Lady-Like & Cartoonish. Rodarte SS20

September 5, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

So here we go again – the official (I emphasize ‘official’, as we’ve already seen Jacquemus in Provance and Vetements in McDonald’s two months ago as the aperitif of the season) fashion month triathlon is upon us! Lets start with Rodarte, which is a brand that navigates between Los Angeles and New York. Kate and Laura Mulleavy took a tactic they tried out for the first time a few seasons ago. No fashion show, but a look-book feauturing women they love and are friends with. This season’s bold, 80s-heavy sequins, ruffles and polka-dots are worn by the always amazing Kristen Dunst (I hope you’re watching On Becoming a God in Central Florida that’s airing now), Yalitza Aparicio, the sisters from Haim band, Margaret Qualley, Rowan Blanchard, Kiernan Shipka and basically all the girls Rodarte dresses for different occasions. All these women have a certain spark that feels so close to Rodarte and its dreamy womanhood concept behind. But put the look-book’s cast apart, there’s nothing ground-breaking about the collection – it’s a signature Rodarte line-up filled with couture-ish gowns. This time, though, the aesthetic feels more like Fragonard’s The Swing remixed with Slim Aarons’ photographs of rich, suburbian families having their garden parties. Lady-like combined with cartoonish. No other brand would pull this off without looking ridiculous.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Folklore, Revamped. Magda Butrym AW19

August 29, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Magda Butrym no longer needs an introduction in the industry. At her core, the Polish designer stands for two things: local hand craftsmanship and fashion that’s playful, yet sophisticated. Her autumn-winter 2019 offers plenty of her signature floral mini dresses in updated silhouettes and statement, 80’s tailoring. But there are also new additions: one of the blazers has a huge black flower attached to it, making the look fantastically exagerrated, but not ridiculous. The handwoven oatmeal sweater is another highlight – it’s backless and comes with waist-cinching ties. As Butrym told Vogue, she’s “inspired by the romantic East”. Well, just look at the pleated silk frock covered in a folk-inspired poppy print and you will get it right away. Each Magda Butrym design is created in an old Warsaw home, where Butrym and her brother have carved out their family business in the old Polish style. She’s a leading Polish designer with countless retailers world-wide, but at the same time she stays where her home is, and consistently fuses her local surroundings with current obsessions, like cowboys or Dolly Parton, in her work.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki, photos Bibi Cornejo Borthwick.

Acid Splash. Ganni SS20

August 10, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

To celebrate a decade of wroking for Ganni, Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup presented their spring-summer 2020 collection at the same venue where they debuted – an outdoor playing field. But this wasn’t a “memory lane” kind of show you could have expected. Of course, the designers included Ganni classics, like pretty floral dresses and heavy, faux python boots. But the collection was all about the acid splash colour palette that’s everywhere lately in mainstream, Instagram fashion. Well, that’s not a surprise – Ganni recycles trends over and over again, but sharpens them up in this edgy, Copenhagen-specific way. There were also some evident inspirations taken from Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s brand, which is known for unlikely matchings that somehow become the new normal. If you read me, then you know I’m on fence with Ganni. But this brand should definitely be praised for the way it made Copenhagen fashion week a phenomenon, and for the way it developed throughout the years.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Slouchy, Relaxed. Rodebjer SS20

August 9, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Slouchy silhouettes touching the earth” – this is how the spring-summer 2020 clothes were described in Rodebjer‘s show-note. I would also add they create a perfect wardrobe for a modern-day jet-set woman, who enjoys her weekends were the sun is out – Marrakech, Lisbon, Malibu. Carin Rodebjer showed her designs on a runway for the first time in several seasons. It was a reminder that her clothes – typically textural, usually fluid, and always balanced between practical and adventurous – look best in motion. The floor-sweeping fringes and draped dresses shades of ochre and curcuma are my highlights. One can’t help noticing some old Céline inspirations, which is actually good. Starving Philophiles, please see Rodebjer next season.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Cool Sweetness. Cecilie Bahnsen SS20

August 8, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Cecilie Bahnsen‘s cloud-like dresses have stolen our hearts seasons ago, and they are still extremely in demand. But it’s really pleasing to see that the Danish designer takes a step outside of her comfort zone and delivers new vocabulary to her label. Only Cecilie could pull off tailoring in such a soft, light away – just see those blazers and pants, they are the highlights of the spring-summer 2020 collection. Also, how can you not love the hand-tied ostrich-feather minidresses? With the pier near Copenhagen’s floating neighborhood of houseboats as a show venue, and the cloudy sky as the background, those fluffy, flowing textures had to look even better in reality than on the photos.