Clothes for Life. Céline SS17

October 10, 2016October 10, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Phoebe Philo started out at Céline as a designer, who adored ultimate minimalism. During her pre- and post-pregnancy period, Céline welcomed bold colours and fun, toy-like jewellery. Spring-summer 2017, and the last few collections, seem to open another chapter of the creative director’s vision at the brand. There isn’t one word to describe it – it’s rather about understanding Phoebe’s “woman for women” world, which is far from trends, but always a step further from the others.

Last season was an investigation of “invisible” clothing: layers of satin pleats and leather coats were perfect gears for everyday life, drenched in new meaning of luxury and unprecedented styling. This season explores woman’s wardrobe in an even quicker way, with Yves Klein-like painted corsets, XXL totes and drifty dresses. However, Phoebe understands how to build a wardrobe for real usage – it’s not that arty and edgy in the end.

The meaning behind Céline’s latest outing has been already conveyed in the soundtrack of noisy city traffic, and joyous children laugh. Loosely fit pastel top, indigo skirt and white sneakers – is there a better and more comfortable outfit for a day filled with errands, like picking your kids from school? Or rushing to the office? The runway wasn’t a usual aisle, squeezed by editors and buyers. Models walked in random directions, sometimes in little groups, presenting a range of different personalities. A Céline woman isn’t only one type of women: Philo proves that, sending out a range of various clothes on diverse in age and skin colour models.

From masculine coats to intriguing dresses, nothing seems to look pointless here. Even though A LOT happens in this specific collection. For example, the pants were (probably) worn over another, lighter pair. Doesn’t it look fantastic? That’s a styling trick to catch the next spring. Seductive slits and cut-outs are quite new to Céline, but don’t worry – Philo’s skills in making her gowns sexy aren’t moving towards Balmain. She’s just too intelligent for that. Her venture into sex-appeal is non-conformist and elusive, resulting in a dress with faux-corset, and a pair of sandals. Man-repelling? Depends on the guy. Speaking of the shoes, there were a lot of great heels and boots in bold red or autumnal beige. The colours were mixed up, because “why should our shoes always match?” I’m a sucker for socks, and seeing Phoebe play with them was pure pleasure. Just like analysing the entire collection.

Colour Palette. Haider Ackermann SS17

October 6, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

January of next year means a big debut during men’s autumn-winter 2017 season: Haider Ackermann was recently named the new creative director of Berluti, one of the leading menswear brands. Ackermann has already got used to a pretty light schedule, with two collections for women, and two for men – how will his new role affect his work at his namesake label? Time will show.

But let’s focus on the present. Haider’s latest collection for women is classically Ackermann, which means sleek, masculine silhouettes, lots of draping and a kind of rebellious, rock & roll attitude. However, spring-summer 2017 differed from the designer’s last few seasons with it’s colour blast. High-waisted pants and jackets in lovely pastel-pink; long, pleated skirts in energetic orange and yellow; a loosely fit suit worn by Iris Strubegger looked tempting in jade-green. It’s not the first, when Haider nails it with his unique colour palette, but this collection is a killer. Just like the spiky hair, resembling punk tomahawks. There was just one thing I was quite unpleasantly surprised to see – the t-shirts with slogans. After a Dior show, which was based on a basic idea of a tee, “Be Your Own Hero“ or “Silent Soldier“ type of signs just didn’t fell right, noting Haider Ackermann’s poet-like aesthetic. The defiant mood is quite perceivable, so why make it even more clear?

All That Jazz. Undercover SS17

October 4, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jun Takahashi is the designer behind one of the most avant-garde brand originating from Japan – Undercover. Every collection delivered by him is a separate story, subverting the reality of ready-to-wear into something much more sophisticated, nearly magical. For spring-summer 2017, Jun investigated the world of jazz, his favourite music genre. However, it’s not the mood of Chicago musical and sultry-hot “And All That Jazz” song! Saxophones were printed in an old-fashioned, trompe l’oeil-style on t-shirts and wide pants, while the last, spectacular looks were three leather outfits kept in a collage-like patchwork of drums, keyboards and trumpets. A new, fresh glance at a ‘dandy’ – worth considering next spring.

Chinatown Mules. Y/Project SS17

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Amid the new league of young, fashion talents based in Paris, there’s Jacquemus, Koché, Courrèges boys, and of course Vetements collective. Another one in the hood is Glenn Martens, who is the designer behind Y/Project. While other re-invent heritage, French brands or mess around with underground rave culture, Glenn is somewhere in between reviving Marie Antoinette dresses and developing a 21st century gear for cool women (and men). For spring/summer 2017, the designer nails denim pants, which are very much into elongated silhouettes. Velvet body-con piece or a pony-hair top subvert the term “elegance”, just like unconventional evening wear which focuses on exaggerated, sleeveless parachute dresses. The models wore layers of pearl necklaces, ironically contrasting with the so-in-demand street-wise hoodies. Following the anti-fashion maxim, the uglier the better, Glenn sent out a line of the most trashy mules and stilettos you have ever seen. “They’re from Chinatown,” he said backstage, without an attempt to conceal this fact. I doubt a modern-day princess would immerse herself in those cumbersome clothes – but a Parisian skate-girl, for sure.

Big Return. Olivier Theyskens SS17

September 27, 2016September 28, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Paris Fashion Week is the time of big debuts: Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent and Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior to name the most significant ones. But also, it kicks off with a big return. Olivier Theyskens. The designer who placed little canaries on stilettos back in 2002; the man behind iconic heel-less shoes at Nina Ricci. Prince of avant-garde, who has been sorely missed, surprised everyone when he reappeared in the season’s schedule. However, his spring-summer 2017 collection is far from fuss: intimately presented to a group of 80 editors and fashion industry friends, there were 25 looks. Both numbers seem to be unrealistically small for a fashion show in 2016 – but sometimes, it’s the quality, not quantity, that matters.

Theyskens had an occasion to refresh everybody’s memory with his cult signatures. Python leather leggings and very high heels are still his favourites; blazers with sleekly corseted waists are pure romance; elusive transparency revealed a thing or two. And the all-black colour palette (with minor splashed of red and white). Leave sultry to Olivier, as his love for women’s body is reflected in those sharp mini-dresses and intriguingly cut skirts. To a certain extend, I see some similarities between Theyskens’ latest outing of noir ready-to-wear, and Azzedine Alaia’s chic-defining fashion shows. The mood of privacy, and a kind of luxurious modesty, radiates in work of these two legendary designers. Even though they come from totally different decades, their sophisticated, and somewhat dramatic elegance never goes out of ~~fashion~~ style.