Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Tony Cohen FW2011

Tony Cohen usually presents his new collection during New York Fashion Week, yet this year he decided to give a fashion show in Amsterdam. ‘One of the new owners of the Amsterdam International Fashion Week is a friend of mine, that’s the main reason I will be present. I also think it will be great for my friends and family to finally attend one of my shows’, Tony told us.

His new collection was inspired by the couture of the sixties. ‘Especially some of my new jackets were inspired by that period. Yet we also looked at Gugenheim for all the different materials and textures. You’ll definitely see those textures in the collection too, as well as very fluent shapes.’

While Tony usually works a lot with asymmetry in his collections, that’s not the case right now. ‘The silhouette is very clean and straight this time, therefore the collection feels more classic than usual, yet it still has a very modern twist.’

Tony used a lot of ‘muted tones’ for fall, like black, grey, taupe, red, deep purple, gold and copper. His fabrics range from wool to silk, lammy, leather, Japanese polyester and handmade fabrics. The music for Tony’s show will be a mix of music by Thom Yorke, Massive Attack and God is an Astronaut.

‘We still have to do a lot of work. Many designs of the 30 looks have handmade details like embroideries and handmade pleats, so they take some time. If I had to describe the collection in one word I would therefore call it detailed’, Tony says.

With one week left till the fashion show and still a lot of activities abroad Tony already predicts he’ll be working the night before the show: ‘We only start putting everything together next Saturday, so it will be hectic, but fun.’

Photography: Jeannette Huisman@Team Peter Stigter

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Louis Vuitton-collection was a pitch dark one, with lots of black, dark-blue, brown and highlighted by off-white and the brightest of red. The silhouette was rather straight and sometimes the waist was accentuated with a belt or ribbon tied around it. It seemed designer Paul Helbers played with the volumes of a down jacket, textures of velvet, leather and fur, the mix of formal with informal. The coat played a big part in this collection, from kimono-inspired to parka. Different fabrics used in one item gave a contemporary look, the shiny and sharp body-warmers had the look of body armor. Luckily the red and white flowing fabrics like silk added some air into the rather strict and sober collection.

Viktor & Rolf Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

It seemed the Viktor & Rolf Monsieur winter collection 2011 was sampled as if it was a normal dayroutine starting with  a man in his homewear, a gray combination of a sweater and a slim jersey sportspants/longjohn, followed by a man in white undies and a shirt and ending by a man dressed in a bomber-jacket covering his smoking. In between the designers presented everything a men’s wardrobe should contain during the day and eveninghours: a comfy cardigan, a lammy jacket, a trenchcoat, a good knit and a few nice looking suits in black, gray or even red. Having those basics a man can vary as much as he can. He can even wear his longjohn with a dressy jacket or let his shirt peep out.  It gave the rather serious and formal looking clothes a more informal character.

Amsterdam International Fashion Week Preview: Marloes Blaas FW2011

In less than a week the Amsterdam International Fashion Week will start. So to get you in the right mood for all the great Dutch fashion you’re going to see next week, we will present you some previews of the collections of several Dutch designers. Today we tell you everything about the new collection of Marloes Blaas, which she will show on Friday the 28^th of January. After having showed in the Machinegebouw last year Marloes is now showing in the bigger space, Zuiveringshal West.

For her fall/winter collection Marloes Blaas was inspired by the forties. She looked at the women working in factories (such as Rosie de Riveter), wanting to be independent. ‘Those women in the forties had to work really hard, to rebuild their country but also their families. Therefore I chose those strong women as my inspiration’, Marloes told us.

Marloes’ collection will exist of 20 different looks. ‘The collection starts with the aftermath of the War. You’ll see designs made of army tents and heavy knitwear. Then the collection turns from heavy to more feminine. You, for instance, see waist skirts. The show will end with some light, airy clothing’, she says.

Because people in the forties didn’t have a lot of money, they recycled their materials and knitted a lot of the clothes themselves. Marloes copied that example and also used old materials for her new designs. ‘I made a cape of army tents and I used old maps, printed on silk, as a fabric too. I’m lucky to have a friend who’s family business is specialized in items from the second world war. He is always on the look for objects and materials I might be able to use in my collections.’

In line with Marloes’ inspiration for the collection the colors will not be very bright. Marloes: ‘I worked a lot with army green and earthly colors, yet I also added shades of ocher, red and purple. Towards the end I show some white, some cream and a very light shaded type of denim. The old map is one of my prints and I added a slanting check print too.’

Overall the collection will definitely be very wintery. Fabrics will be heavy and many looks will be layered. Real winter-items in the collection will be leather overalls, pants and jackets. Marloes: ‘My favorite look is a cape with many different knitted parts and a collar made of army tent pieces.’

Marloes predicts: ‘Next year’s musthaves will be: knitted cardigans and clothes made from leather. I used a lot of leather in my collection as well.’

Marloes is almost finished with her collection (models & shoes for the show are all taken care of) and together with her boyfriend she’s working on the music for the show. We’re already fond of the story behind her collection, so we can’t wait to see what it will eventually look like.

Photographer: Jeannette Huisman@Team Peter Stigter

Mugler Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

On Wednesday night we witnessed the rebirth of fashion label Thierry Mugler. Not only because the new creative director Nicole Formichetti debuted his first collection for the label. But also cause as of today the label is called just ‘Mugler’ (incl. a brand new logo).

Many came to witness Nicola Formichetti’s debut collection for Mugler, while Formichetti has been responsible for many of Lady Gaga’s looks (he was her stylist). Of course everyone was hoping the diva would turn up herself, but she was nowhere to be found. We did hear her brand new song playing during the fashion show, though. Gaga was even mentioned as the ‘musical director of this menswear project’ in Mugler’s show notes.

On his debut collection Formichetti worked together with Romain Kremer (who already worked for the brand before) and together they did one hell of a job. The show was full of daring menswear, like extremely wide and padded trousers, long (sometimes belted) jackets and tops revealing the mens’ bellies. Not to mention all the latex and the extreme tattoos, masks and make-up the models had on; very scary!

Shades of blue, black and olive green passed by as well as a bright orange color.  Towards the end of the show the models wore some kind of transparent veils over their heads. It looked scary and crazy, but at least they had fun with it.

Now let’s hope Formichetti will be as successful at Mugler as he was with Gaga and the label is back in business!

Alexander McQueen Catwalk Fashion Show FW2011

Dirk Bikkembergs Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011

D&G Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011

Oh life is good and full of fun in the world of the D&G man. Despite it’s highly commercial level and copy & paste of all American logo’s and comics it was a breath of fresh air. Fashion has to be fun too, no? Especially after the dark years that are behind us now and the serious search of other labels for a new look and a new dresscode.

D&G let the sunshine in with their colorful, low crotch, small legged pants, copy/paste T-shirts with the Coca Cola logo and Disney-comics and preppy jackets and shirts. It seemed the American Fifties college-nerd inspired the designers for this mix and match of checks, prints, fits and proportions. It looked fresh and new thanks to the new proportions, shrunken wool knitwear, corduroy and padded nylon.

Gucci Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011

The metropolitan dandy was Frida Giannini’s muse for the fall 2011 Gucci menswear-collection. And how vain this dandy is, in his 70’s inspired impeccable suit in all tones of brown & grays worn with a purple or blue shirt and matching tie, polished shoes, ostrich-leather coat and slick hair. He even has his own clutch now, big enough to protect his daily newspaper ! (how old fashioned with the iPad in town).

The Gucci-man is still a playboy and will probably never ever become a dull housefather. Even during the weekend he looks like’s been studying every part of his outfit carefully. From the mohair sweater to the big, sheepskin coat and ribcord hunting-jacket. And please let him be, because besides the new intellectual in his HD-colored clothes we also need the naughty handsome playboy in his sensual, slick suit to balance it all out and keep us women dreaming.

Moncler Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011

Thom Browne did it again for Moncler. The US-based designer favors big shows in big spaces al orchestrated with military precision and tyhis time he chose an arena for his hunting-theme collection. Unfortunately for him you cannot orchestrate Beagles the way you do humans, so  the animals brought some life and laugh to the presentation. The collection itse;f consisted of long (waxed) coats in black and green, bodywarmers, colorful turtlenecks and checks for pants.

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