Streetstyle Trend: Take a Bowtie

You don´t have to wait for an invite to some fancy ball to put on your bow tie. You can easily rock the streets, the nearest supermarket or your Friday afternoon lounge cafe in it as well. Just have a little fun with ´em and choose casual designs to fit your easy going looks. Do it like these streetstyle lads and opt for stripes, dots or checks. Pair ´em up with a shirt and shorts and perhaps a woolen cardigan. No need for a suit jacket: you´ll even look top notch without it.

 

Trends ss2010: take a bow

Bows seemed to be the finishing touch on many spring/summer outfits. They came in both extra small and very large variations.

The bows were often placed around the neck,  the waist or at the shoulders of an outfit. Blugirl, Luella Barteley and Moschino had many bows in their collections. The bows on Valentino’s dresses were perfection.

To complete a certain look designers often put some extra bows in the models’ hair (Erin Featherson, Luella Bartley) and even on their shoes (Kinder Aguggini). At the Louis Vuitton show small bows were placed on top of the big afros the models wore.
Marc Jacobs used colorful headbands with bows that vaguely resembled the bunny ears he designed for Louis Vuitton last year.

Bows came in silk, cotton, lace and disco-shiny material. There were well-formed stiffed bows and ribbons tied like a bow. Some of the bows looked as if they had just been torn off a birthday present.

Bows formed the perfect detail on many outfits. They gave it just a little bit extra and made several looks more elegant and feminine.

Tess van Daelen

Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Show FW2023

The brand Viktor & Rolf is 30-years-old, and Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren’s humorous take on fashion hasn’t dimmed. Their ironical spirit is still there, and yesterday’s couture show was V&R tongue-in-cheek-conceptual entertainment. No anniversary collection with revived classics, but a celebration with a leading role for the bathing-suit.

Variations on a theme and repetition is what their repertoire has often revolved around. Here the potential of the bathing suit, be it a covered-up one piece or a tiny bikini, was explored with focus.

The designduo took eye catching elements from their iconic collections and added or transformed it to bikini’s or one piece bathing-suits. Classic V&R details like the big bows of their Flowerbomb-collection, the three dimensional words DREAM ON and NO from their NO-collection (FW 08/09) or the ruffles and long cape taken from their Black Light collection from spring/summer 1999. But there was many more. The duo also invited some celebrities – like Shakira – to wear key-pieces from their old collections to the show.

Yet the show stopping icing on the birthday cake were headless (male?) mannequins wearing black tailored tuxedos, hanging onto the models’ backs, or twisting in multiple formations around their bodies as if they were desperately calling for attention and didn’t want to let go. You can translate those images and this collection into a lot of symbolic stuff. To me it looked like an attempt to embody the women-empowerment, the fact that no matter what a woman is strong and tough as hell and invincible – and that even male designers like Viktor & Rolf couldn’t have survived in the business without women. So maybe, maybe it was also a big ‘thank you’ and humble bow to women.

Recap Milan Fashion Week FW2019

We might have moved on from gelati to croissants, but before we start reviewing what the French have in stores for us, let’s recap what it was all about in the Italian fashion capital. As it turns out fashion was vibrant, colorful with just about everything in exuberance. From sturdy and boxy to airy, fluid and elegant. FW2019 won’t be the season for minimalists. Instead: better start practicing your dress-up game. With bright colored patent coats, wide legged trousers and fantasy hats. With big bows, high collars, busy prints, lots of layering, chunky shoes and statement jewelry (not to mention the out of this world metal pieces shown at Gucci) upcoming fall/winter almost feels a little costume-y. Yet as always with fashion shows; they’re grand gestures to any trend you want to try out in your daily life in a more subtle way. Are you ready to get inspired by the Italians? Here are the biggest trends from Milanooo.

PLAIDS
Plaids (Donatella even managed to combine bondage and plaids for Versace)

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BIG BOWS
Remember the Victorian collars from NYFW? The Italians opted for big bows.

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PLEATED SKIRTS
Pleated skirts (turquoise colored and shiny patent as seen at Fendi, please)

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POLKA DOT
As classic as the polka dot is, Marni and Alberta Ferretti showed a different take on the print.

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CAPE IT
They have something fairytale-y about them (especially the ones shown at Dolce & Gabbana and Prada). Look extra sophisticated in a cape or cloak. Sophisticaped!

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Lucas Ossendrijver Exits Lanvin: our highlights of his fourteen years of menswear design

After fourteen years serving as creative director for Lanvin’s menswear department Lucas Ossendrijver (1970) is exiting the label. Bruno Sialelli has been named as his potential successor for the troubled fashion house. Everything is being tried to bring back to live the century old luxury fashion label that became unprofitable for the first time in a decade in 2016 when it lost €18.3 million. In 2017, losses are said to have increased to €27 million. In 2015 Alber Elbaz left Lanvin, also after fourteen years. Lanvin has been without a womenswear designer since March this year. So two new creatives have to be named. But before we talk future plans and successors, let’s take a look at fourteen years of menswear created by the Dutch designer.

Ossendrijver graduated at Artez and started out designing at Kenzo and Dior Homme before stepping into the world of Lanvin menswear in 2006, which didn’t yet have a clear signature at that time. In fourteen years Ossendrijver managed – first together with Elbaz, later on by himself – to develop a Lanvin lifestyle/mindset for men of any age. And his Sunday morning shows always formed one of the highlights of Paris fashion week.

Clicking through his work his signature design code is present in any of his collections over the past fourteen years. Ossendrijver’s designs were about tailoring mixing in technical and activewear influences. His designs were classic (but with the right touch of modernity and surprise) and subtle, but the designer aspect of it showed in every look. And if you couldn’t see it at a first glimpse, you sure felt it after touching/feeling the fabric (he called himself a fashion whisperer). With Ossendrijver as creative director Lanvin menswear was never about hype or trend, it was about dressing natural and effortless. “My interest in fashion has more to do with clothes than with trend. I will never get bored of clothing, but I will of trends”, he said in a de Volkskrant interview in 2016.

The designer, who named the Fall/Winter 2010–2011 show as one of his favorites because he then really could feel the impact of what he sent out on the catwalk – played with proportions and asymmetry a lot. Besides the black, the white, the grey Ossendrijver used the most lovely, warm color palettes of burgundy, ocher and emerald green. His work is so consistent that if you now were to pick out the most colourful looks of any collection and put them together they’d form a perfect collection too. In any collection you could count on colourful footwear (Ossendrijver is keen on his sneakers made out of the best materials), remarkable headpieces and a quirky sense of styling. The model cast was always a surprise as well; skinny, punk-y boys (David Bowie is Ossendrijvers all time fashion inspiration) with flap ears, slightly feminine features and the most outstanding hairdos. “The models have to have enough personality to be able to wear my designs”, he told de Volkskrant.

Ossendrijver loved the pace of fashion. The opportunity to reinvent yourself every half year. In an interview when asked how he’d see himself in ten years from now Ossendrijver answered: “Gardening in a quiet spot somewhere, preferably in a sunny place, by the sea.” Let’s hope it’s not his net move yet. We’d love to see much more of his view on menswear fashion. But for now let’s look back at his most outstanding work:

M-ODE AMSTERDAM: Saturday Recap – Bas Kosters

The United States of HOPE was our Saturday evening stop this week. It was Bas Kosters who invited us all to check out his brand new collection –  named “Hope” – for the first time. The biggest show of this (M-ODE) week.

“Hope originates from a strong desire to produce a graphic collection with a clear message. I started off with a kind of supermarket esthetic”, the designer stated. What we witnessed was a true Bas Kosters spectacle with different clips portraying “Hope” (produced in collaboration with artist Iztok Klančar) projected on the both sides of the show venue.

After Bas himself introduced the theme of his collection and spoke of what Hope stands for (cherishing your dreams, light at the end of the tunnel, a fresh start, ideals to live by and so on) the first model strutted the runway in a sequin bikini carrying an installation to which countless eggs (sunny side up! –  which also stands for hope) were attached. The diverse models (even a pregnant lady walked the runway) all looked extra extravagant with their rainbow colored make-up, teased hair and funky attitude. With expressive prints, exciting fabric decorations, show stopping masks (made out of huge boxes) and robot-shaped bags (made out of life vests or refugees) their was almost too much to take in at a first glance.

Recycling formed a big theme for this Bas Kosters collection too. A large selection of overalls formed the starting point of many of the designs. In the designers pop up atelier Waste to Want additional looks, accessories and signature Bas Kosters details were added. A super sustainable collection – even the make-up glitters (by Bioglitz) were eco proof – that formed a perfect fit with We Make M-ODE and absolutely gave us hope for the fashion industry.

Trend Report SS2018: Dark Denim

So you’re over the shock that denim on denim is completely acceptable again? Then let’s take it just a little bit further. Dark denim suits are a thing guys. Love it or hate it, but when designers like Tom Ford, Max Mara and Calvin Klein all have the same idea for the exact same season it sure is a trend. Now you just need to decide whether you wanna go sexy (like Tom Ford), tough combined with red leather (like Calvin Klein and Max Mara) or add just the right amount of romance in the shape of white linings and elbow cut outs (as seen at McQueen). Four runway creations that make a denim jacket on a pair of denim jeans seem like such a basic look. Are you ready?!

Backstage Trend Report SS2018: Summer in the City

Let’s take a step away from the catwalk and take a look behind the scenes. So we can focus on the details a little more. The fabrics, the embroideries, the accessories. So much is left unseen when zooming out. Turns out the backstage summer styles are going to be just as vivid and bright as we’ve been raving about. Turquoise, lilac and everything in between. Florals, leopard prints and logo’s all the mix. Waistbelts, XL bows (on the head), the chunkiest earpieces and jaw dropping bags to match. This year’s summer in the city is sure to give you such fun getting dressed.

Fabienne Chapot Catwalk Fashion Show SS2018

Move over avocado, it’s time for the papaya to shine and take over as it-veggie! That is, if you leave it up to Fabienne Chapot and her design team. For SS2018 they decided it was all about papaya’s. An exotic story starting as soon as the guests received their papaya-themed invite. On Wednesday night the story unfolded at a show venue completely turned into a sixties style garden party. An entrance covered in papaya print and rainbow colored stairs sure got everyone in the mood for some cocktails, watermelon and jelly pudding. And as all guests took their seats a little later it really actually felt as if we were witnessing a Beverly Hills hotel scene from 1957 and we could almost feel the Hollywood heat (so those papaya printed fans on our seats came in handy).

Fashion wise the collection was everything you’d want a summer collection to be. Colorful, effortless and super feminine. Loose blouses, maxi dresses, wide pants and cropped jackets in the mix. Soft and silk fabrics were embroidered with papaya shaped beads, palm leaves, citrus shapes, lobsters and exotic flowers. Signature items which were even featured on the matching jacquard loafers. Silhouettes were flowy and sexy yet sophisticated, a uncovered shoulder here, a bare back there. Colorful high heels, statement bags (in the shape of tropical fish or shelves), bold sunnies and crazy hairdos topped it all off.

And as we headed back home we thought about that SS2018 Fabienne Chapot girl that got in her car, headed West and gazed outside. It might have been rainy in Amsterdam, but we imagined ourselves out on the warm open road at sundown, driving 60 miles per hour with all four windows down, feeling the wind in our hair and the Hollywood heat on our skin.

Recap Milan Fashion Week Womenswear FW2016

Thanks to some of last seasons over the top, more is more collections by Italian brand like Gucci, Pucci and Marni maximalism is now all around us. And as far as we can tell this fashion flamboyancy is not going anywhere any time soon. For fall/winter 2016/2017 again Milan is the center of expressive style. A year from now we’ll be dressing in colored fur, lush velvet and sport XL sleeves. Let’s take a look at what to expect in this snack size Milan Fashion Week recap.

1. Up your big sleeve
Big Victorian-style sleeves as seen at Gucci, Prada and Marni.

2. No such thing as too much
When it comes to color, print, accessories and jewelry there’s no holding back at Marni, Fendi and Prada

3. Think pink
A true fit with upcoming season’s full on femininity it is la vie en rose for Prada, Jil Sander and Gucci.

4. Fluffy fantasy
Rainbow bright, polka dot printed and oh so fluffy; better believe that colored fur hype Fendi, Blumarine and Versace sent down their runway

5. Velvet Dream
Opulent and luxurious; like fur velvet too is getting a colorful and playful update. Just look at Alberta Ferretti, Emilio Pucci and Dolce & Gabbana.

6. Ruffles
Ultra feminine, highly delicate and super sophisticated; the ruffle is making it’s way back into everyday fashion and Gucci, Fendi and Giambattista Valli show you just how it’s done.

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