Spring/ Summer 2014 Fahion Week Reviews
New York London Milan
Paris
New York Alexander Wang 3.1 Phillip Lim
London Mary Katrantzou Tom Ford
Milan Just Cavali Versace
Paris Alexander McQueen Miu Miu
3.1 Phillip Lim Solid as a rock! Phillip Lim literally delivered a rock-steady runway show in New York this fall for Spring/Summer 2014 with the essence of his inspiration being the abstractions of minerals for the graceful, yet ravishing collection. With the invitations for the show being covered in geode-patterns, there was no surprise that the runway was all but practical as it was paved with rock salt to set the earth-like tone. The models were kept natural with side-swept, wet hair and minimal makeup. “It’s all very elemental,” Phillip Lim said, as cobalt and marbleized patterns appeared across transparent jackets and A-line skirts, made their way down the runway. The collection also featured marbled covered T-shirts and trousers, and other subtle geode-inspired silk prints. This season’s collection was a dedication to the beauty found in the slat flats of America’s dessert terrain. The collection referenced prints of the dry cracked earth as he took variegated palette and texture of seemingly monotone landscapes, translating that quality into metalmottled, patchworked, and pearlized leathers. There is no doubt this collection fit perfectly into the Lim archives delivering a unique collection with plenty of commercial viability. “Classic with a sense of madness” is how New York designer Phillip Lim once described his work. Lim’s mission is to create accessible, wearable clothes with a little something extra. Lim’s ability to capture the true essence and attitude of his inspiration, while not being too literal is a skill definitely worth noting. His fans will be happy that he had incorporated the idea of pretty glittery rhinestones onto collars while bag lovers rave over his sleek duffle bags and accessories and a number of hues.
Alexander Wang Alexander Wang’s Spring/Summer 2014 runway show was all about relaxed, minimal, 90’s, downtown cool.The 90’s decade was all about flamboyant branding and fragrant logo’s stamped on apparel and flaunted by fashionites. “I grew up in the Nineties when everything was about blatant advertising,” he said. Wang took that energy in this collection and channeled it into something wiity, sexy and fun. The runway show took place at Pier 94 in New York for Fashion Week. The designer kicked off the show with a Hip-Hop track by Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (Get the Fuck Up). The soundtrack set an aggressive street-like tone for the show. The collection features a melodramatic laser-cut “Alexander Wang” logo cut into leather tunics, dresses, and elbow-length gloves uniformly and repeatedly. From winsome backless dresses and comely high slits to hardy crop tops and asymmetrical jackets, bare skin was on full display. Alexander Wang took sexy, 90’s street style and innovated it into a more modern collection fit for today’s young, flirty, but sophisticated women. Accessories included, patent leather chunky wedge shaped heels and sling backs, pastel handle bags, leather clutches. Wang partook in a seemingly neutral color palette consisting of black, white, tonal greys, tan, pastel pink, and sky blue. The label embodies a tactful downtown cool yet an unrefined panache. Drawing most inspiration from the spirited eighties and currently the more virile nineties, with his latest collection. Wang’s current collection fits right into to his aesthetic, capturing and reviving the retro-boyish attitude and molding it into the lifestyle of today’s modern, chic woman. Wang never disappoints delivering a solid collection for Spring/Summer 2014. There’s no doubt that with street wear in fashions favor that this collection will be a downtown chick’s favorite. It’s easy to wear, comfortable, chic, stylish, and highly versatile. We’re on the Wang train!
Mary Katrantzou Mary Katrantzou opted for shoes this Spring, for inspiration, and as literal visual prints. For London fashion week, the designer took viewers on a new computerized visual endeavor, zooming in on different types of shoes in three ways. First the designer showcases perforations of polished brogues, laces and eyelets, blown into larger than life proportions, to perfectly compliment the female body. Next Katrantzou found a trainer and warped the color and silhouette from dark to rich and bright. Then finishing off with the dainty Lesage inspired eveningwear. Photo-realistic prints of brogues and trainers were applied to relatively simple shapes such as motorcycle jackets, shorts, and bubble-shaped dresses and swinging skirts. Zooming in 500 percent via digi-printer to more than human size proportions was quite impressive. Brass buckles were casted as belts, tassels on a traditional men’s golfing shoe easily became a curtain of pleated panels on the front of a short dress and at the hip of a skirt. With a new shoe came a new vivacious color palette. Athletic mesh ran down sleeves of motorcycle jackets, neon bright neoprene and mesh covered the jackets and dresses rather densely. The eveningwear segment consisted of tiny teacup-like dresses. Ornamentally heavy Katrantzou went back to her feminine roots, closing the show with a series of real and surreally beaded dresses mix with flowered embroideries and oversized ruffles. Mary is no stranger to computer-aided art so this collection fit right in with the brands aesthetic and style. Some find it visually compelling what the designer can do with digital art and fashion, combining the two seamlessly to deliver quite ravishing shows season after season. Mary marked a revolution when she began with her trompe l’oeil technique, wowing onlookers with never–before seen imagery. Though, some question what will happen if Mary closed the computer and got back to the basics of design. Mary’s commercial viability has grown since she first started in 2009. With her current collection being so artistic and surreal, fashion critics question her all-around commercial success. Many ponder at the question of, “What women would wear garment so dense and heavily ornamented?” Certainly not your average woman. One must be daring, bold, and innovative, of course, to wear Katrantzou. No questions asked.
Tom Ford Tom Ford was nothing short of “in his element” this fall at the Spring 2014 runway show in London for fashion week. The motive was empowerment. There no doubt that was well achieved delivering a strong and solid collection for the season. The show took place in a low-lit room lined with mirrored walls as the Chris Issak’s “Wicked Games” played in the background, to aid the sexy tone. The collection was shapely sculpted and rock-hard, nothing casual about it. It featured tight body-con belted, big-shoulder jackets, monotone leather that was laser-cut to create a black fishnet over white. Short and tight would explain the ribbon dresses and crewneck sequined mini-dresses. Not to mention, the ravishing take on the “bandage dress” and a stained glass jumpsuit to go with it. Cropped fur coats paired with transparent mesh tops and tuxedo trousers were sent down the runway, in between ultra-daring statements of spider web lace and patch-worked silk dresses. As some would note his last collection, Fall 2013, as being a curve-ball, Tom returned this season as he blatantly went from obscenely over-powerful to just powerful. Ford is off to a cleaner slate this season, still delivering a strong esoteric collection. Ford gathered inspiration from the works of Mark Bradford and Jose Parla. The designer did an exceptional job of capturing the attitude and aesthetic of the mosaic and web-like paintings from the two talented artists. Ford’s collections are clearly not meant to appeal to the practical. The Ford woman is one who dresses for luxury and performance. A measured showstopper. Of course the average woman wouldn’t be caught going out in neck-to-toe jeweled tunic but the designer was sure to throw in a few pieces for the classical-minded Ford fan. As she could sport the ravishing cropped furs and eloquent tuxedo pants. Not many designers go for the young super-moneyed woman out to draw all attention she can possibly get her hands on so Ford Woman love him for just that.
Just Cavalli It was all a dream! Roberto Cavalli’s Spring 2014 runway show was a all but subtle interpretation of this marvel. The designer took inspiration from the silver screen, titling the show “A Projection of a Dream.” The set was decked out in giant movie lights, pouring the glamour of the big screen into the atmosphere. “Is a movie. Is a dream. Every collection should make you dream. I don’t know if you dream in black and white. I don’t know if you dream in color. For me it depends on the day. I’m dreaming in color now because it’s a very good time for me.” Cavalli-wood is what they call it. The show was loaded with metallic decorations galore, snakeskin, and reptile prints. Mermaid gowns graced the runway, done in patchworks of delicate lace and chiffon pieced together in narrow chevrons. The silver yielded to mint green, light blue, and blush pinks as the high wattage pieces adorned the catwalk. The collection also featured denim rendered in narrow jackets, tapered trousers, short flippy dresses and flowing kaftans. Then to top off the Hollywood glam fest, the aviator “Bombshell” sunglasses with snake leather blinkers, iridescent mirrored lens and gladiator stilettos. Always stunning, Cavalli is another desugner that takes his inspiration and morphs it into a impeccable visual presentation without being overly-practical and literal. Drawing his inspiration from Hollywood, the season’s collection is just another flawless piece to the Cavalli puzzle, fitting in place seamlessly. Who would deny that this collection was nothing short of masterful while being prominently commercial savvy? With all pieces being more than ready to nab directly off the runway. Soft, fluid, and more importantly dreamlike would describe the collection.
Versace “My starting point was a woman’s wardrobe – a t-shirt, a blouson, a shirt. I wanted everything to be effortless, with the attitude of the street. This is a real woman. A luxury woman. A Versace woman.” the designer insisted. Donatella captured just that. With Nine Inch Nails being the soundtrack to her rock inspired collection, the soundtrack did nothing but shape the presentation. Her inspiration comes paired with the street as she showcases her pop culture influenced pieces. Versace began with her interpretation of denim, incorporating studs onto the seams of denim jackets. Models also ripped the runway in shag cut and sheer blouses, black bandeaus, denim pencil skirts and towering high platform sandals, featuring black elastic straps, metal sole-tipped platforms. In addition to the short flared dresses, chain medusa harnesses, jeans with one leg inserted with a snaking panel of lace, and a provocatively slashed to the hip bone evening dress. Accessory choices included harness chain jewelry and crocodile handbags for a luxurious touch of heavy metal. Donatella let’s her rock-n-roll soul run free with this collection. She still seemingly incorporates the expected; a number of traditionally wrapped and revealing evening looks which closed the show. Her rock-n-roll side is slated to be much more enjoyable. Last season, it was all about punk as this season played off the idea of the 90’s that influenced the rock hard edge and gave Versace disciples an easy, wearable, sexy, yet fun collection. Ending the show with Drake’s big-up to Donatella with the “Versace” record, Donatella reminds viewers once again of the urban edge the collection imposes. This collection is purely made for the Versace woman and no one else. It is not to be worn by most of us but sure to be worn by a woman who lives and breathes Versace.
Alexander McQueen Sarah Burton came back full force this season delivering an ravishing collection for Spring 2014. “It was about getting back to the love of making clothes, really,” said Burton. She delivered an collection inspired by the likes of Mondrian, Picasso and Lee Miller. The collection was showcased at the Republican of Paris as the color blocked sand ménage served as the runway. “I didn’t want it to feel too referenced to a period or a theme,” Burton said. Visually the collection gave the impression of the “powerful woman.” The collection featured, golden helmets, croc harnesses, belts like saddle straps, and prancing horse-hair layered skirts. Mondrian clearly inspired the red, white and black graphic patterns that lined the runway and had been hand-silkscreened onto the flocked leather of a cropped jacket with sloped shoulders and sharp kilt. As we mustn’t forget chessboard dresses that clasped the body with a crisscross of checked bandages and coats in finest laser cut leather and the soft eruptions of feathers With this collection Burton didn’t hesitate to shy away from the fetishistic dramatics of McQueen’s technique and aesthetic. “I didn’t want to do ‘big’ gowns,” said Burton. “I wanted energy without froth.” The collection surely signified the more stricter side of McQueens aesthetic, which Burton proves effortlessly that she can be just as incisive with this collection as McQueen has been in the past. Commercial viability? Sure, why not. But rest assured the rather filtered “selling” line was left back in the showroom. There were great monochrome patterned coats, nipped leather jackets and kick-pleat kilts featured in the mainline collection that were wearable. ‘You reconnect with what it is you love to do,’ said Burton. The reconnection was surely clear and pristinely executed.
Miu Miu Clichés of femininity would describe the Spring 2014 collection Miuccia Prada showcased at Paris for Fashion Week. “Anything that is classic, a repeat in history, a genre of woman or clothes that always comes about,” defined the designer after her show. “Classics, classics of trash, classics of chic, classics of the good girl, classics of the bad girl.” The set of mismatched interiors — retro wallpaper, midcentury chairs egg-crate foam benches and checkered floors — related directly to the clothes. Miu Miu decided to change the pace as her counter parts were all advocates for women empowerment with a softer alternative for the line. Fitted jackets with rounded collars and big patch pockets done in jarring color combinations worn with lacy tights, lemon patent knee-high boots and a framed red granny bag was strong in its own way. The collection was full of creative color ways, interesting textures and playful prints concerning cats, fish and birds. Since Miu Miu is the little sister of Prada, there is no doubt this collection was a direct reflection of the younger sibling’s true customer. Prada steered clear of overlapping design aesthetics with the two brands veering Miu Miu off and out in the right direction. The collection is set to look ravishing in-stores. The collection makes a new major statement as it takes on a more girly theme. The major message in this collection was pastels. Miu Miu epitomizes quirky chic, earning the line enough attention to garner its own identity.
By Arriana Drakes