closes within their mysteries and open through sudden smiles which light up the soul.
I will continue to love her and seek her out in dark corners, in the old-style houses of Milan, in the courtyards and roads, in the theatres loved above all else.
Will she read these confused thoughts, these rushed notes, these feelings evoked by a real letter that touched my heart?
Quoten taken from:
Lettera a Milly, Cesare Pavese, Via attraverso le lettere, Einaudi
Lella Costa, La sindrome di Gertrude, Rizzoli
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Tags: ANTONIO MARRAS, ANTONIO MARRAS FALL WINTER 2012-2013, ANTONIO MARRAS FW 2012-13, BACKSTAGE, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13
Tue, February 28 2012 » Fashion Blog
Casual and concise as the anti-uniform of revolt – this is Ter et Bantine’s dresscode for Fall Winter 2012-2013.
Manuela Arcari leaves day-to-day items behind to create a wardrobe packed with eccentric elements designed to have a powerful noir impact.
Military style items, geometrical expansions and a Gothic repertoire are recurrent traits that multiply and add on to generate the desired dramatic silhouettes.
The color palette featuring shadowy hues is countered by a few dazzling white items.
The dark vortex is built on every imaginable texture, namely leather, suede, row wool, bristly synthetics with wet-effect highlights, such as animal skin and satin weave.
The hi-tech style provides them with an opportunity for juxtaposition. Furs, artful embroidery on ripped fabrics and hypnotic patterns flock-printed on cloth are arranged as recuperated inserts of skilled tailoring on a flawless backdrop.
Ample coats and skirt suits find their counterparts in clear cut dresses and tops that stand out against male trousers.
The boy is concealed for a self-absorbed, Gothic feminine allure.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, TER ET BANTINE, TER ET BANTINE FALL WINTER 2012-2013, TER ET BANTINE FW 2012-13
Tue, February 28 2012 » Fashion Blog
For Fall/Winter 2013, Bianca Gervasio, Creative Director of Mila Schön, has focused her vision on evoking a modern antithesis: the seemingly irreconcilable difference between two lifestyles, the ethical and the aesthetic. A major inspiration is the philosophy of Kierkegaard and the celebration of independence and freedom of choice.
The Existentialist themes seen throughout the collection also channel Simone de Beauvoir as the symbol of an elegantly balanced and feminine collection in which ethics are enriched with the aesthetics of refinement and charming beauty.
Black and white optical effects enhance the palette of natural tones, bright colors and vivid metallic finishes. Inspired by an original design from the archives is a new refined and luxuriant print, where miniature foliage alternates with macro 3D effects. This gives way to sophisticated bi-chromatic blends, while the iconic leaf returns in the shape of decorative brooches and alamari frog closures.
Graphic silhouettes, geometric motifs, sinuous profiles, precise pleats and inlaid chevrons exemplify the clean equilibrium distinctive of the House. Together with double fabrics there are embroidered wool with tiny three-dimensional spheres and creponne with little golden leaves in fil coupé. Worldly winter souls are then enveloped in stoles, capes and mid-length furs including raccoon in degradé tones or free-flowing layers of lustrous fox.
An ethereal and ultra-glamorous take from the Mila Schön archive, the Swan Dress, is recreated with a tulle and organza base embellished with embroidered leaves that have been laser-cut and then meticulously pleated, ironed and sewn by hand using golden thread in a process that requires two days to complete.
Booties and loafers have tortoise heels, a stylish indulgence that ties in leather belts and metal jewelry and stands out in evening clutches, precious treasures that embody modern vanity also interpreted in shiny metallic laminates.
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Tags: BACKSTAGE, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, MILA SCHÖN, MILA SCHÖN FALL WINTER 2012-2013, MILA SCHÖN FW 2012-13
Tue, February 28 2012 » Fashion Blog
LITTLE WINTER FOLLIES
A play on clothes, fun little touches of pure fantasy: the more the search for form is calibrated, the more the collection becomes a surprising interpretation of pieces, mixed with lightness and freedom.
The common element, which completely changes the silhouette, are the trousers that end at the knee with a brand new cuff-effect, finished off as always with opaque hose. The jackets have straight, masculine shoulders that give a sense of strength to a soft, unstructured line, which is also seen in the cardigans. The colour palette, which includes black, white, Indian red and amethyst blue, has the iridescence of velvet, and is also reflected in the abstract brushstroke-effect print.
Valance and large flat taffeta roses create surprising effects: constructing technical garments that seem as thick as a fur coat, with smooth sleeves (still in taffeta). Just two of these flattened roses are needed to close a blouse: a functional decoration, used also for knitted and low-cut dresses made all the more unpredictable by the addition of Bermudas.
The entire collection is animated by fun, ironic touches, infusing lightness, and which, like true folies d’hiver, allude to the style of the Roaring Twenties: belts that create mini-basques, worn occasionally two at a time; tulle T-shirts with sequinned stripes; fringes; sequins embroidered onto tulle; basques; and jet necklaces.
Extraordinary bags and shoes: long, tambourine-shaped shoulder bags, like huge powder compacts; handbags of floral velvet or velvet combined with net mesh. Flat slippers with floral fabric toes, and shiny masculine lace-up shoes.
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Tags: EMPORIO ARMANI, EMPORIO ARMANI F/W 2012-13, EMPORIO ARMANI FALL WINTER 2012-2013, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13
Tue, February 28 2012 » Fashion Blog
For the CNC Costume National FW 2012/2013 Collection, Ennio Capasa has imagined a woman in a virtual metropolis, mixing and matching street-wear and evening wear.
He has re-interpreted parkas, bikers and tuxedo focusing on the contrast between different textures and light. These young women who cross the city in seven-league boots are post-punk, post-chic but above all tecnological.
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Tags: BACKSTAGE, COSTUME NATIONAL, COSTUME NATIONAL FALL WINTER 2012 2013, COSTUME NATIONAL FW 2012-13, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13
Mon, February 27 2012 » Fashion Blog
The attitude, strong personality of Marianne Faithfull: Iceberg brings back glam sportswear in a big way, declaring shapes and textures the protagonists of the collection. The woman who in recent seasons drew inspiration from the male wardrobe now plays consciously with her femininity by making the most of proportions. She opts for slim silhouettes, then adds jackets in soft warm volumes.
Parkas, coats and furs conceal artful knit&jewel-embroidery mixes. A powerful feel for materials – as in combos of wool, leather and sheepskin – takes turns with gorgeous double crepe and silk fabrics.
Kaleidoscopic prints with a contemporary digital slant paint absolute black with lacquer blue, off white and tangerine orange colors.
Metals make a fine statement in the form of jewelry.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13, ICEBERG, ICEBERG FALL WINTER 2012 2013, ICEBERG FW 2012-12
Mon, February 27 2012 » Fashion Blog
ARTE FACTUM
The inspiration for the Autumn/Winter 2012-2013 collection is the fervid artistic atmosphere of the 30’s. Art Decò that in the early years of the last century influenced fashion, art and architecture, is perfectly embodied in the works of the Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka her paintings emanate a strong and expressive femininity making them the undisputed font for the new Aigner collection.
The brand has chosen to bring to life the strength, security and elegance of the women depicted by Tamara de Lempicka, offering as contemporary examples of the style androgynous, internationally famous actresses such as Isabella Rossellini, Tilda Swinton and Anjelica Huston.
Using these basics as a starting point, Aigner has produced a perfect synthesis between elegance and sobriety “Understatement” is the key word for the next season. The brand plays with volume and silhouette, inspired by the forms and figures in the Polish artists works: The result is a mix of rigid forms and flowing textiles.
The models are well defined and the borders emphasised. Aigner offers wide necklines with embroidery in crystal, knee-length skirts and dresses for daywear, high waist trousers and skirts, slim fit dresses in fluid jersey, large coats, short or extra long trench coats, and riding trousers.
As always particular attention has been given to the quality of the material used, the brand has chosen silk jersey, silk voile, crepe wool, Milan knit, satin silk, sheep skin and mink. The choice to combine natural materials with synthetics is due to the brands desire to reproduce the style and the design techniques used during the 30’s.
Offering a varied palette of colours Aigner has let loose their creativity: crystal blue, inspired by the Ceylon sapphires which were very fashionable in the 30’s, ivory and off white, taupe, mahogany, olive green, forest green, electric blue, blackberry, rose, grape and black.
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Tags: AIGNER, AIGNER FALL WINTER 2012-2013, AINGNER FW 2012-13, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2012-13
Mon, February 27 2012 » Fashion Blog