Reviews

Grunge Baroque. Paco Rabanne Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Julien Dossena‘s spring-summer 2019 collection for Paco Rabanne was one of the season’s biggest highlights – which was, to be honest, an absolute surprise. With the designer’s equally good pre-fall 2019 look-book, it’s visible that Rabanne is going up, up and up in the ranks. The collection continues the boheme eclecticism from summer, but feels even more confident. It’s a clash of baroque and grunge – think floral tapestry prints and plaid shirts. It’s like the designer invites both Queen Elizabeth and Courtney Love to the table. Equestrian tailoring goes with checked pants, while tank-tops are worn over chainmail dresses (distinctly Rabanne piece, looking as innovative in 2019 as in the 60s). When you take off the tiara and stay with the daywear, this is a very approachable, chic wardrobe. But then, should we part with the tiara?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Look Your Best. Mugler Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Pre-fall 2019 is Casey Cadwallader‘s fourth season at Mugler, and I’ve finally become convinced that this entire reinvention struggle is worth it. It seems that a house like Mugler is so trapped in its one, distinct, crazy era, that it can’t be possibly taken out to the light in 2019 without being a sort of mock. Nicola Formichetti didn’t succeed, David Koma neither. But Cadwaller, the new creative director coming from the U.S., seems to be taking the right track. “I’m still trying to figure out who my icons are and what people come to the brand for,” said Casey Cadwallader during his presentation. He invited Cardi B to his spring-summer 2019 show, and whether you love her or not, she looked marvelous in that blazer. Pure, powerful confidence. That might be a hint. But it seems that Casey doesn’t want to solely operate on a celebrity customer base. He wants to get to the stores, and dress women, that simply speaking, want to look their best. It’s a style and attitude philosophy close as much to Cardi as to Thierry Mugler. Meaning, very, very close.

Back to this blazer. It comes up for pre-fall, and looks fire. The shoulders are big, the waist is cinched, the sleeves slightly elongated. This strong silhouette can be compared to Mugler’s original creations that were equally statuesque and bold. But it’s not the end of the highlights. A blue body-con dress in synthetic jersey had a wetsuit zip and patches of compression material… this arrangement was external here but applied from inside in other garments. The designer called it his “secret compression corset.” “Compression” leggings were a version of Thierry’s iconic corsetry reimagined for today’s athleisure obsessives. Other than the glamo-sportiness, we’ve got as well some very good denim, patchworked dresses, neons and men’s capsule (which feels a bit pushed). So, Mugler might be the new big thing with Mr. Cadwaller. Please, give this guy time to grow. Just look at the Paco Rabbanne case, where Julien Dossena needed few longer seasons to experiment and to really start bringing the brand to desirable relevance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Exodus. GmBH AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

“There’s this melancholy that comes from always being told we’ve gone past the point of no return,” said GmbH’s Benjamin Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik’s, minutes after their autumn-winter 2019 collection for men and women. The Berlin-based brand, that shows in Paris, referred to planet Earth and irreparable damage the humanity causes to it. The designers frequently refer to the topic of migration, and their conclusion – “leaving this planet is the ultimate migration, right?” – was starkly contrasting with fashion’s common sense of being distant from world problems. So, what will we wear at the moment of the global exodus? Grey jersey dresses and knits, military bomber jackets, tie-dyed, worn-looking denim. But, if you’re an optimist and think that we’re staying on Earth for a while, you’re more than welcome to turn to GmBH for the office-wear – made fashion, of course.  Hammer and pick logo appeared all over the pants and puffer jackets (nothing says ‘work it!’ as this one…). Boys wore shirts with ties under sporty jumpers, while the girls walked the runway in cinched-at-the-waist blazers and masculine coats. The navy, grey & black colour palette was brightened up with a pinch of beige. While the utilitarian toolbox clutch might seem the next big accessory for men, GmBH surprised their female customber base with two evening dresses, intricately ornamented with floral and metal motifs.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Colour. Valentino Couture SS19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s couture for Valentino is the only couture that matters. No crazy venues that attempt to distract you from noticing how plain the collection is (I see you, Dior and Chanel). Just pure, joyous, glorious haute couture that enchants and truly impresses. And makes Celine Dion cry. This spring-summer 2019 collection, reserved for the richest and most extravagant women on our planet, was a triumph of audacious colour, beauty and glamour. But also, it was a major model casting breakthrough, with completely diverse models that made the garments even more exquisite. The designer embraced black beauty, having Adut Akech open the show (in a brilliant, pink ensemble) and Naomi Campbell close (in a gown made out of translucent organza in the shade of Chocolate Dahlia). There was Liya Kebede, there was Lineisy Montero, there was Ugbad Abdi. Runway icons, veterans, and newcomers. The entire scene looked like a fairy-tale… that really took place. This couture collection again proved that colour is crucial for Pierpaolo, especially in terms of couture. “You don’t invent beauty, but you can invent new harmonies for colour”, the maestro said backstage. Just read the following: a coral coat worn with a chocolate crepe blouse and emerald gabardine pants. Lilac serape topped a pair of orange pants. Turquoise lace and tangerine silk faille. Green sequins. Pale mauve. Matisse blue. All that worked with voluminous ball gowns that took hundreds of hours to create at Valentino atelier in Rome. Unquestionably, Piccioli is a couturier of Garavani’s heights. And it’s a blessing for today’s fashion to experience his genius.

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

On Power Dressing. Acne Studios AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

For autumn-winter 2019, Acne Studios’ designer, Jonny Johansson, considered what’s high fashion from the perspective of young people, and how it might change throughout time. “All the power dressing that I consider iconic womenswear, maybe they are attracted to it, but in a different way.” While doing the research, he also thoroughly examined Helmut Newton’s eternally chic photographs, and was amazed with the fact that those visuals are so relevant, and not getting old – even a day. All this gave birth to a collection, that’s quite different to Acne Studios we’ve seen in the last few seasons. Oversize pants were cinched at the waist and tucked into socks; coats had those refined-looking, rounded shoulders; draping, probably never seen at Acne before, looked sublime. The new season silhouette is sharp and chic, but there were also elements that felt distinct to the brand’s aesthetic: knits with raw finishings, eclectic jewellery (those XXL bracelets are gorgeous) and, other than the very seductive, Newton-ish pumps, heavy trekking boots. Worn with one of the statuesque blazers or a collared ‘office’ midi-dress, the elegant-slash-off-duty look would exactly be what Johansson worked on this time: power dressing, fitted for a contemporary woman.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.