New Feminine. Miu Miu SS19

October 10, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

For Miuccia Prada, femininity isn’t just pretty. At both, Prada and Miu Miu, the designer surprisingly kept the lengths short this season, but not overly saccharine. But it was Miu Miu’s spring-summer 2019 collection that felt not just relevantly feminine, but real. I might even call it my favourite dispatch from the entire Paris fashion week. ‘Cracked’ frocks with exaggerated ribbons; masculine blazers worn over satin shirts and chunky knits; sheer (and faux python leather) pencil skirts combined with below-the-knee stockings; denim shirt-dresses brightened up with rhinestones… each look was a gorgeous styling inspiration. Some of the pieces were very retro – take the Gatsby-esque sequined mini-dress that closed the show – but somehow not pretentious. The model casting was insanely good as well, as the girls’ personal features elevated every single garment. Those aren’t armors, that’s for sure. But also, it would be a mistake to call Miu Miu’s latest offering ‘girly’. Multi-faceted, bold, mature, but not boringly formal or elegant, are closer connotations. Whatever it is, Miu Miu is intriguing, and that’s something I missed from other brands in Paris.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Inner Strengths. Chloé SS18

September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

In fact, Natacha Ramsay-Levi is present in the French fashion for years, if you haven’t noticed: first she worked at Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquiere and after following the designer, landed a job at Louis Vuitton. But her new role of creative director at Chloé is the first time she’s in the solo spotlight. Succeeding Clare Waight Keller (the Givenchy debut is just around the corner), who kept Chloé in an eternal rhapsody of boho dresses for about six years, Ramsay-Levi also leads a brand previously designed by Karl Lagerfeld, Martine Sitbone, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo and Hannah McGibbon. That’s what you call an impressive line-up. However, the newly appointed designer’s debut was a nod to the Chloé founder, Gaby Aghion. As the show note stated, Natacha decided to stay true to “the independence and intellectual spirit of Gaby”, while embracing femininity and giving women an opportunity to show their inner strength through clothing. And the spring-summer 2018 collection was just that.

Don’t want to use clichés, but that what the designer did was the best possible version of contemporary Parisian chic. Structured mini-skirts, dresses of different lengths covered with prints by a Bombay / Barcelona based artist Rithika Merchant, a timeless camel coat, velvet suits in horse motif and celestial bright gowns. A mix of eclectic, well-curated pieces that resemble Natacha’s aestehtic sense – unconventional and intimate at the same time. The accessories were also très cool, from Chloé it-bags (slightly pimped up with heavy-chain handles and straps) to irresistibly good boots. In some moments, the collection felt like Louis Vuitton in the last few seasons – but that reflects Ramsay-Levi’s signatures that used to be hidden under the brand’s logo. The designer’s lesser known, whimsical side was definitely felt through the jewellery. One of the gold-plated necklaces looked like the prehistoric sculpture of Venus. Summing it all up – I already adore the Ramsay-Levi and Chloé affair!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Witchy. Rodarte SS18

July 3, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Americans in Paris – I love seeing them here. Proenza Schouler‘s spring-summer 2018 was already a very good sign. The same day, Mulleavy sisters‘ Rodarte line-up was a feast for the eye in pure form. The show was staged in a Parisian cloister with a garden patio, where the models strolled around in witchy dresses and badass leather gears. All those ethereal and rebellious elements of a Rodarte woman symbolised Kate and Laura’s romantic sensibility with a sophisticated vision of femininity.

Throughout the seasons in New York, Rodarte reflected on womanhood in various ways, from skate girls to punk princesses. Spring-summer 2018 was “the most Rodarte collection” the sisters created, where they mixed all of their magical ingredients into one delightful potion. Like fairies, the models had baby’s-breath tiaras on their heads or carried huge bird of paradise bouquets. Some wore scarlet red gowns, some pastel pink ball-dresses, but all oozed with a carefree, A Midsummer Night’s Dream sweetness. There were the leather pieces, too, which are Rodarte’s signatures – this season ornamented with metallic bows. I guess the Mulleavy girls deserve a loud ‘bienvenue’, just like the Proenza Schouler boys do.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki (backdrop: stills and elements from ‘The Love Witch’ film from 2016).

Being Attractive. Balmain SS15

September 27, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mondrian-ish prints. Freeing the nipple. Parisian glamour. Sexy. Olivier Rousteing of Balmain showed a chic and brave collection, making the models look ultra attactive and provocative (if you may say, anything is still provocative in today’s fashion). For a show that was about “pushing the boundaries of sex,” as Rousteing bluntly put it, it didn’t always mean sexy with safe use. The issue, in most cases, was the fabric. As eye-catching as allover crystals can be, they’re hard to slink in—harder still, we imagine, to sit down in. The collection felt not really looking into the future woman, but into the past, where showgirls had their time to shine. However, the sheer tops with bold stripes looked good, but surely not real.