05/10/2015

Paris Fashion Week SS16 – Prints

Prints in Paris – it almost sounds like the title says it all in itself. There have been a number of prints seen at the Parisian runways that, as expected, we also caught quite a few surprises.

As Clockwork, Orange – Although not a print, this solid colour was seen not only on several runways, but as a fixed feature on several fashion week runways. The Parisian take on orange was a bright shade forming the focal point of the look it was featured in. Whether it was on a jumpsuit, as seen at Mugler, or on a dress, as seen at Roland Mouret and Balmain, orange was definitely the colour of the season. Even though orange may not be the new black – it is still a strong contender.

Monochromatic Peak – Black and white is always right, and the Parisian designers were not about to change that fact for Spring/Summer 2016. Instead, several designers sent out their own versions of prints in black and white to add to the wardrobe repertoire. At Céline the standout piece of the collection was an elusive coat in a black and white print. The silhouette was of itself simple, but was raised to incredibly interesting through its print’s abstract nature. Emanuel Ungaro gave a different element to the floral print when presenting it in black and white as both a stand-alone print and in association with solids and a gated pattern. As if playing with shadows, Ann Demeulemeester revealed an abstract monochromatic look that gave an intricate illusion of fluidity.

Somewhere Over the Rinbow – In tilted or vertical stripes or through the work of color-blocking, an array of colours were present in Paris. The magnificent colour spectrum was a surprising twist to an otherwise low-key colour story when viewing many of the fashion week’s runways. Manish Arora paired a ruffled asymmetrical dress with rainbow stripes infused with some black elements. Chloé gave a dropped waist maxi dress a fun yet romantic quality by adding faded yet colorful rainbow-stripes, and Issey Miyake presented a vibrant look with the effect of a contrast dip dye. Colourful yet pragmatic is the key description.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
02/10/2015

The Future of Milanese Fashion

Milan is continuing its effort to become the new key fashion city for young talents. The recerly held Fashion week and the events held during the week, are just some recent examples of a long mission to draw new talents to the Italian fashion metropolis. So even though the shows have closed for this time and moved on to Paris, we had to summarize the best upcoming designers from the week in Milan before moving on to France.

J Koo, a Korean brand founded by designers Jinwoo Choi and Yeonjoo Koo, presented a Spring collection inspired by the youth culture. They embraced the cool aspects of street wear and combined them with tailoring and lace – an interesting fusion that makes them a brand to look out for in the future.

Aalto, a brand founded by Finish designer Tuomas Merikoski, was also participating in Milan Fashion Week as one of the designers that took part in Italian Vogue’s selection at Palazzo Morando. Finland is not often mentioned alongside other Scandinavian countries such Sweden and Denmark when the topic of Scandinavian fashion is treated. Merikoski proves, on the other hand, that hat is a big shame, since he and many other Finish designers deserve to be included in that discussion. Aalto’s latest collection is inspired by the sun which is shining most of the day and night during Summer in Northern parts Sweden, Finland and Norway. The collection is also a celebration of youth and freedom, a theme that captures his design aesthetic where urban, modern, architectural and international are some of the key words to categorise it.

Daizy Shely, an Israeli designer, is the winner of Italian Vogue’s talent competition ”Who is on next” from 2014. She founded her brand in Milan in 2009 and showed her Spring/Summer 2016 collection at Giorgio Armani’s Armani/Teatro. While her latest collection can be compered to J Koo and Aalto’s, it represents a third, different take on the youth culture theme. Built around colours, patterns and mixing materials, the final result is a collection that succeeds in being both wide and narrow in terms of pieces and concepts, making us wonder whether the future of fashion isn’t indeed in Milan.

Hanna Cronsjö 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
30/09/2015

Milan Fashion Week SS16 – Trends

An explosion of both colour and creative imaginationa were certainly the expectation for the Milanese fashion shows – and we are happy to say that they were delivered. Three trends in particular stood out as infiltrating and pushing fashion forward, without playing it safe.

Mismatch – Letting pieces as well as styles emerge together to create a perfect unity was represented in many ways during Milan Fashion Week SS16. Blumarine married two different colours of the same print with the top having a much sheerer effect than the bottom or keeping everything exposed and adding a biker jacket to the mix. With an accentuating sash, the effect was much more bold and vivid. Roberto Cavalli and Les Copains both brought together mismatched elements of hard and soft. At Roberto Cavalli a romantic drape or ruffle met more rocker-style pieces which, in unison, created a fetching juxtaposition.

More on less is more – This upcoming season, an extra add-on carries all the weight on how to elevate a look from plain to perfectly fashionable. By starting with a rather simple silhouette, such as a blouse and pants at Gucci, a fashion forward look was thereafter created by adding more and more, such as ruffles on the pant leg and frills on the blouse until the finished product was not just exaggeratedly over the top, but interestingly original. Finding key pieces and adding unexpected elements was also a key trend presented at Fay. For example, a navy blue trench coat with an accompanying piece reminiscent of a corset made it go from safe to exciting. MGSM presented dresses in colour explosions and layered them on top of another piece, bringing a new thought to the concept of not only more colours but more layers.

Oceanic theme – By the ocean or in it, several of the Milanese runways showcased preference for nautical themes from stripes and wide brim hats, as seen at Giorgio Armani to sailor and seashell embellishments showcased at Emilio Pucci. This trend was clearly making a big splash.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
29/09/2015

Milan Fashion Week SS16 – Prints

At the Milanese runways for the upcoming Spring/Summer season, this year it was all about technique and pushing creative boundaries. The print trends fluctuated, but there were a few standouts – as outlined below.

Feathers – Real or manufactured, this fashion week feathers were used as embellishments producing unique prints, movement and quite imaginative looks. Fashion label Marco de Vincenzo showcased looks where shredded textile in tone with the overall look had been added as a supplement, giving an illusion of feathers. The addition was fascinating and almost created an ombré effect. Emilio Pucci added colorful feathers to cover a pastel pleated dress – with the maison’s know-how, it was pure artistry. Iceberg chose the romantic route, bringing feather details to traditional pastel dresses letting the application move and speak for itself.

Gated Community – A weaving technique that created the pattern evocative of gates and fences was spotted on many Milanese runways. At Fendi, jackets were presented and recognized as instant statement pieces. Fausto Puglisi as well as Moschino, opted for an overlay with big grids generating a similar pattern. Over naked skin it was almost as an expansion of the cut-out trend. At Prada, a netting accessory affirmed the gate print trend as it added a grid to an otherwise finished look.

Spotted – Polka dot as well as eclectic circles were observed at many runways. Emporio Armani showcased a metallic spot that elevated a casual look to pure elegance. Tod’s presented a look where holes had cleverly been punched in a white skirt with a paper bag waist, almost becoming an ironic comment on office attire. Costume National offered a black silk spot that on top of sheer material gave a sporty elegant touch to an otherwise simple look – minimalistic with a twist.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
28/09/2015

Style Suggestions: Pre-Fall Accessories

Going from the Summer to Winter mood isn’t always easy, so the best way to do it is in style. Here are some pre-Fall accessories that can ease you in to the change of seasons.

Cap: A.P.C., Shoes: Marsèll, Scarf: Drake’s, Backpack: Tomas Maier

Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro 

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
28/09/2015

The Future of London Fashion

London Fashion WeekK has already closed and the Spring 2016 tour has moved on to Italy and Milan, but we can’t completely leave London before summarising its best upcoming designers. The home of the swinging Sixties, punk and maximalism at its finest, London has played an important role in the fashion history and we believe it will continue doing so thanks to its great fashion schools and the unique cultural, creative mix that only can be found there.

Hanger, launched three years ago by London-born designer Claire Davis is a label that focuses on clean silhuettes and textures and produces all its pieces in England. Wearable womenswear with a twist is the word that characterises the brand.

Min Wu is another emerging talent who recently joined the Centre for Fashion Education’s (CFE) Young Pioneer program. Wu is an example of the next generation of fashion designers that create fashion that is seen from different perspectives and angles and she is fond of mixing functional materials with technology and tailoring.

Cassandra Verity Green is a recently launched label with focus on knitwear. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2013, Cassandra won Grazia’s FashFactor competition in collaboration with Liberty. Personal experiences, emotions and memories inspire her pieces, which are best described as a fresh, crazy fashion air with her fun and creative approach.

Clon8 brings us on a fashion journey through Central Asia, the Adriatic and Russia. Blurring lines is their main characteristic, a concept that has taken them to London’s runways and made them an urban and contemporary brand. Besides mixing cultural references they are also a fan of breaking the boundaries between gender, avant-garde, and social conventions, producing pieces that focus on texture, design and innovative cuts.

Hanna Cronsjö 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
23/09/2015

London Fashion Week SS/16 – Trends

Trends viewed at London Fashion Week for Spring/Summer of 2016, showcased the strength of the British fashion scens and its designer’s ability to implement change while revering a well-known heritage. In particular, there were three trends for the upcoming season to keep a look out for.

Back in Time – History lovers are going to be pleased. Looking back and taking influence from previous seasons is not a new occurrence in the fashion industry. Looking back several hundred years is however not as common. Several designers presented dresses, shirts and many more items with Victorian or Elizabethan elements. At Erdem long dresses with Victorian collars were seen kept up to date by adding cut outs or modern textiles. Voluminous arms and a sleeker bottom reminiscent of 16th century menswear were seen at several shows, including Giles and David Koma, who kept it within current time by combining the silhouette with a contemporary print or through juxtaposition with other silhouettes.

See-Through – As an extension of the previous seasons, see through materials were also part of the British fashion scene, where the composition of materials created a luminescent conjecture. It is a flirtatious yet simple way of adding edge to a classical element. Be it via a sheer bottom such as lace or mesh skirt, as seen at Burberry Prorsum, or an organza-like pair of pants at Issa, or even mimicking a stained glass window, like at Christopher Kane.

All white – An oldie but goodie: it’s a color that has become as much part of the summer fashion as a floral print. Almost as a continuation of the “see-through” trend, the all-white attire was often accompanied by transparent features, showcased, among others, at Vivienne Westwood Red Label. An update from previous seasons was adding an accent with smart accessories, such as a harness, as seen at 1205, or by positioning two different white materials against each other, as seen at Christopher Raeburn, creating a play on asymmetry.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
22/09/2015

London Fashion Week SS/2016 – Prints

London is a city known for being both traditional and whimsical when it comes to fashion. It has made several prints part of its routine, for the Spring/Summer of 2016 there were primarily three motifs in focus.

It’s a Garden Party – As to be expected in London, the botanical print was seen on many runways prolonging its reign over spring and summer fashion. However, a few updates had been made to the traditional print. At J. js. Lee a mixture of cut outs and applique gave the illusion of flower petals attached on an otherwise plain dress generating a twist to something classic. Emilia Wickstead brought together a silhouette reminiscent of the 16th century with a customary floral print showcasing that, together, two anachronisms can become modern. Especially when the silhouette in question is inspired by traditional 16th century menswear, but remade for the women of the 21st century.

It’s the Eye of the Tiger – Animal prints, particularly cheetah is to be an alternative in the upcoming Summer’s sun. The print was seen on everything from coats and accessories at the House of Holland show and as show-stopping sexy dresses at Versus Versace. The print was also part of an interesting deconstruction at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and a 1980s inspired body at Sibling. It was about walking a fine line between clothes and costume without ever crossing over.

It’s All Graphic – Bold prints with everything from swirls, harlequin and other psychedelic patterns were profiled as part of the main prints for the Spring/Summer of 2016. Jean-Pierre Braganza presented several looks with an abstract mismatch indicative of a Picasso painting mainly on silky dresses in black, white and red. At Daks a monochromatic print was adorning head to toe looks of pants, shirts and maxi dresses. It was the quintessence of more is more. Gareth Pugh also went the monochromatic route while Holly Fulton had colorful swirly patterns with a more abstractly floral accent. The key was making a statement, the pattern was the focus.

Victoria Edman 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
21/09/2015

Style Suggestions: Pre-Fall

The spring fashion shows have arrived and so have the pre-fall trends to go with it. Take the colour palette down a couple of notches and let the cooler moods begin.

Top: Carven, Skirt: Alexa Chung for AG Jeans, Shoes: Dries Van Noten, Bag: Gucci

Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro 

Share: Facebook,  Twitter  
18/09/2015

The Future of New York Fashion

The fashion crowd has now left New York and Fashion Week has closed its catwalks for the time, but until we completely move on to London – the next stop on the fashion week tour – we have summarized the best upcoming designers who showed their work in New York.

Max Gengos is a contemporary designer, both in terms of hisdesign aesthetic and the thought behind the pieces he creates. Gengos is making a statement by choosing the slow side of fashion, a more environmental friendly approach as opposed to fast fashion. The significant, architectural-inspired creations are therefore made to last, an admirable thought in a time when many pieces seem to be designed to be tossed away.

The first collection of the brand M. Martin, founded by designers Alex Gilbert and Jennifer Noyes was launched last season and it has already grown to become a well known brand. We believe it is all because of their easy, yet cool look that goes hand in hand with really great sportswear.

Originally from Hong Kong, Ground Zero is created by the two brothers Philip and Eri Chu. Their design is playful and crazy in a good way. The fashion world needs more creative visions that are allowed to come to life- and Ground Zero’s pieces are certainly fitting into that category.

We are all well aware of the power of social media, how Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat can change one’s career, especially if you happen to be a great designer. Monse, founded by former Oscar de la Renta designers, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, is already dressing A-listers such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Amal Clooney – without much help from the digital world. That’s what we call an achievement!

Hanna Cronsjö 
Share: Facebook,  Twitter