Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall - Winter 2019 i SHOWDETAILS PARIS+LONDON

The bourgeoisie, the class that has always been synonymous with social conventions and traditions, stamped its authority on the Paris runways, somewhat unsurprisingly. The explanation for this desire for normality and security could lie in the current atmosphere in France, which has seen riots on the streets of the capital similar to the days of ’68, with the not very idealistic but very pragmatic gilets jaunes demanding more social justice. A reaction to the chaos, a sort of restoration of that minimal, no frills fashion, an expression of cleanness, rigour, seriousness, juxtaposed against all the streetwear and sportswear on show. And yet, even the most tranquil bourgeois home conceals the seeds of rebellion. Indeed, the very existence of certain rules and standards is perhaps made to be broken, especially by…

Who knows why layering always makes us think of nomadic, constantly travelling women. The new collection from Joseph Altuzarra had a strong travel vibe. Inspired by his recent trip to Marrakech, the looks were packed with exotic references and layering. Shearling of various lengths was styled over layers of knits with added scarves wound around the bust like a sash. Multi-buckle boots rose up to the thigh almost like trousers, adding another layer. The Chloé girl also had an exotic touch, which chimed nicely with her passion for layering a turtleneck under a knit under a jacket, or a blazer over a fluid blouse over trousers tucked into ankle boots, or asymmetric dresses over skirts and knit collars, knots and draping over draping to emphasise the layers. The Dior woman…

Se ormai completi maschili e blazer, nel guardaroba femminile, sono diventati essenziali al pari di un tubino nero, ogni designer si prende la libertà creativa di interpretarli in base al proprio gusto ma anche e soprattutto alla Maison che rappresenta. Demna Gvasalia continua il suo lavoro di perfezionamento sartoriale sulla silhouette Balenciaga, modellando ulteriormente i contorni di giacche e cappotti che mantengono la struttura robusta, arrotondandosi nelle spalle, come si è visto su tante passerelle. In generale i volumi tendono a sovradimensionarsi nella parte superiore coinvolgendo anche collo e maniche e rendendo i capospalla simili a dei bozzoli protettivi. Il sartoriale di Dries Van Noten è severo e strutturato ma con il succedersi delle uscite si ammorbidisce, lasciando spazio a decorazioni floreali sempre più vivide e all-over, anche se il…

PARIS March 1, 2019 A dynamic presentation designed in collaboration with New York photographer Steven Sebring, whose multimedia studio contains a 360° camera rig built to create 3D holographic fashion images. An Vandevorst and her husband Filip Arickx had the idea of trying to do something that shows the movement of clothes, so they produced a look book with the models leaping and freezing in mid-air while the clothes fluctuate around them. The collection’s dynamism was complemented by bright tints of yellow, purple and red to accompany the fluid and in some cases oversize shapes of the highwaist pleated skirts and loose trousers with side bands, extra-long coats and masculine shirts, and sweatshirts with and without a hood. A few pieces were closer-fitting but most of the collection had a…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister and one of the 20th century’s chicest women, was one of Martin Grant’s earliest supporters and a firm friend. The designer thought of her for his new collection, declaring that the socialite would have loved some of the pieces, such as the Sixties-style white blouson with rounded lines and mirror leather trim. Those lines were repeated on more cropped outerwear worn with straight leg trousers above the ankle and spike-heeled court shoes. Other pieces were more fluid and dynamic with glossy and/or iridescent effects, as seen in the evening looks, which included sequinned or silver tops or sequinned jumpsuits with oversize trousers. The final outfit, a one-leg jumpsuit worn on its own, was more suited to the likes of Debbie…

PARIS March 2, 2019 For its A/W 2019.20 collection, Stagni47 produced loose shapes and asymmetric cuts with a particular focus on details and tailoring. The silhouettes alternated between rounded shapes and sharp lines defined by clean, oblique cuts: outerwear with asymmetric fasteners was paired with fluid mono-colour dresses; a zipped poncho enveloped the body while leaving the arms uncovered; technical dresses were made up of overlapping geometrically cut layers decorated with silver zips. Premium merino wool alternated with raw cut felted wool, giving the collection an ethereal appearance and creating the ingredients for a perfect mix of fabrics, consistencies and shapes. The dominant colours were white and all-black with a few touches of blue to create barely accentuated colour effects. Per la collezione A/I 2019.20 Stagni47 confeziona volumi ampi dai…

PARIS March 2, 2019 Andreas Kronthaler’s collections for Vivienne Westwood always resemble or are great declarations of love from a devoted husband to his wife, his Pygmalion and muse. Above all, they bear the imprint of the revolutionary designer, as though her style has been passed directly on to her husband. All Dame Viv’s classics on the runway were imbued with the desecrating irony that Kronthaler also has in spades: draped dresses with splits and/or deep necklines, visible underwear, oversize tailoring, fluid knitwear, tulle veils, bizarre headpieces. Everything was styled with showy jewellery and accessories such as maxi earrings, chains, necklaces with amulets, long gloves, branded or patterned socks, plasticized tights, and bags of various types and sizes. Le collezioni di Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood sembrano o sono sempre…

PARIS March 1, 2019 While it’s true that every Olivier Rousteing collection for Balmain has an autobiographical streak running through it, his latest defied any attempts at categorisation. Just like his woman, Rousteing has always rebelled against those seeking to pigeon-hole him and most of his self-determination comes through in his clothes. This time, pointed metal studs were everywhere, perhaps as a symbol of the dark side; on black bouclé, on sculptural mini-dresses, and shoes and on cross-body bags. Romanticism and sweetness came across in airy floral decorations paired with denim, plastic and leather, while black PVC, worked in origami fabrications, was as sharp as a blade. Se è vero che ogni collezione di Olivier Rousteing per Balmain ha un tratto autobiografico, in quest’ultima c’è l’opporsi a qualsiasi tentativo di…

PARIS February 28, 2019 The memory of Karl Lagerfeld, who designed at Chloé for 25 years, resounded throughout Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s fluid, feminine collection with the brand’s signature seventies feel. A series of airy, mainly mini, dresses decorated with a kind of toile de jouy motif alternated with outfits with skinny trousers that flared out at the bottom and blouses with gathered collars worn with jeans with high turn-ups or skirts with a double front split. Other dresses, of various lengths but always fluid, featured hippy style floral prints and/or embroidery emphasised by talismanic jewellery often seen in Ramsay-Levi’s work. Some looks were finished off with loose knit collars, while mid-heel ankle boots alternated with a kind of loafer with a maxi-strap and chunky heel worn with ribbed socks. L’eco del…

PARIS February 27, 2019 For his latest collection, Dries Van Noten answered contradictory longings for the brand’s signature tailoring on the one hand and colour on the other, resorting to floral prints inspired by photographs of his garden at home. However, there was nothing romantic about Van Noten’s flowers. The feeling was rather one of decadence and imperfection rendered by shadows and black spots. The flowers began to appear after the first few grey pinstripe suits, first on a knit then on a lilac satin dress and a blazer, without covering the whole surface but just featuring in one section. The decorations spread as the show progressed, covering down jackets, coats, fluid long dresses and culminating in gold and/or sequins in the finale. Per questa sua ultima collezione Dries Van…

PARIS March 3, 2019 Clare Waight-Keller spoke of two focal points for this Givenchy show: the romanticism of flowers in a“Winter of Eden”, and tailoring, on which she has focused since her arrival at the brand a year and a half ago. For the former, she produced a series of long plissé dresses with floral patterns inspired by Japanese vases. Fluid and delicate, they skimmed the figure without clinging and featured wavy hems, necks and cuffs. Mini versions were worn sleeveless or layered over trousers. The tailoring was sculptural, with single and doublebreasted coats and jackets with strong, rounded shoulders, as seen on many Paris runways, or a boxier style with a belted waist and mainly flared or loose straight-legged trousers. Some outfits topped a coat with a short or…

PARIS March 2, 2019 Clothes made to last for generations, rising above the fleeting trends and whims of fashion. Season after season, Hermès showcases a constant renewal of timeless classics using the very best materials. Creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski relies on the brand’s expert craftspeople to turn leather into almost a textile. This leather was used to make the ultra-short shorts in the first looks and the pencil skirts teamed with matching zipped jackets and striped turtlenecks or fluid silk blouses with Hermès prints, which the designer first saw on one of her mother’s neck scarves. It was also used in the insets and trims on jackets and coats edged with contrasting stripes, and had the soft fluidity of a fabric on voluminous down jackets with big pockets and on…

PARIS March 2, 2019 ‘Kawaii’ is a Japanese term meaning‘sweet’, ‘nice’, ‘amiable’ and is usually associated with childlike cuteness. Junya Watanabe named his latest collection after it, resulting in pairs of young models sporting big bunches in the hair and clumsily-applied doll make-up, with fake lashes askew and too much pink lipstick. But the designer never takes himself too seriously and likes to make an ironic point, which this time extended to the clothes in the form of grunge patchworks worn over skinny jeans tucked into silver-toed cowboy boots. The collection continued with a series of layered material collages topped with comfortable blazers, chunky sweaters, biker jackets and bombers. A reassembled, functional fashion that was far less cute and more practical than it first appeared. ‘Kawaii’ è un termine giapponese…

PARIS February 27, 2019 Lanvin staged its latest collection, the debut from creative director Bruno Sialelli, in the former home of the abbots of Cluny in Boulevard Saint-Germain, now home to France’s National Museum of the Middle Ages. The show included an array of pieces, details and styles, dominated by layering and new combinations, as though the plan was to leave nothing out so as not to displease anyone. So there were woollen sailor jackets and tartan ponchos, neck scarf dresses and skirts with Medieval-style prints, branded jacquard knits and long denim skirts with splits, silk pyjamas and slip dresses, sleek kaftans and long lurex dresses, and other dresses layered over trousers. On the accessories front, bags of all sizes were carried on the shoulder or by hand, knit scarves,…

PARIS February 27, 2019 John Galliano created sober, clean, oversize yet precise tailoring for Maison Margiela. The first looks in the new collection were single and doublebreasted coats and chiselled suits with strong shoulders and loose, at times contrasting, sleeves, and a military feel. There was also the designer’s signature deconstruction and dismemberment, with the inside out and the upside down and ‘filleted’ hems on dresses and trenches, on which neon flamingos were inset. In general, though, the direction was towards rigorous tailoring emphasised by classic menswear fabrics such as herringbone played down by playful accessories, like the down-filled bags and rubber Mary Janes worn with flesh coloured pop socks. Una sartoria sobria, pulita, oversize ma precisa, realizzata con la maestria di John Galliano al servizio di Maison Margiela. Le…

PARIS March 1, 2019 Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh are a young couple in work and in life. Until now they have been running a menswear label, Botter, so their debut at Nina Ricci is their first foray into womenswear. Perhaps because of their inexperience, their first show leaned heavily towards tailoring, featuring fluid oversize suits and coats at times paired with a big bow on one shoulder or a built-in wrap around the body. Bows and swaddling forms also influenced blouses and shirts, which had the same ethereal lightness as the organza tops and dresses made up of differentsized squares. Big rounded cloche hats added feminine rigour to this playful yet slightly extravagant collection. Rushemy Botter e Lisi Herrebrugh sono una giovane coppia sul lavoro e nella vita; finora…

PARIS January 20, 2019 Paul Smith teamed traditional British tailoring with hard-edged punk, creating eye-catching looks that featured layering, mix & match and horse-riding details, giving a country feel to the look. Long, sharp-shouldered coats came with buckles on the sleeves, contrasting trims or check insets and were worn over neon tinted turtlenecks, extra-long shirts and/or dresses or pencil skirts over animal print leggings. The alternative was chunky oversize sweaters in bold colour blocking or bright floral prints on long dresses, jackets and trousers shot through with multi-directional zips. Pointed loafers with zip fastening and two buckled straps continued the theme. Sulla passerella di Paul Smith il tradizionale sartoriale British si arricchisce di elementi ‘duri e puri’ mutuati dallo stile punk, creando accattivanti connubi cui si aggiungono stratificazioni, mix &…

PARIS February 26, 2019 Broad, exaggerated shoulders, because “she is really strong, she’s fearless”. This is how creative director Anthony Vaccarello described the Saint Laurent woman. Season after season, he dips into the vast YSL oeuvre, this time focusing on tailoring, which was almost man-sized with oversize proportions especially in the shoulders. It was immediately clear from the first looks -long coats with wide lapels over thin tops and high-waist cigarette trousers cinched with a wide belt. The blazers worn over bare skin had the same structure, as did the minidresses, super-short with solid shoulders, and the sheer blouses with bow, through which the shoulder padding was visible, which were tucked into micro-shorts and paired with polka dot tights. Plunging necklines, daring nude looks, iridescence and almost all black completed…

PARIS January 17, 2019 Layering, oversize volumes, and mixing streetwear and sportswear are all elements that Demna Gvasalia has accustomed the Vetements clients to, making it a cult brand. But another characteristic always features in his collections and that is a certain restlessness - something to hide and/or protect oneself from. In this case it was the dark underbelly of the Internet, a scary world in which anyone can hide their identity. In addition to the expected streetwear looks - oversize tartan shirts and sweatshirts alternating with big down jackets, extra-large coats and loose floral dresses paired with sports socks and fringed skirts - some of the girls concealed their faces behind hoods and shawls, which in some cases covered the entire figure. Restless and unsettling. Sovrapposizioni, volumi over, mix…

Londra è elevazione. Sollevamento. Movimento ascendente. Si lancia in un cammino spirituale ed etico verso l’alto. Tende al cielo. Si spinge verso il futuro.È verticale. Cerca la sperimenta zione, l’innovazione. Scardina i codici delle vecchie stagioni, li spoglia di tutti gli orpelli. Abbandona il superfluo. Si fa essenziale. L’abito è il protagonista dell’inverno. È il tramite per elevare la materia alla purezza. È sobrio, privo di decorazioni, lontano da ogni eccesso. È ascetico, monastico, votato al minimalismo e alla monocromia. Concilia il silenzio e la meditazione. Invita ad assumere un atteggiamento contemplativo.L’abito è la cattedrale del colore per Jasper Conran, che compone una collezione dal titolo evocativo,‘The dress’. La passerella diviene il luogo consacrato dove l’abito prende vita e si mostra: casto, dalle scollature misurate o a dolcevita, lineare, geometrico.…

LONDON February 16, 2019 Dystopian. Nuclear. Mysterious. Glossy and matt. Velvet and lace. Patent and check. The ALEXACHUNG collection brought together daring combinations, different materials, darkness and elegance. It was anticonventional.Rebellious with a touch of bonton.It was inspired by the vast Big Sur coastline in California, Japanese urban landscapes, apocalyptic scenarios, and by watching the Schwarzenegger film Terminator. The show was entitled“Off the Grid, but Not for Long”. The silhouettes had the broad shoulders of the Eighties. The clothes included holographic surfaces, textures with herringbone motifs, bold tartan, floral jacquards and fine knitwear. Long scarves and belted waist. Sleek dresses came in dark velvet with tone on tone ruffles or contrasting lace insets. The esoteric palette included tar and ash with touches of yellow, tobacco and teal. Distopica. Nucleare. Misteriosa.…

LONDON February 18, 2019 Crystals and balloons. Gloves and plastic. Christopher Kane brought fetish to the runway. Exploring human obsessions, desires for sexual objects, fetishes. Rubber meets pomp with a nod to glamour. Satin mermaid dresses were embellished with ruches, latex insets, PVC accessories, lace sleeves, jewel buttons, studs, and Swarovski. Rows of rhinestones were added to straps and edged silk mini-dresses or soft cardigans. Elongated sequins decorated spacey neon pieces. Futuristic collars and tiny plastic clutches were applied to dresses. Graphic details included words and objects: “Rubberist” appeared alongside two rubber gloves while“Looner” was paired with colourful balloons. More balloons were scattered across space dresses in silver fabric. The prints on some of the cupcake-shaped, flounced mini-skirts and jumpsuits resembled swirling drops of oil. Fuchsia and electric blue were…

LONDON February 16, 2019 There must be no walls around artistic inspiration. No borders or boundaries around ideas. House of Holland brought its message to the runway, creating a winter wardrobe that teamed west and east in a mix of references and influences. Henry Holland offered clothes for global explorers and citizens. They wore tailored outfits injected with orange, blazers with obi belts, and skirts in burnt-out velvet. There was no distinction between military and hyper-feminine style. They played with contrasts, teaming mini-skirts with trekking shoes, gathered mini-dresses with padded outerwear. To shelter from the cold, they chose a big-collared trench with cargo pockets or Kiwi quilted jackets. These were free women crossing urban landscapes without limitation. They exhibited cultural and aesthetic contaminations, including British details, denim pieces, neon prints,…

LONDON February 16, 2019 Earth, air, fire, water. Mary Katrantzou celebrated natural elements, telluric and seismic instincts, changes in the wind and sky, storms. Her dresses were like explosions from volcanoes: eccentric and exuberant, with multi-coloured ostrich feathers, dégradé lava vibrations, magenta, violet, emerald, orange, tongues of fire and incandescent jets. Dresses like abysses: flounces and ruffles were organza waves and tides, bringing the colours of the ocean depths, the reflections of light under water. Midi length skirts, pencil skirts and skinny pants formed glossy, dream-like compositions with celestial sequins and shimmering scales. Oversize coats, overcoats and suits in Glen plaid came in rainbow tints. Mini-dresses had a primordial attitude: flora and fauna frolicked and mixed in animal motifs, earthy encrustations and marbled effects. Prints were a whirl of fantasy…

LONDON February 17, 2019 Roland Mouret showed an unconventional collection. It was inclusive. It had no limitations, categories, sizes or genders. The muse was Lee Miller, the model, fashion photographer and Second World War photo-reporter, who refused to be classified based on her sex, age or physicality. Mouret celebrated the beauty of all bodies, paying homage to imperfection and identity. He ramped up the volumes and chose languid fabrics. Coats were fluid and enveloping with ribbons tied at the cuffs. Faux furs came in cinnamon and ink colours. Sleek, wide-leg trousers fell smoothly to the ankle, fluttering as the models walked. Long draping tunics and dresses sparkled in crimson and purple and in watery pearl grey and sky blue. The bows at the neck, the deep V necklines, floral prints…

LONDON February 17, 2019 Clothes that take a stance. Transmit ideas. Protest. Clothes that talk, that shout, “More democracy”. Clothes for combative queens and militant angels that daringly paraded inside St John’s Church in Smith Square under fluttering flags depicting red lips and the message “Homo Loquax”. Vivienne Westwood composed a textile manifesto to save the world from climate change. She shaped her appeal in cloth form. She raised her voice. The language was unisex. The question “Evolution?” was written on a gathered white apron. A printed T-shirt read, “We sold our soul for consumption”. A spade symbol on a blue sweatshirt. A whirl of prints and colours included roulettes, graffiti, scribbles, playing cards, and stripes. Draping, bows and ribbons, pinstripe suits, formal suits, patent boots and leather combat boots…

The codes of the Parisian bourgeoisie seen through young, modern eyes with a dash of the ’70s and ’80s, when Celine, whose accent Hedi Slimane has removed, was enjoying its heyday with its signature elegant yet frillsfree wardrobe. As seen in some of the brand’s Seventies posters, the show included camel capes and coats, trenches, blazers and masculine suits worn with high-necked or crew neck sweaters, shirts and pussy bow blouses, teamed with micro-check culottes or pleated skirts and highheel leather boots. The alternative of skinny jeans and shearling fur coats made this pretty yet strong-willed femininity even more contemporary. Giambattista Valli’s girl is a high society young lady by default. Perhaps because of this, the designer accentuated her rebellious side, drawing inspiration from Saint Laurent muse Betty Catroux and…

La borghesia, quella classe che è da sempre sinonimo di convenzioni sociali e attaccamento alle tradizioni, instaura i propri codici sulle passerelle parigine, a sorpresa si direbbe, ma nemmeno tanto. Perché la spiegazione di questo desiderio di normalità e di sicurezze potrebbe forse venire dall’aria che tira oggi in Francia e che ha messo a ferro e fuoco le strade della capitale come ai tempi del ’68, con i gilets jaunes poco idealisti e tanto pragmatici a chiedere più giustizia sociale. Una reazione al caos, una sorta di restaurazione di quella moda minimale e no frills, espressione di pulizia, rigore, serietà, a sua volta contrapposta a tutto lo streetwear e lo sportswear dilaganti. Eppure. Eppure, anche nel più tranquillo nucleo borghese, cova il germe della ribellione, anzi, l’esistenza stessa di…

Chissà perché l’abbigliamento stratificato fa sempre un po’ pensare a una donna nomade, gitana, costantemente in viaggio. Eppure emana davvero vibrazioni vagabonde la nuova collezione di Joseph Altuzarra, che si è ispirato ad una recente vacanza a Marrakech per i suoi look ricchi di suggestioni esotiche e, appunto, di stratificazioni in cui il capospalla, per la maggior parte lo shearling di diverse lunghezze, si sovrappone a maglie indossate una sopra l’altra, con l’aggiunta di foulard avvolti intorno al busto a mo’ di fusciacca. Gli stivali multi-fibbia che arrivano fino alla coscia rappresentano uno strato ulteriore, fungendo quasi da pantaloni. Un tocco esotico ce l’ha anche la ragazza Chloé, che va di pari passo, probabilmente non a caso, con la passione per le sovrapposizioni ovvero dolcevita sotto maglie sotto giacche oppure…

PARIS March 1, 2019 With Lutz Huelle as its new creative director, Delpozo pivoted away from its usual eveningwear to focus more on playful yet refined daywear with sculptural, polished volumes. The widely varying pieces ranged from airy, flared dresses and cassocks to soft or skinny trousers and coats that alternated clean with curvy lines and breezy ruffles. The palette also alternated neutral or pale tones with bold tints like orange and fuchsia, including some daring combinations such as pink with caramel or green with sea blue. It was all about finding balance between cocoon shapes and straight silhouettes, between masculine jackets and floral brocade looks, between simple crew neck sweaters and tops encrusted with swarovski or clusters of sequins and beads, as seen on the last fulllength column dress…

PARIS February 27, 2019 Mulberry teamed British heritage with an unexpectedly sporty edge, as well as the touch of punk used by many British designers to explore the line between anarchy and tradition. Single or double-breasted tartan coats, perhaps with a fur collar, were worn with masculine trousers or a pleated skirt and colourful opaque tights. Romantic midi-dresses were styled with a metal eyelet belt, while more eyelets appeared on dresses, some of the coats and the accessories, from leather gloves to bags and heeled loafers. There were also printed down jackets of various lengths worn with the metal eyelet belt and a matching skirt, solid masculine suits and miniskirtsuits. Traditional British prints alternated with seventies-style optical patterns, micro floral motifs and‘feathered’ prints, which nodded to the ducks and swans…

PARIS March 4, 2019 To inspire and prepare her Alexander McQueen collections, Sarah Burton likes to take her creative team on trips. This time they headed to the small towns outside of Manchester, where she grew up and where mills still produce many of the textiles used for men’s suits in the United Kingdom and abroad. Burton’s focus in this show was therefore on British products, traditions and culture, with references ranging from the suffragettes to punk and new wave, without forgetting the English rose. It started with tailoring made from English wool exported around the world. The looks were structured and severe but softened by asymmetry, pleats, ruffles and draping. The same contrast teamed floral and lace dresses with chains and leather straps and chokers. The designer also tapped…

PARIS February 28, 2019 James Lee Byars was an American conceptual artist who pursued the idea of perfection through his sculptures, installations and performances. A constant traveller, he frequented Antwerp’s Wide White Space Gallery, forging strong links to the city that also brought Ann Demeulemeester to the fore. Today, the brand’s creative director, Sébastien Meunier, paid homage to and drew inspiration from Byars’ work. His boldlycoloured giant bands of fabric were the starting point for the long airy, silky dresses that alternated on the runway with brocade suits and coats worn with combat boots. Other dresses were long sheer tunics with visible underwear topped with feather necklaces, while outerwear spanned voluminous furs and tailored coats. Tall bowler hats were another homage to Byars, another longing for perfect beauty. James Lee…

PARIS March 1, 2019 Those who were expecting another Hedi Slimane take on Celine had to eat their words because this show was a revisitation of the brand’s classics as they were in the beginning, in the ’70s and ’80s before Michael Kors was drafted in. The protagonist was a bourgeois woman cool on the outside and fiery on the inside, a transgressive, untamed ‘Belle de jour’ wearing thigh-high boots, nonchalant tailored coats and blazers, leather jackets, shearling, sleeveless pieces and wild furs. Mini-dresses were ousted in favour of pleated knee-length skirts and culottes paired with crew neck knits and pussy bow blouses or tight high-waist jeans, while dresses were chaste, high-necked and belted. Aviator glasses, neck scarves and some wide-brimmed hats contributed towards the mystery of this French bourgeois…

PARIS March 2, 2019 Rei Kawakubo, one of fashion’s great seers, rang a loud alarm bell about today’s dangers and fears, including environmental destruction, escalating militarism and violence of all kinds, representing them on the runway like shadows, malign forces in total black. The clothes were sculptural wrappings that revealed glimpses of the body in fishnet knits and tights. There were fetish harnesses, protective armour along the shoulders and hips, hoods and headpieces midway between spacey and ecclesiastical. Also pseudo-Victorian dresses complete with crinoline, bubble skirts held up by braces, deboned jackets layered over dresses, tailored jackets from which hooks, gilt cherubs, and door latches hung. Were these flashes of light on black a sign of hope? Or a kind of amulet to counter all the evil and darkness? Rei…

PARIS March 2, 2019 Elie Saab’s show opened with a series of jersey dresses with various types of neckline but almost all with an asymmetric hem and a scarf tied around the neck, worn with thighhigh leather pirate boots, demonstrating that everything a woman needs can be found right on this runway. The dresses came in primary monochromes but also in iridescent green, purple, black and rust-coloured macro patterns. They were followed by shiny velvet tuxedos, romantic blouses with bows and long, sinuous skirts with or without a split, and more long dresses interspersed with transparencies and precious embroidery or covered in crystals, the common denominator being wide waistbands tied with a large bow. There was also lots of lace, ruches, trains and cloaks, culminating in a finale worthy of…

PARIS February 27, 2019 Marble was the decorative theme chosen by Richard René for his new Guy Laroche collection. With just a few exceptions, the 34 all-black looks were covered with marbleized patterns that ran through the predominant black. Marbleized masculine suits, sheer shirts open at the chest, skinny trousers, mini-dresses, even tights and sock boots. When the pattern was not immediately visible on the surface, it appeared on the lining of an overcoat or was referenced by a slit in the fabric. This technique appeared again in the finale on a long dress in which the split ran diagonally all the way up to the shoulder, held only by a seam at the hip. Swarovski encrustations were sometimes used to further emphasise the marble pattern. È senza alcun dubbio…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Isabel Marant is closely associated with travel. This time, she turned the runway into an urban safari in sandy desert shades with her customary nod to the Eighties. So, there were strong shoulders, cinched waists and slouchy leather boots, which sometimes rose well above the knee. Another signature trait, bohemian, was seen in quilted patterned jackets tucked into wraparound skirts or high-waist trousers cinched with maxi belts, loose over the thighs and tapered at the bottom. Chunky ribbed knit sweaters with statement shoulders also doubled up as mini-dresses, while other outfits towards the finale were more fluid, studded and/or sparkling and shot through with metallic threads. Isabel Marant e il viaggio, un binomio indissolubile che stavolta trasforma la passerella in un safari urbano nelle tonalità sabbiose…

PARIS February 27, 2019 Kenzo used the same theme for its womenswear as its latest menswear collection, i.e. murals by the late artist and shaman Pablo Amaringo, as well as the Chinese-Peruvian heritage of Humberto Leon’s father, which inspired many of the traditional pieces and decorative motifs creatively updated for this show. With Lim and Leon’s trademark sportswear appeal, there were anoraks and down jackets trimmed with faux fur, blanketponchos, dresses and skirts in technical fabric embellished with drawstrings and elastics and brightly-coloured fluffy mohair check outfits. The patterns verged on the psychedelic in the finale, with jackets and skinny trousers featuring atmospheric swirls emphasised by the bold tints seen almost everywhere else in the collection. Lo stesso tema che ha ispirato l’ultimo menswear di Kenzo si ritrova anche nella…

PARIS March 1, 2019 The set was simply a black tiled floor inside a white ‘box’; only, on one wall hung a line of Dutch, French, and English portrait miniatures painted in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Stripping everything away to see the detail is not the only thing Jonathan Anderson is doing at Loewe. There was something of those paintings in the looks and in Anderson’s fashion in general. The poet shirts, monastic robes, Puritan collars - that blend of ancient and austere clashing with the unusual and the grotesque, represented here by strange headpieces with side wings or others resembling bird’s nests and cascades of feathers and hanging laces fluttering around the clothes. The encouragement to look more closely began with a sweater and ended with an…

PARIS March 5, 2019 A darkened room and a felt carpet, illuminated photographs, video screens and stacks of vintage televisions showing work by the young New Zealand-born artist, Sharna Osborne, provided the setting for the latest Miu Miu show. The subjects were a fascinating mix of innocence and perversity featuring elements of fairy tales and allegories. Long tweed cloaks trimmed with fur or crochet, with toggles or tartan, in shearling or camouflage fitted in nicely with the atmosphere. Underneath was signature Miu Miu girl fare, from military pieces to floral mini-dresses, hot pants worn with over-the-knee socks, sheer slip dresses embellished with little flowers, and vintage skirts. Everything came with bags hanging off the arm and various types of footwear, including Mary Janes. Una stanza buia e un tappeto in…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Virgil Abloh’s work always has a sporty touch, beginning with the location, which this time was a sports hall with a bright yellow checkerboard-patterned wooden floor - a reference to the demolition derby culture he grew up with in suburban America. But it was a just a backdrop, because Abloh is intrigued by the woman who wants to dress in a feminine but chic way. So there was lots of tailoring in the first looks, with strong-shouldered jackets, coats and suits, some in black leather, worn at times with a body shield-belt with strap. Of course, this woman also wants to feel sexy, so under the long coats she wore ultra-short shorts, the last of which matched the floor, and draped asymmetric dresses that exposed lots…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Rick Owens continued the exploration of transgression he began with his last menswear collection dedicated to Larry LeGaspi, which looked at the taboos associated with gender and the battles to overcome them. His thinking also embraced the new types of transgression explored by young people experimenting with prosthetics and body modification on Instagram. One of them, 18-year-old Salvia, was hired by Owens to consult on the show’s unsettling make-up. Alien prosthetics aside, there were lots of tailored pieces here, such as jackets and coats with aerodynamic shoulders, at times inset with large side pockets, open over fetish bodysuits layered with press studs at the crotch (a reference to LeGaspi’s costumes for Kiss). The rock theme was evident in the leather trousers and jumpsuits worn with inside-out…

PARIS March 4, 2019 The sustainability issue in fashion has reached a critical point. Many designers are making more responsible choices though many are well behind Stella McCartney, who has been a leader on this subject since the beginning of her career. Her new collection is the latest demonstration of her commitment, with most of the clothes made from recycled and/or ethically produced materials. Long coats were made from waste fabrics from past seasons, long dresses were made from strips of vintage T-shirts, and other long fluid dresses had bodices decorated with materials from previous collections. Then there was tailoring made from army surplus fabrics, faux furs and sustainable viscose sourced from certified Swedish forests, without forgetting the jewellery, like the maxi necklaces decorated with colourful rubber bands. Il discorso…

PARIS March 1, 2019 The skill of the great designer lies in making the same thing always different, in proposing their distinguishing trait in new ways. Yohji Yamamoto renews his use of the colour black, asymmetry, draping and deconstruction in every collection, thus renewing the magic of creation. He performed the same miracle this time too, wrapping the figure in knots, overlapping panels and gathers or revealing it with little openings on the arms or back. Whether a coat, dress, jacket or skirt, every piece can be interchangeable and be used to provide a wealth of pockets, extra-long sleeves and swellings. The veiled seduction in the finale referenced the women of 17th-century Spain who covered all but their left eye in black to entice men. La maestria dei grandi designer…

LONDON February 28, 2019 Camellia, apple blossom, pink quartz, silver, sea mist, lilac, sapphire, champagne. Embroidery, feathers, crystals. Jenny Packham’s collection spoke the language of delicacy and poetry. It looked to the glamour of the Sixties and Seventies. It drew inspiration from Slim Aarons’ “Poolside Gossip” photo of Nelda Linsk at her Palm Spring home. The look was ethereal and elegant, refined and sophisticated: sparkling long evening dresses, luminous beaded cocktail dresses in pastel shades, glossy trousers and blouses. Minute crystals and feathers were used to create buds and multicoloured florals. Constellations of silver sequins were dotted over long dresses and blouses, covering the shoulders and fluttering breezily down to the ankle. White gave purity to the collection, as seen in a feathered skirt and cloak. An ode to elegance.…

LONDON February 17, 2019 Burberry is a tempest. Riccardo Tisci’s winter was imbued with the contrasts in British culture and weather. So it was a changeable collection in many different shades - rebellious and bon-ton at the same time. Biker jackets, mini-dresses, nineties lingerie dresses alternated with more classic looks, such as dresses with nipped waist, pleated skirts, pencil skirts, printed shirts, fringes and hand-applied crystals. Street culture and sophisticated allure went hand in hand on the runway, in shades of cream, beige, white and black with injections of intense pistachio, orange, red and blue. The brand’s vintage prints were reworked and enriched with nautical references, marine landscapes, oysters and ropes. Feathers, floral sculptures and golden encrustations embellished the looks. Shearling, faux fur coats, destructured trenches, precious car coats, wool…

LONDON February 18, 2019 Shakespearean, narrative, poetic, tragic and precious clothes. Warrior uniforms, leather wrappings dotted with zips and big cargo pockets. Bombers with fur sleeves. Pieces with a military appeal. Sleek, one-shoulder, voluminous, airy dresses with vermilion ruffles. And fringes, lace, macramé, tulle and plexiglas beads. David Koma’s show was all about decoration. Inspired by the likes of Ophelia, the models were the luminous protagonists of an ancient yet modern drama: they wore opulent Renaissance dresses, gutsy masculine garments, corset dresses, glossy gowns made from patent bouclé fabric. There were also sharp lines, high splits, asymmetric cuts and pointy shoulders. Crystal encrustations in the shape of silver butterflies and snakes on velvet mini-dresses referenced “King Lear” and “Macbeth”. The dominant colours were black, white and red, in the vein…

LONDON February 16, 2019 “The dress” was the title of the Jasper Conran collection, which paid homage to the piece’s purity of form and tailoring. Understated, geometric, and no frills: the dress was the protagonist of the winter. It had fluid, linear silhouettes and tended towards cleanness and minimalism. Conceptual and material at the same time. Monastic. Ascetic. Devoted to simplicity. The clothes were high-necked, chaste, turtle-necked. Yet every now and then plunging V or teardrop necklines appeared, revealing the skin and exalting the poetry of the body. Mid-calf length skirts fluttered thanks to improvised splits. Geometric transparencies were light and airy, transforming into elegant tunics that left the shoulders bare. The palette alternated rigorously between cool electric blue, smoke grey, plum and warm saffron, peach, sage green and burnt…

LONDON February 17, 2019 A feeling of community, notes, movements. Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi brought traditional British dance to the runway, including Welsh folk dancing, Morris dancing, Clog dancing, and Maypole dancing. And that’s not all: the collection crossed the centuries, mixing historical dance with raves. Victorian girls paraded in patchwork skirts and electric blue tights. Grungy women wore eighties mini and slip dresses, puckered pieces, lace, draped velvet, puff sleeves and ruches. Clogs inspired by the 19th century were worn on the feet. The show was a turbulent, imaginative choreography: fragments of cloths and blankets, reworked kilts, deconstructed jackets, tapestry coats and oversize suits protected the dancers in the fields. There were also Morris dancing harnesses, rosettes and streamers. For a shared musical ritual in nocturnal and bright…

LONDON February 16, 2019 Uneasy and unsettling women walked for Simone Rocha. They were like girls observed and spied on through a keyhole, taken from the voyeuristic photographs of Miroslav Tichý. They wore tight, languid satin bras, with embellished underwire or red sequins. The show was about intimacy and invasion of privacy, eroticism between innocence and darkness. Louise Bourgeois’ black crowns were worn on the head and her spider-web embroideries appeared on the clothes. Femininity was nestled inside voluminous, rich clothes. Coats with convulsed, virtuous lines featured floral prints and scarlet touches. Double-layer trenches, in transparent or honey colours. Dresses with fluttering ribbons, shiny appliqués, gathers, fabric nipped and tucked, puff sleeves, nocturnal or epidermal shades of powder pink, vanilla, and antique blue. It was a heady femininity, delicate and…

While masculine suits and blazers are now as much a part of the women’s wardrobe as the little black dress, all designers are enjoying the creative freedom of interpreting them based on personal taste and the brand they represent. Demna Gvasalia continued his work of tailoring perfection on the Balenciaga silhouette, adding further shape to jackets and coats by keeping a robust structure while adding the rounded shoulders seen on many runways. In general, the volumes were oversize on top, with big collars and sleeves making the outerwear resemble protective cocoons. The tailoring of Dries Van Noten was plain and structured but tended to soften as the show went on, leaving room for increasingly vivid and allover floral decorations, although the designer was quick to point out these were decadent,…

I codici della borghesia parigina riletti in chiave giovane, moderna ma con un twist che oscilla tra gli anni ’70 e gli ’80, periodo in cui la Maison Celine, cui Hedi Slimane ha tolto l’accento, viveva ancora il suo periodo classico e godeva della propria essenzialità, con un guardaroba elegante, ma svelto, senza fronzoli. Come in certe réclame Seventies del marchio, ecco sfilare cappe e cappotti cammello, trench, blazer e completi maschili portati con maglioni a collo alto o girocollo, camicie e bluse con pussy bow, a loro volta abbinati a gonne-pantalone o gonne a pieghe micro-check e stivali alti in pelle. L’alternativa dei jeans skinny e delle pellicce di shearling rende più contemporanea questa femminilità leziosa e insieme volitiva. La ragazza di Giambattista Valli è di default una signorina…

The retail world is constantly developing and changing and pop-up stores, a commercial distribution formula designed to offer a sensory experience, are a part of that. In 2017 sales at temporary stores rose by 50% to 10 billion dollars, encouraging fashion and accessories brands to exploit their surprise effect to gain new customers and fans. Following this trend, Carpi Fashion System presents its POPUP Fashion Store, a temporary store in New York that will offer participating brands the chance to gain visibility through a B2C sales channel, directly to the American public, and B2B through face-to-face meetings with international agents and showrooms. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of Made in Italy products while testing out American preferences in brands and products and creating a solid communication…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Hedy Lamarr was not just a beautiful Hollywood actress but also a Jewish-Austrian former engineering student émigré to the United States who invented a secret communication system to combat Nazi Germany, which was later used for Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. Escada creative director Niall Sloan discovered her story in the documentary ‘Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story’ and was so riveted by this mix of glamour and ingenuity that he devoted the German brand’s latest collection to it. ‘Ecstasy’, Lamarr’s scandalous film, was emblazoned on a long skirt, a knit and a stole, while the Wi-Fi symbol decorated other maxi scarves. The actress’s escape from her controlling husband with her jewellery sewn into the lining of her clothes informed the all-over prints and embroidery, while other looks…

PARIS March 1, 2019 Last season, Julie de Libran recreated the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter on the Sonia Rykiel runway, but this time the designer took her models straight onto the Paris streets complete with traffic and passers-by. It’s a dynamic presentation that has much to do with the “iconic values of the House” and the playful, coquettish approach associated with the spirit of the Rykiel woman, as seen here in fluid, multicoloured clothes with added movement provided by asymmetry and maxi fringes. The brand’s signature knitwear featuring innovative cuts and breezy fringes is tied around the shoulders or used as an inset on single and double-breasted blazers. For the evening, bold colour is replaced by iridescence and sequins. Se nella scorsa collezione di Julie de Libran per Sonia Rykiel la strada,…

PARIS March 2, 2019 The sense of freedom Joseph Altuzarra felt on his recent trip to Marrakech gave his latest collection the nomad touch and assertive sensuality the designer’s work always offers. The 41 looks in the show emanated the wanderlust vibe through eye-catching layers of chunky shearling and parkas over paisley dresses or skirts worn with buckled thigh-high boots. Paisley motifs also featured on blouses, whose collars peeped out from structured blazers and jumpers with asymmetric shoulders and buckle fasteners, styled with loose highwaist leather trousers or plissé lamé skirts. Knit and lamé were paired for some dresses, while others were one-shoulder and/or packed with draping, ruches and knots at the side. Playful tailoring in the suits and coats duetted with knitwear. Il senso di libertà che Joseph Altuzarra…

PARIS March 3, 2019 Demna Gvasalia continues his adaptation of the Balenciaga silhouette, perfecting the computer-manipulated techniques he has introduced into the brand to create cleaner, more moulded lines, especially with tailoring. The result, which the designer called“more subtle”, were quasi-clerical looks featuring long jackets with rounded yet robust shoulders and high-waist trousers with straight legs almost covering the shoes. The same work has been carried out on outerwear. Enveloping coats and trenches with high collars and shoulders formed a protective wrapping around the neck, a feature repeated on silk blouses with extra-long sleeves tucked into flared midi length skirts. Down jackets and overcoats came in oversize cocoon shapes and were so long they almost touched the ground, while the more formal dresses ranged from long column dresses to sequinned…

PARIS March 5, 2019 In a snow-bound mountain landscape complete with faux alpine hostel, the Chanel Gardenia, Karl Lagerfeld’s final collection for the brand began with a minute’s silence followed by a voiceover from the man himself. Then came the Chanel girls, walking on the fake snow, hands in pockets and sombre faces, well aware of the“ceremonial responsibilities” they had. Shunning the brand’s traditional opening looks, they wore wideleg, high-waist trousers with darts paired with matching jackets and/or long single and double-breasted coats - in tweed, naturally -and wide-brimmed hats. When the skirts did appear, they were midi or just above the knee with fringed hems, worn over fringed tweed leggings that fell just below the skirt. Sweaters and knitted dresses featured Nordic patterns, down jackets were colourful, while the…

PARIS February 26, 2019 Bianca Pucciarelli Menna is an artist from the ‘70s who took on a man’s name, Tomaso Binga, as a sign of protest against male privilege. It was a feminist, then, that inspired Maria Grazia Chiuri for this new Dior collection, reminding us all that the theme is now very much a part of her creative direction. The‘Sisterhood is Global’ motto of another feminist, American author Robin Morgan, was emblazoned on the white T-shirt in the first look, emphasising the designer’s commitment. The rebellious spirit of the collection was taken from the post-war Teddy Girls, with tailored outfits in menswear fabrics, tartan trousers, long flared skirts worn with wide corset belts, various types of outerwear ranging from super-structured Bar jackets to overcoats and anoraks, and pulled-down hats…

PARIS March 4, 2019 Talking of“living without restrictions and free from conventions”, Giambattista Valli cites Betty Catroux, Yves Saint Laurent’s scandalous muse who rebelled against her bourgeois roots with daring, debauched life choices. The word ‘bourgeois’ has many facets, and the designer opted for the rebellious refusal of preconceived values, i.e. the idea that rules are there to be broken. His floral and animal print minidresses packed with ruches, draping and asymmetry were the best expression of that, even more so when lace insets were added or little fringed scarves were knotted at the neck. The effect turned tougher and less decadent when cropped leather jackets with or without fringing and oversize blazers were layered over the looks, or when light, fluid fabrics were replaced by vinyl, which was also…

PARIS March 2, 2019 For the second season, Haider Ackermann showed a co-ed collection in which the women’s looks mirrored the men’s but, the designer was at pains to point out, were not unisex. Rather, using the same materials for both women and men gave the clothes a sense of fluid interchangeability. The focus was on rigorous tailoring tempered by graphic details, butterfly prints and red, white and black colour blocking on extralong coats and jackets with contrasting trims. Trousers had a boyfriend cut, high waist or skinny with side bands, paired with simple white T-shirts or blouses with contrasting loose sleeves. Patterns were used even on the accessories – long gloves, pointed ankle boots and thin belts. Per la seconda stagione Haider Ackermann porta in passerella una collezione coed…

PARIS March 1, 2019 Under the green glass roof of the Lycée Carnot, Issey Miyake’s models emerged in pairs. They walked side by side before splitting to head along a criss-crossed path of triangles that later appeared as motifs on the clothes. The ‘Dough Dough’ technique presented last season, which sculpts fabric into waves, knots, bunches and asymmetry, reappeared in the opening jackets, coats, dresses and scarves, showing their adaptability, while the subsequent looks featured the brand’s iconic plissé. The early monochrome looks gave way to colour explosions emphasised by distorted geometry and perspectives on long dresses, loose knits and overcoats worn with comfortable trousers or colourful opaque tights and calf-high boots. Sotto la volta di vetro verde del Lycée Carnot, le modelle di Issey Miyake sfilano due a due,…

PARIS March 5, 2019 Lacoste is one of the ultimate sportswear brands. In her debut collection for the brand, Louise Trotter aimed to emphasise its close links to tennis, where it has its roots. Using a mainly oversize silhouette, in line with recent seasons, cable knit jumpers and gilets were alternated with V-necked sweaters bearing the oversize croc logo with trailing threads or panelled sweatshirts and anoraks worn with long pleated skirts or loose trousers. In other looks, tailoring blended with sporty details such as drawstrings, laces, stripes and hoods. Long coats or dresses were made from a nylon and knit mix with added detachable parts and asymmetric insets. Peaked caps and sneaker-lace-up hybrids completed the look. Lacoste è un marchio che non può prescindere dallo sportswear, essendo nel suo…

PARIS March 5, 2019 At the Louvre’s Cour Carrée, a museum within a museum, Nicolas Ghesquière reconstructed the Centre Pompidou in Beaubourg, the fourth arrondissement, referring to the large square in front of it as a “melting pot of different tribes coming together” and “a place where expression is free to be”. The idea was to recreate those tribes in a mosaic of weaves, bright patterns and metallic decorations. A varied proposal of pieces ranging from densely printed mini-dresses with sculptural ruffles on the bust and shoulders to high-necked blouses tucked into pencil skirts or high-waist trousers and structured blazers or cropped jackets. Eclectic and daring, the collection also featured some striking accessories: black leather or Damier check beanies, bigbuckled belts, bags of various types carried by hand, pointed ankle…

PARIS February 27, 2019 After his first year at Mugler, Casey Cadwallader proved he has absorbed the brand’s essence by teaming architectural volume with a more personal taste for prints and fabrics. The result was a dynamic collection built on asymmetry, flounces, ruches and draping but also decorations, which were abstract motifs the designer described as “herbal”. In fact, some patterns were inspired by images of Murano glass and others by an Italian terrace, but they were all lively and colourful with an optical touch. They featured on tops, high-waist trousers, dresses or as trimmings to emphasise the silhouette, and even on the thigh-high boots, blending into the rest of the look. Tailored jackets were tight and broad in the shoulder to emphasise the curves. Casey Cadwallader, dopo il primo…

PARIS February 28, 2019 Paco Rabanne’s sparkling show realised creative director Julien Dossena’s dream of creating a sort of “dream hotel lobby”, a fantasy space where the designer’s passions can meet. Long ‘old Hollywood’ dresses had strong shoulders, fitted bodices and fluid breezy skirts, structured jackets and coats were military in style with contrasting embellishments on the sleeves, iridescent suits, jackets and trousers had a ’70s glam rock feel, fluid blouses featured art deco prints and mermaid dresses were great for the red carpet. Chain mail was transformed into sinuous mesh dresses and skirts revealing the underwear beneath, while maxi diamanté earrings and/or minibags and glittering shoes added more shine. A parade of sparkling Rabanne girls. Luccicano le ragazze di Paco Rabanne, realizzando così un altro sogno del direttore creativo…

PARIS February 27, 2019 Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s Rochas show had a certain bourgeois yet vaguely sexy scandalous air, like a remake of ‘Belle de jour’. Iridescence and bold tints were shunned in favour of a mainly neutral palette with lots of sinful black. The opening looks were oversize tweed coats and suits with beaded edges. Then came a profusion of what appeared to be black feathers but were actually viscose, which was also used for insets on the edges of some dresses. Long dresses had a fluid, flared silhouette, especially in the final looks, which had an airiness to counter the earlier solid bouclé and vinyl and confirmed the ambiguous, provocative spirit of the collection, topped off with hats designed by Stephen Jones. Ha una certa aria borghese ma velatamente sexy…

PARIS March 3, 2019 For this new Valentino collection, Pier Paolo Piccioli moved in two directions: the first continued his collaboration with Jun Takahashi of Undercover, which began in the last menswear collection, while the second drew on the Movement for the Emancipation of Poetry launched in Florence in 2010 by a collective in which poets share their work anonymously on walls in cities around the world. Piccioli commissioned Scottish artist Robert Montgomery and three writers, Greta Bellamacina, Mustafa The Poet and Yrsa Daley-Ward, to contribute to a small volume, ‘Valentino on Love’, excerpts of which were printed or embroidered on the coat linings, knits and dresses of various shapes and lengths. The collaboration with Takahashi produced a pop-punk reinterpretation of a 19th-century neoclassical sculpture of kissing lovers complete with…

London is elevation.Lifting.Ascending. It launches itself in a spiritual, ethical journey upwards. Skyward. Towards the future. It is vertical. It seeks out experimentation and in novation. It shuns the codes of previous seasons and strips them of all frills. It abandons the superfluous. It goes understated. The dress is the protagonist of the winter. It is the means of elevating materials to pure heights. It is plain, devoid of embellishments and far from any excess. It is ascetic, monastic, minimalist and monochrome. It teams silence and meditation. It encourages a contemplative attitude. The dress is the cathedral of colour for Jasper Conran, who composed a collection entitled ‘The dress’. The runway became the consecrated place for bringing the dress to life: chaste, with demure necklines or a turtleneck, linear, geometric.…

LONDON February 16, 2019 Warmth, softness. Markus Lupfer celebrated twenty years in business with a collection focused on comfort. Volumes were loose, enveloping and comfortable. Oversize cashmere jumpers, wool coats and long cardigans came in neutral shades of cream and beige. It was a case of poetic monochrome meeting craftsmanship skill and high tailoring. The knitwear featured shaped sleeves with side openings fastened with big buttons. Faux fur hats and extra-large mittens covered the head and hands like playful cocoons. Skirts, bombers and outerwear wrapped faux leopard skin around the body. A long-whiskered feline was intarsia’d onto knits. Prints showcased a winter garden, scattering vegetable and floral motifs onto dresses with splits and pleated skirts. Fringed scarves, crystal embellishments and bold touches of lemon and vermilion completed the look. Calore,…

LONDON February 18, 2019 Intellectual, sophisticated. Hussein Chalayan celebrated 25 years in the business at Sadler’s Wells Theatre with a collection entitled “Pre-tension”. The message was pretension and interpretation. The show was a dance of materials and shapes. Leather, wool, jersey, cotton, technical and sporty fabrics. Asymmetry, gathers, swags and drapes, masks and mock arms wrapped around the body. Chalayan produced a dark, unpredictable collection. The clothes were tapered armour inspired by fetish. Corsets were layered over obliquely cut evening dresses, severe suits or white shirts. Trousers were long knickerbockers. Coats were sharp with tone on tone belts knotted at the waist, or else draped with rounded shoulders and thin lapels. Dresses as light as moths’ wings featured prints of faces in “Vogueing” poses in pop colours. Intellettuale, sofisticato. Hussein…

LONDON February 18, 2019 The runway as a place for telling stories, where lives exist in unison with fabrics, lace and brocade. Erdem drew inspiration from the life, years, elegance and style of Orietta Doria Pamphilj princess. The rooms of her home, the wallpaper, paintings and furniture. The resulting collection included luxurious brocades, saturated colours and enchanting florals. The show was a magnificent experience: airy, voluminous, bubble dresses, midi or fulllength, with trains, velvet bows, embroidery, ostrich feathers, chiffon layers, breezy ribbons and sumptuous collars. The clothes had an aristocratic allure, evoking memories suspended in time, crystallised and made eternal in precious jewelled compositions and appliqués. The faces were veiled in black as a sign of mourning. The princess’ memories were woven into shades of intense green, vermilion, fuchsia, purple,…

LONDON February 18, 2019 Timeless girls walked amongst the rocks of a Japanese garden on a white carpet, as though suspended above the clouds. Dreamy and delicate. Elevated above the chaos. Linking the earth and the air. Chiffon knots appeared at the ankles. Draping contemporary peplums wound around voluminous or sleek dresses, with fabric swirls at the hems and cuffs or light garlands around the shoulders. For colder weather, extra-large jumpers with very long sleeves came with paisley motifs or abundant twists. Outerwear included trenches with exaggerated sleeves, sleeveless tweed coats, enormous grey cloaks, or wraps with unpredictable shoulders. Patchwork effect suits had an imperfect yet aristocratic look. The accessories included crystal ring brooches, gold chain necklaces and belts with metal eyelets. The palette included neutrals such as cream, olive…

LONDON February 18, 2019 Imaginary, soft, dreamy creatures. Mirages. Apparitions. Bodies devoted to the light. Clear girls walking on fine sand. Dressed in soft evening dresses, enveloped in long ruches, immersed in pastel tones of vanilla, milk-and-honey, raspberry and amber. Wrapped in satin, organza, poplin and gabardine. Bows or delicate ruffs were worn around the neck. Feathers fluttered as they walked. Thin belts wrapped twice around the waist. Multicoloured stoles covered the shoulders. New Thayaht jumpsuits were poetic and relaxed. Shirts came with bubble sleeves. Trousers were loose and elegant. Romantic parkas were given contemporary layered peplums in precious sandy colours. The looks created by Roksanda Ilinčić were packed with contrasts. Functional and minimal with an added dream-like aura. Light patterns blended with vibrant white. Creature immaginarie, morbide e sognanti.…

LONDON February 17, 2019 Victoria Beckham’s show had a cinematographic quality about it. It had a narrative, a story. The looks alternating on the runway were like the links in a story. A recurring theme was chains. They appeared as texture on sleek, fluid seventies dresses. As an oversize intarsia on warm jumpers in earthy tones. As a composition of sequins on immaculate pencil skirts worn with extra-large cardigans. As a delicate silvery print over dresses, elongated teardrop necklines, mid-calf length skirts, blouses and light drapes. The silhouettes varied from body-con to soft via high-waist trousers, sharp-shouldered blazers, tapered little lozenge knits and big pointed collars. Tweed, argyle and tailoring fabrics defined the more structured pieces. Overcoats featuring a loop of fabric around the shoulders like the link in a…

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