Rue du Mail Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012

It was a sporty chic collection, Martine Sitbon presented yesterday, designed for a somewhat ‘androgynous woman with a strong attitude,’ as she told the press.

The sportive part of the show was visible through the use of color (lots of different colored sleeves), the silhouettes (baseball jacket shapes), the materials (jerseys and knits) and the details (lots of zippers). Chic were the black & white knits, the macramé lace, the laser-cut bouclé and the silk bright colored dresses that closed the show.

There were some tricky parts of the collection though. The cutouts can easily become very tacky and the same goes for the red watercolor print. Just as long as the Rue du Mail women keep their looks on the sporty side, they have nothing to worry about. Even better, next fall they’ll be all the rage.

Roberto Cavalli Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

The fall-collection of Roberto Cavalli is, well, a classic Cavalli: glamorous and strong, with lots of leather and fur. It started with maxi fur ballgown skirts with sequin luxe T-shirts and feathered baseball caps all in one look. Then came elbow-length gloves and little puffy skirts on little halter dresses strewn with sequins and beads and more baseball caps to go with it all. It had a more grunge feeling then last season. The biggest surprise however, was Naomi Campbell who closed the show.

 

Giorgio Armani Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

Giorgio Armani called his fall-collection ‘Easy Chic’. The refined tailoring stood for chic, the flat shoes for ease. The clothes pointed to menswear, but were designed with a light hand. Every outfit was topped off by a fedora, and vibrant orange and fuchsia ran throughout. Armani opened with sleek gray combinations and suits with tops in solid colors or graphic prints. He then moved to light pieces over  man-tailored shorts. Skirts were cut for ease of movement. The mix of all kinds of  textures and weights kept it interesting.

Dsquared Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

It’s the dream of any teenage girl; going to her prom in a designer dress. A prom dress designed by Dean and Dan from Dsquared might not be her first option, but the duo sure proved they know how to stage a prom show, including disco balls and a live band.

Their high school prom designs were pretty much everyday clothes. Like cropped trousers combined with leather jackets. Or croc leather pencil skirts worn with mohair sweaters. And those camel colored pants mixed with a denim jacket. Or that toggle coat with leopard collar worn with a check shirt and tight jeans.

Like always at Dsquared the styling was playful and casual. Bright shades of green, pink, purple and yellow alternated each other in goofy streetwise looks topped off by eye-catching accessories.

Models had big sixties hair, pointed glasses, chunky necklaces, funky (odd-fitting) hats and big brooches. Some of them even smoked on the runway, as if to emphasize the rebellion/youthful aspect of the show and the collection.

The show was closed by a couple of ballgowns, but even those weren’t all too serious. But never mind if their outfits matched with the dresscode or not; never a dull moment with these Dsquared high school girls

 

 

 

Aquilano & Rimondi Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

The Aquilan & Rimondi show had a royal vibe. Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi’s inspiration was a mix  of Marie Antoinette and the holy women  in Italian Baroque paintings. That led to dresses buttoned up to the chin revealing a bare back view, Maltese cross patterns, a minimalist and strict silhouette, lots of dark red, purple, midnight blue and black. The designers were at their most convincing when they gave that Gothic vein free rein.

Versus Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2012

For fall 2012 Donatella Versace and Christopher Kane took us to Camden, an area in London where punk and grunge come together. They brought us to a small alley with a brick wall and wet street. It was the right setting for their fashion show, ‘cause if the collection was anything, it was streetwise.

Rebellious, tough, angry, modern girls (as Christopher put it) appeared in looks that were all slightly off balance. T-shirts were slashed to ribbons, dresses were held together with black leather lacing, mid thigh high boots and lots of tie-dyed items formed the finale of the show.

The clothes looked original and fun and will definitely appeal to the London youth. Also the color palette (from red, to blue, pink and green) seemed fresh and funky. Don’t those red leather pants just have to be worn in a cool city night club? And wouldn’t the tie-dye dresses be perfect for a day at Glastonbury? This Versus collection most become a hit. Or at least the London crowd will love it.

 

 

 

Sportmax Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

An old skool hip hop mix of Busta Rhymes tunes and Missy Eliot raps awaited us at Sportmax this afternoon. An up beat vibe to emphasis the youthfulness of this sporty collection.

Structured looks made out of technical materials breathed an urban style. 3D materials created a beautiful graphic silhouette, while zipper details and athletic lines accentuated the sporty touch.

Quiltd Nylon, padded embroideries and techno-matelasse might not be the most feminine materials for a womenswear collection. Yet thanks to the use of micro sequins, metallic snaps and decorative jacquards the looks were still graceful and classy.

With sport details being a huge trend this collection will be a definite hit. Especially the deep purple designs, introduced at the end of the show, are bound to be the best selling pieces for upcoming fall.

Etro Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

At Etro a traditional autumn palette set the tone of a collection full of outerwear and gentle country-life clothes plus lots of knits. Jackets and coats were belted and sometimes topped with  astrakhan capelets. Special details were leather peplum belts, men’s-inspired swaggers, sheer underpinnings and a some body-conscious silhouettes.
Of course there was the famous paisley-pattern, modern and sometimes exploding.

Moschino Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Highly accessorized, lots of black and white and uniform inspired; that’s how you could describe the last couple of Moschino collections and today’s version was no exception.

Models wore double breasted jackets and short playful dresses. Looks came in black, white, red, yellow and blue, some stripes and checks added to the mix.

There was an awful lot of leg at sight for a winter collection.Yet Jardini (sort of) made up for that by placing hats and ostrich feather helmets on the models’ heads. Together with the chunky earrings, huge bows and multi-pocket hip bags they made up for the highly accessorized part of the brand’s signature.

It was a Moschino show like you would expect it to be. Though with the ski / motor pants, dropped waists, quilted coats and shiny capes we spotted some pleasant new season surprises as well.

Dennis Diem & Said Mahrouf Frontrow Catwalk Fashion Show Amsterdam FW2012

Who sat next to whom at Dennis Diem and Said Mahrouf?

Check out the front row of the last Amsterdam Fashion Week shows below.

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