Spring Romance. Rosie Assoulin Resort’17

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Rosie Assoulin is always true to her style, and never forgets about that. But it’s wrong to think that she’s resting on her laurels – in fact, season-to-season, her signatures evolve and evolve, becoming even more craved. Staged in Meatpacking District, the presentation of resort 2017 is filled with those “wow, I need it now” thoughts. The designer makes you literally gasp, when you see one of her chiffon mega-flares worn effortlessly with a ruffled, checked top. Statuesque, but with a smile.

Rosie is known for dressing the stylish women of New York, but this season, she goes a bit farther, supposedly to Havana (which has a moment in fashion). Dancing maxi dresses, voluminous skirts and feminine silhouettes ooze with Cuba’s heat, while the joyous colour palette (from toned khaki and mustard yellow to crimson red and aqua blue) makes this collection a perfect transition wardrobe for both, winter months of deliveries, and the spring days, when these clothes will be “theoretically” worn. Not only the colours and shapes made this romantic collection so tempting. With a help of embroidered watermelons, carrots and grapes on an organza frock, Assoulin’s latest look-book is a feast for the eye. And definitely an essential top-lister of the resort shows.

Collage by me

Cashmere Drapes, Reconstructed Dutch. The Row Pre-Fall’16

April 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen streamed their pre-fall 2016 look-book a week ago, with an over 2 month delay in comparison to other brands. However, it’s just in time before these clothes hit the stores, so on the 1st of May. Breaking news: The Row looks like a brand you will desire this autumn, even though I doubt you’re wondering about the next season knits right now. It’s a multi-layered, cashmere covered wonderland of softness and warmth, draped and reconstructed. Ribbed wool pants and dresses are as usual the The Row’s priority pieces, while the jackets with flowing silhouette look as if they were ripped out of a Dutch still-life portrait. There was a kind of elegant delicacy in this collection, too – a milk-white slip dress with a ruffle at the hem worn with a button-down shirt, updated with puffed sleeves. Statuesque, yet light. The slouchy suede shopper bag ranks up high, too, as one of the best accessories of the season.

Marc Jacobs’ Platforms

April 13, 2016April 9, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Platform boots by Master John, 1973

Autumn-winter 2016 season was all about the height, as the designers had their heads in the clouds, from Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga platforms to Maison Margiela‘s stompers. But it was Marc Jacobs, who has stunned everybody with his soft-goth, high-drama collection, and the unbelievably high platforms. Presented in black, pastel purple, velvet pink and white, they already seem to be the cult piece of the season. Marc proved that he is the showman of New York, saying that he was inspired with the exaggerated glamour of drag-queens. But there was something of Winona Ryder’s character in Beetlejuice, and a dark-lolita attitude. Although it was Vivienne Westwood, who made platform boots legit back in the days, Jacobs also makes a sharp cut. Or rather, a STEP.

This Girl. Maryam Nassir Zadeh AW16

March 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Maryam Nassir Zadeh is New York’s favourite among stylish, sophisticated and down-to-earth women. Her boutique, with aesthetically curated brands, and her eponymous, namesake label, are known for an affordable, yet profound approach towards fashion you want to wear everyday. For autumn-winter 2016, Maryam is expanding her line, by continuing the denim obsession – a cool, off-beat pencil skirt, as well as patched 501-style pairs of jeans are about to storm the streets. The Woody Allen women, surrounded with calm neutrals, meets a lifey acid green shade of the pussy-cat bow dress; there is also the strong fur game, from cute teddy-bear jacket to a more “investment” coat in a deep, blue colour. When those clothes are going to arrive to the Lower East Side store, a lot of them will sell quick – for now, we can just try to recreate these looks thanks to Zadeh’s masterful styling tips…

Photography by Ana Kraš, aka @teget

Cool Goth. Marc Jacobs AW16

February 19, 2016February 19, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Marc Jacobs, thank you for saving the New York Fashion Week from boredom oppression – all those “safe” and “layered” collections make me yawn, even though there are a few exceptions. The collection Marc Jacobs presented yesterday in the evening was just… jaw-dropping. Although the all-white, minimal venue of the collection felt unexpectedly too simple, comparing to all those extravagant settings Marc envisioned throughout the years, it was a perfect backdrop for the clothes. And the clothes were bomb, in one word.

Autumn-winter 2016 was all about gothic culture in fashion, mixed with an aristocratic, soigne mannered dames and grunge, off-duty slouchiness. Chokers, velve platform shoes (a la the ones Vivienne Westwood pulled off in the last decade) and all those extravagant embroideries on cardigans and dresses… then, the queens of darkness came out (Molly Bair slayed the runway – even Lady Gaga couldn’t keep up with her) in their voluminous, black ball-gowns with astrakhan capes. Laser cut floral PVC skirts and crotchet collars styled with elongated college sweatshirts had this striking contrast of old-school and the vintage tendency. The effect? Over-the-top, as usual at Marc Jacobs, but this season it was even more outstanding.

In fact, it’s a nonsense to list all of the season’s inspirations behind Jacob’s winter outing, because there were too many of them – from Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice to Gene Simmons’ Kiss band costumes, it’s visible that somebody still has balls in the industry to present playful fashion and not so easily selling ready-to-wear pieces. Bravo, Marc. You utterly win my heart – and graciously mess up with the system – of all the NYFW’s labels and designers that have presented their “fashion shows” this week.