Couture – Fairy-Tale. Fendi AW16

July 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

90th anniversary for Fendi is not just an anniversary. It’s an occasion to show off. And Karl Lagerfeld proudly celebrated the event during his last haute couture show for the Italian house, making the entire Rome gasp. The show was literally staged on Trevi Fountain, fresh off a $2.4 million rehab. Like in a fairy-tale, the models walked down a transparent, elevated runway, while Fellini-famed symbol of the eternal city has never looked that glamorous and fashionable. No doubt this fashion show will be remembered forever as one of the most magnificent and daring – this can be easily said about the fur creations, which graced the runway, too.

Since the very beginnings of the brand, Fendi was known for “fun fur” – the most fantastically decorated fur coats and jackets were delivered from Roman ateliers, pleasing the aristocratic Italian families and clients. Lagerfeld embraces Fendi’s specific, couture legacy through fourrure, and autumn-winter 2016 is his second one (the first one was also presented as a winter season last July). Words can’t describe the beauty of these masterpieces. A pink dress seemed to be made out of simple lace, but in fact it was Persian lamb with 5000 hand-cut holes. Mosaic-style scene of an enchanted forest was presented on a mink coat thanks to an old technique of stitching and cutting. Some dresses were appliquéd with hand-sculpted flowers from mink. Crotchet gowns oozed with antique chic, embroidered with long-hair mink and fringed leather. “This is what Fendi is all about. No other fur house in the world does it, or could do it” the creative director said during a press conference. That’s a true statement, Karl.

Couture – Giles, Maison Margiela, Valentino AW16

July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Giles – If you think of Giles Deacon and his fashion, first thing on your mind is his “fire burnt” gown or Kristen McMenamy in a white dress with extremely big shoulders – in other words, his most fantastic and surreal creations, which are on haute couture level. This season, forget about Giles’ ready-to-wear, as the designer decided not to show during the last London Fashion Week. Instead, he went to Paris for couture week to prove that he’s incredibly good in his love for “big, special pieces for the show“. Because, why not? Life’s too short to do something that bores us.

For his first couture collection, Deacon went eclectic, allowing his imagination take over the control. Voluminous ball dress in hand-painted, palm leaves print; purple mini-dress covered with three-dimensional petals; yellow, jacquard cape-like gown with embellishments. Should I list more? Oh, yes – the stand-out piece, so a regal velvet neckpiece in an Elizabethan style, which is of course detachable. As the queen wearing Giles wishes. There’s also the imperial ‘Faberge’ print gown, all covered in a variety of egg illustrations. Yum. That’s a wardrobe for a modern-day monarch – it’s not over-the-top kitsch, but adequately fancy. It’s visible that Deacon loves seeing his biggest love – couture – become a reality!

Maison Margiela – I’m again on fence with John Galliano. To me, everything he does at Maison Margiela is haphazard, without any order. It’s not ecleticism. It’s a play with random textiles and textures. But this doesn’t mean that John’s chaos doesn’t have its own appeal – it does, intimately. Wherever you look, autumn-winter 2016 collection focuses on the tiniest detail. The bright yellow, ‘artisanal’ cocoon coat was worn with an embroidered drape at the back, while the dramatic veil on models’ head reminded me of a perfect day-with-the-bees option. There was an adventurous, bared-shoulder dress; a plastic construction layered on a red mini-dress; a show-stopping muslin gown with a red lace boy embroidered on. The attitude of the collection was quite revolutionary, and as the show-notes suggested, French revolution period is the main reference. Anna Cleveland, who wore a Napoleon-esque hat, looked like she was ready for the fight. Still, I doubt wellies and a tweed skirt with feather applications are best choice for a “military” gear.

Valentino – You surely know that this Valentino show is the last one designed by the duo of Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri. At least, only one half of this pair stays; the latter, Maria Grazia, leaves for Dior. Which is quite unexpected, noting all these great collections (even if there were some ups and downs) and even greater couture presentations they did together. But on the contrary, Dior is really in a need for a designer with a strong vision after Raf Simons’ depature. Chiuri’s feminine point of view will surely match the ‘new look’, while her dresses are going to boost the sales (a new designer is always a gust of fresh air for a brand with heritage). Moreover, with her big step forward, she’s making history – she will become the first female creative director of Christian Dior’s maison.

Time will show what’s coming for Maria – for now, never mind, let’s take a look at Valentino’s latest outing. An old chapter should be ended with a bit of drama, and this Elizabethan wardrobe of puffed sleeves and clerical robes matches the slightly melancholic mood. The collection was presented on the occasion the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, so no wonder why there was a lot of Renaissance Italy feel in these theatrical clothes, origining from Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice. Richly embroidered and oozing with romance (as hot red as the closing, aristocratic gowns), the designer duo proved once again that they are (or rather were) the masters of elegance. However, ignoring the fact it’s the last collection designed with help of Maria Grazia, I guess it would be simply considered as another beautiful, enchanting, and so on… Valentino couture. I confess – I hoped for something more.

Couture – Atelier. Chanel AW16

July 9, 2016July 9, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Chanel venue productions are always over-the-top fancy, and always too unreal. But for autumn-winter 2016, Karl Lagerfeld decided to make his haute couture show an actual haute couture atelier. The legendary petites mains from Rue Cambon were transported to Grand Palais with all their sewing machines, becoming a living and breating setting for the models.

“Behind the girls in the show, there are 200 more who make what they wear—that’s quite a lot, no?—and I thought we should show them to the public too.” For this season’s couture, Chanel praised the women who are behind all the coveted tweed pantsuits, duchesse satin dresses and floriform embroidery. However, it seems like the heart of the house was exposed to the crowd; the intimacy of couture-making was disturbed for good, being suddenly photographed and tagged for social media. And surely, producing such venue is a desperate move to steal the spotlight.

But let’s not forget about the clothes, or rather wearable pieces of art. Although first looks were very classical and very Coco, the gowns which were emerging from the “atelier” oozed with drama. Black, tulle gown worn by Molly Bair with an exaggerated collar looked spectacular, while Edie Campbell’s closing look, so an embellished, pink coat with feathers on the back, was ethereal. The concept is ambiguous; the dresses are great. Quite average, as for Chanel.

Couture – Rhapsody. Schiaparelli AW16

July 8, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Being a creative director of Schiaparelli is hard, noting Elsa Schiaparelli’s extremely idiosyncratic and characteristic legacy. We’ve all observed how Bertrand Guyon struggled with the splendour of archives and references during his last two seasons, simply re-designing Elsa’s famous gowns and costumes. But for autumn-winter 2016, it seems that Guyon decided to sit down in a calm place while designing the new collection, which, in fact, isn’t a laid-back topic.

Schiaparelli’s famous summer 1938 circus show was in Guyon’s mind throughout the creative process, keeping it toned and, at a first glance, simple. The first looks were quite surprisingly elegant – black dresses with Old Hollywood style cuts and shoulders, hand-painted smokings. So chic. Then, it got even better, as the cocktail dress with a Picasso-esque bustier emerged. Back in the times, Schiaparelli expressed a true rhapsody of surreal beauty in fashion, and this collection proved that Bertrand can do Elsa’s thing, too. A velvet, butterfly-wing shaped jacket; colourful mink jacket; sequined ball-dresses. It’s a circus inspired collection, so naturally it was impossible not to spot meticulously embroidered peacocks and other animals. Every piece from this collection is a work of art. Indeed, that’s haute couture.

Jacquemus AW16 in Southern France

July 7, 2016July 1, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

The young generation of Paris-based designers, like Demna Gvasalia or Glenn Martens, look towards night life, clubbing and this defiant, booze-fuelled attitude. But Simon Porte Jacquemus‘ namesake label approaches fashion in a different way – rather than seeing hoodies and dilapidated denim, Jacquemus is much more innocent and… happy. And as smily as the Southern French people, contrasting with rushing Parisians. That’s why Simon took his autumn-winter 2016 pieces near his hometown, between Marseille and Avignon, and with help of photographer Theresa Marx, created the e-campaign for his brilliant on-line store. The photographs present arty coats, skirts and knits, all in bold colours and styled in the most unpredictable ways.

“The collection is about reconstruction, when you have a lot of different clothes from a lot of different people, and you put them all together and you create something new. Like an art shirt mixed with a t-shirt. I wanted these images to have something to do with the idea of a washing line. I’ve loved washing lines since my childhood, so I wanted to do something like this.” Washing lines play a significant role in Jacquemus’ campaign this season. Being a boy coming from the South of France, he’s childhood was filled with washing lines everywhere on the streets and gardens… but in Simon’s world, they aren’t cliche.