Colour and precision. As in the work of two giants of photography: the primary colours of Erwin Blumenfeld’s covers for Vogue America in the ’40s and ’50s, and the iconic statue-like precision of Cecil Beaton’s black and white shots.
Rochas’ new summer collection juxtaposes and overlaps dense blocks of contrasting light. Yellow, sky blue, mandarin, lilac and green. Decoration disappears and the spotlight is on construction. Pleats, drapery, flounces. The glorious tailoring of the forties is back in the lines, volumes and silhouettes of every creation. And underskirts add substance to the dream, without ever indulging in nostalgia.
Fabrics are sumptuous: devoré velvet and floral jacquards, masterpieces of hand weaving that transforms spring into brocade and adds opulence. In dresses, shirts and above all reversible coats: creations that do away with the boundaries between daywear and eveningwear, in a triumph of flowers.
Black and white tulle, lace and plumeti bring lingerie to mind, while the colour palette veers from bright colours to the quieter powdery hues of the most refined, ethereal part of the collection.
Hem lengths all touch below the knee. Allure joins the couture spirit of the tradition and petites mains of maison Rochas with a more modern attitude, as if a contemporary Teddy Girl were to put on a formal gown, a family heirloom, and wear it in a casual, unprejudiced way.
As is always the case with Rochas, accessories provide the punctuation in a statement about who you are. Platform sandals with wooden soles and sling- back straps are lit up with colourful ribbons, or adorned with fabrics from the collection (jacquard and dévoré) like memories, echoes of dancehall wallpaper.
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Tags: ROCHAS, ROCHAS SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
For summer 2017, Bouchra Jarrar, creative director of Lanvin, presents her vision of woman. This first catwalk show unveils her vocabulary with allure and style: « This first season at Lanvin is an opening.»
« I’ve been exploring the paths of sensuality and intimacy, building clothes around the body, unveiling and veiling the silhouette. I’m searching for essential and harmony. I love to dress women, to reveal them to themselves, to sublime them, to cross borders between feminity and masculinity. Hence a wardrobe which shall evolve and echo itself from one season to the other »
Fabrics
Silk chiffon ; silk georgette ; satin and mirror satin ; crepe de chine ; asymmetrical lace ; organza.
Tweed ; mirror jersey ; albene.
Dipped lambskin ; cracked python.
Lacquered fur.
Cristals embroderies ; silvergilt chains ; chain mail ; embroidered flowers.
Essentials
Lavallière dress ; Modesty dress ; tied waist dress
Sleeveless coat ; trench coat ; shawl collar coat ; double lapple jacket ; perfecto jacket.
Plastron shirt ; spencer jacket ; tuxedo.
Jewelled shoes ; jewelled bags in water snake leather
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Tags: Lanvin, LANVIN SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
A pyramid of ideas informs the Défilé collection in a stream of consciousness from the Artisanal universe, as Maison Margiela explores a curious alignment of elegance and modernity. Spring Summer 2017 settles upon the merging vocabularies of archetypal, sports, and historical references: extracting the spectacular from the mundane for a triumphant reinvention of heritage.
A pivotal collection emerges through the house vocabulary defined by Creative Director John Galliano, with a dynamic sense of unconscious glamour. A cross-pollination of codes draws the eye to focus in desire and delight.
“The mission of Maison Margiela is to reject convention, and our evolving proposition stimulates nostalgia and innovation in equal parts. We believe that familiarity must be unsettled and spontaneous, with an intrinsic strangeness.” – Maison Margiela
MATERIALS
It is only through an encyclopaedic knowledge of textiles that their innate properties may be subverted into new forms. Applied as such, sports mesh is ruched into flouncing blouse shoulders, or ripstop nylon embroidered as ribbons on fluorescent lace. Industrial vulcanized cotton finds new softness as a trench coat in palest celadon green, whilst bouclé mohair and wetsuit neoprene are fused with crochet. Tattersall checked cotton, striped poplin, classic gabardine and wool gauze are interrupted by the omnipresent metaphor of the lining in tessel- lated bird print nylon.
TECHNIQUE
Everyday garments take on new lives when their archetypal structures are questioned and transformed by new compositions and finishes. Here the ‘anonymity’ of the lining emerges anew: the collar of a suspended trench dress falls as a new empire line, cabans are dissected down the lapel to expose wading, and a sports mesh smock sweeps into a Watteau-back. The toggled elastic, safety buckles, and drawstrings of a hiker’s backpack cinch the body in technical tops and dresses for a play of ruched volume. Moments of graphic embellishment arrive as fractured mirror effect embroidery, braided rubber balloon trims, ‘propaganda’ screen-prints, and po- etic cotton needlepoint on silk or velvet.
PALETTE
Both upending and conforming to the colour signifiers of a traditional garment, the colour card defies expecta- tion. Within a single garment, traditional grey men’s wear checks, taupe outerwear, and hi-vis sports hues are paired with eccentric touches of neon-tone knitwear, jewel-toned metallic leather or sheer organza, and bright raincoat yellow cotton.
ACCESSORIES
The signature 5AC bag returns in a multitude of original treatments and finishes, from nylon and leather quilting to braided saddlery details, and silver mirror leather burnished with a neon edge. A new saddle bag rethinks the leather satchel in unique oval proportions, featuring a multi-functional strap system that is worn as a handbag, shoulder bag, and backpack. Mykita x Maison Margiela sunglasses are embedded with chandelier crystals, a technique replicated in transparent arm cuffs, collars, and wire halo earrings. The scuba tabi boot features a moulded rubber sole, and an ornate jacquard upper strapped in Velcro.
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Tags: MAISON MARGIELA, MAISON MARGIELA SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
TROPICO ITALIANO
The starting point is no longer the outfit itself. It’s the desire to tell our story, reveal an emotion, a way of life. In this way, people no longer purchase a piece of clothing but a memory, a love, a special moment, a DNA. Our DNA is the South and all the symbols that represent it: flowers, pasta, bread, good luck charms, shells, fish, religious symbols, music, ice cream, drinks, dolls, biscuits, forks, spoons, pizza and Mandolin.
All of this is love, is #DGFamily.
Dolce & Gabbana © Copyright 2016
Tags: DOLCE & GABBANA, DOLCE & GABBANA SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
Letting go to explore the desert, under the sun, with a hat, in glaring heat: a romantic, rebellious idea. Thinking of Tina Modotti, with her longing for explorations and her deeply Italian roots. Lyrical images of workers, interiors, landscapes, botanicals and a love of roses that touches the spirit of Blumarine.
Easy forms are charged with a sensuality that is carnal yet thoughtful. The dry environment and the nomadic feel suggest a need for realness and a quest for simplicity, which at night leaves way to an intense vibration. Surfaces get textural and tactile, opposing the delicate and the sturdy.
The dress is stripped bare of everything, recalling Modotti’s choice to dye all her dresses black to mourn her lovers. Blouses are paired with round skirts. Flounces appear throughout. Passion bursts suddenly, in tropical flowers blooming as woodcut prints or embroideries.
The crafty touch of raffia details and inlay works. Pure white and pinks. Natural straw and raffia. Black and chocolate brown. Physicality, presence, mystery depict a scene of rebellious romanticism.
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Tags: BLUMARINE, BLUMARINE SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, October 5 2016 » Fashion Blog
With courageous experimentation and a contemporary aesthetic, the style is fueled by paradox and hybridization, the security of tradition and the absurdities of modern life.
For the Trussardi Women’s Collection Spring/Summer 2017, Gaia Trussardi uses fashion as a sort of universal dialog to unite worlds, cultures and questions on the consequences of the post-modern age.
What we know about Italian elegance and upper-class society, the core elements of the Trussardi aesthetic, is combined with the often misunderstood and dissonant elements of countercultures and the Digital Age, like a rap song mixing past and present with a frenetic beat.
References are philosophical and pop: on one hand there is Theodor W. Adorno and his post-modern theories, while on the other is the cinematic drift of Baz Luhrmann, the director of film masterpieces such as Romeo+Juliet and Moulin Rouge and the recent TV series The Get Down.
The Elegantly Pop concept boldly reinterprets, revives and revs up the finest tradition, giving it a contemporary vibe. The uptown wardrobe features Lurex leggings with graphic prints resembling trainer pants. The reassuring, tasteful minimalist colors of the late seventies clash with the glossy, dazzling hues of the eighties. Logo motifs are printed on shantung and gauze that are used instead of wool for the new “pop suit”.
Oversized jackets, made of shiny leather in vibrant colors or suede in subtle, dusty shades, are worn over pencil skirts or with high-waisted tapered jeans. Denim shines with silvery laminated elements given a craquelé effect. Logo prints dominate and contrast. The flat cable-stitching of country club knits is transformed into ghetto-style trim on oversized trousers. Python leather in Pop Art hues is used to accent more classic pieces like the frame of a videogame image.
Accessories are just as bold. Footwear features the square-toe loafer, while boot heels are decorated with a multicolored leather patchwork motif. Trussardi’s new iconic Lovy Bag dazzles with polka dots, logo prints, and colorful shiny leathers.
Even the jewelry exclusively created for Trussardi by young jewelry designer Maria Vittoria Paolillo perfectly blends with and completes the looks.
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Tags: SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017, Trussardi, TRUSSARDI SS 2017
Thu, September 29 2016 » Fashion Blog
Purity. Essential to the Missoni Summer 2017 Collection: characterized by an informai and relaxed elegance and exemplified in the tank dresses that adhere to the body. Overlays of ribbed headbands, sarong scarves and petite cardigans tied at the waist define the silhouette.
Deep v-necks. Pieces with tromp-l’oeil effects. Lines that caress the body in micro dresses and fresh bathing suits and bikinis with micro tops and high-cut bottoms fashioned from lightweight space-dye knitwear. Illuminated by dazzling gold lamé that accentuates the spectacular nature and sensuality of the each individual piece, transforming them into precious jeweled objects.
The soft versatility of Missoni knitwear plays a principle part in the collection; evermore refined and exclusive due to our unique and innovative knitting techniques.
Textures are shaved, perforated, raised, elaborated, compacted and weightless; as delicate and airy as a spider’s web. Irregular color blocking is mixed with malachite or tiger stripes. Embroidered lace-knits and space-dye meshes are enhanced by brilliantly intense contrasts of yellow, turquoise, coral, sand, white and black.
New tones, stitches and compositions superimpose themselves to create differing lights and weights, creating aesthetically-rich variations. Knitwear plays on geometric forms while imitating the markings of solid stone and the natural surface erosion of rocks and pebbles.
Large, colorfully-lacquered disk earrings and talismanic bijoux inspired by exotic masks playfully accentuate looks that are completed by babouche slippers made from knitted patchworks and space-dyes, in foiled leather or decorated intarsia designs in a halide scope of vibrant colors.
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Tags: MISSONI, MISSONI SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, September 28 2016 » Fashion Blog
Fausto Puglisi has been inspired to present his women’s collection in Milan in a new dramatic environment and format. He collaborated on the fashion experience with Armando Punzo the artistic director of the Fortezza Theatre in Volterra. Puglisi arrived at his creative concept this summer as he traveled to his home of Sicily and was emotional and visually affected by the dark landscape, ruined architecture and historical oppression of the South of Italy.
But as he reached his home he thought of the strong, authoritative women who in contrast inhabited this region over the years. “The world in many ways has one south that is genuinely part of me” said Puglisi. “The south that instinctively mixes ancient traditions with a sense of freedom and explosive passion. The south that has an underlying restlessness, a place of ancestral meanings, the south that melts old and new traditions.”
As seen in different ways in his design vocabulary, Sicily and South Florida have the same fascination for Fausto. They have an intensity, the capability of producing beauty with contrast and clashes, creating vivid aesthetics that are highly distinctive as seen in full force in this collection.
Puglisi’s spring/summer designs are a liberating scream against all entrapments, a rebellious act – driven by aesthetics – towards an idea of beauty, pleasurable and hypnotic. Reassuring but reactionary. The dream is to use boundaries to overcome them, always knowing that the sanctity of the female body goes through a sincere narrative. The set, a three story industrial structure though which the models traveled, was enlaced with architectural and other iconography.
“I thought about a shrine in which every woman can be a Goddess – like Minerva, powerful, immortal and fearless. And of course beautiful in her own ways” said Puglisi. Italy has been the temple of decorations since the Byzantine’s sense of luxury lured the masses towards an increasingly popular Catholic movement.
The iconography is also part of many cultures of South Florida. Puglisi absorbs this heritage to narrate its soft and gentle, sweet side. With hand painted prints evoking Eighteen Century wallpaper patterns, he creates a contrasting balance with his signature color blocking. The cross, a symbol of the Catholic iconography is used as a graphic sketched pattern. The washed denim, sewn together with leather, marks the fine line between rules and unapologetic freedom.
Puglisi’s iconic pieces are all there: the biker jacket, the boyfriend shirt, the varsity bomber, the caban, the oversize t-shirt. This collection is mostly a hymn to falling house of cards, to oppressive walls that collapse, to obscure ideologies that often become reality. It’s the constant quest for freedom of expression that incessantly moves Puglisi on this personal creative path.
The Fausto Puglisi Spring/Summer 2017 fashion event took place at a former theatre in Milan. Puglisi’s body of work is a study in bold contrasts, and reflects his Italian origins as well as his fascination with all facets of American culture.
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Tags: FAUSTO PUGLISI, FAUSTO PUGLISI SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Wed, September 28 2016 » Fashion Blog
UPTOWN MEETS DOWNTOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR
Dressing up and crossing town to let it all out on the dance floor, the Dsquared2 woman of next summer is royalty on the streets of the 80s. Her look is high color, high glam mixed with marching band uniform details.
Adorning herself in symbols of luxe—animal prints, plush mink, sequins and ribbons, the Dsquared2 femme of next summer rotates a lineup of mini-dresses, bodysuits, skirts and glitzed-up denim. Every piece is laden with detail. Puffed shoulders decorated with grosgrain ribbon bows, top embroidered jackets, and mini skirts are finished with rouche bunches of silk faille.
Slinky mini dresses are lush in color and texture: silk shoulders, transparent bodices appliquéd with military-style black or gold bouillon, the skirt in contrast zebra stripes or leopard spots. Ornate embroidery work covers cropped bomber jackets: one features gold Dsquared2 house crests and gold metal lace ribbons and livery embroidery, another in leopard spots embellished with black beads.
Black diagonal stripes on skirts and tops are covered with gauzy chiffon. Sitting low on the hips, oversized jeans are cropped or long. Ultra-treatments including dappled acid-washes, white-out bleaching, rips and darns are glamourized in several looks with a coating of glossy transparent sequins or allover crystals.
Surreal-inspired motifs are hammered into enamel laden metal accessories topped with grosgrain bows. A jeweled eye, open lips smoking a cigarette, a cross and a heart are then crafted into earrings, brooches and decorative hardware on satin pointed toe sling-backs, and open-toe stiletto boots that lace up with velvet ribbons.
Diverse sized DD bags—in the collection’s sequin studded plaids, glossy satins and animal prints—have handles designed to link together. The new mini sized DD with a top handle is made for joining the party on the dance floor.
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Tags: DSQUARED2, DSQUARED2 SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Tue, September 27 2016 » Fashion Blog
CASTAWAY ROMANCE
A seductive endless summer
Who hasn’t dreamed of leaving everything behind and running away to a tropical island? This desire inspires the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini Spring Summer 2017 girls.
I imagined a gathering of disenchanted, sensual castaways on an island in the Southern seas, dancing on the beach while wearing 19th century clothing found in ancient trunks, washed to shore by the current.
Icon: Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon
Clothing to be reinterpreted and styled in the spirit of a modern Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon.
Collection: 19th century Romanticism with unmistakable 80s accents give a playful, summery vibe to the Philosophy SS17 collection.
Sensual dresses, fluid and asymmetrical; soft, woven cotton sweaters; rich skirts with raw cut edges; voluminous tops cinched by corsaire belts.
Dresses are layered, appearing sensual and light, hanging from delicate straps.
The black and white color palette is alternated with different shades of mauve and pink. Light, multicolored lace and brilliant tropical prints.
Lorenzo Serafini
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Tags: PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI, PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Tue, September 27 2016 » Fashion Blog
