Always On The Go. Givenchy Resort 2020

June 5, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

For Givenchy‘s resort 2020, Clare Waight Keller digged into the idea of a wardrobe that’s suited for travelling – from daily commuting to long distance voyages. Or, for people like Clare, who travel from London to Paris on a weekly basis, occasionally do shows in Florence (Pitti Uomo is approaching and Givenchy is this year’s guests), dress celebrities for the Met Gala in New York and check on the brand’s ambassadors in Cannes. That’s a busy schedule, and the wardrobe should be ready for anything. “What I’ve seen so much around me, and with my colleagues and friends, are the challenges of dress today when people travel so much,” she says, then laughs, pointing to one of her Resort images of a girl who has a lanyard phone pouch around her neck and a tote in one hand. “The two-bag situation. That is exactly how my life is!” For women, Waight Keller did faux-fur coats in pink and leopard print, as well as masculine coats with military buttons and sharp shape, a beige jumpsuit perfect for entire week and some really, really gorgeous eveningwear which included intriguing lace work. I somehow missed consistency in all that, but still, it’s a wardrobe of staples, ready for very different occasions. Menswear was stronger in this collection, maybe due to the model casting (that blond hair makes anything look good), maybe because of the Givenchy motorcycle helmet which stole the spotlight. Or, it was all because of this fluidity between sportiness and tailoring. A motocross sweatshirt over a shirt and tie, a green 70s suit styled with sneakers, major outerwear put together with over-sized denim pants. There’s something very Riccardo-Tisci-era Givenchy about it, but done without overhyped prints.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Fun is Key. Thom Browne Resort 2020

June 4, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

“When quality is so important, I think you also have to counterbalance that with something that makes it seem not so serious. Fun is key.” This is how, in two sentences, Thom Browne explained the quintessence of his ready-to-wear line, which is presented as pre-collections (the fashion shows in Paris are ready-to-wear too, but on a very different level…). For resort 2020, Browne showed his signatures, like cropped suits (this time in cute, dolphin print) and impeccably tailored coats in a not-just-for-business kind of attitude. It’s a classic Thom Browne collection, cheered up with a gorgeous vinyl rain-coat in yellow and white rubber boots with the brand’s signature tricolour tag.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Donna, Calvin, Ralph. Alexander Wang SS20

June 3, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

I’ve been on fence with Alexander Wang lately – his fashion week schedule skipping and temporary identity crisis not only seemed to make him less visible (especially here in Europe), but also… less relevant. But something has sparked in his spring-summer 2020 collection he showed a few days ago in New York (three months ahead of all designers who are based in the city). It was really, really good. It was Alexander Wang we all loved years ago. It was badass, cool, energetic. And, smart. This season, the designer paid tribute to three designers who changed American fashion in the late 20th century, and whose aesthetical impect is still perceivable across the world. Donna Karan. Her stretch jersey bodysuits and big shoulders were the epitome of power dressing in the 1980s, and Wang included all of her signature codes in the opening looks. Calvin Klein. Denim, sex, but also minimalism – all these three couldn’t be missed by Wang, and he pulled them off just the right way. Ralph Lauren. The eternal flannel plaid, suede fringes, corduroy, ribbed knits and luxe cowboy look were all here. Those three designers not only reshaped American fashion, but also made their own take on athleisure go global. Most of today’s 30+ designers in the U.S. were growing up with those names, and Wang’s sporty sensibility is especially built on their foundation. Admitting this so loudly is more than excellent I think.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Women. Khaite Resort 2020

June 2, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

After three years of existence, Catherine Holstein‘s Khaite is well-known throughout the industry and obsessed over by women of varying ages, occupations, and tastes around the world. This New York-based brand, recently nominated for Emerging Designer of the Year by CFDA Awards, does clothes according to the idea ‘from a woman to women’. From confident tailoring and Southwestern-inspired daywear to entrance-making, but unpretentious eveningwear, the resort 2020 collection has it all. You just can’t ignore Khaite’s velvet little black dress or denim pants with a suede finishing. A tulle dress, which might sound like a challenge, looks surprisingly approachable. And super lightweight. Those women-lead brands from New York (The Row, Rosie Assoulin, Bode, Colina Strada, Batsheva…) are so, so good. Khaite’s on the list.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

So Batsheva. Batsheva Resort 2020

May 31, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Batsheva is the fashion brand on everybody’s lips in New York. And not only. Her signature prairie dress has already left a mark on fashion, seeing very, very similar silhouettes at other brands (like at the just launched, first capsule collection from The Marc Jacobs). But Batsheva Hay seems to be unbothered. Her loyal clients will buy the original idea at its source. And her resort 2020 lookbook doesn’t just sell the clothes. It sells a fresh view at fashion, which is more of an outsider’s perspective. Here, Batsheva herself is the model, and her photographer husband, Alexei, takes the photos. They ran around Manhattan shooting the collection quite spontaneously, in their favorite places together. No makeup. No stylists. Just a married couple marking some of their most cherished spots in the city where both grew up. So, what do we have? Of course, the prairie dress, in new colours, lenghts and prints. We also have Victorian blouses and a gorgeous, voluminous skirts in gingham. One of the dresses with a turtleneck was sewn from a sourced, U.S.A. flag. Flared pants in leopard print, styled with a matching dress, look hot. With every season, the designer makes you want to come back for more of her clothes, her kind of ‘basics’, that are quintessentialy… Batsheva.