This was KINGPINS Amsterdam, october 2014.

For the second time Amsterdam was the capital of denim, by hosting The Kingpins Show. Kingpins started out in 2004 as a tiny denim supply chain show for denim pro’s tired of the mad scramble and soul-deadening crush of handshakes and “who are you’s?” and badge-checking at the huge, impersonal sourcing shows that dominate the industry.
The idea was: keep the exhibitor-list tight, invite only the best brands, serve tasty food, treat everyone like family and create an atmosphere that’s conducive for networking and relationship-building. It worked out pretty well.

The second edition in Amsterdam was a success. Also because of the first Global Denim Awards, won by Jonathan Christopher.

Global Denim Awards 2014

The first Global Denim Awards are a fact. Last night at De Hallen in Amsterdam young designer Jonathan Christopher received the award/cheque worth  10.000 euro. The Global Denim Awards is an anual event that pairs the worlds premier denim mills with emerging designers. This year it were six designers: Stefano Ughetti, Gizem Turan, Jonathan Christopher, Fernanda Fernandes, Bhavesh Samji and Anneloes van Osselaer.

The collections were judged by a panel of international denim experts based on the merits of the design and innovative nature of the denim fabrications. The award – 10.000 euro – was made possible by e3, the winning designer also will have the collection displayed at the Kingpins shows around the world.

Jonathan Christopher presented a collection together with ITV and got his inspiration by nomads. His Nomadum collection gives a peek in the different worlds of nomads, the urban nomad wondering through the city but also the ones that go through rough terrain. Destroying the garments, and getting it dirty, collecting waste material and making it into something beautiful. Jonathan Christopher made it into a modern,  rough collection.

Thank you Oscar !

Thinking of glamour-dressing to the max, but with style and class – you had to think of Oscar de la Renta. The American designer – born in Puerto Rico – died october 21st at the age of 82.

His career began in the 1950s in Spain and sprawled across the better living rooms of Paris and New York. De la Renta was the last survivor of a generation of bold, all-seeing tastemakers.  Though ill with cancer for close to eight years, Oscar de la Renta was resilient. During that period his business grew by 50 percent, to $150 million in sales, as his name became linked to celebrity events like the Oscars. Amy Adams, Sarah Jessica Parker and Penélope Cruz were among the actresses who wore his dresses. Recently his biggest thing was to make the ivory tulle gown that Amal Alamuddin wore to wed George Clooney in Venice.

Oscar de la Renta achieved fame as a couturier to socialites and as a red-carpet king. He also dressed four American first ladies, but it was Hollywood glamour that defined him for a new age and a new customer.

Here are some highlights of his collections from the past five years.

 

 

 

 

Hermes Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

After four years at Hermes designer Christophe Lemaire is going to focus on his own namesake label. So on the closing day of Paris fashion week Lemaire presented his last collection for the brand. Not with too much fuss though. Just a show full of solid, clean, slightly seventies inspired clothes. Coats and dresses draped around the models’ bodies in shades of white were the opening looks. Beige, camel, sand tones, a splash of yellow, red and navy blue followed as culottes, shorts, pencil skirts and suits made their appearance, sweaters tied around the hips. Crispy, fully buttoned shirts were paired with the label’s best leather. Like a pair of croc leather shorts, a suede snakeskin jacket and a navy shirt paired with some dark denim pants. A woven multicolored coat with leather lining looked impeccable, especially with the right bag and shoes. A clean, elegant, modern collection with some surprising travel inspired touches; a worthy goodbye for Lemaire.

Miu Miu Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

Small black lines formed the models’ eyebrows, their hair was pulled back tightly and their faces screamed “don’t mess with me”. They wore girly/dressed up ensembles of knee length skirts, printed belts, cropped ruffled tops, woollen coats and eye-cathing pumps (with bows) and platforms. They looked cool, they looked hot and they seemed up to no good. “Female trouble”, as Miuccia Prada described it. Contrasting prints, colors and materials were in the mix here, almost as if clothes were picked up from a local flea market. Yet with the help of some fierce looking leather the looks somehow did go well together and formed a perfect, rebellious collection.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

Please enjoy the pictures for now, our review will follow shortly

Iris Van Herpen Catwalk Paris Reportage SS2015

Take a look at the small reportage we shot behind the scenes at the Iris van Herpen show in Paris. Which took place at the topfloor of the Centre Pompidou.

Iris van Herpen Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

With a collection more wearable than any of her work we’ve seen before Iris van Herpen was the fourth Dutchie designer to show in Paris this week. Her “Magnetic Motion” collection was inspired by her trip to CERN and the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, where powerful magnetic fields manipulate the building blocks of the universe. Magnetic elements she played with in her designs, but weren’t always visible to the audience, like with all her 21st century fashion meets technology work. The light creations were mind blowing by itself, even without the conceptual, experimental idea behind it. Laser cut structured metallic and 3D patent leather in the mix with black fabrics made up for some stunning cocktail attire. But it feels silly to categorise Iris’ work into dresscodes like that. With a little help from artists like Philip Beesley and Niccolò Casas, as well as artist Jolan Van der Wiel this girl just amazes us with what fashion can be. True pieces of art it were, so chances are Van Herpen will be named artist of the year in a month, for which she’s nominated. Another award (she alreadt won the 2014 AndamFashion Award) she absolutely deserves.

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

In a color palette of rich shades ranging from navy blue to tiered into a series of pastel attires Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli sent out the chicest Valentino pieces for upcoming season. They used to most delicate materials to create their dreamy designs. Knitwear and lace, embroidered, graphically printed and hand painted every look breathed delicateness. Perhaps the collection felt a little less conservative than previous seasons, allowing asymmetric sleeves, cutouts, low cleavages, bare bellies, gladiator sandals and sunglasses to be part of the show. Yet still lots of blouses were fully buttoned, skirts reached over the knee, countless floor sweeping gowns were introduced and the models long hair was soberly parted and worn backwards, sticking to the fashion house’s signature of elegance. A dreamy collection with an extra youthful & tun twist.

Chanel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2015

The streets of Paris formed the backdrop of Chanel’s extravagant fashion show this morning. No, Karl didn’t present his designs outside, he build his own Boulevard Chanel No.5 inside the Grand Palais. And that boulevard turned out to be a perfect fit with the streetwise clothing the designer presented. Some of his favourite stars and it models of the moment like Edie Campbell, Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne and even Gisele (no last name needed) made their appearance strutting Karl’s optimistic collection. It involved full on tweed suits (for summer!), bright floral printed coats and matching boots, party dresses with metallic details, pinstripe ensembles and a wide range of white Victorian blouses. Socks were golden, as were sandals and belts. From punk rock to Saint Tropez chic; there were enough style variations to fashionably get you through any type of occasion. To stress the liberate feeling of the collection the finale involved a protest, led by Cara Delevingne holding a megaphone. Followed by all models carrying sings like ‘Tweed is better than tweet’, ‘Be your own stylist’ and ‘History is her story.’ Quotes not by far as strong as Karl’s own oneliners, but they added to the cheerful vibe of the show.

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