PFW

Hot. Saint Laurent AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Is there any sense in searching for a smarter word than ‘hot’, when talking of Anthony Vaccarello‘s autumn-winter 2019 collection for Saint Laurent? Well. It was hot! But not dumb hot. Rather, confident hot. The best look? A broad-shouldered, wool coat with big shoulder pads, on a matchingly blond girl who looked very much like Yves Saint Laurent’s ultimate muse: Betty Catroux. Then, we’ve had clothes that looked like taken out of wardrobes of female spies that kick asses during Cold War thrillers. Dramatic mini-dresses inspired with Yves’ haute couture “Scandal” collection from 1971 and le smokings converted into gowns – gorgeous. The part that could have been omitted? The glowing-in-dark dresses at the end – they kind of undermined the cool, sharp assertiveness of this show. It felt as if Vaccarello and the brand wanted to generate even more Insta-content… but do we really need more? The tailoring was strong enough. And the Catroux coat, of course.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Resurrection. Coperni AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant‘s Coperni isn’t actually a new brand: it was under hiatus during the designer’s tenure at Courrèges. But now, the boys are back, better than ever. Their autumn-winter 2019 is filled with clothes that seem to be basics that actually should be in everybody’s wardrobe. But when you think of it, who does simple, minimal, comfortable suits in Paris? Something as simple as a little black dress? Or a crisp blue shirt that isn’t elongated or exaggerated in any way? The designers do clothes for real life, so thoroughly considered construction of every single outfit is more than impressive. The airplane-mode-tab leather bag has a shape so classy and eye-catchy that it will surely stir social media, just like Meyer and Vaillant’s model casting (Teddy Quinlivan!) and the @coperni_your_life account that you’ve got to discover for yourself. I can sense success right over her.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Radiation. Marine Serre AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

It’s Marine Serre’s third runway season, but I really can’t imagine Paris fashion week without her now, when see her incredible, prophetic vision. She named her autumn-winter 2019 collection Radiation and, as the title might suggest, it wasn’t the most optimistic collection.  “It’s after the apocalypse; a group of friends are underground—a community coming together,” Serre said backstage. “It’s a safe zone in which a new world is being created, a future world, and a new way to see fashion.” We’re talking of leather coats and dresses trailing scarves and stripes of fake fur, under which were worn head-to-toe bodysuits covered in signature moon crest print. It’s a sort of armour, maybe even a protection from today’s world that urgently need to take another turn – or else it will be too late. When it comes to sustainability, Serre is always here to take real action: majority of the collection is made from upcycled materials, just as in her previous seasons, and the clothes will be produced in the same way. A few years ago this would have been a no-no for any retailer to order a collection that might come in different colours, because it’s made from already-used textiles. But the growing list of shops that stock Serre’s brand is a sign that things change.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Village Life. Jacquemus AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

Simone Porte Jacquemus’ sun-drenched Frenchness is a phenomenal success on international scale – think big straw hats, over-sized baskets and draped shirtdresses ready for a Côte d’Azur adventures. Still, the designer doesn’t rest on laurels, and smartly took a slightly different direction this season. Not that he parted ways with his French girl – I doubt this will ever happen, since she’s the core of his brand. But he finally took her out of the beach. In a French village set-up, with faux fruit stores and all, Jacquemus sent a line-up of boldly colored looks that are actually ready for (not too) cold weathers. Coats in fuchsia, yellow and abstract checks; laid-back tailoring and shirting in rustic prints; knitted dresses. The Jacquemus girl wears heels, but isn’t afraid of knee-length rubber boots. Bags are the brand’s growing business, so there’s no wonder why we’ve got so many new additions. The double-bum-bag worn on the waist; the meme-worthy, super tiny handbag that might fit a few coins, a black card, a cigarette and maybe, who knows, a condom (sorry, that was my main thought when I saw them!); an enormously big shoulder bag that will definitely fit everything, even a hundred of the mini bags I mentioned two lines above. Jacquemus doesn’t take big risks, true, but he continues to amuse. Consistence with a spark of surprise is the key.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Look Your Best. Mugler Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Pre-fall 2019 is Casey Cadwallader‘s fourth season at Mugler, and I’ve finally become convinced that this entire reinvention struggle is worth it. It seems that a house like Mugler is so trapped in its one, distinct, crazy era, that it can’t be possibly taken out to the light in 2019 without being a sort of mock. Nicola Formichetti didn’t succeed, David Koma neither. But Cadwaller, the new creative director coming from the U.S., seems to be taking the right track. “I’m still trying to figure out who my icons are and what people come to the brand for,” said Casey Cadwallader during his presentation. He invited Cardi B to his spring-summer 2019 show, and whether you love her or not, she looked marvelous in that blazer. Pure, powerful confidence. That might be a hint. But it seems that Casey doesn’t want to solely operate on a celebrity customer base. He wants to get to the stores, and dress women, that simply speaking, want to look their best. It’s a style and attitude philosophy close as much to Cardi as to Thierry Mugler. Meaning, very, very close.

Back to this blazer. It comes up for pre-fall, and looks fire. The shoulders are big, the waist is cinched, the sleeves slightly elongated. This strong silhouette can be compared to Mugler’s original creations that were equally statuesque and bold. But it’s not the end of the highlights. A blue body-con dress in synthetic jersey had a wetsuit zip and patches of compression material… this arrangement was external here but applied from inside in other garments. The designer called it his “secret compression corset.” “Compression” leggings were a version of Thierry’s iconic corsetry reimagined for today’s athleisure obsessives. Other than the glamo-sportiness, we’ve got as well some very good denim, patchworked dresses, neons and men’s capsule (which feels a bit pushed). So, Mugler might be the new big thing with Mr. Cadwaller. Please, give this guy time to grow. Just look at the Paco Rabbanne case, where Julien Dossena needed few longer seasons to experiment and to really start bringing the brand to desirable relevance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.