Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring - Summer 2019 i SHOWDETAILS PARIS+LONDON

“In times like this, escape is the only way to stay alive and continue to dream.” So wrote French philosopher and ethologist Henri Laborit in his 1976 essay ‘Éloge de la fuite’. That too was a tumultuous decade with great social upheaval, but the truth is that people have always had a desire to be elsewhere, and especially so in tough times. Over 40 years later, the reasons to escape remain the same although Laborit points out that we escape to move forward, not back. And naturally we like to escape to paradises or mystical places in order to fill the void in our day-to-day lives and make up for what is lacking or, perhaps just to get away from it all. Designers are also escaping or, at least, their…

The fact that many shows are now co-ed could be one of the reasons that so many women’s collections tend to start looking like the men’s, with tailoring being the glue sticking the two genders together. But the truth is that trouser suits still have a certain effect when worn by women, while blazers or overcoats have an elegant and sensual appeal and can even sculpt the body if they are solid and sharply shaped. Like the ones created by Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga, whose coats were moulded with high-tech computer processing. Then came the idea of the smart tailored suit being as comfortable as a tracksuit: the jacket becomes the shirt and soft trousers are made to match. Playing with contrasts, emphasising masculine pieces with feathers, sequins, fringes, floral…

Erano i pieni anni ’70, che avrebbero poi sforato un poco anche negli ’80, e nelle capitali europee aprivano locali che sarebbero diventati club storici, magari di vita breve ma intensa. Un po’ discothèque, un po’ nightclub, segnarono un’epoca, non solo musicale e sociale ma anche di costume, per le mode stravaganti, luccicose, a volte decadenti, altre sessualmente sfrontate. Club come Le Palace di Parigi, che dal ’78 all’83 fu il luogo più alla moda della città, unendo chic parigino e cultura underground da cui Alessandro Michele trae ispirazione per Gucci, scegliendo, non a caso, la capitale francese e proprio il Le Palace come palcoscenico, per abiti couture con spalle e/o maniche voluminose, ricchi di drappeggi, plissé, ruche, paillette, glitter e piume di struzzo, spesso tutto quanto insieme. Richard René…

PARIS October 1, 2018 Alexis Mabille staged his latest presentation on the upper terrace of the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine against the backdrop of a foreboding Paris sky and the Eiffel Tower. The model wore a reflective shield over her face like a giant mirrored sunglass. The intention was to create an atmosphere somewhere between surreal and science-fiction, in clear contrast with the clothes, which spanned daywear to evening dresses in mainly neutral colours interspersed with flashes of bold colour like yellow emphasised against the silky surfaces. Some looks were dominated by shirting stripes, some all over, such as a sleeveless mini-dress or a high-necked little jacket with teardrop opening over a pleated skirt. There were tops and dresses with drop shoulders, white shirts with upturned triangular cut-outs…

PARIS September 27, 2018 From everyday casual to the red carpet - Martin Grant covered all bases. The 22 looks included everything the female wardrobe needs, taking account of seasonal trends, so bright colours alternated with pale neutrals and the glossy surfaces seen on the outerwear and khaki waterproof canvas skirts contrasted clearly with impalpable white tops. Several rather simple dresses and jumpsuits with thin stripes were followed by a series of immaculate total looks ranging from masculine suits with blazers of different lengths to one-shoulder cocktail dresses, which linked up nicely with the evening wear. An asymmetric peach-coloured mini-dress with a layered skirt, a white bustier dress and a long pomegranate dress with maxi-ruches at the waist and a train, which was also shown paired with a red plush…

PARIS October 2, 2018 Don’t let the location for the Tsumori Chisato presentation fool you; it may have been shot along the Sumida River in Tokyo but the main inspiration was a recent river cruise down the Nile. Barring the river theme, such distant and different universes were brought closer together by the designer’s use of bright colours and mainly long, fluid and flared dresses. The surfaces were decorated with pyramids and Egyptian gods, Nile vegetation and hieroglyphs using techniques such as pointillism or delicate embroidery. Pieces that steered clear of the general theme featured sets with bright stripes or checks and airy trousers. Everything was ideal for holidays and travelling, which Chisato will perhaps reference in her next collections. La location fotografica della presentazione di Tsumori Chisato non tragga…

PARIS September 29, 2018 Joseph Altuzarra dubbed his new collection “happy, optimistic, colourful” and so it was. Bright colours and breezy lines celebrated not just the summer but also the Mediterranean and the idea of summer escapism. The first, skin-revealing looks featured little patterned jackets open over a matching bikini and tight skirts with a side split. The bared shoulders on some of those jackets also appeared in dresses with deep necklines and splits, while other looks were crocheted and decorated with shells and charms hanging from rope belts that jangled as the models walked. Evening looks also bared the midriff, with dresses made up of cropped tops and midi skirts covered in floral patterns that later transformed into threedimensional sequin embroidery. Felice, ottimista, colorata”, così voleva la propria collezione…

PARIS September 30, 2018 The latest Balenciaga show was staged in a tunnel bombarded by video images by artist Jon Rafman, who Demna Gvasalia met at Art Basel. As the creative director explained, the collection is based on the concept of giving new elegance to modern clothing, for the new generations especially. High-tech computer processing was used to mould tailoring into sculptural coats with structured shoulders and an emphasised waistline. This is how Gvasalia described it, “It’s like a jogging suit, but it looks super-elegant in shape”. The jacket becomes the shirt and vice versa and the soft trousers are made to match. Short-sleeved shirts were tucked into minis and jeans, with shaped shoulders creating a sort of swelling and the collar lifted to cover the face. They were easier…

PARIS October 2, 2018 A carefree girl walking barefoot on the shores of a tropical beach. Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel show sur la plage created the illusion of being on a beach in central Paris, confirming many designers’ desire for escape towards exotic paradises. This perfectly on-trend theme resulted in clothes, details and accessories that nodded cleverly to pop culture and the new generations, which Lagerfeld seems to know very well. The ’80s were represented with oversize tweed jackets and suits, which this girl loves to steal from her mother’s wardrobe and then pairs with black leggings or cycling shorts. Logos were reiterated on belts, straw hats, necklaces, bracelets and chains, but also on the clothes themselves, as on the cropped white shirt worn by Kaia Gerber. There were also bikinis…

PARIS September 27, 2018 Maria Grazia Chiuri left the May ’68 vibe behind and immersed Dior in the world of ballet, a conceptual world choreographed by Sharon Eyal of Tel Aviv and interpreted by Eyal and eight dancers from her company. To Chiuri, dance is first and foremost about freedom, freedom in approaching the body and, in this case, the Dior silhouette, which is no longer constrained by stiff bodices and fabrics but caressed, for the first time, by jersey, and draped and pleated in diaphanous peplum dresses. Other dresses were in macramé woven with tulle, yet others featured tie-dyed abstract floral prints or feathers and bead embroidery. There were also lots of fishnet knits, skirts and leggings layered over sporty underwear or veiled skirts over equally veiled stirrup pants,…

PARIS October 1, 2018 Giambattista Valli also explored the travel theme, although the Roman designer is no stranger to leading his customers to fantastical destinations, taking them on artistic and even spiritual journeys in search of the self. This time Valli followed John Lennon and Yoko Ono dressed in white on their honeymoon trip to India in 1969, adding personal memories and associations with ’60s and ’70s fashion. The result was a series of mainly white dresses of various styles and lengths, from mini to full-length, tunics that were either smooth or decorated with fringes, ruffles, flounces, ruches and lace, and bib fronts and ethnic embroidery - all paired with chains and hanging stones. There was also an extra-long coat in a branded animal design, gilets, mini-skirts and trousers paired…

PARIS September 26, 2018 The international club scene of the ’80s was the focus for several designers here in Paris. Richard René for Guy Laroche looked to post-club moments in the very early morning in Paris, calling it ‘Shadow and Light’ and resorting to geometric lines accentuated by a dichotomy of black and white. Trouser suits were worn over bare skin and dresses ranging from tunics to sheaths featured contrasting side bands or asymmetric panels, some of which were transparent, resembling hanging, distorted frames against white walls, or vice versa. The show proceeded in the same vein for 35 looks, with little dashes of colour only in the finale, such as the blue of the trim on a black dress, a choker paired with a white suit, or a bra…

PARIS September 27, 2018 Of the many collections looking to escape to exotic, hedonistic destinations, Isabel Marant’s was a trip to familiar territory, i.e. the neo-hippie days of ’80s disco. There were lots of legs on show in slouchy though still knee-high boots and easy pieces with which the designer has exported the idea of French-girl cool around the world. Boho blouses were worn inside high-waist micro shorts, mini-dresses were often one-shouldered with ruches, flounces and ruffles, workwear jumpsuits, embroidered bolero jackets, a profusion of paisley prints and metallic sheen, which matched the silver balloons and shooting stars using to decorate the Tuileries space where the show was staged. Metallic belts and crocheted bags with long fringes completed the look. The brand might want to look to further horizons in…

PARIS September 30, 2018 The suspended, rarefied atmosphere of ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, Peter Weir’s 1975 adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s novel, inspired the new collection from Bill Gaytten for John Galliano, who is already accustomed to handling romantic early last-century moods. If it were not for the combat boots, these young women could easily have fitted in to a young ladies college from another time: high-necked blouses and jackets with puff sleeves, ruched apron-dresses, long Victorianstyle dresses with bows hanging from the collars. But there was no repressed sensuality here, only tactical transparencies that the students of Appleyard College for Young Ladies could have only dreamed of. Lace revealed breasts and knickers and asymmetric hemlines and short slip dresses showed almost all the leg. One item the teachers at the…

PARIS October 2, 2018 Nicolas Ghesquière renewed his Louis Vuitton contract this Spring, which is perhaps why he showed a collection that explored his deepest obsessions, i.e. the futuristic forms of his early work. Beginning with the setting, in the courtyard of the Louvre, where recent Vuitton collections have been staged, everything was about the virtual reality that, according to Ghesquière, we experience through our social media streams and its relationship with real life. The first looks were printed mini-dresses with images of colonies founded on distant planets, with spacesuit-like sleeves, sometimes worn with a blazer with wide pointed lapels or a giletjacket with drawstring-adjustable sleeve length. These were followed by cargo trousers with elastic cuffs or side stirrups paired with blouses and shirts with more very voluminous sleeves, then…

PARIS September 27, 2018 “Making a new aesthetic by crashing two things together which are not related”. This is how Virgil Abloh defined his brand for this new collection entitled ‘Track and Field’, focusing on where real sport takes place. This was not just another ‘sportswear’ collection but a full immersion into the world of sports, complete with a Nike collaboration, confirming this is no add-on but a genre in its own right. The pieces made from a collage of recycled Nike socks were testament to that, like the tank top layered over an asymmetric white shirt and the running leggings worn under a blazer with side drawstring fastener or a long tiered dress. A series of pure athleisure stretch suits, bodysuits and cropped tops was interspersed between tailored tracksuits…

PARIS September 30, 2018 The vibrant colour in Poiret’s latest collection is perhaps unsurprising, given that both the brand’s founder and its current creative director, Yiqing Yin, are colourists. Paul Poiret not only freed women from the corset; he also used colour innovatively, introducing bold tints and contrasts. For this collection, Yin collaborated with another colourist, painter Bernard Frize, opening with three solid colour looks in red, orange and yellow, before introducing striated prints that ran sinuously over the body. When the colours were muted or neutral, vibrancy came from the light, fluid materials, with long dresses and layered sets packed with asymmetry, pleats and draping. A free, dynamic and painterly fashion that seemed to dilute in water, creating poetry. Una collezione vibrante e colorata quella di Poiret e forse…

PARIS September 25, 2018 If Yves Saint Laurent accomplished one thing, it was to create collections that celebrated female sexual power. In his latest show for the brand, Anthony Vaccarello focused on this revolutionary aspect that from the ’60s to the ’80s profoundly changed the image of women, at least in France, helped by Helmut Newton’s erotically charged photographs. So, ultrashort, black and transparent, if not nude, are confirmed as the Belgian designer’s winning card, alongside the masculine-feminine pairing of tailoring and chiffon. A key aspect of the show was legs in tights, paired with leather or denim micro shorts and soft thin blouses with deep necklines, big bows and/or hanging laces and single or double-breasted velvet blazers of various lengths. These were alternated with mini-dresses and skinny trousers with…

PARIS September 30, 2018 Summer in black for the Valentino woman? It seems so, judging by the first 14 looks in the show and a few others too. But colour exploded later in the show, and not only Valentino red but also orange, pink and multicolours, accompanied by bold prints. And the clothes? Pier Paolo Piccioli spoke of the collection in terms of exotic paradises and the artists’ colonies where Gauguin hung out, and Martinique. Dreamy, inspirational places, but also places for existential musings. Giant straw hats and flat sandals with feathers were worn with dresses of various lengths but mainly long hemlines, with long, loose billowing sleeves, finely pleated or in floral lace, with a wide belt or fluid tunic, with transparencies or deep necklines. Monochrome later gave way…

London plotted an anatomy of feelings. It offered shows of rare intensity that laid bare an array of emotions. Organza, linen, satin, leather: every visual element became a letter in the textile alphabet. Expressing and telling stories. The choice of colours, prints and embroideries rendered the complexity of the human soul in a palpable way. The clothes were light verses, suspended songs or indecipherable abysses. They conveyed the mystery of life, of the psyche, the hot nub of existence. The material universe of Chalayan travelled from East to West, finding an answer to the mystery of happiness. The brand’s collection had a tactile, visual feel to it: understated schemes, grids of fabrics, but also draping, fluid shapes and sinuous volumes. It explored the light and shade of the human soul,…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Jenny Packham brought romanticism to London to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of her brand. It was tinged with sophisticated shades of pale pink and purple and icy woodland and nocturnal tones. There was lots of magic and enchantment. The mood was sweet, ethereal and frothy. One dress was entirely made of white ruffles edged in black, making for a sculptural silhouette. Glamorous, timeless poetry. Jean Harlow, the 1930s Hollywood starlet, provided the inspiration. The evening dresses were airy and light in impalpable, elegant fabrics packed with voile and ruffles. Long dresses were fluid and bright, dotted with embroidery and sparkles, and covered with Jenny Packham’s signature style codes: cascading beads, Swarovski crystals, sequins and ostrich feathers. Floral prints revealed a garden of the soul, evanescent and…

LONDON September 17, 2018 Keyword: heritage. But also intarsia and interweaving. Fran Stringer showed the more romantic, modern side to Pringle of Scotland. She opened the archives and reworked some of the brand’s classics. Lozenges and argyle patterns played with patchwork effects, alternating solids with checks and floral motifs. Scottish roses in ultramarine and sky blue were immersed in white wool, appearing as vintage-style intarsia on knit pieces or as new prints on denim and cotton shirts. Secret gardens, with lilies and camellias, blossomed on oversize cardigans, stretch knit dresses, midi length skirts and turtlenecks. A tartan trench fell all the way to the feet. The lion logo was enlarged and all in white. Tight cardigans and pleated knit skirts chose the monochrome. The summer collection played with some bold…

LONDON September 17, 2018 Christopher Kane has studied the laws of attraction and come up with a subversive, provocative collection. In dark colours with flashes of light, it was entitled “Sex in nature”. Creative inspiration came from David Attenborough’s documentaries on the mating behaviours of wildlife. Oversize dresses and T-shirts featured drawings of praying mantises, horses and cheetahs. Slogans in neon tints read “Sexual cannibalism”, “Horsepower” or “Foreplay”. Volumes alternated between extremely tight and loose, with splits, asymmetry and little organza squares. Bodices resembled body shields and lace bodysuits were like cages. Tailored jackets came with XXL shoulders and cinched waistlines. Iridescent slip dresses had plunging necklines, maxi crystals over bare skin, precious bands and shimmers. The palette was tinged with nocturnal and skin tones with touches of crimson, sky…

LONDON September 15, 2018 A tribute to hectic London life, a homage to the signs posted on alarm systems on the Tube: “Pull in emergency” is the neoncoloured show by House of Holland. Haste. Dynamism. Colour. The palette is a passing train in shades fleeting from mint to orange, purple to brown, with touches of yellow, fuchsia and electric blue. Suits had flashes of colour, kinetic graphic details and sign lettering. Double-breasted jackets had sharp edges. Functional mini-pockets were great for stashing a lipstick or e-cigarette. The athleisure pieces came in bold, bright tints. A parachute parka was fuchsia, while gym suits in ripstop nylon featured striped effects. Bodysuits were produced in collaboration with Speedo. Calf length skirts and mini-dresses were embellished with Swarovski. Fringes and gathers, frayed denim hems,…

LONDON September 15, 2018 A bohemian soul, a relaxed rhythm. JW Anderson’s collection embraced fluid, dynamic and constantly moving femininity. The fabrics followed the body’s movements, steps, elegance and unpredictability. The clothes were long and asymmetric with soft, unexpected fluctuating trims made from breezy handkerchiefs. Undulating weaves conveyed the poetry of the materials: irregular fringes and edges dripped from sleeves, lace and crochet covered the shoulders, Victorian lapels and overlapping macramé played with transparencies. Loose, airy skirts and trousers were held at the waist by metal buckles or gold peplums. The shapes were elongated and languid. Some sleeves were exaggeratedly puffed up, patchwork effects came in intense colours with eccentric cuts and patches. The neutral, biological colours included ochre, cream, cobalt, smoky grey, rust, steel blue and pale pink, creating…

LONDON September 17, 2018 Black concrete tiles woven over a steel structure: Roksanda showed against the grid walls of Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, and every architectural element was in harmony with the understated lines in the collection. High tailoring, hourglass-shaped linen jackets, oversize blazers, fluid trenches, linear dresses with multi-coloured stripes. Architecture was at the heart of the inspiration for summer: Le Corbusier tapestries were brightly printed on fluid evening dresses with transparencies and overlapping. Dancing shapes, lines and figures moved amongst layers of tulle and breezy puff sleeves. Ribbons ran over the shoulders, were knotted into bows and took the place of belts. The palette included warm desert shades of turmeric, coral, rust, ochre and peach with coppery tones and touches of pale blue. Between…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Layered minimalism. Victoria Beckham celebrated the tenth anniversary of her brand with a collection focused on whiteness and cleanness, and layering. Dresses and skirts were worn over super-slim trousers, which had a V-shape split near the ankle. For a sophisticated yet never banal woman. The blazer was the iconic piece of the collection. All white, flawless, loose-fitting yet clearly elegant. Elsewhere, it was flared in beige or burgundy red. Or else more rigorous, with clean, sharp lines but printed with little meadow flower buds. Perfect tailoring construction. This was teamed with flared, asymmetric, floaty dresses with low necklines and colourful rope belts around the waist. The silk tank tops were a homage to femininity, with fine lace edges adding a touch of decoration to the pure…

It is easier to think of escape in summer than in winter. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises and exotic destinations that leave an impression on designs, colours and embellishments. And you need go no further than the Italian Mediterranean, for example, where Joseph Altuzarra’s family has a house, and from which the designer drew inspiration for his new collection. He gave the looks a spirit of sensual relaxation made up of bold colours, splits and necklines on clothes worn over matching bikinis, and shells hanging from rope belts and fishnets paired with crocheted dresses. The escape can even be fake, like the one enjoyed by Chanel’s girls, who had a tropical beach reconstructed for them inside the Grand Palais, complete with waves lapping against their bare feet. A touch of nostalgia…

“In tempi come questi la fuga è l’unico mezzo per mantenersi vivi e continuare a sognare”. Lo scriveva il filosofo ed etologo francese Henri Laborit nel suo ‘Elogio della fuga’ ed era il 1976. Non erano tempi tranquilli nemmeno quelli, densi di tumulti e disordini sociali un po’ ovunque ma la verità è che il desiderio di altrove ha sempre accompagnato l’individuo, a maggior ragione in periodi di forti crisi. Dopo più di 40 anni, le ragioni per una fuga ci sono tutte, anche se sempre Laborit ricorda che si fugge per avanzare, non per indietreggiare. E naturalmente si fugge verso paradisi o luoghi mistici o che soddisfano quei desideri inappagati della vita quotidiana, legati all’abitudine, alla mancanza o, al contrario, alla sazietà. Così pure i designer fuggono, o meglio,…

Il fatto che molte passerelle siano ormai co-ed potrebbe essere uno dei motivi per cui tante collezioni donna tendono ad omologarsi a quelle maschili, con il sartoriale che fa da collante tra i due generi. Ma la verità è che il completo pantalone addosso a una donna fa sempre un certo effetto, così come il blazer o il soprabito fanno elegante e sensuale insieme, e scolpiscono pure il corpo se sono solidi e marmorei. Come quelli di Demna Gvasalia per Balenciaga, che ripropone i coat modellati con la tecnica high-tech al computer. Poi, ecco il modo per rendere l’abito sartoriale elegante e insieme comodo come una tuta sportiva: la giacca che fa anche da camicia e i pantaloni morbidi coordinati. Giocare con i contrasti, enfatizzando i pezzi maschili con piume,…

PARIS October 1, 2018 It’s all change again at Emanuel Ungaro. After being appointed as global CEO and acquiring a stake in the brand last year, Roy Luwolt decided to dismiss Marco Colagrossi, who had produced quite a promising collection last season. Luwolt is now in charge of the line, so there were no more polka dots or bright patterns; just monochrome or light stripes and checks, while colours ranged from neutrals to various shades of yellow and touches of fuchsia and orange. Dresses spanning short to long often had iridescent and slightly crumpled surfaces like chocolate wrappers, as seen in some of the asymmetric, draped cropped tops teamed with mini-skirts or high-waist trousers. There was also some tailoring and outerwear, including a trench with Donald Trump stitched onto it.…

PARIS September 26, 2018 After drawing on Britain’s aristocratic traditions for past seasons, such as high tea rituals and English garden parties, Johnny Coca’s latest collection for Mulberry looked to the Swinging London of the Sixties, with all the familiar references of the period from Twiggy to Carnaby Street. The style was fitted and vertical, with skirt suits with large buttons and a A-line mini-skirts, tiny single and doublebreasted coats with big collars and belted high waist, little flared tunics with cut-outs and/or contrasting appliqués and thin knitted sets. Some of the psychedelic prints covered opaque tights and shoes, while the brand’s key product, its bags, ranged from mini to maxi, smooth or embellished with catchy graphics, all with Sixties-style lines. Inequivocabilmente Sixties la collezione di Johnny Coca per Mulberry…

PARIS October 1, 2018 Véronique Leroy did not show her collection, but that does not mean she has not been working. The Japanese denim she used in previous seasons returned on jackets, jeans and skirts, using both sides of the cloth and fraying the edges. The edges theme also featured in the crocheted pieces with thick contrasting borders that added a graphic touch to the silhouette. Leroy revealed that a blurry green print was a reinterpretation of the Monet’s trio of ‘Water Lilies’ canvases she saw at the Chichu Art Museum in Naoshima earlier this year. Several pieces came in airy white chiffon, while nylon was used for dresses as well as for the more customary outerwear. Leroy also created some sculptural bows for the tops that tied behind the…

PARIS September 29, 2018 In a garage, a team of people tore pieces from an enormous bolt of paper before adding them to a sculpture of a tree. While this was going on, Andreas Kronthaler’s coed show for Vivienne Westwood had models parading on a skateboard or scooter. This show included all the references that fans of Dame Vivienne Westwood’s label are used to, from Dirndl to oversize tailoring to unisex pieces, with the addition of influences ranging from Jessica Fulford-Dobson’s ‘Skate Girls of Kabul’ photography and the catalogue for this April’s auction of items from the pre-refurbishment Ritz hotel in Paris. There was a chair-shaped hat and a tea tray built into a peplum dress. Other pieces ranged from draped, asymmetric dresses to tracksuits, corsets to printed T-shirts, while…

PARIS September 28, 2018 “I think it’s really important to mention that so much of the beauty of Paris is in its history, and its history is not only what we call French”. Olivier Rousteing has a point. In each of his collections, he blends part of the French capital’s identity with other influences and this time he looked to Egypt. The clothes on the runway had all the assertive tailoring, such as the broad-shouldered jackets, and the customary craftsmanship and complexity of Balmain, but they also featured Egyptian elements such as Cleopatra-style beaten-metal bodices, jeans, dresses and ‘mummy’ tops made from muslin strips draped around the body. Pyramids were recalled in Plexiglas panels of different colours, triple organza was stiffened and pleated to create shapes around the body or…

PARIS September 27, 2018 Natacha Ramsay-Levi immersed the Chloé girl in her favourite atmospheres, i.e. hippy modernism and New Age with a hint of Ibiza and Morocco. She used plenty of weaves and fabrics to evoke myriad exotic references: from the ceramic patterns on a dense chenille knit to Persian rug motifs in a silk-viscose blend woven into plissé and the scarf prints seen throughout the collection. The clothes also adapted to the mood: cropped tops and breezy mini-skirts, cassock mini-dresses, flared trousers often with fringed hems, finely pleated long goddess dresses. Everything was embellished with layered jewellery: sculptural earrings, necklaces and bracelets similar to talismans, ankle bracelets and toe rings and, on almost every look, a long rope belt with dangling ends. Flat toepost sandals were the footwear of…

PARIS September 26, 2018 Dries Van Noten has not produced a collection this colourful, lively and artistic for a while. It combined outerwear, workwear and tailoring with graphic details, sequins and floral motifs in a dynamic, eye-catching mix. The designer’s play with styles and details had a precise logic of emphasising contrasts, such as when he teamed loose cargo trousers (which were actually dungarees worn with the string straps pulled down) with sequinned or diagonally striped tops. Or when he paired sleeveless masculine shirts with floral skirts or blazers with the same cargo dungarees. There was lots of draping, knots and ties with a paper-light technical fabric, as seen in a black dress with a large bow at the side from which two drawstrings hung. Those drawstrings also hung from…

PARIS September 30, 2018 An androgynous beauty, great traveller, tormented rebel, openly lesbian, even though she married a man, Annemarie Schwarzenbach was a Swiss writer, photographer and journalist and a key figure in the Central European bohemian culture between the two world wars. She makes the perfect muse, then, for Clare Waight Keller, who brought her back to life on the Givenchy runway. The designer is grateful to this figure from history, as she allows her to explore menswear codes in the hands and on the body of a woman. The models, in cropped boyish haircuts, wore structured blazers tucked into high-waist military trousers and leather biker jackets tucked into skirts with a wide belt. Dresses had a fluid plissé femininity about them, with sculptural details such as reinforced shoulders…

PARIS September 29, 2018 For his first co-ed collection, Haider Ackermann produced pairs of women’s and men’s looks that demonstrated and confirmed the Belgian designer’s tailoring versatility. They were mainly suits or separates, with two types of jacket: structured with defined shoulders and lean lines, or slightly oversize, with rounded drop shoulders and intricate laser cuts, like those decorating the short sleeves of shirts while trousers were most tapered, though some softer varieties had sporty side bands. In the same vein, coats and blazers came in looser, fluid kimono styles or were more fitted in vibrant colours. There were a couple of dresses but most of the looks were masculine, further confirming that the ‘unisex’ concept continues to drive the designers’ work. Per la sua prima collezione co-ed, Haider Ackermann…

PARIS September 28, 2018 Who wouldn’t want a garment that can be shaped and moulded while you are wearing it? Well, in the latest Issey Miyake collection, Yoshiyuki Miyamae demonstrated it is possible thanks to a new technique called ‘Dough Dough’: a stiff yet malleable fabric used to make irregularly striped and boldly coloured hats, tops, skirts and dresses. One model demonstrated its versatility halfway down the runway by opening a flat piece of reddish material into a widebrimmed hat. The ‘Dough Dough’ garments featured wrinkles, knots, necklines and hems that could be altered whenever you wish, creating unusual asymmetry, waves and edges, just as you would with plasticine. Fashion that can be moulded and changed at will, meaning that two identical pieces can be altered in totally different ways…

PARIS September 29, 2018 A clash of opposites is often a good starting point for a collection. Junya Watanabe’s latest combined denim with dressmaking or, as he put it, “A romantic feeling in rock music”. The designer focused mainly on ’50s circle shapes, evening dresses and crinolines, working them into denim patchworks teamed with plain white T-shirts or tour tees from heavy metal band Strikeback. The show was a succession of 41 variations in which tulle panels or bits of slip dresses were stitched into denim skirts, bias cut dresses and dungarees, some of which were patterned, at time layering them over turned-up trousers. Added to the studded chokers decorated with metal loops, neon bob haircuts and flat or platform sneakers, the effect was experimental romantic punk, as fresh and…

PARIS September 26, 2018 In 1981 John Galliano was working as a costume dresser at the National Theatre to help fund his studies at Central Saint Martins. By night he could be found at Cha Cha or Camden Palace, clubs that celebrated anti-conformism, gender fluidity and, stylistically, sartorial freedom of expression - elements that later became a part of the designer’s work. And the Maison Margiela brand he how directs lends itself to these experiments in which garments are stripped of their original meaning and use and become something else, a sort of work in progress that also affects the wearer. Dresses and coats were turned into cloaks in which lapels, pockets and sleeves were merely suggested with visible seams, while trenches were worn as dresses and frilled asymmetric tops…

PARIS September 27, 2018 The Paco Rabanne girl was also influenced by exoticism and the idea of escape. Julien Dossena dressed her with a skilful mix & match of hippy and modern. The long, lean silhouette was built up in layers of fluid slip dresses over high-necked T-shirts, tight tops over sarong skirts, jackets worn over cassocks over soft trousers, and so on. Despite the layers, the overall effect was one of lightness and sophistication. The classic chain mail came in floral prints and Indian woodblock patterns, while chain-links were used to make skirt and top overlays. As seen in many other shows, the jewellery was very showy, featuring gold chains and medallions that, for the designer, have a certain spiritual value, which ties in not only with the period…

PARIS September 27, 2018 Rick Owens is not only an unconventional designer; he is also very attentive to current social issues. If his last collection referenced the refugee crisis, this one, although more obliquely, focused on the #MeToo movement and, in particular, on the accusations from Christine Blasey Ford against President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. His platoon of women, who resembled something between a warrior and a priestess, paraded with metal scaffolding headpieces, which were sometimes paired with large mask glasses. The clothes were protective armour - how else could you describe the spikes emanating from collars and sleeves or the long narrow boxes wedged into the waistbands of denim mini-skirts with giant bumbags? Other models carried torches and wore long dresses full of geometric cut-outs revealing the…

PARIS September 29, 2018 “I believe in the women of Saint-Germain – I am one of them. In this collection, I wanted to pay homage to the lyricism of everyday life in this Parisian neighbourhood, to the streets so related to Sonia Rykiel herself”. Julie de Libran’s words expressed love and recognition but also joy and freedom, which translated into clothes that must first and foremost be useful and versatile and made to last. Shopping bags provided the inspiration for fringed macramé knits, skirts and dresses, colourfully striped pieces recalled market stall awnings, while trouser suits with belted jackets, slashed sleeves and big pockets looked as though they had been hastily borrowed from menswear. The lingerie teamed with technical outerwear and extralong trenches seemed to convey a slightly ruffled, early-morning…

PARIS September 28, 2018 Yohji Yamamoto staged his latest show in a dark space surrounded by scaffolding within the vast upper gallery of the Grand Palais, triggering immediate thoughts of the construction-deconstruction behind much of the Japanese designer’s work. But the most significant clue was the music, recorded by Yamamoto and a female collaborator, which indicated three distinct themes: “antigenderless fashion, anti-crazy global warming and anti-racism”. The three themes were presented over three acts. The first series of looks featured relaxed elegance - sets, extralong coats and dresses, sarong skirts and wraparound trousers draped around the body. Then came sensuality, with zips and cut-outs revealing panels of skin, while the final looks, dedicated to anti-racism, featured brushstrokes of colour on extra-large volumes of fabric, before the show ended with T-shirts…

Londra traccia un’anatomia dei sentimenti. Propone un défilé di rara intensità che sa decifrare le sfumature delle emozioni. Organza, lino, raso, pelle: ogni elemento visivo diviene lettera di un alfabeto tessile. Esprime, racconta. La scelta dei colori, di stampe e ricami, rende palpabile la complessità dell’animo umano. Gli indumenti sono versi lievi, canti dell’attesa, oppure abissi indecifrabili. Portano il mistero della vita, della psiche, il nocciolo caldo dell’esistenza. L’universo materico di Chalayan viaggia da Oriente ad Occidente, per trovare una risposta al mistero della felicità. Compone una collezione che è filosofia tattile e visuale: schemi essenziali, reticolati di tessuti, ma anche drappeggi, forme fluide, volumi sinuosi. Esplora le luci e le ombre dell’animo umano, i bianchi, i neri, tutte le gradazioni degli umori e dei grigi. Simone Rocha porta in…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Idyllic evening sunshine, harmonious waves and sand. The aesthetic of the sunset pervaded Markus Lupfer’s collection in soft colours and transparencies and light, ethereal fabrics. The clothes reverberated with romanticism and enchantment. Brightness and shine came from little shimmers, iridescent sequins, buds, shoots and iridescent tints. Metallic, luminescent surfaces gave the right amount of energy alongside Memphisinspired floral graphics and prints. Ribbons tied at the shoulders and left to flutter down the arms, flounces, ruffles, and V necklines gave the silhouette a sophisticated, new touch. Many of the looks were plissé. Mid-calf length skirts, pencil skirts, blouses, slip dresses and palazzo pants were the dominant pieces. The mood was delicate: impalpable, soft, light fabrics such as airy chiffon and tulle. Soft colours included melon, lilac, mint…

LONDON September 17, 2018 Identity, balance, British style: in his début collection for the iconic British brand, Riccardo Tisci celebrated Burberry’s heritage. It included strong, sophisticated femininity in the evening dresses and street looks. It played with colour codes and with archive classics. It reworked some of the brand’s iconic pieces. The trench was a main feature. Classic, in hazelnut brown and cinched at the waist with wide elastic belts. It also came double-breasted, in leather, edged with chains and studs, and dotted with pearls and feathers. Checks were broken down into horizontal and vertical stripes on silk blouses and shirts. Leopard, zebra and cow were some of the animal prints on show. Zips were a feature, as were printed words and fringes. Neck scarves were worn over blazers and…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Delpozo’s spring is a fragrance with the consistency of wisteria and orchid. The delicacy of flowers. Gentle blossoms grew over the shoulders and followed the curves of shirts, jackets and dresses. Organza flower heads, ruffles, flounces, romantic reliefs. Petals caressing the neck and resting on the head. Embroidery, prints, shimmers, transparencies. Slightly bell sleeves were buds about to open with grace and poise. Creative director Josep Font was inspired by the fragile shapes of nature and by the work of Murano glass artist Fulvio Bianconi. He has composed a collection of purity and poetry. Draping and plissé produced contemporary peplums in pale mauve and mint. Ribbons wrapped around the wrists, fluttering softly as though blown by a light breeze. White buttons, micro sequins, glassy fragments were…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Jasper Conran chose colour. Bold, energetic and vital. Intense, saturated and vivid. Daring. He chose orange, mandarin and acid yellow. Lime green, primary red and electric blue. He painted the chromatic rhythm of the new season in fuchsia and silver. He used colour as a manifesto for women’s rights activism. As an element of expression, breaking the mould, rebelling against rigour with splashes of paint. A militant code: a mini-dress featured big black letters on a white background declaring “Equality not minority”. Plastic weaves added shine to surfaces in intense shades of green, aluminium and metallic grey. Bright tailoring was enlivened with reflections, transparencies and overlapping. Prints, faces, numbers and stripes. A sporty touch came in the form of shiny oversize trousers, athleisure tank tops and…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Mary Katrantzou celebrated her first ten years in business with a collection of collections. She showcased a wunderkammer that touched on every part of her career to date. An imaginary universe packed with references. Dresses made from stamps featured miniatures of her previous collections, like bright traces of the past saved from oblivion. Naturalia, Mirabilia, Artificialia: romantic clothes, luminous grids with distinctive heraldic symbols, fragments of banknotes, art collections, paintings, frames, delicate butterflies and buds. A transparent blow-up bomber with a marine allure was surreal and poetic. Mary Katrantzou was speaking the language of lightness and memory. Tracing the thread back to the past, drawing rare and bizarre aspects from her creative journey and producing dresses shaped like perfume bottles in a reference to the prints…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Bare shoulders, backs on show. Deep necklines. Lace insets, cheeky transparencies. Teardrop cut-outs revealing the skin, provocative cuts, splits. The sartorial alphabet of Roland Mouret is made up of allusions, intimate confidences teamed with high tailoring. Inspiration came from a 1974 erotic film called “Emmanuelle” as well as women’s stories through the years, all the way to the “#MeToo” movement. Roland Mouret brought a feminine message to the runway, a homage to female sensuality that permeated the entire collection. The clothes interpreted a multitude of different voices. Badges bore political messages, such as “Intoxicated by memories and feelings”. Kaftans and tunics became secret gardens tinged with intense blue and white, featuring cascades of hyacinths, unexpected stripes and tartan prints. For an emotional season, an exaltation of…

In European capitals in the late ’70s and early ’80s, venues were opening that would become legendary clubs, which were perhaps shortlived but intense while they lasted. Part disco and part nightclub, they were places that not only affected the musical and social scene of the period but even the fashions and habits as glittering extravagance, decadence and sexual openness were celebrated. Clubs like Le Palace in Paris, which from ’78 to ’83 was the city’s hottest venue, teaming Parisian chic with underground culture. Alessandro Michele drew on all this for his latest collection for Gucci, choosing the French capital and Le Palace itself as the backdrop for couture dresses with voluminous shoulders and/or sleeves, draping, plissé, frills, sequins, glitter and ostrich feathers, often all at once. Rather than focus…

Viene più facile pensare alla fuga estiva piuttosto che a quella invernale; albe o tramonti infuocati, mete esotiche che s’imprimono con motivi, colori e gioielli sugli abiti. E, senza andare troppo lontano, scegliere il Mediterraneo, l’Italia per esempio, dove la famiglia di Joseph Altuzarra ha una casa, e che lo stilista prende ad ispirazione per la sua nuova collezione. Il designer infonde ai look uno spirito di sensuale relax fatto di colori vivaci, di spacchi e scolli, per capi portati con bikini coordinati, e di applicazioni di gusci su cinte in corda e reti che si abbinano ad abiti crochet. Potrebbe anche essere una fuga fittizia quella della ragazza di Chanel, magari verso una spiaggia tropicale ricostruita al Grand Palais, con tanto di onde che lambiscono i piedi nudi. Per…

Via Tortona turned white again this year: the latest edition of White Milano took place over four days, underlining the event’s important growth and turning Via Tortona into a real Fashion District. Its success is mainly down to the new venue, Tortona 31 | Opificio, but the energy of the whole event and the explosive format were revealed as truly cutting-edge. White also played host to the 11th edition of Premio Ramponi. Kiko Kintanar, from Cebu in the Philippines, was named the prize winner. Born in 1993 and trained in Design, he decided to specialise in Fashion and set up his eponymous brand in 2017. His collection, made from natural materials, is inspired by Morocco and its architecture: elaborate mosque entrances become pleats, the bold colours of buildings are reflected…

PARIS September 30, 2018 Finnish brand Marimekko’s playful patterns made a return with its ‘Bold by Nature’ collection, because flowers and nature are the brand’s bread and butter. Presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the collection celebrated the idea enclosed within the name Marimekko, i.e. ‘a dress for Mary’, freely interpreting archive prints from the ’50s to the ‘70s and focusing on summer dresses. Femininity, strength, independence and vitality were expressed in floral macro prints on loose, airy tunics alternated with black and white stripes and graphic motifs on oversize shirts and midi skirts. There were also a few monochrome looks in bold red, meadow green and pink - bright colours still in harmony with the rest of the collection. Most of the fabrics had been printed at the…

PARIS October 1, 2018 The call of Africa, of the Maasai people, the charm of the English colonies and the magic of Victoria Falls, echoed through the clothes in the new Shirtaporter Spring/Summer 2019 collection. A mix of modernity and tradition, nature and artifice, for a woman that teams femininity with an adventurous spirit. This is clearly perceived in the mini-dresses with safari prints and in the matching of denim and dapple patterns on blouses and coats. The lightness and softness of silk satin and cotton muslins recalled the evanescent winds of the moors. Colours were pan-African: bright and eccentric mixed with earthy tones in the animal and jungle prints decorating maxi dresses and jumpsuits. Patches and floral embroidery completed and embellished the clothes. Il richiamo dell’Africa, dei popoli Masai…

PARIS October 1, 2018 Ancestral practices and rituals are always part of Sarah Burton’s work for Alexander McQueen, which this time focused on women’s milestones such as birth, christenings, weddings and funerals and, above all, sisterhood and saying it’s okay to be vulnerable and not have to be strong at all costs. The first look was significant: an asymmetric ivory knitted lace dress with puff sleeves, topped with a kind of blacksmith’s leather apron, i.e. tenderness and strength together. Burton took her team to the ancient monuments of Somerset and other parts of south-west England to see and feel the places before translating them into clothes and details. This produced the flowers painted, printed or jacquard-ed onto dresses with draped or stiff bodices, crinolines and belted waist or in total…

PARIS September 27, 2018 L’inconnue de la Seine’ is the name given to an unknown teenager who died in mysterious circumstances in late 19th-century Paris. Rumour spread that she had drowned in the Seine and a mortuary employee, fascinated by her beauty, subsequently made her death mask. This image of her face then began to circulate and provide inspiration for several artists. Sébastien Meunier has a replica of it in his apartment and the girl has become something of an obsession for him, resulting in him using her as his muse for this new Ann Demeulemeester collection. The romantic atmosphere of the turn of the last century adapt well to the brand’s shadowy style, which was emphasised here by long sheer pieces, some worn over trousers, fluid extra-long coats, ruched…

PARIS September 28, 2018 Hedi Slimane applied to Celine the same aesthetic he previously introduced to Saint Laurent, i.e. not much concept and lots of ’80s disco glamour to catch the eye of generation Z. Super-short dresses came in all styles, from flared tunics to bustiers worn on their own or with bolero jackets, blazers or leather biker jackets, either with shiny sequins or lurex or covered in flounces and ruches. On the tailoring side, lean black suits featured a white shirt, thin tie and calf-length carrot trousers over pointed ankle boots with buckles. But the dominant look had teen girls showing off their legs in very feminine clothes, paired with headbands and oblique little hats with a veil, which perhaps aimed to add a touch of bourgeois mystery to…

PARIS September 29, 2018 Those having to interpret Rei Kawakubo’s work for Comme des Garçons often find themselves dealing with mysteries that metaphysical show notes cannot always clarify. And yet the latest collection from the designer was perhaps her most open and clearest to understand of recent seasons. It was all about her fiercely self-critical reflections on herself and her work, as well as her creation, which is not a child but her brand - conceived and delivered to the world to grow and proliferate. So there was no mystery to the padded protuberances in the first looks, sparkling black oversize jumpsuits whose pregnant ‘bellies’ opened in a zigzag like a broken egg, over patterned leggings tucked into pointed ankle boots. In general, the looks reworked the brand’s classics -…

PARIS September 29, 2018 In calling Elie Saab a “hardy perennial”, Luke Leitch captured how the designer’s latest collection was as rich in florals as a nursery or botanical garden. On dresses of all shapes and lengths, from long transparent lace with visible underwear to short slip dresses in virginal white, sinful black or hyper-coloured, flowers appeared in every possible texture, from embroidery to laser-cut leather, silk print to sequins, and even shadowed on a hologrameffect diaphanous organza. Florals also featured on blazers and shirts, knits and loose trousers, long and miniskirts. Animal patterns and stripes attempted to compete, but floral romanticism dominated everything, including the evening wear and even the neck scarves wrapped around the heads in a retro style. Azzeccata l’espressione di Luke Leitch su Elie Saab ovvero…

PARIS September 24, 2018 Le Palace in Paris is a theatre better known as an alternative club in the late ’70s and early ’80s, in which fashion, music and underground culture created a legendary, explosive mix. American and European intellectuals, actors, designers and jet-setters adored its extravagant parties, performances and its diverse mixture of clients, which included rich and poor, gay and straight, white and black. Alessandro Michele for Gucci reproduced that atmosphere with an abundance of glitter, lurex, fringes and ostrich feathers on clothes that paid homage to the couture of the period, with voluminous shoulders and/or sleeves, ruches, infinite draping and bright colours. These were alternated with wide-lapel blazers and high-waist trousers or skirts, Chanel-style jackets decorated with brooches and appliqués of various types and sizes and tracksuits…

PARIS September 29, 2018 With this new Hermès collection, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski walked an unusual, sophisticated line between sporty and summery without falling into the athleisure trap that so many other brands have done. After the opening canvas tunics trimmed with pale yellow leather came brown leather looks with visible stitching, zipped hooded coats with loose sleeves, neoprene swimsuits with contrasting colour details worn under airy skirts and loose shorts with big pockets. Leather as soft and fluid as fabric came in eye-catching colours for suede hobo bags and mini-shapes with bolted closures and wide straps. Flat sandals with straps coming up to the ankle were worn with everything, even the jumpsuits and cocktail dresses in the finale, which were simple yet sophisticated – perfect for summer nights. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski percorre,…

PARIS September 24, 2018 Those enormous raffia totes could probably fit absolutely everything you needed inside them, not just your seaside essentials but the rest of your packing too. This is how Simon Porte Jacquemus imagined or, rather, built on his past vision of a trip to the Italian Riviera. Splits, necklines and ultralight, almost transparent, fabrics provided a strongly sensual mood. An old-fashioned raised catwalk was used to showcase typical beach clothes, such as spaghetti strapped sundresses, micro-shorts, mini-sarong skirts, white shirt-dresses and shirts knotted at the waist, one-piece swimsuits and tiny bikinis - all interspersed with blazers and trenches worn as dresses. Minuscule handbags contrasted with the enormous totes, while toe-post sandals alternated with sexy sculptural heels. In quelle enormi borse di raffia ci sta davvero tutto, non…

PARIS June 24, 2018 Humberto Leon and Carol Lim’s latest co-ed collection for Kenzo was conceived as an underground garden party with clothes and colours fit for the occasion. So, there were flashy colours, glossy touches and crazy mix & match from the very first look – a bottle green printed nylon overcoat, worn over a high-necked zipped yellow and black checked sweater and tapered high-waist python print trousers. The next looks had the same vibrant style and played with layering, prints and contrasting materials. Python was paired with polka dots and floral patterns on blouses and underskirts, nylon was used for little zipped jackets with drawstrings, and checks came in total looks but in different, bright colours. Dresses ranged from short to long and often had asymmetric flounces and…

PARIS October 2, 2018 Many seasons ago, Miuccia Prada began ripping up ’50s and ’60s clothes and creating collections that looked like synthetic linings and leftover haberdashery. They made a return to the runway in this Miu Miu show in the form of cocktail dresses, tops and shirts, micro-shorts, underskirts decorated with bows large and small, roses and lots of sparkle. At a time when the talk is of ‘couture’ coming back after so much sportswear and streetwear, Miuccia’s move was cleverly strategic given that her couture is ‘primitive’, purposefully patched-up, as if to say, ‘it’s coming back but these are early days’. So, as well as pairing it with tailoring, with some leather blazers and coats, she also teamed it with denim pieces with visible topstitching, cropped knitwear, sequinned…

PARIS June 24, 2018 Archive work is key to Paul Smith and his Nottingham archive contains 48 years of activity that provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration, including for this latest summer collection. It is Sir Paul’s heart as well as his archive that always lead to the same key concept: tailoring. It was expressed here through a series of oversize single and doublebreasted suits with a checked or monochrome, comfortable, firm-shouldered jacket and loose trousers worn with a shirt and sometimes a twocolour check half-zip knit. Long, fluid dresses were decorated with prints of holiday photos taken by Smith and his father. An early hit for the designer, he was right to re-propose them now as they gave a retro touch to the looks emphasised by vaguely rockabilly hair.…

PARIS September 26, 2018 Luke Leitch on vogue.com wrote about the Alessandro Dell’Acqua for Rochas woman as a Hitchcock heroine trapped in the two thousands who can look to the French brand’s collection to find a little of that lost atmosphere. From leopard print coats and dresses, also offered in metallic brocade, to fluid satin or duchess silk dresses, to the ostrich feathers matching the dresses in the finale, this was a wardrobe that Hitchcock’s costume designer Edith Head would have adored. The controlled lines and proportions were slightly disturbed by repeated details in the clothes, such as apron-panels hanging down the left leg under the jackets of trouser suits, or falling from the waistband of skirts. In other looks, thin obi belts or long bows interrupted the linearity of…

PARIS October 1, 2018 Things are going great for Stella McCartney, so there is no need to introduce anything radically new; just a desire to reaffirm “her signature sense of unruffled cool”. The brand’s key pieces, i.e. tailoring, sportswear and lingerie, were reasserted as well as its commitment to environmental and animal protection issues with sustainable viscose, faux leather and recycled nylon. There were relaxed masculine suits, with an oblique strip detail sweeping down from one shoulder and buttoning on the opposite side of the jacket, zipped jumpsuits, oversize trenches, tie-dye T-shirts, trousers with zip-adjustable volume, slip-dresses and skater playsuits in a pattern reminiscent of a granny’s wallpaper. Comfortable ballet slippers were worn even with the evening looks. Per Stella McCartney le cose vanno a gonfie vele, quindi non c’è…

PARIS September 29, 2018 Zadig & Voltaire returned to Paris after several seasons in New York and artistic director Cecilia Bönström said she was trying to create pieces that really fit into the real lives of girls and women. So, there were very short micro-shorts that almost disappeared under sweaters, denim jackets and blazers, mid-length cycling shorts worn with a white shirt and double-breasted jacket, and fulllength low rise leather trousers, jeans and dress trousers complete with shiny side bands. There was lots of underwear on show, especially paired with masculine suits, while iconic French pieces such as the marinière sweater were reworked asymmetrically, revealing the shoulders. There was no shortage of military and sporty apparel, including branded socks and sneakers, animal patterns and leather outerwear. In short, a little…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Care, attention, tailoring: British elegance is in Aquascutum’s DNA. A leaden London sky added a pale blue tint to minute jackets cinched with a belt or gathered at the back, with slightly bell-shaped or softly billowing sleeves gathered at the wrists. Knee length skirts were tinged with the pale light of dawn or deep midnight blue: they had rows of refined buttons, splits, pockets and tone on tone belts. Double-breasted mini-dresses featured defined, slightly flared, lines with gold buttons. Colour was the main focus of the collection: intense coloured backgrounds alternated on the pieces. Cool blue and teal were paired with touches of mustard. Fuchsia and vermilion appeared together on the smooth and raised surfaces of an asymmetric dress and elegant blouse, where pleats were used…

LONDON September 17, 2018 MM6 Maison Margiela dressed dark princesses. Baroque souls from the Belle Époque, contaminated by a grunge attitude. They wore distressed jeans and long cloaks with puff sleeves, floaty ribbons, covered buttons and tiny loops. Floor-length nightshirts were worn with crystal jewellery and terry socks. These were Versailles courtesans in silk dresses and fishnet tights. Mawkish, shadowy and tending towards excess. On their head they wore dark and decadent crowns and tiaras with little crystal drops. Black sweatshirts were worn under iridescent ball gowns. The arms were covered with glossy gloves. Combat boots were worn on the feet. Cascades of jewellery came out of little denim jackets. Anarchic and radical, they dressed in intense tints of fuchsia, emerald and violet. The focus was on new contrasts and…

LONDON September 16, 2018 A philosopher of material, an artisan thinker, Chalayan proposed a collection that reflected on the theme of happiness, travelling across cultures from East to West and evoking historical events. The most abstract ideas transferred into deconstructed tailoring. Masculine suits had a ripped-off-the-shoulder effect to simulate the Rape of the Sabine Women. They featured sudden turn-ups, lapels opening and revealing the shoulders. Cords, straps and knots tethered the surfaces, forming gathers and new folds, and preventing them from flying away. Tailoring fabrics blended with fluid draping, like unexpected peplums. Checks and pinstripe left room for prints, stripes and graphics. Trenches fell to the ankle in understated grids of fabrics. Suits were quilted with shaped sleeves. It was a philosophy of black, white and every shade of grey.…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Dramatic and theatrical, Gareth Pugh brought an urban nightmare to the runway. The key words were fetish, sadomasochism and bondage. But also punk, decadence and dystopia. Faceless women wore grotesque masks or hid behind fetish headgear, fans or immense hats. Unsettling creatures of the night, macabre and seductive shapes with sharp edges and broad Eighties shoulders in metallic trenches, sheer raincoats, and armour-like blazers. Rebellious, provocative women wore short dresses, leather kimono, dark slip dresses, bustiers and plastic suspenders. The footwear was bellicose, combative military boots. Profane, borderline, outsiders. Red and black bodysuits were covered in optical, psychedelic stripes. Embellishments included big crystals, buckles, printed effects and drips. Like the tormented characters in a theatre show. This is how Gareth Pugh paid homage to punk icon…

LONDON September 15, 2018 Julien Macdonald’s lights exploded on the runway. They shimmered amongst the columns and stained glass windows of St John’s in Hyde Park. Sparkles of sequins and crystals, rhinestones, beads and little mirrors. Sinuous reflections of lamé, gold thread and copper and bronze tints. Flashes of crochet embroidery and fine fringes. Sensual metallic volutes, traces of light in the draping and fluid asymmetry, in the glossy, airy ruffles. Bright trails of python surfaces, snakeskin, zebra stripes, scale-like compositions and puckering. Long silver dresses and chainmail bodysuits that cover and reveal femininity. Transparencies, nude looks, daring splits, V necklines. Shiny trimmings, broad-shouldered silhouettes. In a palette that spanned all the metallic shades with flashes of cobalt, lemon, primary red and fuchsia. Le luci di Julien Macdonald esplodono in…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Gypsy narration and intercontinental travel. The focus at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi was on nomadic culture. The collection looked at the Roma, Irish Travellers, gypsies and other itinerant peoples, but also new forms of digital travel. Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi showed technical nylon fabrics, printed floral patchworks, knit panels cut and overlapped, ripped and remade, draped, knotted or stitched together in fabric layers. The show was a contamination of styles. New Romantic ruches, ruffles, flounces and fringes featured on light, sheer, immaculate white dresses. Shoulders were oversize and accentuated in a nod to the Eighties. Mannish shorts were paired with airy, delicate tops. White lace was given an edge with inkcoloured embroidery and bright red slogans, repeating “Cancelled without prejudice” like a mantra on the…

LONDON September 16, 2018 Memory. Opulence. Spirituality. Simone Rocha looked into her family tree and investigated the traditional ceremonies of her Hong Kong ancestors. The clothes were invocations of soft, dark or bright colours with crimson touches. Rich brocades, embossed silk, layers of tulle and lace produced a sumptuous look. Sleeves were voluminous and puffed up, loose, turned up, bubble or puff. Beautiful embroidered tulle shawls were worn over the shoulders. Dark or bright white bib fronts were starched and bright or dotted with jewels and crystals. Prints featured antique paintings, female portraits, visual memories from the Ming and Qing dynasties, glimpses of the XVI century. Faces and profiles appeared as red thread embroidery on white cotton. Enchanted by women’s hairstyles from the Tang dynasty, Simone Rocha covered her women…

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