Sergio Rossi...fall 2011

Francesco Russo, the creative director of Sergio rossi, developed an amazing collection that brings us to a faboulous place that we can call in a lovely way "sergio's wonderland". The geometric shapes of the boots, butterflies everywhere and one or two ruches on each shoes made these shoes absolutely amazing.  The color are shining but not exaggerated and the shape of these shoes is not so "strange or innovative", everything is based on the details of decorations such as butterflies, ruffles or huge polka dots.

I do like that some shoes designer, brands, such as this one, decides not to develop the overall appearance of the shoes on shape or extravagance but on color, details and geometries. It's a great innovation because today there is the idea that if you want to be "innovative", anticonformist (speaking about shoes...) you have to create a strange, sculptured heel, or an extravagant shoes...This is cool, I love it but it's nice, too, when someone shows that's possible to be fashion, to create avant-garde without making shoes absolutely strange and, often, unwearable. 

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Posted in f/w 2011 , Francesco Russo , Sergio Rossi , shoes

Transparences....again?!

Transparences and PVC had a great diffusion, one of the chicest trend, in the s/s 2010. Prada is the most important brand that interpretated in the most beautiful and wearable way this trend. In the past was Chanel to create a "avant garde" and conceptual version of a bag. This bag, that belong to the f/w 2009, wasn't sold but a lot of magazines and blogs talked about it.

In this spring we see a lot of examples about this theme. Scognamiglio create a wonderful dress, with his caracteristic volumes, that it's not transparent but is made in PVC  and has some transparences in the right points. Commes des Garçons creates a nice jacket all transparent, the same "concept" is repurposed by Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum for the following winter: a transparent with some black details jacket. Chloè made some amazing shoes, too. In this case, even if the aesthethic is really beautiful, there is the big risk of condensation especially in spring or in the rainy days. 

Lanvin and Chanel use transparences in the heels and make a nice model that is perfectly wearable and trandy. However, I believe that the most wearable, commercial and fashion concept is the Dolce and Gabbana Miss Sicily bag, that is a well done product because it doesn't leave all exposed. In particular there is a transparent but is make softer with the macramè lace and the things that are inside the bag are not all showed  to the indiscretion of other people.

I believe a lot in this trend, because it's so fresh and perfect for spring season even if I hope that the progresses of science would help to develop "new materials" which can be transparent and avoiding, at the same time, the problem of condensation.

Images and shop on-line:
Net-a-Porter (Chloè)
Colette (CDG)
LuisaViaRoma (Lanvin and Dolce&Gabbana)
Chanel 
Vogue (Prada and Scognamiglio)

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Posted in Alber Elbaz , Chloè , Commes des garçons , Dolce and Gabbana , Francesco Scognamiglio , Hannah MacGibbon , Lanvin , Miuccia Prada , Rei Kawakubo

Rodarte...McQueen: wedges!

McQueen and Rodarte are absolutely two of the most important brands of our epoque. Both have an avant-garde and peculiar style that, sometimes, could be exaggerate and sometimes so lovely. In general, these two brands have different styles that have nothing in common.

However, in this case we can see a general concept that is shared by these two models. These wedges are amazing by a fashion point of view. In fact, the "constructed-heel" in a baroque and opulent style gives to the entire wedges an innovative appeal that makes these shoes unique in their style. The main feature of Rodarte wedges is the decoration on the silk and the use of wood: wood is the theme on which Rodarte’s s/s show was developed. Alexander McQueen, or better Sarah Burton, decides to use flowers (white, gold or black) as a heel. The general aesthetic is baroque, with some touches of a "gothic-romanticism" for McQueen and "Kirkwood's ones" for Rodarte.

So,  I don't think that we can speak of a "copy" but it’s better speaking about a common inspiration, a "small trend".

 I love the idea (that is characterizing the contemporary heels) to consider the heels as a “beautiful part” of the shoes and not simply a support for the overall accessory. In this way, the creativity, and so the designer, has more freedom and could create this art pieces.

Images:
Vogue
Net-a-Porter

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Posted in Alexander McQueen , Kate and Laura Mulleavy , Rodarte , s/s 2011 , sarah burton , shows

Spring prints...Tahiti and fruits!

Stella McCartney and Prada prints, for this spring are appearing in every editorial and almost everyone loves them. The chic appeal, the sense of summer and funny approach to fashion is abosolutely  gorgeus. Fashion magazines, fashion cities, fashions tores and fashion customers  in general are in big cities. It's difficult to find, for example, a Gucci boutique in the countryside. So, we need to leave the stress that is caused by the city life and the conformist elgance. The designers, as they only know how to do, abandon these schemes and purposed a wonderful trend. Gaultier in his Haute Couture decided to use "tahiti prints", taking inspiration from Mexico, and Just Cavalli too. Moschino follows the trends and the amazing thing is that every brand present its own interpretation of this concept (and this personal approach is something that sometimes brand forget and, unfortunately, they copy each other).

So for this spring the idea is beautiful but I hope that these tendance will be developed in the right way, maybe on the style of Stella McCartney (and not Cavalli...please!) that is the designer who shows the most elegant version of fruits print.

Images via:
Vogue

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Posted in Jean Paul Gaultier , Moschino , Prada , Rossella Jardini , s/s 2011 , Stella McCartney

Mary Katrantzou...s/s 2011!

Mary Katrantzou is a designer that is conquering the fashion world with her wonderful prints and her absolutely new and fresh style. 

I find on Net-a-Porter this amazing long dress, which close the s/s 2011 show, with a classic print of Mary and  two black sheer silk-chiffon ruched drapes at side. 

As you know, fringes are one of the trends of this s/s and a lot of brands such as Gucci, Balmain.... use this decoration. Those two chiffon pieces give to the dress a movement that is like the movement given by fringes but in a more "legant" and innovative way. Katrantzou styel is strange and sometimes could appear a bit exaggerate but I think that with this dress, or in general with her last shows, she is really improving her style and moving to a more elgant one. I hope that she will never abandon these amazing tridimensional prints which make her so unique and different from the other designers. 

 The dress is all realized in silk and, of course silk-chiffon.

Images and shop on-line:
Net-a-Porter

Complete collection:
Vogue Italia 

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Posted in dresses , Mary Katrantzou , Net-a-Porter , prints , s/s 2011

S/S 2011...Volumes and extravagant!

 Speaking about volumes, Japanese designers are very interesting and they are the best ones in making "extravagant clothes". Commes des Garçons' family (Tao, Rei, Junya) developed big volumes on skirt and top with, sometimes, asimmetry in a way that is absolutely innovative. Yamamoto, who normally uses long and slim silhouettes, decides to create a big knot that makes the coat just right for very convinced fashionistas. V&R are maybe the only designers who are able to develop such big volumes (think to that s/s where, quoting world economic crisis, they produced exagerate gowns with some "holes"...). 

However, Valli created nice volmes on skirts...but Margiela, the Belgian designer who influenced our fashion era in such an important way, designed a really "strange shirt". In particular the top looks like a flat squared which modifies at all the silhouette of woman body. It's  of course an important piece of design but I don't think that this could really have a commercial succes or being wearable. And CDG top is of course unwearable (this is only a good fashion creation), Viktor and Rolf are unwearable too, I think... So, Valli and Tao (unexpectedlyfor this last one...) are absolutely perfect in the right occasions.

Images via:
Vogue

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Posted in Commes des garçons , Giambattista Valli , Maison Martin Margiela , s/s 2011 , Tao Kurihara , Viktor-Rolf , Yohij Yamamoto