In a Pompeian Villa. Gucci Pre-Fall’16

December 10, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The first Pre-Fall collection by Alessandro Michele dropped, and one thing is sure – the creative director of Gucci doesn’t follow the trends and continues to illustrate his vision. His woman for autumn is a aristocratic lady, who lives with her green parakeet in a renaissance Pompeian villa, filled with antique decor and impressive bisazza tiles. Artist and photographer Ari Marcopoulos captured the models wearing metallic leather pleated skirts, aloe hued plush jackets, heart embroidered Sylvie bags and beautiful pumps with red-mouth-detail straps. As usual in case of Michele’s collections for this luxurious Italian brand, every look has its own, romantic story and is ready for personal interpreatation. The hand-made patchwork on denim brought some 70s vibes, while the floor-sweeping tulle dress with hand-painted “tree of life” had me wonder about a September walk in the forest. As you see, the Gucci girl is keeping it true to her style, and that’s why Michele received his place on the list of the best designers of 2015, which you can see here!

Sequin Party. Altuzarra Pre-Fall’16

December 3, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Whoever said that sequins are overrated, did not consider Altuzarra‘s Pre-Fall 2016 collection. The unexpected paillette sequins, which covered the sporty jackets, mesh dresses and fancy midi skirts gave a bold bling-bling moment. Although this New York-based designer is rather known for his minimal aesthetic, the new look-book for next autumn is booming with colour. And an aristocratic, appealingly arty elegance. Lets not forget the subtle polka-dots on pastel blue t-shirt & pants set which takes it back to the label’s feminine codes. This might all sound like a very over-the-top collection, but the effect is totally different – the richly sequined pieces are toned with autumnal shades of brown and grey, making Joseph Altuzarra‘s new season a good choice for those who like a bit of fantasy in their cozy-knitwear-filled wardrobes.

Paris – Rome. Chanel Pre-Fall’16

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Staging a Chanel fashion show in Rome for Metiers d’Art collection (in other words, Pre-Fall 2016) wasn’t that clear at the first sight. However, Karl Lagerfeld had a very reasonable answer for his decision – only a few know that in the 50’s, Coco Chanel designed for the incredible, classy actresses like Jeanne Moreau, Anouk Aimée, Monica Vitti, and Romy Schneider, all of whom starred in Italian movies by Visconti and Pasolini wearing her chic tweeds and dresses. As you might know, I was recently very skeptic about Karl’s last few collections for the legendary Parisian house – the glossy, Cara Delevigne-packed model squad and Instagram-moment venues made Chanel a brand which rather looked towards media, than the clothes. However, this time, Karl showed a graceful collection, which was fully focused on the clothes. The serene, moody setting of an Italian cinema was a perfect background for the film noir lace dresses, masculine coats, leather “pasta” embroideries (this part makes me love Lessage studio even more – they made my favourite farfalle look absolutely great on a dress!) and sultry, leather pencil skirts and jackets. What caught everybody’s attention were the lace tights. They had a femme fatale atitude when worn with pointy Mary-Janes pumps. So Italian. So on point with the deliberately sexy and elusive theme of the entire collection. The hair, done by Sam McKnight, was all about messy beehives and the girls, with their smoky eyes, looked effortlessly glamorous, just like the icons of Italian cinema. Also, the model casting was just the right choice – the designer mixed the catwalk veterans, like Lara Stone and Freja Beha, with a diversity of newcomers – from Lineisy Montero, Molly Bair and Mica Arganaraz to Stella Lucia, Greta Varlese and Alexandra Elizabeth. You’re back on the good track, Karl!