John Varvatos Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011h

John Varvatos’ models seemed to be travelers. A railroad track was staged on the catwalk and a big clock was the backdrop of the show. According to John his men started their journey in London and ended up in Milan. They wore lots of layers in shades of gray, Merlot, claret and brown.

Their looks were somewhat slouchy cool. Their suits were crumpled, their knitwear was rough and we saw many coats with raw edges. Combined with the scruffy hats and round (and colored) sunglasses it gave the models some kind of rocker status too.

A great aspect of the show was the mutability of the designs. Most items could be worn in more than one way and because of the layering every outfit became multi-functional. So if you’re planning on traveling a lot next fall John Varvatos is your man!

Most memorable fashion facts of 2010 (1-5)

2010 has almost come to and end. But we won’t celebrate the new year until we’ve looked back on a fantastic year of fashion. We’ve collected the news on the most memorable collaborations, upcoming models and other fashion facts you must not forget.

We made a top of 40 items and here are the first 5:

1. Year of the bloggers

2010 was the year of the bloggers. They were present at every big fashion show / event and some of them even reached a celebrity status. Mr. Bryanboy got to hang around at Vogue Italia for a day and recently stated he earns 75.000 Euro a year. Bloggers are here to stay!

2. Dolce & Gabbana 25 years

This year Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana celebrated their 25 years of working as fashion desigers. Domenico told The Independent they still remember their first show: ‘Our first show? We did it in a small apartment in Milan. We organized it ourselves, me and Stefano, without PR, with nothing. My sister and brother were on the door.’ 2010 also meant quite some trouble with the treasury for D&G, but their clothes are still selling big time.

3. Lara Stone is all the rage!

Lara Stone became extremely big in 2010. The Dutch model appeared on the most glamorous covers of international fashion magazines and was featured (often topless / naked) in high fashion editorials. French Vogue put her on the cover of their celebration (90 years of Vogue) issue and Karl Lagerfeld shot her for his Pirelli kalender. Lara also got married to David Walliams and stated she would like to have gay sons (?). Plus, during the British Fashion Awards Lara received the Model of the Year Award. We can’t wait to see what Lara has in store for us next year.

4. Givenchy hires uncommon models
In 2010 Givenchy was in the news twice due to it’s uncommon model choices. For it’s fall campaign the fashion brand hired transsexual model Lea T (which was later featured naked in Vogue Paris and will soon appear on Oprah). For fall Givenchy came up with a male albino model. What’s next?

5. R.I.P. Alexander McQueen

On 12 February Alexander McQueen was found dead in his home. The fashion world has been missing him ever since. Fortunately his great label will continue and has already launched two amazing collection since February 2010.

Also, listen to the YEARMIX 2010 of dj Joost van bellen, who creates a lot of soundtracks for fashionshows:
Year Mix 2010 by JoostvanBellen

Matthew Williamson launches bridalwear

His designs are famous for their bright colors and extraordinary prints. Yet Matthew Williamson has decided to show us a whole new side of himself. The British fashion designers will launch a collection of bridal wear next year.

It will be interesting to see some completely white creations from Williamson, since he hardly uses this shade in his regular collections.

‘Of course, a bride’s outfit is about much more than just color (or the absence thereof). I wanted to create a bridal collection that is both a natural extension of the mainline eveningwear, but at the same time reflects the opulence of such an important celebratory event. The pieces are characterized by feminine, diaphanous silhouettes in richly embellished luxurious fabrics’, Williamson told Elle UK.

Matthew Williamson recently also announced the launch of a lower priced diffusion line, which will hit stores next fall.

Only Haider Acker-wo-mann

Haider Ackermann successfully launched his menswear line last season, but has already decided to quit it. For now there will be no more men’s clothing from the Belgium label.

A spokesperson from BVBA 32, the company that operates and produces Haider Ackermann’s collections said: ‘The decision to present a one-season collection was a creative decision. Haider wanted to underline the image he made for his women’s line with the man at her side. The men’s collection will be added again at the time Haider wants to and it will not be linked to a season. Creativity cannot be forced into a time frame. It is the emotion of the moment being translated to a collection, which is presented and sold to retailers who believe in creativity as such.’

Could it be that Haider Ackermann needs his time to prepare for his new job at Chanel? Last week in Numero magazine Karl Lagerfeld named Ackermann as his potential successor at Chanel. Yet we doubt Karl is leaving Chanel any time soon.  

(Vogue)

Christopher Kane for men

Christopher Kane will soon launch his first menswear line at Dover Street Market. The designer already sold a capsule collection of T-shirts there and will now expand this line, thanks to its success.
Kane created sweaters, cardigans, black leather suit jackets, T-shirts and sporty leather shorts.
The collection arrives in Dover Street Market early December.

(Vogue)

Spijkers en Spijkers launches collection of glasses

This year glasses have been very popular in fashion. People, more than ever, were wearing glasses even if they didn’t need them. So it’s a smart move of designer sisters Truus and Riet Spijkers to come up with a collection of glasses this month.

On Tuesday eve they celebrated the launch of their first collection of glasses in Amsterdam. They collaborated with Specsavers to come up with 24 frames and 10 pairs of sunglasses.

Like their clothes the glasses are absolute statement pieces, each with it’s individual style and shape. And they sure looked good. Congrats on this collection Spijkers en Spijkers!

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Givenchy collection Riccardo Tisci presented on Sunday was a tough one. There were some daring outfits there, which made us think ‘dark’, ‘punk’ and ‘techno’.

Tisci used photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as his inspiration, which explains all the black and white we saw. There were a lot of sleeveless statement jackets, all matched with long sheer black pieces of fabric. The punk feeling came from the many zippers (across waistlines, sleeves and pants) Tisci used.

Lea T, the transsexual model. which over the past few months caused some commotion, being in the Givenchy ads and all, was there too. She walked the show alongside many new faces like Saskia de Brauw and Pauline Van der Cruysse.

Something we didn’t expect to see at Givenchy was the leopard print. After some years full of animal printed fashion the leopard print was finally on its return, yet now it seems Tisci brought it back to life. The Givenchy customer probably won’t mind. She’s bound to love every single look of this collection.

Intermezzo: Klavers van Engelen Collection SS2011

In their ongoing quest to keep their design principles pure and their fashion elegant, Niels Klavers and Astrid van Engelen went back to their minimal approach. They wanted to create maximum effect with less and less interventions.

Square shaped panels turn into flowing, slightly complex yet easy fitting shapes once addressing the body. Seams, necklines and collars in draped silks (and fine blends) are glued instead of stitched, leather is left completely unfinished while other, more structured fabrics are finished with a tiny cover stitch only.  And for the first time Klavers van Engelen used prints. The color palette based on shadowy shades of black and sand perfectly balances out in an ocean of blue.

Again the designduo 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 and still make you feel elegant.

Proenza Schouler Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

With their spring collection McCollough and Hernandez seemed to be heading in a new direction. Their clothes seemed more lady-like or, as the designers referred to it themselves, ‘more polished or grown up in a way.’

In a beautiful and soft color palette of pale lavender, pastel yellow, salmon, pink and peach they sent out Chanel-like matted tweed jackets, hand-died and T-shirt dresses and tees and sheer, loose-fitting tank-dresses.

Like in their Resort collection the designers worked with the special Japanese Shibori tie-dye technique, which fit perfect in this collection.

Their embroideries, ruffled details, softer approach and lingerie-looks made the collection very feminine. A few colorful bags and some arty necklaces where the only accessories of the show, but that was just fine.

Anna Sui Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2011

The Anna Sui fashion show was all about Little House on the Prairie. The backdrop of the show was that of a wheat field with a small house on it. The clothes felt boho-chic and farm-ish, but you couldn’t describe them in one word.

This probably was due to the fact that Anna took her inspiration from so many different sources. In her show notes she named musician Joni Mitchell, artist Thomas Eakins, singer Neil Young, painter Andrew Wyeth, album Ladies of the Canyon and painter Winslow Homer as her inspiration sources.

She also added Holly Hobbie a fictive little girl from which the inspiration was obvious. Holly Hobbie wore the same kind of dresses as the models in the show and was often pictured with wheat in her hands, just like the models.

All clothes looked easy going and had a lot of aspects to focus on. Busy prints (paisley, floral, geometrical), lace, ruffles, embroideries and lots of different soft shades (indigo, lace, slate, ash, blue, nudes).

The long dresses, bell bottoms, round sunglasses, feather necklaces and headpieces made of wheat gave the show it’s seventies vibe. But Anna added just the right amount of funk to it, to make the collection feel modern and new.

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