Colette Closes its Doors

July 12, 2017July 12, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Sometimes, innocent morning scrolling on Instagram hurts. My heart ached, while I was reading Colette’s latest post. Hoped it’s a late prima-aprilis kind-of-pun. But when all Parisians started posting the signature, blue dots, this became a fact – Colette closes its doors. The boutique on rue St. Honore was founded in 1997 by Colette Roussaux (who decided for retirement), and has been led by her daughter Sarah Andelman in recent years. “It’s the only shop where I go because they have things no one else has,”Karl Lagerfeld told BoF last year. “I buy watches, telephones, jewellery there — everything really! They have invented a formula that you can’t copy easily, because there is only one Colette and her and Sarah are 200 percent involved.”

An era ends on the 20th of December. By that time, the most famous spot in Paris will reach its 20 years of ‘hype’ existence. When I visited Colette for the first time in 2007, it felt like a fashion mecca, where everything, BUT everything was (and still is) the ultimate holy grail. Colette became the example for all concept stores around the world to follow. The idea of having high-end brands like Dior together with streetwear favourites and niche books felt like out of this world, like total non-chalance. And it was the Colette’s founder who did that first. If you think of the number of collaborations Colette has done with all their brands – from sequin totes by Ashish to the current Balenciaga installation – its a chapter of fashion history on its own rights. As for now, the official statement of the store says: Until our last day, nothing will change. Colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings.

In other words, it’s another sad, sad day for the fashion industry.

All photos come from Design & Culture by Ed archives.

Celestial. Valentino AW17 Couture

July 7, 2017July 7, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Whenever a priest wearing a soutane crosses the street, you can’t help but look at the way his garment flows and shapes in motion. Pierpaolo Piccioli, the creative director of Valentino, had a vision for his couture collection: to grasp the sense of holiness and striking simplicity behind canonical robes he observes everyday on the streets of Rome, and convey it in the most haute way. Floor-sweeping capes had a ceremonial aura about them, just like sharply cut coats. If you think ‘Vatican’, you think ‘ornamental’ – Piccioli’s take on sacred is a lot more modern, but equally celestial.

Valentino’s collection might be the couture season’s most intriguing line-up, and if you’re still not convinced, note the one-of-a-kind metal bags with enamel mosaic details made by Harumi Klossowska De Rola especially for this occasion. Each of the bags’ shape reassembles an animal’s head – put together, they symbolize the seven deadly sins. How ironic, thinking about the sources of fortunes of some of Valentino’s richest clients…

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Witchy. Rodarte SS18

July 3, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Americans in Paris – I love seeing them here. Proenza Schouler‘s spring-summer 2018 was already a very good sign. The same day, Mulleavy sisters‘ Rodarte line-up was a feast for the eye in pure form. The show was staged in a Parisian cloister with a garden patio, where the models strolled around in witchy dresses and badass leather gears. All those ethereal and rebellious elements of a Rodarte woman symbolised Kate and Laura’s romantic sensibility with a sophisticated vision of femininity.

Throughout the seasons in New York, Rodarte reflected on womanhood in various ways, from skate girls to punk princesses. Spring-summer 2018 was “the most Rodarte collection” the sisters created, where they mixed all of their magical ingredients into one delightful potion. Like fairies, the models had baby’s-breath tiaras on their heads or carried huge bird of paradise bouquets. Some wore scarlet red gowns, some pastel pink ball-dresses, but all oozed with a carefree, A Midsummer Night’s Dream sweetness. There were the leather pieces, too, which are Rodarte’s signatures – this season ornamented with metallic bows. I guess the Mulleavy girls deserve a loud ‘bienvenue’, just like the Proenza Schouler boys do.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki (backdrop: stills and elements from ‘The Love Witch’ film from 2016).

Prada Heads

June 30, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Whether you’re a revolutionary spirit dressing like the European youth in 1968 (see Eva Green in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers to get the point) or a to-be French girl dreaming of Carrie Bradshaw’s great Parisian escape with Alexandr Petrovsky – Miuccia Prada has the next season headwear sorted out for you. One of the biggest surprises at Prada‘s autumn-winter 2017 fashion show was the comeback of berets and biker hats. Worn with long scarves and sea-shell necklaces, both of them looked adventurous (in one of the three versions: knitted, pony hair or patchwork). The guys wore their berets in corduroy with a defiant, Che Guevara attitude. Full throttle!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

When in Zürich. Vetements SS18

June 28, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Vetements‘ no-show spring-summer 2018 collection was a sensation in its own nature. Instead of a regular fashion show with models (wait – Vetements has never done a ‘regular’ fashion show, if you take a moment to look back at their shocking venue choices…), the designer collective lead by Demna Gvasalia exhibited over 50, real-size photographs in a Parisian warehouse. Photographed and styled surprisingly by Demna himself (no Pierre Ange Carlotti and Lotta Volkova this season…), these were the images of real real people in Zürich. The Swiss capital is the new location of Vetements’ headquarters, so deciding to keep it ‘local’ makes sense. The look-book presents everyone, from elderly women and families to bankers and goth teenagers, striking poses in new-season Vetements.

But is the new-season Vetements really new? If you’ve noticed looks that seem to be a déjà vu from the brand’s previous seasons – like over-sized checked shirts, deconstructed fur coats or a voluminous trench coat – then don’t be surprised. For this season, Gvasalia preferred to contemplate and reconsider, rather than create something absolutely fresh. Some of the pieces were recut and improved from the technical side, while others, like the Vetements signature tea-dress or cult Reebok trainers, went through small alternations (emoji prints, polka dots, surely to become next season’s hits). From one side, this concept is might be disturbing. Will Vetements stop developing creatively? Well, I doubt it. From the other side, that’s quite relaxing, as the brand suggests buyers and other labels, that its a non-sense to produce two (or more) totally different collections a year. Cherish the classics! Don’t rush for the new pair of shoes, if last year’s platform boots or cigarette-lighter heels will stay in the shops for good. Slowing the pace is right, from time-to-time.