Backstage Penn & Ink NY Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

Take a look backstage at the beauty and stylingteams working at the Penn & Ink NY show.

Silvian Heach Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

Tigers were walking the red lit walls of the show venue at Italian label Silvian Heach this afternoon. The same tigers that formed a print on a red suit, the opening look of the show. A statement piece and a highly desirable look as well. A look that set the mood for a large collection filled with wearable, feminine pieces. Silvian Heach is gaining popularity as well as sales points in the Netherlands and we can see why that’s working out.

The brand seems particularly good at designing suits and maxi dresses. Suits in different types of prints, but made in a variation of velvet shaded and sparkling as well. The dresses were all pretty conservative (lots of fabric) yet super feminine and came in all kinds of floral and animalistic prints.

The tiger print popped up a few more times and in between all suits and maxi dresses we spotted some appealing statement items, like a gold colored puffer, a velvet kimono, an off white fur coat. In the mix with leather skirts, plain dresses (cinched by the waist by a branded strap, OffWhite style), bowtie blouses, elegant, pleated skirts, chunky sweaters and sock boots. Enough said. Just click through out gallery and you be the judge.

Hudson’s Bay Amsterdam Fashion Week FW2018

Saturday afternoon Hudson’s Bay invited all of it’s guests for a front row fashion show experience. The warehouse presented 60 fall/winter2018 looks on a runway decorated with the warehouse’s familiair stripes for their young and older consumer. The looks, all very colorful, formed a contemporary mix of the labels Hudson’s Bay sells, from Max Mara and Adidas to CK Jeans and Tommy Hilfiger. The models, varying in age, gender and size, were styled (by 3 different stylists) very streetwise; beanies, logo underwear, caps, dad sneakers, sport socks and fanny packs all over. All looks appeared extremely wearable and the few pieces from the department’s store home section (selfie sticks, suitcases, blankets and Smeg and Hay items on display) blended in just perfectly. A camel coat worn by a grey haired lady with camel pants, a beige sweater and a grey beanie seemed the ultimate f/w outfit for women of all ages. The Tommy Hilfiger tracksuit a male model sported with a puffy yellow jacket looked cool and comfy. A completely red look (boots, skirt, hoodie and coat) looked extremely desirable. Lucky us all looks are available straight away, in stores and online. Hudson’s Bay See now, buy now formula in full effect.

Penn & Ink N.Y.C. Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

Street sounds awaited us at Penn & Ink N.Y. this morning. It was unmistakable, we had arrived in New York. Soon a female voice took over and started talking about a love story. “I wanted to find a place where I’d be able to be myself…” she started. As she spoke the backdrop showed clips of women wearing Penn & Ink in different types of nature environments (the woods, the hills). “Nature is so dangerous, so unpredictable, like love”, she carried on. “You fear it but you want it. You run from it and to it at the same time.”

The first day wear looks set the mood for the whole collection. Effortless is what it’s all about at Penn & Ink. Relaxed pants, cosy sweaters, loose fitting dresses, stretchy and soft leggings, tough boots. Floral and leopard prints in the mix with pastel shades, soft coral red, light yellow and baby blue shades formed a perfect palette.

Then high summer followed with a safari inspired suit matched with a big hat and sandals worn with socks. Easy going summer/holiday looks with striped shirts (perfect for a summer vacay in the Cote d’Azur), seamless dresses casual jackets and soft pants formed the SS look that later on transformed into home/loungewear. Leggings and loose sweaters to do your morning yoga in and to wear throughout the day, while at home.

For anyone looking for a more active look the show ended with a range of sportswear looks, which in fact formed the launch of the label’s GYM collection. Sporty tops with “The Gym, Brooklyn, NYC” on the strap, hoodies, sweaters and cropped T-shirts (to mix and match) proved that even activewear can look relaxed. “Come as you are” one of the tops read. And that might just be Penn & Ink’s main message. Staying true to yourself. Being at easy, being relaxed. Feeling good in your own skin (and in your clothes!).

For the finale all long wavy haired, fresh faced, sporty dressed models put on a shiny pair of mirrored sunglasses. For anything effortless and cool Penn & Ink N.Y.C. is your go to label throughout the whole year.

Backstage Lichting 2018 Amsterdam Fashion Week

Lots of models, lots of outfits and a huge backstage-operation to keep it running smoothly. Lichting 2018 is a fact.

 

Backstage at Ninamounah Amsterdam Fashion Week

Take a peek backstage at the Celebration of the Species by Ninamounah.

 

Ninamounah Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

Friday night was all about the Celebration of Species set up by Ninamounah Langestraat (27). With her fashion show the young designer, who won de Frans Molenaar Couture award last year, debuts on Amsterdam Fashion Week and marks the one year anniversary of her brand Ninamounah. A brand that is outspoken to say the least. “With my designs I want to free people of shame. My clothes should be a tool to let go a little more. I want to make clothes for pure and free people, stripped from layers of civilazation” the designer stated.

Being who you want to be (free of shame) and living according to your (animalistic) instincts and needs are big themes in Ninamounah’s work. And thus sex(uality) plays a big part too (past July Ninamounah presented a genderless collection in a famous gay club in Paris). Tonight was no exception, as the flyer for her show with two nuns kissing passionately would suggest.

 There were sex dolls up on the ceiling and a provocative video opened the show.

Find a stereotype and Ninamounah will try to give it a whole different meaning. Give her an uniform, a suit or a different type of cliché and she’ll try to deconstruct it, make it asymmetric and make sure it is as remarkable and provocative (disturbing even) as possible.

Like a pinstripe suit she would transform to a pinstripe bodysuit with a tiny pair of shorts and long leather boots. Or a classic pair of pleated pants of which she would cut out the behind and style it with a leather corset. Tonight’s show was filled with extraordinary, disturbing looks like these. Lots of deconstructed suits and countless leather bodysuits. Styled off by leather chaps. 

In collaboration with Naomi Hille she designed a selections of shoes; pumps, chaps (Christina Aguilera already bought her own pair) and peeptoe biker boots made of recycled biker suits. The models red contacts added to the level of crazy/funky/sexy.

And it’s not just the clothes that were outspoken. Ninamounah takes the casting of the models very seriously too. And so a female judge, a pregnant lady and an 11-year old girl walked her runway show. All kind of species, if you like. Time to celebrate!

Spotted anything you like in Ninamounah’s show? Her collection will be on sale throughout September at Zeedijk 60, an independent boutique in the centre of Amsterdam.

Backstage at Maison365 Amsterdam Fashion Week

What’s going on backstage at Maison365 ? Well guess: lots of hairdressers, make-up artistst and stylists getting all the models ready.

FERRY SCHIFFELERS WINS LICHTING 2018

Tonight 25-year old AMFI student Ferry Schiffelers has won the Lichting 2018 award; THE award for upcoming Dutch design talent. An international panel of judges (with Alvise Bullo [Junior Research Manager Creative Talents LVMH Fashion Group], Christopher New [Course Leader BA Fashion Menswear and Fashion Programme Academic Quality Coordinator Central Saint Martins], Filep Motwary [Independent curator and author, photographer, fashion features editor Dapper Dan Magazine] and Gry Nissen [Creative Director]) chose Ferry Schiffelers out of 14 fashion graduates as the most promising new design talent in the Netherlands. Ferry won a money prince of €10.000,-, presented to him by the Meester Koetsier Foundation.

“The moment this collection was presented to us we felt a wave of emotions and respect for classic fashion combined with innovation and the high professional level, which is quite unusual for ea designer of Ferry’s age. This certainly is a first step towards a big future in fashion”, the judges stated.

Ferry’s collection titled Défilé De Deuil forms a combination of his fascination for funeral rituals and his love for women. Inspired by Victorian images of widows in the most richly decorated dresses he created a modern image of different generations of women showing strength and femininity. This translated into an all black collection with a variety of dresses in all shapes and sizes worn by a selection of five models, as diverse as possible (young, old, white, black).

His designs were a woolen little black dress with cape and head wrap details. A floor sweeping silk dress worn by an older lady. A sequined and off shoulder dress sported with gloves (the model even carried a baby wrapped in black) that seemed fit for a night of clubbing. An extra long A-shaped and pleated number worn by a little girl. And an over the top, larger than life tulle dress (in which we easily could see singer SIA performing). A small but super strong, diverse, well tailored, original and cohesive collection. Getting dressed for a funeral will never be the same.

Maison365 Amsterdam Fashion Week SS2019

So Amsterdam Fashion Week has a brand new director, Danie Bles. For the ones who don’t know her yet, Danie has been working in fashion all her life. She started out as a stylist (of the stars), then built her own brand (collaborating with and hosting events and shows for big commercial brands such as L’Oréal) and she has had her own fashion label ByDanie for several years.

Given the fact that Danie is so familiar with setting up events and organising fashion shows it comes as no surprise that she would hold her own fashion show during her very first Amsterdam Fashion Week. And so on Friday morning we attended the show by her personal styling service Maison365 (a styling service sending you a box with three looks based on your personal style).

Fifty fall looks styled by Danie and her team entered the runway. Looks of different boutique brands that are linked to Maison365. “With Maison365 we want to show how we work when it comes to unique and complete personal styling. Plus we offer smaller, ambitious brand a chance to be part of a big event like Amsterdam Fashion Week”, Bles stated.

She and her styling team inspired us with a variety of fall looks in three different categories; Paris, upcoming Scandinavian talent and the Seventies. A casual start of leather pants and oversized sweaters. Looks styled off with loafers and berets for that extra Parisian feeling. More urban were the oversized coats and parkas styled off with fanny packs and hoodies. And we ended up in the party section of Maison365. With sparkling tops and pleated skirts, sequined shiny pants and luxurious looking velvet and jacquard suits given an extra glam touch by headbands and shiny earpieces.

The overall message was clear: from day to night, desk to dancefloor Maison365 has got you covered.

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »