Tyrolean Romance. Miu Miu Pre-Fall 2019

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

I guess only Chanel’s metiers d’art show from 2014 and Miuccia Prada‘s latest Miu Miu look-book make Tyrol style look chic. The pre-fall 2019 collection nailed it with its Tyrolean references – think floral knits borrowed from the granny, corsets, lace collars, ornamented buttons and deep, forest green as the main colour. But when worn with polished, red platforms or a pair of military boots, the reference doesn’t feel too much. It’s a collection for romantics, who eat Mozart chocolates, hike in the mountains while it rains and drink Kirsch in the evening.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Colour. Valentino Couture SS19

January 26, 2019January 26, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s couture for Valentino is the only couture that matters. No crazy venues that attempt to distract you from noticing how plain the collection is (I see you, Dior and Chanel). Just pure, joyous, glorious haute couture that enchants and truly impresses. And makes Celine Dion cry. This spring-summer 2019 collection, reserved for the richest and most extravagant women on our planet, was a triumph of audacious colour, beauty and glamour. But also, it was a major model casting breakthrough, with completely diverse models that made the garments even more exquisite. The designer embraced black beauty, having Adut Akech open the show (in a brilliant, pink ensemble) and Naomi Campbell close (in a gown made out of translucent organza in the shade of Chocolate Dahlia). There was Liya Kebede, there was Lineisy Montero, there was Ugbad Abdi. Runway icons, veterans, and newcomers. The entire scene looked like a fairy-tale… that really took place. This couture collection again proved that colour is crucial for Pierpaolo, especially in terms of couture. “You don’t invent beauty, but you can invent new harmonies for colour”, the maestro said backstage. Just read the following: a coral coat worn with a chocolate crepe blouse and emerald gabardine pants. Lilac serape topped a pair of orange pants. Turquoise lace and tangerine silk faille. Green sequins. Pale mauve. Matisse blue. All that worked with voluminous ball gowns that took hundreds of hours to create at Valentino atelier in Rome. Unquestionably, Piccioli is a couturier of Garavani’s heights. And it’s a blessing for today’s fashion to experience his genius.

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

On Power Dressing. Acne Studios AW19

January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

For autumn-winter 2019, Acne Studios’ designer, Jonny Johansson, considered what’s high fashion from the perspective of young people, and how it might change throughout time. “All the power dressing that I consider iconic womenswear, maybe they are attracted to it, but in a different way.” While doing the research, he also thoroughly examined Helmut Newton’s eternally chic photographs, and was amazed with the fact that those visuals are so relevant, and not getting old – even a day. All this gave birth to a collection, that’s quite different to Acne Studios we’ve seen in the last few seasons. Oversize pants were cinched at the waist and tucked into socks; coats had those refined-looking, rounded shoulders; draping, probably never seen at Acne before, looked sublime. The new season silhouette is sharp and chic, but there were also elements that felt distinct to the brand’s aesthetic: knits with raw finishings, eclectic jewellery (those XXL bracelets are gorgeous) and, other than the very seductive, Newton-ish pumps, heavy trekking boots. Worn with one of the statuesque blazers or a collared ‘office’ midi-dress, the elegant-slash-off-duty look would exactly be what Johansson worked on this time: power dressing, fitted for a contemporary woman.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Anti-Social. Vetements AW19

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Vetements‘ spring-summer 2019 collection was violent. But Vetements’ autumn-winter 2019 outing felt even more aggressive. Somehow, I’m not surprised. Demna Gvasalia (and his collective) isn’t afraid of speaking what’s on their mind, whether it’s confronting the difficult past, hard present or uncertain future. The label found inspiration in the dark web, where drugs, guns and other illegal, even more frightening things are available and sold worldwide. Hacker style? Geek chic? Yes, but cross out the latter, ‘fashion’ word. The collection was called “Anti-Social” and opened with a twisted homage to Steve Jobs. The distinctive, black turtleneck worn with a pair of jeans read: “Warning: what you are about to see will disturb you. There is a dark side of humanity the censors won’t let you see, but we will. View it your own risk.” An item that will sell out within a moment, but has a meaning that’s not as frivolous as it may seem. Other than the Vetements classics – XXL hoodies, floral tea-dresses, distorted puffer jackets – this offering had something you would never consider a fashion statement: anonymous-wear. Black fleece masks inside hoods and jackets with flaps covering the face with a peep-hole for looking out (and, occasionally, for taking photos through). “I realize there is no privacy. When I’m on public transport, doing work on my phone, I often see people overlooking it, or taking photographs of me,” Demna said after the show. An avalanche of contemporary problems appears in your mind, when you think of it: surveillance society, facial recognition technology, the fear of revealing our true selves without the social media filter. But then, the balaclavas make you think of terrorists and fierce protests that move like a tsunami through such countries as France. Gvasalia and Vetements sense danger and crisis that spread across our world. They know fashion won’t help it out, but at least, might inform the ones who want to be informed. To some extent, at least.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Bourgeoisie. Ami AW19

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Haven’t written about Alexandre Mattiussi‘s Ami for a while. But when I saw the brand’s womenswear, now getting bigger and better than ever, I kind of fell in love with this brand again. The Ami man and woman walk together, shoulder-to-shoulder, very, very well. Mattiussi called the collection “an homage to the bourgeoisie” and said he imagined his men and women as the sons and daughters of old Parisian money who were going for tea with their grandmothers, but planned big nights ahead. The many shades of beige, from coffee noisette to ecru, looked quintessentially Parisian, and the pink-ish and green-ish colour drops well added up to the palette. The boys wore shearling jackets and hoodies with Eiffel tower prints, while the girls had masculine coats, blazers and floor-sweeping shirt-dresses on. CHIC.