No21 Pre-Fall’16 RE-SEE

February 4, 2016August 5, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Dell’AcQua, the designer behind Milan’s hottest brand N21, knows what will be strongly desired the next season by his diverse clientele. The Italian designer took an interesting twist for pre-fall 2016, refreshing his house codes and bringing new motifs – like the kitty-kat prints and embroideries on knitted, chunky sweaters and mini-bags. Long, grey coats with strips of velvet, silk dresses in military hues, series of light, masculine shirts with lace sleeves and the flawless, parachute maxi dresses in red and green are the total highlights of the season. Also, the shearling jacket, which reinteprets a classical, leather jacket is a favourite of mine after seeing it on the brand’s re-see a week ago. Just like the bow-top cocktail dress , which is an exaggerated symbol of N21, the collection is full of toned, yet cheerful clothes.

All photographs courtesy of Design & Culture by Ed

So Miuccia. Miu Miu Pre-Fall’16

February 2, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Miuccia Prada is the designer, whose signature is so idiosyncratic and specific that you can’t mistake her designs with anybody’s else. Her use of colours, textures and textiles feels always utterly… Miuccia. So no wonder why Miu Miu‘s pre-fall 2016 collection, silently presented in rue Saint Honore store’s second floor, was filled with lace pencil skirts, socks, jewelled velvet pumps and corduroy jackets. It had the classical, Miu Miu girlie chic, which can’t be compared to “ugly beauty” theme which is constantly reinterpreted and channelled at Prada. If talking of shoes, there was the continuation of spring-summer 2016 footwear line, so the romantic and care-free ballerinas, now detailed with embroideries and buckled straps.

HC – Carte Blance. Dior SS16

January 27, 2016January 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Without a designer at helm, the house of Dior is a true carte blanché in many ways. For the summer haute couture season the studio staff (who were aesthetically trained by Raf Simons throughout his three-year tenure) tried to do their best. And to a surprise, unexpectedly they did a good job without a creative director (comparing to the disastrous collection from 2011, when Bill Gayten replaced John Galliano with his tasteless fashion). The collection had Simons’ minimal spirit present, just like it smartly played with Christian Dior’s legacy. Shoulder-exposing bar jackets, lace dresses with v-neck cuts and feminine suits looked breezy and fresh. The only major dissapointment is the lack of a beautiful, COUTURE ball-dress. I loved Raf’s couture collections because of his amazing dresses. This time, Dior feels pretty handicapped among the other brands without one, but that’s totally understandable – you can’t demand everything at a time from a studio-designed collection. Now, the question is – who is the person that will take-over the brand in the near future? Any guesses?

Men’s – Dark Nostalgia. Thom Browne AW16

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

There was an elusive, Rene Magritte mood during the Thom Browne autumn-winter 2016 presentation for men. Just like in the surreal paintings of this Belgian artist, the New York-based designer staged a nostalgic, mournful collection of meticulously detailed coats and suits. Note the chaotic stitches which jut out of the coat above – and the pants, which look tattered and old. Even the socks have little holes. But there is beauty in this type of rawness, and Browne is absolutely aware of that. The hats which dramatically obscured models’ faces were made in collaboration with a long time friend of the designer, Stephen Jones Millinery.

As for the end of a very, very good fashion month of menswear, the New Yorker’s collection felt like a delightful dessert (even though it wasn’t as colourful as you might suspect a dessert to be). Time for haute couture, and the remaining labels with their pre-fall look-books…

Men’s – Opera Garnier. Dries Van Noten AW16

January 24, 2016January 24, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ok, Dries. You win.

And it’s not only because you had the best fashion show venue, comparing to all the other designers and brands of this season. In fact, the runway was situated in one of the most important places in Paris – on Opera Garnier’s stage, from where the guests had a stunning view on the red, velvet auditorium. The Belgian designer said that he had been trying to book this place for 15 years: “Every year we applied and applied and applied, and every year they said ‘No.’ But then they said ‘Yes!”. So no wonder why the autumn-winter 2016 season seems to be extremely significant for Van Noten. The fashion industry holds two main types of designers – those who do a “show” instead of “fashion“, and those who do “fashion” but can’t afford or want to have a “show“. But Dries Van Noten is an exception – everything in his fashion show is in full, poetic symbiosis. And I tell you, the clothes from this menswear outing are as exceptional as the place they were presented in.

It all started quite calmly, with a few well-tailored tuxedos and coats. And then, then, it felt as if the Madame Butterfly appeared on the stage – the over-sized suits styled with turtlenecks; the magnificently embroidered military jackets with Belle Epoque motifs and baroque emblems; the to-die-for waisted coats with attachable fur collars made me sigh and feel the real, chronic yearning of the season. If talking of the oneiric, face embroideries, they were made in collaboration with Wes Wilson, the graphic artist who conveyed the visual expression of the psychedelic West Coast at its ’60s/’70s. There was a refreshing clash between the operatic, bohemian elegance and the “get high by the beach” skate-board guy. A kind of subverted reality.

“What is reality? What is the dream? Where does everything start and begin? So for me it was really good to be able to show here onstage and not in a room. It turns your world a little bit upside down.” Dries Van Noten has definitely staged the most beautiful (and additionally, wearable) collection up to now – but I don’t think anybody else will create a greater impression this season. A very, very high target is set.