First View Paris FW2011: Dark Romance

The last few days in Paris a fantastic myriad of hybrid creatures passed by in a theatrical scenery. Mysteriously clad in dramatic silhouettes in exuberant fabrics and tailoring.

Rebellious and gothic, Amazonian warriors in black clouds of silk slung with giant leather belts. Haider Ackerman showed the most magnificent and elegant approach towards this dark witchcraft in dense burgundies, deep sapphires and intense forest green.

Black boots accessorize dresses and coats in silk, velvet, leather and fur. This feel for dark romance is wide spread on Paris catwalks.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.

Costume National Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

It was a very minimalistic collection we saw today at Costume National. Mainly in black, but also mixed with light blue, yellow and red.

Please enjoy the pictures for now. We will post our review later.

Klavers van Engelen Collection FW2011

For coming fall Niels Klavers and Astrid van Engelen, the Dutch designers behind Klavers van Engelen, continued their search for designing as minimal as possible. They still want to create maximum effect wit less and less interventions.

The overall look is that of a beautiful piece of fabric thrown on the body by a gentle breeze. Adding knitwear to the Klavers van Engelen line for the first time, in downy and weightless mohair, as well as a deep dyed curly goat fur, they further explored their signature purist design principles.

Two different rectangular pieces of fabric sandwich the body to make a top or dress, a mohair knit in front and a washed silk for the much shorter back. Complexity and ease merge in dresses and trousers with large integrated square shaped shawls that can be worn loose over the shoulder or tied around the neck creating a sophisticated draped top. Graphic effects were created by using different fabrics and colors, and the designers also tried to change the view on their creations, the front and back of some dressed were different in color, fit and fabric.

The colour palette starts with the Klavers van Engelen signature ‘flame’ orange and ends in a solid silver grey. Inspired by Mark Rothko’s great colorfield paintings juxtaposing precious shades such as daffodil, mustard, cerise, grape, loganberry, bordeaux, bronze, a wonderful deep fawn, chocolate, latte and just a touch of black creates a mesmerizing effect.

Again the design-duo made a collection that looked simply beautiful from the outside, as if it was created accidentally. But take a closer look and you’ll see true designs that will keep surprising you by every movement.

Celine Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Oh, oh, that was another beautiful, simple and sober collection Phoebe Philo created for Celine. Hardly any prints, except a wood-print in brown-tones, but muted colors ranging from black, brown, darkred, yellow, orange, creme and light pink.

It was minimal to the max: long straight coats, two-colored pants, sleeveless tops at pleated skirts and a graphic play with contrasting colors in shirts and turtlenecks. No jewelry, onlu twotoned pointed shoes, two new handbags – that’s it. The only indulging part were the fur-coats and deux-pieces in a soft furry fabric.

Comme des Garcons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Looking at the location, the finale of the show and the hair of the models, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons chose gold as the new color. But that conclusion was made after the ‘Hybrid fashion’ she presented: from the front a coat looked like a python trench but from the back it were frilled shorts. Or from one side an outfit looked like a schoolboy jacket and pants and from another perspective it was a silk blouse with a sheer front.
But Kawakubo showed more familiar work too: she  took a trenchcoat, for instance, and shredded and balled it into something. There were the fuzzy circles on jackets, brocades, cutaway jackets, and the asymmetry. There was also a whole passage of dresses ruched and draped from vintage silk scarves that the designer herself has collected over the years.

This was a show to remember, certainly for her fans and everybody who seeks new creativity in fashion.

Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Jean Paul Gaultier likes joking around with fashion a little. And so he did yesterday, by taking La bourgeoise sans age as his muse. You know, those maturing beauties who dress their age but still want to shine a little. And they are sooo French.

Gaultier took the traditional dressing of the upper class – tweeds, tailored trousers, cardigans, blouses, deux pieces, pinstripe – and reworked them. The models came dressed as matrons in gray beehives and kitten heels and were totally covered up, no button was left unbuttoned. There were even turtlenecks worn under long, straight dresses. And during their walk the models liberated themselves from something, a glove, a shoe, a coat. It was fun to watch and the message was clear: mature women look great in Jean Paul Gaultier!

Streetfashion Paris FW2011 Day 4

What are you wearing during the coming fashionweeks? Your Prada-shoes, your latest Jil Sander-dress or that vintage Yves St. Laurent? 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 Fashion Week.

Sonia Rykiel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Again a happy end at the Sonia Rykiel show, and finally some color after quite some dark colored shows we’ve seen  elsewhere in Paris.

Please enjoy the pictures for now, our review will follow later.

Viktor & Rolf Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Viktor & Rolf are ready for a battle. A battle against the loss of beauty with an army of red-faces models dressed in proper ammunition: ultra-stiff tailoring. With the show designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren wanted to express their passion for fashion.

The show opened literally with an medieval looking drawbridge that revealed the entrance of the V&R-fort. Out came the model with their faces painted red acting strong and angry. They were dressed in tough looking, long coats with bladelike pleats around collars and shoulders like giant pinwheels.

The collection took inspiration from knights or crusaders, looking at the stiff leather skirts, the red, black and mat silver and the red roses printed at dresses like it was part of a weapon-shield. The softly draped dresses also reminded of medieval times. The second part of the show dresses softened a little bit when fabrics became more fluid and ruffles entered.

Junya Watanabe Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Junya Watanabe presented an elegant, sober and tough-chic collection focused at silhouette, leathers and fabric. At a haunting soundtrack and accompanying reading of Arthur Rimbaud’s ‘Ophelia’ this collection became more than a biker-tour.

The leather proofed to be the perfect material for an exercise in construction and couture shapes, some sets reminded of .Dior New Look 1947 or boxy Balenciaga-esque styles. It made an mix of  soft-meets-hard. From the front, many of the looks came completely structured and molded, while from behind, they were cut loose.
After the rigid black leather, paired with  stiff pleated schoolgirl-skirts, Watanabe introduced knits and easy LBD’s  in generous and sometimes slouchy silhouettes. Even the leathers were treated as fabric in wrap dresses.

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