Classy, Chic, Love. Altuzarra AW15

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although you might assume I didn’t like Altuzarra’s collection by looking at the picture above, you’re mistaken. The shoes on the left are the original Altuzarra lace boots that walked the runway two days ago; while the ones on the right are the super kitsch shoes from faszynfromraszyn.pl, where I sometimes compare fashion trends… but back to the collection – the shoes are the only thing that felt bad in the entire collection. Rest? Best collection by Joseph Altuzarra up to date of his career. It perfectly highlights his biggest signatures – femme fatale mood, feminine silhouettes, chic must-have clothes. With a dose of appealing masculinity for AW15 (tweed!), Altuzarra mixed tailored trousers with collared sheer shirts fox-fur jackets. Fur is a big thing in the collection, too – the super fluffy jackets look like clouds elevated around the models! Anna Ewers look (the pink one, you are going to spot it easily) wins everything.

A major thing for Altuzarra are the bags – with a Woodstock festival attitude, the fringed leather bags definitely will be everywhere – possibly, a significant and iconic bag from America is going to conquer the world? Gucci, take notes. Hah, even the sex-appeal of the clothes slightly remind that Tom-Ford-at-Gucci look… definitely not the gender-fuse one which is boosted by Alessandro Michele at the moment. Coming back to Joseph – now, he’s earning the higher level in the international fashion. Delightful.

50 Shades of Black. Alexander Wang AW15

February 16, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Our customer wants black, so why not do an all-black collection?” Oh dear. It’s the most commercialised sentence I ever heard from anyone in the industry since I started writing. Alexander Wang, really? REALLY? Does this mean, that the label totally went for the masses and decided to be ruled by the customer? Creativity means, that you give an idea to people – this means, that your idea is accepted or not by the person buying, analysing or observing your work. But saying that if they want black, then lets give them black makes me want to puke. Well, the Alexander Wang X HM capsule was already a bad sign (lets not deceive ourselves – the logomania prints and all that polyester & neoprene stuff was dumb). But after this totally black collection (except few pairs of jeans and one white sweater) I lose any respect for Wang. Aside from those Frankenstein boots, everything is so retail-friendly. Every rich teen girl would die to look like Kendall Jenner in one of these black dresses… and, she is going to get it, ’cause Wang knows that the “customer’s always right”.

Minimal Bouquet. Adam Lippes AW15

February 16, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Florals? For spring? Ground-breaking. But effective. And not for spring, in reality, but for winter. Adam Lippes, the master of modern sportswear from New York bloomed this season. Known for minimal silhouettes, Adam had a dose of printed flowers there and there – on the jackets and dresses, for example. But what seriously makes me excited for this collection are the sweaters, which are made from 10 different gauges of wool! That’s a lot. And the effect is as impressive as the numbers – this knitted piece of art seems to be so soft and fluffy that you just want to wear it and hug people around… what else caught my eye? The mink fur coat. Styled with those masculine trousers, this piece of clothing seems to be timeless and never out of fashion. You might think that the collection works totally on fashion basics – but in overall effect, it has much to say this winter.

Jane Eyre and Marimekko. Suno AW15

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

What happens when Jane Eyre’s drama meets Ikea-like Marimekko floral prints? Then, Suno gives a tip. Helena Severin, which opened and closed the show, looked both awesome in the splitted skirt and brocade shirt-dress. Stripes went through beautifully embroidered roses while boots and socks nicely contrasted with over-sized silhouettes. The total favourite look is the one with the slim V-neck dress – attractive, but relaxed. And so Suno duo Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis must be congratulated on their main idea this season, not only for directing themselves to this interesting theme of two strictly different things, but also for attacking it with real vigour, and from unexpected angles.

Warm Things. A Détacher AW15

February 15, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Lately, I’ve got an eye on A Détacher, the label which was found by a Polish native, Mona Kowalska. With her own boutique on Mott Street and eponymous label, Mona is New York’s phenomen. In my opinion, she’s an inspiring, wonder woman, which is rarely spotted by big magazines and websites. Her collections are always true to her philosophy – the clothes should be comfortable, but with an edge.

This time, she continues what she’s best at – warm, soft knitted cardigans, fluffy shoes, tights and calm, but vibrant, prints. But the prints, however, soon gave way to the explosion—literally, with a great black-and-white photoprint of Vesuvius mid-eruption, and more abstractly with a energetic-looking orange and navy print. Although we had volcanos here, we should keep in mind that the clothes had something domestic about them. And hearty. The heavy cable-knit sweaters, suede skirts and semi-ponchos are just few examples. These lifey clothes will definitely find happy homes in the closets of arty women like Kowalska!