HC: DIOR SS14

Slide06 The Dior couture show for SS14 was a perfect marriage of modern elegance and sport chic. The sheer, flawless dresses made out of high-tech fabrics looked simple and comfortable, while they were worn not with classical stilettos, but with… trainers. Yes. The haute couture show was accompanied by sporty footwear. And I must admit- I am insanely in love with this idea. The new vision of couture created by Raf Simons is about paying attention to detail, but making it all comfortable… but still expensive and luxurious. As always, the collection was presented in Musee Rodin, that was for time being transformed into a white, hand sculpted room where the show took place. What I loved was the 60’s approach of prints and colours. And of course the feminine touch Raf Simons challenges every season at Dior!zdjęcie 1 Slide07 Slide08 _ON_1464.450x675 Slide09 Slide10 Slide11 Slide12

HC: SCHIAPARELLI SS14

Slide01Elsa Schiaparelli created a super succesful couture label known all around the world before World War II. Known for abstractive prints, surrealistic shapes and strange head decorations, Schiaparelli was the IT brand. But, unfortunately fashion industry got so useless within the war, that even beauty of her creations stopped to make people smile. Till now, when on 20th of January of 2014 in Paris the first runway collection was presented, being designed by ex-Rochas designer, Marco Zanini. And it was a circus. The designer made Schiaparelli more a… ready-to-wear collection than Couture. Seriously- white shirt with a black blazer. Nicely decorated gowns. This is all standart for RTW. The collection was between past and now- the same prints and head-covers from Elsa’s time and the modern part, so more minimalistic- done by… well, as I remember Marco wasn’t a fan of minimalism at Rochas. So why the blast of creativity, beauty and fairy-tale couturier dreams were so tamed? Only Stella Tennant in blue hair positevely shocked me…
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HC: ATELIER VERSACE SS14

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In few words about Donatella Versace’s ‘fantastic’ creation for SS14’s Couture season. Taking Azzedine Alaia’s biggest hits like the Grace Jones purple gown, and making it more Barbie by putting crystals and diamonds on it is not creativity. It’s copying. I understand young designers like Olivier Rousting orAnthony Vaccarello who are inspired by Alaia- they look for new in old. But Donatella? It’s even not Gianni legacy. The collection was so horribly #rich-bish-champagne-cool… that even Lady Gaga -who took photos with every guest like Abercombie&Fitch boys on the entrance to the store- couldn’t help it. Maybe less glitter puke but more… Real Versace couture?

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HC: Untitled Couture AW13

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There is no word that really can express the Maison Martin Margiela Haute Couture collection for AW13. It’s as always untitled, I would say, taken from laboratory and still not checked. There is such big splendour of styles, fabrics in one collection, that it’s strange it all works out together, even if it not. Latex trousers reminding of jeans and a white vinyl top with a classical Margiela veil opened the show, without music, special decorations and colours. It’s not a show, but a presentation of art. This is the first time when Margiela team work with Swarovski, to create jewellery and even… Boots! The heels of these amazing boots had a Swarovski crystal outgrow that looked fascinating. Just as the unique horse nail “finger” space in Maison Martin Margiela shoes!
The collection based a lot on embroidery inspired with Asian flowers. Mostly, all looks had something of flowers- veils, vests, skirts… There was a visible hand work on everything, even on scares that were held by few models. What I enjoyed most in the collection was mixing denim and art, that’s rare in couture. The look were a model wears casual pair of jeans, marble face veil and a flower embroidered vest is my favourite. It is very different and just untitled!

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If talking of more art than couture that’s still classified as fashion, Iris Van Herpen is located definitely in this uncertain spot. “Beyond Wildness” was the title of her 11 looks collection. But, each look was steeped into the nature- it was a deep forest dress, with the spirit of Japan and the surface of a wild wood or branches as light as cobwebs as strange nature inspired decoration.
Working with artist Jolan van der Wiel, who created the magnetically grown surfaces (sounds amusing) and many other artists, Van Herpen created a collection that is really out of that world. But the designer still has to think over all her ideas, before creating the scientific collections with it’s clear message. Photos of the backstage and collection are taken from T Magazine!

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HC: Ulyana Sergeenko AW13

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Ulyana Sergeenko third Haute Couture show was a third disappointment. Sorry, but for me she is not a designer, but a wife of a rich guy in Russia that decided one day to be a fashion designer. This is kind of sad because some people think that Ulyana in reality is an ultra talented designer… This season was a plunder in Sergeenko’s Grandma wardrobe- with ugly, velvet, black dresses, fur coats and flower embroideries that looks totally the same as last winter. It’s all a mirror view of the designer style- everybody seems to know from street style pics, that Sergeenko loves all these ball gowns and everything that looks uncomfortable and purely expensive.
Well, there were FEW looks I enjoyed, but it felt deja vu to me- the fur cape with flower embroideries on top is beautiful, but it’s a copy of Haute Couture AW12. There is nothing new in this collection, I would say there is even less than it was in past. And these gorsets… They look so bad! The clothes are like if a old grammy from Russian village would put on her old dresses made from same fabrics but sold cheaper in the past, and then went to Paris, saying that it’s a new trend.

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