On Monotony. Gucci SS18

September 21, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Michele‘s phenomena at Gucci needs no introduction. I think his striking, even terrific style, has reached its limit a long time ago, and keeps on adding up with no end in sight. According to the brand’s creative director, ‘creation’ in itself is a poetic act, and I have nothing against that. But I found his spring-summer 2018 creation not poetic, but, hmm… overcrowded. Don’t get me wrong, Alessandro wouldn’t be him if he did something not ornamental, and I absolutely get that – it’s his aesthetic. But if that collection was a “map of signs to learn to live the world poetically, going beyond its contingency and standardizing monotony”, don’t be surprised if you lose your way with it. I find Ann Demeulemeester poetic. Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garçons are insanely poetic. But Michele’s extremely lush clash of young Elton John’s tour costumes and intergalactic UFO-femme gowns feels rather operatic and dramatic, than a fashion poetry. It’s a hard study of costume with a capital C, not self-expression liberation. Shortly, if you thought that the last Gucci show was too much, you were wrong. This one is too too much. But no fears, the next season will be even more more.

P.s. I think that monotony is lethal. But isn’t Gucci already too predicatable? It’s a kitsch monotony, in fact.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Domesticated Fetishes. Christopher Kane SS18

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christopher Kane‘s spring-summer 2018 collection was an exercise in what’s domesticated, what’s fetishistic. The designer, who never disapoints in creating some of the most unorthodox fashion statements, had a story on his mind. A story of a pristine lady, very proper and neat, a 100% perfectionist, who has an emotional breakdown. Her life is domesticated, but she feels a need for sexual freedom – after all, she’s not that innocent. From elegant, 40s housecoats to desultory dusters, the inspirations behind Kane’s new collection span from absolutely refined couture-detailing to the most common household objects. The collection was not only a daring stance on sexuality found in day-to-day fetishes, but also a nod to British class boundaries that have affected women for centuries. It’s as if a housewive went bad, very bad, and fell an affection for flirty satin and lace lingerie. And she has certainly put her hands on John Kacere‘s coffee-book, that probably counted as the dirtiest gift given from her husband’s boss. The artist, whose artworks were developed as prints for Christopher’s dresses and t-shirts, almost solely devoted himself to idealized depictions of the female body (sometimes in lingerie, sometimes not). That’s a naughty tale, indeed.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Rough and Sweet. Marques Almeida SS18

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Roughness and sweetness collide in today’s femininity, and that was quite clearly shown in Marques Almeida spring-summer 2018 collection. The designers were intrigued in womanhood and its many faces, that’s why their show embraced many personalities. Dolly Parton’s song were on the soundtrack, so no wonder why Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida focused on the all-American classic: denim. From re-invented Texan Tuxedos to torn-up trousers, there were many options to choose from. Dolly Parton is woman to love and respect for many reasons. So did the designers think of Joan of Arc. The metallic gilets (worn over pink smocks) and armour-like total-looks were the main, smartly played nods to her powerful appearance that definitely fell into the first camp – roughness. But if you really think of a 2017 woman, the extra-large shoulder bags are here to support on daily-basis. Nicely covered in floral jacquard, they are both practical and pretty.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Singular. Gareth Pugh SS18

September 19, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Gareth Pugh‘s spring-summer 2018 look-book (the designer has ditched the runway to focus on fashion, not the frame around it) is one of those incredible, but underrated collections, which you’ve got to digest after seeing first. It was a literal explosion of forms and silhouettes, whether we’re speaking of the red column gowns or cage-like armours that resembled a surreal, outer-skeleton. It’s a season of colour, but none of the designers used red in such a furious way. Those red-splattered garments (they hardly can be called regular ‘clothes’) were as equally dynamic as the fire print that covered the dresses. My favourite part of this collection is definitely the crinkled, metallic story. The effect? As if Gareth dripped the body in liquid gold and let it dry. Or simply packed it in shiny wrapping paper. But of course it was much more complex than that! The collection itself isn’t everything that Pugh has in offer this season. Together with the visionary photographer, Nick Knight, the designer directed a thrilling visual that could easily be called a very hi-tech horror with emphasis put on jaw-dripping clothing. Note, it’s very NSFW.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Blush. Simone Rocha SS18

September 18, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

“I had these china dolls with Victoriana dresses when I was little. I used to send them down the bannisters at home, so they ended up with cracked faces,” Simona Rocha told the press after her spring-summer 2018 fashion show. “But I kept them, and now they’re coming out again for my daughter to play with. I loved unpacking them and looking at their dresses, and the tiny boots and everything.” Rocha’s daughter, Valentine, and motherhood in general, bring a lot of joy and fantasy to the designer’s work lately. The new collection was innocent, playful and naïve – and nearly kept in virginal all-white. Red dolls were embroidered on white poplin dresses and over-sized shirts, while hand-painted flowers decorated the ball-skirts and coats. Little-lady pearls were the key element of the collection, neatly used as the main material for jewellery and embellishments. Although all of the models had girlie blushes and were kinda sweet and adorable, that wasn’t a tale of high-fashion Lolita, as the collection had some more grown-up moments. Elongated bias-cut dresses in funeral black looked serious – was that a glimpse at an alternative wardrobe of Mrs. Haze, the mother of Nabokov’a naughty heroine?