Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Raf Simons used all kinds of fabric to give his pitch black-collection for Jil Sander the right edge. On a black rubber runway and before a graffiti-stained door he sent out his darkest of dark collections. There was black leather and industrial-age fabrics glistening like wet asphalt to give archetypal male cliches like the businessman, the father, the office nerd an unbelievable and dangerous power.

The collection looked formal with handsome greatcoats, sculpted suits with seamed backs, and pristine shirts and ties. Simons played with proportions, from pencil slim to voluminous and flaring. Longer line coats, either tight or hanging straight, were a major statement.

Accessory of the season will definitely be the Jil Sander lunch-bag shaped leather goods. Sailor-suit flaps with prints of child-like motifs of whales, dinosaurs and fish gave it all a lighter attitude. Simons definitely set the tone for a new fall-season.

An no, no news about Christian Dior yet.

Costume National Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Bohemians were the characters Ennio Capasa of Costume National was thinking about, as an antidote to a materialistic direction that he sees society taking. Capasa called his collection a remix of his dark roots and all his experiences over the years.  There were  space-age boots,  punky mohairs, and  teddy-boy proportions, all elements we’ve seen before in Capasa’s collections – which point towards his passion for British youth cults.

Dolce & Gabbana Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

Domenico and Stefano’s ultimate male muse David Gandy didn’t walk in Dolce & Gabbana’s menswear show. He attended the show as one of the special guests, next to Beyoncé’s sister Solange (who has just signed with Next Models) and a few Italian stars.

It was a classic and very Italian show, which had the brand’s masculine tailoring tradition as it’s starting point.

The collection was all about coats (and capes). They were thick and heavy and looked rich due to the many golden embroideries added. They formed quite a contrast next to few the shirtless guys in their camel colored Long Johns and boxers. Yet it seemed bodywear was a big part of the show, since multiple silk pajama’s (we think: Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl) were presented along the way.

Pinstriped, burgundy, velvet or gold and shiny; there were more than enough evening looks to choose from, topped off by a playful ribbon bow tie and a Sicilian cap every now and then.

The full looks, as they were presented on the runway, maybe were a bit too luxurious for most men. Yet there were enough sole pieces to mix and match into a man’s everyday wardrobe.

Ermenegildo Zegna Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2012

On Saturday Ermenegildo Zegna presented it’s ‘Winter’s Tale’, a collection which combined winter, sport and town wear. It felt like a very classic collection, and this seemed to be the purpose. “We didn’t want it to shout or even look too new,” Anna Zegna (one of the family triumvirate that runs Ermenegildo Zegna) told the press.

This resulted in checked suits, turtlenecks (worn under shirts), and detailed coats. Every single piece of clothing that hit the runway was luxury to the max. The cashmere turtlenecks, the quilted leather trenches, the shearling jackets and the woolen capes (already a big trend for next fall/winter!).

A classic collection for the modern man. We’re curious to see when the first Zegna capes are popping up in the streets.

 

ELLE Style Awards 2012 – Guests

Pearls, feathers, headbands, flapper dresses, hats and slick suits; oh my, the twenties definitely revived Thursday night during the ELLE Style award show. All guests, hosts, members of the jury and press really made an effort to stick to the dresscode and look as twenties fab as possible.

Where you present at the ELLE Style Awards or are you just curious how everyone interpreted the Roaring Twenties theme? Check out our image gallery below with all pictures of the arriving guests.

The Very Best Of 2011 – Part 5

21. Voguepedia
Designers, models, editors and even bloggers; as of now they are all listed in Vogue’s online encyclopedia Voguepedia. Websites can stop making their own database and we can start looking everyone up over here. Vogue is actually doing some more database-work; every single issue since the beginning of Vogue has been put online and will soon be available (for those who pay for it). Imagine looking through all these classic pages, wow!

22. Kanye West failure
Well, it wasn’t necessarily a highlight of 2011, but it truly was something we won’t soon forget. Kanye’s first fashion show! We bet he still has nightmare about it. We’re curious if Kanye’s going to give it another try next season, but the fact remains that his designer debut failed to impress.

23. Versace for H&M
The Versace for H&M collection was, like other designer for H&M collections, a big hit. We fell in love with the black leather with gold details and are planning to wear those palmtree prints during the whole summer. The collection might not have sold out as soon as the other designercollections, but it definitely was one of the most remarkable ones.

24. Graphic Prints
A simple floral doesn’t do it anymore these days. If you want to score as a designer you come up with your very own digital prints. Like the gorgeous creations of Proenza Schouler or the vivid designs of Mary Katrantzou. The latest prints are so very alive, it’s like watching a 3D fashion show.

25. Team Vogue NL
After months of rumours it was finallyconfirmed; in 2012 a Dutch version of Vogue will be launched. With those three ladies of the Dutch Glamour on board we believe it is going to be a huge success. So that’s something great to look forward to for the next year. Now let’s go & celebrate!

The Very Best Of 2011 – Part 4

With just a few days left of 2011, we continue our hit list of this year. ‘Cause boy, what a year it was! The year of Galliano, Kate Middleton and Emmanuelle Alt. A year in which colorblocking, seventies and polka dots became the biggest trends. A year full of new clothing lines and collaborations (Versace for H&M, Missoni for Target, Lanvin & Marni kids). Yet also a year filled with goodbyes (Carine Roitfeld, D&G, Amy Winehouse). Join us in our retrospect of 2011…

16. Best Dressed Babies
Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham both had their babies this year. Now you wouldn’t normally name this in a Best Of List. Yet since the two little ones (Skyler and Harper) are already the best dressed babies on the planet, we just had to. Harper’s outfits are closely watched by international fashion editors and Skyler already gets custom made Gucci items delivered. It all seems too crazy for words, right? But since Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham keep on expanding their fashion empires and are becoming more and more influential this is real serious business.

17. Sixties
In one year we went from seventies to sixties, only to end back in the twenties. And though we’re heading back to the style of The Great Gatbsy, those sixties influences will sure be around for a while. The short skirts, the straight dresses, the knee length boots and not to forget those cute Peter Pan collars.

18. New Kids Collections
Lanvin, Versace and Marni all announced their first kids collections this year. An interesting development, next to many new diffusion lines that are being launched. Is this what people want to spend their money on? At least we know the above named fashion ladies will make the investment for their toddlers.

19. Doutzen turns actress
Models turned actresses, you hear it all the time. Yet Doutzen’s case it actually turned out pretty well. The Dutch beauty was cast in the very first Dutch 3D movie and has had nothing but good critics so far. Let’s hope she won’t swap fashion for film for good.

20. Polka Dots
If someone had told you one year ago polka dots would become a big trend again, you probably wouldn’t have believed them. But it turns out Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs were quite convincing with their fall/winter collection. Everyone wanted to get their hands on that Stella dress and the Jacobs skirt was an incredibly popular streetstyle item. Every high street store copied the trend, now let’s see how long it lasts…

Merry X-Mas!!!

The Very Best Of 2011 – Part 3

With New Year’s Eve ’round the corner we take some time to look back on another great fashion year. ‘Cause boy, what a year it was! The year of Galliano, Kate Middleton and Emmanuelle Alt. A year in which colorblocking, seventies and polka dots became the biggest trends. A year full of new collections and collaborations (Versace for H&M, Missoni for Target, Lanvin & Marni kids). Yet also a year filled with goodbyes (Carine Roitfeld, D&G, Amy Winehouse). Join us in our retrospect of 2011…

Here are highlights 11 to 15 of this year:

11. The end of D&G
With their spring/summer collection for 2012 Domenice Dolce and Stefano Gabbana ended their D&G fashion line (what a loss!). The two very talented Italian designer will from now on focus on their main line, Dolce & Gabbana. We wish them the best of luck!

12. Androgyne & transsexual models
Transsexual model Lea T and male model  Andrej Pejic (who looks like a woman, but is still a man) have become a big hit in the fashionworld over the past two years. Both of them walk fashion shows and appear on magazine covers. Andrej Pejic even became the face (or eh.. body) of a push-up bra created by Dutch department store Hema. Also, Dutch transsexual model Valentijn de Hingh is doing very well. She is now nominated for an ELLE style award.

13. Prada’s Bananas
If we had to name a success collection of 2011 it would, without a doubt, be Prada’s spring/summer collection. Prada’s bananas became an instant hit (who whould have thought that?!) and her bold stripes and bright colors were copied by fashion brands all over the world. The collection was even featured on more than 77 covers. Props for Miuccia!

14. Designer Collaborations
After the great success of the H&M designercollections more high street brands are collaborating with luxury fashion houses. This year’s Missoni for Target, Jean Paul Gaultier for La Perla, Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s and Carine Roitfeld and Terry Richardson for Colette were a big hit!

15. Jeweltones
Ruby, Amethyst, Citrine and Emerald; jewel tones were THE trend for fall/winter 2011/2012. Again, Gucci had the highest scores on this trend.

The Very Best Of 2011 – Part 2

With New Year’s eve ’round the corner we take some time to look back on another great fashion year. ‘Cause boy, what a year it was! The year of Galliano, Kate Middleton and Emmanuelle Alt. A year in which colorblocking, seventies and polka dots became the biggest trends. A year full of new collections and collaborations (Versace for H&M, Lanvin & Marni kids). Yet also a year filled with goodbyes (Carine Roitfeld, D&G, Amy Winehouse). Join us in our retrospect of 2011…

Here are highlights 6 to 10 of this year:

6. More & more fashion documentaries
Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Dior, Viktor & Rolf, Fendi and Yves Saint Laurent. Turns out every major fashion label is now producing it’s own documentary. And since we can’t get enough of those movies we’re also super excited about the Bill Cunningham and upcoming Diana Vreeland docs.

7. Kate Moss marries in Galliano
After all the bad press Galliano got in the beginning of 2011 Kate Moss supported him (big time) by wearing one of his creations on her big day. In a gorgeous Galliano gown she got married to her love Jamie Hince.

8. Saskia & Daphne
We couldn’t be more proud of Dutchies Daphne Groeneveld and Saskia de Brauw. They were the newcomers of 2010 and the stars of 2011! Both girls were featured in multiple ad grand campaigns and editorials and reached a supermodel status.

9. R.I.P. Amy Winehouse
She may not have had her own fashion line (besides her work for Fred Perry), but she truly inspired the fashion world with her outspoken looks (big hair & thick eyeliner). Not only did we loose a great singer when Amy died, we also lost a extraordinary style icon.

10. Seventies Chic
2011 was all about the seventies revival; flared pants, floppy hats, large sunglasses, hippie chic headbands and platform heels. We sure loved every bit of it!

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