Disruption. Thomas Tait SS15

September 17, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Brutalistic venue. Loud music. Nipples. Plastic. Stripes. Provocative. Georges Rousse. Minimal, but abstract. The star is born. Thomas Tait, the latest treasure of London showed a striking collection, under the wings of LVMH. And it’s totally something you didn’t see before (well, only if you saw the older collections by Tait). “I work so hard on the clothes inside and out, and most of the time it does boil down to a straight up runway image and people only get a fraction of the story.” Thomas Tait might me slightly similar to Gareth Pugh- also a Brit doing extravagant fashion. But what I love more about Tait is the fact that his clothes are wearable. The leather geometrical cut-out skirts, satin tops, transparency… who cares about the nipple? We live in the times, where being scared of your own nipple is funny. Transparent dresses were worn with metallic stilettos that morphed into nude tights, and ran alongside block coloured leather jackets with only one sleeve. I also loved the stripe episode! It was sexy but pretty “ugly”. Just like the colours, which were eye catchy, but for most very unattractive. This collection just says one thing: whatever. Whatever people say, Thomas Tait is Thomas Tait. And that counts for now. Love that vibe.

Re-Visted. Christopher Kane SS15

September 17, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Being thankful for his teacher, Louise Wilson, who died earlier this week, Christopher Kane dedicated his show to her. The SS15 collection felt like a moment of breath; of memory; of reflection. Kane definitely did his first “re-visted” show, meaning he summed up his best looks and seasons, to create something of a summary, In reality, we saw a lot of these pieces before- the velvet / seatin mix. Burgundy explosion. Interesting couture embroideries. Street influenced sophisticated looks. And a lot of sheer fabrics. I can’t say this collection made me stunned- no, not at all. It looks pretty innovative, with it’s new, glamorous mood. But it really feels, that Kane got commercialised. Even the fact that his first flagship store is on it’s way means something. Hopefully, the next time is going to be more Kane-ish.

Warping Romantic. Burberry SS15

September 17, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

This season, Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey clashed reality with pure romanticism, pairing trainers with tulle and Birkenstock-style sandals with cropped box-like jackets in soft lilac suede. In my opinion, it all felt tasteless and ugly. Like if Bailey took a long trip to the teen wardrobe of Carrie Bradshaw and still didn’t come back.

In The Garden. Erdem SS15

September 17, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Oh, what a show was that Erdem! It was breath-taking. On Moralioglu’s mood board, we had pictures of Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, a proper woman “going bush,” unhinged by the jungle. That was the set today: dull, dark, slightly sinister. And that was also the scenario. Except that the woman Erdem had in mind was Victorian biologist and botanical artist Marianne North, who traveled the world and defined her profession to the point where there is a gallery dedicated to her at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, outside London. With amazing, Valentino-like tapestery and embroideries, the plasters of palm leaves, roses and other plants simply grew out from the dresses. Erdem compared that to “trapping something wild.” And it was the wildness of nature, rather than its order, that truly absorbed him in this collection. And all of that magical beauty was styled with simple, boyish broques. And that’s the essential Erdem look. Feminine, but with a masculine touch. Art by Stephen Eichhorn.

I See Colours. Roksanda SS15

September 16, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

I am obsessed with Roksanda’s SS15! It’s so bold, vibrant, colourful! Simply amazing. Roksanda Ilincic overdid herself this year, creating her first store in London, changing the label’s name into Roksanda and making her brand a real thing. For summer, as you might already see through my enthusiasm, we’ve got geometry and colourful radiance. Lilac, mint, rose, sherbet, fire orange, and royal blue all had somewhat of a neon tint. This contributed to the collection’s sporty edge, which was enhanced by matching flat sandals and geometric heels designed in collaboration with Nicholas Kirkwood. Also of note were Ilincic’s closing looks: sheer organza dresses embellished with squiggly lines that were one part Jackson Pollock, one part Silly String. Ilincic referred to the velvety embroidery as “eyelashes.” It evoked pipe cleaners. But either way, the result was marvelous. Art by Patrick Caulfield.