Peru Revisited. AF Vandevorst AW15

March 7, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The AF Vandevorst couple presented a collection, which was very personal to them – their favourite hard rock music meets Peru, their favourite lately visited country. Long leather boots contrasted with Peruvian pom-pons while tribal-inspired way of wearing scarves looked ultra-cool with fur-trimmed dresses. And all of that was interpreted in deeply poetic black. “In our Belgian way, we took out all the colors,” An said backstage. Rose floral jacquard, patterned Quechua weaving motifs, layered Andean skirts, and Spanish colonial frill were thus all made black and once or twice white and grey. The avant-garde Stephen Jones hats were all about condors and signature AF Vandevorst fedoras. The silhouettes were long, lean, and brooding, even floor sweeping in some cases. The band playing along-side the presentation made the entire impression even better and emotional. Huge, huge bravo for An and Filip!

Boudicca’s Tribe. Gareth Pugh AW15

February 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Boudicca. England. Brave women. Gareth Pugh celebrates 10 years of his label, and this moment is seriously a highlight. In his AW15, the mad prince of British fashion brings fetish leather, sexy volumes and dark queen silhouettes, which all suggest one thing – the avant-garde British fashion is alive. Thankfully, Gareth Pugh continues Alexander McQueen’s legacy of fashion which got balls. For this specific show, the models had their faces and torso painted with red while the hair was cut in a boyish, home-like way. Fur, plastic, leather, wool were presented in a pretty sharp way, belted and covered with chains. I love this collection not only because its avant-garde and ultra-British, but because it’s not so retail-friendly… and it sums up first 10 years of Gareth’s fashion career.

Murder, She Wrote. Thom Bronwe AW15

February 18, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

If talking of good drama, Thom Browne knows how to amuse the viewer. For AW15 venue, the enfant terrible of New York’s fashion scene presented his extraordinary show in Victoria era seminary, where “doctors” gave life to the patients. Also, the guests had a chance to be present on the funeral of a mafioso – every model was dressed head to toe in black, with veils on their faces. And, no, he said, he did not see the new all-black exhibition at the Met, where his partner, Andrew Bolton, is a curator; he purposely avoided it, so as not to be overly influenced. The sadness brought by Thom Browne in black colour was meaningful – opposite to Alexander Wang’s recent retail-friendly collection, the darkness felt emotional, beautiful and ironic at the same time. Each outfit offered something for the eye – a swingy jacket edged in thick beaver fur worn over a tweed mini and cardigan; an overcoat of black wool bouclé edged all around with frayed silk; warm and sublime wool dresses; coats horsehair fringe, and a jacket in a wool woven to resemble astrakhan and then embroidered with tiny black beads and deep green feathers. The veils were impressive, too – they all told a story.

Thom Browne’s AW15 was a totally different experience than his SS15 – the season before, full of green and flowers, brought cheer. AW15 is utterly different – it’s dull and gloomy. But both of them are ultra-couture if talking of craftsmanship and represent fashion as art. Thom Browne owns that.

DAAD Dantone

February 10, 2015June 22, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The store I admire most in Milan is DAAD Dantone. Why? Whenever I visit this place, I feel closer to the beauty of niche fashion – the seasonless leather jackets, timeless fur vests and simply beautiful clothes, which don’t need a shouting tag attached to it. At DAAD Dantone, you might find pieces by Rick Owens, MA+, If Six Was Nine, Simona Tagliaferri (great knits and scarves up here), Poeme Bohemien, Boris Bidjan Saberi and many other eponymous label you probably have never heard of. But, no worries! You won’t feel overhelmed because the shop-owners will definitely tell you A LOT about the brands and accessories they got here. If talking of the interior, it’s full of concrete, but the amount of light is just perfect. Their perfume corner is well supplied, too – Meo Fusciuni fragrances are here, about which you are going to learn more in few days. So, what should I say more – for your next visit in Milan, add this place to your address list!

Via Santo Spirito 24 / Milan

Men’s – Black. Thom Browne AW15

January 28, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Thom Browne ended the menswear fashion week in Paris with a beautiful, dark touch. And, it was definitely one of the strongest TB collections ever. Even if all others are masterpieces. But what I love about this one, is the romantic side of colour black. The models wore massively decorated hats by Stephen Jones millinery and the signature suits with a white shirt and tie. However it didn’t look simple. The blazers had embroidered whales and turtles; each leather glove had an embellished label tag on it; the fur coats looked magical combined with the brogues and the doctor bag. Everything clothed under a layer of black silk. Simply saying, an example of couture for men. A darkly theatrical opening (a man rising from a bed, dressing in black, and then apparently shuffling off this mortal coil) set the stage for a parade of mourners to make their way down a white runway, dusted with black snow. Bravo.