The Cabinet of Couture

July 5, 2013July 5, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

“A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer (“art-room”) or Wunderkammer (“wonder-room”). Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings) and antiquities. “The Kunstkammer was regarded as a microcosm or theater of the world, and a memory theater. The Kunstkammer conveyed symbolically the patron’s control of the world through its indoor, microscopic reproduction.”[1] Of Charles I of England’s collection, Peter Thomas has succinctly stated, “The Kunstkabinett itself was a form of propaganda”.[2] Besides the most famous and best documented cabinets of rulers and aristocrats, members of the merchant class and early practitioners of science in Europe also formed collections that were precursors to museums.” Wikipedia about Cabinet of Curiosities…

The Valentino Couture show was a poesy of fashion and art. No more to write, but just to ply your eyes with beauty by Pierpaolo Picciolini and Maria Grazia Chiuri!

HC: Viktor & Rolf AW13

July 4, 2013January 21, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Viktor & Rolf wasn’t present on the Haute Couture calendar for about 13 years and the label have changed a bit into a more commercial subject than couture. But, this summer,Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren made a decision: They staged their comeback in honor of their label’s twentieth anniversary—”there’s no better way to celebrate,” Rolf said, adding that it was also an effort to “divide our wearable side and our conceptual side.”
Very high concept it was. The presentation was more like a art performance than a show. On a Zen garden platform with few black blocks on it remaining rocks, both designer came out and… Started to meditate! It lasted for about five minutes, and then the models appeared. The looks weren’t very detailed- but their forms were a sculpture by it’s own. All twenty wore the same black fabric, a technical silk that had the spongy look of neoprene, and flat ropy sandals. The first look out, a shirtdress, had strange, deflated volumes above the knees in front and below them in back. And now the performance started- Snoeren situated the first model on a block, reforming the dress in his own patent. The next model sat down next to the first one. Horsting was doing his job in this performance. And at the end, the model in a huge cape stood in the middle of the girls, covering them all, forming a black stone! Fantastic! This looked so relaxed, ZEN, that I felt in love with this collection. About the project’s genesis, Viktor said, “We’ve been running around for so long, we thought, let’s enjoy where we are. Our current state of mind is mindfulness”

HC: Untitled Couture AW13

July 3, 2013January 21, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

There is no word that really can express the Maison Martin Margiela Haute Couture collection for AW13. It’s as always untitled, I would say, taken from laboratory and still not checked. There is such big splendour of styles, fabrics in one collection, that it’s strange it all works out together, even if it not. Latex trousers reminding of jeans and a white vinyl top with a classical Margiela veil opened the show, without music, special decorations and colours. It’s not a show, but a presentation of art. This is the first time when Margiela team work with Swarovski, to create jewellery and even… Boots! The heels of these amazing boots had a Swarovski crystal outgrow that looked fascinating. Just as the unique horse nail “finger” space in Maison Martin Margiela shoes!
The collection based a lot on embroidery inspired with Asian flowers. Mostly, all looks had something of flowers- veils, vests, skirts… There was a visible hand work on everything, even on scares that were held by few models. What I enjoyed most in the collection was mixing denim and art, that’s rare in couture. The look were a model wears casual pair of jeans, marble face veil and a flower embroidered vest is my favourite. It is very different and just untitled!

If talking of more art than couture that’s still classified as fashion, Iris Van Herpen is located definitely in this uncertain spot. “Beyond Wildness” was the title of her 11 looks collection. But, each look was steeped into the nature- it was a deep forest dress, with the spirit of Japan and the surface of a wild wood or branches as light as cobwebs as strange nature inspired decoration.
Working with artist Jolan van der Wiel, who created the magnetically grown surfaces (sounds amusing) and many other artists, Van Herpen created a collection that is really out of that world. But the designer still has to think over all her ideas, before creating the scientific collections with it’s clear message. Photos of the backstage and collection are taken from T Magazine!

✈ Kinetic Travel at Chanel ✈

July 3, 2013May 13, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

A destroyed theatre, with smashed windows and peeling walls, was filled with scruffy, pre-war chairs where the guest would seat. Something is going to happen. Then something amazing happens, that even Rihanna and Natalia Vodianova gasp with excitement. From under the dark curtain thats hanging above the scene, a 3-D installation of metallic skyscrapers and blue sky are coming out. And it’s of course all in Grand Palais!
“It’s a new world” Karl Lagerfeld says, thinking of Singapore, where his Chanel resort was presented. The damaged theatre, as Karl said suggested Coco Chanel coming back after war, looking in Paris for something beautiful and quiet- rebuilding the fashion house. It is like a closed chapter of Chanel that Karl wanted to show. Now a new one, modern and elusive chapter is opened for the Parisian house. But the show was very dynamic, models ran the catwalk like on the olympics. Yes it sounds all very cosmic, but the clothes weren’t at all crazy. Tweed suites in new silver colours made from different weaving methods; dresses that were called kinetic by the designer, had a eerie silver polish.
There is also a pretty dangerous trend upcoming in jewellery- putting small diamond rings on all fingers in the hands, but- not in the typical place for wearing rings, but nearly on the nails! This bling looks really nice and modernistic, but feels a bit uncomfortable. Never wear it to a fish restaurant wee you may eat some crabs or shrimps; don’t wash your hands in it because you don’t really want to take out your diamonds from the sink. That’s why this trend in jewellery is super unpractical but super fashionable!
New models were tapped to the show- mostly Asian newcomers and rest was the it girls- Ashleigh Good, Jamie Bochert, Lindsey Wixson and Joan Smalls. There seems that a strong change is coming up to Chanel from the Eastern part of the world- time will show.

HC: Ulyana Sergeenko AW13

July 2, 2013January 6, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ulyana Sergeenko third Haute Couture show was a third disappointment. Sorry, but for me she is not a designer, but a wife of a rich guy in Russia that decided one day to be a fashion designer. This is kind of sad because some people think that Ulyana in reality is an ultra talented designer… This season was a plunder in Sergeenko’s Grandma wardrobe- with ugly, velvet, black dresses, fur coats and flower embroideries that looks totally the same as last winter. It’s all a mirror view of the designer style- everybody seems to know from street style pics, that Sergeenko loves all these ball gowns and everything that looks uncomfortable and purely expensive.
Well, there were FEW looks I enjoyed, but it felt deja vu to me- the fur cape with flower embroideries on top is beautiful, but it’s a copy of Haute Couture AW12. There is nothing new in this collection, I would say there is even less than it was in past. And these gorsets… They look so bad! The clothes are like if a old grammy from Russian village would put on her old dresses made from same fabrics but sold cheaper in the past, and then went to Paris, saying that it’s a new trend.