Milan

Harmony. Attico SS18

| Design & Culture by Ed

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Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini‘s brand, Attico, is like an ever-changing cabinet des curiosités that evolves with the designer’s ideas and sense of style. With a great commercial success under their belt (Attico tops the best-seller list everywhere, from Net-A-Porter to Matches), the women behind Milan’s beloved label keep it smartly small-production and very refined. Looking at Attico’s latest offering for spring-summer 2018, it’s clear what’s Gilda’s and what’s Giorgia’s. The first, master of layering and modern eclecticism, definitely put her stamp on the collection with her beloved use of sharp prints, bold colours and season’s new addition – the feathers. The second’s chic minimalist hand is felt in the feminine silhouettes of dresses and antique-looking embroideries. But what’s unique about Attico is the harmony kept between those two business partners / private-life friends. A truly well-curated selection of frocks and pajama suits await Attico’s devotees next season.

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Collage by Edward Kanarecki (featuring Allen Jones’ artwork).

On Monotony. Gucci SS18

| Design & Culture by Ed

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Alessandro Michele‘s phenomena at Gucci needs no introduction. I think his striking, even terrific style, has reached its limit a long time ago, and keeps on adding up with no end in sight. According to the brand’s creative director, ‘creation’ in itself is a poetic act, and I have nothing against that. But I found his spring-summer 2018 creation not poetic, but, hmm… overcrowded. Don’t get me wrong, Alessandro wouldn’t be him if he did something not ornamental, and I absolutely get that – it’s his aesthetic. But if that collection was a “map of signs to learn to live the world poetically, going beyond its contingency and standardizing monotony”, don’t be surprised if you lose your way with it. I find Ann Demeulemeester poetic. Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garçons are insanely poetic. But Michele’s extremely lush clash of young Elton John’s tour costumes and intergalactic UFO-femme gowns feels rather operatic and dramatic, than a fashion poetry. It’s a hard study of costume with a capital C, not self-expression liberation. Shortly, if you thought that the last Gucci show was too much, you were wrong. This one is too too much. But no fears, the next season will be even more more.

P.s. I think that monotony is lethal. But isn’t Gucci already too predicatable? It’s a kitsch monotony, in fact.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

TBT: Prada Fairies

| Design & Culture by Ed

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For her memorable spring-summer 2008, Miuccia Prada worked closely with artist James Jean on developing special prints for the clothes and the show venue. The inked drawings depict a lush and slightly scandalous landscape of flowers and nymphs (blending suggestions of Art Nouveau and Hieronymus Bosch). By projecting the actual imaginary world over the dresses and ball-skirts, then distorting and separating the various colour layers, the Prada fairytale seemed to breath throughout the entire season. And even though nearly a decade passed since the show took place, looking back at this intriguing collection takes you to another, magical place.

P.s. Recently, Prada has invited Jean for another equally fantastical collaboration – read about the brand’s resort 2018 collection here.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

TBT: Dolce & Gabbana AW04

| Design & Culture by Ed

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Today, looking at a Dolce & Gabbana show hurts. The brand’s recent strategy to lure rich millenials through casting Instagram stars for their runway is, politely saying, ridiculous. Also, I don’t feel like writing much about Domenico and Stefano‘s pride in dressing America’s First Lady, or the latter’s drive for dramas and beefs on social media. But, even though it’s hard to believe it in 2017, Dolce & Gabbana used to do fashion. And really good fashion. Autumn-winter 2004 season is a great example of that. Inspired with Helmut Newton’s photographs and muses, the designer’s collection was about a hedonistic, ultra-chic, dramatic, yet powerful woman. Lots of sheerness, romantic lace, sassy fur, seductive satin – that was extremely Dee-Gee at the beginning of the millennium.  The models – from Stella Tennant and Mariacarla Boscono to Nadja Auermann and Karen Elson – killed the audience with their walks.

Prada Heads

| Design & Culture by Ed

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Whether you’re a revolutionary spirit dressing like the European youth in 1968 (see Eva Green in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers to get the point) or a to-be French girl dreaming of Carrie Bradshaw’s great Parisian escape with Alexandr Petrovsky – Miuccia Prada has the next season headwear sorted out for you. One of the biggest surprises at Prada‘s autumn-winter 2017 fashion show was the comeback of berets and biker hats. Worn with long scarves and sea-shell necklaces, both of them looked adventurous (in one of the three versions: knitted, pony hair or patchwork). The guys wore their berets in corduroy with a defiant, Che Guevara attitude. Full throttle!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.