Sage & Ivy Preview Amsterdam Fashion Week
January 23, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Amsterdam, Fashion, Featured Items, womenswear
Fashion brand Sage & Ivy will show it’s fall/winter 2012/2013 collection on Friday 27 January at 05.00 PM. Designer Alexia van Engelen spoke with us about her brand new collection and her exquisite show location.
Amsterdam
“We have new agents in Russia and Canada which we’re very excited about. Yet even though we’re focusing more on the international market right now, we did think it was important to show our collection in Amsterdam. Not as much clothes will be sold here, but the press in Holland is very positive and uses Sage & Ivy quite a lot.”
Time
“This time we’re more on schedule than with previous collections. Especially since we’re going to Paris a week before our show a lot had to be done. We even had to make two new winter collections of around 20 looks, instead of the one we’re used to. Our agent in Russia needed one fall/winter collection as well; so we’re doing twice the amount of work.”
Show
“Our fashion show will be held in an old mirror studio in Amsterdam. In this studio old mirrors from the 18th and 19th century are restored. It’s an old workspace with concrete floors and raw walls on which over 200 mirrors hang. It’s a very special space. It feels very French to me; almost as if I am in Paris.”
Inspiration
“The collection is called Pelgrimage, which also was my inspiration. I thought of a strong woman making a long journey. The previous Sage & Ivy collections were always very sweet, yet this one is much more raw than what people have seen before. I had enough of the soft shades and the light fabrics and wanted to show another side of femininity. A tough, raw side, almost like an armor.”
Materials
“This raw look & feel gave me the opportunity to work with different materials. I used tulle decorated with patent paint; raw but still soft. I made skirts and evening dresses out of fake fur done in a jersey way; very soft but still rigid.”
Colors
“When I was in Paris to look for fabrics I ran into the perfect deep green fabric. I knew right then I really wanted to work with it. So with this green shade as a starting point I have been collecting the rest of the color palette. I used deep blue, black and nudes; all shades which work really well with the specific green.”
Changes
“The silhouette of the clothes is more tight than before. And even though I paid a lot of attention to details, they are less obvious. I think this collection is more grown up, just because I’m getting older as well. I feel really good about showing this part of me. In my opinion the Sage & Ivy brand becomes more balanced like this.”
Hermes Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
Maybe the looks Véronique Nichanian sent down the runway weren’t the best showpieces. The show felt a bit tame a perhaps mist some spectacle or some extravagant jaw-dropping designs.
Then again, when it comes to real life wearability this Hermès collection will get the highest scores. There was about anything any man could possibly need for his winter wardrobe. Slick suits, check. Long jackets, check. Woolen sweaters, check. Tight turtle necks, check. And of course it wouldn’t be a Hermès winter collection without some solid leather pieces like a jacket, trenchcoat, pair of trousers and even a croc leather shirt.
This all presented in a color palette changing from green tot burgundy and from blue to black made up for a pretty solid fall/winter 2012/2013 clothing range.
Dior Homme Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 23, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
For fall Van Assche said his primary mission was to combine good tailoring with sportswear. He chose a strong theme to bring those two world together: the army.
Military-inspired looks in army green opened the show. Pleated pants with neat suit jackets, long powerful coats, subtle turtlenecks, a long hooded sweater and some leather jackets looked impressive.
Though the theme could have easily gone darker, Van Assche added white to his fall color scheme and later on some metallic/light grey. Towards the end he even introduced a dove (peace) print, making clear that an army (war) inspired collection doesn’t at all need to look heavy and aggressive.
There was not a look in sight, which you’d hit the gym in. But those officer dress codes did get a refreshing more modern and sportive touch. So in the end the tailoring and the sportswear did meet up, somewhere in the middle.
Lanvin Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 23, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Tiny waists and broad shoulders; Lucas Ossendrijver definitely renewed the male silhouette for this fall collection. He came up with long loose pants, oversize jackets tossed on the models’ shoulders and what appeared to be boxing boots.
The collection balanced on the fine line between being wearable and being cartoonesk. Yet if you’d take away the extravagant styling of the show most of the designs looked more subtle.
Besides full looks in camel, blue or red, looks with bold stripes and your typical deep red Tartan print were introduced. Still there was plenty of grey and black, but Ossendrijver managed to keep the collection quite light, which is very rare for a menswear winter collection.
It may take a while before your average male guy decides to dress in those black high waisted pants and that tight red and grey sweater. But more accentuated waists for men are becoming a trend, so Lanvin definitely nailed that one.
Paul Smith Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 22, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Bearded shippers, rock stars, college boys and sportsmen all appeared from Paul Smith’s backdrops of waves. Though the designer opted for a nautical theme, the title was Portobello-on-Sea, much more could be found in this collection.
The sportive elements were in the grey sweaters with the neon details, the shiny jackets/sweaters with the busy prints on them and the body warmers. A touch of rock ‘n roll was added with high black boots, long hair, long coats and classic sunglasses. The college kid could look great in those woolen blue suit jackets and fully buttoned blouses.
A bright deep see print, which appeared on a few pants seemed inappropriate for any of those man types. Yet it did add up to the sea spirited feeling Smith tried to convey.
Raf Simons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 22, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
After days of strict, streamlined and conservative menswear the boyish uniform of Raf Simons felt a bit refershing, although it’s kind of conservative too. To the press he said he’d felt like he wanted to change something with the idea of men’s clothes. He’d wanted to bring more energy, more excitement. Odd were the colored locks of hair hanging down the back of shirts, jackets and coats. Once again, Simons played with men’s dressing conventions with suit pants at the knee and styling shirts as outerwear over other shirts. The main statement was oversized tailoring: suit jackets and chunky overcoats. Simons dared to use bold colors too. Chunky waffle-knit sweaters came in mustard yellow, lime green and cobalt blue. There was definitely a street feel in this collection.
Walter van Beirendonck Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 22, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
That was sa quite disturbing mask the models were wearing at the Walter van Beirendonck-show, especially when you realize the models underneath the white skintone mask were black…. But those confronting themes are familiar when it comes to the Belgian designer. He’s not afraid of some discussion. His show started out with well-crafted, sartorial looks in bold colors and plaids, which gave way to baggy streetwear, including mohair sweaters.
Streetfashion Paris Menswear FW2012 Day 3
January 22, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Featured Items, Menswear, Paris, Streetwear
What are you wearing during these menswear fashionweeks? Your Prada-shoes, your latest Raf Simons-jacket or that vintage Gucci? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Paris Menswear Fashion Wee
Ann Demeulemeester Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
Ann Demeulemeester introduced a new silhouette with new proportions for men. Long shirts, long coats and long wollen jumpers all felt very ‘dressy’. Combined with long boots it made the models look static and strong.
Luckily there was some room for fun as well. Ann came up with some kind of tribal, batik print and used degrade designs throughout the whole collection. The mostly came in hun significant shades, black, grey and white. Yet also a touch of red and blue was added in the mix.
Kenzo Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2012
January 22, 2012 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Today Humberto Leon and Carol Lim proved their the right guys for the Kenzo design job. Their debut menswear collection was young, refreshing, well tailored and still had all the Kenzo-aspects in it. A color palette ranging from orange to moss green was their interpretation of the brand’s lively colors. While some subtle medallion prints (on a pair of pants, a jackets, a sweater and a blouse) represented Kenzo’s signature vivid prints.
Especially for a winter collection Leon and Lim’s take on Kenzo felt fresh. Who needs black when you have the perfect burgundy? And why would you opt for white if you can produce the same item in a exquisite shade of camel.
At Kenzo too, the coats were the eye catchers of the show. Although we must say some of those vibrant sneakers kept screaming at us as well…
