Emporio Armani Catwalk Fashion Show SS2013 Milan

For anything light, classy and feminine Giorgio Armani is your go to guy next year. The designer’s spring/summer looks breathed one hundred percent sophistication and softness to the max. Dressed in shades ranging from nude and natural and pastel models looked innocent and ladylike at the same time. Besides a touch of metallic gave the collection a welcome edge. Materials layered on top of each other gave the looks a nice and rich feeling, while the loose fit of the designs added a bit of effortlessness. Some tops and skirts maybe resembled pieces of origami; folded asymmetrical creations never looked this cool. A basket-like braided pastel shaded jacket worn with a graphical printed pair of silky shorts made up for the ultimate show stopping look of this spring collection. It beautifully illustrated mixing unexpected materials and light shades can look surprisingly fresh and natural. We like!

Max Mara Catwalk Fashion Show SS2013 Milan

Beige, sand, black; for SS2013 Max Mara stuck to the basic color palette, we’ve been seeing for quite a few seasons now. And we couldn’t blame the brand that has booked quite a few successes (remember the popular camel colored statement coats?). This time around there was a lot more at sight though. Neutral shades were mixed with leopard and floral prints, checks and a touch of shiny lavender blue.

The models’ dress code appeared to be a mix of sporty, safari and chic as the girls combined animal printed pencil skirts and loose fitting striped tees. Jackets looked chic and tough at the same time and materials like suede, wool and silk worked together perfectly. Jumpsuits, oversized bags, sloughy headbands, epaulettes and ankle strap shoes completed Max Mara’s urban jungle… We sure can’t wait to work those leopard & checks prints!

 

Alberta Ferretti Catwalk Fashion Show SS2013 Milan

Shiny, sheer and sequined; three words that cover Alberta Ferretti’s brand new spring/summer collection. Siren chic seemed to be the dress code for her romantic catwalk presentation and oh my did Ferretti’s sea goddesses look seductive.

Dressed in a series of delicate, short and sheer cocktail dresses the models showed lots of skin and still looked sophisticated. Peplums of light tulle and beaded Fringes kept it playful even though we’re sure Ferretti could come up with tons of extra light-colored cocktail dresses if she had to.

A long black evening dress, which appeared sheer in all the wrong places, looked purposely risqué. Yet the sheerness did give Ferretti’s collection the extra sexy touch it needed.

No need for an ocean, nor for beautiful voices; all Ferretti’s sirens need are those gorgeous ivory, black, blue and green shaded dresses to sweep any man of his feet.

Gucci Catwalk Fashion Show SS2013 Milan

It was a flamboyant, glamorous collection Frida Giannini sent out for Gucci. She was inspired by Richard Avedon and style-icons like Marella Agnelli, Talitha Getty and Gloria Vanderbilt. The colors were vibrant, the silhouette lean and tailored with bold, large scale ruffles. Giannini introduced a new ‘pajama’: a tunic over matching fluid pants. She showed it sometimes with abundant, tiered ruffles running down the sleeves, sometimes with cutout backs. The unfussy femininity made for a  bridge between sportswear and a suit. Giannini diversified a bit with a python jacquard and a giant sea anemone print.

First View New York Womenswear SS2013: Patchwork

Patchwork Part 1

A patchwork parade of energetic pieces and brave design experiments. Collage couture with an edgy urban cool factor in acid and surfer brights with jet black and silver grey.  Eye-popping textures are alternated with slick sheen and metallic shimmer, fluidity with chunky, sculptural textiles.

Proenza Schouler shows experimental mixes of plains with perforated, bonded, laser cut and crocheted surfaces. Mixed with diagonally stitched strips of digital print. Diane von Furstenberg is faithful to her hippy deluxe, flirty fashion. Kaftans, wrap skirts, jodhpurs are all worn in layers. Rodarte shows collages of guipure, jacquard, jewellery and panels of printed silk.

In this print parade and mix mesh of textures there is a common vibe, which binds together a large variety of designers. But underneath this collage of design experiments we recognize the roots well planted by Balenciaga, exploring the interaction between technology and craft.

Patchwork Part 2

Cool is THE word reviewing NY fashion week. Street-y cool, retro cool, ragtag cool, hippie cool are all synonyms used by Style.com for the Peter Som collection. Yet these cover a whole generation of designs, showing oh-so-sweet looks with bohemian flavor. Icons of romance and nostalgia; puffed sleeves, frills, flounces and gatherings, receive an infusion of cool through mad mixing, digital printing, weird cutting and pasting and piling contrasting layers in different proportions.

A print parade of classics as well as digital re-editions.

Marc by Marc Jacobs shows a mix mesh of patterns all brought together with fun, flair and bravery. Phillip Lim makes street-wise collages of patterns and plains. Peter Som adds a cool twist to traditional retro where Rebecca Minkoff mixes young and sexy with bon-vivant, grandma-chic.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

 

 

First View New York Womenswear SS2013: Optical Illusions

This is fashion’s new  season range of great looking, shape-shifting garments.

Marc Jacobs surprised with a ravishing revival of the swinging 60s. Reminding us of Andy Warhol and his Factory. Reviving the fresh looks of It girls Edie Sedgwick and Peggy Moffitt, both icons of New York cool.

Marc Jacobs played games with graphics in looks that are playful and upbeat, cartoonish and sexy. Adding modern twist, fresh swirl and a crispness that leaves no room for nostalgic sentiments. Optical illusions in neat dazzling stripes and a white variety of geometrics here in a stripy lower then low slung skirt and a jumpsuit with bold bended block stripes. Alex Wang showed boxy, fragmented outfits; cut and slashed in seemingly loose and mysteriously floating bits and pieces. Lacoste goes racy in a sexy cut out dress that plays with contours and proportions.

Fantastic entertainment thanks to the right mix of fashion magic, genius and artisanship.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

Calvin Klein Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2013

Francisco Costa closed New York fashion week with a collection that had a strong sexual vibe. He opened with a black satin conical bustier dress, the model’s belle poitrine outlined in silver. All signs pointed to the bust as this collection’s erogenous zone. But Costa didn’t ignore the waist or the legs, either. Peplums played a starring role, and narrow belts accented most of the looks.
Costa also played with fabric, adding a white lining to the black mesh he used for a skirtsuit which produced a vibrating moiré effect.

Ralph Lauren Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2013

Ralp Lauren was inspired by far away exotic places, this time Spain or Latin America. Matador suits, serapes, ruffles, fringe—they all got the Lauren treatment.

Playing with black, white, red, and turquoise he started with soft tailoring in suede, some of which was accented with tooled leather details. Shawls and ponchos turned up in various forms, and dresses and skirts were hand-crocheted. Scarves knotted at the neck, glass bead necklaces, and studded leather mailbags completed the vivid picture.

Narciso Rodriguez Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2013

It was well balanced collection of Narciso Rodriguez with spare silhouettes, exquisite cuts and colorful graphics that were in control.

Rodriguez used his fall collection, which featured collaging techniques, as a starting point for spring. This time he furthered his play on construction. Rodriguez also ventured into surface embellishments.  There were laminated wood paillettes, which he applied, in one case, in an abstract motif on a teal and moss dress. He also added colorful floral embroidery on several chic tops. The texture added a  new dimension to Rodriguez’s work. So were his final two languid white slipdresses that were almost transparent were it not for their big fuchsia and magenta color blocks.

Michael Kors Catwalk Fashion Show New York SS2013

Rugby stripes, bold blocks of color, digital prints of clouds and pools, hints of the mod 1960s. Michael Kors went for  “geometric glamour.” The collection had a crisp look and feel. Sixties & stripes played a major role this season in New York, so Kors is right on track.
There were covetable items like a one-piece tank suit with zips on the sides, a white  leather shirtdress with gold snap closures, and trim coats in primary brights.

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