Art

Chic and Cool. Ami SS21

| Design & Culture by Ed

There are seasons when I love Ami. And spring-summer 2021 is definitely a highlight in Alexandre Mattiussi‘s repertoire. “Doing a physical show is a kind of political thing,” the designer said, elaborating that amid the pandemic and crumbling political situations around the world, he thinks “fashion needs to find humility in the situation.” The Ami version of humility might sound quite dramatic: veside the Seine, Mattiussi held a fashion show on a black wood runway complete with a soundtrack by DJ Jennifer Cardini and a cast of famous models like Clement Chabernaud, Amalia Vairelli, Audrey Marnay and Georgina Grenville. To counter the evening affair, Matiussi sent out clothing with a relaxed spirit. He described his co-ed, spring-summer 2021 men’s and women’s collections as “sophisticated but not pretentious.” The slim plaid maxiskirts and black wool LBDs proved the point for women, the louche seafoam and chocolate suits and baggy shorts did it for men. A series of mesh tanks, styled throughout with vacation-y beaded necklaces, emphasized the chill vibes.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

The Queen. Andreas Kronthaler Vivienne Westwood SS21

| Design & Culture by Ed

Vivienne Westwood is the queen, and Andreas Kronthaler loves to embrace that. In his homemade lockdown look book and film, Kronthaler gave Dame Viv such a powerfully Iron Lady coif he confessed that even he saw a passing resemblance. “But in the end the look we went for was more Raine Spencer,” he added over Zoom, referring to the British socialite. Perhaps it was the concentrated nature of this minimally staffed shoot – four models in all, shot by Kronthaler (who doubled as one of them) on his iPhone, with the intention of limiting as far as possible Westwood’s exposure – but it resulted in an especially intense expression of Andreas’ work to reflect that of his muse and wife. There was a lovely symmetry in the casting of Sara Stockbridge, a longtime Westwood model, who joined what looks like a fun day of dressing up. Garments to love include the Buy Local London map–print shirt worn by Stockbridge, VW in full “Acid Raine” mode, and Kronthaler in leggings and a wig that harked back to Flashdance. The clothing was as archetypally of the house as the expression was divertingly barking. Sustainable, sensational, confrontational, and uncontainable. And the look-book is a visual treat.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

She’s A Lady. Nina Ricci SS21

| Design & Culture by Ed

It seems that Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh are finally finding their ground at Nina Ricci. In the storied salons of the maison‘s headquarters on rue Francois 1er, its designer duo had a generational confession to make: they use their phones for all kinds of creative tasks, including sketching. “They’re not beautiful sketches. Just quick things,” Herrebrugh noted, while her partner Botter added that he does observe “old school” procedures, too. In contrast, perhaps, to some members of the Paris establishment, these young designers’ natural relationships with their phones were what made this season’s digital show format so instinctive to them. They presented their Nina Ricci collection through the (imagined) recorded screen of an iPhone, scrolling the viewer through their research process, from Google searches to YouTube clips and exchanges on iMessage. What it didn’t reveal was the actual inspiration behind the collection: L’Air du Temps, the institutional fragrance Nina Ricci launched after the Second World War. Light and elegant, it cut a decided contrast to the dense perfumes of the old world. “It was a message of hope, optimism, and revival. That’s what we wanted to bring with this collection,” Herrebrugh said. Its flacon, designed by the Art Nouveau glass artist René Lalique, informed the cuts, colors, and movements of dresses. They had the inimitable touch of this designer duo: a splicing between the couture heritage of Nina Ricci and the swimwear techniques that are their personal obsession. The nature of that marriage – not unlike L’Air du Temps itself – is confrontational, but Herrebrugh and Botter are sticking to their guns and continuing to refine their take on Nina Ricci. “I feel like there’s a balance in this collection between our tailoring background and the codes of the house. We’re finding our own fluidity,” Herrebrugh said, referring to the menswear label they run on the side, which carries Botter’s name and earned them the Nina Ricci gig in the first place. Ironically, the most unassuming garment made the biggest impact: a tech-y pleated translucent blue blouse, which had the digital lightness expressed in the meeting between iPhones and the L’Air du Temps flacon. It was quite hypnotizing. Much like both of those inventions, the simplest designs are often the most enduring and made for a modern-day lady.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Genius. Loewe SS21

| Design & Culture by Ed

“We have to start loving fashion again,” Anderson declared. “We don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring. So let’s enjoy it!” The best antidote for a crisis is escaping it – to the fullest. So just like this, Loewe‘s Jonathan Anderson came up with one of the season’s best collections, which is all about boldness, creativity and craftsmanship. Also, it’s fashion being fashion. Simply speaking: extraordinary! Just one glance at the exuberant, freewheeling gestures of the women in action in the Loewe spring-summer 2021 look book sends that sensation surging back. From the clothes’ voluminous playfulness to the active involvement of 16 intergenerational women right through to the intricate handwork in the pieces, this was Anderson’s great big blowing up of all the creative limitations that threaten to drive fashion back to dullness in these dark times. “We were all in confinement when we were doing this. We had huge issues getting fabrics, so we used what we had. My brief was: Just make your fantasy of what you want! It was a massive team effort. Each look is to show craft and fashion.” There are mind-spinning, multidisciplinary, multi-platformed layers to unpack here. In a tangible sense, the Show-on-the-Wall was delivered as a kit of life-size posters, with a roll of art-printed wallpaper commissioned from Anthea Hamilton, a pair of scissors, wallpaper paste, and a brush. Hamilton is there as one of Anderson’s poster women, striking a semi-martial-arts pose in a puffy white dress ruched up with parachute tape. The video artist Hilary Lloyd, who collaborated with Anderson for a men’s Loewe show a few seasons ago, and the painter Jadé Fadojutimi both swirl in generously layered black taffeta trapeze dresses. Others portrayed wear pieces that evoke Spanish and Dutch Old masters – a theme Anderson has been interested in for a while – in crisp scalloped-edge broderie anglaise dresses with wires sewn into the collars and skirts. A huge padded and ruched under-pannier is seen through a black chiffon overskirt. Those garments speak volumes about women taking up space in the world. “Poetic armor,” Anderson called it, the idea of “escaping into clothes.” He also talked about “rethinking the models” of fashion – a comment you can take to mean both the expanded inclusivity in this season’s casting and the way he is remaking the Loewe business model to act as a “cultural brand.” Integral to that is the focus Anderson trains on the craft culture of the house and the seamless, socially conscious interconnections he makes with contemporary art and artists. “Through this entire year, the idea of craft and making has never been more crucial,” he says. “It engages with people. It shows responsibility and protection of things that people are forgetting are important in this industry. It employs people and ultimately is about the legacy that we pass from generation to generation.” Summing up, Jonathan Anderson is a genius.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Distorted Glamour. Y/Project SS21

| Design & Culture by Ed

Y/Project gets a bit repetitive – which, in a way, makes Glenn Martens‘ mastership of exaggerated distortion so distict and consistent. And offering a product that utterly reflects your brand is every brand’s priority today. “I had to adapt to a new system, and a new way of working,” Martens told Vogue. “I was thinking, What’s the core of the clothing I make? At the end of the day, it’s to make people happy. The biggest thing you can do now is to bring emotion, because people want what they wear to stand for something.” You could say that that has been a constant ethos of his. Martens has always found joy in making fashion, and that attitude shines through in his work. It’s what makes his clothes – complex designs, often layered in their construction and laden with historical references – fundamentally so intriguing. That inventiveness of his comes laced with a generosity of spirit and a healthy dash of much needed humor. Spring-summer 2021 is no exception. Martens has consolidated much of what he has achieved this past seven years at Y/Project. To anyone who’s a fan of his playful denim, or his clever, interactive knits, there are the likes of bedazzled marbled gray or pristine white jeans, both with those saucy deep-V trompe l’oeil waistbands he loves, or sweaters that would be classic were it not for their askew collars which can be altered at their wearer’s will; this time around one of those might be paired with a new trouser shape he has developed which mimics a silk sarong. The latter might not exactly be for the faint of fashion heart, but they’re a gutsy (and cheeky) response to the moment we’re in, part of what he describes as the collection’s “less serious, less drama” new mood. There are pant suits that can be transformed by being unbuttoned or unlayered. Polo dresses which, via the miracle of their drawstrings, can go from Zoom office to going out – or whatever will constitute that in the months to come; maybe you’ll just vamp it up at home. Meanwhile, a faux-leather trench delivers a serious hit of glam, something echoed by the collection’s flamboyant mules or lace booties. Still, it’s an off-kilter kind of glam, one that’s hardly obvious or expected. Sex & The City wardrobe in 2020, eventually facing the end of the world.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.