Experimental. JW Anderson SS17

September 20, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Nothing is what it seems at J.W. Anderson. Henry VIII’s Tudor-esque, slashed sleeves and bucket-bags printed with a dragon head. Parachute sweatshirts and tie-dye dresses. If you try to match anything here – good luck then. Jonathan Anderson continues the idea of experimental clothing and styling at his namesake label, mixing the least expected pieces of his and yours wardrobe. It’s like having fun with collage-making – you never know what will be the final result. I wouldn’t say that this makes his collections look uncomplete, or unwearable. Quite opposite, it’s the sophistication that attracts everybody to Anderson’s ready-to-wear.

Dance in Tulle. Molly Goddard SS17

September 20, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s hard not to spot a Molly Goddard princess dress on the streets of London during fashion week. Agyness Deyn chose a custom-made, white ensemble for her New York wedding last month. Rihanna drank Starbucks in a green tulle piece, which came straight from the London-based studio. Let’s be honest – the trapeze-shaped silhouette is cute. And it’s exciting to see how Goddard extends her range, keeping it still sweet and care-free. The model cast consisted of real women, who danced, twirled, spiralled and walked the runway in pastel-pink tops, pistachio mini-dresses, full neon-green skirts and grandma knits. The word “trend” doesn’t exist in the world of Molly, as she’s doing what she really wants to! With success.

Perverse Innocence. Simone Rocha SS17

September 20, 2016September 20, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Staying true to her romantic spirit, Simone Rocha staged her spring-summer 2017 show in Southwark Cathedral, where the models walked down the gothic aisle. The venue matched the charming sublimity of Rocha’s latest line of delicate textures and girlie silhouettes, and it smoothly worked with the collection’s British accents (similarly to Gucci’s memorable anglomaniac resort 2017) and the designer’s long-term inspirations. Voluminous poplin-cotton shirts were layered with Prince of Wales checks; a classic trench-coat has never looked like a Louise Bourgeois sculpture before. While working on the collection, the designer took a glance at baptismal gowns and communion dresses, reworking them in authentic broderie anglaise lace. But don’t expect to see a traditional wedding dress here. Simone Rocha’s fascination with perversion oozes in those not-so-bride-ready gowns. Although we’re talking about sacred and holy, the designer’s pieces are far from innoncent. Sheer organza sheath with elongated sleeves shyly exposed nipples, while a tulle skirt with embroidered flowers showed some leg… accidentally. Note the models’ patent wellies and synthetic-white, rubber gloves. Red lips and wet hair. Rocha’s Catholic girls coming from good village families are naughty. In a very elusive, gentle way.

Toxic Paradise. AV Robertson SS17

September 19, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“It’s like paradise gone bad,” said Amie Robertson after her second runway collection, supported by Fashion East. “An ‘other’, magical land where the flowers that sprout are toxic and taking over. The silver metallic PVC also gives it a space-like element, like being on another planet.” Embroidery and embellishments are A.V. Robertson‘s signatures – that’s why it’s intriguing to see how the London-based designer evolves creatively in those two, painstaking fields. Inspired with 50s horror films like Forbidden Planet, the collection focuses on a vision of a tropical paradise kept in a toxic, dark aura. The season’s look – a transparent, turtleneck blouse with a slit, midi-skirt – is ultra-feminine, while the embellished alien-like florals give it a sci-fi twist. A slip-dress also went through Robertson’s botanic makeover, all in fish-net mesh and fluorescent crystals.

Candy Rave. Marc Jacobs SS17

September 17, 2016September 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

New York Fashion Week might impress and surprise, but leave “shocking” to Marc Jacobs, who always ends the city’s schedule with a spotlight-stealing collection. And this time, Jacobs presented an ecstatic rave of his latest obsessions, inspirations, collaborators and, of course, aesthetic. At the Hammerstein Ballroom, Stefan Beckman built a huge stage splattered with grease, lit up by more than a thousand little bulbs. A perfect space for an off-beat, underground party filled with techno-music and thirsty-for-fun people. The association was right – it was the venue of the most youthful collection of the upcoming season.

Lets take a look at the collection from the bottom to the top, literally. All of the models wore platforms, which looked even higher than the ones from Jacobs’ autumn-winter 2016. I LOVE THOSE SHOES, every single pair of them. Kept in all colours of the rainbow, the killer-stompers were designed in collaboration with Julie Verhoeven (who also did a fantastic job together with the designer during his spring-summer 2002 Louis Vuitton show). Verhoeven produced a number of fantastic, cartoonish illustrations, which appeared on the shoes, and also on the bags and some of the one-of-a-kind pieces. Looking at the clothes, Marc and his team didn’t disappoint. Candy-coloured, sheer apron dresses with ruffles; extra mini, mini-skirts in denim; fur-collared or sprouting with feathers military jackets and cardigans. This season, it’s about lifting normal pieces into ~~nearly~~ couture creations. Hoodies (something we are all getting sick of lately) look brilliant, also printed with Julie’s illustrations. I really do have doubts whether teens would feel absolutely comfortable in those sexy, fairly provocative and imaginative pieces on a binge – but surely, these clothes guarantee a big entrance.

Reaching the heads of the extremelly tall models, we are getting closer to the most problematic (to some) aspect of the collection – the dreadlocks by Guido Palau. Instagram users raged Jacobs’ account with comments on cultural appropriation, calling him a ‘thief’. I’m just overwhelmed with the public’s lack of any awareness. True, corn-rows are over-used by white teens, while Indian headbands with feathers aren’t properly credited by Coachella fans. BUT dreadlocks are for everybody. They are universal. Lana Wachowski has fuchsia-pink dreadlocks. Boy George from the Culture Club-era had dreadlocks. And Bob Marley was the king of dreadlocks. Even a friend of my cousin has dreadlocks (but they look bad, though). In other words, dreadlocks are for everyone, and people should at least try to widen their horizons.