Sies Marjan Catwalk Fashion Show NYC Womenswear FW2016

Dutch designer Sander Lak was the talk of town yesterday in New York. His fresh and relaxed debut-collection – after working for years as headdesigner at Dries van Noten and – was a welcome change of style between all the heavy, furry and layered styff people had been watching over the past days. The name Sies Marjan is a combination of his parents’ given names. The Dries influence was notable, most obviously on his familiar use of color combinations: warm pastels offset by natural tones. The freshness was in the more urban, utilitarian hand.

Lak sent out a beautiful wispy silk floral mid-length dress with a twisted cutout detail at the bodice, followed by a cargo pant and tunic version. But it was the Impressionist-printed jacket and matching wrap skirt, adorned by a fur stole worn like a slouchy backpack, that set the tone.

A disheveled button-down shirt, with oversize trousers was next-generation chic. Lak also paired languid tiered knits or big imperfect-ruffled blouses with diaphanous skirts, and showed trench coats that hung from the models’ backs on halter straps. It was all very, very cool.

3.1 Phillip Lim Catwalk Fashion Show NYC Womenswear FW2016

Phillip Lim did a lot with practical sportswear, elevating simple pieces, such as A-line minis, shifts and boyish trousers with a bit retro plaids — micro and macro — in sour shades of green, rust and brown. The beginning of the show had a neo-rockabilly attitude cross-pollinated with the unusual sporty Zen of quilted nylon puffers with kimono trims and flat, hardy sandals.

It was a thoughtful collection, full of left-of-center ideas that worked. Some of the best looks fused utility and romance, such as a series of Army green items, including cargo pants with patchwork-velvet panels and an oversize parka with a fur hood, slashed elbows and orange embroidery. Lim also joined in the season’s velvet renaissance, with a burnt-orange velvet suit, a fitted navy motor jacket with leather sleeves and velvet booties, some of which had a contrasting silver toe.

Alexander Wang Catwalk Fashion Show NYC Womenswear FW2016

Alexander Wangs’s fall show was a trip back to the age of experimental adolescence: ignore outdated taboos and instead seek what’s off limits was his message.
But taboos are hard to find these days. So-called bad taste is a megatrend right now, coursing through fashion up from the street and down from the runways. Wang’s collection, with its mash-up of prim tweed suits and tank dresses subverted by hefty hardware and skimpy hemlines; delicate, sheer tulle tops disrupted with brash censor bars bearing words like “strict” and “tender” across the breasts; and pretty lace insets shaped like marijuana leaves on dresses, was more cute than vulgar. The pink corduroys that riffed on classic prep by replacing polo ponies with strippers on a pole were particularly on-the-nose.
The accessories were good, too, including an expansion on Wang’s recently launched jewelry collection with chain-link rhodium earrings and leather-and-rhodium chokers.

12 items that make you office ready in just a minute

The office is most times a place where we have to show the best version of ourselves (after Instagram of course). So a fashion (first) impression can make you or break you in a minute. Besides, office-ready garments are on top of the list when we talk about real investment pieces. Here you have 12 trends we all can pull off, no matter where or whom you work with. Either you’re corporate, business associate or a creative entrepreneur. And without any loss of your femininity. You go girlboss!

1. Cinched waist 

2. The shoe 

3. The perfect office bag

4. The turtle neck

5. The pantsuit

6. The chique sweater

7. The modern day shirt

8.The tuxedo dress

9. Casual suit

10. The duster coat

11. Minimal dress

12. The skirt suit

Trend Report FW2016: Velvet revival

Oh yes, we do like ourselves a good piece of red velvet cake from time to time. And Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope is still one of our favourite albums of all time. But except for the word ‘velvet’ that’s where the similarity ends. Cause we’re talking a different kind of velvet this time. In fashion terms, that is. Head-to-toe-velvet looks made a huge comeback into our sartorial lives and are totally coveted right now. Because when you see three, call it a trend. So we did, here it is. One of the most touchy and soft fabrics in our wardrobe got upgraded big time, getting the 2015/16 treatment. Emilio Pucci’s wide-legged trousers, Dries van Noten capes and blue booties, wrap skirts and all-black ensembles at Lanvin, the bags from Antonio Marras and black velvet jumpsuits at Sonia Rykiel. And who wasn’t surprised by the rich coloured velvet from Christopher Kane and Armani?

The big question is not so much íf we love it, because we do, but hów we love it. As in: without looking as a Christmas-groupie. Velvet looks its most amazing in deep colours: red, orange, blue, green or black.
And probably one of the most sexy options for NYE woud be a) the velvet pantsuit (another major hit this season) or b) the velvet tuxedo jacket-dress. If all this makes you quiver, take it down a notch and start with the shoes or bag. I mean, don’t we all want to wear Wang’s velvet hiking boots? What better way to add some urban luxury to your winter (party)wardrobe.

Trend Report FW2016: Shine your way into the new year

Fall season represents the end of bikini’s and other sexy summer wear, but it has its charme on its own. And that brings a noticeable -and likeable- shift in the amount of clothes and fabrics we wear. Of course, we need to get more warm and comfy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be alluring. For the women who love anything shiny, the designers haven’t let you down. On the contrary, the catwalks were dripping in shiny fabrics. Some went for full-on, dazzling (Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Cavalli) others more demure and sophisticated (Margiela, Philipp Plein and Liselore Frowijn). Translated through metallics, satin, brocade, soft silks, sequins and sparkly embellishment. But the main thing to remember for this trend: it’s highly wearable. You don’t have to be a model to pull this one off. You don’t have to pretend like you’re walking on a catwalk or you’re about to attend The Grand Ball. Any of that, most of these looks are suitable on a daily basis (okay, the dresses might be quite challenging at the office) and especially this december month. So don’t be afraid to throw on a shiny bomber jacket as seen at Alex Wang or a toned-down shiny wintercoat spotted at Valentino. So chop chop, get on it and make some space in your wardrobe for this holiday-ready fashion statement.

Paris Milan Womenswear SS2016 Trend Round-up

Another fashion month has come to and end. With Paris Fashion Week just wrapped up, we’re excited to make up the bill and compare scores. We’ve listed our favorite shows and selected the most remarkable trends du Paris for next summer. Cause on top of some of the trends we spotted in New York and Milan, like mesh, waistbelts and slipdresses Paris had some fresh elements to add to the fashion game. A vibrant positive feeling, more than anything. In SS2016 fashion can be upbeat and abundant again. The designers did and we may too express our feelings and personality more than ever. It’s about celebrating fashion, showing (your true) color and accessorizing to the max. Fresh off the Parisian runway here are 9 trends to look forward till Springtime.

Disco dresses
As seen at Sonia Rykiel, Mary Katrantzou and Lanvin

XL earrings
As seen at Loewe, Chanel, Kenzo, Vivienne Westwood and Balmain

Gladiator sandals (revised)

(Rock chicks with) tiaras
As seen at Chanel, Saint Laurent and MiuMiu

Colorful leather
As seen at Courreges, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, MiuMiu and Mugler

Night gowns (gone wild)
As seen at Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, Dries van Noten and Rochas

Choker focus
As seen at Balmain, Anne Demeulemeester, Christian Dior, Lanvin, Elie Saab and Junya Watanabe

Faces of art
As seen at Givenchy, Junya Watanabe, Gareth Pugh

Gone to waist(coat)
As seen at Manish Arora, Stella McCartney, VanderVorst and Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear Spring 2016

“Let’s get digital, digital. I wanna get digital. Let’s get into digital.” The first song (a parody of Olivia-Newton John’s ‘Physical’) suddenly popped into our minds by seeing the Louis Vuitton’s newest collection, showed in the brand’s brand new Louis Vuitton Fondation. Perhaps it was slightly to bubbly for this considerable tough collection. They choose Moderat’s ‘New Error’ as the (yes, perfect indeed) soundtrack to compagnon the big screens beaming futuristic outer space lights. The fully packed front row (Catherine Deneuve, Miranda Kerr, Michelle Williams and many more A-listers) was about to take off and rise up into, well, the future perhaps. We were looking at the frontiers of the digital era and took a trip into sci-fi. It was one of the few shows that didn’t look back, but forward. Way forward. A theme like this can be quite challenging for such a big and established brand like Louis Vuitton, but it has proved many times it can translate its heritage from the past into the future. Any future so to speak. Nicolas Ghesquière did a great job finding a in between way making a clear sartorial statement. He opened the show with a a bubblegum pink leather jacket edged up with patent black tape, a black patchwork skirt and heavy black sports-sandals. It set the tone right away: this girl is a tough one (literally, the models had their hands bound like boxers). Even so is her wardrobe. Dazzling silvered dresses and coats, ‘oily’ holographic sheen, metallic puffball or bubbled skirts, shiny knits, in-your-face zippers running over a leather skirt or on the frontside of trousers. But if we’re talking about IT-items for next season, there might be a good chance the biker jackets with monogrammed sleeves and LV prints will be a huge hit amongst their more youthful and experimental customer.

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2016

Taking inspiration from etnic cultures is something quite familiair for spring summer collections. What can we say: in summer we mostly prefer wearing bold colours, playful prints and anything that makes us feel ready for summer. Creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli took us to wild Africa. Or they took wild Africa to Europe. Or not they, we did. Cause their inspiration is some with a heavy and controversial undertone, it was about the thousands of African refugees that have made their way to southern Europe, Italy in this case, to save their own lives. We were not only witnessing pretty dresses and must have shoes and bags, but also the humanitarian crisis that Europe is facing right now. What does fashion have to do with this? It gives a message. In this case: tolerance. As Maison Valentino described it on Twitter: “Primitive, tribal, spiritual, yet regal” and the collection was a “journey to the beginning of time and the essential of primitive nature.” They translated this into a mix of Italian en African essentials. Roman influences with tribal treatments. We saw Masai-style beadwork, bone necklaces, raffia, laser cut leatherwork, feathery details, micro studs and beading on tulle, white ceramic neckpieces (chockers), embellishment, embroidering and fringing. Not to speak the countless floor sweeping translucent red carpet ready show stoppers at the end of the show. The models wearing cornrows. Bongo drums as musical background. There was so much eye for detail (the mask details on the bags), craftsmanship, grace and elegance. It showed the best of both worlds, easily joining forces to create breathtaking beauty. It may not work like this in the ‘real world’, but it was the best message to put out there right now.

David Laport Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2016

Please enjoy the pictures for now, our review will follow shortly.

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