Heavenly. The Row SS19

September 14, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

No fashion show this time, but a peaceful, tranquil showroom presentation accompanied with a look-book starring Saskia De Brauw. That’s how Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen reply to New York’s fashion week fuss. Oh, the clothes. The Row is heavenly. Majestic. Angelic. But don’t think of any opulent embroideries or ornamental details, no. Rather, a voluminous dove-gray silk dress. Tweedy coat with the frayed edges. Robe-like gowns with regally upturned collars. All hand-made, kept in the highest possible quality of craftsmanship. Those garments don’t look still and statuesque, but flowing. I’m absolutely in love with this one look where a huge bag works as layer of clothing worn over a minimal, sleeveless dress. Editors tend to say that clients who adored Phoebe Philo’s Céline should go to The Row. Well, I wouldn’t go that path of logic. The Olsen twins gradually create their own vocabulary, that is less and less Philo-esque. They finally create distinct clothing that speaks for itself; it says ‘The Row’, not ‘Philo appreciation sample’. Also, a big shoutout to The Row’s new menswear line that launches in October. Mostly with a Made in Japan tag, the men’s garments (just a few preview images were released) will be as exquisite as the women’s. The price range, that starts from $4,000, speaks for itself as well.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Day Dream. Rodarte SS19

September 13, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Kate and Laura Mulleavy are back on the New York fashion week schedule for good (after a stint in Paris and look-book presentation). And for their comeback show, the Rodarte designers chose the New York City Marble Cemetery, which appeared to be a perfect backdrop for the ethereal, fairy-tale, yet somehow supernatural collection. No mourning widows here, but a line-up of dramatic, eye-popping ball gowns made of tulle, crotchet, ruffled leather and lace. To be precise, this was a classic Rodarte collection, over-the-top and completely uncommercial. Some of the ‘bridal’ gowns were even too much, with all the floral embroideries and heavy shoulder meringues. ‘Romance’, ‘decadence’ and ‘daydreaming’ are easily coined while browsing the collection. Yes, those are alien terms that are growingly uncommon in New York, but alive for Rodarte (and the pack of actresses who fancy their dresses for the red carpet events). But, in a way, this season’s excess felt exhausting and unfocused. Noting the amount of work needed to make at least one of those dresses, I can’t help but have this sense of unneeded… exaggeration. Still, I’m glad to see the sisters supporting the NYFW calendar again.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Family Affair. Sies Marjan SS19

September 13, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

As in Mary J. Blige’s song, it was a family affair at the Sies Marjan spring-summer 2019 runway. “This one was emotionally intense . . . my mother was in the show, as were friends from college, new friends, old friends, people I work with, and models that we love”, Sander Lak noted backstage of his show. Model castings that consist of model veterans (Małgosia Bela, Sasha Pivovarova), runway regulars (Aymeline Valade, Kiki Willems and let’s add Kaia Gerber to that list too) and real life people of different ages, sizes and skin colour are the best, as they present the clothes in the most universal way. You can really observe how the designer envisions his fashion for women (and men, as in case of Sies Marjan), not just on a rack, but in the daily life. But this wasn’t a typical Sies Marjan collection due to another reason. While the last seasons of this relatively young, New York-based label blasted with colour and surprised with the most unlikely pastel combinations, this line-up was calmer and more structured. White, khaki, ecru, navy, burgundy: the overall impression was more down-to-earth, grounded. There was the marine theme that was a nod to Sander’s father (“That was a lot about my dad, who passed away when I was young. He was living in Saudi Arabia, and I would see him wear cargo shorts in this particular green and Ralph Lauren stripe-y polos.”), but as well many new silhouettes that seem to broaden the range of Lak’s ready-to-wear. Loose blazers, maxi-dressses, short-sleeved shirts and PVC coats are the new additions, which signal the designer’s gradual confidence in creating his own ‘wardrobe essentials’. But aren’t we having too many essentials coming from too many labels? In a way, I felt that the distinctive ‘codes’ of Sies Marjan kind of got lost in this season’s huge offering. I missed Sander’s consistence that made his previous collections so fluent. There were too many layers, making the collection’s core no longer clear. The skyscrapers illustration print popped out of nowhere on a dress; the last few looks in neon yellow and orange were unnecessary, as they disturbed the rest of the collection’s peaceful tone. The diverse casting is a right step, as it demonstrates how a range of people can easily resonate with the brand. But then, going the path of pleasing everybody isn’t a good idea for a brand like Sies Marjan

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Occasion-Wear. Area SS19

September 12, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk dabbed their fashion at Area as ‘occasion-wear’. Evening-wear tends to be too dark and too formal. Day-to-say might fall into the ‘boring’ shelf. Meanwhile ‘occasion’ sounds like lots of joy, no? Spring-summer 2019 line-up was shiny, colourful, full of bliss and charm. Those clothes are for celebration moments, but not only. Why not make every day a reason to dress like you’re off to a dance party on a sci-fi spaceship? The designers behind Area might be asking the same question. “We started thinking: What is important for us in fashion? I think as designers, in design in general, our core value is play. Playing is something so intellectual but also so pure,” Piotrek told Vogue. Indeed, it’s a intellectual, especially when Libuše Niklová is on your mood board. Niklová was a Czech artist and inventor who created the first inflatable toys for children in the ’60s – think cats with long stretched-out bodies, funny crocodiles. How did the designers refer to that quite intriguing persona and her body of work? Inflated metal earrings; big hats; candy-coloured trunk bags made in collaboration with Italian leather heritage house Bertoni 1949. I tell you, not many would tackle an inspiration like this with such fluency and smoothness. But wait, the clothes were equally playful! Festive crystal dress; sheer prairie gown in burgundy; a sleeveless bow top in eye-popping green; metallic bodice dress in pinkish, faux leather. Area clearly says a ‘no no’ to the musty, dusty ‘cocktail dress’, since they’ve got so many brilliant alternatives to, ugh, a bondage dress or this sort of sleazy stuff. Once again, we dress for occasions, big and small – not necessarily just for the cocktails.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Montauk Kids. R13 SS19

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

I was on fence with Chris Leba’s R13 for a while. Until this season. The designer’s spring-summer 2019 felt different from his previous offerings, as it wasn’t plain recycling of apparel trends and grungy styling. The collection told a story, maybe that’s why. And the story was all about Montauk and Chris’ teenage years there, growing up surfing and spending time around the seaside hotel that his mom owned. Montauk used to be wilder then. And that was perfectly captured in the new collection, that had it all: t-shirts that looked as if somebody wore them to the beach for years; loosely fitted blazers and shirts with the cheesy-chic palm-tree prints; tie-dyed sweatshirts in Rasta colours. You might not be into this aesthetic (like me) but we should all agree that this kind of nostalgic and youthful carefreeness of U.S. beach towns takes Leba on the good track. The spirit is authentic. He feels this.