Erotic Decadence. Comme des Garçons AW16

March 10, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“18th century punk” is how Rei Kawakubo, the 73-year old designer behind Comme des Garçons entitled her autumn-winter 2016. But don’t expect opulent ball-dresses with tomahawks (although Julien D’Ys, Rei’s long-time collaborator, created those grandiose hair constructions for this occasion) – this collection pushed all the possible concepts of both, the past of historical costumes and punk. And, it was really all about sex and fantasies, with gigantic tongues, and – well, let your naughty imagination work it out – layered garments with “balls”, rendered in Lyon’s finest (and most expensive) tapestry. The closing look worn by Anna Cleveland, so the pastel-pink, leather piece with exaggerated, ruffled sleeves was a defiant reconstruction of Marie Antoinette’s coat, in which she would surely have a cupcake, or two. It subtly exposed calves, just like the rest of the extraordinary “dresses”. Another look, also in the same shade of pink, was an elongated blazers with harness belts tied all around the model’s body, while the floral armor made of booming, red fur pom poms shouted one thing – make love, don’t fight. There was a decadent, bourgeois feeling of couture, but simultaneously, Kawakubo broke up with chambre syndicale conventions, and totally ripped the French fanciness off. Who do you call a rebel now?

Fade Away. Lanvin AW16

March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I wonder how hateful is Lanvin‘s studio towards Alber Elbaz and the legacy he left at this historic house of Jeanne Lanvin. I mean, Cathy Horyn described the catastrophic situation in possibly the most fitting way – “Elbaz spent 14 years reestablishing the link to Lanvin, reaching across a century. Last night, I had the feeling it was wiped out in 15 minutes.” I had precisely the same feeling Cathy had, when I saw this what happened at Lanvin’s autumn-winter 2016 outing in Paris.

The creative studio, which already has a shameful pre-fall collection behind it, presented a collection filled with saccharine dresses, which are far from Jeanne’s heritage design, and even farther from Alber’s beloved, draped cocktail dresses and imperfect, Parisian chic, which featured the hearty, unfinished edges. There are no pearls in this collection, which is just unbelievable – pearl necklaces were Lanvin’s all-time signatures (like Coco Chanel’s), and Elbar always respected that in his gracious collections. The season, created by the studio, is a bit rock’n’roll, a bit decadent, but in overall, it’s a wannabe of this what Alber translated during his tenure. Everything seems to be so sleek to death. And the pastel pink colour fades on the background of the beige carpet, just like the brand itself. Or the “genius” Shaw-Lan Wang, who fired Alber Elbaz, finds a new creative director with a precise vision for the maison… or else the brand will head to a sad place called fashion oblivion.

Mankind Chic. Dries Van Noten AW16

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Let Dries Van Noten teach what’s the definition of chic. It’s about decadence. Aristocratic suits, piqué shirts, gold lamé shoes, leopard-spot pantalons and the radiating soigné manner surrounding the smoky-eyed women. It’s a story reviving Marchesa Luisa Casati, the woman with her iconic pet-cheetahs obsession and a memorable collection of pearl necklaces. “She pushed decadence as a lifestyle, but was never happy” – indeed, the collection was shrounded in melancholic mystery. The masculine coats, celebrating Casati’s lover Gabriele D’Annunzio, and white shirts tucked in tweed pants were all about Dries’ imaginary woman, who shares her man’s wardrobe and reads, maybe, books about existence. The acid-green dress, worn by the one and only Molly Bair, had a sharp V-cut – quite unusual to see at Van Noten, who is rather into boyish elegance. But still, it felt infinitely him. From the very Parisian, velvet gowns to sexy pajamas the clients of the label have dozens of reason to shop here next season – and the fans, like me, will surely put this collection on the “autumn-winter 2016 favourites” list.

Bravo, Dries.

Feminine Fighters. Haider Ackermann SS16

October 9, 2015October 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

I won’t lie that during Paris Fashion Week I just can’t wait to see my favourite designers’ work. Haider Ackermann tops the list with Phoebe Philo of Celine, and there is a reason why. There is a small group of designers who really do have their signature and can freely have fun with it, in an unconventional way. Haider is the Belgian master of layering – his talent of styling and mixing clothes is unique. And his spring-summer 2016 outing is one of the most intriguing. This season, his woman had a punk attitude, with fluorescent hair and a classic, biker jacket. “There was leather, velvet, silk, a mix of everything in women who were sexual, fighters. But they weren’t warriors, like all women they were in search of something, so they went out and found it.” The collection was rooted in femininity. I thought that Haider Ackermann’s role-model was an imaginary version of Marie Antoinette, who came across Coachella and Glastonbury. Note the shoes – Cubano boots will be strong next season. The ones with zebra print look so good with the decadent, pink slip-dress above. I can say straight- ahead, that this is my favourite look of the season. It’s just perfect in its acid splashed chaos.