Not Just Pretty. Y/Project SS18

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Deconstruct and reconstruct with sense of costume history – that’s something Glenn Martens is keen on doing at Y/Project. Here, the Belgian designer’s garments aren’t just ‘over-sized’ like in case of many long-emerging, not-fully-established designers in Paris. It’s more about a witty take on Henry VIII’s and Hamlet’s volumes. Martens knows a lot about fashion (read FASHION, not #fashion) and its old techniques – this let’s him to experiment with the silhouette freely, choosing such fabrics like linen or tulle to do the shoulders and sheaths. From extremely big coats with ruffles and pleats to pearl embellished dresses, Y/Project is a combination of street and royalty. Of course, everything’s worn with the brand’s signature, folded thigh-high boots or laced-up sandals (covered in those kitschy roses). It’s also worth noting that other than dramatic tracksuits and oddly cut ball gowns, Glenn adds more affordably looking pieces, like the dusty pink trousers and baby-blue shirts in his spring-summer 2018 line-up.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Grandiose. Saint Laurent SS18

September 27, 2017September 27, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

The passing of Pierre Bérge, Yves Saint Laurent’s partner in private and business life, wasn’t meant to be reflected as a mourning in Anthony Vaccarello‘s third collection for Saint Laurent. Rather, the spring-summer 2018 collection was a celebration of the ‘l’amour fou’, the crazy love that the two shared. And that was a show that matches one word: grandiose!

From what should I start? The venue was an open-air platform situated in the most precious viewpoint in the French capital – yes, the twinkling Eiffel Tower was the runway’s backdrop! THAT’S PARIS, and Vaccarello loves to highlight that Saint Laurent is the most Parisian label you can think of, in terms of style and its faces (for Yves that was Catherine Deneuve; for Anthony it’s Charlotte Gainsbourg). Second, the collection with an impression that was just as strong as of the venue. It was divided in three parts, the women’s ready-to-wear, menswear and ‘modern-day’ couture. The first part was very lace-y, very bohème and Courtney Love / Lenny Kravitz-cool. In other words, that’s what you see a Parisienne wear on the streets, no bra, just pure confidence. Menswear was simple and chic. However, the couture-ish part was my favourite. What a contemporary ode to Yves and his memorable appreciation for the ‘custom-made’. Puff skirts and very, very mini-dresses of huge volumes (one of them was so short that the model’s panties were visible – they were elegantly embellished with a rhinestone Eiffel Tower). Use of feathers, that referred to YSL’s autumn-winter 1987 and his costumes for Zizi Jeanmarie, was killer. Can’t get enough of all these boas, feather-y shoulders and thigh-high boots covered in plumage. That was so over-the-top. A fashion moment I anticipated so much, but thought will not happen in this decade. With his best collection up-to-date, Vaccarello really proves that Saint Laurent is the perfect place for him. Bravo.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Sport De Luxe. Koché SS18

September 27, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

L’Église Saint-Merry, one of the most liberally oriented churches in Paris, was the show venue for Koché‘s spring-summer 2018 collection. But that’s not the first time when the brand chooses an extraordinary venue for their show – once it was an old passage, another time a huge city mall. Mostly places that don’t attract these fashionable Parisians, but certainly do breath with the ‘real’ Parisian air. But Koché isn’t just about unusual venues. Christelle Kocher‘s label rotates around the idea of twisting streetwear with couture sensibility – and her offer keeps on growing organically, from season to season. What’s new this time around from that emerging, talented designer? The most genuine idea of reusing football shirts and jerseys for a high fashion statement I’ve seen so far. Emirate Airlines logo and Chantilly lace were all there, in a spliced-together mid-length dress. Comparing to her last seasons, Kocher looks forward to more feminine silhouettes, adding more elegant gowns in geometrical silhouettes (the black one was especially very Cristobal Balenciaga) to her brand. Going new directions and experimenting is always a fine idea – but I think keeping true to Koché’s primary aesthetic sense is a good decision to take for the designer, as she progresses.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

La Bombe. Jacquemus SS18

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

‘La bombe’ is the way Simon Porte Jacquemus thinks of his late mother, Valérie, who is the designer’s lifetime inspiration and muse. It’s a popular saying for beautiful, confident women in the Soe uth of France – the region, where the designer was born and which he continues to celebrate in his collections. The spring-summer 2018 show was like a sun-drenched fashion poetry, that took place in an extraordinary location – at Musee Picasso in Paris (no other fashion show took place here before). A special place requires special clothes, and Jacquemus’ pieces will be exactly what you’re going to demand when the summer comes – mini-dresses kept in sultry lengths, curved straw hats (slightly different from the ones from the memorable spring-summer 2017 La Santons de Provence collection), polka dots and lots of eclectic, Lacroix-like jewellery, but kept in a more minimal, sweet-candy style. This season, the textures feel softer than usual at Jacquemus. The young designer is keen on experimenting and he felt like draping and shaping the silhouette with the textiles, rather than keeping it stiff and statuesque. Simon had also been thinking about “French Island girls—they could be in Corsica, or Martinique in the Caribbean, too.” Henri Matisse’s paintings appear in my mind right away…

The overall effect? Blushing girls with their unfinished make-ups, in care-free dresses that they really ENJOY wearing – that’s the most frivolous and heart-warming start of Paris fashion week you could imagine. The Jacquemus femme is a bomb in every meaning of this word this (and every) season, that’s for sure.

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Walk The Path. Louis Vuitton AW17

March 19, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

The last few days of Paris fashion week were rather unimpressive, and that’s a pity, as the season had many great moments. While Miu Miu was quite a joke, Nicolas Ghesquiere‘s collection for Louis Vuitton made me think of the designer’s past. His work at Balenciaga was unforgettable – the vision of future wardrobe, über-cool spontaneity, memorable shoes. His very first collections at Vuitton were incredible, too. But for the last few seasons, Ghesquiere seems to rest on his laurels: biker-girl gears, satin dresses, sporty knits. Same story of a “contemporary girl”. Maybe he didn’t want to introduce anything new this season? Designers slowly start to turn their heads towards being permanent in terms of fashion. But Nicolas’ autumn-winter 2017 collection wasn’t classic. It didn’t have a spark. Well, yes, it was presented at the Louvre. But shouldn’t the clothes be in the spotlight? Big, corporate brands like Louis Vuitton tend to put pressure on things like settings, handbags, etc., but it hurts to see how Ghesquiere’s bright talent begins to drown.