What’s Coming for SS17?

August 18, 2016August 19, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Via @natalia_misbhv

So, what’s coming for the spring-summer 2017 season? New designers debutting at big houses; young labels that will steal the spotlight; beauty cannon redefining moments; grear and bad collections. But, why are we thinking about summer of the next year? Note: first days of September – New York Fashion Week kicks off. And August is about to end soon…

On the 10th of September, Natalia Maczek and her team will hit New York with a first ever, MISBHV presentation. Coming straight from Cracow, Poland, the streetwear brand (adored by my friends here) is known for its über-cool, defiant aesthetic. Think gothic fonts, over-sized everything and strip-tease platforms. You might think it’s a wannabe Vetements – but no, MISBHV was nailing it on the Polish streets long time before the French collective’s fame.

It’s hard being a young and independent fashion designer in Paris, fighting for attention in the crowd of Chanel-s, Balmain-s and Vuitton-s. But still, a wave of young, French designers thrives to convey their vision of fashion. Meet Koché, the creation of Christelle Kocher, the new girl in the schedule and a second-time LVMH finalist .“I’m sharing my Paris with other people,” is how she described her AW16 unusual venue of her fashion – the 18th-century Passage du Prado, which nowadays is adopted by African hairdressers and little mobile phone shops. So, no – it’s not Grand Palais or a Rue Saint Honore showroom. I tell you – keep Koché on your radar.

Sander Lak, the man behind Sies Marjan, is into the 90s, and that might be the reason why his pastel-pink pieces got sold out within the minutes on-line. Although AW16 was his first season, the New York-based designer, takes it easy in the fashion industry. With his experience (he used to work at Dries Van Noten) and colour sensibility, I bet he will pull off another, jaw-dropping outing this season.

London is burning with talents, and Fashion East understands the needs of young individuals. That’s why, the SS17 scheme is really exciting: we’ve got A.V. Robertson, who envisions another dimension of embroidery and embellishment; there’s Matty Bovan, a LVMH prize winner, who worked (together with Robetson) on Marc Jacobs’ prints, and collaborated with Miu Miu on their latest presentation. We will also get to know Mimi Wade and Richard Malone closer during the upcoming London Fashion Week.

Anthony Vaccarello was announced as the new creative director at Saint Laurent, and his debut in Paris will tell, whether he’s able to take a big house under his wings. There are three options – he will go Hedi Slimane’s path, delivering a grunge-y set of clothes; he will do it the way he does it at his namesake label; or, he will literally shock everyone. I hope that the last option becomes true. For now, there’s a lot of Anja Rubik on his Instagram.

Maria Grazia Chiuri is another designer who will soon debut at a major, French maison. Well, in fact she switched Valentino for Dior. Good for Dior.

Boucher Jarrar‘s start at Lanvin isn’t the best. Just take look at her “first” collection, so resort 2017. Sure, pre-collections should be commercial, but… they shouldn’t be that boring Alber Elbaz’ frivolous legacy is erased for good, while Jeanne Lanvin’s quintessence is barely here. Time will show, whether Bouchra’s clean minimalism does any good for Lanvin.

Demna Gvasalia‘s debut at Balenciaga is already behind us – but I can’t wait to see what is he up to for spring-summer 2017.

September, come!

A Bigger Splash

May 22, 2016March 13, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

We are all OBSCENE!

I’ve been waiting for A Bigger Splash since last September, and just yesterday I had a chance to see it in the cinema. But the waiting was honestly worth it, as I can openly say that I’m obsessed with it even more than I were few months ago. Luca Guadagnino‘s sultry, Italian sun-bathed thriller, starring Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Lily McMenamy, is a masterpiece. Visually, musically, artistically.

On an idyllic island of Pantelleria, Marianne Lane, a rock-star (played by the one and only Swinton), cures herself from a temporary voice loss and is all in sensual, compassionate relationship with Paul (Schoenaerts). Lying naked on the off-beat beach all day, the couple’s fantasy escape is interrupted by a spontanous visit of chaotic, impulsive Harry (played by Fiennes), Marianne’s music producer and old, drug-fuelled love. He arrives to the island with a shocking surprise: his “newly-discovered” daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who is a reflection of a melancholic lolita-teenager. The atmosphere gets stinking hot, as jealousy, untamed love and temperamental desire start to ooze in the relations between these equally vivid characters. Dancing to Rolling Stone’s Emotional Rescue, Harry is getting on everybody’s nerves, simultaneously inducing Marianne to fall in love with him, again. On the other side of the terracotta tiled pool, we’ve got Paul, a level-headed, loyal lover to Lane; but then, there is Penelope, whose coquettish behaviour and nasty attitude towards the others will make everything even more complicated…

A Bigger Splash is a remake of French thriller La Piscine, which is iconic due to star power of Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin – however, the plot has many reinterpreted, unpredictable twists. As Guadignino believes that fashion plays a major role in his films (!), the frivolous dresses, alluring skirts and sequined jumpsuits a la Ziggy Stardust, designed by Raf Simons during his tenure at Dior, fulfill the meaningful body language of Marianne. Also, the soundtrack of A Bigger Splash was curated in the dynamic, sexy rhyme of this (already) cult film – from rock’n’roll Nevada Wild tracks to operatic Popol Vuh, the play with sound is mind-blowing in here, too.

I rarely (almost never) write about films on my blog – but I just couldn’t hold back from sharing my excitement with Luca’s film. Although it tells about pain and misunderstanding, obscenity and looking into the past, it’s an aesthetically beautiful nod to gestures, touch, sense and unconventional love. Should I even recommend it? Go for it, without consideration.

Photographs above: Giulio Ghirardi examines the exquisite costumes and props, which helped bulid the elusive seductiveness of A Bigger Splash.

What’s Hot (16.5.16)

Image | May 16, 2016May 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

HC – Carte Blance. Dior SS16

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

Without a designer at helm, the house of Dior is a true carte blanché in many ways. For the summer haute couture season the studio staff (who were aesthetically trained by Raf Simons throughout his three-year tenure) tried to do their best. And to a surprise, unexpectedly they did a good job without a creative director (comparing to the disastrous collection from 2011, when Bill Gayten replaced John Galliano with his tasteless fashion). The collection had Simons’ minimal spirit present, just like it smartly played with Christian Dior’s legacy. Shoulder-exposing bar jackets, lace dresses with v-neck cuts and feminine suits looked breezy and fresh. The only major dissapointment is the lack of a beautiful, COUTURE ball-dress. I loved Raf’s couture collections because of his amazing dresses. This time, Dior feels pretty handicapped among the other brands without one, but that’s totally understandable – you can’t demand everything at a time from a studio-designed collection. Now, the question is – who is the person that will take-over the brand in the near future? Any guesses?

The New Year Dress

December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The most important question of the year appears – which dress should you were for the New Year Eve? Go for non-chalance or simplicity this time? Be the Diana Ross of the night or a femme fatale, let’s say, like the intriguing Mata Hari? Or is the dress-code free for interpretation? Here is the subjective selection of the fantasy dresses you might wear (or dream to wear) on the 31st of December!

Dior spring-summer 1998 couture

Not long after John Galliano’s arrival at Dior, the fashion crowd discovered the designer’s famous over-the-top style – staged in Paris’ Opera Garnier, the fashion show stunned everybody with the backless gowns in Art Nouveau prints, mink coats, avant-garde hats and of course, the gold-thread embroidered Marie Antoinette ball dress. A masterpiece which impresses me until now.

Celine autumn-winter 2013

For those who enjoy comfort and effortless elegance – Phoebe Philo’s chic outing at Celine was all about modern silhouettes and flattering shapes. The outfit with a shoulder exposing top, a midi-lenght skirt and a pillow clutch might be just the right choice for a lounge party with fancy canapés.

Alaia autumn-winter 1991

“Animal magnetism” is how Azzedine Alaia described his collection back in 1991. Indeed, the leopard-print knit dress worn by Claudia Schiffer was all about Parisian sex-appeal. A sure take on a Pink Panther themed party.

Lanvin spring-summer 2016

The last collection designed by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin was all about his signature, over-sized dresses. The one above, all in burgundy and red sequins stole my heart during the fashion week. And the silk scarf, which was worn by the model in a slouchy way gave the overall effect of “my New Eve will be spent with the person I love the most” statement.

Yohji Yamamoto spring-summer 1999

When Malgosia Bela presented this parachute, white dress at Yohji Yamamoto’s show at the end of the last decade, everybody agreed – a white dress is not only worn to a wedding ceremony. I can guarantee you that if you appear in this voluminous piece at the newly opened gourmet restaurant during the New Year Eve – well, then the dinner is yours.

Rochas pre-fall 2016

A bit dramatic, yet minimal – the Rochas maxi-dress styled with a fur stole is Alessandro Dell AcQua’s perfect tip for a last-minute New-Year-new-you-look.

Gucci spring-summer 2016

Alessandro Michele can even make a track suit look brilliant for this special occasion – it’s all about a fair dose of hand-painted florals, a sheer, silk pussy-bow shirt and a pair of killer-hill stilettos. Also, there is a variety of embroidered dresses with ruffles and crotchet jumpsuits – true, these are eclectic and eccentric looks, but there is only one New Year Eve per year!

Alexander McQueen autumn-winter 2010

The aristocratic, meticulously embroidered gown worn with a scarlet red cape – and all the attention is on you. This is how a Royal-looking, custom-made queen dress should look like. I confess that when I examined McQueen’s last collection, which he had finished designing just few days before his tragic death, tears welled up in my eyes. Such a genius is sorely missed.

Haider Ackermann spring-summer 2011

If you are this type of person, who wants to show some skin to the world, then please, please, please – don’t take a Kardashian-esque Balmain dress. Go for this fabulous, yellow Haider Ackermann dress with a leg-exposing cut. I know, it looks too good to be true. But it’s even more than Insta-perfect.

Rosie Assoulin resort 2015

And of course, I cannot not take under consideration Rosie Assoulin’s bold dresses and skirts. These nutritious and fresh-like-an-orange looks from her resort 2015 look-book are flawless, and in a very #IWokeUpLikeThis manner. Not that I am the biggest fan of Beyonce – but I think the word and the hashtag of 2015 fit Rosie’s eveningwear style… on point.

So, obviously you already have a clear vision of your New Year eve outfit, don’t you?