Traces of Living. Miu Miu SS24

October 6, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Miu Miu is the Sofia Coppola of fashion. With this brand, Miuccia Prada tells stories of girls (on the verge of womanhood) trying to navigate the fascinating, particular world we live in. The spring-summer 2024 collection, which is the cherry on top of this never-ending fashion month, explores a rationale of beauty today, beauty, that echoes the complexity of our era. Miuccia has a solution: instead of rigid paradigms, there is a radical expansion, a rich plurality. Not beauty, but beauties, an embracing of unique characters, the joy of life. With that in mind, the designer re-established the Miu Miu silhouette that’s seen recent collections fly off the shelves: skimpy hemlines expressed in knickers (worn as daywear), shorts and tiny tennis skirts paired with oversized blazers, bombers and coats. Triangular tops styled with low-slung tailored trousers continued the 2000s vibe beloved by a new generation of shoppers.

The collection was underpinned by a decidedly preppy mood that riffed on an American idea of ease: crested jackets over polo shirts over shirts worn with Bermuda shorts. There’s that intriguing “realness” about the recent Miu Miu collections. This time, Prada imbued her garments and accessories with what she called “traces of living”: marks on leathers and suedes, and fabrics that faded as if they’d been washed too many times. She called the pre-worn sensibility an expression of “existing love” demonstrated by the repeated use of clothes. A similar sensibility was reflected in the “real” styling (done wih Lotta Volkova’s assistance) of the slightly dishevelled layering of dresses, jumpsuits, cardigans and T-shirts, which evolved the barely-got-out-bed look that characterised last season’s collection. As a brilliant nod to real life, the toes of flip-flop-wearing models were adorned wore neon-coloured plasters. That sense of realness was also embrace by a diverse cast. Singer Troye Sivan flew the flag for the Miu Miu boy, while the artist Petra Collins and the photographer Eddy Aldridge wore “misfit” eveningwear. The Sofia Coppola reference perfectly materialized in the appearance of Cailee Spaeny, the actress who stars as Priscilla Presley in the latest work of the director.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.
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Allina, The Idol. All-In SS24

September 30, 2023September 30, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

This very solemn and somewhat regal Paris Fashion Week, some much-needed sass and fun was delivered by All-In. Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø, the design duo behind this brand, have a habit of building their collections around imaginary characters. This season we met Allina. She might be the last real pop star (sorry, The Idol‘s Jocelyn, that’s not you), a slim, blonde diva who leans into an air-brushed kind of glamour. The collection features Allina’s merch, like a very mini tube dress featuring an image of the pop sensation. As Barron explained, the garments related a tale “about Allina’s fall from fame, so it starts off with her as the ideal form of herself, but then things start to unravel as she ages.” The sense of things coming apart was conveyed by a black sequin décolleté and backless minidress with diamanté trim that used negative space to dramatic effect. It looked as if it had been cut away from the top of the thigh to below the knee; a piece of fabric hanging from the back of the skirt connected the top half of the look to the bottom. Allina’s “attachment” issues were illustrated by the looks that had hangers attached, from which hung vintage slips that were more granny than glam, to chart the diva’s aging and fall from fame. Said Vestbø: “We used a lot of mixed materials that felt a bit pop star Las Vegas, like crystals and sparkles and short skirts with these kind of old woman references, like the tin cans or long nightgowns. There’s also a powder puff.” These assemblages also played with the concept of putting up a facade, which was also addressed in a more immediately relatable way in the sweater dress worn by Delfine Bafort. The hem had been extended and only the front was attached to the body of the sweater, which was worn on top of the body. It was suspended by ropes of pearls at the neck, leaving it backless, and the model’s hands slipped through the cuffs, creating a batwing effect. The result was a sort of paper-doll flatness that was very intriguing. Up until this point, All-In’s practice has had Surrealist touches and collage. Helping to ground All-In a bit as it prepares for growth, Lotta Volkova, who has modeled for the brand, worked with Barron and Vestbø on the creation and styling of this campy, bitter-sweet collection.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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I See Angels. Blumarine SS24

September 23, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

This week, angels (and swarms of butterflies) landed on the Blumarine spring-summer 2024 runway, which itself was surprisingly a white box setting. This is minimal according to Nicola Brognano, who this season leaves behind the bold pinks and indulges in shades of neutrals and… nakedness. “I just felt it was time for more light, more lightness, more butterflies”. Butterflies, which in a previous collection were emblazoned on a skimpy top, came out in force this season, together with a parade of feathered wings. Butterflies are synonymous with frivolity. And angels, well, they’re angels. Blumarine’s were languid, lanky, handsome winged Adonises strutting down the catwalk in low-rise gold-leather trousers from which emerged smooth, naked torsos dusted with glitter. Brognano’s singular idea of purity and airy luminosity expanded into other literal translations: colors were pale, jerseys were flimsy like hosiery, ribbons and trains trailed breezily on the back of ultra-short sexy numbers. Bustiers and pencil skirts in clear PVC, studded with an abundance of rhinestones and crystals, were the pinnacle of Blumarine’s ode to very naked lightness. They didn’t leave anything to the imagination.To make the waters even murkier, models walked to the beat of The Idol’s Lily-Rose Depp’s World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak.

Fetishization of Pain. Mowalola SS24

September 17, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mowalola Ogunlesi delivered a sharp start of London Fashion Week. Mowalola, the brand, is fast, furious, and at times obscene, but in a creatively vital way. Backstage of her spring-summer 2024 show, the designer, said the collection had been sparked by her first-ever viewing of David Cronenberg’s Crash. “I was really excited by the fetishization of pain through crashing,” she said. It prompted her to imagine “a whole universe that resides on the street,” filtered through a prism of ecstatic jeopardy. But Mowalola doesn’t stick to one reference. Masturbating anime girl prints; off-the-shoulder bombers with faux Highway Patrol patches; thigh-highs and micro skirts inspired by street walkers. A lot of stuff that Ogulensi’s customers will love. All that, like the excellent dirty denims, seemed to emanate a conceptual solar system adjacent to some of Glenn Martens’s work at Diesel. The pants that flashed cracks at the back and crotch hairlines were maybe subject to the influence of Alexander McQueen’s gravity. This was good company to keep: however the gartered, bisected pants and skirts, now a Mowalola signature, were all Ogunlesi’s own. The flags-of-the world theme was another highlight. This also ran into a poignant EU skirt meets Union Jack cap look. The extreme contrast of volumes in some sportswear looks made the generic appear particular.

Butterfly. Blumarine Resort 2024

July 25, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

For resort 2024, Blumarine emerges from the armored chrysalis of the Joan D’Arc-themed autumn show and pops out as a butterfly in shining colors. Turquoise. Hot pink. Golden yellow. “The look isn’t as dirty as in the last few seasons,” Nicola Brognano elucidated. The designer said he wanted something more elevated and sensual, “a different energy, more joie de vivre, a more summer feel“. From the label’s archive he excavated a calmer color palette – nudes, pale pink, light blue, white – that he amplified into brighter vibrations. “There are no concepts, just sensations,” he said matter-of-factly. The look was ultrashort, body skimming and slinky, with viscose jersey providing a smooth, liquid surface malleable enough for wrapping, draping, and sash-knotting. Matching the barely-there minidresses’ colors, stretchy leggings that covered the needle heels of strappy sandals elongated the figure into a lean monochrome silhouette. Brognano unearthed a Blumarine lingerie look from years past, steering its once flirty, seductive attitude towards the overtly provocative. A tight-fitting bustier and leggings combo in stretch jersey with lace inserts was the season’s “new suit proposition.” Roses, another of Blumarine’s emblems, were also given the Brognano treatment. More thorny bush than manicured garden, they were laser-cut and appliquéd on a white minidress, or printed on a hot-pink mesh tube dress. The brand’s ubiquitous cargos came in a simplified evening version. In black canvas with a satin intarsia, they signaled a slight shift in the approach to Y2K that put Brognano’s Blumarine on the map in the first place. Asked how he feels about the in-your-face bare-midriff look that has ignited copycats by every high street brand, he was rather adamant. “Y2K? Honestly, I think it’s a bit passé.”