Tag: summer/spring

10 03 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: givenchy, paris

always an astounding set of design, the SS11 collection shown by givenchy this season was every bit as astounding as last season. the collection palette plays into greater forms of minimalism being seen in black & white, with additions of leather & contrasting elements of animal print. while print can be overwhelming, the right amount of leopard is used here. ruffles & sheer are design elements also added to the collection & i really don’t understand how givenchy can be winning, consistently, at this great a level. season after season, the french based fashion house dominates- campaigns, runway & even photographically in fashion editorial. ricardo tisci kills it again this season. well executed from start to finish. all the brands design signatures are represented- nothing more needs to be said of this collection besides the fact that it’s stunning.

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 03 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: galliano, paris

presenting a dramatic spring collection, as expected, john galliano showcases vintage influenced designs yet again. karlie kloss opened the show as a mass of trends hit the runway in a rather mixed assortment of styles. at the entrance of the collection the set seemingly focuses on greater casual looks, which would be a change coming from galliano. but as the spring set progresses use of snakeskin, tull-veils &  heavy layering of neutrals, nudes & khaki tones are seen. in one section of the collection i see a little safari chic, in another i see influences of nautical sailors & soon the collection evolves to geisha inspired designs with cherry blossom prints. all topped with a darker form of cosmetics, the collection seems everywhere while being nowhere at all. as a collection, the vision is confusing; japan, africa- world traveler. i admire the collection piece by piece; the use of floral print was done beautifully; along with the collections gowns that were seen at the tail end of the collection. all in all, galliano will always be respected as a visionary, stunning collections & deniably beautiful clothing is seen on the runways through the house of dior & here, for his namesake label. i just don’t feel that enough cohesion was presented

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 03 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: akris, paris

as greater forms of design minimalism consume the fashion scene one collection as a team, akris is yet another to join the ranks. simplified design with feminine fluidity was presented this season as a palette of green, blue & orange are matched to soft neutrals & powerful textured greys. constance jablonski, hanne gaby odiele, vlada roslyokva, tao okamoto, joan smalls & liu wen were among the females cast in the stunning spring set. the collections take on floral print was done exceptionally beautiful & i found myself gasping at how simple & striking each of the pieces was that walked the runway. of the spring show season, this is definitely one of my favorite collections. great direction & superior style- complete & utter effortless chic.

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 03 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: jean paul gaultier, paris

developing rocker edge at the highest level of execution, jean paul gaultier continues to defy expectation with his spring collection. for starters, the show got off to a roaring start as beth ditto opened the show. every female we know & love walked the show; karlie kloss walked behind ditto as frida gustavsson, karolina kurkova, anja rubik, sessilee lopez, iris strubegger, constance jablonski, lindsey wixson, sigrid agren, joan smalls, sasha pivovarova & coco rocha followed. ditto closed the show &  i came away with the constant thought of joan jett. butch hair cuts transformed the models while heavy shadow was used on each females eyes to allow a greater feel of that bad ass in your face attitude. while i respect the legacy, vision & creative punch that gaultier packs each season- i do find myself particularly concerned with beauty. perception is based on one’s own personal thought, but here certain elements of pretty are not seen. i feel as though many of the cosmetic & overall aesthetic elements of the set hinder our view of the collection & clothes. wild print, fishnet stalkings, gaultier’s signature denim pieces & strong shoulders all made appearances in the  rocked out collection this season. taking a deeper look, i really love the collections coats; the use of leather was done perfectly & the design lines are almost highlighted by each piece in red & blue. an intensely strong creative direction, solid sense of concept & im sure a creative campaign for this collection will soon follow.

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 03 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: junya watanabe, paris

stripes, colored wigs & faceless models were a few unconventional elements seen from the junya watanabe collection presented in paris this season. the lables japanese design heritage is completely evident in this collections use of silhouette & layering. nautical stripes were matched to quirky prints complete with anchors & sail boats. the collection palette is controlled for the most part, as the prints used in the collection are the only form of color variation from the black, white & navy designs that were produced. overall, the concepts presented are both interesting & complex; though we all love supermodels, covering the faces of models does redirect attention to the core of what matters in fashion- the clothes. strong direction & cohesive vision from start to finish. i would’ve liked to see more design variation & development of more trends of the spring.

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 02 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: lanvin, paris

a soft palette was presented for the SS11 season via albert ebaz for lanvin. a powerful set of design & vision was seen on the runways of paris fashion week through the collections sixty three looks. flowing gowns & short dresses allowed the collection to further define the lanvin aesthetic, as rich mustard yellow, deep sand & bold use of red & pink were seen in the collection palette. i loved the use of sheer as well as the designs seen for the collections bathing suits; this season was a lot more refined for lanvin. with the heavy ornamentation & dark wigs we’ve been seeing from the house, i was glad to see classic beauty & femininity restored for spring. that said, though classic elements exist, the lanvin label has managed to create it’s own design signature & elegantly so. the finale brought a group of black models down the runway, among them jourdan dunn & jeneil williams. overall, another strong direction & wonderful vision for spring, bright where needed & rich in tone. well done.

imagesource | vogue.fr

10 01 2010

spring prêt-à-porter: vivienne westwood, paris

vivienne westwood continues steadily to showcase her crazed fashion vision during the spring season at paris fashion week. this season, westwood opts to focus on trends set in the use of prints, particularly stripes, plaid & floral. as many seasons past, westwood’s distinctive perception for volume & silhouette are represented well this weekend. in light of spring the collection hosts a number of short dresses & even builds to a finale of gowns, which were noticeably more tamed in comparison to other wild concepts we’ve seen before. the signature westwood we know & love is ever present in the collection this season, but the designs are much more clean. with design minimalism consuming fashion, i wonder if westwood is catching a bit of that flavor. a wide range of looks is presented from dresses to formal womenswear looks that border masculine. a solid set overall.

imagesource | vogue.fr

09 27 2010

spring collezioni: roberto cavalli, milan

presenting jungle chic for the SS11 show season, the robert cavalli label seems at it’s most creative these past two seasons. with a reputation of wild style glamour, the collection is an incredible addition to fashion week in milan for the spring. larger than life leaves hung at the entrance of the runway for the models; among them joan smalls, kasia struss, sasha pivovarova & natalia vodianova- who opened the show. fringe, snake skin & sheer designs were seen on the runway, allowing the collection to gain that much more relevance not just through creative signatures, but through current trends as well. i really love the collection, as a whole- from the model casting to the hair & make-up. from start to finish it was complete glamour; deconstructed, tribal, western, jungle, wild, animalistic glamour & i love it. one of my favorites from milan this season.

imagesource | vogue.it
09 27 2010

spring collezioni: salvatore ferragamo, milan

presenting a stunning color story in line with the spring season, the salvatore ferragamo collection displays complete chic with their opening sequence of caramel toned designs. joan smalls, magdalena frackowiak, jac jagaciak & karlie kloss walked the runway with head wraps, while the palette graduated from rich earth tones to pure whites which then transformed to a shot of blue & looks seemingly dipped in sunshine. simple in design, the collection pushes timeless style rather than trend in using chaotic prints. near the close of the collection the depth of the palette was evident as deep blues & black were seen at the tail end. overall, color can tell a vivid story on the runway as so greatly demonstrated by ferragamo this season. completely stylish!

imagesource | vogue.it
09 27 2010

spring collezioni: versus, milan

blending modern elements & retro style; the versus collection designed by christopher kane is one of interesting concepts to say the least. while on point through trend, the collection uses plaid & floral prints along with contrasts of color through color blocked design. my one minor note of the collection, as a sister collection of the versace empire, is that it is seemingly void of the ‘versace woman’. while some modernization is seen through the designs; i question the sell ability of the collection, as it differs greatly from what versace clientele usually seek. that said, donatella has mirrored many of the same concepts seen in the main line of versace. i admire the change in direction, though i do recognize a certain void. true of trend this spring.

imagesource | vogue.it