December 9: Yohji Yamamoto broke the system during Paris Fashion Week in April, presenting his AW14- manga-printed, huge parachute coats and knitted masterpieces. The Japanese king of avant-garde together with Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons stole my heart this year. They know how to do fashion.
Cedric Charlier
The SS15 season is all about 70’s- so, how you might know, a theme full of colours, imperfections and prints. The designers truly thought of “raw” touches in their pieces- Cedric Charlier, the Paris-based designer, made the red & blue threads go out from the black fabric in his dresses; Miuccia Prada mixed vintage silk materials with linen, creating a chaotic “not so perfect” feeling. J.W. Anderson at Loewe and Yohji Yamamoto simply through the mish-mash embroideries and cottons on the model’s bodies. Although it’s not about clean lines, this kind of lightness feels pretty much appealing, isn’t it?
Ellery
Celine
Yohji Yamamoto
Loewe
Proenza Schouler
Prada
Marques Almeida
Maggie Rizer sings to the moon for Yohji Yamamoto’s 1998 campaign, shot by Inez & Vinoodh.
My number one this season is Haider Ackermann. His beautiful fall was dark, elusive and very Parisienne. Models wore masculine coats and trousers, slim maxi dresses, over-sized shirts and leather jackets. This collection is the quintessence of chic.
Celine had the cool non-chalance in it. Phoebe Philo brought us fur muffs, kimonos, over-sized tunics and sleek coats, making the collection extremely casual with these fabulous, patent leather clogs. As usually, it’s one of my favourites.
Tibi from New York had the best ponchos of the season! Styled with black mules, Amish hats and black midi skirt, the label had one of the most great looks in the whole season. And many other pieces are still having a spotlight…
Dries Van Noten was all about stripes, colour and florals. It had a lot of coolness in it- a midi skirt worn with a orange skirt was never so interesting and sophisticated!
Miuccia Prada as usually brought Prada the most outstanding pieces of the season. Shearling jackets, cricket v-neck sweaters, Bauhaus inspired heels, monkey fur dress, bags with chains… and many, many more.
I have a special place in my heart for that Acne collection. It’s fresh, Scandinavian vibe and tribal printed culottes are simply amazing. And of course the exaggerated hats! You want get a cold wearing one of them, that’s a sure thing!
Louis Vuitton has Nicolas Ghesquiere right now, and his debutant collection was simply it. 40’s & 60’s fashion come back with huge steps. And all these boots are a must-have, just like the Petit Malle clutches.
Yohji Yamamoto’s winter collection is the most unwearable and most fantastic of all. The cocoon coats with those hand painted manga illustration are not clothes any more, but art.
N.21 by Allesandro Dell Acqua was very Italian. It has three key pieces- a cozy, wool sweater, an embroidered, midi skirt and pointy polished flats. And nothing else.
The relaxed Marc Jacobs collection was my favourite from New York. It was all head in clouds, with these pastel colours, v-cuts, solemn and pale faces of models and Jessica Lange attitude.
These were my 10 favourite AW14 collections… and on the 4th, officially, the NYFW starts with SS15! Yay!
LOST written in french as PERDU was written on the backs of the models at Yohji Yamamoto’s new collection. The collection was one of the most commercial throughout the seasons: missing a bit the manga coats or gorgeous trousers I would enjoy wearing, we had pajama jacquards covered in a faded motif of old, stained-glass rosettes; faux bleach splotches stitched onto suiting; jailhouse-striped pants that appeared counterintuitively gentlemanly. The denim grouping was most interesting of all. Yohji said he was tired of seeing jeans that looked “out of fashion.” His solution: trompe l’oeil holes, roomy gaucho pants, and a dramatic denim cape. Not that I am disapointed with this collection, but feel it’s a little break for Yohji Yamamoto- and that we soon will see something good.
Design & Culture by Ed 