Moody for Artsy-Craftsy

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Craftsy-artsy means a bit crafty and a bit artistic. Ok. This is a literal definition. But as you may assume, this trend for AW14 is everywhere in form of knitwear and ethnical techniques. And my biggest fave of the season if talking craftsy is Maki Oh- the Lagos label based somewhere between Paris and London. This niche label is known for it’s African-culture fuse- simple dresses and tops combined with colourful fringes, shaggies and other cool stuff! And their AW14 shoes are… amazing. Who else rocked the craft of knit and ethno chic? Nicolas Ghesquiere at Louis Vuitton, Altuzarra and Calvin Klein…

Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquiere
AltuzarraCalvin Klein
MakiOh_019_1366.450x675 Maki Oh

Big Girls Need Big Diamonds.

March 8, 2014August 31, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

And this quote by Elizabeth Taylor defines best Celine’s AW14 jewellery- it’s big, shiny and it’s everywhere. Worn on sweaters, with dresses and as one-ear-earring, Phoebe Philo got splendour this season, if talking about the bling-bling. In reality, the designers go big this time with all those necklaces- Altuzarra had a huge metallic compositions tied around the necks; Givenchy gave coral branches; and Louis Vuitton (just like Celine) was all about the one-ear-earring, with a huge LV logo. And while it’s the International Women Day- the bigger bling, the bigger wow!

Happy Days. Marc Jacobs AW14

February 18, 2014February 19, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

As always for the end of NYFW, Marc Jacobs serves us all something that nobody really thought about. First of all, the setting- clouds that looked like fluffy little lambs, hung over the runway, and the guests sat on mushroom stools. Feels very psychedelic and relaxing. The soundtrack of this final New York collection was the endlessly repeated phrase “Happy Days are here again”.
Yes? So why the models had their faces so pale and hair so straight and rounded? So solemn… “After last season with all this Victoriana theme, all that black and heaviness, we wanted something light and calm- a cosmetic neutral palette colouring their hair and faces, and with women we respected” said Marc Jacobs at the backstage of the show. This collection was also one of the most important- it’s his first, independent collection without designing for Louis Vuitton and Marc by Marc Jacobs (that is now under Luella Bartley’s and Katie Hillier’s wings).
His women, solemn and fragile, reminded me of younger Michelle Pfeiffer and Barbra Streisand style- straight lines on minimalistic, pastel dresses, small boots, pin thin pants. Neutral colours were touched with sweet thanks to apricot coloured fur bomber jackets. And everything seemed to be very wearable…
What’s good (and makes me indeed happy) is that Marc Jacobs continues his surrealistic aesthetics and isn’t scared to have fun with fashion. The AW14 was a future statement- are the happy days coming up?

Royals. The Row AW14

February 18, 2014February 19, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Row’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen created a new vision- the perfect clothes. These ones are for “always”. For all events, for all situations. They are all in brown, beige, black palette. And they are comfortable.
The AW14 of The Row was full of genius coats and knitwear that perfectly fits today’s New York weather situation. The maxi dresses with collars and monastic prints brought some charm to the collection, just like the fur hoods of the black capes and the Oxford shoes that are everywhere this season. Surely when the clothes hit the store, they will be best-sellers… Not because it’s trendy, but simply ageless. That was the best collection of the label to date.

Energy. Proenza Schouler AW14

February 18, 2014August 28, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

There was a clue before the show. The invitation. It was all about multicoloured pieces of spongy fabric pressed into cardboard and words written down “energy, abstraction, humour, action, colour, instinct, spontaneous, fast”. And yep, that was fast indeed. The models walked (rushed) threw the runway, with their heads down on the floor.
Surprisingly spite of the precision cutting and fabrics that often looked like carpet underlay, now looked charming rather weird. Proenza as always broke the rules- fabrics that don’t tend to be matched for example with neoprene were all mixed up here.
Wearing sandals with socks and Cristobal Balenciaga inspired cuts and forms, the collection was rapidly named majah (first fashion people used to say major- now it’s majah!) by the New Yorkers and me. Oh, and the soundtrack? Missy Elliot’s “Work” remix. It matched the fast vibe of the show perfectly.