HC – Haute Foodie. Schiaparelli SS16

January 27, 2016January 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bertrand Guyon has his second season at Schiaparelli finished, but it still seems that he needs time to show his audience who he is. The signatures of Elsa Schiaparelli are so characteristic that it’s surely hard to make your personal style the first privilege – even though Marco Zanini, the predecessor of Guyon at the brand, was nearly there. The idea behind the haute couture spring-summer 2016 collection, or rather a thematic find from Elsa’s archives, was celebration of food and the family meal. The topic of food was significant for the legendary designer – in her autobiography “Shocking Life“, she stated “eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.” Indeed, the nearly minuscule details and bejewelled embroideries, created in collaboration with Maripol, looked joyous. The adorable cherry was hooked over one nipple, while an evolution of a “breakfast egg” had been humoristically presented in form of jacket buttons. Bertrand and his team proved that craftsmanship is the maison‘s specialty – the blazer above was ornamented with a wheat plaiting technique, known to the best Parisian ateliers only.

However, the collection had its bad site which couldn’t be fixed by all those nutritious finishings – in the overall, the collection looked unfinished. The closing looks weren’t spectacular at all – modest, scanty dresses felt not on the right place. Even the spider-web shoulder exposures were illogical. I suppose Elsa didn’t mean insects as her favourite positions in the menu. As it’s visible, the collection needed a more strict edit, and a rich, festive ending. I still felt hungry after the show.

Poet’s Romance. Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini Pre-Fall’16

January 17, 2016February 1, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I was appealed to Lorenzo Serafini‘s toned romance at Philosophy already in September – and this moody pre-fall 2016 lookbook wins my heart, even though the brand felt a bit sleepy to me in the past. Feminity, romance and lightness are the stylistic traits of the new creative director of the label, which was found by Alberta Ferretti back in 1984. Before his appointment, Stefano lead the womenswear at Dolce & Gabanna – however I can’t entirely believe in this by looking at those delicate and sensual clothes presented by the brand’s muses, Stella Lucia and Julia Jamin. Initially, the collection is about a masculine, slightly over-sized yet minimal suit – but then, Serafini keeps it more girly, introducing frivolous, lace dresses and crotchet tops. Also, the shearling coat selection is sharp – it seems like the season’s must-have piece will come from Philosophy.

Elizabeth. Giles SS16

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

To understand Giles‘s spring-summer 2016 collection, it’s good to look at the last few outfits. The laser-cut, micro-pleated, satin organza gown was worn by the one and only, red-haired Karen Elson. She emerged, looking at the audience with a royal manner, like the clone of Queen Elizabeth I in some kind of postapocalyptic, futuristic times. The show was set in the Elizabethan-era Banqueting Room in Whitehall, which was booked by Giles Deacon already a year ago – however, the place precisely reflected the collection’s mood. All the historic references played a role in the textile usage – Baroque wallpaper florals and embroideries based on tapestries look stunning on everything. There is no Giles collection without a proper dose of drama, too. The designer indulged himself in voluminous skirts, balloon-shaped sleeves and dresses with parachute hems or underlying layers of tulle. The long, white shirt-dress worn by Natalie Westling is the key piece to look forward next season. And coming back to the model casting, Giles was over-the-top with the hottest faces: Edie Campbell, Erin O’Connor, Molly Bair, Damaris Goddrie, Anna Cleveland and many more walked the runway last night.

Royal Tenderness. Simone Rocha SS16

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Spring-summer 2016 seems to be the most daring collection for Simone Rocha up to date. And not only because the show was staged in Buckingham Palace. This collection proved, that Simone Rocha is a designer who can freely play with her own signatures. The new season was all about blurring prettiness, tenderness and sexuality with traditional and high-tech techniques. Lace tops were styled with brown, neoprene trousers while the flip-flops and dresses were embroidered with crystals, which took the designer into a more couture level. But how did the collection and vision of presenting it in London’s most royal place appear in Rocha’s mind? “I found out I was pregnant while I was in Japan, working on a project with Dover Street Market Ginza, and then went on to Kyoto for a few days,” said Rocha. “I was suddenly seeing everything so intensely, it felt trippy!” Although the collection was not mainly about Japanese references, it had a lot to do with kimono silhouettes. But the main idea was deeply rooted in the history of British aristocracy – the ball-room gowns, pretty ruffles and the lady-like feeling.

Summer Comeback. Rosie Assoulin SS16

September 13, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Rosie Assoulin‘s collections are always full of joy. For her SS16, the designer took us to one of New York’s public pools, which has its murals painted by Keith Haring. The location had a lot to do with the collection – swimwear was the key, and that was visible by looking at the very first looks. Bikini tops were worn over shirts, while happy, slightly trippy stripes covered the voluminous flares. The colours were bold and nutritious – intensive red and orange made me want summer to comeback as quick as possible! Assoulin’s signatures gowns are famous among New York fashionistas for their carefree attitude – they are not all about precious embellishments and a typical, heavy couture feeling, but about an old-school, Diana Ross glamour. Ruffles, bows – and beautiful silhouettes are as usually ruling. That’s sure – Rosie truly enjoys her play with fashion!