#InstaLOVE – April, 2016

April 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

@lanemarinho / I wrote about Lane’s handmade shoes here. And then, I fell in love with her visually nutritious feed for good!

I am an Instagram maniac and I openly confess that I spend too much time on filtering my feed. But it’s irresistible, when you have so many great accounts to follow! If you are ready for a dose of beautifully curated walls, inspiring photos and delightful shots – see my April recommendations!

@mzmarcozanini / Former Rochas and Schiaparelli designer, Marco Zanini, shares his love for Nordic furniture and interiors, posts rare #TBT’s of Martin Margiela and revives his personal, fashion highlights of his career. Whenever I see him posting a picture, I wonder when will he come back to the industry…

@jeannedamas / Jeanne Damas is my Parisian-girl crush, whenever she’s posting her feet in a balloon-filled bath or wears high-waisted flares. A must-follow, if you ask me.

@_ikakok_ / Kasia Korzeniecka’s marble-like patterns are made using the water painting technique. They are abstract, colourful, a bit chaotic and very moody. Perfect to look at, when you want to stress out after a long, exhausting and boring no-Instagram day.

@glossier / Although I am not a beauty-blogger and I laugh at beauty tutorials, the New York-based cosmetic brand, Glossier, never fails to deliver inspiring, casual-retail tricks. Past weekend, the brand gave away 500 #GlossierPink roses at the Bedford Avenue subway station. Nice, huh?

AND, if you want to follow one more account on Instagram… why don’t you follow, ta-da, @designandculturebyed?

Good Things. Rosie Assoulin AW16

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Considering all the fresh names that appear during New York Fashion Week, not many enter the game with a purely unique vision, or even a mind-striking collection. Sometimes, it looks like a slightly modified Celine or The Row copy-and-paste method fits all the occasions, while the venue of the show or presentation is limited to a modestly furnished uptown loft (there are too many of those this season, too). But in case of Rosie Assoulin, one of the most prolific and talented millennials in the fashion industry, everything works in the other way – meaning – every step the designer takes is utterly her’s, and not of somebody else, and what’s the most important – she doesn’t lead her eponymous label onto a mainstream path (well, you may say that her jumpsuit appeared in Beyonce’s Formation video a week ago and that her gowns appear to win the celebrity’s hearts on the red carpets – but still, her creativity keeps to be offbeat).

The autumn-winter 2016 presentation was, honestly, the most beautiful of all the New York brands I’ve seen this season. Firstly, the place where Rosie showed her new collection felt like the perfect spot to show these joyous clothes – the diverse models walked around a wooden installation of colourful, burning candles, creating abstract wax veins on the concrete floors. The rawness of brick walls, the elegant, but kinda off-duty black piano filled the atmosphere with Assoulin’s presence.

Another asset that Rosie had this season was the intimacy her show held – the guests could discover the pieces on the models up and close. And what’s more, the clothes were really interesting, which sometimes is missed by other designers nowadays! Dark blue velvet-trimmed pajamas (and chokers), a lipstick red jumpsuit with a caped back, a one sleeve cable knit worn over a ruffled, beige skirt – the woman portrayed by Rosie deserves a wow on a party. And for those, who prefer something more everyday, the female designer who understands all aspects of a woman’s wardrobe presented some great, olive-green pants, breezy tops with sexy shoulder cut-outs and arty blousons. I’m not mentioning the coats, as they look perfect when styled with one of these cargo pants…

Rosie knows what’s good. Slay.

Lugano

February 10, 2016February 10, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Lugano! The Swiss paradise… I miss this place so much right now. And mostly, the mesmerizing view of Lago Di Lugano, and the taste of their season-fresh artichokes.

Photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

Milan by Night

February 8, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Milan by night is all about the people, who seem to be so relaxed and never in a hurry; the scent of bold flowers from the local, street kiosks; the smell of delightful Italian cuisine coming from trattorias and bristros; and the beauty of lit up architecture, which never stops mesmerising. And it’s the city, where trams look always chic – observing elder women who wear their mink coats and tweed pencil skirts entering the old-school public transport is both, a fashion moment and me-after-school defining goal.

Love you, Milan.

Yep, it’s me!

All photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

HC – Eclectic Candy. Valentino SS16

February 1, 2016January 31, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I must admit – this time the haute couture week in Paris dissapointed me. It distinctly feels that the designers are frustrated with the speed of fashion industry, and such time-consuming, uncommercial collection like couture seems to be missed with the point. However, the only brand that made me sigh was Valentino – and that’s strange, because I have always ignored Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s and Pierpaolo Piccioli‘s pastel-pink-princess-dress vision. BUT, few of their last collections are great and absolutely different – and it’s visible that this designer duo push their boundaries, putting their Insta-famous rockstud stilettos and camo bags aside. The couture spring-summer 2016 collection is indeed a candy for the eye. There was an exotic, “Venetian-pagan” romanticism about this collection, from the sculptural, golden harnesses to ornamental gowns with meticulous floral embroideries and monarchy-like coats with fur-linings. I loved the sensual, sheer gowns with delicate Victoriana collars as much as the body-dresses which were more built-up and excessive. This bi-polar and eclectic outing, covered with white rose petals, was also all about the barefoot models, which looked like Grecian goddesses in their snake-themed crowns and neck-lines. Totally into this one, Valentino.