Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Raf Simons used all kinds of fabric to give his pitch black-collection for Jil Sander the right edge. On a black rubber runway and before a graffiti-stained door he sent out his darkest of dark collections. There was black leather and industrial-age fabrics glistening like wet asphalt to give archetypal male cliches like the businessman, the father, the office nerd an unbelievable and dangerous power.

The collection looked formal with handsome greatcoats, sculpted suits with seamed backs, and pristine shirts and ties. Simons played with proportions, from pencil slim to voluminous and flaring. Longer line coats, either tight or hanging straight, were a major statement.

Accessory of the season will definitely be the Jil Sander lunch-bag shaped leather goods. Sailor-suit flaps with prints of child-like motifs of whales, dinosaurs and fish gave it all a lighter attitude. Simons definitely set the tone for a new fall-season.

An no, no news about Christian Dior yet.

Claes Iversen Catwalk Fashion Show ss2012

After having traveled through all four fashion capitals in the past few weeks, last night the fashion circus arrived at it’s final destination: Amsterdam. It was Claes Iversen’s show which brought Dutch celebs and fashion professionals together at Zuidpark on Thursday evening.

Inspired by a small group of women, who seem to have everything in the world Claes came up with a whole lot of elegant dresses, duo colored pants, sheer skirts and detailed blouses.

Crosses seemed a big theme in the show, in which models walked on a cross-shaped catwalk. They were used as embroideries on skirts, short jackets and long evening dresses, varying in shape and color.

A poppy print (in white and orange/red) was used in many of the couture-like designs as well. It beautifully mixed in with the rest of the color palette (many whites, cardinal, cyon).

Huge (filled) shoulders and large bows (on the models’ chests) gave the designs a more structured look.

Going through Claes’ Tweets of the past few weeks we learned not everything in the design process went as smoothly as the designer had hoped. But on Thursday night, when everything just came together, there was no sign of all of that. I was just a perfect presentation of a graceful, beautifully made and positive spring/summer collection.

 

 

Miu Miu Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

The Miu Miu show opened with a confusing series of clothes that reminded of schooluniforms, drabby colors, basis skirts and shirts. Was this the same Miucca Prada who’d sent out this strong, and happy collection two weeks ago in Milan? But it was part of the show, which build the collection slowly, piece by piece, fabric by fabric, color by color.

The schooluniform was the basis (A-line silhouette, simple shirts), color, lace, frivolous accessories added along the way more festivity to the clothes. Like Cinderella getting ready for the ball.

Louis Vuitton’s Fashion Fairytale

Chanel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

It was a poetic Chanel-show. Especially after the dark, gloomy autumn show half a year ago. Is Karl Lagerfeld looking at the bright side of life again? His imaginary underwater world surely made the audience forget there is a serious financial crisis going on in the real world.

Lagerfeld changed the typical commercial and somewhat safe Chanel-look into a sporty one, with silver shoes, conch-shaped heels, a stripped Chanel-suit where the chains were replaced by pearls and he introduced modern fabrics, like the transparent plastic jacket over a swimsuit. For evening there we light lacy and mesh dresses. It was amazing what he did with his element of inspiration, the pearl – one of the Chanel-icons. Not only the colors, also the way fabrics looked, the accessories, the make up.

Florence Welch was the guest-performer, hidden in a gigantic shell where she sang her siren-song. Mysterious and magical.

Viktor & Rolf Backstage Catwalk Paris SS12

Dolls inspired the Dutch fashion duo for their spring summer 2012 collection. And for a hair and make-up artist there is no better job than transforming models into modern barbie dolls. And what a beautiful clothes they were wearing! Barbie must have been jealous.

Chloe Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

That was a light-hearted and feminine first Chloe-collection of Clare Waight Keller. The British designer just came from Pringle of Scotland and made a big change crossing the Channel.

She said to the press she wanted ‘a sense of ease and femininity’ in her collection, and she succeeded. She even used elements Karl Lagerfeld introduced during his time at Chloe, not only the prints but also embroideries. Keller took the flower-prints and put them at the sides of white pants and shorts or all over a white blouse.

Pleats, a major trend in the European collections, were a key element and gave the collection an appealing attitude. The show opened with  long, flowing dresses, where the over-dyed pleats looked like sunrays. There were boyish elements too, like wide shorts and trousers, and sheer dresses shaped like dungarees and worn over a tunic.

Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

The collection Stella McCartney sent out this morning was a fusion of sportswear, femininity and comfort. Vitality, relax and baroque were the keywords. The last balanced out the collection, since one of the main motifs was curling embroideries that edged the scalloped hems of miniskirts and the lapels on blazers. This neo-Baroque element gave the collection,  which was divided into tank dresses and tailoring, an elegant touch.

The tankdresses were short and formfitting. They came in combinations of white, black and cobalt blue. McCartney’s signature men’s wear looked fresh in white bonded materials, a clean-lined baseball jacket will surely be a hit.

The second half of the show introduced mini-prints and paisleys, shown on tailored jumpsuits and men’s pyjama looks. The prints came back at  little dresses, sometimes with a shot of color or with mesh insets.

Hermès Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

For spring 2012 Christophe Lemaire combined the most beautiful silhouettes, colors and materials together in his Hermès looks. His RTW-collection was looked serene and comfortable. Long, loose tunics and caftans in cream and orange like shades set the mood for the show.

They were followed by fully buttoned blazers, tops with standing collars, printed and asymmetric dresses with kimono sleeves. Models wore those with headbands, scarfs, bold bangs, simple golden necklaces and gorgeous leather bags (of course!).

Sexy was not the right word for the collection, but the models sure as hell looked confident. And we see absolutely no reason for them not to do so. It was a perfect, slightly Asian-inspired, show with clothes women will actually be able to wear.

Céline Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

You can’t avoid Céline these days in Paris. Not in the streets, not in the shops – the new minimalism Phoebe Philo preaches inspired lots of people and made women reconsider their garderobe and make new choices. The collection she sent out this morning pushed the boundaries of simply elegant again. This time Phoebe Philo added a touch of militarism and workwear to the clothes.

The grid was formed by wide pants -ankle-height -, pleated skirts, battledresses and longer jackets with large pockets both tied wit a big belt and dresses that reminded of a nurse in gone-by times. The collection breathed moderism in every stitch but had an invisible Forties touch. White was the main color, followed by brown and dark green, one part had flashes of red.

There were Philo’s signature leather structured tops, sweaters, T-shirts and tunics with a longer length at the back. They added a feminine touch to the straight pants and mixed very well with the pleated skirts. Balck suede shoes had high platforms – sometimes in contrasting color -, round toes and big straps.

 

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