Les Amours Perdus. Lemaire AW16

March 5, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christophe Lemaire‘s utterly French outing for his autumn-winter 2016 wasn’t just about models, who presented the clothes. The girls at Lemaire show glanced at the audience in a naturally captivating way – as if they weren’t models, but women who wear Christophe’s seductive dresses, felt wool pants and low-heeled shoes on daily basis. Lemaire isn’t the type of designer who changes his attitude season-to-seaon. The approach stays always the same, with just a few additions to the line. This season, the chic wardobe of his Parisian, intellectual female (supposedly his life-parter, Sarah-Linh Tran?) was expanded by cable-knits and blouses with Elizabethan sleeves. V-neck, black dresses were effortlessly styled with these nostalgic shirts, while the sophisticated all-black looks were contrasted by curcuma yellow shoulder bags and voluminous pantalons. Your clavicles will surely love the feminine satin top, and the outerwear lovers will have an affair with the shearling jacket. The delicate braids and simple, red lipstick are the lifelong companions of a Lemaire woman – just like the clothes she loves so much.

Pastel Velvet Wonderland. Rochas AW16

March 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Dell’AcQua‘s woman and his Rochas collection is pure, pure sweetness for the eye. The wide range of pastel colours, from pink to green, looked feminine and non-chalant when styled with contrasting ankle socks. Floral-embroidered slip dresses looked chic and not so banal with the lace shirts under. Also, this collection was an ode to velvet, Dell AcQua’s current obsession – unexpectedly, it looked extremely soft and frivolous, when worn with green fur coats and the season’s must-have high platform pumps. I adore this collection – and I can openly confess that it’s my favourite Rochas outing delivered by Alessandro to date (and already two years passed from his appointment)!

Mankind Chic. Dries Van Noten AW16

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Let Dries Van Noten teach what’s the definition of chic. It’s about decadence. Aristocratic suits, piqué shirts, gold lamé shoes, leopard-spot pantalons and the radiating soigné manner surrounding the smoky-eyed women. It’s a story reviving Marchesa Luisa Casati, the woman with her iconic pet-cheetahs obsession and a memorable collection of pearl necklaces. “She pushed decadence as a lifestyle, but was never happy” – indeed, the collection was shrounded in melancholic mystery. The masculine coats, celebrating Casati’s lover Gabriele D’Annunzio, and white shirts tucked in tweed pants were all about Dries’ imaginary woman, who shares her man’s wardrobe and reads, maybe, books about existence. The acid-green dress, worn by the one and only Molly Bair, had a sharp V-cut – quite unusual to see at Van Noten, who is rather into boyish elegance. But still, it felt infinitely him. From the very Parisian, velvet gowns to sexy pajamas the clients of the label have dozens of reason to shop here next season – and the fans, like me, will surely put this collection on the “autumn-winter 2016 favourites” list.

Bravo, Dries.

Old Hollywood. Maison Margiela AW16

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

John Galliano feels like at home at Maison Margiela, and that’s visible – his collections start to look-alike. The textiles are chaotically layered up, the circus opulence from the Dior era is present, and Margiela’s codes seem to sink in this musty trunk of an Old Hollywood star. I’m not saying that Galliano is burnt out – but I perceive his presence at Margiela as appalling. The aristocratic capes, exhausted pussy-bow shirts made from a fluorescent, green mesh and college jackets seem to look so pretentious and, sadly, outdated. Others say that Galliano’ collections for Margiela are innovative – but I constantly see dusty clothes that look as if they escaped out of a granny-wardrobe, filled with souvenirs from her 20s.

Generation’s Wardrobe. Y / Project AW16

March 3, 2016December 14, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Just after reviewing Koché, Y / Project is the next clear prove that Paris looks forward to labels found by new-gen talents, and those who made the cut in the LVMH Prize Awards. Ideas proposed by Glenn Martens blur between the terms feminine and masculine, but also, reflect on the generations’ love for Scream Queens pastel-pink trashiness, Cher’s good, old looks and this neo-goth, neo-grunge mood (which appears repeatedly this season). To an extend, the collection reminds me of Vetements, with its focus on denim (here, it’s all about the slouchy, elongated length of pants as seen above) and a kind of anti-fashion attitude. But you can’t compare Glenn Martens’ label to the fashion collective lead by Demna Gvasalia – the philosophies of these two brands are totally different, just like the approach. At Y / Project, drama plays a role – bishop sleeves worn loosely with pencil skirts; sheer robes with ruff-like collars ooze with ethereal elegance, but with a modern-day twist. The list of must-haves keeps adding up, and curiosity of what’s to come at Y / Project makes me wonder.