Ceremony of Separation. Comme des Garçons AW15

March 11, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Rei Kawakubo’s collections are always full of interpratations. Last time, it was all about red and it’s meaning. Now, it’s about black and white – but in a very metaphoric way. White – life. Black – death. Kawakubo went further and brings human’s biggest problem and fear into one, “painful” collection. The garments, made of many tones of white and black lace, had little, childish dresses embroidered on – disturbing and eerie at first sight. The serene and ghostly models moved slowly down the runway, and as they passed each other, a sad look was exchanged. As we usually “close” ourselves when we feel grief, every model had a hardened lace veil covering the faces or they were obscured by a sculptural cocoon by the master of hair-sculptures, Julien d’ys.

The collection made the guests of the show forget thinking whether “this will sell” or not. Everybody looked at the whole “ceremony” through their hearts and feelings. Rei Kawakubo proves again, that she is more than a fashion designer. She’s a poet which makes the emotions rage.

Noir Creatures. Yohji Yamamoto AW15

March 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The poet of black, Yohji Yamamoto, pushes the boundary again in his avant-garde world. The dresses weren’t dresses anymore. They were a form of art installations. Like a parachute explosion worn over a black turtleneck. Or a vacuum cleaner overload. There are many interpretations of Yohji’s fall fantasy – one thing’s sure. The more ready-to-wear clothes were great, too. In the black palette, Yohji Yamamoto modifies knitwear, shirts and masculine-inspired silhouettes to form a new dimension. The layering impresses as usual, making the models magically drown in black. Styled with perfect fedoras, the outfits were eccentric and wearable at the same time – even though, some might have been still under construction.

Humour Chic. Maison Margiela AW15

March 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

So, here we are. The second collection by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. Without explanation – John matches the spirit of Maison Martin Margiela PERFECTLY. Now with explanation. The collection was a more than fun – it had a melancholic humour in it. A bit childish, a bit grumpy. But bold and full of colour. The vinyl coat with green lilac attached to it talked bad witches; the Mary-Jane shoes were over-sized, so they made us think little children trying to look mature in their mum’s footwear; the orange gloves and voluminous caftans appeared to be inspired with aristocratic ladies who always have this magical aura around them… whatever they say, good that Galliano is back after a traumatic breaks and again brings fashion back to fashion.

Dadaism Allure. Jacquemus AW15

March 4, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Dadaistic silhouettes. Primitively covered faces. Barefoot. Nudity. Simone Porte Jacquemus continues his “naive” fashion journey, keeping his AW15 the most mature of all. With faces painted by Sebastien Bieniek, which felt very abstract (and creepy), the collection provokes and at the same time shows primitive cuts and simple way of attaching textiles. Explaining that he wanted to capture some of the instinctual feel of being a child, the designer said: “I cut jackets like little kids will do—sometimes the cut is weird, there is just a half top. I like this randomness.” But what does the NSFW dose mean? In my opinion, just like the twirling black hands, it’s a part of some kind conceptual performance which Jacquemus shows off. The whole collection, full of exaggeration and peculiar sex-appeal felt even more artistic and disturbing when you looked at the venue “designed” by Alex de Betak – walls with hole, camping chairs for the guests, dust and a smell of fresh paint. Escapism at its full strength. Although this collection might feel eerie for many, I like it’s elusiveness – it’s magnetising. And, let’s be honest – for a while, we didn’t see any show that was really strange and more than entertaining.

Louise Bourgeois. Simone Rocha AW15

February 22, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The layers of Simone Rocha’s dresses overlapped themselves like Louise Bourgeois sculptures. “I just absolutely love her work and the fact that it’s so personal. Also a lot of it is very textile based, but I love all of her materials – marble, wood, glass, and the contrast of it. Even though it was personal to her a lot of people relate to it,” Rocha noted backstage. The tapestry-like textiles were combined with sheer mesh while hair-like fur with florals. “I read recently that when she (Louise) was asked to go and have her photo taken she said she was so nervous she would rather hide behind her work so she just brought this huge phallus with her, which I think is a great idea,” Rocha said. “I’d much rather be behind a rail of clothes right now!”