Fall/Winter Trend 2020: Off white (head to toe)

Dressing in off white hues from head to toe can be the chicest fall/winter look. Not just in a winter wonderland, but any given day really. The Italians (Fendi, Ferretti and Gucci) know it. The French (Balmain, Hermes, Isabel Marant, Jacquemus) know it. Maxi woolen coat to die for. White boots too, oh yeas. And a fur stola and fluffy hat to go please. Blending in on a snowy day and standing out on all the other days the rest of the season.

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Stieglitz Catwalk Fashion Show AFW Studio 2019

Stieg Air landed at the Compagnietheater tonight and flew in the latest of the latest. Tropical tunes from the speakers and the models came down the airplane stairs rocking the Stieglitz x Toral Shoes SS2019 collection inspired by Madagaskar from the seventies. Vibrant looks with lots of prints and a sporty touch. A yellow sweater with, the “Viviane” sweater, to wear on your breezy summer nights (while chilling in the park or on the beach). The “Malagasy” dress with it’s special hand crafted Malagasy tribe print. “Lalaina” pants and a body covered in exotic fruit prints. A tiger printed jumpsuit was followed by a tiger printed maxi skirt. A skirt made out of giant green leaves was paired with a basic white logo tee. There were denim flares and logo printed hoodies. Some velvet body suits came in green, blue and black. For the finale all the flight assistants came out of the plane rocking some body hugging striped “Oly” suits. For anyone who was tempted enough by the looks of it all items were on sale on the Stieglitz website straight after the show. We’ve already selected our favorites and are about to book our Stieg flight to some far away destination. Bright colors, exotic fruit prints and a whole lot of coolness; it’s gonna be an amazing summer.

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Versace Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear SS2019

The most colorful looks opened tonight’s show and determined the Versace image for SS2019. Shades of red, blue, orange and yellow popped up in striped pieces, checks and snake prints. Quite unusual Versace looks at first with boxy jackets, suits and woolen cardigans. Yet it wasn’t long until the first girl appeared in a red leather mini skirt and blue leather one shoulder top. There it was, the Versace sexiness. What followed was a mix of body hugging dresses and fully dressed looks (skirt, shirt, coat). If the fabrics (leather and heavy wool) were quite sturdy and stiff at first things changed about halfway the show when floral prints were introduced and materials became airy and sheer. Donatella suggests a mix of floral prints for upcoming summer. With not just a clash of prints on the dress, but on the tights, the shoes and the earrings and bags as well. Might you think that would be busy enough, just click on highly accessorized outfits #30 en #31. Maximum color, maximum amount of prints and maxessorized! To tone things done there was a series of silk black evening dresses worn by the likes of Kendall and Emrata. Clean dresses with funny details like belts with a clothespin, a charger or a cat bell as a charm. In order to make things less sexy there were sporty trainers, like the pair Bella Hadid sported with her bright yellow dress. To top it all off, Donatella had Shalom Harlow, one of the nineties supermodels who hasn’t been walking any runway shows over the past six years, close the show in a floral printed & sheer evening dress.

Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We often play with the idea of two people being one, or both of us being of one mind, and we play with our image to express that”, said Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren in this weekend’s press conference that formed the kick off of a brand new exhibition on the designer duo. For 25 years (and counting) Viktor and Rolf have been working together creating extraordinary fashion collections and beauty without boundaries. A symbiotic relation in which it’s impossible to see the designer’s separate contributions, as the duo puts it. Every creation, every design, every collection is a result of their joint work and the designer duo has proven to be a super match. And so 25 years after they won three prices at fashion contest Salon Européen des Jeunes Stylistes in Hyères it was time to reflect, to elaborate and to celebrate.

‘Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years’ is curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot (who also curated the globally successful The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk) and based on the Viktor & Rolf exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne but slightly adjusted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the luxury fashion house.

Expect to see the designers most impressive designs and creations among which sixty of their haute coutre dresses. Discover what makes Viktor & Rolf stand out in the fashion industry (their constant interplay of fashion and art). Get blown away by the countless examples of their ‘wearable art’. Learn how their designs speak of the contrast between romance and rebellion, exuberance and control, classicism and conceptualism.

All the highlights of 25 years Viktor & Rolf have found their way into the Kunsthal and so all of the brand’s most iconic designs have been lined up. Like a wide range of the antic porcelain dolls wearing scaled versions of the designers most famous creations. Like the bridal dress covered in countless bows the duo designed for Prinses Mabel van Oranje-Nassau in 2004. Like a costume the designers created for Madonna in 2016. Along with countless other outstanding pieces from much rooted on collections like Bedtime Story (2005), The Fashion Show (2007), NO (2008), Cutting Edge Couture (2010), Red Carpet Dressing (2014), Wearable Art (2015) and Van Gogh Girls (2015). As well as some never shown before pieces from Boulevard of Broken Dreams (2017), Action Dolls (2017/18) and the designers’ latest Surreal Satin (2018).

No need for the Kunsthal to create installations or formations to make things look more interesting, surprising or step away from any ordinary line/sum up of designer clothes. With every creation of every collection already being a piece of art on it’s own this is by far the most versatile fashion exhibition on one fashion house we’ve visited.

Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years
27 May – 30 September
Kunsthal Rotterdam

Pop up
The Viktor&Rolf Pop-Up Store is selling the accompanying anniversary book as well as merchandise like posters, socks, T-shirts, scarfs and bags with the designers original sketches printed on them.

Below our gallery of exhibition images. A must visit if you ask us.

 

Balmain Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear FW2017

Next fall the glamazons of Balmain will be dressed in raw pelts with a stitched-together feel. One of the models looked particularly fierce in a black dress assembled from crocodile skins, a tribal-looking metallic lip ring tracing a gleaming line across her mouth. Other options included a shearling sleeveless coat, or a tunic top pieced together from panels of glossy ponyskin. “It’s all about a return to the forces of nature. I wanted to create strong Amazons. Women’s power today is extremely important, and I think I reflect that with this collection. It’s very feminist,” Olivier Rousteing told WWD backstage.
The wealth of craftsmanship and materials on display was impressive. Rousteing is proud of the house’s historic ateliers, which turned out dresses and tunics in elaborate patchworks of crystal mesh, jacquard, leather appliqué, embroidery, velvet, fringe and metallic studs. This was craft of the highest level.
Rousteing diluted the impact of some dresses by adding panels depicting wolves, the wolf designsalso returned on T-shirts that anchored a boho rock star wardrobe of maxi cardigans, eyelet-studded leather and thigh-high boots.

Balmain Fashion Show Womenswear Paris SS2017

As the complete Kardashian clan seemed to have gathered front row Olivier Rousting presented his army of amazons. A spring summer story that took no less than 80 looks to be told. A story on glitz and glam, unfortunately without the detailed handwork we’d gotten so used to see at Balmain. No beading, no crystal embroideries, no thread work; Rousting must have needed all his time to finish of those eighty looks. A pity. Instead of the pieces of art from his former collections we were presented with seductive and powerful ensembles. Endless palazzo pants, floor sweeping snake print coats and maxi bandage dresses gave the models legs for days. Legs that were just as much on display as anything else, due to those thigh high slits. Cut-outs in all kind of places gave the looks a little more air and the models even more of a sexy feel. A collection that truly fits Kim Kardashians (who was by the way not wearing any underwear to the event) fashion needs. Yet perhaps Rousting is designing with the Kardashians on his mind a little too much instead of his actual customer.

Dolce & Gabbana Fashion Show Womenswear Milan SS2017

Their Italian roots have always been a focus point in their collections, but for SS2017 Domenico and Stefano took the love for their country a little further. Their complete summer line up seemed an ode to everything the Italian cuisine is famous for. Pasta, pizza, icecream, wine, fish and appertivi. And who wouldn’t want to work a silk pyjama with ‘gelato’print, an airy fusilli dress or a tomoto hat? Aiming at a younger audience (a fresh club of millennials sat front row at their show) Dolce & Gabbana brought the fun back in fashion (if it was ever gone). This was maximalism at its peek, with gold embroidered ‘matador’ jackets, encrusted sunglasses, floral hatpieces deluxe, statement bags, vived colors, print extravaganza and a large amount of sparkling crosses in the mix. For those able to look through the madness there were some beautiful creations. A perfectly tailored suit and a splendid black lace midi dress among other pieces that show the portray the designers fashion skills. Yet it was the maximalism in this collection, the dancers on the stage and the white printed Tee filled finale that made the noise that will eventually reach the Dolce customer. A fashion loving youngster looking for something original to wear on the next Instagram post. A quick fix. Let’s hope some of the more classic Dolce & Gabbana creations won’t get lost in the hype.

Gucci Catwalk Show Womenswear Milan SS2017

We left the Gucci show venue a bit overwhelmed. That was a lot to take in. From the setting (the carpeted catwalk with trademark Gucci stripe to the barely lit, smoke filled mirrored room and Florence Welch reading the poems of William Blake on the soundtrack) to the clothing; Alessandro Michele let it all out. Elaborating on his previous – extremely successful – collections he sent out a selection of outspoken, costum-y clothes matching the SS2017 “illusion of love”-theme. A collection not too different from the one hitting stores right now. Never change a winning formula, right? The success formula of seventies meets Renaissance was still a big theme. Evening dresses, platform loafers (with an extra slipper inside), frilled cocktail dresses and silky co-ords. Lots of metallic accents, florals prints, huge earrings, enormous hats and those crystal embroidered glasses topped it all of. A marvellous collection that will surely have Gucci fans all over the world go wild. And while we’re still head over heels with this current Gucci image. We can’t help but wonder when Michele will surprise us with some new ideas. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Yet a few more seasons of this maximalism success story and we might start to think it wasn’t true love, just a fling.

Miriam Reikerstorfer + Elke van Zuylen LAB Fashion Week Amsterdam SS2017

Funny how we can ignore such a big and influential thing like our subconscious. It was the key to the new collection of Austrian born designer Miriam Reikerstorfer. “This particular collection is inspired by suppressed feelings and fears. The subconscious influences our daily decisions, even if we don’t realize it. It is the part of our psyche that is just below the conscious mind and is capable of jumping to the forefront at any time. On a daily basis, people suppress their feelings, dreams, and fears, as well as their sexual desire, I believe it is an endless pool of inspiration.”

Are we afraid? Is there not enough awareness? Why not see the beauty in it and see what it can teach us. Let’s make the dark light again, and the bad good. The contradiction is very obvious in the soft versus hard elements. Tender fabrics with hand-dyed details and delicate drapery. Hand-sewn sequins and hand-cut pieces, references to Miriam’s believe in the old traditions of haute couture. The harsher elements were seen for example in the cornrow-hair, straight trousers and the top with huge hoodie (it might become a favourite for Dutch songstress Kovacs). The bright pink mixed so well with the taupe and dark (red) hues. ‘Things I get obsessed about’, the music echoes over the venue. Oh yes, there are definitely some things in this collection we can obsess about.

Elke van Zuylen
The second part of the show was for Elke van Zuylen to show her new collection named ‘NoNoCake’. Another show that was about emotions, to be more precise: shyness. She calls it the ‘The Shy-Movement’. Why? Perhaps she’s tired of people putting themselves out there all the time, feeling like the centre of the universe. Always online, always present. And more or less we all suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Extravert people are celebrated, introverts are considered less fun and exciting. But is it? According to Elke there’s more to shy people than meets the eye. ‘Stille wateren hebben diepe gronden’, as we like to call it in Holland. Take this and her fascination for Japanese and Korean (sub)cultures, and we’re talking the core of this collection. It showed in the pom pom hair of the models, the komono-ish jackets, soft and silky pyjama fabrics and other geisha and Harajuku references. Interesting was the layering part, such as a white see-through bralette sewed on a maxi-dress or a XL tulle skirt worn underneath a night blue velvet tunic. If this resembles shyness, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.

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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