Milan

Last of Karl. Fendi AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

The news of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing away broke more than a week ago, and writing about his very final collection for Fendi seems like a struggle of using the right tense. It’s unbelievable he’s no longer here, with us. I always thought Karl will be present, forever. And just like that, it’s a season without him and his guaranteed, confident presence. Fendi’s autumn-winter 2019 was a tribute that wasn’t entirely a tribute, since Lagerfeld worked on majority of the collection – even though he was aware that his health is dangerously stumbling. After the models walked the runway, Silvia Venturini Fendi took a grieving bow. Karl’s last instruction given to Silvia was: “I want the bow” at the neck of the opening look. That was a nod to his own, unmistakable look. It’s difficult to write about the clothes from this collection as if this was just another Fendi collection. There was lightness in the pleated skirts. There was impressive craftsmanship involved, like the laser-cut “lattice” jackets and dresses. And, of course, there was the FF type face used on pretty much everything. It came from Karl’s calligraphy for the house from 1981. The models – most of them owe the designer their success by being his Fendi or Chanel muses – were visibly very emotional, but they walked their best, for Karl. Since 1965, he’s been at the helm of the brand – it’s probably the longest relationship between a brand and a designer in history – and now he’s gone. Venturini Fendi is taking the lead of the brand’s creative direction, but let’s leave the questions regarding the future of the brand for later. Rome, the city were Fendi was born, is in mourning: the brand’s flagship store on Via Condotti covered all of its window displays with Karl’s sketches of his designs for the house. Chanel faces the painful loss too, so does Paris.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Artisan. Moncler x Pierpaolo Piccioli AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Moncler continues its successful ‘Genius’ concept and keeps on inviting designers to reinterpret the famous duvet. Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his second line-up for the brand and it’s as good as the first one. The statuesque, floor-sweeping puffer dresses are here again, but this time they’re covered in prints made in collaboration with model Liya Kebede, and her sustainable and socially responsible label Lemlem. Graphic vibrancy of Lemlem’s contribution did wonders to the exaggerated volumes of Piccioli’s creations. Now, they look even more bold, especially when kept in colour (just see all these yellows, oranges and pistachios…). But coming back to Kebede’s Lemlem, it’s produced by artisan seamstresses in her native Ethiopia, who apply traditional patterns to everyday, approachable clothes. Re-creating the Lemlem fabrics in nylon not only gave additional work opportunities, but as well raised awareness of the brand’s actions. With grace and, very much in Piccioli’s manner, beauty.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Stable. Jil Sander AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

The pursuit after ‘new Céline’ is getting intense, and people say Jil Sander might be the right candidate to fill the gap. But the brand’s designers – Lucie and Luke Meier – aren’t copying Phoebe Philo, and have no intentions to. They do their thing, with Jil Sander’s soft minimalist spirit in mind. The Meiers’ vision of the brand is consistent since their debut few seasons ago. Tailoring with relaxed fit, comfortable, big bags, earthy colour palette with eventual splashes of pastel. This season, the couple nailed the topic of dresses. Whether we’re speaking of a loosely fitted chemise or an ankle-length black gown, it’s the sensual v-neck cut that feels refreshing about them. Jil Sander’s fashion was minimal, true, but simultaneously feminine – that’s a statement the Meiers highlight every season to end the stereotype of cold, stern image the brand got drowned in. Still, a scarf would be more than welcome for all those revealing cuts, since it’s an autumn-winter collection. Wait, we’ve got a duvet jacket – every brand has one this season – that will keep you warm. Jil Sander is stable – it doesn’t ‘wow’ you, true, but the collections please with their well-balanced content. I think it’s in good hands. 

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Good To See You Back. Zanini AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Marco Zanini, how good to see you back! This truly talented designer of Italian-Swedish origins had his stints at Rochas (those were truly brilliant seasons comparing to today’s state of things at the brand) and Schiaparelli, then did a few capsules for Santoni, and disappeared from the radar for a while. Now he’s back, better than ever, completely free, with his own namesake brand – Zanini. What it’s like to be on your own? “Finally, independence!” he told Vogue. “Of course, it’s a gamble, but this way feels more conscious, more authentic.” Zanini is thinking small, and proudly so – two collections per year, well-edited line-ups, quiet showroom presentations. But sometimes, less is really more. His debut collection can be described in one term: exquisite. Beautiful, beautiful tailoring and coats that you will make you drool. Cozy knitwear and beanies made in collaboration with his sister, Miki Zanini, who’s an avid knitter. The designer was in Japan last summer, and he came back with kimono silks that he’s cut into seamless bias dresses, airy and laid-back, but surprising with their construction. He can produce them in limited editions of two, a small number, but true to Marco’s intimate approach. “A lot of us are looking for something special, not overexposed.” That’s a fact. At a first glance, you might say that Zanini is the Milan alternative of The Row – one-off, logo-free, top-notch quality garments. But comparing to the Olsens and their uncompromising minimalism, Marco’s brand radiates with warmth and tactility. Summing up, Zanini is one of the best things I’ve seen in Milan this season.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – The Heart Still Beats. Prada AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

If there’s a designer you can count on, it’s Miuccia Prada. For two reasons. She will always deliver intelligent, multi-faceted fashion. And will take a grip of the contemporary matters like no other. Her men’s autumn-winter 2019 and women’s pre-fall 2019 was a dark outing. Well, why would it be optimistic? Today’s world is a bad place. Europe suffers from the rise of rightist governments. There are absolutely no reasons to be happy with Trump, just as with Macron, Brexit and Putin’s actions over Ukraine. Paweł Adamowicz, the liberal mayor of Gdansk, Poland, was brutally stabbed yesterday at a charity concert, and his death is all over the news today. Of course, mentioning such politically-charged tragedies next to fashion might sound completely out of one’s mind. But not in case of Miuccia, who acknowledges the world as it is and wants her viewers to be, at least, aware.

While military elements often come as fashion fads, the ones that appeared at Prada looked serious. They are the brand’s codes since the 90s – if you’re an observant Prada fan, you will have this raw, defiant ‘image’ in your head. Some of the models looked vulnerable with their pale torsos exposed. Others seemed to be even invisible in their grey, loosely fitted suits. The big crotchet heart, attached with a safety-pin to the blazers, was a simple, but beautiful metaphor of a heart that’s still beating, yet insecure and… terrified. “Basically it had to be a romantic show. And mainly I was interested in the understanding of humanity: weakness and the more delicate and naked aspects of humanity also. The rejected… It was set against a very tough world—that is why war and military was in the air,” the designer explained. Of course, there were – at a first glance – brighter details that made the collection digestible from a solely visual perspective. Which is completely understandable, as it’s a Prada fashion collection, after all, not a poetic Ann Demeulemeester line-up from the early 2000s or some soft of art performance. Although, I guess, Miuccia might wish for having that freedom. “To make it not boring and for the fashion – because fashion has to be light somehow – we borrowed the symbols of trashy horror movies. From ‘Frankenstein’ to ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and all those movies. Frankenstein is the example of the monster with a big, big heart who searches for love.” The heart’s still beating.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.