Fri, November 24 2017 » Fashion Blog
JIL SANDER SPRING SUMMER 2018 COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
The brand, while simple on the surface, unravels itself as an extremely complex set of contrasts and nuances. However at the core is a simple concept: soul. Jil Sander is about soul, sensitivity, humanity. It is about quality. It is about essential design and an approach to garments and products that is pure and refined. It is about finding the delicate balance between perfection and imperfection. Most importantly it is an equal part of a life that embraces art, music, film, architecture, spirituality, and consciousness.
Lucie and Luke Meier are honored to present their first runway show for Jil Sander, the brand that has informed their approach to design since their interest began. This is their initial gesture of continuing this approach in their own way.
The Spring/Summer 2018 collection, comprised of women’s and men’s looks, demonstrates sensitivity and purity in combination with modern construction and innovation. This contrast is fundamental to what the Meiers want to maintain within their work at the brand, celebrating nature and the human touch while embracing progressive ingenuity. This is precisely why the venue was selected: a work of human creation that frames the magnificence of nature.
A pure palette of whites with navy, camel, and black recalls the house codes, while bright colors gives strength to voluminous knits. The white poplin shirt is revisited in several iterations; new proposals of tailoring construction are demonstrated against light, airy drapes; traditional and functional smock and elastic distortion connect masculine functionality with feminine volumes; handwork is essential to the preciousness of the macramé and embroidered detailing.
The end goal achieved is one that creates an emotion within the clothes. They are created to live in and become a part of real life.
Wed, November 15 2017 » Fashion Blog
ETRO SPRING SUMMER 2018 COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
The Tree of Life
Two halves of a whole unite to make way for Etro’s 2018 50th year as a fashion house and family company. Conceived in tandem by siblings Veronica and Kean Etro, together they present their first collection of both Women’s and Men’s for Spring/Summer 2018. Guided by the same impulses as their father and Etro founder, Gerolamo, whose early travels to India remain the source material for Etro’s colourful prints, this season’s offering is an interpretation of Indian folklore through Etro’s haute bohemian lens. The iconic Paisley print is believed to be a graphic rendering of the seed that springs forth the Tree of Life. From brilliant whites to kaleidoscopic rainbow, the collection unfolds like light through a prism.
The collection begins with white, a symbol of purity. Long cotton voile dresses as soft as silk have been printed with white pigment for an ethereal shadow of the iconic Etro pattern. Delicate lace, silk crêpe and weightless cotton are embellished with metallic thread and pearls on a series of dresses that explore shades of cream, ivory and taupe. Colours blossom slowly: hints of acid yellow and mustard are introduced in spare, delicate patterns on loosely rendered silk pyjama sets for both men and women. Etro’s classic flowing gowns in weightless, floral patterned cotton have been printed with lurex to shimmer with movement. As the collection gains momentum pigments become saturated: coral, salmon and tangerine precede deep violet, maroon and emerald green. A sumptuous swirl of visual psychedelia is found in ecstatically embellished blazers and smoking jackets for men in velvet and linen.
Silhouettes are loose and free but with elements of strong tailoring. Dresses and shirts for women are wrapped around the waist with wide sashes in silk Mogador and locked with paisley-jewel brooches. Menswear suiting – found in brightly coloured silk and cotton blazers and double-breasted jackets – cuts close to the body, and linen trousers are left casually crinkled. Lightweight cable-knit sweaters for men, inspired by cricket whites, and prim, lace trimmed cardigans for women are designed to be worn snugly. For both men and women, pleated cotton jodhpurs are high waisted and worn belted, while silk and light wool wide-legged trousers are cut loose and free. Mock collars in rich embroideries and patterns slip under sombre sweaters and tailored jackets. Floral and paisley-printed waistcoats in silk or velvet are worn on top of fitted polo shirts and long silk tunics.
A flowing cotton kaftan is reimagined backless, with a patchwork of patterns and long bell sleeves. A draping, one-shouldered foulard dress is voluminously folded and wrapped in the center with a thick sash. The bodice of a fluttering above the knee cotton dress is rendered three-dimensional with heavy patchwork embroidery, braided trim and a thickly quilted elephant motif adorning the back, a treatment also found on short jackets and vests.
Accessories are informal yet vibrant. For women, jewel-toned, crystal-embellished sandals in satin and metallic leather fold origami-like around the ankle or wind around the leg with thin straps. For men, casually woven leather loafers in brown, as well as white, purposefully weathered oxfords complete a relaxed image. Delicate blown glass chandelier earrings are worn with paisley-shaped pearl and jewel-encrusted torchons and brooches. Finally, Etro’s Rainbow Bag has been remade in velvet with sumptuously ornate detailing, while for men sporty Paisley printed leather duffle bags round out their look. Round tortoiseshell frames are adorned by the brand’s iconic Paisley motif, formed from pearls and crystals.
Wed, November 15 2017 » Fashion Blog
Thu, October 19 2017 » Fashion Blog
CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC SPRING 2018 COLLECTION – NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
The Spring 2018 CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC collection takes its inspiration from cinema, from the dream-factory of Hollywood and its depictions of both an American nightmare, and the all-powerful American dream. Thriller heroines, heroes and antiheroes. The aesthetic codes of movie protagonists are endlessly remixed, their meanings given new interpretation and celebration.
Drawn from the same source material, but created separately, artist Sterling Ruby’s site-specific installation for the Spring runway show underscores these themes. The work uses as its base the installation from the Fall 2017 show, just as the collection builds on the foundation established by its predecessor – a new wardrobe, of American archetypes.
The “clues” of horror, but also of dreams, inspire the collection. Here, there is never any horror without beauty. Cinema’s distinct visual vocabulary of symbols and signs, is cut-up, recontextualized and reassembled, to create a plurality of dress. Multiple signifiers of the tropes of thrillers are combined in single outfits, creating new assemblages. They are ‘edited’ – like a movie – to define a fresh narrative.
“It’s about American horror and American beauty,” says Raf Simons. “Fashion tries to hide the horror and embrace only beauty. But they are both a part of life. This collection is a celebration of that: a celebration of American life.”
Mid-century American couture silhouettes are rendered industrial, reiterated in nylon, rubber specially-molded in Ohio and hand-painted leather. Lumberjack checks are used for tailored men’s suits. Pom-poms are reappropriated for fringed dresses, handbags or keyrings, and nightgowns become evening-gowns. Material surfaces are disturbed, distressed, rubber-stamped, faded and splattered. The collection’s dominant colors are safety orange, yellow, black, overwhelmingly red.
Fishnet, silk slips, rubber against skin. These reference a corporeality that speaks of both sexuality and mortality. The lineage of these movies can be traced back to urban myths, to puritan cautionary tales warning adolescents of the perils of moral transgression and the dangers of youthful sexuality – and the history of CALVIN KLEIN is tied up with transgressive sexuality.
The quintessence of CALVIN KLEIN’s identity can be discovered, again and again. Like these movies, CALVIN KLEIN is also an American institution, a symbol in and of itself. It reflects one facet of that always-inspiring American Dream. A pair of the brand’s iconic perfume bottles – ETERNITY and OBSESSED – become totemic charms, hanging from belts and handbags like tools, weapons or trophies.
In exploring America, Raf Simons found Andy Warhol – an artist whose work has helped define both the contemporary identity of American culture, and also the world’s perceptions of it. In a unique collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, this collection incorporates a selection of Warhol artworks as placement screen-prints.
The pieces feature portraits of Warhol intimate and art collector Sandra Brant (1971) and the movie star Dennis Hopper (1971). The latter wrote, directed and starred in the film Easy Rider (1969), which has come to define contemporary notions of American machismo.
The curation also includes Knives (1981-2), Electric Chair (1964-65) and Ambulance Disaster (1963-64) from Warhol’s Death and Disaster Series. This body of work depicts real-life horror and trauma, but transforms them into images that resemble film stills – here, they are laid alongside Brant and Hopper, the muses of the collection. Horror is juxtaposed, always, with dreams. It always becomes beautiful. Good always triumphs.
Sat, September 16 2017 » Fashion Blog
DAMIR DOMA SPRING SUMMER 2018 COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
Musings on collecting and the path of a millennial wanderer inflect the Spring Summer 2018 collection by Damir Doma with a radical democracy, as an abstract narrative of pattern and textures defines doma’s cast of characters. Grounded in the familiar, their garments border convention through dynamic gestures of cut and craft, as the patina of time intersects with latent athleticism.
Drawstrings, dissected panels, and asymmetric corset ties create new volumes for an ample silhouette: unexpected draping alters archetypal pieces from the trenchcoat to blousons, blazers, and masculine shirting. Surface effects abound as bleach spots, swirling embroideries, pointillist dot corrosion prints, self-striped jacquards and overpainted fil coupé florals create moments of mixed media in light, fluid layers of cotton silk and linen blends, patchwork denim, silk georgette, crisp poplin, and a mosaic jacquard. The palette diverges from summer neutrals to cold shots of grass green, marigold, violet and lavender.
In partnership with historical Italian label Lotto, a jersey capsule distills the brand’s geometric logo as a bold stamp wound around sportswear separates, whilst their white tennis shoes are finished with a pale terracotta veneer. Artisanal derbies and clogs by officine creative feature grosgrain ankle ties and are crafted in smooth leather and the season’s floral prints.
The new nita sunglasses by Mykita / Damir Doma are constructed in lightweight stainless steel and featured the controlled chaos of a scribble-effect wire frame. Beaten bronze jewellery by slim barrett bears accents of sterling silver in bold wheel motifs and fine fob chain details that hang as earrings, pendants, and brooches.
Sat, July 1 2017 » Fashion Blog
VERSACE SPRING SUMMER 2018 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
Pure Versace – fresh attitude, easy energy and an immediate passion that runs deep. Pinstripes are refreshed and remixed, like pinstripe strong-shouldered tailoring, or shirts where different pinstripes are contrasted and clashed.
The new power of Versace prints: the utility of a tech blouson is contrasted with the romance of its “Balletto” print, while the “Angelo” print appears on a sharp quilted bomber. Versace silk shirts are made modern, with two shirts cut up and combined, or the optical print shirt cropped to just show above the waist of black silk utility shorts.
Knits are playful, like the cotton knit red twinsets with a bead and crystal crown embellishment, or diagonal cut knits that add dynamism to the layers. Biker jackets and pants are given unexpected softness in black silk, complete with quilted padding. Silk pyjamas are the perfect luxury for day.
A classic Versace logo looks totally new, embroidered in white stitches on a baby blue or pale pink T-shirt, worn with matching straight leg jeans. Parachute pants have zips at the side for a volume that’s then gathered by drawstrings, while utility blousons have lattice lacing on the sleeves.
Leather trenches are created from intricate patchworks of leather squares, the corners held as if by a bolt. They come in black or black-and-white check. Baby pink tracksuits are in cotton velour with a baroque jacquard, while stonewash denim jackets are cut and patchworked with Versace denim prints.
Metal chains stitched through tailoring create an eloquent evening take on the pinstripe. The “Cornice” print appears on a sharply tailored silk blazer. A special Women’s capsule collection shows the unity of the Versace world: pinstripes, cut- and-clashed prints, rich embroideries. V-Circle – The Manifesto Edition is a new watch with a unique pied-de-poule dial.
Meanwhile the Aion watch has a bold hexagonal dial. Backpacks come in classic prints. Sneakers are moulded on the heel with the Medusa or Greek Key, while velvet slip-ons are embroidered with crowns.
“This collection is like a homecoming. It’s about the passions that define Versace, the complexity of men, the energy of today.” Donatella Versace
Tue, June 27 2017 » Fashion Blog
MARNI SPRING SUMMER 2018 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
Lost and found. Enjoying life as an act of self-discovery. A well to do boy falls in permanent vacation. Giving up rules, allowing randomness to shape his own bits and pieces. His encounters with strangers turn into garments, liberally. He dresses himself like he was collecting. His pride is the nobility of coincidence. Items left behind, items to be retrieved.
The boy in on a journey, hitchhiking through the city. In a state of dreamy haze, he keeps toying with disparate archetypes: the trench, the safari jacket, the clerk pants, the suit, the windbreaker. XS, M, L: his game of sizing is absent-minded. Ingenuity urges him to paint his shirts, and he enlists the artist Magdalena Suarez to do so.
Automatisms and surreality. A daydreamer, the boy falls asleep to wake up dressed anew. Did he change overnight? Did dreams turn into clothes? Everydayness and symbolism. Office wear, on holiday. A tie, for the beach and tiny sailboats on the suit. Tailored tropical wool, for the boat.
Jamaican nods and bits of the 20s. Misaligned pinstripes, askew neckties. Shrunken, unfinished knits. Maillots de bain that turn into t-shirts, running bibs for imaginary runs in canvas sneakers and striped shorts. The boy finds meaning in the unexpected, enlightenment in letting things happen. He knows that fate and chance know better.
In poignant abandon, he finds himself.
Tue, June 27 2017 » Fashion Blog
Mon, June 26 2017 » Fashion Blog
Mon, June 26 2017 » Fashion Blog
