Suit Up. Thom Browne Pre-Fall 2019

December 11, 2018December 11, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Thom Browne‘s pre-fall 2019 collection is quintessentially… Thom Browne. Expect the designer’s subversive take on suiting – whether we’re speaking of an over-sized, wool blazer worn over an equally ‘business’ dress (and a crisp white shirt with a tie, layered underneath) or something more playful, say, duck-print tailored jackets with matching knee-lenght skirts. The look-book as well sees the designer’s signature intarsia techniques: tie stripes meet willows, landscapes and even more geese. Also, really love the shoes, kept in red, white and black. They look as bold as Browne’s upside-down elegance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Mature Seduction. Haider Ackermann SS18

October 2, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s rare to see a designer, who throughout time is true to his or her style, and at the same time is keen on evolving. Haider Ackermann is the perfect example of such designer. Since designing for Berluti, a solely menswear luxury brand, its visible how Ackermann’s tailoring skills have improved and grown up. But still, his signature sensibility is as alive as a decade ago. The spring-summer 2018 isn’t only about breathtaking tailoring (although if every designer had at least one impressive suit in their collection, precisely in a deep shade of burgundy, I would be more than pleased), but also a long-lasting affair with modern-looking draping. I mean, how good are those evening dresses? Dreaming to see Tilda Swinton wearing one on the red carpet, oozing with some unconventional, anti-glamour seduction. In overall, the collection was very mature and minimal, but there were some charming remnants of the ‘old’, badass-pirate-style Haider. The jackets in precious gold (a striking contrast to soft lilac and light yellow) were made of a ‘cracked-up’ fabric, and if you scan it thoroughly, you will notice that it looks like a tattered wallpaper. Really, really good. Well, I should also add ‘as always’ in case of Ackermann.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

I’m Mrs Power. Thom Browne Resort 2018

June 10, 2017June 10, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Thom Browne does best tailoring-with-a-twist in New York, that’s sure. For resort 2018, however, the designer decided to leave surrealism for the main collection and rather focused on some of his most empowering looks to date. Those intriguingly cut suits, mid-lenght pleated skirts, cropped pants are elevating the meaning of corporate dress-code to another dimension. Crisp, white shirt is Browne’s brand essential, so no wonder why nearly every single look has something to do with it. But the Thom Browne woman isn’t only a lover of not-that-ordinary uniforms. Let’s not forget it’s a resort. A splash of yellow, blue and red is warmly welcomed in form of shirtdresses and light blazers. The designer has your back for black-tie events, too: PVC pencil skirt with a matching jacket; trompe l’oeil gown with over-sized shoulders; remarkably big, fur coat in deep black (of course). Love it all.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Demna’s Chapter. Balenciaga AW16

March 11, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Something new is afoot Paris, and it’s good. I think it’s the energy of youth, which contrasts with the old-school, corporate system. Koché, Jacquemus, Y / Project and Vetements prove that, with their recently delivered collection. But if talking of the last one, though – Demna Gvasalia leads this talented league, and pushes his vision to a much larger space of expression. And we are talking about Balenciaga now – the house, which was found by Cristobal Balenciaga in 1919, which raised the designer of our century, so Nicolas Ghesquiere, and went under a three-year period of uncertainty with Alexander Wang‘s miserable sport-meets-couture attempts. But Demna is a designer, who knows best how to create desirable fashion which is going to sell (Vetements sales turnout is the perfect example) – so, the unexpected choice of him as the creative director of the historic maison is both exciting, and reasonable.

But if you think that Gvasalia is about to change Balenciaga into a higher-cost Vetements, then you are wrong – the autumn-winter outing seemed to state visible barriers between the post-Soviet, anti-fashion soul from the eponymous brand, as it freshly implemented the spirit of Balenciaga into a modern-day wardrobe of pure edginess. Back in the days, Cristobal wanted to look into fashion’s future, and Gvasalia understands that, by giving the audience over-sized, cosmic duvet jackets, leather market bags and embroidered tea-dresses. The floral prints were a bold nod to Balenciaga’s temperament and Spanish origins – while the tailoring, also a long-forgotten signature of the house, was revamped. “How do you persuade a woman to wear a two-piece suit who is not the German Chancellor?” Grey, flannel two-button jacket and a slit pencil skirt, in which the shoulders were slightly over-sized, “was the posture and the attitude, and Cristóbal’s way of working with the body I (Demna) found interesting.“

In other words, Gvasalia’s debut for Balenciaga isn’t favoured by me, and by other critics just because it’s a debut – these clothes, the concept, and the styling are ground-breaking, and smartly look back at the rich archives of Cristobal Balenciaga. Unlike his predecessor, Demna Gvasalia looks forward to a much more creative approach, and even if we’ve seen a few of those tricks at Vetements – the new chapter at Balenciaga is the one to have on your radar.