Max Mara Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2011

The sporty vibe initiated in NYC continues this week in Milan. This morning Max Mara too, presented us with some very sporty designs. Like oversized dresses worn with leggings and short leather ‘baseball’ jackets.

Yet sport wasn’t the only theme of the show; we spotted some minimalism and some sixties as well. Not the Twiggy kind of sixties though, no it was the pure aesthetic of that decade that inspired Ian Griffiths, head of the Max Mara design team. It was the futuristic silhouette and the clean lines that originated from that inspiration.

Everything looked like it was made for comfort. If a jacket didn’t need an extra pocket, it didn’t get one and all kind of other extras (zippers, belts, studs) were left behind for the ultimate minimalism look & feel.

The many camel and sandtones weren’t necessarily new for Max Mara, but the added turquoise hues gave the collection the right amount of summer freshness. It will be an easy-chic summer 2012 with Max Mara.

Alberta Ferretti Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2012

At Ferretti we saw sheerness in all kinds of places, shapes and sizes. Yet it was never overdone, it appeared subtle and sophisticated, like you’d expect from Ferretti.

The designs looked a little more sporty and minimalistic than before and a little less dreamy, which felt good. Due to the use of brights like tangerine, deep blue,  yellow and turquoise the outfits seemed more modern and youthful too.

Exotic prints gave the collection a hippie kinda twist, yet Ferretti managed to still keep it very chic.

Apart from a few beaded bags the styling was as simple as it can be; no extreme make-up or hairdos, hardly any jewelry, not a lot of layering.

Ferretti let her ensembles speak for themselves and they sure spoke beautifully.

John Richmond Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2012

With thick eyeliner and colorful lips Richmond’s models paraded on the Milan catwalk today. They looked sexy to the max in their shiny, see-through, embellished dresses. As the show went on the level of sexiness increased.

While some of the first looks seemed appropriate for a business meeting, many of the outfits appeared even too daring for a cocktail party. Like the long black sheer dress with the low v-neck, the mesh top with the strategically placed leather breast pockets or the white/sheer glitter dress with long fringes at the bottom. None of them looks which a lot of women would leave the house in.

Yet the Richmond women perhaps will. They will lunch in the skirt and blouse ensembles, they will join their husbands on a boat trip in some of the simple dresses and jackets and they will seduce others in the over the top sheer designs. It will be a perfect summer 2012.

Gucci Catwalk Fashion Show Milan ss2012

From the flowing, moody jewel-colored Seventies style to a more constructed, hard and geometric jazzy style – that’s the turn Gucci-designer Frida Giannini took this season. And this anniversary-collection looks quite different. Polished as ever, but with jazzy influences (flapper-dresses), references from the Twenties and Thirties, Louise Brooks, African Art and Man Ray. But also the geometric lines of the art deco style the American way – as in the Chrysler building – and the metallic surfaces. Giannini herself said in the show-notes she wanted to show an optical side of femininity, a sculptural glamor.

Well, glamorous it was, and polished but somehow it lacked a certain softness and sensuality. Maybe it’s because of the mix of equestrian elements like striped, double-breasted jockey-jackets, the green/ocre/white and black. Or the straight lines and hard metallics.

Hopefully we’ll find more of Gucci’s sensual warmth in the museum that’s soon to be opened in Florence.

 

 

Hello Milan!

The team landed in Milan yesterday and we’re ready to give you all ins and outs about the womenswear-collections ss2012 in Milan plus streetwear-posts. Also: check our video’s.  Today we start with Gucci and Alberta Ferretti. You will see the pictures and reviews later this afternoon. Enjoy!

 

Highlights London Fashion Week ss2012

Some 104 shows and presentations in London in one weekend. After one week of New York fashion this seemed an unreasonable task, but journalists, buyers and photographers succeeded. And just before Milan takes off, we want to present you the highlights of London ss2012. Erdem, Burberry, Christopher Kane and Paul Smith all delivered beautiful collections which made sense and also fitted in the trends we saw already blossoming in New York.

Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Bailey was paying homage to all things natural. Skirts with high, tight waists  teamed with form-fitting tops of striped crocheted wooden beads. Woven raffia, in stripes of mustard and navy or plum and black, made super slim, high-waisted pencil skirts under cropped, cotton Parkas. There were African inspired prints for draped dresses, jackets and skirts.

 

Erdem

Erdem’s focus was again on florals, which he re-uses season after season. This time round they were  pretty: buds of cornflower-blue, lemon and poppy-red dotted, off-the-shoulder dresses, chiffon skirts and shifts.

 

Christopher Kane

To create his “ghost fabric”, an iridescent metallic floral that crackled with light and movement, Christopher Kane layered four materials including an organza made almost entirely of aluminium. He mixed it up with semi-transparent dresses patched with flower stickers, washed-out pastel satins,  sleeveless cricket jumpers and flat sandals.

 

Pringle of Scotland

This was Alistair Carr’s debut at Pringle’s womenswear.  Knits were the star, from trompe l’oeil intarsia technique that made light work of chunky herringbone. Twinsets were present too, fastened at the back for summer. There were also silk dresses patchworked together with twinset buttons.

 

Paul Smith

Sir Paul and his team know more about tailoring than any other womenswear designers, that’s why is menswear-inspired womenswear-collections always looks so stunning and perfect. And his use of color is unique.

 

Giles Deacon

The collection and show of Giles Deacon seemed a meeting of heaven and hell. The angelic looks of feathers, silver dresses and laser cuts combined with vivid red detailing to offset them. The swan became the overriding theme, featuring as it did as a print on everything from couture-esque gowns to trousers and tunic and in tiara’s. This was drama to the max.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round Up New York ss2012

The good news is that the NY spirit was more optimistic and colourful, decorative and creative then we have seen for a long time.  The big news was digital printing. But how new was that? We recognised many inspirations from previous seasons from various hands. Repeated looks and themes where blended, swirled and twisted. It was like everything was like anything and everybody inspired everyone and all collections of previous seasons came together for a cheerful remembrance party.  But yet we still would like to point out some clear leads.

SPORTS VIBE

With Alex Wang at the forefront, this shows the feel for active and performing, technical fabrics. It’s very sports inspired, with racy details and closures and fuelled with sensuality.

 

TRIBAL

Proenza Schouler and Donna Karen hit the road with rattan and raffia tribal patterns in an African ethnic palette.

 

ARTIFICIAL CHIC

Marc Jacobs didn’t want things to feel real and they didn’t. Reminiscent of Prada he played with plastics and high sheen, sparkling surface effects and all kinds of innovative finishing. Dazzle and flash.

 

DIGITIZE

Why did it take that long and why does it stay that close to the pavement laid out by those great pioneers, Alexander McQueen and Mary Katranzou. Lovely, happy and very exiting though.

 

RETRO HOLIDAY

This theme shares with us moments of nostalgia and makes us long for times that were innocent and frivolous. Holiday forever in these not just referenced, yet simple literary quoted historic silhouettes.

And it just can be that you find al those influences passing by in one single catwalk show, serving collections like ‘grand desserts’.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

Spijkers en Spijkers Catwalk Fashion Show London ss2012

No doubt that the Roaring Twenties are the favorite era of the Spijkers-sisters. They picked this period – in which women tried to free themselves –  before as a source of inspiration. Spijkers en Spijkers are not alone in this for next summer, in New York there were more designers who were influenced by this stylish period, like Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch.

Spijkers en Spijkers took the silhouette and used their signature geometric play, colors like black and white to form their collection. Dresses dominated the collection, a loose pantsuit here and there and fragile chains as decoration or part of the construction. Fringes added a frivolous detail.

 

This was New York Fashion Week Womenswear ss2012

The first week of this fashion-season has come to an end. And what a fashionweek it was! New York is getting better each time, especially the young designers surprised us with their collections. Let’s take a last look, before we connect to London.

 

 

Marc Jacobs Catwalk Fashion Show New York ss2012

For a change, Marc Jacobs closed the New York Fashion Week. The Lexington Avenue Armory was decorated like a dance hall situated in the twenties.   As the Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach started, a sweeping gold curtain parted to reveal all the models waiting to hit the runway.

The collection was a cocktail of strange elements. Starting with the see-through plastic cowboy boots. And also: drop-waist flapper dresses, denim workwear, clear plastic sewn into skirts and dresses, sporty sweatshirts, and techno-checks.  Some of the silhouettes looked like last season’s narrow silhouettes, but there were also boxy, drop-waist shapes that reminded of the 1920’s. There was plenty of fringe,  bold-colored sequins and paillettes, and a lot of that clear plasticTextural experimentation was strong in this collection. To journalists backstage, Jacobs explained he didn’t want his collection “to feel real”.

 

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