The ABC of womenswear ss2012, part 1

What a great season ss2012 will be. It’s a pity we’ll have to wait until next year, before we can touch, feel and wear those beautiful clothes. There was so much to see and experience the last few weeks, starting with the shows in New York and ending in Paris. Time for a large ABC-round-up.

A is for ARTIFICIAL CHIC

A cool, modern twist to classic and iconic shaping and experimenting with mixed materials, layered patterns and strange color-combinations. Plastic is favorite, as are high sheen sparkling surfaces and innovative finishing.

 

B is for BARE SKIN

Slits and slices showed bare arms and legs, as were transparent fabrics but there was more to see: bare midriffs because of all those bandeau tops. A great contrast while lengths of skirts are dropping. After seasons of revealed bellies the elongated tops seemed so much more luxurious and sophisticated. Yet now we seem to enter a period of hedonism once more, celebrating the body, enjoying fashion and consuming style.

 

 

C is for COUTURE

The clear read line through Paris catwalk shows is a couture spirit reminiscent of the fifties and sixties.One designer more then the other found ways to translate this precious era in a contemporary and new look. Materials where traditional and precious, yet some realized that typical sculptural aspect in novel man made yet ever so luxurious fabrics. A, I and egg shaped, reduced and iconic, minimal use of details and executed in mostly black and white.

 

To be continued.

 

 

Streetfashion London Womenswear ss2012 Day 3

What are you wearing during the coming fashionweeks? Your Prada-boots, your latest Celine-dress or that vintage Chanel? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: London  Fashion Week.

Round Up New York ss2012

The good news is that the NY spirit was more optimistic and colourful, decorative and creative then we have seen for a long time.  The big news was digital printing. But how new was that? We recognised many inspirations from previous seasons from various hands. Repeated looks and themes where blended, swirled and twisted. It was like everything was like anything and everybody inspired everyone and all collections of previous seasons came together for a cheerful remembrance party.  But yet we still would like to point out some clear leads.

SPORTS VIBE

With Alex Wang at the forefront, this shows the feel for active and performing, technical fabrics. It’s very sports inspired, with racy details and closures and fuelled with sensuality.

 

TRIBAL

Proenza Schouler and Donna Karen hit the road with rattan and raffia tribal patterns in an African ethnic palette.

 

ARTIFICIAL CHIC

Marc Jacobs didn’t want things to feel real and they didn’t. Reminiscent of Prada he played with plastics and high sheen, sparkling surface effects and all kinds of innovative finishing. Dazzle and flash.

 

DIGITIZE

Why did it take that long and why does it stay that close to the pavement laid out by those great pioneers, Alexander McQueen and Mary Katranzou. Lovely, happy and very exiting though.

 

RETRO HOLIDAY

This theme shares with us moments of nostalgia and makes us long for times that were innocent and frivolous. Holiday forever in these not just referenced, yet simple literary quoted historic silhouettes.

And it just can be that you find al those influences passing by in one single catwalk show, serving collections like ‘grand desserts’.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

This was New York Fashion Week Womenswear ss2012

The first week of this fashion-season has come to an end. And what a fashionweek it was! New York is getting better each time, especially the young designers surprised us with their collections. Let’s take a last look, before we connect to London.

 

 

Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show New York ss2012

For a change, Marc Jacobs closed the New York Fashion Week. The Lexington Avenue Armory was decorated like a dance hall situated in the twenties.   As the Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach started, a sweeping gold curtain parted to reveal all the models waiting to hit the runway.

The collection was a cocktail of strange elements. Starting with the see-through plastic cowboy boots. And also: drop-waist flapper dresses, denim workwear, clear plastic sewn into skirts and dresses, sporty sweatshirts, and techno-checks.  Some of the silhouettes looked like last season’s narrow silhouettes, but there were also boxy, drop-waist shapes that reminded of the 1920’s. There was plenty of fringe,  bold-colored sequins and paillettes, and a lot of that clear plasticTextural experimentation was strong in this collection. To journalists backstage, Jacobs explained he didn’t want his collection “to feel real”.

 

Ralph Lauren Catwalk Fashion Show New York ss2012

Ralph Lauren took inspiration from the The Great Gatsby, the movie he designed the clothes for in 1974. When he designed the clothes it started a mini Jazz Age at that time and Lauren’s career took off. It seems the time is ripe for an updated version of this style, especially now Baz Luhrmann is busy with a remake starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Carey Mulligan.

Lauren loves the feminine/masculine mix and that shows. There were  wallpaper floral t dresses,  pastel silk pajama pants, and “vintaged” cashmere sweaters with fake moth holes. For accessories: raffia platform sandals, embroidered and fringed bags, and delicate scarves.  As for the masculine side:  pinstriped three-piece suits with cropped pants, shorts, full trousers and the leather Perfecto jacket. For the evening Lauren introduced silver flapper dresses and column gowns.

 

 

First View New York ss2012: Tribal

Urban tribes stride the catwalk. Each designer driven by personal inspirations and motivations. ‘Afriluxe’ states Michael Kors, a more minimal tribal turn for BCBG, Haiti influenced Donna Karan where Proenza Schouler designers followed their feel for crafts. Roomy tunics, slouchy shifts and rompy sweaters shape this decorative and laid back look. Brush stroke prints, dip-dyed patterns in a Haitian inspired colour palette; earthy shades and shots with burning orange, deep purple, golden ochre and sea green. Superior craftsmanship is shown in beaded patterns, raffia weaves and tie-dye, batik and ikat patterns. From precise and traditional folk interpretations to expressive, graphic and large-scale tribal twists.

This third ‘Stylespot’, analysing the New York catwalks, is one more proof of the power of print.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

Hello streetfashion. Bye bye New York.

Just take a last look at the inspiring streetfashion in New York. Look at the bags (tiny), look at the shoes (high), and keep smiling. Maybe it’s you we’re catching with our camera the next time.

Proenza Schouler Catwalk Fashion Show New York ss2012

It was pure irony, the ss2012 collection of Proenza Schouler. But beautiful irony. Their inspirations included Fifties car interiors; Googie architecture, and the work of Morris Lapidus, the architect behind Miami’s  Fontainebleau hotel. Well, to put it simple: it was about questionable taste.

Key pieces were tight cropped sweaters and a cobalt A-line skirt in eel skin that formed one-half of one of the lineup’s best looks — but the collection was not so  serious and sophisticated affair. McCollough and Hernandez worked their references with originality, precision and craftsmanship. They were not afraid to use the so-called bad-taste elements, like tiger-print car interiors and the orange, green and gold palette from the Seventies.
What made the collection strong was the mix of pinup and sultry secretary. Bustier tops were paired with pencil skirts in neon and tropical prints. Yet there was a crafty undercurrent throughout. Raffia was woven into color-blocked knits and remarkable dresses that had cutout maillot tops and wide-weave cage skirts. For the finale, the designers embroidered  Hawaiian florals on tulle dresses with open backs and narrow skirts. Talking about modern retro.

A day in the life of a memory card in New York

Let’s follow this memory card of Peter Stigter on his journey through New York City. This digital memory travels from show to show and finally ends up in the hands of photo-editor Lisa Klappe.

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