London Utility. Marques Almeida AW16

February 26, 2016February 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s exciting to see how such label as Marques Almeida evolves. Firstly, the concept behind London’s favourite designer duo, Marta Marques and Pablo Almeida, was simple – ripped denim pants with the 90’s attire. But the apparel revival wasn’t the first and last invention of the Portuguese-born brand. The vision of Marques Almeida girl is always different with every season – but the youthful soul isn’t leaving these clothes even for a second. And this is easily seen in the model casting for Marques’ autumn-winter 2016 outing – few days before the show, the designers shared Polaroids of the friends, who were about to walk the closing show of the London Fashion Week. Naturally diverse models, as one of the designers said, weren’t over-dressed, in order to keep their real attitude, and not the posh versions of themselves.

The clothes weren’t ground-breaking, but there were many pieces that seem to be checked on the LFW must-have list – even though we’ve had a season of the truly beautiful collections from the British designers, Marques Almeida’s clothes makes you really want to have them. Maybe because of this rawness? The bold orange and fuchsia duvet coats prove that my not-so-stylish jacket for dog-walks ranks up. Utility, and style in one. The long, body skirts styled with elongated checked shirt is a bit grunge, which is already an approved trend that appears in a high number of collections. But of course there is the feminine side of Marques Almeida – the classic slip dress a la Corinne Day’s Kate Moss photographs.

You were good this season, London!

Punk, Belts and SoHO. AF Vandevorst AW16

February 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

A.F. Vandevorst showed its new collection in London, which felt quite unexpected, as the designers behind the Belgian brand – An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx – used to be the regulars at Paris Fashion Week. But the city was a pretty obvious choice for them, though. The punk spirit, which was the theme behind the collection, is reflected in British music history in the best possible way – and the fish-net tights revived the old, clubbing attitude of SoHO, before it became a trendy, hipster district. The faces of the models were splattered with red, while some of them wore restrictive belted helmets made of leather or velvet. To a surprise of many, velvet had a bright moment this season at Vandevorst, looking good on platform boots and extra-large maxi dress. Also, the deconstructed skirts and pantalons had a rebellious twist, looking quite fierce with red suede stompers. Punk and rock’n’roll have been present in the label’s codes from the very beginning, and to a large extend this collection was a good occasion to highlight that fact – even though I will always consider A.F. Vandevorst as a much more Paris-based label. Whatever they say about the British subculture present in these clothes, the chic, French decadence is oozing from every corner – and I hope this won’t change.

Feelings. Eckhaus Latta AW16

February 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

If talking of talented millennials, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, the lovely couple behind Eckhaus Latta, also top the list of New York’s talented young blood. The nodels (not-models) stormed dynamically along the runway, wearing the brand’s clothes which always feature a raw, unfinished touch. The cast, so the designers’ friends and New York cool kids (India Menuez, for instance) wore Mike’s and Zoe’s garments, which perfectly presented what the designers are best at – Eckhaus’ background in sculpture (note the unidentified folds and slouchy, elongated sleeves) and Latta’s in textile design. The “dresses” had asymmetrical, abstract silhouettes, while the velvetish textile which ornamented the midi-skirts still shines bright in my mind. “We don’t have an elevator pitch for you because I feel like we’ve never approached our collections with traditional ideas of concept or inspiration,” says Eckhaus, “but they become representations of what we’re experiencing at the moment, what we’re feeling.” When seeing Eckhaus Latta’s outings, I always have a feeling that they fittingly reflect the current, New Yorker style among the youth – it’s not easy to define, but it’s very, very personal.

Photographs by Benedict Brink

Good Things. Rosie Assoulin AW16

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Considering all the fresh names that appear during New York Fashion Week, not many enter the game with a purely unique vision, or even a mind-striking collection. Sometimes, it looks like a slightly modified Celine or The Row copy-and-paste method fits all the occasions, while the venue of the show or presentation is limited to a modestly furnished uptown loft (there are too many of those this season, too). But in case of Rosie Assoulin, one of the most prolific and talented millennials in the fashion industry, everything works in the other way – meaning – every step the designer takes is utterly her’s, and not of somebody else, and what’s the most important – she doesn’t lead her eponymous label onto a mainstream path (well, you may say that her jumpsuit appeared in Beyonce’s Formation video a week ago and that her gowns appear to win the celebrity’s hearts on the red carpets – but still, her creativity keeps to be offbeat).

The autumn-winter 2016 presentation was, honestly, the most beautiful of all the New York brands I’ve seen this season. Firstly, the place where Rosie showed her new collection felt like the perfect spot to show these joyous clothes – the diverse models walked around a wooden installation of colourful, burning candles, creating abstract wax veins on the concrete floors. The rawness of brick walls, the elegant, but kinda off-duty black piano filled the atmosphere with Assoulin’s presence.

Another asset that Rosie had this season was the intimacy her show held – the guests could discover the pieces on the models up and close. And what’s more, the clothes were really interesting, which sometimes is missed by other designers nowadays! Dark blue velvet-trimmed pajamas (and chokers), a lipstick red jumpsuit with a caped back, a one sleeve cable knit worn over a ruffled, beige skirt – the woman portrayed by Rosie deserves a wow on a party. And for those, who prefer something more everyday, the female designer who understands all aspects of a woman’s wardrobe presented some great, olive-green pants, breezy tops with sexy shoulder cut-outs and arty blousons. I’m not mentioning the coats, as they look perfect when styled with one of these cargo pants…

Rosie knows what’s good. Slay.

Playing with Textures. Thom Browne AW16

February 16, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

If talking of drama, Thom Browne is the master of it, always. Staged in a faux snowy, secret garden, the nearly-couture designer played with textures and clothes, creating exquisite garments. Sewing together suits, he has created abstract skirts which chaotically overlapped mink coats, while the men’s ties were twisted into hats by Browne’s long-time collaborator, Stephen Jones. The pleated, signature-grey dress had a sense of Victorian night-gown, which gave us all a little hint that the designer looks nostalgically back at the fashion history (take the tweeds, which revive to a great surprise Coco Chanel – even Karl Lagerfeld would love to show off a line-up of so beautiful blazers!). Definitely, this ready-to-wear collection has a very unwearable, theatrical mood about it – however, there are few pieces which will surely sell well at Dover Street Market next season.