Turtlenecks. Baja East Pre-Fall’15

December 12, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

“We cover our women and guys throughout the day, but they’ve also been asking how they can do Baja East for evening,” said cofounder John Targon. The answer? “Relaxed cocktail.” Targon and Scott Studenberg have built Baja East around the idea of unisexual dressing—clothes that work well, but differently, on both men and women. Their knitwear lends itself nicely to the concept, looking fluid-like and wrapped all around the body. Pre-Fall’s pale pink ribbed cotton baja is not only Baja East signature, but also the conection to 2014’s main think- normcore.A silk-lined, spangly Lurex wrap skirt, paired with an oversize chunky cashmere sweater, is a no-brainer for women, but an interesting challenge for the daring man who trust the brand. But what really clearly works both ways is the brand’s fabrications. A Japanese silk crepe, used on a simple snap-front skirt and a pair of side-pocket harem pants, felt good enough to sleep in. And the turtlenecks are going to give you warmth everywhere.

Fringe. Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall’15

December 10, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pre-Fall offered them a chance to revisit the hits from Spring, dig further into their back catalog, and begin testing out ideas they’ll put on the runway for next Fall in February. Fringe dresses, tessel skirts, but now knitted, voluminous tops and a slouchy way of wearing. The clothes were in other words really good. But it feels that Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough start to get commercial. In 2015, their 8th store will be opened! So no wonder why they keep consistency. The clothes aren’t so “one-season” as few years ago. And if looking at pre-fall 2015, this is clearly visible, knowing Proenza- those are old hits framed into a new look-book. Whether it’s good or no- pre-falls and resorts are usually about more commercial fashion. Hopefully, Lazaro and Jack won’t change into mass-production corporation for their read-to-wear.

P.s. Forgetting “commercialism”, Proenza Shouler boys made a convincing case for the covered-up proportions with a long cable-knit sweaterdress buttoned up the back over one of those pleated knit skirts. And those fringed heels are major.

Vintage. Creatures of The Wind Pre-Fall 2015

December 10, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Creatures of The Wind always produce collections which are nostalgic, but in a nice, fresh way. For pre-fall 2015, boys of CoTW brought a cool air of vintage- grandma’s fur coat, fabrics brought from Asian countries, warm wool caftans that used to be your dad’s bath robe- all of that felt beautiful and very deep. Although many things in this collection seem to be very different, I bet nothing was random for the designers. Definitely, the most heart-breaking piece of this collection is the long sequined skirt with those blue elements- India, Myanmar? Or maybe something totally different? Surely that’s a long, warm story to tell. Simply, interpret this collection the way you want to.

Girl in Uniform. Marc Jacobs SS15

September 12, 2014September 12, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

As usually, making his show last during New York fashion week, Marc Jacobs does the biggest twist, showing whose the king of New York. Last season, Jacobs put clouds all around the huge hall. And now, for summer, we’ve got a… pink house. Yes! Was it a psychedelic vision of daily routine? Or something random? Or maybe something connected to peace? That would tell us what the big military trend do at the show! Khaki bomb dresses, sweatpants, huge pockets, backpacks (which are so Prada inspired!) and the universal black wigs of the models, which made the viewer concentrate on clothing. But all that cold atmosphere was made slightly sweet, with those little flowers painted on the over-sized tops. As usually, Marc Jacobs shows us something unusual (even the fact that he came back to the military trend means SOMETHING) and philosophical. And that was pretty it, if talking of NYFW, folks!

Python Preppy. Proenza Schouler SS15

September 12, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Aah, I am so in love with summer’s Proenza Schouler! It’s a total, total yum. Fringes! Python! Boxy jackets! The New Yorker spirit! With super strong colours like blue, orange and red, Jack and Lazaro overhelmed themselves. Totally. “Our version of American sportswear,” Hernandez said. Of course, that’s only the half of it. The designers may have started out with basic building blocks, but that’s not where their experiments ended up. Proenza’s parkas were made from laser-cut and color-blocked leather; polos were hand-knit, with leather panels inset across the chest. Want a T-shirt? Theirs were leather with crocheted seams. As for the leather pants, one leg was a different color than the other. The collection is simply a perfect balance- nothing to add, nothing to subtract. My favourites are the white coat, the fringe gowns (aah, they are so beautiful), the orange boxy jacket and the hand-cut sweatshirt. Really major.