Come As You Are. Courrèges AW17

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Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant of Courrèges resigned from doing a typical fashion show and simply invited their friends to wear this season’s clothes. The way they wanted, with no stylists. Vinyl miniskirts paired with models’ own vintage tees and Nike shoes; lilac mini-dress in patent leather over a motocross shirt; a logo cabas bag and dirty Vans, as easy as that. Andre Courrèges designed and presented clothes for women of his times – Meyer and Vaillant are doing the same, with success. “It’s come as you are“, one of the designers concluded.

Royals are Fly. Y/Project AW17

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Marie Antoinette and today’s rappers – at a first glance, nothing in common. But if you look at their shared love for over-the-top fashion, you might get the point behind Glenn Martens‘ autumn-winter 2017 collection at Y/Project. Big fur coats; leather hoodies with shearling inserts; lace-trimmed sweatpants; ball skirts styled with rhinestone embellished gladiator sandals. A clash between royalty and streetwear? Martens would rather call it as finding the mid-point between those two bold universes. A desire for looking, hmm, fly (although I doubt Antoinette would be use this word for her style). 

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Stangeness and Charm. Marni AW17

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Francesco Risso is Consuelo Castiglioni’s successor at Marni, and yesterday we’ve seen his first collection for the brand’s womenswear line. He used to work at the design studio of Miuccia Prada, so no wonder why off-beat femininity is rooted in his aesthetic; leading Marni, Milan’s most avant-garde house, means that he needs to communicate the way Castiglioni did. Mixing contemporary with old; unconventional prints (most likely, really bold florals) and strangest textiles; experimenting with the garment’s silhouette. In his autumn-winter 2017 collection, Risso checked all the points with success, sending a line of models sashaying in synthetic, fluffy furs, colourful raincoats and heavily sequined dresses (best in the brightest shade of turquoise you’ve ever seen). But Marni is also known for its architectural approach to footwear, whether we’re speaking of platform sandals or ornamented heels. Francesco achieved the ‘beautiful ugliness’ with mid-length, patent boots, elevated by fur sticking out at the top.

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Love for Dislike. Gucci AW17

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If somebody asked me yesterday in the morning, what was the weirdest fashion moment of the last few seasons, I would instantly respond: Vetements autumn-winter 2017. But a few hours later, my reply would dramatically change. It’s Alessandro Michele‘s Gucci, which scored all points in category of ‘real eff-ing craziness’. I honestly don’t know from where to start or whether there’s even sense in writing this review. I mean, there were over 120 looks, divided between women’s and men’s (the new fashion show strategy, which really does make sense). Prepare, this one’s chaotic! There was a couple from Wes Anderson’s cult Royal Tenenbaums film; a stripper in ripped denim mini-skirt, wearing a flashy zirconia body-suit and having those very, very long tips; tacky-meets-royal gowns with faux-roses and heavy dose of ribbons; a cosmic, glass structure in place of a traditional runway, which insulated the models from the guests; Hari Nef (!), Asap Rocky (!!), and Florence Welch (!!!) sitting in the frow. Should I list more? There was even a pair of boots with look-alike hammer and sickle symbol of Communism, which got me thinking – how far will Michele pull the envelope? Oh, wait. I guess he already torn it apart.

The point is: honestly, I disliked the collection at the very first moment. I just can’t say I love it, because I would lie to myself. All that splendour is too much. But there’s other side of the coin. That was a show that made you think, ‘wow – fashion is fun.’ Right?  Mugler’s and Westwood’s collections were also slammed by the critics at the designers’ early stages of their careers, because they simply loved messing up with bad taste. Although Alessandro’s Gucci is under the spell of ‘hype’ (can someone, please, explain me at last what this enigmatic term really means) and it’s adored by everybody, from an Asian mega-client to Tumblr boy, this collection will leave a mark in fashion’s history. Uff.

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Ageless. Simone Rocha AW17

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For her autumn-winter 2017 fashion show, Simone Rocha wanted to clearly cater the fact that her clientelle spans from 20-something girls to 80-year old dames. As she told Sarah Mower of Vogue, “I’ve been reflecting on who I am. I’ve been building this identity, and I want it to be inclusive, for mothers, daughters, and granddaughters.” That’s why she tapped Jan de Villeneuve, Benedetta Barzini, Cecilia Chancellor, Adwoa Aboah and Jaimie Bochert to walk the show – model stars of both, the 60s and 2017. The effect? One of the biggest statements of the season: age really is just a number for fashion. Dress however you want, regardless of your age. The clothes were classic Rocha, tough – fluffy fur inserts and accessories, spacey coats, heavily embellished floral dresses, sheer fabrics. And I’m fine with that, because they look brilliant, as usual.

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