Trends ss2010: flower power

Since we feel the overall vibe of femininity  for next spring,  the floral prints we spotted fit perfectly in with that. The flowers were usually small ones, repeated hundreds of times on the fabric.

At the Jackson and Moschino fashion show it were Oxeye daisies. Yet other designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Luella Bartley, Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana) used rose prints. Viktor & Rolf didn’t have floral prints in their clothes but they did use roses to decorate their pink boots.

Overall the flowers had a very classic feeling to it. The way they were painted and the colors that were used really felt like your grandmother’s wallpaper.

The prettiest floral prints were those of Dolce & Gabbana. Their perfect shapes and colors could be seen on r dresses, shorts, tops, jackets and lingerie. In one look a floral printed skirt was even mixed with a leopard printed top. Both with black lace on the edges.

The ss2010 collections lack lots of color, but the florals do add some brightness to next season.

Trend Report SS2011: Floral Fixation

Since spring is in the air we’re starting a new round of trend reports. From now on you’ll find new trend reports on our blog every week. And we can’t wait to show you all the hottest new designs. We kick of with one of the big summer trends, floral prints….

Whether bright & bold (D&G, Etro) or subtle and pastel colored (Blugirl, Alberta Ferretti) you’ll never feel dull wearing some floral prints. The flower power print makes up for a romantic and feminine look and comes in tons of variations from roses, to poppies and from sunflowers to violets.

Dolce & Gabbana already proved there’s no limit to how you can use the floral print. The designers showed bright florals on playsuits, head scarves, summer tops and maxi dresses. They even decorated the whole show area with real flowers!

Of course the flower power trend is a big hit every spring, yet we’re starting to see more and more variations of the print, which, if you dare, can be worn together all at once!

Catwalktrend FW2010: winter florals

The last couple of months floral prints were a big hit on the streets. The flower power trend we expected was picked up big time and was perfect for summer. Now fall is on it’s way designers have introduced a new floral print. This time it is less bright and even more classic.

You could call them winter florals; they look nothing like the frost flowers from the winter knitwear, but certainly belong to the upcoming season.

Deep, dark hues decorated coats, pants and dresses. They added the right amount of print and color to a fashion season that is so sober and minimalistic.

Our absolute favorite winter florals were those of Kenzo. They had a great seventies feeling to them and looked romantic and trendy at the same time.

Always look at the bright side

The invitation of Etro, flower power glasses, made us smile. Being at their show is always a special treat, with good food and drinks. Did you know that all aspects of this fashionbrand are still family-owned and operated? Veronica Etro designs womenswear and Kean Etro handles menswear – and he’s still happy with that we noticed backstage.

Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Show FW2023

The brand Viktor & Rolf is 30-years-old, and Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren’s humorous take on fashion hasn’t dimmed. Their ironical spirit is still there, and yesterday’s couture show was V&R tongue-in-cheek-conceptual entertainment. No anniversary collection with revived classics, but a celebration with a leading role for the bathing-suit.

Variations on a theme and repetition is what their repertoire has often revolved around. Here the potential of the bathing suit, be it a covered-up one piece or a tiny bikini, was explored with focus.

The designduo took eye catching elements from their iconic collections and added or transformed it to bikini’s or one piece bathing-suits. Classic V&R details like the big bows of their Flowerbomb-collection, the three dimensional words DREAM ON and NO from their NO-collection (FW 08/09) or the ruffles and long cape taken from their Black Light collection from spring/summer 1999. But there was many more. The duo also invited some celebrities – like Shakira – to wear key-pieces from their old collections to the show.

Yet the show stopping icing on the birthday cake were headless (male?) mannequins wearing black tailored tuxedos, hanging onto the models’ backs, or twisting in multiple formations around their bodies as if they were desperately calling for attention and didn’t want to let go. You can translate those images and this collection into a lot of symbolic stuff. To me it looked like an attempt to embody the women-empowerment, the fact that no matter what a woman is strong and tough as hell and invincible – and that even male designers like Viktor & Rolf couldn’t have survived in the business without women. So maybe, maybe it was also a big ‘thank you’ and humble bow to women.

Trend Report SS2018: Ear Party

Whoever ditched her earrings for season after season (like we did) is now in for a treat. Time to change up the accessory game and stack up on some fresh ear pieces. Right, it’s not just rings or studs anymore. A good ear party requires some out of the box thinking. Who doesn’t want a pink horse (like Gigi at Maxwell) in her ears? Or why not go all out with the loveliest, asymmetrical flower pieces? Speaking of asymmetry, Missoni and Zimmerman painted a pretty one statement piece picture. We spotted life size pearls at Undercover as well as the chunkiest metallic hoops at Fenty. Chandelier inspired designs made their way onto the Dries van Noten and Etro runway. As Acne went for something quite arty. Lots of style options for a good game of ear accessorizing. And might you think this is all still a little too subtle? The combination of powerful eye make-up and a stunner ear game worked pretty well at Comey, Undercover, Marni and Antonio Marras. So. join in on the fun while it lasts and have a great ear party!

Liselore Frowijn Catwalk Fashion Show Amsterdam SS2017

What a nice tropical surprise on such lousy summerdays like these. Hearing the crickets sing while sitting between huge decorations of colourful flowers and plants. The show was called ‘Afropolitan’ and tells the story of tradition and development, identity and the power of the African woman. To get the most out of it, Liselore joined forces with Vlisco, a famous Dutch company that produces and distributes fashion fabrics for the West and Central African market. She was inspired by the many colourful fabrics she found in their archives. Her muze comes from the Igbo-pedigree, Nigeria. She calls her the typical ‘Afropolitan-woman’, a term that stands for the bridge between old traditions and habits and modern day life. And it showed in every form and fiber.

It was translated into a collection that keeps on developing itself. It all started in 2013, analyzing and renewing prints and colours by adding or skipping layers. Creating luxurious elements by using lacework, embroideries and subtle shimmers. Using the typical Igbo-colours like indigo (earth), yellow (sacred) and red (human) on new silhouettes. The models wearing plants and flowers in their hear and heavy red eye shadow. We also spotted some rich Indian fabrics, like hand painted silks and woven jacquards, giving it a ultra feminine feel. All the while keeping the lines and shapes very simpel and clean, with draping and folding to create some movement in the clothes. It was complimentary for the eyes, but it also makes you question what kind of woman this would wear. There’s a big group of modern urban men (we usually tend to call them ‘hipsters’ and especially living in Amsterdam) that have been embracing these kind of prints for several years now, but what about the ladies? There were definitely looks that fit perfectly in the streets nowadays, but is the Dutch woman brave enough to wear these extravagant clothes? We shall see. It would definitely not hurt on such grey and rainy days.

BEAUTYTREND SS2016: Easy beach hair (oh yes!)

Sun, sea and chlorine – the perfect ingredients for you summer beach hair. But you don’t nééd them to get it properly done. The reason why we have piles of argan oil, coconut hair masks and texturizing salt spray is because we want that coupe du soleil all year round. One of our faves is still the Kate Moss ultra natural but ultra gorgeous do, but you have so much more options to try. Like DVF’s seventies power flower hair (that matches your retro, high waisted  bikini), Altuzarra’s laidback Basque hairdo or cool-girl wavy hair like popster Lorde (don’t you envy her hair?!) as seen at Chloe and Rodarte. Even the huuuuge 90’s trend where you pull back all your hair except for two teeny tiny strand at the front (Rochas, check) is back. And when at the beach and the wind blows hair into your face, keep it that way. It’s so Rag&Bone-ish. End your beach day with a party? Just comb it all backwards with a little bit of a crest at the front, we count on the approval by Blumarine, Thakoon and Roberto Cavalli.

Kenzo Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear FW2016

“Our  KENZO  woman  for  Fall-Winter  2016/17  approaches  life  with  nonchalant conviction.  She tackles every adventure with an open mind and with respect for where she has previously tread”, reads the message of designers Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. Their collection was inspired by the manga character Sailor Moon, a group of Japanese schoolgirls in Tokyo who combat evil forces and stop them from taking over the universe. Each ‘soldier’ has a transformation sequence which grants her a uniform in her own theme-colors and her own powers. Sound quite spectacular right? So it was. It was one big line-up of ultra cool and feminine school girls walking down the runway, battling the world in some of the coolest outfits such as flowy dresses, velvet pants and skirts, cigarette pants and pumps with a rock ‘n’ roll vibe, a blue parka with hoodie detail and shirts and dresses with XXL ruffles. But they also wanted to create a collection which observes some of the house’s most notable codes. Thus we noticed some reworked archive prints and details: the Kenzo tiger was roaring again, with prints in gold and pink (even lavender tiger prints on nails, so cool!) and the famous Kenzo flowers (iris and dandelions), layered with psychedelic checks. The strong yet soft colour palette and use of fabric was stunning: navy, rust, lavender and ‘uniform’ gray swathe fabrics of flannel, satin, velvet, faux astrakhan, corduroy and vinyl. You better be careful, cause the Kenzo woman can take on anything and anyone (did we just hear someone roarrrr?!).

Balenciaga Catwalk Fashion Show Womenswear SS2016

A big relieve or just a big celebration of fashion? Either way Alexander Wang danced his way on and off the runway after he presented his third and final Balenciaga collection. Held in an ivory colored churched, with matching carpet and a long pool dividing the runway, the show was filled too with just one shade of dreamy white. From the slouchy pants to the lace dresses and yes even fanny packs, flower embroidered lace slippers and bras came in off white. A collection that had femininity and romantic written all over it. Silk and lace, ruffles, ribbons and rose paddles shapes all included. Even though, if you looked closer, some outfits weren’t even all that elegant and were actually a perfect match with the show’s rap music. But no matter how sporty, loung-y or casual the piece Wang gave it a tender touch. In real life a bit more shaping and tailoring might be useful to portray the female body in it’s best way (even some of the models couldn’t pull off the shapeless bras and saggy pants). But we got the idea. Natural, serene, at ease yet powerful. A step out of Wang’s comfort zone. But when there’s nothing to loose, why not take a risk?

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