First View Paris Womenswear SS2014: Free Style

Rebooted feminism is not limited to the region of Milan. Where Prada touched on tribal influences to visualise the buy levitra american pharmacy power of women, we see also Céline reflecting on this topic. Subtle acts of rebellion as well as strong statements, yet all in sophisticates aesthetics that make happy, breath freedom and inspire.

Céline gives power and women a face with slaps of tribal brushwork on bold tunics. Free and easy with slashing, painterly strokes in primary shades, the bold matched with fluid fabric experiments. Where the Céline women are tough and tribal – Issey Myake’s power story comes in shouting COLOUR. Poppy neon-brights suggest sparks of vibrant daylight in all its intense gradations from dawn to dusk; His theme is light – starlight, moonlight, and sunlight.

Raf Simons laid a primrose path for his models through a pretty jungle-dense garden of real and fake plants. Lovely garments with respect for the classic where spiced with a whiff of toxic poison; Fluo patterns and bold quotes.   Givenchy combined the fragility of Japan and the draping of Africa in kimono-infected suits and filmy stretch jersey dresses.

The upbeat rebellion of fashion tribes.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View Milan Womenswear FW2013: Film Noir

Where fashion is more and more about garments and less about obvious trends that break with previous seasons, here we DO have a trend. It is back to the 40’s with a Film Noir twist. Not that we haven’t been there before. But here it is invigorated with a refreshing raw edge. Refined and elegant, sexy as well as romantic, revealing bits of darkness and gloom.

Miuccia Prada launched her exercise in fashion as cinema. She stages stories of woman and life. ‘Who cares about the dress?’ was her genius quote on Style.com. That is such a meaningful sentence. It is the emotion surrounding the garments that counts and nothing can light up the fire as powerful music and a filmic set.

Nevertheless this was all about lovely lean tailoring, extremely luxurious in desirable fabrics. Beautiful garments as cabans, peplum jackets and hourglass dresses with exaggerated hips. Tailleurs, fishnets and gloves to match with long curvaceous skirts.

Prada referenced Film Noir. She staged the obsessions and passions she shares with both David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock.

Gucci was darker; adding austerity, vigor and fetish. An ode to craft, embellishing power women and femmes fatales. Dsquared² dived deep into the 40’s with curvy skirt suits and shapely double-breasted jackets. All very costumy and posed.

Let’s make movies!

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View New York Womenswear SS2013: Patchwork

Patchwork Part 1

A patchwork parade of energetic pieces and brave design experiments. Collage couture with an edgy urban cool factor in acid and surfer brights with jet black and silver grey.  Eye-popping textures are alternated with slick sheen and metallic shimmer, fluidity with chunky, sculptural textiles.

Proenza Schouler shows experimental mixes of plains with perforated, bonded, laser cut and crocheted surfaces. Mixed with diagonally stitched strips of digital print. Diane von Furstenberg is faithful to her hippy deluxe, flirty fashion. Kaftans, wrap skirts, jodhpurs are all worn in layers. Rodarte shows collages of guipure, jacquard, jewellery and panels of printed silk.

In this print parade and mix mesh of textures there is a common vibe, which binds together a large variety of designers. But underneath this collage of design experiments we recognize the roots well planted by Balenciaga, exploring the interaction between technology and craft.

Patchwork Part 2

Cool is THE word reviewing NY fashion week. Street-y cool, retro cool, ragtag cool, hippie cool are all synonyms used by Style.com for the Peter Som collection. Yet these cover a whole generation of designs, showing oh-so-sweet looks with bohemian flavor. Icons of romance and nostalgia; puffed sleeves, frills, flounces and gatherings, receive an infusion of cool through mad mixing, digital printing, weird cutting and pasting and piling contrasting layers in different proportions.

A print parade of classics as well as digital re-editions.

Marc by Marc Jacobs shows a mix mesh of patterns all brought together with fun, flair and bravery. Phillip Lim makes street-wise collages of patterns and plains. Peter Som adds a cool twist to traditional retro where Rebecca Minkoff mixes young and sexy with bon-vivant, grandma-chic.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

 

First View New York Womenswear SS2013: Optical Illusions

This is fashion’s new  season range of great looking, shape-shifting garments.

Marc Jacobs surprised with a ravishing revival of the swinging 60s. Reminding us of Andy Warhol and his Factory. Reviving the fresh looks of It girls Edie Sedgwick and Peggy Moffitt, both icons of New York cool.

Marc Jacobs played games with graphics in looks that are playful and upbeat, cartoonish and sexy. Adding modern twist, fresh swirl and a crispness that leaves no room for nostalgic sentiments. Optical illusions in neat dazzling stripes and a white variety of geometrics here in a stripy lower then low slung skirt and a jumpsuit with bold bended block stripes. Alex Wang showed boxy, fragmented outfits; cut and slashed in seemingly loose and mysteriously floating bits and pieces. Lacoste goes racy in a sexy cut out dress that plays with contours and proportions.

Fantastic entertainment thanks to the right mix of fashion magic, genius and artisanship.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View New York Womenswear SS2013: Workwear

The workwear-theme is a direction that is going to fly at retail. Uptown clothing with slight hints of couture sensibility, fueled with a youthful vibe. Wearable clothes with an almost unfinished looseness designed for the freedom of movement. Altuzarra introduces a cape-jacket featuring sleeves with air vents. We are all pretty sure that this will be one of the most copied attributes coming seasons. From neat, upbeat authentics, twisted traditional bikers to cut-up, nonlinear patchworks, it is all about tough versus tender, showing bold square and male outlines that are nipped at the waist, schoolgirl short, crisp white collared and even showing hints of lace trimming

Altuzarra buckles up as well as buttons down which makes an exiting contrast, where Rag & Bone shows Victorians on Safari, spicing biker classics with sweet romance. The Sahara shaded Belstaff collection shows the sensual side of its motor-cross heritage.

And there is more, from the hooded tent-dresses of Yigal Azrouel to the patchwork denims and shredded khakis of Phillip Lim. All extremely shoppable.

First View New York ss2012: Tribal

Urban tribes stride the catwalk. Each designer driven by personal inspirations and motivations. ‘Afriluxe’ states Michael Kors, a more minimal tribal turn for BCBG, Haiti influenced Donna Karan where Proenza Schouler designers followed their feel for crafts. Roomy tunics, slouchy shifts and rompy sweaters shape this decorative and laid back look. Brush stroke prints, dip-dyed patterns in a Haitian inspired colour palette; earthy shades and shots with burning orange, deep purple, golden ochre and sea green. Superior craftsmanship is shown in beaded patterns, raffia weaves and tie-dye, batik and ikat patterns. From precise and traditional folk interpretations to expressive, graphic and large-scale tribal twists.

This third ‘Stylespot’, analysing the New York catwalks, is one more proof of the power of print.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

Round Up Paris FW2011

There was nothing girly on the catwalks in Paris during the fall 2011-presentations. In fact, it was a very mature look: elegant, dressed-up and in control. Collections that moved from 30’s to 60’s. Strict tailoring created sober and understated silhouettes and the bold sculpturing reminded us more then once of former Balenciaga collections. Apart from these ‘heritage collections’ with their disciplined sobriety there was sheer doom and gloom. As if Paris sensed darker emotions this season compared to New York, Milan and London. We were delighted to meet sudden touches of glam, an unexpected hint of glitter, adventurous flashes of plastic and a single humorous touch.

GEOMETRIC

Lot’s of graphic, androgynous suiting plus black and white blocking. YSL fused rigorous elegance to masculine flair.

HAUTE BOURGEOIS

Prim suits and proper coordinates. Miu Miu more elegant then ever which confirmed the trend for a more grown up and dressed up look.

SOBRIETY: Minimalism to be continued. Precious sober looks, precise, careful and well balanced.

MINIMALISM

At Celine – where sobriety was conceived, there was this constant feel for minimalism: understated sensible shapes that made her simple fur coats look extravagant. She signs for another season of flawless and streamlined urban uniform dressing.

MODERN GLAM

The look that inspired us most. Where doom and gloom, from grunge to Goth, proved itself as a genuine Paris catwalk trend, Haider Ackerman turned it into a feasible and desirable inspiration. Glamorous in precious jewel shades, wrapped and draped generously in fluid silks.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.

Team Peter Stigter teams up with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

We are very proud to announce that with the start of fashion-season  FW2011 we will collaborate with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.  The team of this renowned trend- and forecasting-bureau – founded and supervised by Anne Marie Commandeur – will provide you with their fresh vision on the trends that will appear during the international fashion-shows. In the video Anne Marie Commandeur will tell you all about what to expect.

Stijlinstituut Amsterdam will give you their First View’s on what’s happening at the catwalks, a Round Up at the end of every fashionweek and in depth backround on the most important trends & influences for FW2011. Keep an eye on the blog and our pink Stylespot by Stijlinstituut Amsterdam during the coming fashion-weeks! And please let us know what you think.