First View Milan Womenswear SS2014: Living Art

Milan fires up full speed ahead with a number of collections that surprise us with a fresh breath of air and a new found sense of opportunism by taking the route towards modernity and digging deep into the opportunities that striding fabric technology is offering. Without betrayal of heritage, Milan tends to stick to its roots, we witnessed activism and experimentation in silhouettes that where alternately mesmerizing, odd and elegant.
Inspirations range from feminism, arts, folklore and techno crafts, subjects that granted these looks authentic freshness as well as a rich content.
No. 21’s tropical spring outfits, show layered street wear with ornate embroidered gauzes in an edgy arty-crafty spirit. The exceptional work of the couture fur ateliers of Fendi delivered a collection boosting with streamlined modernity inspired by the ‘light and lightness’. Careful bits and pieces of preciously crafted, exceptional materials are artfully clustered. At Just Cavalli one seemed to have bumped into London punks during an inspirational trip to Bhutan. Digital prints, animals spots and handkerchief patterns, all Cavalli icons, where mixed in an iconoclast mix.
The most artistic and storytelling was the viagra pills Prada parade, Miuccia Prada making a feminist statement staging mesmerizing girl gangs dressed in sporty city wear with a strong tribal edge. Energized by mural art inspired graphics and accessorized with rhinestone encrusted brassieres these colourful women spread an air of radicalism. ‘Weirdly beautiful’ as Suzy Menkes mentioned.

Stijlspot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

Trend Report SS2013: Subtle & Chic

So it appears the minimalistic trend is not going anywhere for a while. And even after a few seasons of simplicity; new ways to work the less is more look are discovered. Designers are still fully focused on discovering new materials and silhouettes. Plus the good old – never out of style – combination of black and white was everywhere (Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Roland Mouret) for spring/summer.The funny thing with this trend is, that even though the monochrome/minimalistic hype is obvious, fashion week go-ers still seem to find it a bit of a too safe choice. In order to impress the growing number of streetstyle photogs they rather rock full on printed looks and bright colored attires in and around the fashion show venues. Only to hit the office in a simple (but chic) black & white ensemble the next Monday morning. A remarkable, yet interesting side of today’s fashion..

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The Big Round Up Womenswear FW 2013 Part 2

This is the second part of our round up regarding the fall 2013 collections, which focuses on Prints, Fabrics and the designers’ favorite coming season: checks.

CHECK SHOCK

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From left to right: N21, Junya Watanabe, Céline, Jesús Del Pozo, Rag & Bone

A mash up of Scottish tweeds, plaids, checks, Prince of Wales suiting and hounds tooth jacquards. Classic, twisted, cut up, patched or blown up to grandiose proportions. These are definitely all from the now – heritage inspired, college prep, BCBG, archetypal and iconic but reinvigorated – rejuvenating tradition at N21 and Rag & Bone, adding a punk coded sense of rebellion at Junya Watanabe or with artful tailoring at Céline and Jesús Del Pozo. Check marks everywhere!

 

TEXTILE ART

From left to right: Comme des Garçons, Chanel, Hermès, Fendi, Lanvin

Free floating freedom and fun. Cascading swatches of fabrics, rosettes, bows, thick serpentines and bold biomorphic shapes at Comme des Garçons. Rounded flounced belle Époque bustles are a joyful explosion of extravagance at Chanel. Crafted spontaneity at Hermès, fringed skins at Fendi and butterflies appliquéd at Lanvin. All with techno-barbarian enthousiasm. These are exercises in pure texture.

 

PRINT STORY

From left to right: Mary Katrantzou, Rodarte, Tom Ford, Peter Pilotto

Welcome to the catwalk circus. Exalted excess in a cultural cross over ranging from glam, to disco, pop to op and manga to Marvel. Fantastical shadowy landscapes in misty monochromes at Mary Katrantzou and cross-cultural multi ethnic Flash! and Bang! at Tom Ford. The very personal folksy mysticism of Rodarte and the cartoonish verve of Peter Pilotto. We are talking maximalism here!

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View Milan Womenswear FW2013: Cool Wool

It seems designers are expecting severe temperature reduction by introducing all Glacial Age-proof wardrobes. Especially since these cover the tailored city wardrobes and not performance outdoor gear. Coats seem the main subject of interest this season as well as woolen skirts suits and plaid shifts. And not in featherweight seasonless qualities but in chunky textured versions. ‘Wool is cool!’ definitely seems to be the credo this season. In bespoke luxurious plains as well as washed, bonded and felted versions. Prints, tweeds, color-wovens, plaids, marls, and some with coated and embellished finishings. All showing extreme elegance and a touch of nostalgia and romance.  Wool is ideal to play with proportions and volumes, it can drape as well as shape. On the surface it can shows chameleonesque qualities, and can be sculpted in any volume or proportion. Ideal for the minute excises in tailoring that most designers are into.

Sportmax goes for tactility and textures in marled tweeds. Bottega Veneta curves with precision and sensual elegance. Prada adds a hint of sex to a seemingly very un-sexy material. Where Jil Sander conveys proofs of serious craftsmanship in bespoke tailored silhouettes.

Wool warms fashion hearts as well as bodies.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam.

First View Paris Womenswear SS2013: Drape to Go

An ode to femininity! Embracing womanhood by wrapping ladies gracefully in luxurious layers of precious draped cloth. Slouchy softness in weighty wrap blouses and full trousers. Knotted and folded décolletées, peplums and roomy ribbons. All draped and dressed up to go in layers of luxurious georgette, soft, dense satins and heavy drape silks. Smooth polished surface looks in a sober and strict palette of pearl, silver, black and white. Wrapped, draped and swagged outfits make powerful statements about femininity and sensuality. Each fold minutely controlled, to realise such perfectionism needs in-depth sculptural knowledge of the human body and supreme tailoring skills.

Céline shifts from geometric minimalism to a much softer silhouette. Maison Martin Margiela drapes carefully and restrained. More statuesque and dramatic folds at Victor & Rolf as inspired by old Hollywood. Vandervorst covers as well as reveals in a way that reminds us of the classical antiquity.

Paris shows us a series of supreme crafted styles subtly sculpted by the grand masters of shape.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

First View Paris Womenswear ss2013: Futurist Foils

All about enchantment, entertainment, fun, freedom and sexiness. This soft side of techno in synthesised sheen. Optimistic vibes that reflect from iridescent surfaces. Sheer foils and parachute veils are layered over plain, cut, as well as printed opaques. Dress-up dresses, most in simple a-shapes, are slashed and cut in graphic shimmery blocks, as well as prettily patterned in luminous florals and arty and decorative abstracts.

Looks like playful exercises, mixing and matching layers and veils to trick and puzzle the eye.

Luminous surface looks add an alienating dimension to pure iconic shapes at Christian Dior. Rue du Mail plays with items, blocks and layers of mixed materials. Dior ’s ball gown skirts in featherweight organza are shot with pearlised reflections. Where Chalayan’s translucent, intergalactic sheen adds a virtual touch to sculpted geometric minimalism.

These futuristic and surreal surface effects revibe even the most classical couture silhouette.

Stijlspot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

First View Paris Womenswear SS2013: the New Sexy

Our first spot on Paris hints at a classical and mature approach towards fashion. Powerful silhouettes in pure black and white. Well known modernist geometry peppered with a swift whiff of sex. Smooth sensual and pure looks that reveal subtle glimpses of skin. All executed with tailored precision.

Expanding on traditional classical beauty and clearly inspired by historical archives but sprayed with modern gloss. Hard edge geometrics and sharp shoulders are softened with curved décolletées, sculptured volants and roomy pleated pants.  Outfits suggest unashamed sex and sensual looseness but are staged with well-calculated sophistication and couture aspiration.

Balenciaga shows icons of sensuality and femininity in lingerie and swimsuit inspired tops matched with high waisted flat pleat pants. Balmain shows hard edge masculinity in broad shouldered power suits covering simple and sexy bandeaus. Carven is truly sculpting in curved sensual tailoring. Where Balenciaga was clearly intrigued by the Antique when shaping this revealing dress with meandering sculpted volants.

Who would ever have thought that the image of the ‘bare midriff’ could be raised up to classical standards?

Stylespot is a colleboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

First View Milan Womenswear SS2013: Eastbound

Do we dare to suggest this influence will stand strong for another season? For many years the East is of continuous inspiration. For Etro it was leading this season. Digging deep in pattern archives they strive to make the traditional relevant for another new fashion season. With a star role for the paisley they stay close to their roots. We see engineered hand-painted prints that reflect on martial arts, orientalist paintings, traditional kimonos and tattoos.

Generous wrap silhouettes inspired by judo suits with traditional knotted belts. where the pants come in all different lengths. Fusions of saris, cheongsams, kurtas, and caftans in shimmery silks, matt cottons as well as floating sheers. From hand painted florals, to lavish stitched ornaments, dragons and flowers, engineered prints and dimensional patchwork.

Emilio Pucci  layers techniques to update as well as upgrade tradition, Marni adds holiday flavor in bold cotton print, Etro shows classy and sensual silhouettes, where Prada enters a totally personal twist.

This season The East comes with luxurious grandeur.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

First View Milan Womenswear SS2013: Pure Now

We open our Milan survey with a statement of minimalism and purity. Simplicity and geometry in contours and lines are sparked with reduced surprise and understated fun. Open and subtle graphic patterns, or most plain with volants, florals and dots. In simple and sharp basic white, grey and black or plain, vibrant and colorful.

It is striking that this exercise of the clean and serene, this excellence in manufacturing, seems too empty for designers and reviewers to label it just graphic and pure. They stress to look for a deeper meaning and search for the soulful, sentimental and personal. This is a noble attempt to design the now and tomorrow, detached from false sentiments of nostalgia.

Gucci shows aristocratic purism, Prada adds soul by making the graphic all tender an personal, Fendi deletes the logo’s to show clean integrity in reduced tailoring where Jil Sander celebrates the pure in light, fresh and pristine looks.

We like to label this as surprisingly gorgeous reductivism.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

Summertrend 2012: the wet look

Alexander Wang, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Thierry Mugler, Giambattista Valli, Chanel,  Prabal Gurung, Yves Saint Laurent. All these designers had the same thing in mind when it came to the hair trend for this season: soaking-wet hair.  It’s one of the biggest hair trends  on the radar for this summer.

For a few seasons it was all about natural hair en easy looks, but for this summer the designers changed course and seemed to be inspired by this grungy-look. The wetter the hair, the better. Make it as shiny and greasy as you can and comb your hair in the front all backwards. You can wear it loose and a bit messy and casual (Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs) or really tight and in a chic sidepart (Chanel).

You have to have some guts to wear your hair like this. But if you do, you might do some shopping now, because this looks requires loads of hair gel.

(Eva Dusch)

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