Trend Report SS2011: Rock & Punk

Either you love it or you hate, but the punk look sure is a trend this summer. Think: short cut hair, lots of black, strong shoulders and metallic accents. Balenciaga, Balmain and Burberry all worked the Rock ‘n Roll/Punk trend on their catwalks. Their models looking fierce and a little boy-ish at times.

At Jean Paul Gaultier the models wore enormous pieces of metallic jewelry, at Burberry and Balmain spikes gave the looks some extra edge. Riccardo Tisci mixed Gothic and punk by presenting sheer black designs with lots op zippers.

If you’re the girly type of woman you might wanna pass on this trend. Yet for the ones who like it rough there’s plenty of rock ‘n roll fashion to choose from.

Here are some examples:

Opening Sjaak Hullekes store

Pauline Krikke, major of Arnhem, had the honor to open the first shop of Dutch designer Sjaak Hullekes. Besides his menswear-collection, Hullekes is the first shop in the Netherlands to sell the wonderful French scented candles of LaDuree. And, soon he will present a small collection of womenswear.
The day of the opening, Hullekes had an interview in de Spits and he told the newspaper he wanted to have a store so he can see how people react to his collections and he can get to know his clients better. “And with a shop you can present the identity of a label better”, he said. Besides the store Hullekes also started a webstore, especially for international sales in the US and Japan.

And the latest news is that Sjaak is collaborating with shoe-designer Fred de la Bretonniere, he will be responsible for a new womenswear-collection!

Sjaak Hullekes, Kerkstraat 34, Arnhem ; more info http://sjaakhullekes.blogspot.com

Trend Report SS2011: Bikini Proof

Ok, maybe you’re still working on your perfect bikini body. But hey, that doesn’t mean you cannot take a look at the new swimwear trends. Besides having the perfect bikini/swimsuit in mind, might be an extra motivation to reach your summer proof body.

And when it comes to this year’s swimwear there’s more than enough to choose from. A new trend seems to be the blending of day wear and swimwear. Cause some swimsuits (like the woolen ones at Michael Kors) look more like tops and bikini’s are becoming part of an outfit.

At Blugirl, Barbara Bui, Tommy Hilfiger, Iceberg and Marc Jacobs swimsuits and bikini’s were mixed and matched with daywear pieces. (So it’s actually cool if your blouse reveals just a small part of your bikini top.)

Luxurious bathing suits are still hot too. Especially the ones with the sexy cutouts. Whether they’re meant to stroll around or actually hit the water is not sure, but you’ll definitely look damn sexy!

Christophe Decarnin leaves Balmain

Balmain is parting ways with Christophe Decarnin, the designer who transformed the dusty old fashion house into a red hot label, coveted by jet-set party girls worldwide. The Paris-based house made the announcement Wednesday, but did not give any details about the reasons behind the decision.
Rumors about Decarnin’s health have swirled since the shy designer failed to appear for a bow after his fall-winter 2011-12 ready-to-wear show last month. At the time, a spokesman for the house dismissed rumors that he was in a mental hospital, saying that he was resting on doctor’s orders.

Decarnin, the mastermind behind Balmain’s now-hallmark peaked-shouldered jackets and ultra-minidresses, joined Balmain in 2005. He came out of nowhere to head the house and with every collection he did for Balmain, sales doubled.  So who and what did Decarnin have to thank for all the success?

– The supercool girls. Balmain has become the label of the supercool girls. The girls in London and Paris who work as assistants at fashion magazines, design studios and P.R. firms, or who have some terrific family-tree connections they swing from. They’re 21 or 22 years old.  Julia Restoin Roitfeld wears Balmain. So does Charlotte Casiraghi, a daughter of Princess Caroline.

– French Vogue. French Vogue has had a lot to do with Decarnin’s success. He said himself in an interview with NY Times. Roitfeld and her daughter wore Balmain to the Cannes Film Festival. And Roitfeld and her lieutenants Emmanuelle Alt and Marie-Amélie Sauvé — have taken this relatively isolated man and molded him in the image of French Vogue.

– France. The clothes are unmistakenly French. Or like Cathy Horyn of the NY Times put it: “If I see young Bardots and Birkins bobbing around St.-Tropez half naked, I’ve seen precisely what he wants me to see. In their cut and fit, in their energy and implacably dirty sex appeal, these clothes could not have come from anywhere else but France — and not even France but Paris.”

– The sky-high prices. A pair of jeans or a cotton T-shirt cost about a 1000 euro, while a beaded jacket can cost more than 10.000 euro. It’s almost offensive. Decarnin said the prices reflect the quality of workmanship and fabrics, as well as the company’s limited structure. But those high prices might also be part of the message: my stuff costs a lot.

But why did it took so long to become successful? According to Emanuelle Alt – a long time fan and stylist of his shows – Decarnin has the talent, but is too shy.  “If you always stay in the shadows and don’t have the connections, it’s more difficult. Some people have a lot less talent, but they push themselves and go out and meet people.’’ Decarnin said he never goes to clubs.

Well, fashion in the street owns a lot to his trashy collections. Looking back, you see the streetwise girls took his punky, rock chick-style, with skinny jeans, T-shirts en fringed boots. Also: the revival of the strong shoulder and the fitted jacket. Even the long, bohemian flowerdresses he did in one of his early collections dominate the coming summer-fashion – although we have to thank Dolce & Gabbana for that too.

Watch a video about the last collection of Christophe Decarnin for Balmain:

Streetfashion Toronto Fashion Week FW2011 Day 1

TPS-member Jon Loek went back to his home-country  to catch some atmosphere at LG Toronto Fashion Week. It’s cold, but that doesn’t stop people dressing up! So we really want to know what you are wearing during the coming fashionweeks. Your Prada-shoes, your latest Jil Sander-dress or that vintage Yves St. Laurent?  We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Toronto Fashion Week.

Round Up Paris FW2011

There was nothing girly on the catwalks in Paris during the fall 2011-presentations. In fact, it was a very mature look: elegant, dressed-up and in control. Collections that moved from 30’s to 60’s. Strict tailoring created sober and understated silhouettes and the bold sculpturing reminded us more then once of former Balenciaga collections. Apart from these ‘heritage collections’ with their disciplined sobriety there was sheer doom and gloom. As if Paris sensed darker emotions this season compared to New York, Milan and London. We were delighted to meet sudden touches of glam, an unexpected hint of glitter, adventurous flashes of plastic and a single humorous touch.

GEOMETRIC

Lot’s of graphic, androgynous suiting plus black and white blocking. YSL fused rigorous elegance to masculine flair.

HAUTE BOURGEOIS

Prim suits and proper coordinates. Miu Miu more elegant then ever which confirmed the trend for a more grown up and dressed up look.

SOBRIETY: Minimalism to be continued. Precious sober looks, precise, careful and well balanced.

MINIMALISM

At Celine – where sobriety was conceived, there was this constant feel for minimalism: understated sensible shapes that made her simple fur coats look extravagant. She signs for another season of flawless and streamlined urban uniform dressing.

MODERN GLAM

The look that inspired us most. Where doom and gloom, from grunge to Goth, proved itself as a genuine Paris catwalk trend, Haider Ackerman turned it into a feasible and desirable inspiration. Glamorous in precious jewel shades, wrapped and draped generously in fluid silks.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.

Miu Miu Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Miu Miu show was about Modern Glamour according to Miucca Prada. The glamour of  discreet dresses, with wide shoulders, sometimes bulked up with fur and decorated with glittering flora and fauna. The sparkle was matched by glittering shoes.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Well, that was quite a show at Louis Vuitton this morning. Marc Jacobs was in the mood for some strong mistresses. The inspiration seem to come from the movie Night Porter. But according to Marc Jacobs explanation the inspiration came form the obsession people have for Loui Vuitton-bags etc. “The definition is an unreasonable obsession with objects or things. Which is sometimes Vuitton bags” he told WWD.

So it was extravagance to the max, with an 18-karat gold handbag cuffed to a girl’s wrist. There was a retro, hotel-inspired elevator bank that rose from the floor below and were the models started out. Almost everyone carried bags, not all in gold, but in python, harlequin-cut shearling, embroidered monogram rubber.
Python came lacquered; fake fur, waxed; guipure lace, made to look like plastic. There was lots of see through, and also  rubberized, plasticized and waxed fabrics with police-hats, silk-stockings, jodhpurs. But also more wearable clothes like  tweed coats and jackets taken from men’s classics which were reshaped into hourglasses and sleek sweaters.

Alexander McQueen Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Alexander McQueen-collection was an ode to The Ice Queen and her Court. Sarah Burton – who’s talent and character keeps the McQueen-house alive and kicking – gave her heroines a colorless faces and small, metal-covered heads.  She build the collection slowly, using white, black and lilac and a very McQueen silhouette. It was molded, strong, and sometimes fitted like a harness. To avoid a too tough and edgy impression Burton tempered it wit hand-made silk and wool tweeds with litlle pieces of  mink and fox.

Other beautiful fabrics were checked and studded velvets and organza, and really stunning were  two dresses with body’s  made entirely from mosaics of broken bone china plates. The evening gowns were just breathtaking.

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The new Valentino is not red anymore, but a variation on nudes and blushes, a fitted dress with flared skirt and long sleeves, sometimes short, sometimes longer.
The fall-collection looked pretty and ladylike, wearable, cleaner and also sportier. There was a Sixties cut in the dresses,  jackets and swingy skirts but more casual. Designers Chiuri and Piccioli introduced also deeper colors, like navy and oxblood on fur coats and leather trench-coats. The sheer silk tops,  pleated skirts and long, slim evening-gowns were done in lighter colors and fabrics.

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