You Do You. Tom Ford SS18

September 7, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Wherever I look, I see a long feature about the importance and potential of Tom Ford. Business of Fashion did one recently. New York Mag had it in August, exclusively sharing bits on the designer’s work behind the spring-summer 2018 collection. All of the magazines praise Tom Ford for his work at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, for his venture in the film industry (like Nocturnal Animals) and most of all, his own brand with commercially succesful beauty line, men’s ready-to-wear and growing womenswear. Is Tom Ford’s PR working night and day, lately? Or maybe just in the year of 2017 the fashion industry decided to agree on one thing – Tom Ford is boss. And his fashion, season-to-season, wherever he designs, says you do you. Really, no else does Tom Ford as well as, gasp, Tom Ford.

There were rumours that Ford is planning to do a loud 90s revival – and that was certainly true. Backless jumpsuits, shoulder pads in denim, killer puchsia and lots of bling-bling were present, giving New York fashion week a glamorous kick-off. Don’t think it was nostalgic, as nostalgia in fashion often ends looking dusty and pretentious. That was a sleek line-up of ultra-glossy and great-body-demanding clothes, with no deeper meanings. That’s a collection that you look at with a relaxed, optimist eye at the beginning of the fashion month triathlon. Surely not like at a show of the last few days that you would confuse with Balmain and rather skip. But still, Ford is in a very, very good form, and what’s more, on his own terms.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Respect. Marc Jacobs AW17

February 18, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Marc Jacobs‘s autumn-winter 2017 collection praised the diverse street culture of New York – and it deserves respect.

Not only did the cast feature an impressive number of black models, but also, Jacobs decided to invite transgender girls to walk the show. Exceptionally, this ground-breaking fashion show wasn’t a venue show-off, as we’ve all got used to. A narrow aisle of chairs for the show’s guests crossed the huge Armory. No music, but the sound of models’ walk. A sudden exit to the streets of New York, where Adwoa Aboah, Lineisy Montero, Winnie Harlow and other models integrated with the city. If you ask me, I’m still awestricken with the way Marc handled the collection, sparking one of the brightest moments of the entire New York fashion week. The clothes were all about tweed, corduroy, fur and Stephen Jones’ chic hats. Golden chain necklaces were designed in collaboration with artist Urs Fischer, nodding to the bold culture of hip-hop, while round bangles – perhaps to R&B. While other designers, like Alexander Wang or, eww, Philipp Plein, tend to repeat popular stereotypes, Marc presented his own interpretation. The show’s theme could lead to something too literal, like a line of hoodies or sweatpants – but Marc ventured into the topic subtly and with heart.

Idiosyncratic. Eckhaus Latta AW17

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta of Eckhaus Latta, like other New York-based designers (whether that’s The Row or Vaquera), aren’t satisfied with the current state of United States. To that extend, that (according to Cathy Horyn of New York Mag) Latta and Eckhaus stopped working on their autumn-winter 2017 collection in November, discouraged by the election. But then, something sparked. “We just designed what we wanted,” Latta told Horyn. And that’s noticeable in the clothes – the designers, by confronting the reality, wanted to design freely. Will it sell? It doesn’t matter that much. But I doubt these semi-hippie floral dresses with velvet sleeves and boiled knits in earthy colours won’t find a place in a wardrobe of, let’s say,an art curator. There’s no main theme behind the collection, but rather an off-beat take on such essentials like blazers (voluminous and boldly coloured here) or a skirt (lenght adjustable). Specific, conceptual character of Eckhaus Latta clothing can’t be precisely conveyed by usual models. That’s why Zoe and Eckhaus do their best to invite people with passion for what they do to walk their shows. This season you could spot super-stylist Camille Bidault-Waddington, multi-disciplinary artist Julian Klincewicz and actress and writer India Salvor Menuez along other creative individuals and designers’ friends.

Minimalism. The Row AW17

February 17, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen‘s The Row lead the coat game for autumn-winter 2017. Their newest collection was virtually all about coats, whether we’re speaking of a timeless mac or a floor-sweeping ensemble. We’ve already got used to The Row’s remarkable cashmere and over-sized knits, which rather associated with the term “cozy”. Or flowing silk dresses for summer. But this season felt austere. That was pure minimalism, with no place for romance (heavy Dr. Martens prove that). The level of minimalism which was presented by the Olsen sisters matched Helmut Lang’s and Calvin Klein’s shows in the 90s – and that’s an achievement.

You need to be a great observer to notice those tiny, yet meaningful words embroidered on the shirt’s sleeves. ‘Hope’, ‘dignity’, ‘freedom’ – I doubt this word pool needs much of explanation, noting current political situation in USA. The Row women (like Jamie Bochert, Kristen Owen, Angela Lindvall) marched around the concrete show venue like soldiers, or even, modern-day angels.

Colour Party. Rosie Assoulin AW17

February 16, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Parachute top with ruffled sleeves, ball-skirt in pastel-green, purple total-look made of eye-catchy ‘marble’ fabric, lemon pantsuit, patchworked robe-dress, another blouse with voluminous ruffles, but in red. Yes, you’ve guessed it right – I’m speaking of Rosie Assoulin‘s dreamy wardrobe for autumn-winter 2017 collection. Being New York’s queen of contemporary eveningwear and ‘makes me smile’ everyday essentials, Assoulin invited her guests to a tea-party-kinda presentation, which not only let the editors observe the delightful gowns in motion – it was also an occasion to celebrate the designer’s footwear line. Assoulin was inspired with fancy interiors and those little, meticulously crafted details that make a room look high above the average. That’s why some of the shoe heels reassembled table legs! While other designers get melancholic this season, Rosie’s signature optimism stays for good. But who wouldn’t feel cheerful, wearing one of those floral slip-dresses next autumn?