It’s Amsterdam Fashion week and it’s raining

Oh no! You carefully picked your outfit for the opening soiree of the Amsterdam Fashion Week tonight but now it’s raining! What to wear now? Get some inspiration from the outfits we spotted in rainy Milan, Paris, New York or London below.

Preview AIFW – Pauline van Dongen

While traveling from London to Rome and Amsterdam she kept multiple To do lists in the past weeks just to make sure all preparations for her show would be done in time. So with just a few days until that show everything seems to fall in place just right. And Pauline van Dongen’s first Amsterdam Fashion Week fashion show is most likely to become a success.

The collection Pauline will be showing is called Kinetic Landscapes and tells the story of subtle changes in nature made by the power of water and air, which can only be noticed after many decades. Like the remarkable traces of waves and sand on rocks and stones.

“Through this inspiration the collection shows my sculptural signature and experimental approach of shape and materials. I used lines and waves to create movement in my designs as well. I find it fascinating that wind and air can create soft and fluent shapes on such large and solid parts of nature.”

“I was inspired by the natural phenomena ‘The Wave’ in Arizona and thus opted for shades of that specific place like orange, cobalt blue, white, grey and black. A reflecting kind of knitwear and a springy sort of pleated knitwear represent the fluent and reflecting aspect of water in my creations.”

But better than to speak about Pauline’s designs we should watch them. Preferable on the runway while they’re being worn by models. ‘Cause, Pauline says, “I love to see my work on a moving body in stead of on a static object. The woman body gives my designs their outspoken shape and volume.”

Pauline van Dongen will show her collection on 14 July at 8 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

Preview AIFW – SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers SS2012

This upcoming edition of the Amsterdam International Fashion Week the twins sisters Riet en Truus Spijkers will be the first to show their  SIS collection. We spoke to the sisters about this new collection and what kind of story they will be telling during the opening event.

“We’re very excited to be part of the opening show this season. For us that’s even better than just doing a regular fashion show. It results in a lot of media attention, which is one of the reasons we decided to show during Amsterdam Fashion Week. More media coverage results in more requests for our collection and that’s always good.”

It’s only one year ago that Spijkers en Spijkers launched it’s little sister SIS, yet so far the new line is doing great. “We are getting applications for the collections from abroad as well. SIS is now being sold in countries like Italy, Japan and Australia.”

As for the new summer collection we can expect nothing but summery/sunny clothing. “The collection is sunny, optimistic and a little naughty. The theme is Bain du Soleil. Again it will have some twenties references, which we also used in our music. The soundtrack will be modern but with a definite twenties twist.”

Like in every collection the sisters chose a certain woman as their female muse for the collection. “This time Olympic swimmer Zus Braun gave the designers their inspiration. Due to that the collection has some slightly sporty details in it, but mostly done in a very feminine way.”

“The clothes will have a tight fit and come in colors like rose, pistachio, amber and nautical blue. There are some bright Au Bain de Soleil prints as well. We used cotton, crêpe de chine and some very comfy jerseys. It’s just a fun collection, so we’re very much looking forward to the show.”

SIS by Spijkers en Spijkers will be shown on Wednesday evening 13 July at 6.30 p.m.

Catwalk Fashion Show Ilja Couture / Ready to Fish AW2012

Today Dutch designer Ilja Visser followed in the footsteps of Tom Ford and Victoria Beckham and brought intimacy back to the runway. Not only was her brand new Ready to Fish collection narrated look by look, different courses of a Ilja Visser menu were served in between every few looks too.

It was a lovely setting and there was a nice atmosphere. You could not tell Ilja’s whole team (hairdressers, make-up artist, marketing and shop employees to name a few) had been working all day to make sure four different shows were held. Four different shows, four different audiences and four different types of amusement (lunch, drinks, a little boat trip and diner).

The Ready to Fish collection was all inspired by the eighties movie Paris, Texas and brought a mix of masculine details and feminine elegance. There was a lot of asymmetry, which we’ve seen before at Ready to Fish. Also, the bright yellow and pink shades and the raw denim stood out. The clothes felt thick for summer, but thanks to the choice of fabrics (linen, loose knits) were in fact airy.

Straight after the ready to wear collection presentation we were presented with a few very strong Ilja couture looks from the collection named Pluche. The inspiration – politicians and formalities – was not very visible, but the creations (mainly black and beige) were stunning. Business influences like high shoulders and classic cuffs were combined with feminine silhouettes. Ilja used a lot of fake fur and played with the structure of her couture designs.

Both collection were beautifully made and presented in a great way. We had a fun night and can only hope more designers decide to go back to where fashion shows once started; intimate, personal and memorable.

The three pictures above are three looks from the Ilja couture collection.

 

 

 

 

Preview AIFW – Sage & Ivy SS2012

The Sage & Ivy fashion show is part of the official Amsterdam International Fashion Week program for the first time this season. Yet, as designer Alexia van Engelen tells us, the label is still giving the audience something different…

“When we were approached by the AIFW if we wanted to join the official schedule, we had one condition: we still wanted to be able to create our own little Sage & Ivy world around the show. We didn’t want to use just an ordinary, plain, white catwalk. We discussed all possibilities and are now showing the new Sage & Ivy collection near the pond of the Westergasterrein. This means the models are going to be walking on a catwalk build over water. We’re very excited”

And though the concept alone is already interesting, water has a special meaning in Alexia’s new collection too. “The collection is called hemisphere and is inspired by water. Yet not in an too obvious matter. You’ll see the water in reflections, the golden color it creates when the sun sets, the many colors that appear when the sun shines at it and the transparency of water.”

These diverse sides of water are brought to live in a two sided collection. “On one side it shows Greek influences like draping, braiding and lots of volume. On the other side you’ll see day wear with a seventies vibe (high pants and accentuated shoulders). Bianca Jagger really was the inspiration for this since she used to mix those two styles together in her impeccable looks.”

The whole Sage & Ivy collection consists of 24 looks, all handcrafted in small studios in Belgium and Germany (no longer in Morocco, like before). The fabrics as well as the colors of the collection breath femininity. “We used shades like light pink, light green, grey, gold and some degrade. All looks were made from materials like jersey, lace, chiffon, organza, satin, cotton and a special wool melange. There are many feminine pieces in the collection but in the show we will always combine a very feminine, elaborating item with a more simple and cool (almost manly) piece. Just wait and see…”

The Sage & Ivy show will be held on Friday 15 July at 8 p.m.

Boutyq Catwalk Fashion Show Amsterdam AW 2011

The Boutyq-event has developed itself into a serious fashion-event, where Dutch talents get to present themselves two times a year plus an international renowned brand or fashion-house. Last Tuesday Dutchies Francisco van Benthum, Jeroen van Tuyl, Jan Boelo and the British label Unconditional presented their fall winter 2011 collections. And after a full week of mainly womenwear it was refreshing to see some good menswear-collections.

Francisco van Benthum started his career in 1996 with colleague Michiel Keuper, but began his own line in 2001. It’s been difficult for the talented designer to maintain his own label over the years, but it seems his Francisco van Benthum/whitelabel is succesful. It was this line he presented at Boutyq. His clothes still have that constructed  look but less edgy, finishing and proportions still play an important role.

Jeroen van Tuyl celebrates his 10th anniversary this year and he proved himself a serious mensweardesigner. Elegant, sharp, tough are keywords that explain his signature style, his graphics are always strong. This time prints were inspired by pieces of broken glass and they appeared at suits, coats and scarves.

Jan Boelo has just begun, but got his education at several sources: Jan Taminiau, Marloes Blaas, Paul Schulten and Balmain. At the last fashionhouse he discovered his signature style: strict, sharp and with a touch of rock ‘n roll. He presented his first collection in 2010.

Philip Stephens is the man behind the British label Unconditional, contemporary, luxury basics for men and women are mixed with more fashionable and seasonable specials. Remarkable fact is that the collections are produced in an ethical way, with organic fabrics and environment friendly dyes.

Fashion is vaporized

After a week of hard work and great shows the fashion-circus is leaving again. What’s left are good memories and the left-overs of parties and presentations. Bye Amsterdam Fashion Week, we’ll be back in july!

Next stop for Team Peter Stigter is New York Fashion Week fall/winter 2011  and we will keep you posted on what’s happening there. See you soon and thanks for all the enthusiastic support.

Hunkemöller Backstage AIFW FW2011

Actually, it was a great collection of Hunkemöller. Classic with a twist, beautiful colors and a good styling. Backstage you could see the models had big fun and felt sensual yet strong in the lingerie. The bright red wigs added a punch to the whole performance.

Frontrow at Hunkemöller AIFW FW2011

The place was packed at the Hunkemöller show at the last day of the Amsterdam International Fashion Week. The lingerie-label held a wonderful, glamorous show and the audience enjoyed every minute of it. Here’s who we spotted frontrow.

Amsterdam Fashion Week Atmosphere day 4: Supertrash

An impression of the frontstage and backstage of the Supertrash catwalk fashion show during amsterdam fashion week.

Video by Niels @ Team Peter Stigter

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