Japanese Memoirs. Olympia Le-Tan SS16

October 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Olympia Le-Tan expands her ready-to-wear, by looking forward to meticulous embroideries and reinterpreting her obsessions into clothes. This season, her collection oozed with sexuality coming straight from Japan – it was intensively inspired with Nobuyoshi Araki, the famous photographer who captures his models tied up with ropes and striking sophisticated poses. The black, satin dresses had those hand-embroidered harness details that looked provoking with red tights and platform heels. Also, the “polaroid” tapestries on mini-skirts pictured geishas and their bodies in an Araki-esque way. But what really made Olympia take Japan as her primary idea behind the collection? The visit to Japan, basically, and her love to Hotel Okura, which was recently demolished in order to build a new, modern skyscraper. A sentimental nod to this beloved place was reflected in “Hotel Olympia” tops and the geometrically patterned floor-covering of the fashion show venue, which reminded everybody of the 60’s-70’s atmosphere.

Blue Witches. Comme des Garçons SS16

October 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Rei Kawakubo is bored with “fashion”. That’s why her Comme des Garçons collection for spring-summer 2016 is so different. “Blue Witches” (the title of the collection) was created out of shapes that resembled coats and dresses – however, the silhouettes covered with metres of synthetic velvet, thousands of feathers and prickly fabric that resembled the back of a hedgehog looked peculiar. The cloudy, red wigs styled by Julien D’ys gave me goosebumps, as they had a horror-film vibe about them. If talking of Comme des Garçons and Rei, you can’t say whether you liked or disliked the collection. These clothes (if you even dare to call them “clothes”) are so out of the standards that it’s to some extend pointless to even review them. The only thing left is to a) interpret them and b) wear them, with attitude and understanding.

Feminine Fighters. Haider Ackermann SS16

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

I won’t lie that during Paris Fashion Week I just can’t wait to see my favourite designers’ work. Haider Ackermann tops the list with Phoebe Philo of Celine, and there is a reason why. There is a small group of designers who really do have their signature and can freely have fun with it, in an unconventional way. Haider is the Belgian master of layering – his talent of styling and mixing clothes is unique. And his spring-summer 2016 outing is one of the most intriguing. This season, his woman had a punk attitude, with fluorescent hair and a classic, biker jacket. “There was leather, velvet, silk, a mix of everything in women who were sexual, fighters. But they weren’t warriors, like all women they were in search of something, so they went out and found it.” The collection was rooted in femininity. I thought that Haider Ackermann’s role-model was an imaginary version of Marie Antoinette, who came across Coachella and Glastonbury. Note the shoes – Cubano boots will be strong next season. The ones with zebra print look so good with the decadent, pink slip-dress above. I can say straight- ahead, that this is my favourite look of the season. It’s just perfect in its acid splashed chaos.

Neo – Nostalgic. Dior SS16

October 8, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons and his tenure at Dior is recently all about revisiting the house’s history. Take the “1947” charm featured on the knitted collars – it reminds us of the year Monsieur Dior founded his renowned house. The delicate, organza dresses and hand-embroidered gilets had a studio feeling, as if they were just taken from the brand’s atelier. The collection was feminine, airy and absolutely Dior – even though it did not shock or excite as in case of previous seasons. It seems that Raf feels safe with doing well tailored blazers and clothes which are beautiful in its simplicity. A big plus for the gorgeous, kitten-heels with buckles.

Photography Morgan O’Donovan

Information Orgy. Loewe SS16

October 6, 2015August 21, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Loewe was like a wardrobe of an extraordinary lady who lived in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s – you can literally find everything in there, from plexi rain-coats and logo-mania trousers to jewellery souvenirs she brought from her exotic travels and cat-loving prints. In other words, Jonathan Anderson let his imagination take over the reigns this season, creating a collection that feels like a cabinet de curiosites of different ideas, references and objects. The effect? I am appealed to that modernistic eclecticism, but the transparent pieces don’t amuse me. Together with the mirror-cracked dresses and fancy logos, the plastic part makes it all a mishmash, that isn’t fluent. Or maybe it wasn’t intended to be fluent at all? The chaotic manner of the collection was described by the designer as “an orgy of information” – well, it surely had to say a lot about Jonathan’s current obsessions.