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Archive for September, 2011

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Spring 2012 (Paris)

09/30/2011

 

(Paris) hi.light: Balenciaga

As you can tell, I have complicated feelings about Balenciaga. On the one hand, I detest the amped shoulder line Nicolas Ghesquiere is pushing this season as discussed in this prior post. On the other hand, his pants for Spring 2012 are astounding. It’s almost impossible to bring a fresh eye to pants, but all the more impressive when accomplished. The simple pleating at the waist is novel and has the potential to be quite flattering, a tough combination to achieve.  I’m also obsessed with the bracelets shown with most of the looks (including the 2 pictured in this post). But the dresses at the end of the collection best express my mixed emotions. My first free association with the photo below was Dumb Donald from Fat Albert and the Gang, not promising. Then I really looked at the dress. First, I saw that the thick band of khaki at the bottom helps give weight and form to the light silk used in the body of the dress, a neat trick. Then, I saw that the patchwork mix of the printed and black silk was super-cool. Oh and there are the bracelets that I’m obsessed with.  Finally, I see that it’s not a hat, but an exaggerated visor – hmmmm…I’m now in love with the whole look. You can see what I mean when I say that I have complicated feelings about Balenciaga this season.

photos: Giovanni Gianonni, wwd.com

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Spring 2012 (Paris)

09/30/2011

 

(Paris) lo.light: Balenciaga

I know we’ve conceded for runway purposes that no bottoms are necessary because models,  by definition, have great legs. What I can’t get behind is the linebacker sillhouette and the stiff turtleneck.

Photo: Giovanni Giannoni, wwd.com

 

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Spring 2012 (Paris)

09/28/2011

 

(Paris) hi.light: Dries van Noten

This wasn’t my favorite Dries van Noten collection. I think the peplum pants are a mistake, but it still makes the hi.light reel because when it comes to prints, there are many who desire the throne, but one undisputed king. It’s not just that his prints are unique, and it’s not just that he juxtaposes prints and different fabrics so well. What is so impressive is how he uses the prints and placement of the pattern to create drama. Notice that the actual shape of the dress presented is a sack, but clever print placement gives the illusion of depth and structure.

photo: Giovanni Giannoni, wwd.com

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Spring 2012 (Paris)

09/28/2011

 

(Paris) hi.light: Limi Feu

photo: Giovanni Giannoni, wwd.com

Limi Feu is a line not widely available stateside and from the limited merchandise I observed in-store and the runway photos I had seen, I was convinced that she owed a healthy amount of her accolades to nepotism – Limi’s father is Yohji Yamamoto. It took a trip to Tokyo and seeing a wide-range of Limi Feu merchandise to appreciate her work. Runway photos just don’t capture how she brings movement and variety to her mainly black and white palette through smart fabric choices. And, to be honest, I was frequently turned off by distracting, avant-garde styling on the runway. Not so the look above. The model could walk off the runway and into the streets of Paris only to be madly photographed by the street-style bloggers skulking around the city during fashion week. It’s nice to see something that needs no translation to be chic.

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Menswear

09/27/2011

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Vans x Taka Hayashi

Men get the better end of the stick when it comes to high/low collaborations. These shoes designed by artist, Taka Hayashi, in collaboration with Vans don’t just look great in this photo, but an up-close inspection at Fred Segal today confirms that the quality is amazing, all for $160. Nothing in the women’s collaboration world comes close. 

 

photo: formatmag.com

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Spring 2012 (Milan)

09/27/2011

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(Milan) lo.light: Armani + Missoni

Truth be told, I never have anything good to say about Armani, but for those of you joining my fashion odyssey for the first time via this blog, this lo.light might be instructive. Missoni’s been on the brain here in the US due to a collaboration with Target, and, unfortunately, this collection looks to be even more terrible than the Target goods. So, I present the clash of boring vs crazy. The former akin to something found in a JC Penny catalog and the latter a Jamaican sidewalk vendor.

photos: Giovanni Giannoni & Davide Maestri, wwd.com

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Spring 2012 (Milan)

09/25/2011

 

(Milan) lo.light: Marni

I had a wealth of bad prints to choose from among the Marni collection. This particular dress features a fabric that has both furry texture and bizarre print competing for your attention and, thus, a winner was chosen.

photo: Davide Maestri, wwd.com

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Spring 2012 (Milan)

09/25/2011

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(Milan) hi.light: Jil Sander

Raf Simons over at Jil Sander is doing such great work it’s embarassing for everybody else in the fashion game. His saturated color-scheme for Spring 2011  has been incredibly influential and was seen all over the place in the Spring 2012 shows.  So it was only right that his first looks were in a clean, crisp white as if to cleanse our palates from what has come before. Then he moves into the main body of his collection which features paisleys, checks, colors and an array of knits before ending with another round of white dresses for evening. Superb.




 Photos: Mauricio Miranda, wwd.com

Postscript: I find it interesting how certain themes emerge and, in Milan, there’s definitely a 50′s lady-like quality evident in this show that is consistent with Prada’s Spring 2012 collection.

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Spring 2012 (Milan)

09/24/2011

 

Prada

Each season Miuccia Prada takes her quirky schoolmarm in a different direction, a direction inevitably much admired and copied by others in the industry, but I never gut-love a Prada collection. This season Prada is inspired by “women and cars” which were represented both literally and figuratively on the runway. The collection starts with car coats in late 60′s shapes. There are dresses, skirts and tops printed with 50′s cars and hot-rod flames which are straightforward without being obvious, and, of course, leather in colors to make you think vinyl car interior. The elements are odd, but in the end, the collection is pretty and sweet due to a wonderful color palette and feminine shapes (there’s not a pant in the lot). Not to be left-out, the collection included iconic Prada elements like knee-length pleated skirts, great fabrics and one-of-a-kind shoes and bags. It’s a solid collection and will fairly receive a lot of attention from the press and retailers.

photos: Giovanni Giannoni, wwd.com; Gianni Pucci, gorunway.com

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Spring 2012 (Milan)

09/23/2011

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Fendi in Action

…and on the heels of the Fendi post, check out Fendi accessories in action on stylist Elisa Nalin. Her bracelets are from Spring 2011.

photo: Tamu McPherson, All the Pretty Birds

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