Tokyo. Dior Pre-Fall’15

December 13, 2014December 13, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons seems to have two personalities- one at his namesake label for men, where he doesn’t care about the rules; another at Dior, where he definitely obeys the bosses. Last season (SS15), in my opinion was trash. I truly couldn’t understand it. It felt like Simons explained it only by “oh, look, it’s like this, but look at those couture embroideries”… yawn. Come on, who cares about embroideries, if the clothes are so boring? Thankfully, Dior thought of something new for the house, which was smart. The pre-fall 2015 which was presented few days ago was organised in Tokyo- the place were Dior has it’s boutiques on nearly every street. Commercially, this is genius for the house. But for fashion? Raf Simons had his model walk zigzags in a huge sumo wrestling arena, inspired by the scenes of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner movie. With fuses of futuristic influences (that badly reminded me of Paco Rabanne gold years) like silver sequined turtlenecks, jacquard motifs and wax cotton coats, Simons brought a lifey twist into his Dior timeline. And what’s interesting although the fact the show was in Tokyo, Japan, we didn’t notice even one kimono, manga print or anything of Japanese stereotypical fashion. Definitely, Raf looked at Japanese woman of the future- stomper boots, wide trousers and clean lines with neon elements. Plus, corn-rows and super kawaii eye-brows. Personally, I have no offend to Raf Simons- sometimes, he is just not on the point. However, this dynamic show proved one thing: not only that Raf has better and worse days in his life, but also that Tokyo is an amazing, energetic city of fashion.

Just to be in the Japan mood- here are some amazing vintage posters from Wafu Works…

Turtlenecks. Baja East Pre-Fall’15

December 12, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

“We cover our women and guys throughout the day, but they’ve also been asking how they can do Baja East for evening,” said cofounder John Targon. The answer? “Relaxed cocktail.” Targon and Scott Studenberg have built Baja East around the idea of unisexual dressing—clothes that work well, but differently, on both men and women. Their knitwear lends itself nicely to the concept, looking fluid-like and wrapped all around the body. Pre-Fall’s pale pink ribbed cotton baja is not only Baja East signature, but also the conection to 2014’s main think- normcore.A silk-lined, spangly Lurex wrap skirt, paired with an oversize chunky cashmere sweater, is a no-brainer for women, but an interesting challenge for the daring man who trust the brand. But what really clearly works both ways is the brand’s fabrications. A Japanese silk crepe, used on a simple snap-front skirt and a pair of side-pocket harem pants, felt good enough to sleep in. And the turtlenecks are going to give you warmth everywhere.

Fringe. Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall’15

December 10, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pre-Fall offered them a chance to revisit the hits from Spring, dig further into their back catalog, and begin testing out ideas they’ll put on the runway for next Fall in February. Fringe dresses, tessel skirts, but now knitted, voluminous tops and a slouchy way of wearing. The clothes were in other words really good. But it feels that Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough start to get commercial. In 2015, their 8th store will be opened! So no wonder why they keep consistency. The clothes aren’t so “one-season” as few years ago. And if looking at pre-fall 2015, this is clearly visible, knowing Proenza- those are old hits framed into a new look-book. Whether it’s good or no- pre-falls and resorts are usually about more commercial fashion. Hopefully, Lazaro and Jack won’t change into mass-production corporation for their read-to-wear.

P.s. Forgetting “commercialism”, Proenza Shouler boys made a convincing case for the covered-up proportions with a long cable-knit sweaterdress buttoned up the back over one of those pleated knit skirts. And those fringed heels are major.

Vintage. Creatures of The Wind Pre-Fall 2015

December 10, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Creatures of The Wind always produce collections which are nostalgic, but in a nice, fresh way. For pre-fall 2015, boys of CoTW brought a cool air of vintage- grandma’s fur coat, fabrics brought from Asian countries, warm wool caftans that used to be your dad’s bath robe- all of that felt beautiful and very deep. Although many things in this collection seem to be very different, I bet nothing was random for the designers. Definitely, the most heart-breaking piece of this collection is the long sequined skirt with those blue elements- India, Myanmar? Or maybe something totally different? Surely that’s a long, warm story to tell. Simply, interpret this collection the way you want to.

So French. Chloe Pre-Fall’15

December 9, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

For pre-fall, Chloe’s Clare Waight Keller felt the attitude of freedom, continuing SS15’s main theme. Somewhere between David Bowie and Kate Bush scene craziness and Jane Birkin’s fashion for bow shirts, Clare outstood herself. This collection was basically a master-piece. Pony hair A-skirts, python leather bags, brown palette capes, tweed blazers and “whatever” trousers are just few of my favourites. The models, kept in very Parisian styling, looked casual but stylish and strong. And then very sexy butterfly wings —and that sensuality operated throughout the collection as a whole. Chloé is usually associated with a kind of virginal, flirty look, but Waight Keller chucked it this time—some of these clothes were intensely womanly, others rather boyish, and a good deal of them were borderline feral. So, whether Clare thought of androgynous Bowie or feminine Birkin- this clash works on me.