Trend Report SS2013: Sorbet Chic
May 22, 2013 by tess
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Trends
They´re feminine, flattering and look so sweet you almost want to take a bite out of them. For this year too the international runways were filled with pastel shades. From vanilla and lemon, to blueberry and pistache; sorbet chic is the color way to go. Always part of the sweet tooth team Blugirl and Blumarine, but also Valentino and Chloé went for sheer, ruffled pastel looks. As Fendi (shades of salmon and mustard work so well together), Chalayan and Mulberry opted for a cleaner kind of look. And that´s exactly how we saw these pastel hues back on the streets; less feminine (away with the ruffles and the lace) and more structured (thick fabrics, masculine shapes). Surprising in a way, yet still very natural. Which flavours are you combining this season?
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Trend Report SS2013: Japonism 2.0
May 20, 2013 by tess
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Trends
Since a few seasons now designers seem fully focused on the far east. We’ve already seen collections with oriental shapes, techniques, materials and prints, but the Asian hype not over yet. For this season the Japonism is fashion is just taken to the next level with designers being divided into two Asian inspired worlds. The ones Emilio Pucci, Carolina Herrera, Altuzarra who opt for decorative designs, traditional techniques, bold prints and color. And the designers Etro, Stella McCartney, Prada, Marni that focus on shape and structure, introducing trouser suits, shirt dresses and architectural kimono shapes. Now you don’t need to go all the way (Geisha platforms, dragon printed dresses, Obi belts) like these designers to join the Asian celebration. Just invest in a subtle embroidered blouse or a chic kimono jacket. Mixing Japanese influences with your modern wardrobe pieces like they belong together in one look, that’s the trick.
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Trend Report SS2013: Passive Active
May 17, 2013 by tess
Filed under Fashion, Trends, womenswear
Looking like a top athlete without exercising, that’s this season’s active-passive trend. ‘Cause even though those Alexander Wang, CNC, DKNY and Philip Lim design appear super sporty, we’re afraid you can not even make a 100m run it them. All that sheerness, those cut outs and mesh fabrics of course breathe a sporty vibe, but construction-wise they might not survive a real exercise. Yet of course that doesn’t mean we won’t fully embrace those baseball style jackets, oversize sheer sweaters, large collars, hoodies and bright & white combining jackets. Add a cool leather cap (you’ve probably already scored one of those last winter) and a pair of limited edition Nike Air Max and release your inner sporty spice!
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Trend Report SS2013: Checks Reinvented
May 15, 2013 by tess
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Trends
This summer is all about graphics. And besides wide stripes checks have been revised by a large number of designers. It’s gone with the tame housewife checks, the rough lumberjack prints and the folkloristic tartans; this season checks are feminine, young, fun and modern. The chicest sheer examples were probably presented by Dries van Noten, who manged to perfectly blend colors, materials and floral prints in his summer looks. At Louis Vuitton, where even the catwalk was checked, they were the key aspect of the show. Sportmax and Chanel added some sheerness, Marni started mixing, Philip Lim went for fresh checks and floral accents. Then of course there were harlequin, pied-de-poule and tartan examples both on the runway and the streets. Whether it’s a checked suit or a lumberjack blouse tied around your waist; there’s no avoiding this trend. Checks please!
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Trend Report SS2013: Graphic Sixties
Short dresses, graphic patterns, eye catching collars, lots of black & white and heavy make-up. The sixties revival was in full swing during the spring/summer 2013 presentations from the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Moschino and Cacharel. Yet it was out with the doll-ish look and in with the stronger modern sixties styles. Skirt lengths, color palettes and hairdos might have been inspired by the Mad Men era; this sixties girl is definitely more self conscious and streetwise than the girls back in the days. She is not afraid to add peep toe shoes, a giant pearl necklace or even try on a more masculine, boxy kind of ensemble. Her dresses are short yet comfortable. Her prints daring, perhaps even slightly man repelling. But this sixties girl doesn´t care. She dresses up for no one else but herself and is enjoying it to the fulliest.
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Trend Report SS2013: Wow in White
May 6, 2013 by tess
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Trends
Countless fashion lovers dress head to toe in black every single day. A smart, safe style option you can never go wrong with. Now it seems there’s a pretty good alternative to all that black; fully dressing in white. Big brands like Chloé, Alexander Wang, Comme des Garcons, DKNY, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Jil Sander, Lacoste, Marni, Missoni and Rochas all picked up this positive, clean and summer proof trend. With looks ranging from tuxedo to sporty chic, from casual to more party inspired. The strongest SS2013 looks contain not only multiple white fashion pieces, but have different materials too. So mix your light knits with some crispy white sheer parts and add some jersey details along the way. Russian streetstyle sensations Mira Duma and Anya Ziourova have already been sporting this trend for a few seasons and it won’t be long till the rest of the world follows. Once you go completely white it just feels right.
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The Big Round Up Womenswear FW 2013 Part 2
This is the second part of our round up regarding the fall 2013 collections, which focuses on Prints, Fabrics and the designers’ favorite coming season: checks.
CHECK SHOCK
From left to right: N21, Junya Watanabe, Céline, Jesús Del Pozo, Rag & Bone
A mash up of Scottish tweeds, plaids, checks, Prince of Wales suiting and hounds tooth jacquards. Classic, twisted, cut up, patched or blown up to grandiose proportions. These are definitely all from the now – heritage inspired, college prep, BCBG, archetypal and iconic but reinvigorated – rejuvenating tradition at N21 and Rag & Bone, adding a punk coded sense of rebellion at Junya Watanabe or with artful tailoring at Céline and Jesús Del Pozo. Check marks everywhere!
TEXTILE ART
From left to right: Comme des Garçons, Chanel, Hermès, Fendi, Lanvin
Free floating freedom and fun. Cascading swatches of fabrics, rosettes, bows, thick serpentines and bold biomorphic shapes at Comme des Garçons. Rounded flounced belle Époque bustles are a joyful explosion of extravagance at Chanel. Crafted spontaneity at Hermès, fringed skins at Fendi and butterflies appliquéd at Lanvin. All with techno-barbarian enthousiasm. These are exercises in pure texture.
PRINT STORY
From left to right: Mary Katrantzou, Rodarte, Tom Ford, Peter Pilotto
Welcome to the catwalk circus. Exalted excess in a cultural cross over ranging from glam, to disco, pop to op and manga to Marvel. Fantastical shadowy landscapes in misty monochromes at Mary Katrantzou and cross-cultural multi ethnic Flash! and Bang! at Tom Ford. The very personal folksy mysticism of Rodarte and the cartoonish verve of Peter Pilotto. We are talking maximalism here!
Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam
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The Big Round Up Womenswear FW 2013 Part 1
March 13, 2013 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Milan, New York, Paris, Stijlspot, Stylespot, Trends, womenswear
Nothing as rewarding as summarizing after a grand series of shows. First of all you just note likeness and all similarities. Starting to pick out the headlines it becomes clear that there is always something really exiting to spot! Same procedure for fall 2013. Next to continuous retrospection there was introspection – designers looking inward to find a personal way of expression and re-finding their personal signature. The ones who did, did not dive into trends, the trodden paths of competition, but sourced for their most intimate inspirations. The happy aftereffect is that we met moments of sincere emotion and passion. The most beautiful quote to conclude this was coming from Miuccia Prada: “Who cares about the dress?” she said, this is about “Stories of women and life,”, Phoebe Philo declared backstage after her show for Céline: “It was coming from a place of emotion and intimacy, something instinctive. There was softness and desire, to create something emotionally engaged.”
Some collections might not have had the shock of the new and many showed that swift notion of the mid-century modern. Most interesting it was when a faint whiff of nostalgia was balanced with nowness. A lingering trend we spotted was the eccentric mixture of nostalgic wallpaper florals, art nouveau, Scottish heritage, Art Deco and Liberty blooms. All simmering in romance.
The buzz words where: intimate, feminine, elegance and emotion. Not just the collections played their roll. In some cases the interest in settings and sceneries became predominant. The Vuitton show unrolled like a silent movie. The mood was the 1920s, as the models came through each door on the corridor that was the hotel set. An atmosphere just as cinematic was the Film Noir setting at Prada – a spinning ceiling fan, shadows cast by blinds, a woman silhouetted in a doorway, waiting for…? All by means of an artful back projection. Miuccia launched her exercise in fashion as cinema.
Another hot topic was warmth generated by tactile softness. Cuddly, fluffy and sheltering. The number of soft and brushed looks grew steadily during this catwalk season. Especially coats where cuddly and generous in proportion. For some designers softness was the covering theme. Hernandez for Proenza Schouler stated: “It was all just soft, that’s the one word we were thinking about. Softness of form, softness of color, softness of texture.”
To wrap this up we point out that coats took the lead. Generally and globally this item won when it came to presence and quantity as well as quality of design. So passion, warmth, softness and coats. Setting the stage for an ice age!
We picked the frozen cherries for you, straight off the international catwalks in New York, Milan and Paris.
FEMINITY REVEALED
From left to right: Rodarte, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Chloé and Prada
From pure exposure to more subtle revelations – intimacy exposed at Saint Laurent, emerging womanhood at Chloé, modern romance at Rodarte and passionate nostalgia at Vuitton and Prada. Sensuality and emotions unraveled in cinematic atmospheres showed femininity ‘under cover’ – soft lace hidden under long tweed coats, fluffy sweaters came with a slip of a skirt and velvet dresses had a swoop of neckline.
CALM ELEGANCE
From left to right: Jil Sander, Victoria Beckham, Hermès, Rochas, Ports 1961
A true timeless elegance flooded the catwalks at Jil Sander, Victoria Beckham, Hermès, Rochas and Ports 1961. Much more serene, feminine and sensual then the calm sobriety we faced seasons before. All soft and rounded. The skirts flaring just below the knee, showing true elegance in New Look proportions. Jackets elongated and slightly suppressed at the waist and coats – mannish and reassuringly oversize. All breathed calmness with lasting value in an esprit ranging from ‘Bon Chic Bon Genre’ to Film Noir allure. Slow, calm, quiet and with lasting value.
GREY MOOD
From left to right: Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney, Céline, J.W. Anderson, Lacoste
Concrete caught by the fuzz. Grayed-out and foggy marls were key for fall 2013. Brushed mohair, heathery and airy fleeces, compact felts and tarmac shaded double-face and bonded materials. This all added up to strange and sculptural beautiful cloths. Asphalt fleece and mohair knits are paved with iridescence at Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney wrapped her models in pinstripes, where Céline knotted hers in felt touch woolens. Monastic tunics at J.W. Anderson and fossil florals at Ports 1961.
Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam
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First View Paris Womenswear FW2013: Bed Time
March 11, 2013 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Paris, Stijlspot, Stylespot, Trends, womenswear
Cosy is not the usual aspect spotted on a Paris catwalk. But nevertheless we met a snug bedtime spirit in Paris with models flaunting out of hotel rooms in silky, lush pyjamas, lace-edged-negligees and flowery dressing gowns. Roomy, soft robes that showed the generous proportions of menswear. Sensual and intimate voluptuous bathrobes lined in marabou. Fabulous, sheltering cashmere wrap-coats in baby blue, pink, camel and blush in smooth, winter-weight woolens and brushed plaids. And thick silk pyjamas printed with English tweed patterns or tender China florals.
Softness and desire seemed a re-found aspect, in touchable styles that established an intimate dialogue between the masculine and the feminine.
Carven is rounding out with oversize coats in teddy bear textures. Cinematic sceneries at Vuitton, in a film noir esprit, showing various states of dress and undress in a midcentury inspired atmosphere. Stella McCartney goes square, though softened, in snugly, velvet touch robe coats.
We noted a refreshing sense of ease, slightly quirky and off beat and an inspiring invitation to cuddle up.
Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam
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First View Paris Womenswear FW2013: Homme/Femme
March 4, 2013 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Paris, Stijlspot, Stylespot, Trends, womenswear
No worries, no battles, but the male/female story seems one of this seasons headlines. From “Garçonne”, the boyish look tailor-made for women, to military influences, Bowie androgyny, collegiate prep and just elegant women wearing the pants…
Colors were almost entirely plays on black, in different shades and textures, and with neckties wafting gently, like the soft, full pants. Bespoke tailoring alternates with nonchalance in plus size jackets with cool swagger. Decorative details soften an otherwise severely serious look.
Vanessa Bruno showed the boy stuff in boxy pinstriped jackets; contrast collared shirts and full pleated pants. Raf Simons showed patented perfection with couture class. Dries van Noten, added some collegiate Fred to frilly Ginger, which made a gorgeous cocktail. Lanvin topped youthful innocence on couture looks by adding talkative jewelry.
One thing is clear; no one felt for clashes, this was all love and peace between man and women. This is just the ideal gear for contemporary women; elegant clothes that connect the genders, classic icons of masculinity and femininity, clothes that are comfortable, wearable and decent.
For women well in control of there lives as well as there looks.
Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam
