Yves’ Glamorama. Saint Laurent AW16

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

According to rumours, Hedi Slimane is leaving Saint Laurent – which, perhaps, would be a huge relief for some. Indeed, the autumn-winter 2016 collection felt like a good-bye wave, if you compare it to last seasons. And, at the same time, it was the most Yves Saint Laurent collection up to date, coming from Slimane’s “skinny pants and grunge shirts” world. The big, big shoulders of 80’s; dazzling, sequin dresses; killer heels styled with sleek smokings. For a moment, Saint Laurent’s soul and the famous Le Scandale era revived, and stole the Paris Fashion Week spotlight. But then, the models were distinctly Hedi, as all of them had a below “size 0” posture. If this was the last show coming from ex-Dior Homme designer, then it has been quite impressive, even though some of these mini-dresses looked overly cheesy, rather chic. But, if this was another outing from Slimane… then I wish he leaves the house right now, just as I did a few years ago, when he was appointed to be the new creative director. I know, I am an anti-Hedi person. And honestly, is Anthony Vaccarello the right choice for the house (the next rumour…)? His design aesthetic seems to be too close to Slimane’s, as for me.

Bonjour, Paris. Sonia Rykiel AW16

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julie De Libran, a Parisian woman who knows her city as well as her pocket, is in charge of a Parisian label which has always conveyed the stereotype of the real, Parisian chic. It was Sonia Rykiel, who made her famous stripes a must-have of every Parisienne, just like denim flares and other life-companions of women, who are believed to live in Paris. De Libran smartly revisited Rykiel’s archives, blurring the autumn-winter 2016 wardrobe for women between daywear and eveningwear. From Mongolian lamb coats to black lace dresses, the collection was filled with flattering (and effortlessly wearable) pieces. You simply felt sympathy for this sensual, intelligent and eternally stylish femme.

Stillness and Comfort. Céline AW16

March 12, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Fashion is in hurry, and nobody knows where is it heading to. But Phoebe Philo, just like a few other designers, says “no” to see-it-now, buy-it-now trend, which has stormed such brands like Proenza Schouler or Paco Rabanne. The autumn-winter collection from Céline has a message – calm down. Appreciate the quality, the time. The way these clothes fit on your body. “I came about it through wearing it,” she said. “It’s always that.” This time, the designer who understands women’s daily needs best, focused on her all-time favourites, from over-sized pants and voluminous tunics to suede vests and seasonless coats. Satin gave the dresses a flowing, fluid-like texture, and the fleecy, black “bubble” tops with an armhole had this sophisticated, yet effortless mood about them. The soft, pillow bags looked dreamy, and they will definitely have room for everything needed, and unneeded.. Strangely, though, this collection doesn’t look like a winter one (except the caramel shearling coats and tweed mini-dresses) – there were classical sandals on bare feet, and a lot of subtle flesh exposing. However, on the other side of the globe we’ve got summer, always. And Céline is an internationally wide-spread brand.

The collection, in fact, is full of clothes which can be worn without much consideration or (again a cliché) effort. They are the house’s strengths, and a woman who adores Céline and Philo’s touch will surely have her wardrobe completed with these everyday basics. “It’s a busy world, and I find I have this idea of stillness with Céline”.

Demna’s Chapter. Balenciaga AW16

March 11, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Something new is afoot Paris, and it’s good. I think it’s the energy of youth, which contrasts with the old-school, corporate system. Koché, Jacquemus, Y / Project and Vetements prove that, with their recently delivered collection. But if talking of the last one, though – Demna Gvasalia leads this talented league, and pushes his vision to a much larger space of expression. And we are talking about Balenciaga now – the house, which was found by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1919, which raised the designer of our century, so Nicolas Ghesquiere, and went under a three-year period of uncertainty with Alexander Wang‘s miserable sport-meets-couture attempts. But Demna is a designer, who knows best how to create desirable fashion which is going to sell (Vetements sales turnout is the perfect example) – so, the unexpected choice of him as the creative director of the historic maison is both exciting, and reasonable.

But if you think that Gvasalia is about to change Balenciaga into a higher-cost Vetements, then you are wrong – the autumn-winter outing seemed to state visible barriers between the post-Soviet, anti-fashion soul from the eponymous brand, as it freshly implemented the spirit of Balenciaga into a modern-day wardrobe of pure edginess. Back in the days, Cristobal wanted to look into fashion’s future, and Gvasalia understands that, by giving the audience over-sized, cosmic duvet jackets, leather market bags and embroidered tea-dresses. The floral prints were a bold nod to Balenciaga’s temperament and Spanish origins – while the tailoring, also a long-forgotten signature of the house, was revamped. “How do you persuade a woman to wear a two-piece suit who is not the German Chancellor?” Grey, flannel two-button jacket and a slit pencil skirt, in which the shoulders were slightly over-sized, “was the posture and the attitude, and Cristóbal’s way of working with the body I (Demna) found interesting.“

In other words, Gvasalia’s debut for Balenciaga isn’t favoured by me, and by other critics just because it’s a debut – these clothes, the concept, and the styling are ground-breaking, and smartly look back at the rich archives of Cristobal Balenciaga. Unlike his predecessor, Demna Gvasalia looks forward to a much more creative approach, and even if we’ve seen a few of those tricks at Vetements – the new chapter at Balenciaga is the one to have on your radar.

Art Dealer Fashion. Olympia Le-Tan AW16

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

In Paris’ hottest contemporary art gallery, Galerie Perrotin, Olympia Le-Tan staged her arty and extremely French presentation for autumn-winter 2016 season. The location was the right fit for her Parisian-chic embodying clothes and bags, with her dad’s Murakami, Erró, and Sophie Calle illustrated intepretations. The pastel-pink, vichy prints worked well with the olive-green coats, while the adorable, sequinned mini dress with Damien Hirst-like polka-dots is my personal favourite – I mean, it’s a go-to choice for an art exhibition! Looking at Olympia’s models, who have helped her to envision an art auction scenario (with Sabine Getty as a posh art buyer, Le-Tan’s sister, Cleo, as a secretarial assistant and Lily Summer as an eccentric girl), the whole event / fashion show felt absolutely entertaining, and humorous. And the Christian Louboutin lace-up stilettoes, splashed with paint the other day by Katie Hillier, were pure FUN.