What’s Coming for SS17?

August 18, 2016August 19, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Via @natalia_misbhv

So, what’s coming for the spring-summer 2017 season? New designers debutting at big houses; young labels that will steal the spotlight; beauty cannon redefining moments; grear and bad collections. But, why are we thinking about summer of the next year? Note: first days of September – New York Fashion Week kicks off. And August is about to end soon…

On the 10th of September, Natalia Maczek and her team will hit New York with a first ever, MISBHV presentation. Coming straight from Cracow, Poland, the streetwear brand (adored by my friends here) is known for its über-cool, defiant aesthetic. Think gothic fonts, over-sized everything and strip-tease platforms. You might think it’s a wannabe Vetements – but no, MISBHV was nailing it on the Polish streets long time before the French collective’s fame.

It’s hard being a young and independent fashion designer in Paris, fighting for attention in the crowd of Chanel-s, Balmain-s and Vuitton-s. But still, a wave of young, French designers thrives to convey their vision of fashion. Meet Koché, the creation of Christelle Kocher, the new girl in the schedule and a second-time LVMH finalist .“I’m sharing my Paris with other people,” is how she described her AW16 unusual venue of her fashion – the 18th-century Passage du Prado, which nowadays is adopted by African hairdressers and little mobile phone shops. So, no – it’s not Grand Palais or a Rue Saint Honore showroom. I tell you – keep Koché on your radar.

Sander Lak, the man behind Sies Marjan, is into the 90s, and that might be the reason why his pastel-pink pieces got sold out within the minutes on-line. Although AW16 was his first season, the New York-based designer, takes it easy in the fashion industry. With his experience (he used to work at Dries Van Noten) and colour sensibility, I bet he will pull off another, jaw-dropping outing this season.

London is burning with talents, and Fashion East understands the needs of young individuals. That’s why, the SS17 scheme is really exciting: we’ve got A.V. Robertson, who envisions another dimension of embroidery and embellishment; there’s Matty Bovan, a LVMH prize winner, who worked (together with Robetson) on Marc Jacobs’ prints, and collaborated with Miu Miu on their latest presentation. We will also get to know Mimi Wade and Richard Malone closer during the upcoming London Fashion Week.

Anthony Vaccarello was announced as the new creative director at Saint Laurent, and his debut in Paris will tell, whether he’s able to take a big house under his wings. There are three options – he will go Hedi Slimane’s path, delivering a grunge-y set of clothes; he will do it the way he does it at his namesake label; or, he will literally shock everyone. I hope that the last option becomes true. For now, there’s a lot of Anja Rubik on his Instagram.

Maria Grazia Chiuri is another designer who will soon debut at a major, French maison. Well, in fact she switched Valentino for Dior. Good for Dior.

Boucher Jarrar‘s start at Lanvin isn’t the best. Just take look at her “first” collection, so resort 2017. Sure, pre-collections should be commercial, but… they shouldn’t be that boring Alber Elbaz’ frivolous legacy is erased for good, while Jeanne Lanvin’s quintessence is barely here. Time will show, whether Bouchra’s clean minimalism does any good for Lanvin.

Demna Gvasalia‘s debut at Balenciaga is already behind us – but I can’t wait to see what is he up to for spring-summer 2017.

September, come!

What’s Hot (29.7.16)

Image | July 29, 2016July 24, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Unexpected Muses

November 13, 2015November 15, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s clear that fashion has always had its muses. This season, the designers looked forward to all decades – and all of them had their unexpected muse that influenced the whole collection, even though she wasn’t pinned to the moodboard… here is a break-down of spring-summer 2016’s eight unconventional women who left their style DNA forever in fashion!

Kim Gordon x Marc Jacobs

Kim Gordon, the vocalist and guitarist of 80’s/90’s top grunge band, Sonic Youth, seemed to be present with her spirit in Marc Jacobs’ spring collection. Kim is in Marc’s fashion story from the very beginning – when he was at Perry Ellis, she performed at his debut show. Then, Gordon appeared to be in Jacobs’ first ever advertising campaign in 1998, photographed by Juergen Teller. The recent collection of the American designer focused on the Old Hollywood glamour, however the off-duty, grungy twist was visible in the way the models wore their dresses. They really didn’t care about them, and this was very her.

Doona Bae x Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquiere

Doona Bae, the actress of the iconic science-fiction film, Cloud Atlas, became an instant, yet very unexpected muse of Nicolas Ghesquiere. Her home-cut bob and manga inspired way of dressing reflects one of the top looks from Louis Vuitton’s collection. The cyberpunk, sci-fi aesthetic is Nicolas’ current obsession – so no wonder why Doona’s film character excites him so much. Just check out his Instagram account.

Madonna x Miu Miu

Miuccia Prada conveys, as she likes to describe, something “perverse and girlie” to Miu Miu. The recent collection, filled with sheer apron dresses, felt seductive and elusive at the same time. Just like Madonna’s style from Erotica and Human Nature period – a lot of flesh exposure, satin underwear and transparent mini dresses, as everyone can distinctly remember. Erotica, romance. I’d like to put you in a trance.

Courtney Love x Chloe

Chloe is all about freedom and care-free attitude this season. And this attitude is something you can consider as Courtney Love’s way of being – concerts, parties and fun. Take a note at the photograph above.

Meryl Streep x Celine

Lately, I have watched Woody Allen’s Manhattan film, and I am surprised to admit that whole New York used to wear Celine dresses! Just look at Meryl Streep, who played Jill – the minimal, light dresses she wore made me think of Phoebe Philo and her feminine, creative direction at the coveted Parisian brand. And, I must say – Meryl looks flawless in this film.

Sade x Anthony Vaccarello

Sade’s Soldier of Love is as timeless, as denim, which was seen in Anthony Vaccarello spring show. A simple, well-fit pair of jeans can make every outfit look effortless, and Sade has proved that throughout her career.

Diana Ross x Vetements

Demna Gvasalia would have never considered Diana Ross as his SS16 muse publicly. But the sparkling, sequin dress from the most anti-fashion and anti-corporate brand, Vetements, just screams Chain Reaction. Disco vibes alert is turnt on!

Frida Kahlo x Gucci

When I saw this dress designed by Alessandro Michele, my first thought was “Frida Kahlo would nail this one”. The meticulously embroidered tehuana dress is such a bold nod to this eccentric, Mexican artist, who totally changed the female art scene. I am in awe – if you ask me, this is the most beautiful dress of the season.

Parisian Woman. Anthony Vaccarello SS16

October 2, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Anthont Vaccarello‘s spring-summer 2016 collection was not only the hottest of all, but also the most descriptive in terms of a Parisian woman, who parties at night-clubs and eats her all-time favourite steak at Hotel Costes. Femme fatale shirts played an important role in the collection – worn with black ties, they looked utterly chic. Just like the cut-out skirts that gave the guests some legs. The second part of the collection was devoted to the Polish top-model, Anja Rubik, who is Anthony’s muse and friend. Her bold, characteristic face appeared in form of pixeled prints on tank-tops and dresses, making the collection sharp and graphic. The looks that closed the show, however, were much more casual. Anthony experimented with denim (a quiet nod to his Versus Versace collaboration) and exposure. The mini-skirts made the models look fierce and with attitude. Although you might say that Vaccarello revisits the Parisian chic cliché (google Emmanuelle Alt), you must admit – he does that in a bon way!