Dutch Fashion Awards 2011 (part 1)
November 4, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Streetwear, womenswear
Tonight we celebrate Dutch Fashion with the Dutch Fashion Awards here in The Hague. The shows starts in almost one and a half our, and we can already feel the tension and excitement backstage. Everyone is working very hard now to make this evening a great success. Stylists, hairdressers, models, assistants and designers are running around to get everything and everyone ready in time. A final touch here, some little detail there. Everything needs to be perfect.
While a bunch of models are already getting dressed and practicing their walk, others are waiting and waiting, while listening to their favorite music, until it’s their turn to get dressed. And it’s looking good so far. We see some big, poofy hair and mysterious red lips. The rest you’ll find out soon…
(Eva Dusch)
Quoc Thang Catwalk Fashion Show AIFWFW2011
On Saturday evening Quoc Thang wowed us with his new menswear collection. It was well tailored, very wearable, cohesive and – unlike most other collections this week – it was a fall/winter collection.
Quoc introduced his brand new 3 x 3 x 3 concept based on the idea of a pair of pants, a top and a jacket. His designs, worn by models with wet faces and messy hair) told the story of an adventurer defying cold area’s in search of security and safety.
“It’s called A Place Over There (Een Plek Daarginds in Dutch) and – like all my collections so far – it has something to do with the vulnerability and transitory of life. My inspiration comes from conversations, exhibitions and every day things. I always write things down”, Quoc told us earlier.
The designs indeed looked like you could conquer any weather in them. Thick woolen coats, perfect pants tucked in shoes, and great jackets with hoodies and fur details. Shades ranged from multiple blues and greys to green (some of them slightly shiny).
For this collection Quoc Thang changed everything; his strategy, his philosophy and the way in which he built up the collection. And if you ask us, this turned out perfectly. Let’s hope this collection will lead to many new sales points for mister Thang. He sure deserves it.
Quoc Thang Backstage at AIFW SS2012
Even men need to be powdered now and then. The backpackers and travellers that inspired Quoc Thang for his fall collection were symolised by shimmering powder and sandblown hair.
Roya Hesam & ZEM Backstage AIFW SS2012
Let’s take a look backstage at two LAB-shows that were held this morning in the Machinegebouw: Roya Hesam and ZEM, the menswear-label of Samira Algoe
Roya Hesam & ZEM – LAB Catwalk Fashion Shows SS2012
Thursday is one of the busiest days of the whole Fashion Week with a lot of LAB shows. We started off with ZEM and Roya Hesam, two upcoming designers, who both presented 10 looks.
ZEM – menswear
Designer Samira Algoe based her second AIFW- collection on classic beachwear for men. She used sun, see and beach as the inspiration for her clean and well tailored looks. Most items were made out of two parts (and two or more shades). The sheer silk cotton and the ultra-short pants appeared a little feminine, but overall the clothes felt pretty wearable. Sunny accessories were gave the collection a nice little extra.
Roya Hesam – womenswear
Roya showed her minimalistic but very feminine collection Facing Skills. She used airy fabrics and soft shades. Her dresses, jumpsuits and pants looked elegant and smooth, perfect for summer. There was a little boob flash here and there, but that didn’t spoiled the fun.
This was Boutyq SS2012
July 14, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under Amsterdam, Backstage, beauty, Events, Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, models, womenswear
Before the AIFW takes over our blog, we would love to share the BOUTYQ-event with you. The fifth edition of BOUTYQ gave a reason to celebrate this great fashionevent. Despite the rain fashion-pro’s and -lovers arrived at the Dylan Hotel to watch the collections of Francisco van Benthum, Jeroen van Tuyl and Unconditional.
The collection of Van Benthum was inspired by Cuba and the tropics, which resulted in a modern/classic design in light fabrics and colors. The British label Unconditional presented mens- and womenswear with a street chic character. Jeroen van Tuyls clsed the evening with his tough yet classic menswear.
Preview AIFW – Jan Boelo SS2012
July 14, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under AIFW, Amsterdam, Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Preview, womenswear
It will be Jan Boelo’s first time to show during Amsterdam Fashion Week and from what he tells us, it will be a show to remember.
Long Nights
With just a few days left until his show Jan Boelo and his team are working late every day. “I’m finishing the collection with three other people and I’m getting some help from friends and family. It’s usually not until 2 or 3 a.m. that we stop working and go to bed. But I’m making sure I have one more relaxed day before the show, so I wouldn’t be all tired and stressed out on Sunday.”
Jan’s collection (it’s the second collection he has made) will exist of men- and womenswear. “The biggest part will be womenswear, but there’s a small menswear section as well. All together we will present about 26 looks.”
Inspiration
“Those looks are inspired by the late seventies. It’s all about the rise & fall of punk and glam rock. There will be a lot of leather and chains. Almost anything in the collection will be shiny. The fit will be tight, but there are loose pants too and I stressed some of the shoulders. It will feel like Alexis herself (from Dynasty) walks into the room.”
Fabrics
“We got a special kind of denim from Italy and we had our leather custom made in an Italian factory. I personally went there this spring to make a selection of the leather I wanted to use.”
Rock ’n Roll
“Since I’m a big Rock ’n Roll fan; I translated this to the collection. Songs from bands like The Sex Pistols and Patti Smith inspired me. The soundtrack of the show is going to be very rock ’n roll too. It will be a pretty fierce mix, made by Tim Holland.”
Jan has already convinced Dutch rock singer/actress Ellen ten Damme of his talent (she wore his clothes to several official events) so we’re very curious to see what everyone else thinks of his designs.
Jan Boelo will show his collection on Sunday 17 July at 3 p.m.
Preview AIFW – Quoc Thang SS2012
With his new collection of menswear (Quoc Thang has been making menswear for the past 1,5 years) Quoc Thang is about to head into a whole new direction. It will be his third time presenting his collection during Amsterdam International Fashion Week and he couldn’t be more excited.
AIFW
“Presenting my work during fashion week is a great way to reach a big audience. Perhaps it doesn’t directly result in making a lot of money, but artistically it’s the right thing to do.”
Adventurer
Thang’s new collection tells the story of an adventurer defying cold area’s in search of security and safety. “It’s called A Place Over There (Een Plek Daarginds in Dutch) and – like all my collections so far – it has something to do with the vulnerability and transitory of life. My inspiration comes from conversations, exhibitions and every day things. I always write things down.”
Shades & fabrics
“The new collection is pretty silent when it comes to color. We used multiple blues and greys and a touch of green here and there. The designs are made of fabrics like high tech nylon and wool. We also used a waxed cotton, which we’re very proud of since it’s hard to get.”
Changes
“Everything will be completely different; our strategy, our philosophy and the way we built up the collection. We used the 3 x 3 x 3 concept, based on the idea of a pair of pants, a top and a jacket.” It might sound somewhat vague right now, but according to Thang everyone will immediately be able to see the changes he made during the show.
Thang’s motivation to head into this new direction seems reasonable: “We noticed the big audience wasn’t really getting our collections when we showed them. We – and I think fashion in general – are ready for something new.”
And with just a few days ahead before the show Quoc Thang couldn’t be more prepared. “Our collection is completely ready, so we’re not worrying about time. I’ve done this a few times now so I now the ropes.”
Quoc Thang will present his collection on Saturday 16 July at 6 p.m.
Menswear Trend Report SS2011: Checks Please!
Checks are always present in the new menswear collections and this season was no exception. From D&G to Hermes, Dries van Noten, Kenzo, Viktor & Rolf and Versace; all used checks in their spring/summer 2011 collections.
D&G placed them on their summer blouses, Dsquared, Hermes and John Richmond opted for a checked shirt and Versace, Zegna and Dries van Noten presented checked tailored suit jackets.
Though the completely checked look can be too much for anyone who doesn’t work in fashion, you certainly can’t go wrong with just one checked item. Go for some large checks (this seems to be the trend this season) and complete your look by adding clean one-colored items.
Check out our gallery above for some inspiration.
Menswear Trend Report SS2011: Bright & Shiny
The biggest summer trend in womenswear without a doubt was the colorblocking trend. Gucci, Jil Sander and Prada set the tone with their collections and the trend immediately was picked up. In menswear the same thing happened, though a bit more subtle. Here Kenzo, Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton showed some bright hues too. Yet it was Jil Sander that went for colorblocking all the way.
Though the trend wasn’t as big in menswear as it was in womenswear; men certainly are wearing more brights this season. Mixing several bright colors together in one look might be a little too much for some men, but at least the designers above brought some of the fun back in fashion.
Check out our gallery for some of the brightest summer looks.
