Paris Fashion Week: Jean Paul Gaultier AW13

ean Paul Gaultier decided to present next season’s collection in his historical home, the Salle Wagram, where we saw some of his most memorable collections of the eighties and nineties – around the time when Madonna and the conical bras designed for her launched him into the fashion limelight. 

Like invitations, the choice of location can also lend itself as a foreword to the collection, and from this choice it would be safe assume there will be some sort of trip down memory lane – that it was.

There were long, flowing pleated skirts, modified marinière stripes and a myriad of furs in the form of coats and trenches. The pointy bra did of course make an appearance in shapely peplum jackets, though this time it was more akin to body armour. 

Doused in nostalgia, the collection had a punk-esque, glam rock vibe to it as the models sported scruffy David Bowie slash Ziggy Stardust mullets and layers of leather. As a whole it felt more like variations of his iconic pieces as opposed to a fun, new take on them - simply put, it was a reel of his heyday moments in fashion.

Images: Style.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I regularly contribute.

Paris Fashion Week: Comme des Garçons AW13

Push it and push it even further. This is what Rei Kawabuko does season after season. This time however she takes us to infinity, or to be more precise, “the infinity of tailoiring,” as said by the Japanese designer herself. 

Presented in a warehouse in the lively arrondissement of Le Marais where creatives sleep, the catwalk was tight and compact, bringing the audience as close to the model as possible. The suits – with the term used very loosely, for Kawabuko’s creations closer to pieces of art – featured cascading swatches of fabric, rosettes, bows and swelling shapes, which are in fact built into the very nature of the suits themselves as opposed to mere decorations. 

Volume and silhouette – also at the root of many other notable collections in addition to tailoring – were blown out of proportion with meaty shoulders, ballooning sleeves and protruding waistbands from both front and back to the point where models had to precariously turn to the side to let the other pass.

The ensembles came in Prince of Wales check, houndstooth and City-Boy pinstripes, all in monochrome. To begin with. Then came the eye-smacking prints bursting with colour, which were designed by outsider artist Daniel Michiels, all in tailoring as abstract and deconstructing as before. One could say the final colourful pieces were a reminder that life really is not black and white. And it goes without saying fashion, too.

Images: Style.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I regularly contribute.

Paris Fashion Week: Acne Studios AW 13

Avant-garde and urban contemporary designs have always been at the forefront of Acne Studios, and this season is no different. After showing in London for a number of seasons, Acne decamped to Paris this time creating a collection that takes apart fashion as we know it and celebrating its rich history.

Jonny Johansson embarked on a tripartite collaboration together with Musée Galliera, Paris’ fashion museum, and Katerina Jebb, whose speciality lies in innovative photographic techniques creating photomontages. Enamoured with the insides of the antique clothing, Jebb scanned these to be used as prints for collection, lending it an abstract air. 

There was a focus on tailored and deconstructed silhouettes, paired with flowing layers. Suit jackets were accented with metallic leather patches, trousers were baggy with exaggerated turn-ups and outerwear came in the season’s favourite oversized proportions. Though brutal and harsh in shape, the colour palette softened the looks with coral tones and cerulean blue.

There was certainly a great deal going on in the collection and may appear lacking in focus at some points, but that was the point – to be experimental and brutal with it – which was met with a thunder of applause.

Images: Style.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I regularly contribute.

Paris Fashion Week: Balmain AW13

Olivier Rousteing revelled in the spirit of couturiers like Paul Poiret, Christian Lacroix and of coursePierre Balmain, all of whom took Paris by storm in the late 70s. Even if you put them all together, the result still wouldn’t match the exuberance of the young designer’s collection. 

Rousteing is renowned for his love of extreme silhouettes, and this season he embraces it even further to unfathomable limits. Sharp and defined shoulders lead to even more defined waists before flaring out yet again into billowing harem trousers and draped miniskirts – the perfect balance and complement to the hourglass figure. 

Embellishments were heavy in detail – quilted leather was encrusted with jewels, while strips of leather were woven into an enlarged check resembling tweed. Some of the tailoring leaned a bit too much on the stiff side, though this was balanced with draped silk charmeuse miniskirts and fuzzy angora knits. The collection may seem over-the-top and a bit too bling-bling, but if anyone can make it work, it’s Rousteing.

Images: Style.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I regularly contribute.

Yiqing Yin Spring Summer Couture 2013

Chinese-born French designer Yiqing Yin delivered an avant-garde collection, channelling Russian architect Naum Gabo’s kinetic art influences through a number of her pieces. The collection saw dresses sculpted from thick, dark red ropes, through to delicate numbers with contrasting thread-work hanging on the body like second skin – reminiscent of the blood-pumping network of veins that keep us alive.

Yin maintained the decorative and constructed display with skilled pleated constructions via intricate silhouettes ranging from two-piece suits to plunging mini-dresses. The notable theme of thread-work extended as far as partially covering models’ faces with long silver strands right through to the finale – a shredded shroud encasing and transforming the model into an almost otherworldly being.

Images courtesy of fashionising.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I contribute regularly.

On Aura Tout Vu Spring Summer Couture 2013

With a name that means “you think you’ve seen it all”,  design duo Livia Stoianova and Yassen Samouilov begin the show with what initially appears an absence of their signature sparkle. We are instead presented with tame prints which gradually evolve into full shine and shimmer – perhaps a reflection on their growth after having celebrated ten years of couture just last season.

The collection sees inspiration taken from spring fauna, namely the beetle, which heavily influenced designs throughout.  The duo’s totem animal is used to its full capacity – transparent PVC sleeves reminiscent of the hind wing, shoulders and necklines with collars are sharp and angular, while elytra embellishments are from the beetles themselves. 

The upper body saw tailored volumes, particularly to the shoulders – a common theme so far during Couture Week - along with revealing lower halves, while gowns were balanced with fitted iridescent bodices and floor-sweeping skirts. While perhaps not the most haute compared to their couture counterpart, the show comprised of interesting pieces avoiding the common flora cliché of the season.

Images courtesy of fashionising.com

My piece above is published on www.theglassmagazine.com where I contribute regularly.