Love Cavalli

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I think it’s the first time I’m writing about Roberto Cavalli on my blog – ever! Not that I dislike Cavalli’s style – the thing is, the good old Roberto and his extremely Italian, slightly indie chic lost its right path somewhere in 2007, within the appearance of pre-collections and “hate” towards anything “kitsch” (talking of you, minimalism). Even though the designer was at helm of his studio till 2015, the collections didn’t differ much, while the brand wasn’t appealing to a younger clientele. In fact, Peter Dundas initially seemed to be a lost cause. Not only as Roberto’s personal decision, but after his, ironically, Cavalli-style-inspired collections for Emilio Pucci, which didn’t excite either. After the second season (I’m on fence with the critic-slammed spring-summer 2016 fluo glamorama), however, Dundas catches attention, but not only because of his predictable bling-bling. To a surprise, autumn-winter 2016 collection, for both men and women, was a great nod towards Robeto Cavalli and his bright, golden years – flares, python leather, music band t-shirts and a lot of denim revive from the dust, gracefully. With Jane Birkin’s 70s attitude and a sharp walk, anyone can make these killer, waisted pants look hotter than… hell!

Big Pants Tale

April 11, 2016April 9, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Lena in her N21 flares

Although big pants / flares aren’t always pleasantly seen in the society, let’s be cool about them – if styled well, these pants can easily become an essential of your wardrobe. Noting that the floor-sweeping length is having its appearance everywhere, from Celine Resort 2016 look-book to Rosie Assoulin’s AW16 collection, flares (which not necessarily must be denim!) seem to be an old-school alternative of culottes, which unfortunately don’t suit everybody due to their very, very difficult silhouette. Worn with a lace, slip top or a DsQuared bomber with a badass, J-Lo fur hoodie, the big pants work with almost everything. And, what’s the most attracting about this unsung must-have, is that you can truly have fun with them. Make them look slouchy (Y/Project autumn-winter 2016), chic (N21 cappuccino shaded version) or on fleek (Balmain AW07) – and remember to free your inner Jane Birkin.

So, are the big pants having a 2016 tale?

Fendi SS99

Y/Project AW16

Fendi SS99

Eckhaus Latta SS16

Céline AW16

Carla Bruni in her apartment

Rosie Assoulin AW16

Céline Resort 2016

Balmain by Chistopher Decarnin SS07

Fendi SS99

N21 SS16 on Lena

Maison Margiela in the 90’s

Women Empowerment. Gareth Pugh AW16

February 22, 2016February 22, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

The theme behind Gareth Pugh‘s autumn-winter 2016 collection is women empowerment – which dangerously blurs between a strong political statement and S&M nods. The models, wearing exaggerated, yet appealing Mugler-ish silhouettes and leather skirts looked fierce and powerful – while the sleek blazers, sheer turtlenecks and gorgeous, leg-flattering flares in camel beige made these women feel as the ones you don’t want to mess up with – and surely not if you are man. What caught the eye of the observant ones were the details. Suitcases were handcuffed to models’ wrists; the aggressive “man-eater” masks were made of leather, and had this “danger zone” aura all aorund the place; painfully tied strings around the faces were surely trouble-some for most of the cast, but looked sharp with the plum-red lips. And this Tom-Ford-at-Gucci era vibe, which is a contrast towards Pugh’s previous, much more arty collections. Although I’m not ultimately certain whether I like or dislike this collection – it was one of the most confident and self-assured outings of the season.