Christian Wijnants

July 24, 2016July 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Usually, when I discover a designer which I haven’t known earlier, I’m living a one-day obsession with him or her. But with Christian Wijnants, I have a mania which will surely last for longer. With a soft point for Belgian fashion, no wonder why I’ve fallen in love with Wijnants’ unique, lady-like vision. Christian graduated from prestige Royal Academy of Fine Arts (‘Antwerp Six’ rings a bell?), and found his eponymous label back in 2003. As most of Belgian designers, he presents his collections to editors and buyers in Paris, and just a year ago, he opened his first flagship store in Antwerp – the city where his studio is based in. For autumn / winter 2016, Wijnants’ look-book oozes with urban femininity, peculiar colour combinations and bold patterns. A contemporary, style-conscious woman will go for one of those coats, questioning which colour is better – tangerine orange or pastel turquoise. Both look ground-breaking, so the choice isn’t easy. Knitted, olive-green turtlenecks are styled with striped baby-pink skirts, while the fluffy, fur cushion-clutches are this season’s candies out of all other accesories. The puffa jacket (of course in stripes!) is a burning desire, too. Is it a wardrobe of a modern-day dame? She’s an eccentric character, who loves to wear a pair of synthetic-white gloves to brunch!

Motorcycle Trip. AF Vandevorst SS16

October 5, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

A lineup of 25-strong muscle bikes appeared backstage – Harleys and Triumphs surrounded the Faculté de Médecine Paris Descartes a few days ago in Paris. One thing was sure before the show started – this collection will be a fast ride. A.F. Vandevorst and their spring-summer 2016 attitude is literally about the biker girl, her wardrobe and her gang. An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx explained pre-show: “It’s a road trip by a woman who lives in the East and has traveled to the West.” Hence the beautifully embroidered dresses and embellished details, that give an orient-spirited impression. The idea of mixing the hand-made craftsmanship with leather biker jackets and heavy textiles is not only deeply rooted in A.F. Vandevorst’s inspirations, that are brought from their exotic trips – also, it’s their deep love for rock & roll. By looking at this great collection, you have a feeling that the Vandevorst woman is not the one to mess with – however, she is ready for adventures that await her in the future.

Psychedelic and Fancy. Dries Van Noten SS16

October 3, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Psychedelic and fancy – Dries Van Noten for spring-summer 2016 is all about that. I have never expected to see anything tulle at Dries’ show – but, there is always the first time. A tulle dress was worn with denim shorts and a “dad’s” blazer. The velvet clogs gave the look a fantastic edginess. The effect? Wow, I thought. The rest of the collection, which nearly contained all textiles of the world, from brocade and mohair to silk and jacquard, was bold and based on all-time favourites of the brand. The clothes were somewhere between the feminine zone and masculine basics. Over-sized denim flares looked effortlessly cool with these beautifully embroidered coats while the patterned turlenecks and tights gave each outfit an unconventional touch. Even though the collection of this Belgian designer might make your eyes feel pain due to all that colour, the collection seems to have a lot of highly desirable pieces.

Theory of Chaos

April 14, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

A.F. Vandevorst is a Belgian brand that always impresses me. But this time because of two reasons. The first thing is their SS15 window display in their Antwerp flag-ship store, which is all about their fashion show parachute dress which is a true work of art. I am simply amazed with it’s mind-blowing effect. Then, the second thing: their elusive, slightly eerie winter collection look-book. The clothes inspired with Peru (note all these pompons and shearling), beautifully combined with A.F.’s signature rock’n’roll edge look more than cool. Decadent, sculptural and niche. That’s how I would describe the spark hidden in this collection, and the brand’s really great ideas.

Peru Revisited. AF Vandevorst AW15

March 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The AF Vandevorst couple presented a collection, which was very personal to them – their favourite hard rock music meets Peru, their favourite lately visited country. Long leather boots contrasted with Peruvian pom-pons while tribal-inspired way of wearing scarves looked ultra-cool with fur-trimmed dresses. And all of that was interpreted in deeply poetic black. “In our Belgian way, we took out all the colors,” An said backstage. Rose floral jacquard, patterned Quechua weaving motifs, layered Andean skirts, and Spanish colonial frill were thus all made black and once or twice white and grey. The avant-garde Stephen Jones hats were all about condors and signature AF Vandevorst fedoras. The silhouettes were long, lean, and brooding, even floor sweeping in some cases. The band playing along-side the presentation made the entire impression even better and emotional. Huge, huge bravo for An and Filip!