Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2012

Oh, how I wish every man would dress like Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta uses to dress his men. How tough, sensitive and beautiful they would look in one outfit. The Bottega Veneta ss2012-collection proved it again. Impeccable suits in decent colors and patterns, soft and tough leather pants and jackets, workwear de luxe in denim and leather and intelligent mixes of prints, knitwear and fabrics. It seemed a fine mix of the inventive and the innovative without screaming or being to eccentric.

The sheer quality of the materials put the collection into a high register and the essential alost invisible codes of the house were all there, especially in the soft bags folded under the arm like giant envelopes. Even the use of ‘shocking’ colors, as in turquoise or green suits, the result was still classy.

Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2012

Shorts, that’s exactly men need in steamy hot Milan right now. Eehm, in black? Well, why not. Since everybody visting Milan is wearing the bold colors of this summer why not try them in black? Raf Simons started the colorblocking trend at Jil Sander, so he’ll be the first to end it. Or to offer something completely different. And that’s what he did this afternoon with his Jil Sander ss2012 collection.

To be honest, all that black soothes the eye. And Simons didn’t give up on color yet, he just added fragments or fragmented colors to the black. In cotton knits, printed stiff T-shirts, the petrol-colored jackets and with the snake-skin pouches attached as a small life-vest to the models’ body. It seemed leather accessories were a big, loud message too.

Although all the black was a surprise,  the collection didn’t have the impact his eye-popping colors had a year ago. Look around you and see what it did to the streets. And the big wave still has to come. Let’s take it positive: black matches beautifully with bright orange, yellow and pink. Black is still the new black, but differently.

Arnhem Mode Biennale 2011: Prada & Jil Sander

Jil Sander and Prada designed two of the most popular collections of this season, which made their contribution to the Arnhem Mode Biënnale extra special. Prada brought pieces of their actual Milan catwalk to Arnhem and Jil Sander’s collection can be looked at through several magnifying lenses.

Prada

Jil Sander

Check out the gallery below:

Christophe Decarnin leaves Balmain

Balmain is parting ways with Christophe Decarnin, the designer who transformed the dusty old fashion house into a red hot label, coveted by jet-set party girls worldwide. The Paris-based house made the announcement Wednesday, but did not give any details about the reasons behind the decision.
Rumors about Decarnin’s health have swirled since the shy designer failed to appear for a bow after his fall-winter 2011-12 ready-to-wear show last month. At the time, a spokesman for the house dismissed rumors that he was in a mental hospital, saying that he was resting on doctor’s orders.

Decarnin, the mastermind behind Balmain’s now-hallmark peaked-shouldered jackets and ultra-minidresses, joined Balmain in 2005. He came out of nowhere to head the house and with every collection he did for Balmain, sales doubled.  So who and what did Decarnin have to thank for all the success?

– The supercool girls. Balmain has become the label of the supercool girls. The girls in London and Paris who work as assistants at fashion magazines, design studios and P.R. firms, or who have some terrific family-tree connections they swing from. They’re 21 or 22 years old.  Julia Restoin Roitfeld wears Balmain. So does Charlotte Casiraghi, a daughter of Princess Caroline.

– French Vogue. French Vogue has had a lot to do with Decarnin’s success. He said himself in an interview with NY Times. Roitfeld and her daughter wore Balmain to the Cannes Film Festival. And Roitfeld and her lieutenants Emmanuelle Alt and Marie-Amélie Sauvé — have taken this relatively isolated man and molded him in the image of French Vogue.

– France. The clothes are unmistakenly French. Or like Cathy Horyn of the NY Times put it: “If I see young Bardots and Birkins bobbing around St.-Tropez half naked, I’ve seen precisely what he wants me to see. In their cut and fit, in their energy and implacably dirty sex appeal, these clothes could not have come from anywhere else but France — and not even France but Paris.”

– The sky-high prices. A pair of jeans or a cotton T-shirt cost about a 1000 euro, while a beaded jacket can cost more than 10.000 euro. It’s almost offensive. Decarnin said the prices reflect the quality of workmanship and fabrics, as well as the company’s limited structure. But those high prices might also be part of the message: my stuff costs a lot.

But why did it took so long to become successful? According to Emanuelle Alt – a long time fan and stylist of his shows – Decarnin has the talent, but is too shy.  “If you always stay in the shadows and don’t have the connections, it’s more difficult. Some people have a lot less talent, but they push themselves and go out and meet people.’’ Decarnin said he never goes to clubs.

Well, fashion in the street owns a lot to his trashy collections. Looking back, you see the streetwise girls took his punky, rock chick-style, with skinny jeans, T-shirts en fringed boots. Also: the revival of the strong shoulder and the fitted jacket. Even the long, bohemian flowerdresses he did in one of his early collections dominate the coming summer-fashion – although we have to thank Dolce & Gabbana for that too.

Watch a video about the last collection of Christophe Decarnin for Balmain:

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The new Valentino is not red anymore, but a variation on nudes and blushes, a fitted dress with flared skirt and long sleeves, sometimes short, sometimes longer.
The fall-collection looked pretty and ladylike, wearable, cleaner and also sportier. There was a Sixties cut in the dresses,  jackets and swingy skirts but more casual. Designers Chiuri and Piccioli introduced also deeper colors, like navy and oxblood on fur coats and leather trench-coats. The sheer silk tops,  pleated skirts and long, slim evening-gowns were done in lighter colors and fabrics.

Chanel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Chanel-show and -collection gave the audience a post-apocalyptic feeling. The smoking lava, the gray and black painting and music by The Cure all added this dark touch to the clothes.

Yves St. Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

That was a clear collection Stefano Pilati presented for Yves St. Laurent. He opened with Prince of Wales-checks neatly tailored into coats, capes and suits. Jackets were mixed with pleated miniskirts and drop-waist dresses. One was done in patent leather with a cocoon back and a checked skirt with a blue hem. This collection didn’t refer to Mod or schoolgirls as we’ve seen in other collections. This was for grown up women. Accessories added the right touch: chain chokers and suede laced up boots.

The checks came back in the whole collection, sometimes blown up and even with degradé-effect on fur.  The second part of the show was about texture: dots punched out of patent leather tunics with different densities of tweed mixed in. It all culminated in a run of white silk crepe evening wear: fluid jumpsuits with halter necks and trompe l’oeil bustiers, ruffle collared backless dresses belted in more gold and one huge white marabou jacket to match.

Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Stella McCartney brought a strong, restraint, homme/femme collection to the audience. She not only played with sexes, she also played with surface and contrasting volumes. The show began with rippled organza cocoon tops in black and blue tucked into pencil skirts or trousers their full sleeves and voluminous shapes in contrast to the slim tailoring below the waist.

Then she sent out  oversized blazer dresses with exaggerated shoulders in brushed cashmere and roomy cable knits over loose trousers and pale sneakers with zips at the back. But she didn’t forget the sensual side of women, especially when it comes to eveningwear. Chiffon panels snaked around the sides of body-concious black dresses to make them even curvier.

She also seemed fond of a large polkadot-print,  having them onto sheer dresses or down the sides of sexy catsuits. She played with modern textures too, creating xl cocoon coats from gold felted wool and bonding dark blue velvet to scuba fabric for even sleeker tailoring.

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Givenchy fall-collection was tacky, sexy, mature and elegant at the same time. The black panther played a major role in the collection as it appeared in print, hats and cut outs. It felt unexpected and striking but also uncomfortable, but in a sens it was intriguing too. It was a vibrant print, the black, gold and deep violet gave it a rich character – they sometimes morphed into a baroque print.

The clothes however were rather classic and feminine: pencil skirts, blazers and buttoned-up shirts done in shiny black silk, leather and velvet. It was the way they were presented plus the panther that gave it all a kinky edge. A variation on the strong silhouette were the sheer, narrow skirts worn under ruffled minis. Often the look was finished with a black fur or leather baseball jacket.  Beautiful, feminine pieces were the blouses done in pink embroidery and a cropped sweater in fluffy yellow mohair.

Steffie Christiaens Backstage Paris FW2011

We captured the hard work backstage during the preparations for Steffie Christiaens debut-show in Paris.

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