Backstage at Vetements SS17

October 15, 2016October 14, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Vetements launched its new website a few weeks ago, and a whole bunch of Christmas gifts came earlier than usual. Now, you can look back at the label’s past and current collections through the backstage lenses of Pierre-Ange Carlotti and Matthieu Lemaire-Courapied, and induldge yourself in the anti-fashion mood. I’m OBSESSED with photographs from fashion collective’s spring-summer 2017, which was presented in July during haute-couture week.

Design & Culture by Ed / July 11, 2016 / “Vetements is known for eerie venues, but Galerie Lafayette might be named as one of the most surreal choices up to date. The runway was located along the aisles of cosmetics, perfumes and discounts, letting other brands’ logos interact with the fashion collectives’ ready-to-wear. But the meaning of “collaboration” reached further than that – it was a collection made entirely with other brands, including Juicy Couture, Brioni, Schott, Levi’s, Comme des Garçons Shirt, Reebok, Canada Goose, Dr. Martens, Alpha Industries, Eastpak, Lucchesse, Mackintosh and even Manolo Blahnik. An extraordinary company equals an explosive effect. Moreover, brands listed above benefitted from this occasion – Juicy Couture’s velour track suits suddenly became ironically “cool” again, while Manolo was willing to go all the way with exaggerating his duchess satin stilettos. “We’ve done thigh-high, so we asked, could you go waist-high this time for us?” Demna said backstage with excitement. Brioni, Italian tailoring brand for men, let Vetements elongate and recut their classical blazers; Eastpak, every travellers’ favourite producer of backpacks, contributed to creation of the first, Vetements clutch.

“We thought we’d go straight to the brands who make all these things best, and ask to do something in our way with each one,” Gvasalia said. “The people who work at Vetements don’t really wear designer fashion—a lot of these are the labels they wear all the time.” The collection, in overall, is pure Vetements, even though the denim is by Levi’s and boots are from Texas’ cult Lucchesse. Styling is raw, while all beauty cannons are thrown away to the trash, looking at the unconventional models. If you’re desperate to seek the most couture-ish part of the collection, then it’s Juicy Couture’s velvet eveningwear – sleek, hooded dresses with zircon embellishments are sexy and somewhat… huh, elegant. However, a “home-made” product at Vetements for SS17 is the granny-style floral dress (worn by Lotta Volkova, brand’s friend). ‘Antwerpen’ t-shirts and sweatshirts are back, too.”

Posh Pool-Side Party. Miu Miu SS17

October 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s not that hard to distinguish a Miu Miu collection. Saccharine pastel colours? Checked. 60’s prints your grandma wouldn’t mind? Checked. Fur for summer? Of course, CHECKED. In other words, Miuccia Prada‘s spring-summer 2017 collection is a pure definition of Miu Miu girl. Just like at her main-line this season, Miuccia cheers you up with naïve optymism. Imagining a fairy-tale of sun-drenched, Mediterranean vacations, the designer re-invents a wardrobe of pin-up bikinis, embellished swimming caps and beach-perfect retro dresses. The models, spanning from newcomers to runway favourites, wore wedge sandals and patterned (mink) robes. At first glance, most of the girls resembled Slim Aarons’ posh characters of his dreamy photographs of surreal pool-side parties in the early 70’s. He made his career out of what he called “photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” Basically, this is quite similar to Prada’s latest Parisian outing: layers, and layers, of attraction.

Soigné. Louis Vuitton SS17

October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Nicolas Ghesquiere chose to show his spring-summer 2017 collection for Louis Vuitton not at the usual location (Fondation Louis Vuitton), but in the brand’s future boutique. Place Vendome store is opening in 2017, but the decision to stage the collection in this raw, yet beautiful space, was a prove that even though Louis Vuitton might go to far-fetched destinations (like Palm Springs or Rio), its spirit stays in Paris.

When Ghesquiere worked at Balenciaga, his connection to the city was reflected in flirty dresses, unconventional elegance and intriguing layers – in other words, his aesthetic was the soigné embodiment of ‘Parisian chic’ myth. Throughout his Louis Vuitton tenure, Nicolas went global, slightly forgetting about his old, good affair with the city of love. However, the newest collection is just it: an elevated wardrobe of timeless pieces with the right dose of French borgeois. Drenched-in-gold jewellery; masculine blazers; Parisian model “off-duty” look feauturing grunge (or not so, with all those embroideries) t-shirts. How good can it be?

The 80’s are continously embraced by editors and stylists of such local magazines as Vogue Paris or Self Service. While the creative director is friends with them, the mood of this decade has been present in every single detail, from the ‘night-out’ make-up to crystal-embellished slit gowns. For a moment I thought that this is what Lanvin should look like now with Bouchra Jarrar – but then, you can perceive Ghesquiere’s hand in those tailored pants and desirable biker jackets. Magnifique!

Pierpaolo’s Delights. Valentino SS17

October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

After Maria Grazia Chiuri’s departure to Dior, Pierpaolo Piccioli is solo at Valentino. One thing’s sure – it’s not the same Valentino we used to know during the couple’s creative co-operation. With Chiuri, Valentino was darker, and heavier in embroidery; seeing Piccioli’s first “all by myself” collection embeds a lighter vision of the brand. Although spring-summer 2017’s mood-board is covered with Hieronymus Bosch artworks and Reneissance-era obsessions, Pierpaolo’s woman is thinking about grunge and 70s West-London love affair. To prove the latter, the creative director collaborated on prints with one-and-only Zandra Rhodes (whose influence was coined by Luella Bartley of Hillier Bartley this season, too). The effect? I can’t remind myself a Valentino show, which was filled with so much joy. Just look at those jackets! Of course, old clients will find a range of beautifully embellished dresses and skirts. But Pierpaolo also introduced a kind of à la Céline softness to the brand, which will surely appeal to the young. I nearly forgot about the colour palette – from killer fuchsia-pink to refreshing lime-green, there are many reasons to fall in love with the (not so) new Valentino.

Clothes for Life. Céline SS17

October 10, 2016October 10, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Phoebe Philo started out at Céline as a designer, who adored ultimate minimalism. During her pre- and post-pregnancy period, Céline welcomed bold colours and fun, toy-like jewellery. Spring-summer 2017, and the last few collections, seem to open another chapter of the creative director’s vision at the brand. There isn’t one word to describe it – it’s rather about understanding Phoebe’s “woman for women” world, which is far from trends, but always a step further from the others.

Last season was an investigation of “invisible” clothing: layers of satin pleats and leather coats were perfect gears for everyday life, drenched in new meaning of luxury and unprecedented styling. This season explores woman’s wardrobe in an even quicker way, with Yves Klein-like painted corsets, XXL totes and drifty dresses. However, Phoebe understands how to build a wardrobe for real usage – it’s not that arty and edgy in the end.

The meaning behind Céline’s latest outing has been already conveyed in the soundtrack of noisy city traffic, and joyous children laugh. Loosely fit pastel top, indigo skirt and white sneakers – is there a better and more comfortable outfit for a day filled with errands, like picking your kids from school? Or rushing to the office? The runway wasn’t a usual aisle, squeezed by editors and buyers. Models walked in random directions, sometimes in little groups, presenting a range of different personalities. A Céline woman isn’t only one type of women: Philo proves that, sending out a range of various clothes on diverse in age and skin colour models.

From masculine coats to intriguing dresses, nothing seems to look pointless here. Even though A LOT happens in this specific collection. For example, the pants were (probably) worn over another, lighter pair. Doesn’t it look fantastic? That’s a styling trick to catch the next spring. Seductive slits and cut-outs are quite new to Céline, but don’t worry – Philo’s skills in making her gowns sexy aren’t moving towards Balmain. She’s just too intelligent for that. Her venture into sex-appeal is non-conformist and elusive, resulting in a dress with faux-corset, and a pair of sandals. Man-repelling? Depends on the guy. Speaking of the shoes, there were a lot of great heels and boots in bold red or autumnal beige. The colours were mixed up, because “why should our shoes always match?” I’m a sucker for socks, and seeing Phoebe play with them was pure pleasure. Just like analysing the entire collection.