Poetry of Everyday. Lemaire SS18

September 29, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although poets and writers rarely resort to high fashion, Lemaire‘ spring-summer 2018 is the way I imagine a creative soul to dress on the daily. Equally melancholic as their imaginary (or not) muse, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran went against the flow and showed a rather elegant, toned collection comparing to other designers this season. But that doesn’t make Lemaire’s offering less charming. Quite opposite – it’s sophisticated and wearable at the same time, oddly seductive and refined. Satin apron dresses, shirts in watercolour print, brown masculine blazers and interestingly fitted tuxedo looks in shades of khaki, navy and dark purple. It’s not for every person that feels comfortable in minimalism, though. You’ve got to be the ‘character’ to really enjoy those not-just-chic pieces. Lemaire’s prime interest is in the clothes, not the entire frame around it. Certainly, the creative duo behind the label pulled it off well, with no big, common for Paris, fuss.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Optimistic. Dries Van Noten SS18

September 28, 2017October 7, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Dries Van Noten is the designer that had a lot of reasons to celebrate lately: from his very successful 100th collection to ‘Dries’, a documentary that in-depth looks at his work, In other words, the world’s eyes were completely on him. But for spring-summer 2018, Van Noten visibly decided to take a break and lean on his well-known classics. Starting with nude shades and ending on lilac, the collection was about an interesting colour gradation; typically Dries prints in floral motif were used for voluminous shirts, skirts and coats. One of the biggest surprises was the ‘flou’ sensed in the season’s flowing eveningwear. Romantic and easy. Not forgetting to mention the irresistibly good black suit topped with an embellished mesh. Back to basics, for a while, is a very worthwhile thing to do. And going optymistic, as well. “We always say that fashion is a reflection of our times,” said the Belgian designer after his sprin-summer 2018 show. “Well, maybe that’s enough of that! Let’s do something optimistic, enjoy things—and really go for it!”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Not Just Pretty. Y/Project SS18

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Deconstruct and reconstruct with sense of costume history – that’s something Glenn Martens is keen on doing at Y/Project. Here, the Belgian designer’s garments aren’t just ‘over-sized’ like in case of many long-emerging, not-fully-established designers in Paris. It’s more about a witty take on Henry VIII’s and Hamlet’s volumes. Martens knows a lot about fashion (read FASHION, not #fashion) and its old techniques – this let’s him to experiment with the silhouette freely, choosing such fabrics like linen or tulle to do the shoulders and sheaths. From extremely big coats with ruffles and pleats to pearl embellished dresses, Y/Project is a combination of street and royalty. Of course, everything’s worn with the brand’s signature, folded thigh-high boots or laced-up sandals (covered in those kitschy roses). It’s also worth noting that other than dramatic tracksuits and oddly cut ball gowns, Glenn adds more affordably looking pieces, like the dusty pink trousers and baby-blue shirts in his spring-summer 2018 line-up.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Grandiose. Saint Laurent SS18

September 27, 2017September 27, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

The passing of Pierre Bérge, Yves Saint Laurent’s partner in private and business life, wasn’t meant to be reflected as a mourning in Anthony Vaccarello‘s third collection for Saint Laurent. Rather, the spring-summer 2018 collection was a celebration of the ‘l’amour fou’, the crazy love that the two shared. And that was a show that matches one word: grandiose!

From what should I start? The venue was an open-air platform situated in the most precious viewpoint in the French capital – yes, the twinkling Eiffel Tower was the runway’s backdrop! THAT’S PARIS, and Vaccarello loves to highlight that Saint Laurent is the most Parisian label you can think of, in terms of style and its faces (for Yves that was Catherine Deneuve; for Anthony it’s Charlotte Gainsbourg). Second, the collection with an impression that was just as strong as of the venue. It was divided in three parts, the women’s ready-to-wear, menswear and ‘modern-day’ couture. The first part was very lace-y, very bohème and Courtney Love / Lenny Kravitz-cool. In other words, that’s what you see a Parisienne wear on the streets, no bra, just pure confidence. Menswear was simple and chic. However, the couture-ish part was my favourite. What a contemporary ode to Yves and his memorable appreciation for the ‘custom-made’. Puff skirts and very, very mini-dresses of huge volumes (one of them was so short that the model’s panties were visible – they were elegantly embellished with a rhinestone Eiffel Tower). Use of feathers, that referred to YSL’s autumn-winter 1987 and his costumes for Zizi Jeanmarie, was killer. Can’t get enough of all these boas, feather-y shoulders and thigh-high boots covered in plumage. That was so over-the-top. A fashion moment I anticipated so much, but thought will not happen in this decade. With his best collection up-to-date, Vaccarello really proves that Saint Laurent is the perfect place for him. Bravo.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Sport De Luxe. Koché SS18

September 27, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

L’Église Saint-Merry, one of the most liberally oriented churches in Paris, was the show venue for Koché‘s spring-summer 2018 collection. But that’s not the first time when the brand chooses an extraordinary venue for their show – once it was an old passage, another time a huge city mall. Mostly places that don’t attract these fashionable Parisians, but certainly do breath with the ‘real’ Parisian air. But Koché isn’t just about unusual venues. Christelle Kocher‘s label rotates around the idea of twisting streetwear with couture sensibility – and her offer keeps on growing organically, from season to season. What’s new this time around from that emerging, talented designer? The most genuine idea of reusing football shirts and jerseys for a high fashion statement I’ve seen so far. Emirate Airlines logo and Chantilly lace were all there, in a spliced-together mid-length dress. Comparing to her last seasons, Kocher looks forward to more feminine silhouettes, adding more elegant gowns in geometrical silhouettes (the black one was especially very Cristobal Balenciaga) to her brand. Going new directions and experimenting is always a fine idea – but I think keeping true to Koché’s primary aesthetic sense is a good decision to take for the designer, as she progresses.