Atelier Versace Haute Couture Fashion Show Paris FW2015

It was a show filled with Dutchies at Atelier Versace. Familiar faces like supermodels Lara Stone, Doutzen Kroes and newcomer Maartje Verhoef. But fresh faces too, like Marjan Jonkman, Susanne Knipper, Julia van Os, Lauren de Graaf en Milan van Eeten. Garlands in their hair patent platform shoes on their feet. Contrast to keep things interesting. Dresses were dreamy as well as powerful, another contradiction. Corset tops, harnesses, sheer chiffon, lace and cutouts left nothing to the imagination. Looks that had sex written all over them, even though Donatella portrayed her softest Versace side. From a distance the pastel colored dresses might have appeared princess-y, up and close the vibe was more party. Frayed edges, asymmetric off shoulder dresses and lots of body parts on display. Shiny sequins and velvet appliqués added to the rich feeling of the collection. Yet while so many designs appeared unfinished we couldn’t help but think Donatella may have been in a rush. Couture as if created in a hurry. That didn’t stop Doutzen from wearing her floor sweeping gown to the Amfar dinner that same evening. Fresh off the runway, how convenient!

Saint Laurent Menswear Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2016

Fashion followers know that Hedi Slimane has been photographing the California beach scene for years — long before he replaced Paris for  Los Angeles. So now wonder his ss16 menswear collection has its roots in the “Surf Sounds” .

The pitch-black show venue was covered in kitschy palm-trees-at-sunset wallpaper. And similar motifs turned up on satin jackets and mohair granny cardigans, which the young models wore with the same nonchalance as black leather jackets.

There was plenty of Kurt Cobain in the men’s looks: the shaggy hairstyles; the white plastic sunglasses, the plaid shirts; the denim with blown-out knees. And there were plenty of literal thrift-shop styles.

 

 

Balmain Menswear Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2016

For his debut men’s wear show for Balmain, Olivier Rousteing was pretty good prepared. He kicked off with the hardcore techno track “Prepare for Glory.” He tapped the world’s most successful male model, Sean O’Pry, to open and close the show. And he stacked the catwalk with beauties like Alessandra Ambrosio, dressed in women’s resort. For inspiration, Rousteing looked to the great adventurers of the early 20th century — but this was safari male to the max.

Leather jackets were intricately latticed and laced, while a tobacco-hued explorer suit came spliced with a double-breasted jacket with gold buttons. In a nod to hip-hop culture, butter-soft suede was draped into a cowl-necked vest and slouchy drop-crotched pants, while a black sweatshirt glistened with a web of gold hardware. Rousteing plastered his signature gold crests, some featuring a lion’s head or a Union Jack flag, on jackets, including a tiger-striped ponyskin bomber with black leather sleeves, and a trim black blazer with satin lapels

Givenchy Menswear Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2016

Raf Simons Menswear Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2015

The flared black trouser legs puddled around the feet. The models’ heads were cloaked in checkered scarves, obstructing their view.  The space glowed red and the rave music rumbled. Raf Simons still knows how to set a mood of youthful rebellion, and the electricity of a fashion happening. There was certainly a punk spirit to his oversize macs riddled with grommets in geometric formations.  Edgy too were his oversize grommet-studded nylon rucksacks, which models lugged on heavy chains draped over one shoulder, dragging around their belongings like a burden.

The rest of the collection felt more familiar, as Simons continued to experiment with the narrow, elongated shapes he introduced for fall. There was his shrunken Seventies sweater vests, which helped exaggerate the oversized pants. Tailored jackets were either lean or gently oversized in sturdy woolens.

Streetfashion Paris Womenswear FW2015, Day 7

What are you wearing during the fashion weeks? Your Burberry-boots, that vintage Dior or your latest Celine coat? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashion weeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Paris Fashion Week fall/winter 2015. This was the last day of a busy fashion-season. Hope to see you around in other cities soon!

Miu Miu Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2015

For her Miu Miu-collection – the collection that closed Paris Fashion Week – Miucca Prada delivered a collection for lovers of real fashion. Fun house and funky fabrics electrocuted silhouettes that seemed inspired by the Sixties. Much of it was chic, a lot was tacky. But that is the tension Prada loves.
A-line swing coats with big collars came in blown-up herringbone plaids trimmed with color-clashing python pockets and borders.
Apron dresses with big plastic buttons and shirts with a wide ruffle around the shoulders expressed the naïveté that came through in the styling. Accessorized with costume floral earrings, necklaces and granny shoes, each look was put together with the enthousiasm of a young, fashion-hungry girl who just blew her allowance at a vintage store.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2015

For his third collection for Louis Vuitton Nicolas Ghesquière opened with outerwear, big puffs of white Argentinian shearling, their edgy polar-bear coziness enhanced with trunklike handbags in silver leather and diamond-cut Plexiglas.
Ghesquière experimented with materials and cuts. Ribbed-knit constructions had an aura of aggressive flirtation, curvy with a horizontal slash above the bust and skirt ending in a structured ripple. Modernist studded embroideries transported similar shapes from day to evening. As for the cuts, stretch jersey dresses sprung from a lingerie inspiration were spliced, inset and zipped. Ghesquière wove in basics, — pantsuits, sweater over miniskirt, red sheer T-shirt and pants. Long ago such looks would have remained in the showroom as the commercial collection. Today, runway to reality seem a small step.

Streetfashion Paris Womenswear Fw2015, Day 7

What are you wearing during the fashion weeks? Your Burberry-boots, that vintage Dior or your latest Celine coat? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashion weeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Paris Fashion Week fall/winter 2015.

Iris van Herpen Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2015

Iris van Herpen titled her fall collection “Hacking Infinity”, inspired by terraforming, or the process of transforming the biosphere of other planets to make them like Earth. The translation was not immediately visible in the clothes.
There were new fabric experiments — a translucent stainless-steel weave and a honeycomblike 3-D handwoven material with frayed edges. Both were introduced in the opening look, a sheer sleeveless top and short skirt. It laid a foundation for the soft vs. hard contrasts that ran through the show and climaxed with an off-the-shoulder bustier jumpsuit with a wide belt of sheer optical lighting film that distorted the waist — a novel way to achieve an hourglass figure.
Among the other showcase pieces were digitally fabricated dresses made from spiky black plastic, created with architect Philip Beesley, and towering shoes sprouting chunky crystals on the soles, a collaboration with Japanese shoe designer Noritaka Tatehana (of Lady Gaga fame).

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