04/07/2013

Child’s Play

There has been a comeback for the one-piece. Different interpretations of the jumpsuit have been seen on the runway, season after season, Fall as well as Spring. How come such a childlike silhouette has become almost a must in our closets?

The jumpsuits in the Diane von Furstenberg 2013 Fall collection tell the story of a comfortable elegance through prints in somber colors and luxurious materials. The construction and use of the fabrics are creating a silhouette that is still young but more feminine and less junior, a key element in elevating the style from the play pen to the runway.

The monochromatic trend has been another vocal trend for many seasons. In the Viktor & Rolf pre-Spring collection for 2014 the LBJthe Little Black Jumpsuit – is exemplified in all its simplicity; the black silk bow and the bottom cut at mid-calf has the look of giving a coquettish wink to a suit a boy in the early 20th century might wear. However the tailoring brings the mind back to the fashionable 2014.

At Maison Martin Margiela the collaboration of a plunging sweetheart neckline with a long wide pant legs give a feminine touch to formal wear without ever really crossing the line, making the garment accurate for both night and day. At Emilio Pucci the black jumpsuit became the canvas for uniting an urban silhouette – like the mid-calf cargo pants – with an Asian print.

The loose fit and the oversized t-shirt sleeves of the one-piece from Stella McCartney’s Spring 2014 collection are resembling the old work clothing from the 1940s, creating an urban feel to the piece and again, the construction and materials give it a modern and fashionable spin instead of a childlike state.


As discussed above, the one piece has – for now – a perfect fit in fashion due to its ease and playfulness, which is always in demand, not to mention its ability to transcend chic to comfort and work in harmony with other trends. It has also given designers a silhouette to a perfect juxtaposition, which is something that can generate unexpected items such as a trenchcoat jumpsuit as seen at the Chanel 2014 Cruise collection in Singapore. Something that is anything but childish.

Victoria Edman 
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11/10/2012

The Founders of Fashion

The Founders of Fashion

This year Christian Dior celebrates 65 years in business, long after the fashion house founder left the building. Cristóbal Balenciaga is being honoured with an exhibition in Paris 40 years after his death and Jil Sander steps back into the role as head designer of her eponymous brand. There are dozens of fashion brands that are famous for the name of the person that gave it its first stamp, whether that person is still in his or her seat. How important are these ‘fashion founder’ names for their respective brands? And is the status of the fashion houses paying homage to their founders as much as to their current createurs?

Take aside everyone with special interest in fashion. How many really knows the name of the designer behind Dior today? Average Jane does for sure know the name Christian Dior, she probably buys both his make-up and perfume as well. But the name of Dior might be as important to everyone who actually knows Raf Simons as well. Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Balmain, Emilio Pucci, Kenzo Takada and all their friends – they breathe fashion excellence. Some of the great names are still alive; some are still even with their companies. These designers have shaped much of what the business is today, and whether they smile or turn in their graves over what their successors are doing to their lines, every garment entering the runway is carrying their names and their heritage.

When Alexander McQueen, a much younger ‘genius’, tragically passed away, the death of the brand was up for immediate discussion. Even if there’s probably a few years left before anything can be told for certain, Sarah Burton is keeping the brand floating – McQueen isn’t a name that anyone will let slip away without a fight. It must be a fine balance to sustain between honouring the name you work for and staying true to your own design aesthetics, while making business happen. “If you don’t know your history, you have no future” are the words of Jil Sander who for many years has seen collections in her name being directed by someone else.

Is it the stories of old Paris and Italian family companies deriving from leather producers that add to the myth and status of today’s giants? Is it the impact that these designers once made, or is it smart business? Is this a phenomenon of the past, or will we in the future be as nostalgic about Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Thomas Tait and their younger friends? No matter what the answer might be, the names that still inspire awe in us have made a contribution to the beauty of things we still see today.

Lisa Olsson Hjerpe – Image courtesy of Patrick Demarchelier (Dior Couture)

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