The Big Round Up Womenswear FW2014, Part 1

As always we where overwhelmed with the flood of fashion beauty and material excellence coming over us during the global fashion weeks.

There was this continuous feel for sobriety, for real clothes and a new found spirit for informality motivated by utilitarian inspirations. Lot’s of chic citywear icons where given the sporty treatment. The best windbreaker, the most comfortable puff jacket, the most perfect trouser fit. Between those masses of garments some were excellent in their normality, perfect in execution, amazing in materiality. Supreme touch, perfect drape, etc. Technology is helping here and making top tailoring more accessible, performing textiles more sensual and expressive fashion textiles more functional.

Between those real clothes to please us, very close to what woman desire to wear instantly, we did spot some true fashion statements. In percentage not that many, but nevertheless there. Found mostly in expressive materials, holographic coatings, laminations, cuts, fringes, 3D embellishment and eye-catching patterns. Where past seasons were strong on craft we now sense a steady shift towards technology.

Then there is this big (in many ways) offering of the cosy and comfortable. We nearly dare to mention a return of the feel for cocooning. All about enveloping, embracing, sheltering and protecting. Wrapped in plaids, down blankets, furs, felt ponchos and most of all in knits.

Knits where everywhere this season. For separate items as well as total looks. Haider Ackermann uses them long, lean and liquid. Balenciaga is among the designers who experiment by laminating bulky knits; others just cut it as woven material, where many, as The Row, find excellence by use of precious fibre – cashmere has never been that big.

Where we expected previous season a future for narrative sets and spectacular venues this was limited to few. The stupendous supermarket setting of Chanel was the talk of the season, he vacuum-packed his bags where Iris van Herpen left her audience in awe by vacuum-packing her models. Both raised a manifest on consumerism, in Chanel’s case this is likely to be rather ironic. Political or social statements where hardly done. Fashion is where it used to be, fur is back bigger than ever without any thought or comment, quotes were there for a season in summer, but were empty phrases appliquéd on garments as decoration. Now the message was femininity, desire and being beautiful. Back to the core business of fashion.

In general it seems that designers very much care for how women feel, what a girl wants, how fashion makes them feel beautiful. Fall 2014 catwalk season was much more about the exploration of women’s fashion desires then about pushing designers signature looks.
Cherchez la femme!

URBAN TECH

(Alexander Wang, Prada, Christian Wijnants, Balenciaga, Miu Miu)

Outdoor and urban sportswear never looked that glamorous. Alexander Wang showed utilitarian city wear in experimental tech textiles, Prada staged a boxy shearling in mirroring gold. Silver foil jackets at Christian Wijnants cover tech double knit shorts and Alexander Wang laminated cabled knit monty’s to cover chain knit skirts. Miu Miu uplifted normality by adding hologram gloss to quilted shirt jackets.

 

INTER-GALACTIC ROYALTY

(Rodarte, Moschino, Thom Browne, Dolce & Gabanna, Etro)

Bumping into a Princess Leia look-a-like at Rodarte we realized that Starwars is still making waves. Jeremy Scott explored junk culture for Moschino and came up with the bright, brash and ingenious staging their urban princess, Thom Browne evoked the ecclesiastical and went for the sublime, it where king’s that inspired Dolce & Gabanna to dress up this princess, she is showing us the key towards success. Veronica Etro met her royalty during a trip down the Silk Road.

KNIT IT

(Yohji Yamamoto, Céline, The Row, Céline)

Knit is big in all senses. Impressive knit volumes – soft, bulky and warm at Yohji Yamamoto. Sensuality and tenderness is what drove Phoebe Philo towards her all knit wardrobes for Céline. Instant luxury is what the models must have felt when The Row covered them in these super-size double face cashmere knits. Simple, still and ultimately comfortable.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

First View Paris Womenswear FW2014: Fearless

A fearless mash-up of fashion tribes, fetish dolls, couture fascination, safari chic and hip-hop style. What binds these collections it the extraordinary level of artisanship. These designers quote freely from their personal oeuvre and find ways to mix these with fresh tempting inspirations without loosing their identity.
Rick Owens stages his family tribes in futuristic war costumes. This silhouette actually being one of the single patterned items he showed, reminiscent of Star Wars snow patrols. Wearing slick leather pants, super power bracelets and protective funnel neck collars
Yohji shows us power dolls wrapped in densely padded pillows. Soft cocooning stealth-wear, fantastically trippy in happy handprints.
Raf Simons arms Christian Dior models with couture. Power dressing in layered vibrancy, linking seemingly endless side splits with embroidered decorations, rewriting the secret codes of couture.
Balmain’s designer Olivier Rousteing dresses his global army of freedom in a dramatic, military-turned-tribal collection. Here with optical leather weave wrap skirt topped with an electric pop of red lamb’s fur.
A story of love (to quote Rick Owens) – love for fashion.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

First View Paris Womenswear FW2014: Rave!

Great to see some power and vibrancy coming to stage. Where glamour, sportswear and technology meet, energy sparks and flickers. Demure, slightly unhinged optical illusions and psychedelic swirl in hybrid cloths coming straight from the fashion laboratory. With swirling spirals, mish meshed two-dimensional flowers – all flavoured with unexpected elegance.
Dries van Noten is inspired by Bridget Riley, an English painter who is one of the foremost exponents of Op art. The most optical and delirious patterns where inspired by her works, that had a disorienting physical effect on the eye. This art part being whole-heartedly alternated with true fashion icons – as brilliant flat flowers, supersize 3-D corsages and chic sliver shoes.
At Balenciaga texture is the story. Referencing American sportswear in a playful and experimental way. Re-imagined cabled knits are laminated with latex and bonded with leather. Hefty zippers crisscross jackets and pants.
Fashion with a bold, cartoonish edge and a healthy touch of humor.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

First View Milan Womenswear Fw2014: Avant Garde

Where other designers stage fashion, Prada treats us on tales and inspirations. A holistic experience, theatrical performance, and an inspirational happening. As always firm-rooted in cultural heritage she reflects on Germany’s cultural avant-garde and the oeuvre of director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

It was a scenery flooding with vibrating contrasts – black, gold and furious red – transparency and opaque – veils and shearlings – matt and shimmer.

Deco-influenced patterns and silver trimmings among others at Prada. Bold gold-fringed starlets at Just Cavalli, corsage accessorized furs covering veils at Fendi and constructivist shearlings covering slink sheer shifts at Prada.

Inspired by Fassbinder’s love for culture and telling a story, he also showed her the darker sides of life. She mused on the opposite of rich, the doom and gloom of glam and casted sensual and eccentric she-devils wearing Prada.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View Milan Womenswear FW2014: Touch me Feel Me

 

The FENDI show, by Karl Lagerfeld, opened with fitted dresses erupting into tufts of fur at their seams. Lagerfeld punned that the effect was a “fur escape”. No escape though when it comes to fur this season. Puzzled we are spotting the overwhelming flood of critique-less fur. Gone are the days of manifest, consideration and reflection. Strong felt when it comes to the multidisciplinary, industrial and less known fashion designers of this era, so little when it comes to the globes powerful fashion stages.

Hairy surfaces are favoured and savoured in many ways this season. The superior quality of Italian craftsmanship demonstrated in pixel patch-working puff and fluff at Fendi. Strolling the Highlands in Max

Mara’s discreet and natural precious knits. Where Just Cavalli rocks in rich tapestry brocades and manipulated hair and fluff patterns.

‘Violets for Your Furs’ was the Billie Holiday’s song that inspired Lagerfeld – cold comfort for our furry friends.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

First View Milan Womenswear FW2014: Soft Spo(r)t

Here the accessible side of fashion on show during fashion week Milan. Soft touch comfy wear with a sporty esprit in plain and simple near-traditional shapes. Parka’s, trenches and woollen shirt-dresses reflect the spirit of the 60s neat and polite society, as exclaimed by Gucci. Orderly details and subtly shifted proportions, jut raising or lowering the waistlines. In sophisticated off-color-combinations that add that contemporary touch so much needed to trigger the desire-and-buy-me-machine.
Just Cavalli in general went for the hairy fluff, but here he wrapped his model in snug short shearling in a pretty pale pastel. At Fendi zippered skirts and parka’s, sporty as well as romantic, with tufts of fur on luxurious casual coats. And also Gucci tapped into the casual side of its heritage, with smart double-breasted coats, short high-waisted dresses in sugary macaron-shaded and faded pastels. To quote Suzy Menkes for NYTimes: ‘All good and luxurious stuff’.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

First View Milan Womenswear SS2014: Exotic Work Out

“Ethereal physicality” is how ms. Giannini, designer of Gucci, outlines her glam sports collection. Sporty vibes mix seamlessly well with exotic flora and ornaments inspired by the Orient, Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Undeniable luxury reflected in garments adorned with intricate laser-cut lace patterns, silk jacquards, glowing Lurex, swinging fringe and intricate beading. A festival of pattern in cut, pasted and patched large-scale exotics. Not queued up in this style spot yet nonetheless newsworthy is Missoni  – showing a pastiche of ideas that range from Indian sarongs, Japanese pop songs, volcano prints, seascapes and florals. More exotics at Etro where the family’s signature paisley is splintered, collaged, and mutated with a fresher result, more alive than ever.

Staged in this spot are – Gucci: clearly inspired by Art Nouveau illustrations of Erté, managing to merge exquisite patterning with giant T’s, roomy bombers and silken jogging pants that show relaxed fluidity and breath an undeniable luxury.  Just as Pucci – celebrating gym clothes, showing extreme body confidence and sheer luxury cialis 20mg at the same time. Here Masai embroideries do the trick. Iceberg navigates between spaceship sports-tech and Tokyo where Aquilano & Rimondi belts silky plains as well as decorative supersized florals.

It is sensual, sporty and streetwise.

First View Milan Womenswear SS2014: Living Art

Milan fires up full speed ahead with a number of collections that surprise us with a fresh breath of air and a new found sense of opportunism by taking the route towards modernity and digging deep into the opportunities that striding fabric technology is offering. Without betrayal of heritage, Milan tends to stick to its roots, we witnessed activism and experimentation in silhouettes that where alternately mesmerizing, odd and elegant.
Inspirations range from feminism, arts, folklore and techno crafts, subjects that granted these looks authentic freshness as well as a rich content.
No. 21’s tropical spring outfits, show layered street wear with ornate embroidered gauzes in an edgy arty-crafty spirit. The exceptional work of the couture fur ateliers of Fendi delivered a collection boosting with streamlined modernity inspired by the ‘light and lightness’. Careful bits and pieces of preciously crafted, exceptional materials are artfully clustered. At Just Cavalli one seemed to have bumped into London punks during an inspirational trip to Bhutan. Digital prints, animals spots and handkerchief patterns, all Cavalli icons, where mixed in an iconoclast mix.
The most artistic and storytelling was the viagra pills Prada parade, Miuccia Prada making a feminist statement staging mesmerizing girl gangs dressed in sporty city wear with a strong tribal edge. Energized by mural art inspired graphics and accessorized with rhinestone encrusted brassieres these colourful women spread an air of radicalism. ‘Weirdly beautiful’ as Suzy Menkes mentioned.

Stijlspot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

The Big Round Up Womenswear FW 2013 Part 2

This is the second part of our round up regarding the fall 2013 collections, which focuses on Prints, Fabrics and the designers’ favorite coming season: checks.

CHECK SHOCK

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From left to right: N21, Junya Watanabe, Céline, Jesús Del Pozo, Rag & Bone

A mash up of Scottish tweeds, plaids, checks, Prince of Wales suiting and hounds tooth jacquards. Classic, twisted, cut up, patched or blown up to grandiose proportions. These are definitely all from the now – heritage inspired, college prep, BCBG, archetypal and iconic but reinvigorated – rejuvenating tradition at N21 and Rag & Bone, adding a punk coded sense of rebellion at Junya Watanabe or with artful tailoring at Céline and Jesús Del Pozo. Check marks everywhere!

 

TEXTILE ART

From left to right: Comme des Garçons, Chanel, Hermès, Fendi, Lanvin

Free floating freedom and fun. Cascading swatches of fabrics, rosettes, bows, thick serpentines and bold biomorphic shapes at Comme des Garçons. Rounded flounced belle Époque bustles are a joyful explosion of extravagance at Chanel. Crafted spontaneity at Hermès, fringed skins at Fendi and butterflies appliquéd at Lanvin. All with techno-barbarian enthousiasm. These are exercises in pure texture.

 

PRINT STORY

From left to right: Mary Katrantzou, Rodarte, Tom Ford, Peter Pilotto

Welcome to the catwalk circus. Exalted excess in a cultural cross over ranging from glam, to disco, pop to op and manga to Marvel. Fantastical shadowy landscapes in misty monochromes at Mary Katrantzou and cross-cultural multi ethnic Flash! and Bang! at Tom Ford. The very personal folksy mysticism of Rodarte and the cartoonish verve of Peter Pilotto. We are talking maximalism here!

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

The Big Round Up Womenswear FW 2013 Part 1

Nothing as rewarding as summarizing after a grand series of shows. First of all you just note likeness and all similarities. Starting to pick out the headlines it becomes clear that there is always something really exiting to spot! Same procedure for fall 2013. Next to continuous retrospection there was introspection – designers looking inward to find a personal way of expression and re-finding their personal signature. The ones who did, did not dive into trends, the trodden paths of competition, but sourced for their most intimate inspirations. The happy aftereffect is that we met moments of sincere emotion and passion. The most beautiful quote to conclude this was coming from Miuccia Prada: “Who cares about the dress?” she said, this is about “Stories of women and life,”, Phoebe Philo declared backstage after her show for Céline: “It was coming from a place of emotion and intimacy, something instinctive. There was softness and desire, to create something emotionally engaged.”

Some collections might not have had the shock of the new and many showed that swift notion of the mid-century modern. Most interesting it was when a faint whiff of nostalgia was balanced with nowness. A lingering trend we spotted was the eccentric mixture of nostalgic wallpaper florals, art nouveau, Scottish heritage, Art Deco and Liberty blooms. All simmering in romance.

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The buzz words where: intimate, feminine, elegance and emotion. Not just the collections played their roll. In some cases the interest in settings and sceneries became predominant. The Vuitton show unrolled like a silent movie. The mood was the 1920s, as the models came through each door on the corridor that was the hotel set. An atmosphere just as cinematic was the Film Noir setting at Prada – a spinning ceiling fan, shadows cast by blinds, a woman silhouetted in a doorway, waiting for…? All by means of an artful back projection. Miuccia launched her exercise in fashion as cinema.

Another hot topic was warmth generated by tactile softness. Cuddly, fluffy and sheltering. The number of soft and brushed looks grew steadily during this catwalk season. Especially coats where cuddly and generous in proportion. For some designers softness was the covering theme. Hernandez for Proenza Schouler stated: “It was all just soft, that’s the one word we were thinking about. Softness of form, softness of color, softness of texture.”

To wrap this up we point out that coats took the lead. Generally and globally this item won when it came to presence and quantity as well as quality of design. So passion, warmth, softness and coats. Setting the stage for an ice age!

We picked the frozen cherries for you, straight off the international catwalks in New York, Milan and Paris.

FEMINITY REVEALED

From left to right: Rodarte, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Chloé and Prada

From pure exposure to more subtle revelations – intimacy exposed at Saint Laurent, emerging womanhood at Chloé, modern romance at Rodarte and passionate nostalgia at Vuitton and Prada. Sensuality and emotions unraveled in cinematic atmospheres showed femininity ‘under cover’ – soft lace hidden under long tweed coats, fluffy sweaters came with a slip of a skirt and velvet dresses had a swoop of neckline.

CALM ELEGANCE

From left to right: Jil Sander, Victoria Beckham, Hermès, Rochas, Ports 1961

A true timeless elegance flooded the catwalks at Jil Sander, Victoria Beckham, Hermès, Rochas and Ports 1961. Much more serene, feminine and sensual then the calm sobriety we faced seasons before. All soft and rounded. The skirts flaring just below the knee, showing true elegance in New Look proportions. Jackets elongated and slightly suppressed at the waist and coats – mannish and reassuringly oversize. All breathed calmness with lasting value in an esprit ranging from ‘Bon Chic Bon Genre’ to Film Noir allure. Slow, calm, quiet and with lasting value.

GREY MOOD

From left to right: Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney, Céline, J.W. Anderson, Lacoste

Concrete caught by the fuzz. Grayed-out and foggy marls were key for fall 2013. Brushed mohair, heathery and airy fleeces, compact felts and tarmac shaded double-face and bonded materials. This all added up to strange and sculptural beautiful cloths. Asphalt fleece and mohair knits are paved with iridescence at Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney wrapped her models in pinstripes, where Céline knotted hers in felt touch woolens. Monastic tunics at J.W. Anderson and fossil florals at Ports 1961.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

 

 

 

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