50 Years. Bottega Veneta SS17

September 25, 2016September 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bottega Veneta celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, but don’t expect an over the top venue or anything like that. Tomas Maier, the creative director of Veneta, is known for his classical approach to ready-to-wear, and of course, respect for the brand’s heritage of leather accessories. That’s why the idea behind spring-summer 2017 span around an iconic intrecciato woven clutch bag, which was carried around by Lauren Hutton back in a 1980 film, American Gigolo. History repeats itself: yesterday in the morning, the same person appeared in the fashion show, with the same bag. Hutton wore an elegant, beige trench coat (like in the film!). Absolutely make-up free. She looked stunning, as always. And the red, little bag was a cherry on the (birthday) cake. The memorable clutch, and 14 other archive bags will be reproduced.

Now, the clothes part. Maier is one of the leading designers who creates ageless garments with a seasonless neutrality. Anyone can wear them, from the young to the elder. The latest collection is divided into different colour palettes: the first looks were kept in olive-green, earthy tones. We had some great knits, luxury leathers and delightful rain coats. Then, there was a colour moment, where Karen Elson and Grace Bol wore beetroot-red robe dresses and fuchsia pencil skirts. In the end, the designer explored various shades of beige , mixing it with pastel elements. There was suede, there was cashmere – a combination of Bottega Veneta’s favourites. The Italian brand focuses on an menswear line, too, so no wonder why some of the looks were prepared for guys in this milestone celebration. Over-sized camel pants, loose sweaters and tailored biker jackets are just some of the men’s essentials.

Fashion Crocs and Boudoir. Christopher Kane SS17

September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

We live in 2016, the time, when trends aren’t as important as they used to be. Of course, there are people who still seek for the 60s motifs or “major” animal prints moments. Some glossy magazines still keep on looking for those similarities, as if that was the most important part of every season. But isn’t it much more fun to absolutely forget about categorising fashion?

A way of keeping diametrically different ideas in a disorganised, collage form appears repetitively at J.W. Anderson, Proenza Schouler and Raf Simons. Christopher Kane is another designer, who isn’t following themes in his collections, but prefers to scatter them around like toys. He experiments with everything, from texture composition to styling, in order to achieve something “new”. In his spring-summer 2017, Kane does cheerful florals in various ways, from easy prints to haute 3-D embellishments. There’s something wild and undomesticated in his collection, too, with midi-skirts made of fur, and leopard prints covering the tops. Cool PVC raincoats. Seductive lace. There’s a conversation going on between Catholic innocence (see the Christian iconography on the sweatshirts) and ‘good girl gone bad’ attitude, just like at Simone Rocha‘s latest outing. The trompe l’oeil evening gowns shared a frivolous peek at the boudoir part of wardrobe – I guess those sensual pieces will sell within a second when they hit the designer’s flagship boutique in London. Ultimately, the “most out of the blue” prize goes to Christopher’s choice of footwear. For spring, the brand collaborated with Crocs to produce a range of hilarious, man-repelling rubber flats, covered with colourful stones and studs. Nobody would have expected that.

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.

Janis and Bees. Rodarte SS17

September 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bees and Janis Joplin. Mostly nothing in common. But Laura and Kate Mulleavy found a connection between genus Apis, and the magical character of a 70s icon. In case of the former, Rodarte played with tulle and lace to form honeycomb-like layers. The safety pins lined up along pants weren’t about grunge and punk, but rather an association of bees’ stings. A heavily ornamented, beehive shaped bustier on a closing gown looked as sweet as honey. Flowers are essential for bees – that’s why floral motif appears countless times in this collection. In case of Joplin, her care-free attitude oozes in those jaw-dropping, fringed biker jackets and hippie, ruffled dresses. In the world of Rodarte, it’s a fantasy story-telling combined with truly beautiful clothes.