Women of AW16

March 23, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s not a secret that women with attitude inspire fashion, and the designers. This season, we had a range of different characters – from aristocratic femme fatale to a lady who travelled the world, the season of autumn-winter 2016 is definitely dedicated to the women, who made history. Or, at least, are the important chapters in fashion chronicles.

Marchesa Luisa Casati x Dries Van Noten

Aristocratic suits, piqué shirts, gold lamé shoes, leopard-spot pantalons and the radiating soigné manner surrounding the smoky-eyed women. It’s a story reviving Marchesa Luisa Casati, the woman with her iconic pet-cheetahs obsession and a memorable collection of pearl necklaces. The Belgian designer mused “she pushed decadence as a lifestyle, but was never happy” – indeed, the collection was shrounded in melancholic mystery. The masculine coats, celebrating Casati’s lover, Gabriele D’Annunzio, and white shirts tucked in tweed pants were all about Dries’ imaginary woman, who shares her man’s wardrobe and reads, maybe, books about existence. Decadence and Van Noten – a match made in heaven, making this season a highlight for the designer.

Anne-France Dauthville x Chloé

With her favourite, laid-back signatures, Clare Waight Keller revived the spirit of a Frenchwoman, Anne-France Dauthville, who travelled across Europe and Middle East on her motorcycle in the 70s. One of the looks was basically a motocross combo of a jacket and a pair of pants, styled with off-duty biker boots. With ecru foulards tied around necks, the girls wore the best-selling, ruffled silk and lace dresses, while the opening look was a voluminous, travel-forward poncho. Watching Chloé’s AW16 collection, you felt like THIS girl is a truly carefree soul.

Comme Des Garçons x Marie Antoinette

Although Rei Kawakubo isn’t a fan of mood-boards, her latest collection for Comme des Garçons was everything – punk, sexy, deviant and royal. The closing look worn by Anna Cleveland, so the pastel-pink, leather piece with exaggerated, ruffled sleeves was a defiant reconstruction of Marie Antoinette’s coat, in which she would surely have a cupcake, or two. Just like Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen, the Queen of France and Navarre, Kawakubo is against the flow.

Celine x Donna Karan

Although Donna Karan closed her main line last year, and left DKNY for the Public School boys, her influence from the 80’s and 90’s felt distinct in Phoebe Philo‘s relaxed season at Celine. The flowing silhouettes and extremely wearable pieces are so effortless that every woman would love to wear Philo’s clothes nowadays. This was totally the same goal for Karan back in the days – she made her clothes so comfortable that they instantly became the second skin for her New York clients. Nearly invisible in wearing – timeless, seasonless and ageless. But not boring!

Women, who’ve inspired the designers for autumn-winter 2016 season are (or were) all absolutely original in their lifestyle and way of being. Which one reflects you in fashion? Or, maybe you’re not identifying with any of them? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Reflections on Taste. Miu Miu AW16

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although we’ve had the newcomers (Jasmine Sanders, Julia Banas), hot faces of Anna Cleveland and Edie Campbell type, Insta-fames (Gigi and Kendall) and the top-models, so the one-and-only Adriana Lima and Lara Stone, the Miu Miu girls were as nutty as the old ladies you meet on the street, and with whom you wouldn’t truly fancy a date. However, there was something appealing about these girls, wearing layered denim and furniture-tapestry maxi-skirts. As if Miuccia Prada wanted to show the risky, yet very feminine way of dressing, which is based on mixing contrasting, old and slightly cheesy clothes… but out of necessity, and not because of a current trend. Corduroy bombers and denim jackets with lace collars had something of a college girl memoirs – all of the jackets were embroidered with models’ boyfriend name tags. A nod to teenage romance, or a real-life tendency of sharing your wardrobe in a relationship?

But the youthful spirit of Prada’s sister line becomes much more mature, and less likely to feel appealing to a younger clientele. The lilac dress, worn by Lara, had the Cafe Marchesi florals everywhere, while the old-fashioned Jacquard coats and velvet belts smelled with Parisian thrift shops. These clothes are nostalgic and frivolous, and the entire collection questions good-taste. Although it was mostly slammed by the critics, I liked it.

Miu Miu always makes me feel relaxed by the end of the fashion month. With exhaustion in my fingers and a reflective mood on fashion, I am quite happy to announce that it’s the end of the autumn-winter 2016 couverage – uff!

System Hang. Louis Vuitton AW16

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Even Nicolas Ghesquiere needs a break. Although Louis Vuitton‘s creative director look always into the future, and wants to be as fast as his muse, Lightning, the hero of Final Fantasy XIII and face of the house’s most recent campaign, this season it’s distinctly visible that Ghesquiere is having a throwback to his best Balenciaga and Vuitton moments. Not that the collection is bad – quite the opposite, this chic, luxe Tomb Raider girl is Nicolas’ long-term concept, which both excites and sells. But it just feels like the autumn-winter collection doesn’t have this sense of new, which is always conveyed in his collections. How many sweatshirts will we see, or those satin, sporty dresses? And why are the last-season’s patent-leather boots again in the show (well, because they were best-sellers – but I doubt whether Ghesquiere’s aim is to go Valentino’s path and become an accessory-loving, commerce-wise designer)? Believe it or not, but this collection looks usual and quite easy to pull off, and even more banal, when you are Nicolas Ghesquiere. Phoebe Philo can confess she is having a chill – but I doubt Vuitton’s designer, noting the capacity of the brand, can let himself for a system hang.

Yves’ Glamorama. Saint Laurent AW16

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

According to rumours, Hedi Slimane is leaving Saint Laurent – which, perhaps, would be a huge relief for some. Indeed, the autumn-winter 2016 collection felt like a good-bye wave, if you compare it to last seasons. And, at the same time, it was the most Yves Saint Laurent collection up to date, coming from Slimane’s “skinny pants and grunge shirts” world. The big, big shoulders of 80’s; dazzling, sequin dresses; killer heels styled with sleek smokings. For a moment, Saint Laurent’s soul and the famous Le Scandale era revived, and stole the Paris Fashion Week spotlight. But then, the models were distinctly Hedi, as all of them had a below “size 0” posture. If this was the last show coming from ex-Dior Homme designer, then it has been quite impressive, even though some of these mini-dresses looked overly cheesy, rather chic. But, if this was another outing from Slimane… then I wish he leaves the house right now, just as I did a few years ago, when he was appointed to be the new creative director. I know, I am an anti-Hedi person. And honestly, is Anthony Vaccarello the right choice for the house (the next rumour…)? His design aesthetic seems to be too close to Slimane’s, as for me.

Bonjour, Paris. Sonia Rykiel AW16

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julie De Libran, a Parisian woman who knows her city as well as her pocket, is in charge of a Parisian label which has always conveyed the stereotype of the real, Parisian chic. It was Sonia Rykiel, who made her famous stripes a must-have of every Parisienne, just like denim flares and other life-companions of women, who are believed to live in Paris. De Libran smartly revisited Rykiel’s archives, blurring the autumn-winter 2016 wardrobe for women between daywear and eveningwear. From Mongolian lamb coats to black lace dresses, the collection was filled with flattering (and effortlessly wearable) pieces. You simply felt sympathy for this sensual, intelligent and eternally stylish femme.