Faux Nostalgia. J.W. Anderson Pre-Fall’15

January 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jonathan Anderson surprises. His SS15 was unexpectedly lady-like while pre-fall is very nostalgic – 60’s mini skirts, 70’s psychedelic prints and “granny” necklaces and bracelets. “Nothing works together,” he added gleefully during the presentation. “When something makes me uncomfortable, I resist the temptation to make it look good.” That’s visible- in this collection he mixes so many styles from the past, that the result seems to be modern, and surreal. A bit like the Soviet Russian architecture – at the first sight it seems to be modern, but in reality deep historical influences hide behind it’s walls.

Ukrainian Institute of Technology, Kiev

Presidium of the Russian Academies of Science, Moscow

Polythechnic Institute, Minsk

But coming back to the collection – “I’ve never been a designer designer,” he said. “I see it more as a look, what’s new right now.” And this—with its odd fabrics and peculiar proportions, cerebral and sensual—looks just that. New right now. But with faux cover which hides the old roots. The colours and textures combined with those curvy belts and emalia earrings makes me wonder. And I like when a collection makes me want to think, compare and research.

To Meadham Kirchhoff

December 20, 2014June 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I need to confess something. When I heard the news, that Meadham Kirchhoff won’t show it’s AW15 collections becaues their “debts have caught up”, I nearly started to cry. That might surprise you- right, I never really wrote anything special about Meadham Kirchhoff. On my blog, I post only this what I like and feel- and Meandham Kirchhoff’s style is not always on my taste radar. But I always, always observe their collections with some kind of amusement and respect. They were, and are, so brave. In the sea of minimalism, normcore or 10,000 euro Valentino dresses, it’s hard to have a label with clothes which do not match any of those three categories. Well, only if you are some kind of Versace. In reality, Kirchhoff’s pieces are pricey, but they are as beautifully embroidered, as for example Erdem. Then, another problem strikes. “The way the industry works, you’re driven to do all these grandiose shows, all these things that are incredibly expensive,” Benjamin Kirchhoff said. “and then one day, the sponsorship runs out. You’re on your own.” Meanwhile, Edward Meadham pointed to the struggle to fulfill orders for stockists: “It’s always seemed like, ‘How do we do this? How do we keep up?’” In other words, Meadham Kirchhoff didn’t have trouble until they became an REALLY independent label.

But what’s interesting, is the fact that Meadham Kirchhoff is seriously loved by Londoners. They are so true, real. I think it is the last big something after Vivienne Westwood’s SEX shop and Alexander McQueen years in London. It’s punk, it’s cool, it’s something buzzy and fuzzy. The glitter jumble; the ribbons attached to every pair of boots; the tampon tree at SS15 show venue. Kitsch is sick, but in both meanings at Meadham Kirchhoff. Well, what can I say more. I just wish them a bright future (and this type of talent always finds it’s right path). The rumour has it, that possibly Benjamin and Edward are going to takeover Schiapparelli which was suddenly abandoned by Marco Zanini. And that would be EPIC. I also see them at Oscar del la Renta, if not that boring Nina Ricci guy.

Y-A-W-N to fashion without Meadham Kirchhoff.

Cherevichkiotvichki

November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

The impossible to pronounce CHEREVICHKIOTVICHKI (in Russian: Черевички от Bички ) stands for “a shoe by Victoria” in the old Slavic language, but said in a playful childish manner. The beautiful story of Cherevichkiotvichki begins in Lithuania where Victoria grew up surrounded by the remains of Soviet culture and the uprising of Baltic heritage. Born in the family of factory workers she grew up to be fascinated by the extinct utilitarian lifestyle and nurtured memories of her childhood past transforming them into series of everyday objects – shoes. This stunning self-taught shoemaker performs copious amounts of research empathizing traditional craftsman-ship between her London studio and the atelier in Italy. I am truly in love with this brand- the shoes feel so full of attitude, like if they had their own life! And the way the accessories are presented also feels unique.

Cute Love. Simone Rocha SS15

September 18, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

I hear Vanessa Paradis Pourtant when I look at Simone Rocha’s SS15 collection. It’s so romantic, oh my! Ad cute! Those model’s curly hair styled with these fur trimmed broques and fragile dresses feel so truly naive and sublime at the same time… Rocha has always been ambitious with her textiles, but what felt new this season was the sensitivity and specificity with which she deployed them: a light touch of embroidery on pink mesh, the graphic counterpoint of floral embellishment on a sheer white sheath, that lurid marabou snaking around a dress of silvery brocade. The collection, having a lot of themes, felt all the time truly girlie and interesting (my heart belongs to those shoes with fur!) with those rose appliqued sheer dresses. Surely, this will be a retail challenge- but Simone’s fashion is always best-sellng at London’s Dover Street Market, so no worries!

Show Girl. Tom Ford SS15

September 18, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Tom Ford sexy ups his label with every season. But this was over the top! Tricky velvet suits, sheer tops, sequin flowers sticked to nipples, Gucci-esque white gowns… a real show-girl time. The soundtrack was a narcotized female version of “Addicted to Love” (the vocalist’s emphasis on the addiction, rather than the love), to which extraordinarily proportioned girls—rail thin, seven feet tall in their platform clogs—teetered down the mirrored catwalk, eyes laden with mascara, hair in teased-out shags. Tom’s SS15 isn’t really about the “sexy” office go-out, but it’s surely for women which feel sexy in their skin… and attitude.