Sainte Nitouche. Vanessa Seward AW17

March 11, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Sainte Nitouche. “It means coy.” Vanessa Seward explained backstage of her autumn-winter 2017 fashion show. “Nice, but naughty“. That sign was on one of her ultra-chic t-shirts, worn over a delightful, floral shirt in indigo. With one boutique in Los Angeles, one in London and three in Paris, that’s evident that Seward’s style appeals to women. This season,the designer went Yves Saint Laurent-like glam: voluminous fur coats, smoking jackets and feminine midi-skirts were the show stoppers, just like beige turtlenecks. Vanessa Seward isn’t a designer who wants to revolutionize fashion, but she isn’t interested in temporary hype neither. Her clothes are classic and French, ignoring the fact that it sounds like a boring cliché. Believe me – it’s far from boring, but rather seductive. And easy. That’s why women across the world feel so affectionate about Seward’s brilliant pieces.

Optimism. Chloé AW17

March 8, 2017March 8, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

First of all, happy International Woman’s Day!

Second, let’s talk about Chloé, a brand that is often defined as a woman’s favourite. Marking her last show for the brand, Clare Waight Keller wanted to convey something she does best: carefree girlieness, but with no sugar added. Her goal was to provide a sense of escapism through fashion. Feminine dresses were balanced with XXL jumpers and slouchy sweatpants. Voluminous knits with psychedelic patterns had lace skirts (or mini-dresses) peeking out of beneath, highlighting a look Clare mastered since her arrival to the French maison in 2012. She pulled off Gaby Aghion’s, the brand’s founder, signature flou like no other, while her chic collections (although at some points monotonous) matched Chloé aesthetic perfectly. And that’s not only visible in editors’ reviews, but in the brand’s sales. Hopefully, Waight Keller finds her new path, whether in Paris or London (where her fam is) – her talent for versatile fashion could be a bright future for any obsoleting brand. Optimism, which is the theme of her autumn collection, is something Clare can easily relate to, whether in the past or future.

Women’s Love. Dries Van Noten AW17

March 6, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Autumn-winter 2017 was Dries Van Noten‘s 100th show. And just as he did at this season’s menswear, the designer was reflecting on the past, future, and most of all – the contemporary. Malgosia Bela, Nadia Auermann, Hanne Gaby, Mica Arganaraz, Carolyn Murphy, Debra Shaw and many, many more catwalk icons, veterans and today’s favourites walked the show. Some of them were present in Van Noten’s first show back in the late 80s, which is quite impressive. The collection is naturally one of the season’s biggest highlights, although it wasn’t about any statement piece. Masculine coats and over-sized denim pants were like the second skin of the models with experience (and a powerful gaze in their eyes). They made simple clothes look elusive. The designer showed off a remix of his forever-great prints on midi-length dresses and frivolous skirts, reminding everyone that he’s especially talented with colour palette and textile combinations. Lovely boas, big blazers and perfectly tailored shirts: there’s no doubt why throughout those 100 collections, women believed in Dries. And they will do so throughout the next 100 collections, that’s sure.

While others fall into mega-companies and stakes, Van Noten’s Antwerp-based label is independent. When I entered his cozy boutique on Saint Germain yesterday, it was crowded – and those weren’t tourists, who took photos of the ornamental interior, but women trying on dresses and shoes. Something I haven’t seen at all the same day at Balenciaga or Lanvin on the other side of Seine, even though these brands are currently “it”.

The secret of Dries? Maybe the fact he doesn’t play secrets; he doesn’t create packs of model-friends to propel sales; he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight that much. It’s about the clothes and his relation with devoted clients.

Yves is Pleased. Saint Laurent AW17

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Anthony Vaccarello‘s debut collection for Saint Laurent, which we’ve all seen back in September, was a safe entrance to the house with sultry “party girl” look. However, his autumn-winter 2017 is so much more and it’s incredible in every aspect. First, the attachable sleeves-gloves hybrids, which were all about mega volume. Then, the highly covetable over-the-knee boots, whether in patent leather or heavily embellished. Cognac leather made everything, from the evening gowns to mini-dresses, look sexy, but far from vulgar. And when you’ve already thought that Vaccarello nailed it – the cable-knit sweater-dress (of course embellished with thousand rhinestones) was there, stealing the spotlight. In this collection, one can distinguish some of Anthony’s signatures, that we’ve already seen at his now-closed namesake brand. Faded denim, lots of leather, sharp silhouettes. But the designer managed to praise Yves Saint Laurent, without being too referential. The collection was inspired with YSL parties from the 80s – Vaccarello’s favourite period – and one specific look, which was slightly revamped. A black dress embroidered with a purple flower and green leaves was a 2.0 version of the same dress Yves did in the past, done in collaboration with Lessage. It was fantastic, just like the rest of the collection.

Saint Laurent

French Love. Jacquemus AW17

March 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

The anticipation before Simon Porte Jacquemus‘ autumn-winter 2017 was growing, as the designer posted three, very special photos on his Instagram account. On each, the show invitation was pictured. And they were signed for Pablo Picasso, Manitas de Plata and Francois Gilot – a pack of cult personalities, who shaped the cultural world of Spain and France in the 20th century. One thing was sure – Jacquemus won’t disappoint this season, “inviting” those three personalities to the show.

And he didn’t. That was ‘chic’. The pure quintessence of this word. From the miniature bags and over-sized to geometrical jackets and flirty dresses. Surprisingly, black was the collection’s main colour, while the designer is rather known for bold shades or simple white. But the collection was far from dull. This sense of darkness made the statuesque coats look refined, mature. You could really notice the hidden beauty of this collection, which keeps so much of the designer’s intimacy. His uncle was a bull-fighter: that’s from where you’ve got the sculpted, matador hats. Little, bejewelled buttons and buckles were a nod to Christian Lacroix, one of Simon’s biggest fashion idols. “When I was a child, I grew up dreaming of Christian Lacroix, who I saw in my mother’s magazines, and meant fashion to me” is how he explains his life-time obsession with the legendary designer, who never said a ‘no’ to signature, over-the-top splendour.

Although this collection would have stolen more than one heart of old Parisian boheme, Jacquemus focuses on his contemporary girl from the real world. Giving her a dream, a story. “It was about this Parisian girl who wears couture who falls in love with a gypsy in the south of France. She tries to be like a gypsy, but she cannot—she is too couture!” There’s this current mania for French chic, which usually ends on ripped denim and not washed hair (according to best-selling books with style tips). But Jacquemus, with his unique, deeply rooted sensibility, brings chic to women of today.