Spiral Around The Body

July 23, 2015July 19, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

A piece of jewellery by her seems to be like a spiral which shapes around the body. Do you remember the set of five golden rings from Nicolas Ghesquière’s final collection for Balenciaga? Did you add them to the on-line store whishlist because you were so in love with them? Well, in reality, you were in love with Charlotte Chesnais already back then. Spending nearly a decade at the house, she appeared to be the main jewellery designer there by coincidence. “Nicolas wanted some pieces for his Les Parisiennes collection, and there was no one at the time doing jewelry in the atelier,” Chesnais recalls. She left Balenciaga just after Ghesquière did. “I had lost my master,” she explains, but not before debuting the “bow” bracelets that have since become an Alexander Wang signature. Later on, Chesnais worked for Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne (the last season bracelets are also by HER) and designed the chain mail bags. And now, Charlotte Chesnais is here to present herself in the truest form, with her own namesake line. Inspired by the sculptural work of Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti, her eponymous collection is composed of metal pieces that look as if made of liquid – cuffs coil up the hand; circular earrings orbit the lobes. “Each one is a beautiful object—even just sitting on a table,” she says. “That’s my interpretation of timeless.”

Constantin Brancusi

Balenciaga SS13

HC – Fourrure. Fendi AW15

July 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The last fourrure was presented 90 years ago. Two days ago, Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Fendi, showed the world what is the definite fur splendor. As the name fourrure might suggest, it is a haute couture collection which is utterly focused on… fur. Chinchilla, sable and mink were presented in form of long, floor-weeping coats, flesh explosing jumpsuit and amazingly detailed sweaters – and these were not only interesting because of the fact they were made from a fusion of cashmere and fluff, but because they were embellished with huge flowers, of course shaped from fur. The cape worn by Julia Nobis at the end of the show may have been all about feathers “transforming” into a silver-tipped skirt, which set our minds on a cross-species category search. PETA was set at bay during the fashion show – and all your furry fantasies became real.

Celine on Av. Montaigne 53

July 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

This place is my second home. Instead of a hotel, I could book a night at Celine.

Avenue Montaigne 53 / Paris

HC – Peculiar. Giambattista Valli AW15

July 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Before designing the collection, Giambattista Valli created an impossible conversation between two women. Talitha Pol and Peggy Guggenheim. “Genuine eccentricity, in the DNA,” he explained. Indeed, his clothes exploded with peculiarity, from the very first look, with a tutu of tulle on a crepe sheath over slim pants. Also, an impressive dose of floral embroidery was seen on maxi gowns and fancy mini dresses. The show-stopping piece? Pants in a silvery metallic raffia that were paired with a big ball of ostrich feathers. But what really made everybody feel stunned nearly to death? The enormous, voluminous orange ruffles which were applied on simple white dresses.

Men’s – Globe Trotter. Haider Ackermann SS16

June 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Haider Ackermann is a globetrotter since being a small child – he was born in Columbia, spent his childhood in Ethiopia and Algeria and later in the Netherlands. But he still loves long, exotic journeys. His recent collection for SS16 is a fusion of Persian and Japanese culture, with which he has been inspired lately. But don’t think he went kimonos. The new silhouettes for men, and partially for women, were all about sharp cuts and beautiful shades of blue, gold and grey. The collection was rich in details and had this “I need everything” reaction . But the thing I enjoy the most about this oriental summer was the styling – different textures and not so banal textiles were mixed in a very stylish, Haider way. As always, a favourite of mine!