Eerie Youth. Vetements AW16

March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

With a sexually exaggerated pre-school uniform from the Soviet times opening the show, Demna Gvasalia and the design collective behind Vetements presented more than one sin in the gothic-style Cathedral of America. After a sleazy sex-club and a cheesy Chinese restaurant, a church seemed to be the next pretty unclear choice for a show venue – however, the clothes purely defined Vetements and it’s already well know, anti-fashion approach. Calling it a street wear brand is a colossal mistake, when you see the prices of these very well-manufactured coats and dresses, but in fact, Vetements is based on the sweat-shirts, which are transformed into new volumes every season. Moving away from the over-sized one, which stormed all the retail points last season, this time the hoodies had a zombie-look – the shoulders were lost somewhere in translation, and the solemn faces of the street-cast models perfectly matched the atmosphere of the collection. The slogans, like Sexual Fantasies, just made it all even more strange and… gripping.

The distinctly American, motocross rose embroideries on knee-high boots and over-sized shirts confronted with chic, gold velvet suits. But there were also the red puffas, the next winter bite for the label’s fans. Vetements, and its leading designer, Demna Gvasalia (who has just debuted at Balenciaga, review soon!), are on the tip of everyone’s lips in the industry, and not only because their collections are filled with youthful, uncertain energy – people simply want these clothes, and want this styling. And they want to Instagram that obsession, too. Even though the latter wasn’t the initial aim of the collective…

Fade Away. Lanvin AW16

March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I wonder how hateful is Lanvin‘s studio towards Alber Elbaz and the legacy he left at this historic house of Jeanne Lanvin. I mean, Cathy Horyn described the catastrophic situation in possibly the most fitting way – “Elbaz spent 14 years reestablishing the link to Lanvin, reaching across a century. Last night, I had the feeling it was wiped out in 15 minutes.” I had precisely the same feeling Cathy had, when I saw this what happened at Lanvin’s autumn-winter 2016 outing in Paris.

The creative studio, which already has a shameful pre-fall collection behind it, presented a collection filled with saccharine dresses, which are far from Jeanne’s heritage design, and even farther from Alber’s beloved, draped cocktail dresses and imperfect, Parisian chic, which featured the hearty, unfinished edges. There are no pearls in this collection, which is just unbelievable – pearl necklaces were Lanvin’s all-time signatures (like Coco Chanel’s), and Elbar always respected that in his gracious collections. The season, created by the studio, is a bit rock’n’roll, a bit decadent, but in overall, it’s a wannabe of this what Alber translated during his tenure. Everything seems to be so sleek to death. And the pastel pink colour fades on the background of the beige carpet, just like the brand itself. Or the “genius” Shaw-Lan Wang, who fired Alber Elbaz, finds a new creative director with a precise vision for the maison… or else the brand will head to a sad place called fashion oblivion.

Draped Zone. Rick Owens AW16

March 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Continuing the Mastodon theme from his menswear collection, Rick Owens investigates his “uneasiness about environmental change” in the most elusive, and captivating way in his women’s show. And his response to climate problems, as he explained, is heading straight to his studio and drape. Drape, drape and drape – this word describes the clothes, which look eerie in their Dali-esque volumes, but surprisingly so soft that you want to touch them and wear them. Starting from the simpler white coats and dresses, the collection evolved in to something much more heavy – the duvet coats in chestnut-brown melted on the models’ bodies, while the velvet cape with a menthol green lining had this specific warmth which will appeal to many when the snows come. But the entire mystery behind the show was kept obscured under the surreal, fleecy cocoons, which to me, reminded bee-hives. By coincidence, Owens told the press during his menswear outing that his life-parter, Michele Lamy, kept a bee-hive at the rooftop of their home/office/boutique Palais Bourbon last summer, to help them survive the hottest summer of 2015.

Calm Fire. Paco Rabanne AW16

March 5, 2016March 5, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julien Dossena revamped Paco Rabanne into a contemporary brand, which does spark desire. And if talking of sparks, the collection had one, or two – literally, leather patches of flames were embroidered on midi skirts and satin tops, looking hot and untamed. But the Rabanne women has a much gentler side, too, and you could easily guess that thanks to floral tapestry jackets and dresses. The fur-lined reverse-coat in beige looked cosmic with the outer-space white boots and the minimal cool white-tanktop-and-black-pants had an androgynous, yet appealing energy about it. Although Dossena’s collections remind me of Helmut Lang-era rather than Paco Rabanne’s times, one thing’s sure – the creative director attempts (with a large success) to envision the wardrobe of a modern-day woman, just like Rabanne did back in the days.

Anne – France Dautheville. Chloé AW16

March 5, 2016August 24, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Clare Waight Keller, the creative director behind Chloé, knows what women want, and what the love. With her favourite, laid-back signatures, Clare revived the spirit of a Frenchwoman, Anne-France Dautheville, who travelled across Europe and Middle East on her motorcycle in the 70s. One of the looks was basically a motocross combo of a jacket and a pair of pants, styled with off-duty biker boots. With ecru foulards tied around necks, the girls wore the best-selling, ruffled silk and lace dresses, while the opening look was a voluminous, travel-forward poncho,. You can write and write about the beauty of each look separately, but one of the most remarkable (and simple at the same time) was Frederikke Sofie’s grey knit dress with elongated sleeves and a seductive v-cut neckline, which appears nearly everywhere this season. Her long, blond curls and this dress perfectly convey the message of this collection – feel free, in your life and when you travel. And you don’t need to be that Glastonbury girl in Hunter wellies to be one of those care-free souls… put your sweatshirt and bohemian skirt on, and GO!