Dries van Noten Fashion Show Womenswear Paris SS2017

“You only see what your eyes want to see..” As an acapella version of Madonna’s Frozen hit began Dries van Noten’s fairytale came to life. Inspired by night frost the Belgium designer showed us a spring collection with a frozen focus. Large ice cubes melting away on the runway had the loveliest of floral ensembles inside of them, created by Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto. All true pieces of art for which Azuma used nearly a hundred types of rare flowers into 23 different arrangements. An astonishing spectacle on it’s own. Then the SS2017 story began to unravel. Starting off light with a series of white look, followed by a focus on yellow and ending with a line up of dark, black evening looks. All decorated by the loveliest of floral prints from a wide range of exotic flower species. Quite te dressed up spring/summer collection. So if spring is indeed to going to get frosty we’ll be in good hands with Dries van Noten. His patent leather coats, rain jackets, Edwardian blouses, wide-leg jeans, balloon sleeves and camel colored double breasted suit seem perfectly appropriate for a summer in Holland. It’s the kind of sophisticated chic we could really pull of without being extremely uncomfortable. And who could fall in love with such a blooming collection.

Lanvin Fashion Show Womenswear Paris SS2017

A number of long sheer dresses popped up Bouchra Jarrar’s first collection for Lanvin today. Quite the revealing type of dresses, so to say, as the models only wore panties underneath. A daring move for a Lanvin designer debutante (Jarrar quit her own label to focus on Lanvin). Although she introduced some more formal looks too. A striped suit match with a striped blouse for example, adding some masculinity and rigidness to this very seductive and fluid summer collection. Leather jackets decorated by eye catching feather colors gave the collection some extra weight too. As floral embroideries and appliques as well as choker necklaces with matching bracelets and rings kept things playful. Python bags, diamond encrusted slippers, leather belts straps and necklaces with the looks of metallic scarves did the rest of the SS2017 trick. Now let’s elaborate on this new Lanvin look.

Saint Laurent Paris Fashion Show Womenswear Paris SS2017

It must be though for anyone to fill Hedi Slimane’s shoes as the new head designer of Saint Laurent. Yet Anthony Vaccarello dared to take the plunge as he presented his first collection for the brand. In line with what Slimane has been doing for the past couple of seasons Vaccarello came up with an all black, tough ‘n sexy collection. Looks with a rebellious touch. The kind of rebel chick that would cut up a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress and have her way with it, as Vaccarello did. Both heavy leather and sheer fabrics alternated each other as metallic touches and leopard prints made their way onto the runway. We counted three blue denim trousers. And we felt like looking at an eighties collection meant to be worn underneath the disco ball. Sexy tuxedo suits and revealing dresses. Asymmetry and pointy shoulders. And some colored XL tassle earings to take the collection home. Vaccarello seems of to a good start.

Streetfashion PFW Womenswear SS2017, Day 1

What are you wearing during the fashionweeks? Your Gucci-shoes, that vintage Prada or your latest Vetements-denim? 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: Paris Womenswear Fashion Week spring/summer 2017.

Liselore Frowijn Backstage Catwalk Show Paris SS2017

It’s always exciting to watch the mayhem backstage at a fashion-show. Dutch designer Liselore Frowijn presented her collection for the second time in the capital of fashion yesrday. We checked what went on behind the scenes.

Liselore Frowijn Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2017

The SS17 collection ’SAGOI’, is an homage to an old canal house in Amsterdam with beautifully contained ‘Delft Blue’ tiles dated 1667. Liselore Frowijn has interpreted the iconic hand-painted ceramics by tracing them with her signature style, both painting the illustrations directly on silk and using blown-up graphics in bold overall prints.
The illustrations display mythical scenes of an escape to a pastoral lifestyle of farmers in the Dutch 17th century. Research on these tiles’ topography brought Frowijn to the Japanese island of Kyūshū, where Dutch-Japanese exchange started around 400 years ago. Liselore Frowijn visited the Japanese island this summer to work with local artisans in the indigo-workshops on developing several textiles and implementing techniques that have been used for decades.
Next to the abstracted pastoral scenes, the pieces feature nude figure drawings inspired on the traditional Japanese Shunga erotic woodcut prints, combined with flower-dessins from the Mantero archive. With additional screenprinted graphic layers of blown-up Japanese masks, shibori-indigo dyes, woven kasuri textiles and Delft Blue paintings, the entire collection embodies the story of two worlds meeting once again in intermixed cultural traditions.
Using the tunic as a base piece, the collection has grown into a semi-couture extravagance of where each look presents a new layer and playfully stacked bold prints. Each garment can be worn as a canvas depending on your mood, with a dazzling richness in combination as a result, balancing on luxury-couture and sporty details. The woman Liselore admires embraces the unknown with a sweltering sensuality and as you imagine the Amsterdam house, she takes you to an idyllic realm where two worlds collide.

An ode to Sonia Rykiel

Last night Sonia Rykiel passed away. The Parisian designer famous for her colourful knitwear designs died at the age of 86. Ever since 1995 she suffered from Parkinson’s disease, something she revealed in 2012 when she stepped down as creative director of her eponymous label.

Born and raised in Paris Rykiel started her career in fashion in 1948 as a storefront designer, but eventually launched her own collections of self knitted clothing. In 1968 she opened her first store on Rue de Grenelle; the beginning of an international fashion house.

Sonia Rykiel is remembered by many as a fashion pioneer. Along with Chloé, her label pioneered the créateur movement in France. She became famous for her loose fitting sweaters, breaking sixties fashion rules of corsets and bras. Fashion should be comfortable and fun, was the flame-haired designer’s message and Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Audrey Hepburn, just a few of Sonia Rykiel’s famous clients, agreed.

“Design job fell on me. I didn’t want to do it. It was an accident. For the first 10 years I said, “Tomorrow I’m stopping.””

Through the years the brand Sonia Rykiel expanded with clothes for men, kids, accessories and fragrances. Rainbow stripes, massive fur wraps and culottes became part of the brand’s signature. In 2009 the label collaborated with H&M. That same year she was awarded The Order of Légion d’Honneur in recognition of her 40 years of service in the French fashion industry.

In 2012 Nathalie Rykiel, Sonia’s daughter, took over the role of the brand’s creative director while Sonia still kept serving as honorary president and attending the label’s shows, which always ended in a big celebration on the catwalk (see some catwalk highlights in our gallery below). Since 2014 Julie de Libran has been Sonia Rykiel’s artistic director.

Sonia Rykiel, 1930 – 2016

Backstage at Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Paris FW2016

Take a look backstag at the Viktor & Rolf show yesterday in Paris. Hair- and beautyteams preparing the models, the dresses getting a last finish and oh, take a closer look at those beautiful fabrics.

Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Fashion Show FW2016

Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have kept everything from their old collections, even the leftover silver sequins from the collection that won the Dutch duo top prize at the Hyères festival back in 1993.

They repurposed those sequins, and scraps from collections across their career, for their fall couture collection, weaving their own fashion history into rag-rug embellishments on vintage trenchcoats, military jackets, sweatshirts and denim.

Their impulse was sustainability — and to challenge themselves to create something different from fragments of the past. There were bits from their “Blue Screen” and “Van Gogh” shows — fall 2002 ready-to-wear and spring 2015 couture, respectively.

Beyond the fabrics, the silhouettes referenced past Viktor & Rolf shows, particularly the bulging finale coats, recalling their “Russian Doll” collection.

The sweatshirts and military jackets were marvels of jutting ruffles and twinkling patches of vintage buttons and errant crystals, the patches repeating on cropped jeans and khakis. The show reached a dramatic crescendo with a clutch of trenchcoats that morphed into full-skirted ballgowns, scraps of tulle tinted into delicate dégradés.

The white gown that capped the display also winked to Viktor & Rolf’s next move: A collection of wedding dresses to debut in October during New York Bridal Week.

Streetfashion Haute Couture Paris FW2016

What are they wearing during the international fashion weeks? A Raf Simons jacket, that vintage YSL or their latest Comme des Garcons suit? During the fashion weeks 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: Paris Haute Couture Week.

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