Art

Distinct. Gucci Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

While we all got used to Gucci‘s extravaganza surrounding each collection, whether it’s a cementary on fire or Jane Birkin singing mid-show, Alessandro Michele‘s pre-fall 2019 look-book is just… there. Photographed by Harmony Korine, the collection is distinctly Gucci, in a very Michele’s over-the-top manner. We’ve got floral kaftans, babooshka headscarves (thanks, Asap Rocky), richly embellished eveningwear, eccentric-chic faux-fur coats, geeky sandals, a bit of power dressing in bold fuchsia, logomania, zebra prints and lots, lots more. Shortly speaking, it’s a regular Gucci line-up.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Garment Care Season. Vaquera Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Vaquera’s Patric DiCaprio, Claire Sullivan, and Bryn Taubensee are New York’s young avant-grade of fashion. But even the biggest enfants terrible need to grow up someday: here’s the first pre-collection coming from them. For Pre-Fall 2019, Vaquera’s designers remade some of their brightest ideas into a capsule of clothes and accessories at prices their younger fans can truly appreciate. They designed fewer than a dozen silhouettes, some of them recognizable from past shows, and limited themselves to just three materials: a cotton poplin, a dark-rinse denim and a sweatshirt fabric (look at the distorted, white track suit – it’s genius!). Smart move. Vaquera called this their “Garment Care season”: they introduced dry cleaning slips and printed the back of hoodies with a Vaquera dry cleaners logo. The collection’s sock bag with its coin-purse clasp is a nod in the direction of Martin Margiela, who did same with a leather glove two decades ago. Fun tailoring and even crazier shirting might be a harder sell, but then, Vaquera doesn’t want to lose its arty edginess it became renowned for in the city.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Egypt in NYC. Chanel Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Chanel‘s Métiers d’Art shows are the only ones I look at. I love the craftsmanship involved here – it’s different level comparing to the ridiculous ready-to-wear collections, but looks more wearable than in the couture outings. This time, Karl Lagerfeld took his guests to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to pull off an Ancient Egypt-inspired collection. To be honest, most of the clothes looked hideous and even the beauty of the surrounding tombstones and artifacts couldn’t hide this fact. BUT. Some of the details were impressive. The Amarna-inspired make-up. The gold-painted legs of every model. And the opulent appreciation of jewels and everything that’s shiny – a feature of every Egyptian king and queen. Would today’s Nefertiti dress in a Chanel tweed jacket made out of golden threads? Absolutely yes. But will real Chanel customers be able to wear any of this without looking ‘dressed up’ for a theme party? Who knows.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Generous. Jil Sander Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

There is something incredibly appealing about Lucie and Luke Meier’s pre-fall 2019 collection for Jil Sander. Of course, every Philophile (read: an individual with a maniacal obsession for Phoebe Philo) will note a number of Céline-like moments – take the knitted pants with a matching top, for example. But since Phoebe isn’t designing, and some of us decided to completely disconnect from Hedi Slimane’s Celine, Jil Sander seems to be entering that niche with big steps. What I definitely loved about this collection is its tactility, always so in-demand during the autumn season. Meiers’ simplicity isn’t coldly minimal, but rather soft and fleecy. Whether it’s a coat with a fringed blanket element, a classical pinstripe shirt dress or a voluminous duvet jacket with a hoodie that turns into a collar, Jil Sander has you covered with great outerwear and comfortable daywear. Also, don’t call the clothes ‘over-sized’. “They’re not oversize really,” said Lucie. “They’re generous, friendly volumes; it’s all about comfort, the softness around the body. There are no hard edges.” The cozy feeling was translated into double wools, lightly padded silks, and spongy, natural felts. Accessories haven’t been that good at Jil Sander for a while, too. Their new XXL bags (some, at first sight, looked like made from paper – is it a nod to Raf Simons’s iconic men’s clutches he did for the brand back in 2012?) and leather clogs are so, so good. The Meiers thrive.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Ormaie Paris

| Design & Culture by Ed

Ormaie Paris is a family run fragrance maison with roots deep in art and nature. Creativity is at the heart of the brand – Ormaie’s founders have brought together artists and artisans to write each chapter of the Ormaie story. All of the Ormaie fragrances (there are seven) are composed solely of natural ingredients with the ultimate goal of elegance and quality. The ultra-chic, geometrical flacons attract the eyes; the titles and descriptions of each of the perfumes excite the mind. Let’s see. Yvonne is modern homage to the classical feminine perfume, blending rose and the chypre notes with the scent of red fruits. Toï Toï Toï, a German expression ballet dancers say to wish good luck before going on to perform, labels a fragrance that evokes polished wooden boards of the stage and the dancer’s waxed ballet shoes. Meanwhile L’Ivrée Bleue is a narcotic scent that depicts the eroticism of Gauguin and the jungle themes of Rosseau. It smells dark vanilla, of rum and of the scents of the island. Oh my. Want more? Read here. Want to buy right away, impulsively, just like me? Well, at the moment Ormaie sells only at Barneys New York. New Yorkers, lucky you. The rest got to dream for a while.