SQUARE IS SEXY
Paris: Maison Martin Margiela is certainly not a label to follow trends, but the influence of Fall’s flattened collection from Rei Kawakubo and the tunics-over-trousers matched sets at Prada cannot be denied. For Margiela these looks came pared down and extremely simple. Rectangular and unfinished tunics topped pencil skirts or wide leg trousers, while even round sweetheart neckline
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Today was a big day for Dior, with former Jil Sander designer Raf Simons delivering his extremely anticipated debut collection for the French fashion house. The result was a fresh amalgamation of the brand's most classic pieces with a twist of youthful futurism. Most interestingly, Simons experimented with surface texture and color using sheer iridescent organza, laser cut leather and
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BLUE HAWAII
Paris: With Elvis crooning in the background, Isabel Marant opened her collection with a series of hibiscus-printed looks. The King (and, in particular, his love for Hawaii) was an inspiration behind the collection. The hibiscus prints were used for mini dresses that were casually tied at the waist. Elvis's more glamorous styles influenced the studded and bejeweled leather pieces
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POWER HOUR
Paris: Roland Mouret picked up where Balenciaga's F/W 12 collection left off, re-imagining a more grown-up, professional woman of the 80s to Ghesquière's Nintendo-addicted neophytes. The imposing silhouettes of the decade were the perfect vehicle for Mouret to continue his exploration of flat pattern. Supple wool suitings and liquid leathers were precisely folded and tucked into "power suits" and
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AVIAN FLOW
Paris: Issey Miyake's Yoshiyuki Miyamae presented an energetic collection characterized by stripes of all sizes and vibrant colors. His inspiration, "images of vibrantly colored birds alighting on water and flapping their wings," was not necessarily apparent to the viewer, but it didn't matter. The clothes were youthful and fun, and that was what was important. Roomy silhouettes featured soft
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ELECTRIC SENSUAL
Paris: For Anne Valérie Hash's S/S 13 collection, entitled “Electric Nude”, she used her training as a couturier to make garments that seemed almost glued to the body. The pieces — in all shades of naked with an iridescent spark — were suspended from the body with masterfully crafted corsets. "I start with a collage of fabrics and inspirations. This time I
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A TRIUMPHANT DEBUT
Paris: After his couture collection for Christian Dior received rave reviews, fashion followers anxiously anticipated Raf Simons' first ready-to-wear offering for the label. The combination of Simons' own vocabulary mixed with that of the venerable house made for a challenging and supremely beautiful collection. Like the couture show, his spring outing opened with variations on the classic Bar
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SOFT TECH
Paris: The marriage of technology and form has always fascinated Hussein Chalayan, and he played with that notion again for spring. His experiments in high-tech have created innovative yet un-wearable clothing in the past, but this was not the case for his current collection. Chalayan even erred on the side of banal for some looks. One halfway expected a
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FLAT OUT POWERFUL
Paris: Alber Elbaz often uses the tuxedo as a starting point for his work at Lanvin, spinning the look into a strong and feminine must-have by reinventing it each season. The tuxes he presented for S/S 13 were sharp with a whiff of the 80s, comprised of peaked shoulder jackets paired with high waist tapered trousers. 90s Donna
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YOUTHFUL INSUBORDINATION
Paris: Last Fall Julien David took his customers on a retro Alpine vacation and for S/S 13 the sporty direction continued, albeit in a much more quirky fashion. Running shorts, elongated baseball jackets, polo shirts, tapered sweatpants and sheer basketball jerseys all made an appearance in an amalgam of grade school gym class uniforms complete with quirky prints. Conversationals
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Cutouts have been key this season but Paris delivers a sleek laser-cut edge with meticulous designs and inventive placement. Contoured slices are used to create ribcage-like harnesses, while geometric incisions add graphic positive-negative pattern to pencil skirts or slim pants. Leather, pleather or neoprene ensure that unfinished edges remain clean and sharp. –Sharon Graubard
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ANGLES VS. VOLUMES
Paris: Choosing an edited lookbook presentation rather than a runway show this season, Limi Feu’s punky aesthetic didn’t suffer from a more low-key setting. Playing to her commercial success in Japan and abroad, Feu’s S/S 13 collection was approachable while maintaining her signature use of volume and graphic patterns. Shredded bondage cutouts, fractured triangle repeats and oversized draped
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Cutouts have been popping up all over this season but Paris delivers sleek laser-cut edge on meticulousness designs and inventive placement. Oversized slices create ribcage-like harnesses when layered over delicate lace frocks, while geometric incisions add subtle dimension to monochromatic pencil skirts. Sophisticated suits or leggings are given a sensuous twist with complex allover designs especially when used in leather.
–Marissa Stuart
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ANCIENT FUTURE
Paris: The graphic explorations and elevated silhouettes that have made Rick Owens a major fashion influence continue, this season with an ancient-times-meets-space-age collection. Models strode along grey concrete floors with a bubbling foam backdrop creating cosmic scenery, and silhouettes were goddess-like and almost ethereal, with soft, rounded cocoon shapes starting at the shoulder. The opening color scheme was warm
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THE ELEGANT & THE DISHEVELED
Paris: Last Fall Peter Copping brought a disheveled game of dress up to Nina Ricci, using provocative flashes of transparency to spice up his ladylike ensembles. For S/S 13 Copping’s seduction was much more literal, communicated via aggressive harnesses layered beneath nipped waist jackets or transparent flasher raincoats atop fishnet bodysuits. While some of these pieces
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