GRAPHIC CONNECTION
Milan: Etro has long been the go-to label for print motifs, serving as the library of geometric designs from which other designers source. This Spring, Veronica Etro has honed her focus further, producing a collection centered on dresses, particularly the dropped-waist flapper variety so popular on runways this season. The current fascination with the Roaring Twenties went further than
...
Read more >
GLAMOUR GAMES
Milan: Albino D'Amato attempted a difficult merger of sport and glamour for Spring, opting for opulent fabrics and embellishments, a simple, graphic silhouette and nods to modern must-haves, like crop tops and skirts with pockets. Though the results were often confusing, racing from gorgeous ombré tunics directly to stuffy, rhinestone-encrusted brocade, Albino’s rich fabrics and jewel-tone palette offered some
...
Read more >
MATADOR MASH-UP
Milan: Last Spring, Moschino’s designer, Rossella Jardini, presented a literal interpretation of the American cowboy, right down to the ten-gallon hats and bandana neckties. This year, her cowgirl took a trip to Spain, resulting in a collection that was half matador, half hauté Santa Fe. A cauldron of cropped, embroidered jackets, peasant skirts, fringe and intricate beading; the more
...
Read more >
MAID AND MISTRESS
Milan: Whether paying tribute to John Keats or his mother, Antonio Marras always has a romantic inspiration behind his collections. This season, Jean Genet's 1947 play "The Maids" provided the narrative. While the plot involves two maids who dress up as their mistress and act out killing her, Marras' collection took on a decidedly less sinister turn. The interplay between classes
...
Read more >
SWEET RIDE
Milan: Rockabilly graphics and floral motifs put a sweet spin on Prada's sophisticated offerings this season; race cars and exhaust-flames playfully decorated items ranging from accordion skirts to bandeaus, while floral appliqués and lace made for charmingly girlish outerwear. Ultra-glam pinup suits were shown alone, as well as with matching jacket, coat and overskirt accompaniments, while oversized costume jewelry
...
Read more >
The Look: 60s Bourgeois Eccentric
Makeup: Peter Philips for Chanel
Hair: Sam McKnight
Makeup
Peter Philips added a bit of eccentricity and Byzantine gilt to Lagerfeld's take on fifties Italian la dolce vita dressing. Bits of gold or silver foil were pressed from lash line to brow using gel. "It's a game of textures," said Philips. "Mixing fur with leather with a graphic metallic
...
Read more >
Vintage fiends channeled retro chic at New York and London S/S 12 fashion weeks, providing a unique counterpoint to the homogenous style that is a dime a dozen in fashion capitals today. Ladies stepped out in 40s silhouettes paired with 50s cat-eye frames, while this dashing gentleman went full-on 30s style with suspenders, tie, and high-waisted pants. Stay tuned for
...
Read more >
TRIBAL MISCHIEF
Milan: Like many designers this season, Ferretti turned to Africa for inspiration. Whereas some of her contemporaries simply turned out a few tribal prints, Ferretti celebrated the artisans of the continent by incorporating intricate beadwork and crochet into her signature slip dresses and feminine separates. The designer even developed a way to use the fine-art printing process called intaglio
...
Read more >
BOARDWALK BANDITS
Milan: Fendi's latest collection had all the hallmarks of creative director Karl Lagerfeld's aesthetic: nautical influences, tie details, luxe materials and a little bit of kookiness. With their disheveled bouffants and bandit-style sunglasses, models resembled Hitchcockian heroines gone bad. Below the neck, however, the clothes were a bit more straightforward and reserved. The mid-century references continued in buoyant Balenciaga-esque
...
Read more >
DECO SAFARI
Milan: One would not know that austerity measures were in effect from Gucci's opening show at Milan Fashion Week. The ultimate of status brands played up its luxury heritage with a spring collection full of glamour and gilded surfaces. Creative director Frida Giannini plundered the house's archives for lost treasures, from the label's founding in the 20s to the
...
Read more >
SPACE AGE TODAY
London: Thomas Tait is one of the few young designers who seems truly fascinated with modernism, turning out trim, tailored collections pushing the envelope through silhouette and construction. Nearly abandoning his signature black, Tait brought pale pink, white and mint onto his Spring runway, using these tones to add a space-age futurism to Balenciaga cocoon coats and dresses,
...
Read more >
PROTECTIVE MEASURES
London: Like many designers these past few weeks, Antonio Berardi chose light, lace, shimmer and a masculine versus feminine presentation of hourglass dresses and trouser suits. Despite adhering to this now well-known direction for Spring, the designer managed to stand out via careful details; leather corsets, beaded breastplates, train hems and burnout velvet panels. Unexpected touches of crimson, emerald
...
Read more >
SUGAR + SPICE
London: Inspired by "starlets, showgirls, beauty pageant winners, models, and princesses" this season, Meadham Kirchoff designers Ed Meadham and Ben Kirchhoff presented a saccharin sweet collection of short, girlish looks. A playful palette of apple red and cotton candy pastels played up the theme along with vintage cartoon imagery and teddy bear-shaped pockets. Fabrics ranged from playtime plaid
...
Read more >
