Natural Curiosity. Altuzarra AW16

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After minimal spring-summer 2016Joseph Altuzarra surprised everybody with his bohemian and much more risky autumn-winter outing. The designer openly confessed that he began imagining the new collection in his head after seeing the cult film Only Lovers Left Alive (to which I have referred while reviewing Rodarte’s last season and Haider Ackermann’s menswear) by Jim Jarmusch. The film, which had Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston play romantic vampires, made Joseph think of their elusive and sometimes lethal curiosity. “They have very esoteric interests, and they live in a lush but isolated world. I wanted this show to be about trying different things not necessarily connected.” And indeed, Altuzarra is wildly mixing prints and textiles for the upcoming winter, which seems more than new for the brand. Paisley, leg-exposing skirts, embroidered red carpet gowns, tribal knits and bohemian dresses with oriental patterns feel bold and open-minded for different cultures.

For the Altuzarra fans, the signatures are here, too, but they were revamped with lovely embroideries and delicate floral applications – the femme-fatale silhouettes and tailoring is always on point in the designer’s collections, just like the nomadic outerwear. But what distinctly felt like a break-down from the super-sleek Altuzarra woman was the models’ hair – curls and afros looked natural and real. Note Alice Metza, Binx Walton and Imaan Hammam, please.

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Men’s – Old Story. Haider Ackermann AW16

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It was all about clash, just the same old story” is how Haider Ackermann described his autumn-winter 2016 collection. In fact, he is right – the new collection revives the designer’s masterful skills with layer and texture clashing. The rock’n’roll attitude was present, too, with the flaccid mohawks on models’ heads and a wardrobe full of skinny leather pants and shirts. The richness of textiles is Ackermann’s other signature. The olive-green and blue velvet jackets contrasted with woolen pants and chic coats while the oriental, jacquard suits made a statement of an elegant men, who is more decadent than ordinary. It’s old-school, but spicy at the same tine. If you’ve seen the film titled Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch, you will surely understand what I feel about this collection – it’s for a vampire-guy who strolls around Tangier with Tilda Swinton, listens to a local indie-signer and seeks his next prey for blood. Even though this vision seems to be highly surreal, it has that elusive “something” that makes my love for Haider’s menswear passionate. Really, I wish I could dress the way his man does, but I would have to dramatically lose some weight…

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