Design & Culture by Ed

It took me a while to fall in love with Clare Waight Keller‘s refined vision at Givenchy, true. But her resort 2019 collection is fire in terms of both, womenswear and menswear. That luxe feeling behind the faux fur coat, slouched boots and kimono-inspired varsity jackets is nothing ground-breaking, yes, but the effect is sublime. Clare delivers classical elegance, which feels both contemporary (satin hoodies there, slouch pants there) and true to the house’s heritage simultaneously. That black & white mini-dress is quintessentially Hubert De Givenchy. Shortly, that’s a delightful set of looks, styled by the greatest Suzanne Koller. I actually can’t wait what Waight Keller plans for the main collection – a tribute to the late founder of the house is probably in progress.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Looking at Demna Gvasalia‘ pre-fall 2018 collection for Balenciaga, it’s quite clear that the designer has fully consolidated his persona into the maison. To such extent, that within his five seasons at the brand he has established cult pieces and cult vibe (like the spandex pantashoes, the Knife mule, the tea-dress, THAT “messy” look). Also, wherever you look, Balenciaga is an international top-seller. But once you take a peek at Gvasalia’s past approach towards fashion (that made everyone feel obsessed with him and his Vetements pals), and see what’s at Balenciaga now, I guess the ‘bad guy’ of fashion dramatically became a success story of the big luxury corporation, Kering. I know a pre-collection should sell, but right now it’s just about flipping prints and switching one neon colour for another. The spark that used to be there with every Balenciaga collection by Gvasalia, even the commercial ones, has gone. Let’s hope it’s a temporary phase…