Love’s in the air. Valentino AW19

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pierpaolo Piccioli makes people get emotional (and Celine Dion shed tears of joy) over his couture. Does his ready-to-wear for Valentino spark the same reactions? Pretty much yes. His autumn-winter 2019 collection was an ode to love. A theme that might be so easily clichéd in fashion got beautifully poetic on Piccioli’s runway. “I feel that people are looking for emotion and dreams—but not distant dreams,” he said today before the show. “I want to create a community for Valentino. I mean something different from ‘lifestyle,’ which is about owing objects. It’s about people who share values.” Valentino’s community has many faces, and this season Pierpaolo made them even more vocal. First, the choice of models who walk the Valentino runway as of late utterly cement the normalisation of inclusive casting. You’ve got Adut Akech open the show in a voluminous coat, and Maria Carla Boscono wear a gorgeous black gown. Then, we’ve got artistic individuals that leave their mark on Piccioli’s fashion. Jun Takahashi of Undercover started collaborating with Valentino’s menswear last season, and his contribution goes on here as well. This time the designers morphed together a print of a 19th-century neoclassical sculpture of kissing lovers with an image of roses. It appeared on pretty much everything, and wasn’t necessarily a subtle detail. And then there are the poets. Poetry in fashion always seemed to be a good idea just in case of Ann Demeulemeester and her long-time friend, Patti Smith. In case of Valentino, the concept wasn’t overly intellectual or profound, but digestible for the eye. Picciolli commissioned the Scottish poet and artist Robert Montgomery and the three young writers – Greta Bellamacina, Mustafa The Poet and Yrsa Daley-Ward – to contribute to a slim volume, Valentino on Love, which was left on seats for the audience. An illuminated billboard with lines by Montgomery stood at the end of the runway, reading, “The people you love become ghosts inside of you and like this you keep them alive.” The words carried on to live in Piccioli’s designs and the lines were printed (or embroidered) inside coats, tulle dresses, inside of bags and boots. In terms of fashion, this was a line-up of incredible matchings. An orange jacket with feathers was worn over a hoodie – refined, yet fresh. There were as many couture-ish silhouettes (like the yellow cape-coat or the finale dresses) as sublime daywear (think soft tailoring, flared mid-lenght skirts and classical little black dresses). Love’s in the air, in every single aspect.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – A Different Travel. Undercover AW19

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although Jun Takahashi‘s autumn-winter 2019 Undecover collection was built around Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange‘ (the protagonist’s face appeared few times on duvet jackets, knits and socks, while some of the models carried matching canes), there was much, much more to the outing. Beethoven and Edgar Allan Poe appeared in the season’s main graphic, abstractly mixed with an UFO spaceship. This brings us to Jun’s friendship with Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, who used the same prints in his latest menswear offering (which was presented the same day) and labelled most of the pieces as ‘Valentino Undecover’. But wait. There was also the invitation that featured Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus. Some of the pieces were labelled with words (in phonetic Russian), like sabog (boot) and prestoopnik (criminal). Criminal? The feathered masks could have been some sort of dramatic, yet very chic, robber look. But the hats with a single, coloured feather? More of a muskeeter. And no, you don’t have to really comprehend all that or truly understand what’s the connection. The Japanese designer, who is known for balancing authentic streetwear with avant-garde, took us on a travel that’s above time and dimensions. The garments and accessories, from cable-knitted epaulets and sweatshirt-jumpsuits to heavy trekking boots and corduroy total looks, are heaven. And the finale, featuring only all-red looks, might have been a metaphor of hell, but the one with very good-looking demons and devils.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

We Need Drama. Undercover AW17

March 12, 2017March 12, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jun Takahashi is the unsung star of Paris fashion week with his extremely niche brand, Undercover. But this season, something shifted. It was impossible not to notice his autumn-winter 2017 collection, which might be named as one of the season’s best. It was pure fashion drama, taking the viewer to another world, another galaxy. Princess Leia buns and ethereal ball gowns reminded you of those memorable dresses that were worn by dames to parties. True, aristocrats were on Jun’s mind, but not only. To the tune of Thom Yorke’s music, models represented different characters, from soldiers in feather-trimmed armours to pagan ancestors wearing fur and ripped knits. So surreal. Magical. While other designers re-invent and rebrand this season, Takahashi wanted to present a past (or present, or future) society in integrated ceremony through his great love for theatrical costumes. Chapeau bas.

All That Jazz. Undercover SS17

October 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jun Takahashi is the designer behind one of the most avant-garde brand originating from Japan – Undercover. Every collection delivered by him is a separate story, subverting the reality of ready-to-wear into something much more sophisticated, nearly magical. For spring-summer 2017, Jun investigated the world of jazz, his favourite music genre. However, it’s not the mood of Chicago musical and sultry-hot “And All That Jazz” song! Saxophones were printed in an old-fashioned, trompe l’oeil-style on t-shirts and wide pants, while the last, spectacular looks were three leather outfits kept in a collage-like patchwork of drums, keyboards and trumpets. A new, fresh glance at a ‘dandy’ – worth considering next spring.

Ageing like a Forest. Undercover AW16

March 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ageing is beautiful, and Jun Takahashi of Undercover reminds the industry about that. “Making relaxwear for all ages” was the main concept behind this avant-garde outing, filled with printed pajamas, cocooning knitwear (the pastel blue cardigan striped coat had this lovely, spongy texture!) and layered outerwear. The models’ age range varied, and such silver-haired beauties as Hannelore Knuts appeared in the show, wearing a white crown of thorns – but not with a religious message, so no doubts. It was rather connected to the imaginary, ethereal queens of forests which also had dried hydrangeas in their hair. Another clue of the forest life inspiration? Gigantic, felt wool ants and bees carried like stoles by the Undercover women. Takahashi goes against the flow, and he has a talent of doing what he does best – not looking at other designers’ work.