Couture – Rhapsody. Schiaparelli AW16

July 8, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Being a creative director of Schiaparelli is hard, noting Elsa Schiaparelli’s extremely idiosyncratic and characteristic legacy. We’ve all observed how Bertrand Guyon struggled with the splendour of archives and references during his last two seasons, simply re-designing Elsa’s famous gowns and costumes. But for autumn-winter 2016, it seems that Guyon decided to sit down in a calm place while designing the new collection, which, in fact, isn’t a laid-back topic.

Schiaparelli’s famous summer 1938 circus show was in Guyon’s mind throughout the creative process, keeping it toned and, at a first glance, simple. The first looks were quite surprisingly elegant – black dresses with Old Hollywood style cuts and shoulders, hand-painted smokings. So chic. Then, it got even better, as the cocktail dress with a Picasso-esque bustier emerged. Back in the times, Schiaparelli expressed a true rhapsody of surreal beauty in fashion, and this collection proved that Bertrand can do Elsa’s thing, too. A velvet, butterfly-wing shaped jacket; colourful mink jacket; sequined ball-dresses. It’s a circus inspired collection, so naturally it was impossible not to spot meticulously embroidered peacocks and other animals. Every piece from this collection is a work of art. Indeed, that’s haute couture.

Jacquemus AW16 in Southern France

July 7, 2016July 1, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

The young generation of Paris-based designers, like Demna Gvasalia or Glenn Martens, look towards night life, clubbing and this defiant, booze-fuelled attitude. But Simon Porte Jacquemus‘ namesake label approaches fashion in a different way – rather than seeing hoodies and dilapidated denim, Jacquemus is much more innocent and… happy. And as smily as the Southern French people, contrasting with rushing Parisians. That’s why Simon took his autumn-winter 2016 pieces near his hometown, between Marseille and Avignon, and with help of photographer Theresa Marx, created the e-campaign for his brilliant on-line store. The photographs present arty coats, skirts and knits, all in bold colours and styled in the most unpredictable ways.

“The collection is about reconstruction, when you have a lot of different clothes from a lot of different people, and you put them all together and you create something new. Like an art shirt mixed with a t-shirt. I wanted these images to have something to do with the idea of a washing line. I’ve loved washing lines since my childhood, so I wanted to do something like this.” Washing lines play a significant role in Jacquemus’ campaign this season. Being a boy coming from the South of France, he’s childhood was filled with washing lines everywhere on the streets and gardens… but in Simon’s world, they aren’t cliche.

Men’s – Poetic Artistry. Ann Demeulemeester SS17

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I AM RED WITH LOVE was the statement that perfectly captured the mood of Sébastien Meunier‘s spring-summer 2017 offering at Ann Demeulemeester. We’ve seen romantic guys at Haider Ackermann and Pigalle earlier in Paris, and Demeulemeester man is also utterly into poetic love. “Rebel in love,” the designer mused backstage. “Love is a colorful emotion for me. And we can say also I am black with love. But we blush and we become a bit red when we are in love, so there is all of that. I wanted to give something that was a bit shy—emotion, charming emotion.” Meunier feels like at home after a few seasons spent at Demeulemeester, and he uses Ann’s signatures with grace – light, satin shirts covered with layers of feather pendants and charms, military jackets in black, and sheer tank-tops with stitched, red-thread slogans. The chunky knits looked impressive, too, oozing with hearty-arty slouchiness.

Men’s – Wedding Guy. Pigalle SS17

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

We’ve seen nearly everything during the three weeks of men’s fashion this month. But if talking of a venue, Pigalle nailed it to the fullest in Paris. Wedding theme is nothing new in fashion, considering bride dresses and all-white haute couture gowns – but a fashion show, presented as a casual wedding? That’s quite uncommon. Stephane Ashpool set his spring-summer 2017 show at the Musée de Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, precisely in its beautiful, old-fashioned garden. Live band music, guests drinking champagne, a dose of Parisian fashion – a wedding you would rather want to come to, without a pretentious ‘nay’. “The first time I got dressed elegantly was for the wedding of my parents when I was seven years old,” wrote Ashpool in the show notes. “I was very touched by the party, the champagne, the outfits, the mood… I had been looking forward to enjoying it as well! In love with an angel, tonight is a celebration of what we all appreciate the most in this world: free love.”

Pigalle’s signatures were present this season, like basketball clothing-infused tailoring, however all in pastel pink, light lilac, and of course, white. Don’t think that a Pigalle guy will wear trainers for a wedding – instead, he might choose pool sliders and Nike trainers, styled with matchy socks. At the end of the show, with models strolling around the garden in their quilted bombers and satin shirts, Pigalle and his girlfriend appeared. They kissed each other, and they stole the spotlight instantly. LOVE.

“This feeling I do my best to feed all the time motivated me to create a collection around the theme of a wedding. More comfortable in the creation and technically, this eleventh collection is an interpretation of how I see my witnesses. I hope to be able to give you a hug after the show, and wish you all a good time.”

Men’s – New Take on Crafts. Dries Van Noten SS17

June 28, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Every editor is still highly impressed with Dries Van Noten‘s last season, staged in Palais Garnier opera house. Filled with these jaw-dropping, embellished coats. It’s a rare thing in fashion industry, when a show has such a long-lasting impact and still makes a ‘WOW’ afterwards. I guess that was the top collection of men’s autumn-winter 2016. But, can anybody keep up with such success for longer? Let’s ask each other an honest question – is it possible, to make two, consecutive collections, both just as good as the first one? I really, really doubt. There’s always this “gap” collection, where the genius seems to reflect and save creative energy for the next season.

Spring-summer 2017 wasn’t a ground-breaking moment for Dries’ career, and I’m pretty sure he agrees with that. But this doesn’t mean the collection was bad – oh, no. It surely scored a place on the podium of season’s best, with his “new take on arts and crafts“. While designing the collection, Van Noten wanted to take a rest from embroideries and his old, good colour palettes, searching for inspiration in fabric art and textile artists who were present in the 60s and 70s. The effect? A wide variety of texture and textiles, visible in amazingly great pieces. Silk print coats and jackets were patched together from Enlightment-era botanicals, while arty sweaters looked raw and dilapidated thanks to lovely, yarn finishings. The camouflage print in khaki appeared multiple times, contrasting with peacefully light trench coats and pants. The designer didn’t rest on his laurels, that’s for sure. And the anticipation for the next collection, coming in six month, is already reaching the peak point.