#2015 – Massimo Giorgetti

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Italian fashion has never been so energetic as it is now! The year of 2015 is definitely the year of youth for Milan. And the most evident prove is the bold revamp at Emilio Pucci, which is directed by the extremely vibrant aesthetic of Massimo Giorgetti, the designer behind MSGM.

Resort 2016 – I won’t hide it, the Peter Dundas era wasn’t ground-breaking for me at this heritage brand. His super sleek Pucci women felt so unexciting and monotonous that there is no wonder why he left the house for Roberto Cavalli. However, tfirst collection of the new creative director, Massimo Giorgetti, has something that caught my eye. It made me look at Emilio Pucci from a totally new perspective. The designer of ultra-trendy MSGM brought an eccentric vibe into the house of kaleidoscopic prints and luxury goods – multi-colour fringe coats, florals and eye-killing colour combinations. Giorgetti’s side-buttoned blouses – a nod to the signature Pucci silk scarf – sat strangely on the body, while his one-shoulder button-downs featured elongated sleeves. Giorgetti has a sense of measure about eclecticism: his women didn’t look odd, but rather like the Clueless character which suddenly appeared in Milan.

SS16 – Massimo takes us to a utopian beach-side, where everything is possible. The sailor-girl theme was reflected in various shades of blue and the meticulously embroidered fish motifs ornamented tank-tops and dresses. Dreamy and romantic, but with a modernistic edge at the same time. The accessories, which caught my eye instantly, made the cut. The colourful, leather bucket bags made every outfit look electrifying, while the feather sandals had a playful twist. Just like the plexi sunglasses. Giorgetti is the real renaissance at Emilio Pucci, and 2016 already looks like a great year for the house!

#2015 – Jacquemus

November 26, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

So, 2015 approaches its end, and it’s the perfect time to look back at the fashion designers who really made the cut this year. New York, London, Milan and Paris are full of great minds – but some of them have truly changed the course of trends, or rather the tendency for anti-trends. In my subjective choice, I searched for both, individualism and something more than “fashion”. 2015 is a year of designers, who made their creative vision a contemporary philosophy of everyday dressing and, of course, beauty.

Simone Porte Jacquemus is the guy who made Paris feel the youth – his childlike, fairy-tale vision and dreamy fashion shows are filled with emotions and unconventional chic. His collections trigger controversy, even though they reminisce childish, naive and even primitive way of being. What’s more, his namesake label, Jacquemus, is sold by the most influential boutiques and on-line stores worldwide. And 2015 has been his most daring year to date.

AW15 – Dadaistic silhouettes and primitively masked faces. Barefoot models. Naive nudity. Simone Porte Jacquemus continues his “childish” fashion journey, keeping his AW15 arty. With faces painted by Sebastien Bieniek, which felt very abstract and eerie at the same time, the collection provokes. Explaining that he wanted to capture some of the instinctual feel of being a child, the designer said: “I cut jackets like little kids will do—sometimes the cut is weird, there is just a half top. I like this randomness.” The whole collection, full of exaggeration and peculiar sex-appeal felt even more artistic and disturbing when you looked at the venue directed by Alex de Betak – dilapidated walls and kemping chairs felt on-point while accompanying the clothes. Escapism at its full strength.

Resort’16 – The country-side environment perfectly fits the minimal collection shot in the rural province of France, full of lavender scrubs and sunshine. The clothes which were based on asymmetric confusion and exaggerated silhouettes (Jacquemus’ ultimate signatures) had an feminine allure about them – just like the Joana Preiss standing in the field of wheat.

SS16 – This collection is different from all up-to-date. The Jacquemus girl used to be a cheerful Frenchie from Marseilles, wearing over-sized tops and striped pantaloons. This season, this girl is not that smiley anymore. In the dreamlike theatre that Simone prepared, the whole mood felt rather melancholic, and very poetic. The whole “performance” felt psychodramatic, as a young child (the designer’s cousin, Jean) pushed a large, red ball of fabric across the stage, and Jacquemus himself appeared, leading a white horse. Then, the models came out, wearing signature, colour-block dresses and silhouette-deconstructing coats. “We know me for my smile and my sunshine and my (love of the) seaside,” Jacquemus said, reflecting on his fashion that we know from the past seasons. Also, he admitted that the atmosphere of this season was different. “The girl was not dark, she was quite fresh – but you can see a little tiny bit, I tried to have this kind of sadness.” The name of the collection, Le Nez Rouge, means the red nose – but also, it reminded Simon about his childhood illness that caused his nose to be constantly red. Childhood memories and the whole idea of naivette is from the very beginning present in Jacquemus’ career. The designer is just 25, won the second LVMH Prize Award and has more and more buyers in his Parisian showroom each season – it seems that the pressure is pretty high for him – but, Jacquemus just won’t entirely grow up.

Bold Resort

November 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Resort 2016 will soon hit the stores! And what’s the best about that fact? Surely, the colour splash which will kill the November dullness. The wide range of prints, from pervert rabbits at Prada to geometric forms at Massimo Giorgetti’s Emilio Pucci revamp, the summer pre-collection for the upcoming 2016 also stunned with a great attention to the detail. Just see the first looks at Gucci to understand what I mean – meticulously embroidered dresses, lace tank-tops and floral head arrangements bring on the musings of a long weekend spent in Tuscany. In Paris, Miuccia Prada showed her other collection, for Miu Miu, which was all about a decadent party full of fur, sequins and flirty mini-dresses. Lastly, Phoebe Philo delivered an edgy, yet feminine look-book at Celine, where we’ve got some Pierre-Cardin-esque modernist silhouettes and wild, animal prints. Here is a look at fashion’s upcoming vibrance!

Emilio Pucci

Miu Miu

Celine

Gucci

Prada

#2015 – Rosie Assoulin

November 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Many designer who do evening-wear think that an excessive amount of Swarovski and flesh-exposing-cuts is just it. But thankfully, Rosie Assoulin is the woman who says a loud “NO” to that nonsense. The New York-based designer creates dresses which are mostly categorised as “evening” ones, but surprisingly look as good with white sneakers as with heels. By looking at her previous collections, it’s easy to conclude, that these simply cut, boldly coloured dresses look at their best with sweatpants and yes, even with hoodies.

AW15 – The stand-out pieces of this collection are the signature, cropped tops worn over white shirts, corduroy pants and of course, the dreamy maxi-gowns. The winter collection went totally against the grey-scale colour palette, giving us a diversity of reds, pinks and greens.

Resort’16 – Ruffles! Everywhere! On trousers, on shirts, on dresses – a ruffle mania. Rosie Assoulin presented a playful collection, which fused her evening attitude with something more R&B. The statement culottes had those huge, hand-made daisy-shaped cut-outs while her classy dresses smartly flipped into a fancy party or a friend’s brunch simultaneously. Also, the Woodstock-like dyed over-sized trousers had a moment. But again, the ruffles were really the stars of this collection – the curcuma coloured top with ruffled sleeves was everything. Just like the pink top which surrealistically reminded an ethereal waterfall made of ruffles.

SS16 – For her spring-summer 2016, the designer took us to one of New York’s public pools, which had its murals painted by Keith Haring. The location had a lot to do with the collection – swimwear was the key, and that was visible by looking at the very first looks. Bikini tops were worn in different configurations, while happy, slightly trippy stripes covered the voluminous flares. The colours were bold and nutritious – intensive colours made me want summer to come back as fast as possible! Assoulin’s signatures gowns are famous among New York fashionistas for their carefree attitude – this season, they had something to do with Diana Ross’ glamour. Ruffles, bows – and beautiful silhouettes are as usual ruling. That’s sure – Rosie truly enjoys her play with fashion! And I wish her the same in 2016!

Parisian Update. Celine Resort’16

October 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s a kind of fashion tradition, that we see Celine‘s pre-collection just few weeks before they hit the stores. When Phoebe Philo introduced this rule, the fashion system shifted. No wonder why – when we see the pre-collections six months before they are really available, there is a kind of deja vu feeling later on. There is a lack of excitement. When Philo drops her pre-collection, there is this surprise effect that certainly moves the brand’s customers when they walk into the stores. The resort 2016 is a true pleasure, both for the eye and the desire sense. The collection is a modern version of a French wardrobe – here, you will surely find a striped shirt, high-waisted pants and a raffia tote from the Basque summer adventures. Also, the wardrobe contains an essence of minimal, French glamour, which was strong in the 60’s & 70’s Paris – take the green, Pierre Cardin-like vest or Yves Saint Laurent safari trench-coat, revisited with some arty patterns. There is the feeling of a “woman who travels” in this collection, too – the Babouche slippers convey the oriental mood and the eclectic jewellery brought from Milan’s most edgy flea-markets and antiquaries. In brief, Phoebe wins my heart, as usual. Is this something new?