Candy Rave. Marc Jacobs SS17

September 17, 2016September 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

New York Fashion Week might impress and surprise, but leave “shocking” to Marc Jacobs, who always ends the city’s schedule with a spotlight-stealing collection. And this time, Jacobs presented an ecstatic rave of his latest obsessions, inspirations, collaborators and, of course, aesthetic. At the Hammerstein Ballroom, Stefan Beckman built a huge stage splattered with grease, lit up by more than a thousand little bulbs. A perfect space for an off-beat, underground party filled with techno-music and thirsty-for-fun people. The association was right – it was the venue of the most youthful collection of the upcoming season.

Lets take a look at the collection from the bottom to the top, literally. All of the models wore platforms, which looked even higher than the ones from Jacobs’ autumn-winter 2016. I LOVE THOSE SHOES, every single pair of them. Kept in all colours of the rainbow, the killer-stompers were designed in collaboration with Julie Verhoeven (who also did a fantastic job together with the designer during his spring-summer 2002 Louis Vuitton show). Verhoeven produced a number of fantastic, cartoonish illustrations, which appeared on the shoes, and also on the bags and some of the one-of-a-kind pieces. Looking at the clothes, Marc and his team didn’t disappoint. Candy-coloured, sheer apron dresses with ruffles; extra mini, mini-skirts in denim; fur-collared or sprouting with feathers military jackets and cardigans. This season, it’s about lifting normal pieces into ~~nearly~~ couture creations. Hoodies (something we are all getting sick of lately) look brilliant, also printed with Julie’s illustrations. I really do have doubts whether teens would feel absolutely comfortable in those sexy, fairly provocative and imaginative pieces on a binge – but surely, these clothes guarantee a big entrance.

Reaching the heads of the extremelly tall models, we are getting closer to the most problematic (to some) aspect of the collection – the dreadlocks by Guido Palau. Instagram users raged Jacobs’ account with comments on cultural appropriation, calling him a ‘thief’. I’m just overwhelmed with the public’s lack of any awareness. True, corn-rows are over-used by white teens, while Indian headbands with feathers aren’t properly credited by Coachella fans. BUT dreadlocks are for everybody. They are universal. Lana Wachowski has fuchsia-pink dreadlocks. Boy George from the Culture Club-era had dreadlocks. And Bob Marley was the king of dreadlocks. Even a friend of my cousin has dreadlocks (but they look bad, though). In other words, dreadlocks are for everyone, and people should at least try to widen their horizons.

Janis and Bees. Rodarte SS17

September 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bees and Janis Joplin. Mostly nothing in common. But Laura and Kate Mulleavy found a connection between genus Apis, and the magical character of a 70s icon. In case of the former, Rodarte played with tulle and lace to form honeycomb-like layers. The safety pins lined up along pants weren’t about grunge and punk, but rather an association of bees’ stings. A heavily ornamented, beehive shaped bustier on a closing gown looked as sweet as honey. Flowers are essential for bees – that’s why floral motif appears countless times in this collection. In case of Joplin, her care-free attitude oozes in those jaw-dropping, fringed biker jackets and hippie, ruffled dresses. In the world of Rodarte, it’s a fantasy story-telling combined with truly beautiful clothes.

Beach Happiness. Rosie Assoulin SS17

September 16, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

One thing’s sure so far – spring-summer 2017, in comparison to autumn-winter 2016, will be the season of optimism. We already had Altuzarra and Thom Browne to prove that with their joyous outings. Rosie Assoulin is another designers in the schedule, who looks for happiness in the world of fashion. We are so exhausted with reality’s perks. Why not just leave everything behind, and go to the beach with your colourful umbrella and a big, big hat?

With biodegradable packing peanuts resembling sand dunes, and sparse, potted palms all around the presentation’s venue, Rosie looked back at her Jersey Shore childhood while designing the new collection. Thinking of everybody’s beloved vacation symbol, umbrellas, she sent out a line of striped lurex dresses and over-sized pantalons. Those clothes are perfect for a summer escape – take the feminine, floral jumpsuit with ruffles, or a robe-dress in cream-white. “Have a nice day” t-shirt, styled with hippie pants, is cute and so not obvious! Also, to her summer wardrobe Assoulin introduces the first ever denim pants, kept in a cool, loose fit. Summer, please come back.

Oh, and I nearly forgot. The bags. The amphorae-shaped straw bag in multi-coloured stripes is your new alternative of a basic, picnic basket. “Ceramicists are very calming”, the designer confessed.

Pool Party. Thom Browne SS17

September 16, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Thom Browne is one of the most daring fashion designers in New York. Attending his fashion show is like appearing in an unreal scene. “Fashion is art” statement really does relate to Browne’s creations. For spring-summer 2017, the designer built an incredible venue in an abandoned space in West Chelsea – the walls and floors were covered in multi-coloured tiles, and the guests felt like inside of an empty pool. The common association was right, as the collection had something of a glamorous, pool party galore. Think of the chic, poolside photographs by Slim Aarons in the 50s, when beach life took fashion into the iconic era of jet-set.

Suddenly, the models went out, all dressed in identical over-sized coats embroidered with floral motifs, and matching high-fashion swimming caps. Then, one by one, the models started to take off their coats to reveal the dresses they were wearing under. Trompe l’oeil matches Thom’s subverted ready-to-wear, and it became the season’s synonym. Suits, blazers, shirts with ties – in fact, the guests of the show didn’t see any of that. It was all about a camouflage dress.

So dramatic, and so extraordinary – you can look at this collection from a perspective of a spectacle, and of, yes, a fashion show. Thom Browne is New York’s creative mind.

Street-Wise Chic. Proenza Schouler SS17

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

Proenza Schouler‘s spring-summer 2017 collection is my favourite collection so far – and I’m quite sure that it will stay up high in my rank for this season. Like Altuzarra, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez looked forward to colour, which used to be substituted with calm neutrals in their last few collections. Bold, graphic patterns in red, yellow, orange and blue gave the bar-jackets and pleated skirts a youthful, pop vibrancy. The styling was care-free in its fun spontaneity – take the intarsia fur coat, tied with a sweatshirt over the waist. Such an eye-catchy contrast between a luxurious investment piece, and a streetwear must-have. But the sweatshirts, and the more street-wise part of the collection wasn’t banal at all. Boxy, voluminous t-shirts were layered over shirts, while Greek sanctuary prints or a snapshot of closed fist (its Jack’s) contributed to the idea of a mixed, “collage-like” chaos. Fabrics and rare textiles were “sparsed” around the pieces like in a collage, too. For their multi-coloured, knitted dresses, the designers reached a Parisian atelier were feathers are weaved like yarn. Knitwear used in the collection came from Bolivia, and in overall, over ten countries were involved in the making of this spectacular line-up of intriguing garments. As the designers said, they didn’t “travel as much as the collection itself“. That’s the beauty behind Proenza’s spring-summer 2017.