Rouje Paris

May 14, 2016May 14, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jeanne Damas is a French actress and model, and most of all, the definition of a French girl. Oozing with love for Jane Birkin’s style and Parisian nostalgia, Rouje is Jeanne’s eponymous, friend-packed label with extremely chic and surprisingly affordable essentials. Mini-skirts, flared jeans and flower print dresses – it’s all about feminity, but a touch of the past. Rouje is also a tribute to every woman who inspired Damas. “I’ve always been surrounded by women with strong personalities; my mother, my sister, my aunts, my friends. I am fascinated by the appearance they can have – simple details such as a walk, a way to talk, gestures, a way to wear a piece of clothing.” Both, the website and the brand’s Instagram feed (I’ve mentioned it here) is filled with analog photographs by Sophie Arancio and Adeline Mai, keeping it in the moody vibe of the label’s designer and muse in one person. J’adore.

rouje.com

Celinism is Feminism. Celine Pre-Fall’16

May 11, 2016May 23, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

See it, buy it. But in comparison to other houses which sprint in digital fashion era, Céline chooses to chill, rather than sell one-season-only sweatshirts. The house was the first to decide to show its pre-collection just a week or two before the clothes really hit the stores – and many other brands, like The Row or Proenza Schouler adopted this smart and tactile tactic. Phoebe Philo‘s pre-fall 2016 collection is in fact an introduction to autumn-winter 2016 which was presented back in April, filled with a strong layer game and the what-women-want styling. Loden green tunics / dresses are worn over extremely large velour pants, while pillow-soft handbags and totes are carried around loosely, just like the all-time classics suede coats and mackintoshes. Philo plays with volumes in case of smokings, too, delivering a super French one in a dark burgundy shade. It looks even better on Nirvana Naves, Philo’s currently favourite model.

But when you see the entire collection, you can easily notice that Phoebe is keeping it very settled, even elegant, but with a number of eccentric twists (like the charms and the odd shape of Croissant bag). The reason behind that is not only the fact that this collection will be sold for the next six months in all Céline flagships. It’s also about the woman, who comes back every pre-collection; the pure soul of Céline. Let’s be clear – runways are much more unconventional and edgy, they are the occasions when the designer tries to exceed her comfort zones. But for this, and previous pre-falls, Philo is all about her Célinism – clothes, which are timeless, ageless and are every women’s essentials. Investment pieces, which are empowered by the women who wear them, and likely to be individualised by the way these women love to wear them. Pre-fall is bi-polar, from one side much it’s more feminine, and from the other – masculine. Lastly, it’s full of beauty – from the folklore detailing to the way the leather is stitched and processed in the bags. Perfection?

Collage by me

Farewell, Hedi!

April 2, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

After months of speculations, Kering has confirmed – Hedi Slimane is leaving Saint Laurent. Did Hedi realise that there is not enough place for him and Demna Gvasalia, the other designer who makes cheap-looking clothes with four digit price-tags? Let’s be clear – Slimane, during his three-and-a-half year tenure was the master of hypocrisy. Do you remember the autumn-winter 2013, when he presented mohair cardigans, studded boots and skimpy, leather dresses? Some said it was a modern-day nod to Yves Saint Laurent’s controversial Le Scandale collection. But some were more realistic, and not that optimistic – these clothes looked like grunge, but a la River Island circa 2010 rather than Kurt Cobain. Even though in the same year Courtney Love became the face of Saint Laurent. If talking of another odd things that happened during Slimane’s “era” – the tiaras from SS16. One costs, yes, 995 euros here. And it gets even more ironic, when you note that this is a prom-like, brass tiara embellished with rhinestone. Not with gems, silver or, huh, diamonds. I doubt it’s even Swarovski.

However, Hedi Slimane can be at least praised for the speed and desperation with which he had totally revamped the house. The interiors of the flagship stores, which used to be so boring with Stefano Pilati in charge, got the marble upgrade, while the advertisement campaigns – starring Kim Gordon, Joni Mittchel and lately, Jane Birkin – were always photographed by him, and had a cool, LA-rooted rock’n’roll spark. Also, it’s reported that the revenue of the brand increased in all categories, from accessories to clothes. People are buying Saint Laurent, so there is surely an undefined reason for Slimane’s success. But then, why did he leave? And will Anthony Vaccarello, whose aesthetic isn’t far from Hedi’s, get the point? Time will tell. But for now, let’s look back at the journey that Slimane took us to.

Reflections on Taste. Miu Miu AW16

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although we’ve had the newcomers (Jasmine Sanders, Julia Banas), hot faces of Anna Cleveland and Edie Campbell type, Insta-fames (Gigi and Kendall) and the top-models, so the one-and-only Adriana Lima and Lara Stone, the Miu Miu girls were as nutty as the old ladies you meet on the street, and with whom you wouldn’t truly fancy a date. However, there was something appealing about these girls, wearing layered denim and furniture-tapestry maxi-skirts. As if Miuccia Prada wanted to show the risky, yet very feminine way of dressing, which is based on mixing contrasting, old and slightly cheesy clothes… but out of necessity, and not because of a current trend. Corduroy bombers and denim jackets with lace collars had something of a college girl memoirs – all of the jackets were embroidered with models’ boyfriend name tags. A nod to teenage romance, or a real-life tendency of sharing your wardrobe in a relationship?

But the youthful spirit of Prada’s sister line becomes much more mature, and less likely to feel appealing to a younger clientele. The lilac dress, worn by Lara, had the Cafe Marchesi florals everywhere, while the old-fashioned Jacquard coats and velvet belts smelled with Parisian thrift shops. These clothes are nostalgic and frivolous, and the entire collection questions good-taste. Although it was mostly slammed by the critics, I liked it.

Miu Miu always makes me feel relaxed by the end of the fashion month. With exhaustion in my fingers and a reflective mood on fashion, I am quite happy to announce that it’s the end of the autumn-winter 2016 couverage – uff!

System Hang. Louis Vuitton AW16

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Even Nicolas Ghesquiere needs a break. Although Louis Vuitton‘s creative director look always into the future, and wants to be as fast as his muse, Lightning, the hero of Final Fantasy XIII and face of the house’s most recent campaign, this season it’s distinctly visible that Ghesquiere is having a throwback to his best Balenciaga and Vuitton moments. Not that the collection is bad – quite the opposite, this chic, luxe Tomb Raider girl is Nicolas’ long-term concept, which both excites and sells. But it just feels like the autumn-winter collection doesn’t have this sense of new, which is always conveyed in his collections. How many sweatshirts will we see, or those satin, sporty dresses? And why are the last-season’s patent-leather boots again in the show (well, because they were best-sellers – but I doubt whether Ghesquiere’s aim is to go Valentino’s path and become an accessory-loving, commerce-wise designer)? Believe it or not, but this collection looks usual and quite easy to pull off, and even more banal, when you are Nicolas Ghesquiere. Phoebe Philo can confess she is having a chill – but I doubt Vuitton’s designer, noting the capacity of the brand, can let himself for a system hang.