In 1642, during troubled times in an unstable England, a fleet of twelve ships set sail for The Netherlands to deliver Princess Mary to her husband William of Orange. It was the eve of the English Civil War. On one of the boats was Jean Kerr, Duchess of Roxburgh and lady—in—waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria, consort of King Charles I of England. Kerr had a covert mission to sell England’s crown jewels in order to raise money for the Royalist cause. Her boat sank off the Dutch coast before she could complete her mission.
Begins
300 years later we find Erdem’s woman at the moment she lands on the shores of 1930s Deauville in northern France. She is part of an army of women that has landed here with the sense of a mission. There is an urgency and a tension in her promenade across the boardwalk at Les Planches. She has survived and been revived, with a fragile but determined spirit of strength: her mission today is a different kind of liberation.
Her wardrobe hints at her belonging to another time in history, with cuts, materials, colours and motifs that remember 1650s England. They have been tempered with the louche, flowing freedom of 1930s Deauville fashions. The juxtaposition of formality and informality is striking. She is almost dishevelled, but powerful still. Elements of 1650s English fashion become something different in 1930s Deauville: undergarments become sundresses, bustier cuts feel like bikinis, distressed tweeds, brocades and fill coupé necklines, with ripped organza details sewn—in, feel regal with a hint of impropriety.
Across the collection there is delicacy and tension of structure unravelling. Her clothes swing from floating shipwrecked dresses in tulle and chiffon, to weightier more structured outfits cut to fall from her shoulders. Effervescent chiffon dresses, made up of strips that unravel as they reach the ground, feel ethereal alongside frothy printed voile shirt—dresses with spiralling, asymmetric hems. Bolder red, blue and yellow lace tulle dresses appear like military banners from forgotten times. Ottoman with distorted effects, patchwork dresses, mille—feuille ruffles and frayed tweeds add layers of deconstructed texture.
Cropped army jackets and taffeta jacquard dresses with hand—embroidered motifs are a subtle suggestion of her bygone role. Crowns, bows, and cross insignia appear across the embroideries, together with the Roman numeral XII, in reference to the twelve ships that set out to sea. She is wearingjewels that might have been rescued or stolen, heavy mismatched earrings and hat pins that become brooches. Haunting hand—moulded black panama sunhats, with irregular pie crust edges, shield her identity as much as the sun.
The shoes she wears to stalk the boardwalk are a combination of 16505 shapes with a modern edge, in silk jacquard, snakeskin and suede. Platforms from the 17th Century and historic court slippers feel oddly contemporary. She has landed at a time when war is once again on the horizon. The days of high summer here are tinged with tension, but for now she has survived and she feels courageous, whatever tomorrow may hold.
Ends
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Tags: ERDEM, ERDEM SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Tue, September 20 2016 » Fashion Blog
A new manifesto for Versus Versace – real attitude and a real wardrobe for a fresh generation. The tough authenticity of leather jackets is contrasted with the fresh femininity of pleat miniskirts, while a leather mini has its belt left provocatively loose.
Cutaway dresses expose the shoulder and stomach with daring sexuality, heightened by its silver zip that runs defiantly down the back. Zip-up bombers are cropped, some with exaggerated collar, or oversized and belted, worn almost like a dress.
Parachutes nylon coats with panels of scuba have fluidity and a utilitarian toughness, especially worn with a wide belt at the chest and scuba pants. Iconic metal mesh has been reborn, bonded over the hips of sporty scuba dresses, then shredded and destroyed for an uncompromising new mood.
Metal mesh is used in innovative new ways, such as the metal mesh base of a double-layer tank, its nylon layer decorated with laminated metal mesh. A brand new Versus print is collaged from hand-drawn takes on animal prints, the vertical stripes intercut with random flashes of vivid color.
Knits are essential: in jacquards of the new Versus print; as sleek takes on army ribbed sweaters, or with a layer of metal mesh to show through fringing.
Night-time is about destroyed denim in slouchy boyfriend cuts, lined with metal or crystal mesh to show through the rips and tears. Minimalist heels are held at the ankle by a broad leather strap like a belt, the same detail that toughens up a leather box handbag.
Menswear mirrors and expands on women’s, especially the leather jackets, bombers and utilitarian silhouettes, and the use of bonded metal mesh. Watches add extra energy, like the Fire Island with its strap decorated with 3D lion heads and studs, or the urban spirit of the Tokyo Rubber.
“This is about everything real. It’s about how the Versus Versace generation live their lives, and the wardrobe that gives them power.” Donatella Versace
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Tags: SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017, VERSUS VERSACE, VERSUS VERSACE SS 2017
Tue, September 20 2016 » Fashion Blog
A modernist interpretation of early 20th century Russian court dress, Spring/Summer 2017 marks David Koma’s first far-reaching foray into period costume. Through his typical 1960s lens, the designer – who was raised in Saint Petersburg not far from the Winter Palace – explores the grace and grandeur of the Romanov family, from the dramatic glamour of the tsarinas’ wardrobes to the graphic opulence of the imperial family’s beloved Fabergé eggs.
Uniform elements set a regal tone for the collection in hussar rope braid and loop closures, which appear throughout, evoking the image of women in military-inspired garments. The volume of the royal dress code of the time is introduced in capacious gigot sleeves, sliced across the shoulders to reveal the décolletage and applied to David Koma’s distinct strict structuring in dresses and tailoring.
Garments take on a princely air, such as a top sculpted like a tailed waistcoat. Majesty and modernism are further fused in the collection’s vast embellishment, which imitates the delicate ornamentation of Fabergé eggs. Intricate diamond patterns in crystal cover the surface of fabrics and fade into cut-outs at the hem.
Elaborate embroidery of white ceramic and neon stones bejewel garments like they were armour, while the Romanov’s signature sumptuousness meets futurism in Plexiglass and chain macramé constructions. In a final royal synthesis, court dress meets contemporary sportswear in shocks of acid green amongst black, white, and beige.
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Tags: DAVID KOMA, DAVID KOMA SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Tue, September 20 2016 » Fashion Blog
Mon, September 19 2016 » Fashion Blog
Mon, September 19 2016 » Fashion Blog
It’s an audacious play for any designer: a full length opera and a runway show scheduled to debut over two cities within 24 hours. For Gareth Pugh, a designer known for an intense creative method and obsessive attention to detail, it’s an unequivocal expression of confidence and determination.
Eliogabalo – written by Francesco Cavalli in 1667 for the Venice Carnival – opened last night at the Palais Garnier in Paris, with over sixty costumes created by the designer. Based on the life of the eponymous anti-hero, it’s the story of a child emperor in imperial Rome, an obscene tyrant and self proclaimed sun god – a narrative that struck Pugh as oddly prescient:
“He’s an agent of chaos, a crowned anarchist, emerging amid a climate of greed and narcissism. It’s essentially about an empire eating itself – which felt alarmingly relevant. I knew that this was where we had to start this season, reframing those themes against a contemporary backdrop. And then, above it all, a single recurring motif: the totemic symbol of the sun. In one way the sun is a symbol of creation and warmth – an explosion of power and life – but it can also represent tyrannical power and destruction. So I wanted to explore that duality, to show two sides of the same coin, but for grace to triumph over nature.”
That this evening’s show opens with a black sun – a hole, a void – is in part a reference to the impotent fury of Francis Bacon’s Pope Innocent X, his gaping mouth described by the designer as “the ultimate symbol of insatiable hunger and consumption,” his ecclesiastical vestments largely responsible for the shock of purple that surfaces elsewhere in the collection.
This opening look clearly plays to the performative aspect of power, which is a theme that runs throughout the entire first movement, most pointedly via a series of garments seemingly decorated in a form of gold bullion. Look closer and what first appears as an opulent display of wealth is in fact a mosaic design based upon the chaos symbol.
As the story unfolds, this gilded rigour is shattered – quite literally – as regal silhouettes gradually give way to a relaxed earthy ease, and a cast of square-shouldered bureaucrats are overrun by a shit-kicking phalanx, draped in solar strobe.
Signifying a return to the source, the sunburst motif – intended by Pugh to represent fertility, mysticism and a sense of renewal – is, in the designer’s own words, “a ray of light emerging from the darkness.”
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Tags: Gareth Pugh, GARETH PUGH SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Sun, September 18 2016 » Fashion Blog
FREE TO ROAM
A chaotic sense of freedom.
Josef Koudelka’s photography of 1960s and 1970s Gypsy communities from the Eastern Bloc.
Noa Eshkol patchwork art.
Frills, flounce, florals and flare.
Embroidered netting negligee, punchy gingham shirting and graphic sequin embellishment.
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Tags: HOUSE OF HOLLAND, HOUSE OF HOLLAND SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Sun, September 18 2016 » Fashion Blog
Ralph Lauren Presents The September Collection
The Ralph Lauren September Collection, presented in a first-of-its-kind fashion experience, embraces the elegant heritage of Ralph Lauren’s design aesthetic and takes it in a special and unexpected direction as the runway is reinvented.
In celebration of the company’s first runway-to-retail fashion show, Ralph Lauren creates an especially sophisticated and modern collection that offers hints of playfulness in its use of embellishment, color, pattern and silhouette.
“I have always been inspired by the rugged beauty and romance of the American West. The September Collection is imbued with that spirit, but reinterpreted in a modern glamorous way for the woman whose style is both personal and luxurious,” said Ralph Lauren.
Intricate feminine elements imbue a natural elegance and distinctive style, from jet-black beading and leather macramé to petal appliques. A unique contrast emerges with clean, architectural shapes in rich, flowing fabrics.
A western-style belt, a timeless signature of Ralph Lauren, is the starting point of inspiration, as it offers incredible detail and craftsmanship but also a unique opportunity to twist an iconic item into something new that’s exciting, chic and urban.
The same has been done with other classically western elements, including embroidery, southwestern blanket and beacon patterns, distressed leather, fringed suede and well-worn studs.
Ralph Lauren’s legendary ease and elegance are effortlessly and luxuriously reimagined in updated interpretations of iconic silhouettes such as the serape, poncho ranch coat and leather jacket.
The September Collection is available now at global flagship Ralph Lauren stores, top retail partners and RalphLauren.com.
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Tags: RALPH LAUREN, RALPH LAUREN SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Fri, September 16 2016 » Fashion Blog
“East Coast meets West Coast. For Spring/Summer 2017, we begin out East, hostess chic to cool prep. From there, we continue to the free-spirited beach towns of the West Coast. It’s about contrast: graphic motifs and engineered prints, rope and rickrack, pearls and macramé, mules and moccasins, structured and bohemian ease. Relaxed and effortless…quintessential American style.” — Tory Burch
Silhouettes: Structured tailoring—empire waists, wide-legged sailor pants and tomboy blazers—softens as the collection moves West with breezy dresses, peasant blouses and board shorts. Voluminous hostess skirts with sweeping hemlines are paired with crop tops that play on proportion while tunics and caftans round out the collection, putting the emphasis on effortless style.
Palette: Orchid pink and green—a classic preppy pairing—ocean blues and bold reds give way to sunwashed oranges, yellows and periwinkle blues, balanced by soft neutrals of white, ivory and sand.
Prints & Patterns: The collection opens with a graphic garden motif, regatta stripes and nautical prints—followed by bohemian batiks and patchwork florals. A placed wave print subtly references the surf scene.
Fabrications: The season’s coastal contrast carries through to a mix of fabrics —from linen burlap and cotton knits to silk shantung and delicate fil coupe—and embellishments. Appliqued patches, rickrack. and pearl details provide dimension while fringed macramé and criss-cross lacing lend an easy, undone vibe. Metallic threadwork and moonstones add shimmer and shine.
Accessories: A relaxed, effortless mood extends down the accessories, from mules and moccasins to pearl-embellished slides and ruffled sneakers from Tory Sport. A convertible handbag with wooden handles brings nostalgic appeal while jewelry draws inspiration from the sea with articulated fish collars and cuffs and cowrie shell charms.
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Tags: SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017, TORY BURCH, TORY BURCH SS 2017
Thu, September 15 2016 » Fashion Blog
Spring 2017
Midnight at the Victorian Rodeo
“It’s my reaction to the current mood in culture…
Somehow playful austerity seems to be a new sensuality.”
Phillip Lim
The soul of late ‘50s Nashville – love, innocence, and heartbreak – crooning over a Victorian romanticism.
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Tags: 3.1 PHILLIP LIM, 3.1 PHILLIP LIM SS 2017, SPRING SUMMER WOMEN 2017
Thu, September 15 2016 » Fashion Blog
