Parisian Woman. Anthony Vaccarello SS16

October 2, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Anthont Vaccarello‘s spring-summer 2016 collection was not only the hottest of all, but also the most descriptive in terms of a Parisian woman, who parties at night-clubs and eats her all-time favourite steak at Hotel Costes. Femme fatale shirts played an important role in the collection – worn with black ties, they looked utterly chic. Just like the cut-out skirts that gave the guests some legs. The second part of the collection was devoted to the Polish top-model, Anja Rubik, who is Anthony’s muse and friend. Her bold, characteristic face appeared in form of pixeled prints on tank-tops and dresses, making the collection sharp and graphic. The looks that closed the show, however, were much more casual. Anthony experimented with denim (a quiet nod to his Versus Versace collaboration) and exposure. The mini-skirts made the models look fierce and with attitude. Although you might say that Vaccarello revisits the Parisian chic cliché (google Emmanuelle Alt), you must admit – he does that in a bon way!

Over The Top. Marc Jacobs SS16

September 18, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Marc Jacobs’s spring-summer 2016 show was actually really about fashion. It was so over-the-top and so good, that I just don’t know where to start from. So let me make a list of things that I am still obsessed with.

Location – This season Marc Jacobs took us to the “Hollywood of New York”. The entire fashion show was staged at the location of Ziegfeld Theatre on West 54th Street. The velvet details of the theater matched the eclectic mood of the collection precisely – glamour and chic shouted from every corner of this magical place…

Model Casting – Marc Jacobs and Anita Bitton of Establishment NY always choose the most interesting faces. Molly Bair, Lineisy Montero, Karly Loyce, Varya Shutova, Alice Metza and many more walked the show, representing diversity and beauty. But also, Marc’s all time favourites wore these opulent gowns – Guinevere Van Seenus , Karen Elson and, yes, even Beth Ditto attended the show, slaying it.

Fashion – As I mentioned before, this show seemed to be the most fashion-thinking of all during NYFW. I won’t hide it – this season was mostly about slip dresses and minimal outfits. And while everybody seemed to be revising their own signatures, Marc Jacobs truly let his imagination take over the reigns – all these silhouettes, the detailings, the whole Old Hollywood inspiration. Cinched waists and exaggerated shoulders, flared sleeves and full cut trousers, pussy bows and neck chokers, glitter and lamé were all here. Beautiful and strongly missed splendour came back to fashion on a massive scale.

Embroidery – All kinds of embellishments and applications were used in this collection. Through collaboration with Lessage studio in Paris, the evening gowns looked absolutely ethereal and highly dramatic. Matty Bovan and Amie Victoria Robertson worked on the prints, that were later on ebroidered onto the over-sized suits – their toothy and freckled characters gave the collection a humorous edge.

Uff. I am done. This collection was great, Marc! And a great ending for the pretty calm New York Fashion Week.

HC – Casino. Chanel AW15

July 8, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

This season, Karl Lagerfeld took us to a casino in oder to show, that everybody there wear Chanel haute couture. Karl’s muse splash – Stella Tennant, Kristen Stewart, Lara Stone, Julianne Moore – gambled on the roulette tables while the models circled the spacious runway. But it seemed, that this what the models wore during the show was the least important. The whole event of a casino stole the spotlight and nobody really looked at the fashion part. Well, maybe because all those dresses, little (black) jackets and tweed skirts felt… boring? During the last few seasons, if talking of couture, Karl gives us the same idea behind the clothes. Classy, lady-like silhouettes without any fantasy. Just look back at the last few seasons. The scenarios of runways are always amazing and Instagram-worthy, but the dresses (and haute couture is mostly about beautiful dresses!) are being neglected.

HC – Bertrand Guyon. Schiaparelli AW15

July 6, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Who is Bertrand Guyon? Formerly of Givenchy and Christian Lacroix, Guyon’s most recent post was held at Valentino. And now he is the creative director behind Schiaparelli, succeeding Marco Zanini. As I wrote a year ago when Zanini had his second collection at this historic fashion house, Elsa Schiaparelli legacy and style is so strong and so intense, that it is nearly impossible to lead the brand in symbiosis with her signatures and the designer’s personal style. For his first show, Bertrand and Schiaparelli studio presented a rich in embroideries collection, full of luxury textiles and embellishments. “Midnight velvet dress”, “gold-embroidered brocade suit” – the titles of each look from the brand’s ambassador instagram, Farida Khelfa , sound major. But by looking at all that mind-blowing beauty and craft, I can’t see any Guyon’s identity. More of fur? Sleeker silhouettes? No one knows. However, I am excited what the next season will be like with this mysterious designer. Hopefully its going to be more clear.

Le Marais

July 3, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Le Marais spreads across the parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements and its always full of life and happiness. I love those small details which are seen here, like the cute bouquets of flowers standing on the outdoor-cafe tables or messy, wax marked furniture in old galleries. And of course, the tiny flower shops bring on the romantic mood which is so, so typical for this aristocratic district. Here are few of the moments I captured during my long walk around Le Marais.