Men’s – Existentialism. Lemaire AW17

January 19, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Yolk-yellow peeked out beneath coffee-brown. Dove-grey and camel-beige. Poetic black and elegant indigo-blue. As you can see right away, Christophe Lemaire‘s autumn-winter 2017 collection for men was a beautiful conversation between colours. And the clothes were beautiful too, in every meaning of this word. I’m absolutely a Lemaire-type of person and I would wear anything coming from this collection right now. The loose-fit of pants; perfectly tailored pea-coat; parka jacket that would stay in my wardrobe for ever. Aah. Yet, it’s all distinctively French, and the collection quietly nods to the existentionalist-writer style. Albert Camus, for instance.

Men’s – Corporate Cannibal. Balenciaga AW17

January 18, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Paris Fashion Week started very well with Demna Gvasalia‘s second menswear collection for Balenciaga. The anticipation was unbearable and the Georgian designer’s outing was worth a wait. Last season, Demna focused on subverted, masculine version of couture – the custom-made jackets and Cristobal Balenciaga’s archival male coats were the starting point of the theme’s exploration. For autumn-winter 2017, Gvasalia continued revisiting men’s elegance, but in even more off-beat away.

Corporate dressing is something the designer likes to tease and reconstruct a lot – the first looks were ankle-lenght coats with big shoulder pads, strict white-shirt-and-tie looks and leather blazers (torso revealing, of course). But don’t expect neat and business-perfect: the models had nothing, but super-long socks under their coats – à la Soviet ‘sexual maniacs’, who used to scare children in the parks. ‘Corporate’ also relates to those terrificly ugly post-office jackets, which were revamped into covettable puffas and distorted bombers. The bags were pure irony – post-office boys carried huge, Ikea-like totes, mature ‘businessmen’ had their little clutches, while the twisted-entrepreneur types – Balenciaga shopping bags (in leather). Maybe, the last ones had some Balenciaga gifts for their after-hours, secret lovers. Who knows. But that’s a different story.

Posh Pool-Side Party. Miu Miu SS17

October 13, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s not that hard to distinguish a Miu Miu collection. Saccharine pastel colours? Checked. 60’s prints your grandma wouldn’t mind? Checked. Fur for summer? Of course, CHECKED. In other words, Miuccia Prada‘s spring-summer 2017 collection is a pure definition of Miu Miu girl. Just like at her main-line this season, Miuccia cheers you up with naïve optymism. Imagining a fairy-tale of sun-drenched, Mediterranean vacations, the designer re-invents a wardrobe of pin-up bikinis, embellished swimming caps and beach-perfect retro dresses. The models, spanning from newcomers to runway favourites, wore wedge sandals and patterned (mink) robes. At first glance, most of the girls resembled Slim Aarons’ posh characters of his dreamy photographs of surreal pool-side parties in the early 70’s. He made his career out of what he called “photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” Basically, this is quite similar to Prada’s latest Parisian outing: layers, and layers, of attraction.

Soigné. Louis Vuitton SS17

October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Nicolas Ghesquiere chose to show his spring-summer 2017 collection for Louis Vuitton not at the usual location (Fondation Louis Vuitton), but in the brand’s future boutique. Place Vendome store is opening in 2017, but the decision to stage the collection in this raw, yet beautiful space, was a prove that even though Louis Vuitton might go to far-fetched destinations (like Palm Springs or Rio), its spirit stays in Paris.

When Ghesquiere worked at Balenciaga, his connection to the city was reflected in flirty dresses, unconventional elegance and intriguing layers – in other words, his aesthetic was the soigné embodiment of ‘Parisian chic’ myth. Throughout his Louis Vuitton tenure, Nicolas went global, slightly forgetting about his old, good affair with the city of love. However, the newest collection is just it: an elevated wardrobe of timeless pieces with the right dose of French borgeois. Drenched-in-gold jewellery; masculine blazers; Parisian model “off-duty” look feauturing grunge (or not so, with all those embroideries) t-shirts. How good can it be?

The 80’s are continously embraced by editors and stylists of such local magazines as Vogue Paris or Self Service. While the creative director is friends with them, the mood of this decade has been present in every single detail, from the ‘night-out’ make-up to crystal-embellished slit gowns. For a moment I thought that this is what Lanvin should look like now with Bouchra Jarrar – but then, you can perceive Ghesquiere’s hand in those tailored pants and desirable biker jackets. Magnifique!

Pierpaolo’s Delights. Valentino SS17

October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

After Maria Grazia Chiuri’s departure to Dior, Pierpaolo Piccioli is solo at Valentino. One thing’s sure – it’s not the same Valentino we used to know during the couple’s creative co-operation. With Chiuri, Valentino was darker, and heavier in embroidery; seeing Piccioli’s first “all by myself” collection embeds a lighter vision of the brand. Although spring-summer 2017’s mood-board is covered with Hieronymus Bosch artworks and Reneissance-era obsessions, Pierpaolo’s woman is thinking about grunge and 70s West-London love affair. To prove the latter, the creative director collaborated on prints with one-and-only Zandra Rhodes (whose influence was coined by Luella Bartley of Hillier Bartley this season, too). The effect? I can’t remind myself a Valentino show, which was filled with so much joy. Just look at those jackets! Of course, old clients will find a range of beautifully embellished dresses and skirts. But Pierpaolo also introduced a kind of à la Céline softness to the brand, which will surely appeal to the young. I nearly forgot about the colour palette – from killer fuchsia-pink to refreshing lime-green, there are many reasons to fall in love with the (not so) new Valentino.