14 December 2011

Revolution is back?

    Looking back at ss 2012 fashion shows I see two main trends standing out, both coming directly of the '60s period. The one was bright monochromatic sets and the other the imprimé; both of them played more with the colours and less with the structure that we had seen back then.
ADAM


 Araks
Issey Miyake
Celine
 Kenzo
 Paul Smith
 Louis Vuitton
 Alice&Olivia
 A Détacher
 Jil Sander
 Prada
  Of course this reappearance was not unexpected if you consider the similarities between ours and the sixties' society. The Vietnam War's consequences didn't affect only the participating countries but the biggest part of the world, including Europe, causing massive revolutions worldwide through the May 1968 Movement.
  Fashion designers joined the protest making their own revolution advancing the youth style. And the biggest highlight of the era was of course the miniskirt. They were also inspired of Pop and Op art producing an extremely colourful variety of clothing. This colourful and innovative fashion vision functioned as an optimistic position against the industrialized countries' economic performance. And we cannot refuse that contemporary societies face a similar period of economic depression during the last two years.
  However, is fashion trying to make a new revolution against the System?
  Or is fashion industry using the references to the '70s revolution as a lure to attract consumers who need to feel that they revolt somehow to the general depression?


Photos:Style.com

12 December 2011

Hommage à Poodles

  The first thing that comes in mind when you see Isaac Mizrahi's fw 2011/2012 rtw show is that it was made for the minimalism fanatics.
  However, it was not only that. Mizrahi managed to show the feminine side of the woman not  only with luxurious fabrics, but with girly pink, orange, ultramarine blue and grey monochromatic sets.
The girly outfits were completed with pom-pom hats -mere reference on Poodles-, large bows and tiered wedding like cakes in the colours of the collection.
Of course, the Elite's favourite breed couldn't miss a homage to it; models were accompanied of dyed-to-match poodles.
  Briefly, the whole atmosphere reminded of something between a tea party and a wedding but whatever it was it was indisputably addressed to a high class, the only capable to afford designer clothes nowadays.




Photos: Style.com

10 December 2011

We wanted to be the sky

Dean and Dan brought us back in the US of the 1970's with their
spring/summer 2012 show. We were suddenly taken to the hippie
decade, taking part in a huge rock & roll concert in the USA.
And it was for sure the most fashionable concert ever with models
passing by in swimsuits, sleeveless leather jackets, T-shirts and -of course-  
denim cutoffs holding Heinies.
All in the hippie rock style appropriate in the Glastonbury.
We are not going to remember this collection for its design intelligence but for sure for the fun provided. 






04 December 2011

Finding the lost elegance

 When I started writing this post, it was just because i was fascinated by the "retro vague" that  has prompted last years  many designers to create some of the most elegant collections of the past decade. By then, I had started having serious doubts on the future of men 's fashion as it seemed to lack of imagination and proved more and more uninspired by the years. It was all about casual/sports wear like multi-copies of old Lacoste patterns or flashy Italian-style designs. And it doesn't mean that I 'm all against casual-wear or Italian designers. It's just that I prefer variety, especially when it comes to fashion.
  Then, a short trip to London, good enough to make me realise that this "retro vague" actually exists in the streets and not only on the catwalks, intervened.  Finally, men fashion returns to its roots, bringing back the lost elegance of the Mid-war era. Particularly in London, I noticed that men are among the most fervent admirers of retro style. And this retro style is not about an old fashioned way of dressing, but the combination of the old times elegance with the modern aesthetic.
  Lanvin's 2011-2012 men collection is the best example of this return to the old times. It was one of the most inspirational works of Lucas Ossendrijver and we should congratulate him for his ability to bring together retro style and sportswear achieving such a delicate result.
The midi-length coats, the loafers, the hats...every single piece was designed to remind us an era more romantic, with a more intense sense of aesthetic. The era of Picasso, the era of abstract expressionism's birth in America and most important, the Great Depression era.



 
Another great example of this "retro vague" is the incredible men shoes of Junya Watanabe, both this and last year's. In my opinion they remain the most stylish brogues ever made, especially the last year's ones in suede.  



Last but not least, I sum up with Elbaz 's phrase on Lanvin's collection hoping that he will be followed by other fashion Houses too in the near future: "a return to elegance—the word is always being used to describe old people. When you talk about the young, it's always 'cool' or 'sexy', but we wanted to introduce elegance to the young."