Tropical Escape. No21 Resort’16

June 9, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Dell’Acqua is the rising star of Milan and there no wonder why – his collections for No21 are always fresh and cool, but in Itlalian way. For Resort 2016, Alessandro fused many themes at a time – the marine chic which involved stripes; ethnic prints; oriental textiles (look at the canvas shoes!). All of that brought on the idea of perfect “tropical escape” wardrobe. The midi skirt with a sexy cut looked truly gorgeous with that over-sized chunky sweater while the warm colour of curcuma gave a laid-back mood. In overall, Dell’Acqua is known for his talent of mixing feminine silhouttes with masculine forms – the sailor jacket is the must-have of the collection, combined with one of these crispe checked skirts. This collection is an essential highlight of Alessandro’s fashion career becuase it smartly shows No21’s signatures in a very refreshing order.

Eclectic Girl. Gucci Resort’16

June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Yesterday’s Gucci show was not only a surprise due to its appearance in New York. It was intriguing. And Alessandro Michele knows that. The new designer, who left the sex-drived Tom Ford and Euro-sleek Frida Gianini behind, makes Gucci a brand, which is rather all about eclecticism and vintage. The word “eclectic” came up constantly when Michele was talking about the collection backstage. He also talked of “love” fuelling the collection, which incidentally appeared on a sweater in French –”aveugle par l’amour”. So hippie and optimistic, which is what Michele’s vibe is all about. “I’m inspired by a lot of things – from the street, antiques, vintage wardrobes. It’s impossible to explain the exact point of inspiration. It’s about being free to love, free to express, free to show who you are through the way you dress,” said Michele. “Luxury means that you show the way you dress with eccentricity. It’s almost like a new kind of jetset – instead of roaming around the world, you’re roaming with your clothes.” As you see, even the approach to luxury, which is up to now an essence of the brand, has changed.

But coming back to the venue matter. Gucci chose a gallery space in New York’s Chelsea, furnished with Persian rugs. As a remix of orchestral soundtracks started up, the garage doors to the gallery were raised up and the models walked in from the street, where outside Glen Luchford was shooting a film. And the street is certainly where Michele sees his eclectic cast existing. No wonder why the clothes might (or even should) remind you of Williamsburg’s thrift shops and Milanese flea markets, where the clothes are all about kitschy embroidery and cheesy patterns. But in case of Alessandro Michele and his mesmerizing Gucci affair, it was all about hand-made embellishments (the snake!), gold glitter on the shoes, soft lace and imperial Astrakhan jackets.

Although the collection might seem to have many overkilling details, I am happy Michele is in the game. I am a bit fed up with all that “ugly chic” and minimalism which is practically everywhere. I felt a lack of beauty, romance and that 70’s freedom in fashion for a while. However, the new Gucci delivers that in a very proud, brave way. Interesting how the retailers are going to deal with all that sheer artistry.

Paula Cademartori

May 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The success of Paula Cademartori‘s creations is founded on an aesthetic vision focused on intense care for details, combined with the determination to carry out production in Italy. Each bag is conceived as a design object to own and love. The precious seal of each model is a metal buckle, personally designed by Paula supported by her background in jewellery and industrial design. A fine factory brand, a modern vision of a logo that escapes from conventional designs. Discovered during Vogue Italia Talents, in 2010 Paula started her brand – now, in 2015, her mesmerizing, bold bags are extreme must-haves in Milan, and not only!

What’s Hot (19.4.15)

April 19, 2015April 19, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Trend Report AW15

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

AW15 is the season which is merely all about trends. It rather tells a story which might be translated too many languages – we’ve got 80’s, we’ve got goth, we’ve got normcore, we’ve got green flowers – the new autumn / winter season has a lot to offer, trust me.

Why 80’s are cool again? I always thought that this fashion era is slightly poor. But Jonathan Anderson of his J.W. Anderson and Loewe thinks differently. Graphic kaftans, corduroy trousers, over-sized leather jackets are all a signature of 80’s movies and pop-culture icons. Grace Jones appeared on nearly every designer’s mood-board, just like Memphis Milano Studio and their bold furniture. AW15’s favourite, Vetements brought on over-sized mohair sweater with granny’s pearl earrings while Hedi Slimane of Saint Laurent went for a crazy disco party in LA, where 80’s had its impact, too.

Wearing black is not only about wearing black. It’s also all about drama in a way. Marc Jacobs had Diana Vreeland on his mind while Giles gave his women a black, goth lipstick and a lot of vinyl. The pussy bow shirt gave the right amount of sex to that.

Bohemian rhapsody was present everywhere at Chloe, where Clare Keller thought about Kate Bush’ ponchos and patch-worked dresses. Stella Jean had her ethnic chic being transformed into something more bohemia while Burberry‘s Christopher Bailey brought classical, gypsy-esque mood.

#FREETHENIPPLE had a moment on the AW15 runways. Sheer textiles stole the spotlight (think Marc Jacobs). And sometimes, nothing covered model’s breasts. Jacquemus made us think of dadaistic escapism and Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent had a mini-dress which didn’t cover one of the boobies. Lemaire went more alternative, and created a one-of-a-kind leather bag, shaped in two breasts. The effect seemed to be sensual.

Pastels. Not much to say. Bottega Veneta and Prada went pistachio green while Alessandro Dell’Acqua had blush pink all over his cute skirts and shirt at No21.

Blame Alessandro Michele. His recent Gucci debut was all about romance. It was sexy and smart and flirty. It made me of Rubens, Raffaello, Botticelli and other Italian masters of painting. Erdem from London also took a bite from romantic theme, making his AW15 woman exude with fragility and love.

Green flowers. And ultra-mini trend. Brought by Johan Galliano at Maison Margiela.

Fluffy furs were the thing for AW15. Celine, Altuzarra and Louis Vuitton had those sweet, warm and cozy white / pink furs. The one worn by Freja Beha at Louis Vuitton might be a nice thing to wear on a freezing wedding day because it’s so elegant and chic at the same time.

Shiny is more than cool. Anthony Vaccarello and Paco Rabanne shined bright with their dazzling and flickering stud-embroidered suede dresses and sporty mini-dresses.

Checks, checks and checks made the dresses and skirts of the season. Creatures of the Wind had this beautiful twirled skirt with gingham all over it; Miu Miu brought perverse shirts with naive patterns; A.W.A.K.E. went full with checks.

Survivor kit of AW15 officially must contain – DsQuared fringed poncho, Celine “mademoiselle” cape, Sacai anorak coat.

Comfort is always the most important. Victororia Beckham, Lemaire, Stella McCartney, Hermes, Jil Sander, Protagonist and Proenza Schouler know that, by creating beautiful, soft wool dresses, coats and sweaters.

According to Haider Ackermann, a bit of rock’n’roll is mandatory in every wardrobe. Leather skirts, black blazers and strong red accents are not only punk, but also very dandy and refined, if we look at Dries Van Noten or Lanvin. But still, the smoking suit contest is won by A.F. Vandevorst.

The Japanese designers go avant-garde. As always. Comme des Garcons brings on the topic of sadness through black lace and voluminous silhouettes; Yohji Yamamoto‘s women exude with mystery; Junya Watanabe uses mathematics in order to create clothes out of this world. The Irish & Korean native, Simone Rocha, thinks Louise Bourgeois and her suspended artworks.

Khaki; military; olive. So many ways to describe this shade of green, used in great way by Raf Simons at Dior, Mona Kowalska at A Détacher and Jason Wu.

Denim. Literally and basing the idea on jeans blue. Rachel Comey, Marques Almeida and Louis Vuitton make us drool for a new pair of Levis.