John Galliano Catwalk Fashion Show FW2010

The models at John Galliano’s fashion show represented a tribe of adventuring nomads. They wore large coats with fur accents. Some of them wore enormous hats, others had their hair folded into some strange architectural shape.

Like Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano used different cultural influences in his show as well. Galliano’s nomads were in fact crossing imaginary borders in search of new land.

The show was a true spectacle. Silver glitter fell from the sky and even fireworks were used. We really had to focus not to let that distract us from seriously looking at the collection.

Galliano designed a lot of coats. They first came by in gray, but later on  we could also see some green, yellow, gold and printed pink. As always with Galliano many details and accessories were added to the looks, which all deserved some attention. Tight necklaces, waistbelts, fur cuffs, floral printed trousers, feather jewelry, striped leggings and colored shoes. Not to forget the crazy hats, wigs and bronze make-up. The models looked larger than life in their voluminous designs and oversized hats.

Towards the end the fabrics became thinner and more skin was shown. Light-colored and transparent fabrics were used for more feminine designs. The show ended with a few long, gold and silver-embroidered gowns. Although we think transparencies and fur are not the best fabrics to combine in an evening gown, it sure was fun to look at.

Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2010

At JPG’s fashion show influences from many different countries wore used in the designs. We got a taste of Africa, Russia, India and Mexico. The styles from those countries were represented by extravagant headwear and folklore designs. There seemed to be so many different influences, it was hard to tell which country they belonged to.

Colorful African turbans were combined with satin dresses with chinoiserie prints. Black trenchcoats or fur coats were worn on top. There were colorful printed headscarves, fur hats and metallic Indian headpieces.

The models wore Masai necklaces combined with Western motorcycle jackets. They walked in harem pants with fur waistcoats. Their neon colored leggings heavily clashed with the folklore prints on their clothes. But it was all part of JPG’s cultural fashion explosion. Words can not even describe how wacky it all looked.

While the clothes varied in almost every aspect (shape, size, fabric, color) not much was to say about the collection in general. Apart from the fact that it was a cultural melting pot.

Between all influences JPG’s famous cone bra popped up every now and then. Though we loved watching the crazy styled outfits, the coats were the best pieces of the collection.

And the message of this show might just have been about embracing the cultural differences in the world and turning them into something of your own. At least we think that would be a nice approach.

Remembering McQueen #5

Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel designer: “I found his work very interesting and never banal. There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanized. Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you.” (E!)

Remembering McQueen #4

Andre Leon Talley, Vogue editor-at-large: “It is a great loss. It’s a tragedy for the fashion world. He was truly an innovator and a master. McQueen had incredible talents and gifts and at the same time, he was a great poet. There are very few poets left.” (Wall Street Journal)

Remembering McQueen #3

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief, Vogue: “We are devastated to learn of the death of Alexander McQueen, one of the greatest talents of his generation. He brought a uniquely British sense of daring and aesthetic fearlessness to the global stage of fashion. In such a short career, Alexander McQueen’s influence was astonishing—from street style to music culture and the world’s museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss.” (Source: E!)

Remembering McQueen #2

Anne Christensen, Fashion Director NYT: “Walking into whatever venue McQueen staged his show in, there was always a sense of excitement. His shows were always about beautiful clothes with incredible tailoring and details, but also about the thrill of astonishing his audience. (Source: The Moment-blog)

Remembering McQueen #1

John Galliano: “McQueen was daring, original, exciting. He shook up the establishment with his creativity and understood what it takes to be a great British ambassador for fashion. I admired him very much. He was a fashion revolutionary that, like me, made the journey from [Central] Saint Martins to Paris where he put his own unique mark on the industry. He will not be forgotten.” (Source: WWD)

Ado Les Scents by Hyun Yeu Amsterdan Fashion Week fw2010

Fashion designer Hyun Yeu presented his second menswear collection for fw2010. He named it Rain, while the clothes in this collection were meant to be worn (with a smile) on a rainy day.

The main character in the collection was a coat. We saw a fur coat, trench coats and some shiny silver and blue coats. A cashmere pea coat was so popular that couturier Frans Molenaar already bought it right after the show.

Hyun Yeu also showed some suits in orange black and some long woolly sweaters. We spotted them already the menswear collections in Milan and Paris, but Hyun Yeu presented some old fashion long Johns as well. They were worn with short tight jackets (with only one button) and blouses.

When we asked Hyun Yeu which item was his favorite he said: ‘All the outfits are my babies. I cannot pick one favorite, that’s like choosing between your children. I love them all.’

Besides the trench coat, we loved the pleated silk wool pants in his collection. They fit perfectly and were very well executed.
Actually they look too good to wear on a rainy day, if you ask us.

Preview Jan Taminiau Couture

Yesterday Jan Taminiau presented his couturecollection in Paris. Tomorrow he will officially open the Amsterdam International Fashionweek with his collection Duality. These are the thoughts of the designer regarding his collection:

“‘Duality’ is based on thoughts of a duel and of duality. A duel between different cultural traditions, heritage and innovation. It is a noble duel, almost dancelike as in fencing. With a duality of seduction, unveiling and hiding.

The dresses are comprised of a duel between two different forms and a duel between different worlds. The antique Chinese fabric is used for the most dominant, sculptural form and is placed in contrast with a more classical silhouette. The dialogue also takes places between the almost organic substance of the heavily embroidered fabric with paillettes and the sensitivity of the antique hand woven fabric.

The sculptural forms can be interpreted as a shield -or protection- for battle, but at the same time they offer intimacy, play their role in a game of concealing and seduction.”

Trends ss2010: men in red

When we look at the menswear collections for spring/summer 2010 one thing immediately catches our attention:  together with black, white and beige we see lots of bright colors.

Blue, red and purple dominated the new collections, especially the ones by Bottega Veneta, CP Company, Dirk Bikkembergs, Armani and Ferragamo. At Ungaro the models wore lots of pink.

Since we saw mostly red in the spring/summer collection, let’s focus at that. It came by in dozens of different shades. At Armani, Ferragamo and Gaultier the red tended towards orange. At Lanvin and Emporio Armani a deep red prevailed. One of Paul Smith’s models was totally covered in red, including his shoes.

Many red coats passed by. A few in leather (Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Ferragamo, Iceberg), some trenchcoats (Paul Smith, Trussardi) and several jackets (Gucci, Bikkembergs, Bottega Veneta).

With so many shades of red there will surely be one that matches your skin tone. So no one has an excuse not to follow this red color trend next season.

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