Bourgeois understatement: precise yet elusive. A daywear look evoking the memory of couture like a faint echo. In a change of direction for its Autumn/Winter 2018/2019 collection, Rochas takes a modern approach to its claim on the discreet charm of the late 1970s Parisian bourgeoisie through its everyday looks. The House reveals a collection that is both sophisticated and down-to-earth: an aesthetic that puts cocktail dresses and gowns on the back burner to focus on elegant, exquisitely feminine daywear.
The everyday elegance of a suit jacket and trousers, a dress shirt or a double breasted coat is softened by an easy cut and enhanced with cashmere double knit. Brocade is combined with microfloral patterns in a whirlwind of glamour where daywear meets evening wear. Chiffon voiles streamline the luminosity of cut thread and decorative embroidery as if to downplay its preciousness. This style enables the cocktail dress to defy the passage of time and adopt an ageless elegance suitable for any occasion.
The collection gives pride of place to colour blocks and also proposes a symphony of sophisticated nuances: prairie green, mint, caramel, powder pink, camel or plum. A sunny yellow all-over look. Accessories make the interaction among these shades even more incisive. Boots bring a glamorous touch to the loafer in coloured reptile print featuring a glittery heel in a contrasting colour. Each, satchel, handbag and mini-clutch is crafted in two contrasting colours.
Solid, almost monochrome embroidery brightens the evening with muted light for an absolutely unique atmosphere. This is the face of the new Rochas signature glamour: an aura that raises everyday clothing to the status of a divinely understated ritual.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, ROCHAS, ROCHAS FW 2018-19
Fri, March 9 2018 » Fashion Blog
Romanticism is strength. It places sensibility before rationality, authenticity before stereotypes. Grace is authority. It finds in kindness the tone of expression, and individuality in etherealness.
A deeply personal and therefore authentic point of view, indisputable because perceived. Being romantic is a way of living life. Giving form to the freedom of being, subverting clichés.
Flowers that spread, enlarged as exclamations, palpable as intarsia. Fabrics become present and compact, while silhouettes stratify. Trousers as a constant, jackets as a new addition, day as a horizon.
The femininity of a plumb, of a pleat, of a metal feather or of a drape on a bag. Grace in the movements, seized and stuck in a moment, that quiver. Verticality as vigor.
Colors multiply in the symphony of a monochrome that is disrupted by multiple weavings. Black marks and expands, powerful. Etherealness that leaves a sign. Presence in a moment: strong, romantic.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, VALENTINO, VALENTINO FW 2018-19
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
In her first collection for the Maison Poiret, artistic director Yiqing Yin lays the foundation for a versatile wardrobe that makes room for playfulness, movement and personal expression. In her first collection for the Maison Poiret, artistic director Yiqing Yin lays the foundation for a versatile wardrobe that makes room for playfulness, movement and personal expression. In the spirit of Paul Poiret, who liberated women from the corset in the early 20th century, a complete wardrobe offering sets forth a sensitive philosophy of shape and cut.
In a reprisal of contemporary mix-and-match, these looks move from day into evening, here to there. Oversized silhouettes inherited from Paul Poiret offer the body freedom of movement. Rather than put herself on display, the Poiret woman prefers to play up mood and showcase a subtle sensuality brimming with paradox. Dresses and coats reprise the cocoon shape for which the founder was known.
Pristine shapes invite personal interpretation: belted or loose, or worn back to front, a dress may appear in iridescent green taffeta or jersey, yet produce completely different results. The palette also comes into play, with classic ivory, gray and black as well as canary yellow, shocking pink, scarlet, cerulean and sapphire blue, with touches of bronze green and rust, or almost acid gold on iridescent taffeta.
Oversized knits, shawl collars, new takes on harem pants and a coat in Greenland lambskin make a case for a loungewear spirit mingled with minimalist shapes enveloped in supple draping. A wrap jumpsuit, in jacquard or liquid silk, echoes an “infinite” skirt. House jacquards and prints complete the vision of a new luxury based on the intimate beauty of craftsmanship. A floral motif bends to the simplified lines of minimalist shapes that look as if they had been painted with sweeping brushstrokes.
Silkscreened on an orylag jacket or embroidered on a shirt, these graphics lend rhythm to the collection and reappear in irregular, embroidered details on a pencil skirt or pieces in jersey, right down to fastening details. In the spirit of an exquisite corpse, industrial-inspired jewels and heels evoke Paul Poiret’s clever mixes, like his renowned “robe minute” made of two simple rectangles.
Metallic leathers underscore a universe defined by the union of refinement and functionality. Like supple sculptures, bags reveal geometry of movement with pure shapes and a dynamic twist. As the looks’ final touch, they anchor the collection in an allure composed of contrasts, designed for the 21st century.
« Je souhaite faire de Poiret une maison narratrice de rencontres et d’émotions, le territoire d’un nouveau luxe contemporain placé sous le signe du dialogue avec son époque. Au cœur de mon projet figure une philosophie sensible du vêtement et des coupes, prolongeant le geste de Paul Poiret qui au début du XXe siècle, libérait le corps et l’esprit des femmes. »
Yiqing Yin
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, POIRET, POIRET FW 2018-19
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
A continued exploration of the notion of hybrid – the design language at the heart of Chitose Abe’s vision for sacai since the beginning – creating pragmatic solutions for modern life by cutting and splicing familiar forms to create something new.
Constructionism. Treating the pieces that make up clothing archetypes as though they were building blocks; instinctually constructing with them, interlocking with a playful spontaneity and new simplicity. Assembling and de-assembling, dressing with an ease that comes of wearing clothes with an ‘undone’ attitude, all tied together with a skate-inspired shoelace belt.
School blazer stripes interlock with a down jacket, men’s tailoring sleeves, a quilted liner and elements of a military flight jacket. A tennis sweater, that started life as part of a school uniform, is overlaid with the ruffles and pleats of a chiffon blouse. A denim jacket goes ‘inside out’, its blanket lining re-interpreted and re-mixed as an outer layer of fun fur stripes.
An aran sweater surprises with couture-like volume at the back. Hand-knit sweater pieces are interlinked with chiffon, their patterns re-appropriated and re-contextualised to become a mirror image of one another. A denim jacket meets a men’s tuxedo; dress shirts multiply layer upon layer. Opera gloves and mismatched shoes make for a ’total look’.
A hybrid take on a record bag comes courtesy of a collaboration with Shibuya’s legendary vinyl store, Manhattan Records.
Custom jewellery by Charlotte Chesnais for sacai.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, SACAI, SACAI FW 2018-19
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
This season, the collection stirs up an encounter that takes place in Midwest America where the Depression has left small towns facing a bleak future. The arrival of a traveling circus lifts the collective morale. Following her performance, one of the burlesque stars seizes on a seductive spark with a man who catches her eye. These traces of an intense, ephemeral connection—now faded in colour yet no less romantic—are what you see today.
As such, looks feature tweed jackets and denim workwear—then and still, a man’s every day essential—in the context of dresses that conjure up a woman who dazzles her audience. Tulle embroidered with silver leaves and fringes nods most directly to a vintage circus reference, while diamond bracelet detailing on delicate, body-skimming slip dresses captures the workmanship of the era. A dress paneled with devoré flowers is distinctive for its muddy brown hue, whilst sugared almond-coloured bias-cut styles and tiered organza frocks make a point to be pretty.
The styling is intentionally haphazard, so that sheer layers are introduced between sequined bras from boxy blazers; a delicate bolero over mohair pairs with cashmere leggings and gold metallic leather shoes over wool socks. If dungarees in dark denim are a fun foil for Victorian detailing, so too are the strands of pearls and mannish oxfords, or checked suiting constructed as a casual ladylike look.
Contemporary surface treatments include feather-esque paillettes and smoky grey plastic shown as a versatile Mackintosh. Hats by Stephen Jones boast tulle netting and ostrich feathers yet are intentionally un-fancy; they reinforce how the collection registers with polish in the face of a certain adversity.
The return of the Galliano Gazette is an exciting embrace of the original House logo : on silk as a spaghetti strap dress or skirt, as cheeky underpinnings, or on cotton canvas as a doctor’s bag.
“Looking back to the past with hindsight, we arrive at new ideas of beauty,” says creative director Bill Gaytten. “But the world would be boring if inspiration only came from classically beautiful things. The notion of romance in adversity captivated me.”
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, JOHN GALLIANO, JOHN GALLIANO FW 2018-19
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
Dear Vivienne,
God how long we have known each other! How wonderful. I want to pay homage to you as my collaborator, my friend and partner, my teacher and of course as my muse.
After examining myself, I felt like looking at you and the different decades of your life in fashion and what it means to me. It started with the 70s – Teddy boy tailoring, the 50s flower wallpaper and carpet from Let It Rock shop in the King’s Road and of course the rubber clothes which I Love so much.
Right in the middle of the 80s is your (Mini) Crini – Girl, which is made in Vivienne red Harris Tweed transferred into today. The 90s are represented through Dior-esque tailoring and exaggerated shapes, the hair print and the Krall shirt, which to this day we still make. Next comes UNISEX.
The white dresses at the end are sustainable, made from old stock and leftovers. There are two garments I copied: One is the mohair punk sweater you made (Knitted) for yourself and which says so much about you. Second is the catsuit from Sara (Stockbridge) which you used to wear when I first met you.
When in doubt: Dress up! One should never see the brain working in what you wear and one dresses in order to be eventually naked. These mantras of yours and so much more became part of my life and work. I still think to this day that you are the best dressed woman in any room.
Love you forever,
Andreas
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Tags: ANDREAS KRONTHALER FOR VIVIENNE WESTWOOD FW 2018-19, FALL WINTER MEN 2018-19, FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
Lady painters painting portraits of ladies of all shapes and of all sizes. all beautiful, in grey flannel. anatomic studies and flights of fancy. a fluttering of forms, frills and froth, in chiaroscuro.
For his second parisian outing, thom browne plays with his signature menswear fabric molding it into womanly shapes and taking them to couture extremes. he does so by sticking to a strict grey flannel agenda.
Flannel, flannel and only flannel, everywhere. draped, pintucked, pleated, embroidered with pearls or flannel threads, inlaid. flannel with trompe l’oeil shading and marble effects. Flannel that flows around the anatomy and accentuates curves where you’d least expect it, in scales of grey with a smattering of white.
Enhancing voluptuous womanliness through a dry masculine fabric ignites a series of inverted actions, as the back of garments gets to the front, or disappears revealing what’s beneath, in trompe l’oeil.
Treasures of womanliness are hidden and protected under square subway coats, as garters and bras peek-a-boo. Masculine angles, feminine curves hiding and revealing tailoring and couture archetypal dialogues find a chiaroscuro harmony in grey flannel.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, THOM BROWNE, THOM BROWNE FW 2018-19
Thu, March 8 2018 » Fashion Blog
‘The spirit of Post-Punk, New Wave and Pop music was quite an influence on me growing up and the way I used clothes. This is when I discovered how to express myself as somebody who is quite shy,’ says Julie de Libran, Artistic Director of Sonia Rykiel. ‘This was how I found my voice and spoke: through fashion. In turn, this collection is not a homage to, but an honouring of the spirit of Sonia Rykiel, a spirit that encouraged women to live their lives creatively, individually, and out loud – and that includes me.’
The indomitable spirit of self-expression through fashion fuelled the establishment of Sonia Rykiel’s eponymous label fifty years ago, and it continues with Julie de Libran today. With the foundation of her house in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in May 1968, Rykiel’s individual expression coincided and became synonymous with that of a generation, a generation whose concerns she shared. Through her voice, she expressed the needs of herself and other women, a tradition that is still at the heart of the house today. As de Libran says: ‘What I do is essentially about women’s lives – and I am one of those women.’
For this unique moment and collection, de Libran uses both autobiography and biography to evoke a spirit of youth, non-conformity and enjoyment. Using her own story, as well as that of other women, the artistic director explores the idea of a new Parisienne, a woman at one with the attitude and style of a city but who ultimately goes beyond it. Clothes feature both utility and versatility; hard is made soft; masculine made feminine; function made flourish and vice versa.
Whether it is playfully invoking and subverting classic Rykiel signatures, such as a purposeful crescendo of knits or the transformation of velour leisurewear into sharp suiting, de Libran never forgets the comfort, ease and elegance at the heart of these clothes. And while youth culture leitmotifs run throughout the collection, there is simultaneously a sense of historicism and classicism.
Here, zips become less a shorthand for a rebellion and more a revelation of sinuous lines, modifying and sculpting the silhouette, decorating the edges of ruffles or slicing through soft wool blanket knits and structuring them into suiting. Altogether, de Libran travels through and conflates ideas and eras of femininity in the anniversary collection, to essentially bring them to the point of today.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, SONIA RYKIEL, SONIA RYKIEL FW 2018-19
Wed, March 7 2018 » Fashion Blog
And this is the beauty of enchanting gardens they do not intrude. They inspire a new dream. Their tree bark is a material that seems familiar, but when you touch it… it surprises you. Never quite being what we are expected to be. Being in this garden with the intimate knowledge of all its paths and deviating from them.
Fifty-four women enter a winter garden at twilight. Walk in this light where you cannot distinguish whether you are inside or outside. Floating in between, a gang of girls in blue-black. Each of them brings something personal to the group, an intimate self-assurance that owes nothing to anyone.
The light has faded, the time has come to capture the signs, signs of such density. The details of the pièces turn them into instant enigmas. Is that a bag there? No, it’s a shawl. The button on this Canadian coat? A clou Médor, of course. Look for long enough and you will find it everywhere. A leitmotif of Hermès leather goods, which finds itself inexplicably in the sharp triangles of Navajo patterns, and inspires lines and geometric shapes in movement.
In this garden of another nature, water-repellent calfskin is akin to leather, jersey embraces fur, light deerskin meets ribbed supple mink. Ribbed velvet-style knits choose a straight line and then change their path; taking a diagonal. Quilting reassures, protects and armours; coats have three pleats forming an almost invisible line on a low-set pocket.
Informal details are added to this natural, whispered sophistication; a climbing cord, or a chain that suddenly serve as fastenings. Thigh high boots seamlessly drenched in colour: andalusite-green, ultra-marine, and orange. Beneath this dream lies a rubber sole. If the sky is the limit, we never abandon the earth. We are there for her. So that, for once, shocking pink is not the enemy of auburn.
Along the footpaths, around the squares, walk fifty-four women. They wear dresses worn close to their skin, waists accentuated; their light leather coats floating in the autumn light. Fifty-four women together enact graceful and gentle movements. No more constraints.
The present is not a problem, it’s a mystery. In the electronic half-light, someone is playing Debussy. I’ll wait for you, for water, ice and fire.
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Tags: FALL WINTER WOMEN 2018-19, hermès, HERMÈS FW 2018-19
Wed, March 7 2018 » Fashion Blog
