HC – Fourrure. Fendi AW15

July 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The last fourrure was presented 90 years ago. Two days ago, Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Fendi, showed the world what is the definite fur splendor. As the name fourrure might suggest, it is a haute couture collection which is utterly focused on… fur. Chinchilla, sable and mink were presented in form of long, floor-weeping coats, flesh explosing jumpsuit and amazingly detailed sweaters – and these were not only interesting because of the fact they were made from a fusion of cashmere and fluff, but because they were embellished with huge flowers, of course shaped from fur. The cape worn by Julia Nobis at the end of the show may have been all about feathers “transforming” into a silver-tipped skirt, which set our minds on a cross-species category search. PETA was set at bay during the fashion show – and all your furry fantasies became real.

HC – Mash Up. Maison Margiela AW15

July 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

I have very mixed feelings about John Galliano designing for Maison Margiela. His first haute couture collection was warmly welcomed, but partly because it was his debut after a long period of pause; his AW15 ready-to-wear was all about eccentric ladies which couldn’t be us dramatic as they wanted to be – in other words, this collection felt tamed and unnecessarily too calm, like if the designer was scared to shock. And now, as we already got used to Galliano at Margiela, its time for a honest opinion about this case. The new haute couture presented yesterday in Paris looked like a collection designed by a young fashion student who sewed it just before the dead-line, having in mind a chaotic mood-board without any sensible idea. Minimal silhouettes (which totally don’t match John’s adoration to opulence), glitter scattered all over the mini-dresses, a bit of tapestry embellished onto the capes and a big, white garbage bag instead of a beautiful bridal dress. And additionally the idea of Japanese sharpness which was suddenly presented in form of an obi-belted coat. It utterly felt like Galliano didn’t have any precise idea for this season and for this collection. Showing off trashy styling, shoes made for “breaking your legs” and telling people that its all so into Martin Margiela’s spirit makes me feel hurt. I love Martin Margiela as Martin Margiela and I used to love John Galliano, to sum it up.

HC – Casino. Chanel AW15

July 8, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

This season, Karl Lagerfeld took us to a casino in oder to show, that everybody there wear Chanel haute couture. Karl’s muse splash – Stella Tennant, Kristen Stewart, Lara Stone, Julianne Moore – gambled on the roulette tables while the models circled the spacious runway. But it seemed, that this what the models wore during the show was the least important. The whole event of a casino stole the spotlight and nobody really looked at the fashion part. Well, maybe because all those dresses, little (black) jackets and tweed skirts felt… boring? During the last few seasons, if talking of couture, Karl gives us the same idea behind the clothes. Classy, lady-like silhouettes without any fantasy. Just look back at the last few seasons. The scenarios of runways are always amazing and Instagram-worthy, but the dresses (and haute couture is mostly about beautiful dresses!) are being neglected.

HC – Peculiar. Giambattista Valli AW15

July 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Before designing the collection, Giambattista Valli created an impossible conversation between two women. Talitha Pol and Peggy Guggenheim. “Genuine eccentricity, in the DNA,” he explained. Indeed, his clothes exploded with peculiarity, from the very first look, with a tutu of tulle on a crepe sheath over slim pants. Also, an impressive dose of floral embroidery was seen on maxi gowns and fancy mini dresses. The show-stopping piece? Pants in a silvery metallic raffia that were paired with a big ball of ostrich feathers. But what really made everybody feel stunned nearly to death? The enormous, voluminous orange ruffles which were applied on simple white dresses.

HC – Eartly Delights. Dior AW15

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Eartly Delights – this is how the creative director of Dior, Raf Simons, entitled his haute couture collection. Full of Flemish art references and historic symbols, it is looking far into the future. Here are the three major things worth to know about this truly remarkable collection.

The venue. Raf Simons described the stunning set for Dior’s couture show as part church, part garden, part nightclub in Ibiza. The pointillist-painted panels could have been stained-glass windows or flowers. The purple carpet worked perfectly well as a psychodelic, quite fantastical element. In fact, a hallucinatory vibe penetrated the entire presentation. But the biggest fascination was caused by the pastel shaded melons, which were scattered around the place. Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights clearly appeared in everybody’s mind.

The idea. An ethereal collection but with Simons twist? This collection is just that. “Dior is always a fairy tale, no matter what I’m doing,” Simons said with a laugh, but yesterday’s show had a special magic, which wasn’t moved so intensely by the designer since his arrival to the house. During his backstage moment, Raf also explained the meaning of the title – “Coming out of the austerity of the Second World War, Dior was inspired by something he wasn’t supposed to be inspired by,” he said. “Glamour, excess, too much.” Seventy years later, Raf Simons is coming to the same point: forbidden fruit tastes sweetest. Just like the power of imagination.

The textures. Raf Simons is not only obsessed with today and the past at his namesake brand, but also at Dior. That is why his AW15 couture collection was a fusion of old and new. This is strongly visible in his outerwear – Simons’ dose of his own Belgian heritage into Dior’s referred back to “the Flemish masters and the sculptural drape, the velvety weight that men like Vermeer were able to communicate in paint, their models serenely poised with arms folded” as Tim Blanks translates. A coat/cape hybrid was the result of neoprene, couture embroidery and a fur stole which is all about mixing old with new.