QUIET FUTURISM
Paris: Damir Doma presented a strict, cosmopolitan collection inflected with quiet futurism. There was an an early 90s vibe with a rounded slim silhouette and raglan sleeves, concealed buttons, ruched high collars and cropped bomber jackets. “It’s about a cosmopolitan woman, she’s very elegant, well traveled and independent,” Damir Doma told us, post show. The press notes told a
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UNDER COVER
Paris: Paris isn't the easiest place for an up-and-coming designer to get his or her start. It's tough sending out a collection next to the likes of Raf Simons, Rick Owens, or Karl Lagerfeld, but Anthony Vaccarello has held his own in the big leagues since his debut two years ago. Vaccarello was quickly embraced by fashion insiders from
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Cédric Charlier kicked off the first day of Paris Fashion Week with pieced sweaters and tops featuring a deconstructed neo-Victorian ruffle. A textured sweater looked fresh with a white candy-box-pleat neckline with a black raw-edged ruffle peaking out from beneath. — Marissa Stuart
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GONE COUNTRY
Paris: Belgian designer Veronique Branquinho is known for her serious, avant-garde collections, so it was quite a surprise when she sent cowboy hats and western boots down her runway for fall. Silk bandanas and bronze studs complimented the countrified references. However, aside from a couple of camp shirts and the aforementioned studded separates, the clothing itself had little to
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Zebra patterns are among the freshest animal motifs to emerge on F/W 13 bags, with stripes created via piecing or printing. Black and white palettes are both classically zebra and of-the-moment, while unconventionally vibrant hues update. – Whitney Kessler
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ILLUMINATED SIMPLICITY
Paris: There were two disparate but complimentary influences behind Cedric Charlier's latest collection. First, the Art Brut movement of the mid-twentieth century provided the inspiration for the scribbled, swirling prints that enlivened the clean-lined separates toward the middle of the show. The colorful embroidery that closed the collection was drawn from illuminated manuscripts from the medieval era. In between,
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MEN’S LOUNGE
Paris: Paris fashion week opened this season on an international note with South Korean ex-pat Moon Young Hee’s voluminous and layered F/W 13 collection. Presented in a neutral, monochrome palette typical of the designer, the focus was on wrapping and covering the body with many yards of silk and satin, resulting in full menswear trousers that occasionally looked like
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COLLAGE ARTISTS
Paris: The Aganovich girl is an intellectual dresser, one who appreciates cerebral craftsmanship, which is often challenging to the eye. In this vein, F/W 13 was a collaged collection of wearable art, using the body as a canvas for dense satin and wool garments that were folded like origami, draped, pleated and pieced-together in myriad variations. There was a
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FRESHLY FLUID
Milan: Gianfranco Ferré designers Federico Piaggi and Stefano Citron have done a lot to further the sharply cut modernism of the Italian label, developing a look unusual for the Milan runway. This season they announced a fresh start for their work, but luckily enough of their signature successes remained in play for F/W 13, including tailored smoking jackets with
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Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s religious-icon-themed collection was full of extravagant detail. A reverent figure inspired by Monreale’s mosaics was recreated in delicate gold embroidery and opulent jewel embellishments, making this otherwise simple velvet tee appear to be a divine creation. — Marissa Stuart
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A rounded, tea-cozy silhouette that envelops the shoulders emerged last Fall, but is finding momentum this season in Milan. The look is achieved with separate capelet accessories, cropped shoulder-covering pullovers, or with “built-in” versions that incorporate furry or contrasting yokes into sweaters, dresses or coats. – Sharon Graubard
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SUBDUED GLAMOUR
Milan: John Richmond is a fan of all things gilded, embellished, short, and tight, but this season, he surprised his followers with a relatively subdued collection. Like Prada before him, Richmond opened his show with grey flannel. White tape highlighted the coat's clean lines, and the same tape also decorated the tailored skirt suit and slim pants that followed.
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RED CARPET MOMENTS
Milan: It's been a big twenty-four hours for Giorgio Armani. First, there was last night's Academy Awards, during which nominees Jessica Chastain and Quvenzhané Wallis, as well as many others, answered "Giorgio Armani" when asked the ubiquitous question, "Who are you wearing?". Just a few hours later and a few time zones away, Armani sent his fall collection
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MODA MOD
Milan: The Mod 1960s has served as a key inspiration for designers over the past few seasons, and though the era's influence is beginning to wane, it is still in the zeitgeist. For fall, Salvatore Ferragamo designer Massimiliano Giornetti returned to Mod, but his take on the trend was darker and more sophisticated. With a palette of black, rich
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RANDOMNESS VS. CONTROL
Milan: The randomness of nature versus the precision of geometry seemed to be an idea behind Marco de Vincenzo's fall collection. The prints in the show were based on marble, with all its haphazard colorations, but the other patterns, which were pieced onto the clothing or punched into the cloqué fabrics, represented concentric diamond shapes and controlled zig-zags.
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