Brave Velvets. Haider Ackermann AW16

March 8, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“It’s a tough world outside and I want to have this gracefulness, this brightness, happiness,” Haider Ackermann said afterwards his autumn-winter 2016 show. “To show the other side of what we are confronted with every day.” Ackermann’s brave season is infinitely Haider, as the silhouettes, which continue to evolve from the last spring’s outing, are all about the jaw-dropping varsity jackets, super skinny pants and feminine dresses – and one of them, specifically, was cut up to the hip, looking fierce in velvet red. By coincidence, the Belgian designer moved the topic of the season’s hottest trend, so velvet (seen recently at Rochas and Vetements). It’s virually everywhere in this collection, ranging from dusty pink to emerald green. And it’s even in the hair of the models, tied up in for of colourful, quite abstract dreadlocks. Love it.

Ageing like a Forest. Undercover AW16

March 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ageing is beautiful, and Jun Takahashi of Undercover reminds the industry about that. “Making relaxwear for all ages” was the main concept behind this avant-garde outing, filled with printed pajamas, cocooning knitwear (the pastel blue cardigan striped coat had this lovely, spongy texture!) and layered outerwear. The models’ age range varied, and such silver-haired beauties as Hannelore Knuts appeared in the show, wearing a white crown of thorns – but not with a religious message, so no doubts. It was rather connected to the imaginary, ethereal queens of forests which also had dried hydrangeas in their hair. Another clue of the forest life inspiration? Gigantic, felt wool ants and bees carried like stoles by the Undercover women. Takahashi goes against the flow, and he has a talent of doing what he does best – not looking at other designers’ work.

The gold corset jacket with a voluminous, ballerina skirt… mesmerising.

Freud’s Office. Loewe AW16

March 7, 2016March 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“You are completely relaxed, completely at ease . . . .”

Jonathan Anderson‘s brilliant collection for Loewe felt like a Sigmund Freud’s psychotherapy, which entered your mind. The waiting-room beige shade of Maison de l’UNESCO and the designer chairs from mid-20th century made all the guests relaxed, and feel calmer, even though the Paris Fashion Week’s stir and fuss continues. And, it was a great occasion to see Anderson’s latest vision for the brand, with his artisan touches, eclectic accessories and fabulous bags, which are Loewe’s signature. The clientele of the Spanish label, who supposedly is a base of middle-aged women with an interest in collecting contemporary art and rare furniture, will surely fall in love with these arty mesh skirts and dark tan leathers. “Curated” is as important in this collection, as in the live of these women. The resin cat necklaces came out of the blue, giving an edgy twist to the collection. The minimal corsets were covered with pleats of gold, just like the Arizona totes. Some of the handbags were worn in doubles, while other were made from fringed, oriental textiles. In comparison to last season’s overload of plastic pants and senseless silhouettes, this time Anderson delivered a strong collection, keeping Loewe on the season’s “highlight” list.

Eerie Youth. Vetements AW16

March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

With a sexually exaggerated pre-school uniform from the Soviet times opening the show, Demna Gvasalia and the design collective behind Vetements presented more than one sin in the gothic-style Cathedral of America. After a sleazy sex-club and a cheesy Chinese restaurant, a church seemed to be the next pretty unclear choice for a show venue – however, the clothes purely defined Vetements and it’s already well know, anti-fashion approach. Calling it a street wear brand is a colossal mistake, when you see the prices of these very well-manufactured coats and dresses, but in fact, Vetements is based on the sweat-shirts, which are transformed into new volumes every season. Moving away from the over-sized one, which stormed all the retail points last season, this time the hoodies had a zombie-look – the shoulders were lost somewhere in translation, and the solemn faces of the street-cast models perfectly matched the atmosphere of the collection. The slogans, like Sexual Fantasies, just made it all even more strange and… gripping.

The distinctly American, motocross rose embroideries on knee-high boots and over-sized shirts confronted with chic, gold velvet suits. But there were also the red puffas, the next winter bite for the label’s fans. Vetements, and its leading designer, Demna Gvasalia (who has just debuted at Balenciaga, review soon!), are on the tip of everyone’s lips in the industry, and not only because their collections are filled with youthful, uncertain energy – people simply want these clothes, and want this styling. And they want to Instagram that obsession, too. Even though the latter wasn’t the initial aim of the collective…

Fade Away. Lanvin AW16

March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I wonder how hateful is Lanvin‘s studio towards Alber Elbaz and the legacy he left at this historic house of Jeanne Lanvin. I mean, Cathy Horyn described the catastrophic situation in possibly the most fitting way – “Elbaz spent 14 years reestablishing the link to Lanvin, reaching across a century. Last night, I had the feeling it was wiped out in 15 minutes.” I had precisely the same feeling Cathy had, when I saw this what happened at Lanvin’s autumn-winter 2016 outing in Paris.

The creative studio, which already has a shameful pre-fall collection behind it, presented a collection filled with saccharine dresses, which are far from Jeanne’s heritage design, and even farther from Alber’s beloved, draped cocktail dresses and imperfect, Parisian chic, which featured the hearty, unfinished edges. There are no pearls in this collection, which is just unbelievable – pearl necklaces were Lanvin’s all-time signatures (like Coco Chanel’s), and Elbar always respected that in his gracious collections. The season, created by the studio, is a bit rock’n’roll, a bit decadent, but in overall, it’s a wannabe of this what Alber translated during his tenure. Everything seems to be so sleek to death. And the pastel pink colour fades on the background of the beige carpet, just like the brand itself. Or the “genius” Shaw-Lan Wang, who fired Alber Elbaz, finds a new creative director with a precise vision for the maison… or else the brand will head to a sad place called fashion oblivion.