#fashion

————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness

————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness
(atwww.HeelsOnHigh.com)

Sexy reds!! Both available now at HeelsOnHigh ❤️❤️
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness (at www.HeelsOnHigh.com)

————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness (at www.HeelsOnHigh.com)

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness (at www.HeelsOnHigh.com)

✨✨MEGAN✨✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness (at www.HeelsOnHigh.com)

PAULETTE!!! Another one of my favorites for the fall!
You’ll love all the different textures in this shoe! This peep-toe, platform, heel is designed with a textured reptile print, along with a fuzzy fabric upper and patent vegan leather ankle strap. Finished with an adjustable buckle for the best fit possible.
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————✨www.HeelsOnHigh.com✨
————————————
#HeelsOnHigh #GetHeeled #WELUVWKNDS #ShoeWhore #ShoeAddict #Fashion #HighOnHeels #Shoeicide #FreeShipping #Orlando #Fashionistas #Shoeaholic #ShoesDay #SupportBlackBusiness (at www.HeelsOnHigh.com)

Met Gala 2015 - Best and Worst Dressed

After a long vacation from my blog - which I swear, it’s finished - I couldn’t help making my come back with a major red carpet event: the Met Gala Ball - not a case if it’s considered the Oscars of fashion.

This year the annual ball gave start to the exhibit ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ and stars gathered in New York to show the most amazing and bizarre set of dresses you could imagine. In the last year, I must admit, I was bored by how few people dressed badly for such events, but the Met Gala is definitely the occasion in which celebrities show their worst - and I couldn’t be more pleased.

BEST DRESSED

You know I always prefer starting from the three best dressed and leave the juicy part at the end. It was pretty easy to choose, actually: most of the stars opted for dresses which were inspired by Chinese art and tradition, and this translated into costume and embarrassing moments most of the times - though Lady Gaga and Fan Bingbing showed on the red carpet in beautiful maxi kimonos. There were only few who nailed it, and these are my top 3.

Kendall Jenner in Calvin Klein Collection
Every best dressed list needs at least one simple dress - that’s why I chose her instead of Bee Shaffer, beautifully dresses in a stunning burgundy Alexander McQueen gown. And usually the most simple and elegant dresses on the red carpet are by Calvin Klein collection - seriously, I realised there’s at least a CK gown in each one of my red carpet reports. Kendall is young, beautiful, one of the most successful models of the moment, and of course she couldn’t but choose a blingy dress with a sexy twist - the strings on the side showing the right amount of skin. Loved the turtleneck, which balances the naked parts. 
★★★+

Sienna Miller in Thakoon
Jacket +  trousers is always a good idea for a very formal red carpet: it never gets old and you’re pretty sure very few people are going to wear it. That’s why I’m obsessed with this fringed ruby red Thakoon ensemble. The black elements make the colour pop and give a sophisticated aura. 
★★★★+

Uma Thurman in Atelier Versace
I don’t know if it’s the dress of if it’s Uma, I only know the combination of the two is just OUTSTANDING. She looked like a goddess coming from the sky to show us how mediocre we all are. It’s a pretty traditional choice for a red carpet event, and you all know I don’t really like traditional, but in this case everything is too right not to be noticed: the crisp white lights up the red carpet, the asymmetrical shape flatters the body, the draping gives lightness and elegance. I wanna be Uma Thurman, FML.
★★★★★

WORST DRESSED

All the celebrities condemned to hell and fire - and Sarah Jessica Parker’s outfit was definitely on topic. All the celebrities we love, after all, because they’re brave enough to wear something awful - or maybe they’re just not conscious of what they’re doing. Most of all, all the celebrities who, with their outfits, inspire the web to create the most hilarious memes of the moment. I have four special mentions for the bottom 3 list, the four outfits which were really close to gain this ambitious prize and yet they were surpassed by celebrities who literally throw themselves inside the closet to get dressed for the event: Jamie Bochert who went for a cheap hooker style, Madonna with her obsession in promoting her album, which made her choose an outfit stating REBEL HEART on the skirt (awful) and Grimes, sporting a little LEOPARD dress which you can definitely find at Primark for £9.99 and last but not least, Donatella Versace looking more and more like a a Afghan hound.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Philip Treacy hat and H&M dress
She definitely won, together with Rihanna, the most exhilarating memes of the web for their crazy over-the-top outfits. It’s not even a problem of brand - after all, we had, during the past, celebrities rocking H&M’s dresses, from Natalie Portman to the US first lady Michelle Obama - and the bizarre headpiece she’s wearing could even be defined a piece of art - after all, it’s Philip Treacy’s. No, the problem is just that this black gown is TERRIFYING. It looks like some sort of rubbish bag with litter thrown over it. I love you, Carrie, but I’ve always preferred the other three girls of the bunch.
††††

Kerry Washington in Prada
Kerry is one of the hottest actress now and Prada is one of my favourite brands. It couldn’t go wrong. Unfortunately the stylist who worked on this look managed to create a Frankenstein from scratch. The colour is horrendous on this silhouette, everything is too much, from the embroideries, to the glossy silk, to the maxi bows on the shoulders. For every red carpet event there’s a celebrity looking like a birthday cake, and this time, I’m sorry, it was Kerry.
††††

Zendaya in custom Fausto Puglisi
Even if she didn’t make it to the memes - or at least, I haven’t seen it yet - she even managed to beat SJP. The top part is nice and sexy, but when you get to the skirt, here you have the problems. It’s sort of intimidating and frightening, looking like a UFO with mysterious signs on it and a long tale with patterns reminding of the Backgammon board. It looks heavy, old-fashioned, sort of a nice little dress turned into something suitable for a Halloween party. A cheap Halloween party.
†††††

I say goodbye to you all, but not before sharing with you the most perfect meme human mind has ever created.

Byeeeeee <3

xxx

Paris Fashion Week - Days 7, 8 & 9

Day 7

Asymmetry was the element used by Stella McCartney (photo 1) to explore fashion in her new collection. Asymmetry was in the panels of the beautiful dresses and jackets, asymmetry was in the cut resulting in amazing natural draping of the textile, asymmetry was in the mixing of prints - grey and paisley, for example.

Deconstruction can be researched in many ways - the one chosen by Sacai was through the use of materials with others which you would never think to put together. There were structured coats with the insertion of fake fur or panels of knitwear in pinstriped suits. And then ruffles and chiffon for the ‘feminine’ part. Quietly sneaking in the fashion week, Esteban Cortazar (photo 2) offered one of those collections you don’t see very often: short, very thoughtful, innovative in some cases but minimal. It was like ‘less is more’ and ‘more is more’ were possibly merged in a unique collection where black was the main colour, paired with other bright shades of red and yellow, where sheer fabrics were decorated by fringes and fringes became the only element constituting a whole skirt. A collection where curved cuts followed the lines of the body revealing what had to be revealed and concealing the rest. A very good surprise.

For Saint Laurent you wouldn’t think Hedi Slimane could become even more rock’n’roll, yet this collection proved all of us wrong. Starting from make-up, the hint was clear: it was hard rock. Ballerina skirts were structured in leather and paired to apparently sweet polka dots with biker jackets and super skinny trousers.

Day 8

I’m pretty sure whoever is lucky enough to attend a Chanel show (photo 3) gets shocked by how much creativity there can be in only one man - yes, I’m obviously talking about Karl Lagerfeld. A collection divided into two parts: the first half was clearly more avant-garde and experimental than the second one, more wearable, yet not less innovative and striking. In the first part Kaiser Karl played with textures, he gave us some origami sleeves, some extra-quilted coats and bombers, everything paired with very conservative tartan wool skirts and the usual tweed. The second part presented some very recognisable Chanel elements: one among others, the twin-set with hems in contrasting colours. Yet, what about the beautiful mosaic skirts? Or the floor-length knitted gowns, giving the body an extra-long and sophisticated shape with the maximum of comfort? Not to talk about the cute little dresses inspired by male tuxedo, with beautiful juxtaposition of layers of delicate materials. Exquisite.

Valentin Yudashkin knows what sexy means and showed it in his collection. Beautiful the multicoloured lace with flowers, leaves and animals. It’s impossible then not to love Valentino’s collection (photo 4) even when Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli don’t take a direction you would think extremely satisfying - and this was the case this time. The first part was unusual for Valentino: black and white, extremely structured pieces, graphic psychedelic quality of the prints. They actually played with psychedelia even in the second part, where the simple long shapes of the nearly Pre-Raphaelite dresses was the clearest sign of the latest Valentino aesthetic, this time revisited with a brightly coloured flowery lace. The coloured embroideries against the black background of such looks gave an even stronger optical impression.

If there’s someone who knows how to use materials - unconventional ones - that’s Iris Van Herpen (photo 5). It was amazing how she can translate beautiful feminine shapes, like cocktail dresses with round skirts or long evening gowns, into something new, still unseen, using metallic elements, silicon, or a fabric used in a way that makes it look like wood.

In Alexander McQueen’s collection decaying roses were the clearest metaphor for a theme which has been highly explored during this fashion month: death. Or time passing by, people getting old, life slipping through your fingers, just like a decaying flower. The slightly old-looking long dresses where stripes of chiffon were layered in a sort of ruffling seemed to convey that, as well as the beautifully sad cocktail dress with the skirt looking like a giant rose bouquet with burnt petals. Sarah Burton definitely knows how to continuously reinvent Alexander McQueen’s style. 

Day 9

The day opened with the new Nicolas Ghesquière’s collection for Louis Vuitton, where luxury and wearability went at the same pace, followed then by Masha Ma, who chose activewear lines for really simple knitted dresses and beautiful sexy tailleurs with folding skirts. The richness came from the fabrics. Awesome the black coats.

Moncler Gamme Rouge (photo 6) specialises in outerwear, but this time really proved it can go successful even in the most basic pieces of clothing. The vichy prints over riding coats, trench coats or quilted windbreakers, sometimes with lace patterns, are translated into skirts, blouses, everything in a very rigorous style. Loved the plastic coated pieces.

Minimalism which doesn’t give up on elegance and sophistication came from Allude, with beautiful knitted long-sleeved dresses with criss-crossing of panels and floor length giving height to the body, or manipulated white chiffon to look wearied, but still feminine and fashion-forward. Zuhair Murad (photo 7) was really amazing at translating his beautiful elegant long gowns into cocktail dresses with lace or tribal prints.

Every time you look at a Miu Miu fashion show (photo 8) it’s like watching little girls playing with their mothers’ clothes - of course those mothers rigorously wear Prada. And so you find tartan and pied-de-poule trench coats reinvented in a cheerful nearly childish way: flamboyant colours, insertion of snakeskin or whole little dresses made out of fake croco in neon yellow or sky blue. Beautiful the maxi-skirts with giant buttons.

xxx

Paris Fashion Week - Days 5 & 6

Day 5

The simplest you can get was definitely at Junya Watanabe’s (photo 1) - white shirts - with the most - aesthetically - complicated you can get - origami: together they made a wonderful match. Black and white was the essential palette, the pieces were manipulated beautifully: leather maxi-skirts looking like fish scales, amazingly constructed three-dimensional shapes for jackets, trousers, decorative elements, capes reminding of Chinese paper lamps. It was wonderland - and wonderful.

Superwoman is instead the first word you could think of in front of Tsumori Chisato’s collection (photo 2), where comics were the centerpiece. Amazing illustrations over cute A-line dresses or baseball jackets gave an atmosphere in between 60s and 70s. Loved the pieces where the comic inspiration was more subtle but still there, through shapes borrowed from graphic novels - like cloudy curved lines or spiked figures. At Vivienne Westwood’s (photo 3) Andreas Kronthaler’s t-shirt at the end of the show didn’t leave space for doubt - if ever there was any: this show was about the concept of unisex. Stilettos and fitted jackets or bustier for men, formal suits for women: roles were switched, but they were also mixed and reinvented. In the usual extravaganza of prints, the most interesting pieces were definitely the extremely oversize suits, changing from being formal pieces of clothing to a comfy streetwear choice.

With experimentation at its purest, Comme des Garçons (photo 4) never upsets. This time with all the lace, bows, white and brocade, I had the impression Rei Kawakubo wanted to talk about what happens behind the bedroom doors. I read some reviews talking about mourning, but I guess this mourning theme took over a little bit too much, both on the runways and in the reviewer’s minds. No, if there was mourning in this collection it was linked - as many times it’s done - to a very different yet close topic: sex. But it was sex in Kawakubo’s style: there was lace, but it was not used in a common way, it covered the body, nearly eating it, prevailing over it; bows did the same, covering every inch of the body. And then gold brocade, nothing more representative for the idea of luxury.

Basic silhouettes and the pairing of thick structured materials like plaid and leather with ethereal chiffon were the choice of Acne Studios. Beautiful the decorating maxi-stitches. It was then the last ready-to-wear collection for Viktor & Rolf (photo 5) before they completely dedicate their work to the couture - and you could actually see some couture in this collection. Brocade and metallic colours were rich but not actually the real couture moment of the collection; it was more about the structure and the perfect tailoring of shirts, with meters of ruffles and crenellated edges giving the impression of unfinished - yet, it’s perfectly finished and awesomely beautiful.

Day 6

Rei Kawakubo’s secondary line Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons opened the day and it was impossible not to imagine Asian schoolgirls wearing every single piece of this collection: from the Korean collars to the black Chinese-inspired dresses and the ensemble reminding of sailor uniforms - Sailor Moon was a Japanese manga and anime after all - Rei Kawakubo seemed to explore the world of Asian youth. Wonderful the insertion of activewear jackets among formal suits and little dresses. Couture activewear is possible, at least judging from Kenzo show (photo 6), where raincoats with bright-coloured stripes were paired with pieces with artsy details - materials manipulated to look like feathers, for example - and hi-tech fabric. Loved the flowery prints treated as camouflage.

Geometrical panels in different colours adorning extra-minimal pieces were the fil rouge for Céline collection (photo 7): slip dresses with extremely thin straps, trench coats where the focus was on the very tiny waist, duvet capes, delicately printed blouses and oversize ensembles in pure simple Céline style.

Maison Rabih Kayrouz used tiny little cuts to give some more personality to the full-coloured surface of these extremely minimal dresses, with beautiful knitwear in neutral colours, juxtaposition of layers of materials in different cuts and new innovative geometrical necklines. Long silhouettes could be found at Chloé, with a tiny tad of ruffles - which are always welcome in a 70s inspired collection. Beautiful the patchwork coats and the sexy deep cleavages showing the right amount of skin.

Akris chose horizontal lines reproposed in different ways: quilted, knitted, with a degrading effect given by the quality of a particular type of fur. Colours were never extreme: they went probably towards grey and white or cream, and even when there was black, it had a sort of powdery feel to it. Jean Paul Lespagnard (photo 8) wrapped his models in beautiful tartan or abstract-inspired coats, with exaggerated proportions and revisited construction - look at the coat in the photo and notice the beautiful idea of moving the line of the shoulder very low down the sleeve. Cropped trousers were then paired to multicoloured socks, in a collection where the attention for details was essential.

Amazingly young and successful was Kolor’s collection (photo 9). I particularly loved the oversize shapes, the duvet coats, asymmetrical skirts and then the amount of sweaters with interesting details, paired with pleated conservative skirts or the plain white blouses with giant maxi-skirts at the bottom. Grand finale with Givenchy (photo 10) where a sort of dark past was readable in the looks conceived by Riccardo Tisci. Starting with black velvet and going through high necklines, conservative silhouettes, lace, dévorée fabrics, everything seemed to take you far away to the Victorian Age. There was a great deal of modernity though, especially in the subtle sexiness highlighted by naked shoulders and see-through textiles.

xxx

Paris Fashion Week - Days 3 & 4

Day 3

What was exciting in Roland Mouret’s nice wearable collection was the little details, the juxtaposition of prints and especially the necklines, taking geometrical shapes and giving a new fresh direction to the little dresses. In the wonderland of Manish Arora, then, ‘Winter is coming’, as it was written in different ways on many of the looks and as it understandable from the little hints spread here and there, like the prints depicting a deer or other 'winter’ scenes - despite of the flowers adorning some other looks. There was gold, there were big sweaters with phantasmagoric patterns, there were studs decorating the hems and the accessories. 

Architecture was the focus of Paco Rabanne (photo 1) collection, not only because of the buildings and structures depicted on some hoodies and sweaters, but also because it was visible in the quality of the looks: waists were moved higher, tightened and balanced by wide bottom parts and very long and oversize sleeves; when the material used wasn’t as thick as neoprene and wool, lines transversally crossing the body gave the idea of structure, with chiffon acting as a window sexily showing the body. Classic glam was instead Balmain’s main style choice (photo 2). If you’re looking for something in particular, you could probably find it in this collection. It was classic but in a badass way, which made me think of the power collections of the 90s rocked by top models on the runway. There were fringes and lurex, gold and bright colours. What I liked the most were the contrasts: colour blocking, as well as contrasts of materials - pleated chiffon and glossy silk - with some fun twists - coloured lace as an example. 

Dark, frightening, regal at the same time was the collection presented by A. F. Vandevorst (photo 3). There was a sort of algid quality to the black, grey and sometimes white dresses, with ruffled fringes, layers of fabric, exaggerated proportions. Loved the trousers inspired by boots with strings and the wrinkled fabric.

Rick Owens proposed a pattern and explored it in countless ways: neutral colours, with some hint of gold, cape, tight waist broadening at the bottom, straight lines. A master of construction and of experimentation, beautiful the fabrics gently wrapping the body. Christian Wijnants sent down the runway beautiful African-inspired prints for long wrapping dresses, leaving place then to woolen coats in egg shapes and ensembles with ethereal transparent fabrics.

Africa was also presente in Lanvin (photo 4), precisely Morocco, Alber Elbaz’s motherland. It was definitely the inspiration this time, even if he didn’t give up on the elegance which distinguishes Lanvin as a brand: beautiful long black gowns were revisited with the use of fringes - it seems fringes are the new black, they’re everywhere! - thin ropes hanging from the body, stripes, a little chiffon, brilliant colours paired with gold. Everything contributed to give movement. Gosia Baczynska (photo 5) developed her collection around a common aesthetic theme: brocade. The pattern was repurposed in several versions, with normal brocade, or quilted, or even through cut-outs, embroidered, alternated to total black silk looks. Amazing the last pieces with an iridescent fabric beautifully reflecting the light. Electric.

Day 4

Another strong, bold collection for Loewe (photo 6) was designed by J.W. Anderson. Trousers were the real protagonists of this collection, in tweed, a masculine fabric which can become the king of the female wardrobe - as Chanel taught us well. But there were also long dresses and pleated skirts, sweet and cool at the same time. My favourite pieces were the coats, reinvented to look less stiff, slightly oversize to give a little draping movement to the ensemble.

In Chalayan’s show men and women were walking together down the runway, both wardrobe looking as one: maxi-zippers over windbreakers, a lot of black, skinny fit trousers. In the most feminine looks different types of fabric were put together with the use of little chains or in a 'patchworky’ style. Texture was instead the main theme of Issey Miyake collection (photo 7), where three-dimensionality was explored in different ways. Fabrics with difference of texture underlined by different colours, graphic patterns all over the body giving the impression of depth, stripes with maxi-pleats. Everything was new, everything was flawless.

Multicoloured threads decorating the body with sinuous lines were the focus of Julien David’s collection, threads forming graphic and optical patterns with a strong impression of movement. The collection at Christian Dior this time, instead, was more aggressive than feminine, and this is not usually the case with the maison - even if the brand definitely has an edgy side too. Latex for boots was enhanced by dark total looks, cocktail dresses with lines reminding of classic Dior but in a toned-down femininity, or bright maxi-prints - leopard in acid tones - metallic textiles and showing of skin - but never too much. 

When everyone is saying flares are coming back in fashion again, Isabel Marant seems to reply NO. All her trousers were leggings-like super skinny pieces flattering the body and showing the curves, paired with knitted turtlenecks with a sporty vibe or feminine ruffled chiffon tops, evoking the last ethereal pieces. There was no doubt, instead, that eternal beauty was the theme under Undercover collection (photo 8). From the plastic masks over the models’ faces mimicking plastic surgery to the paintings of children over some of the dresses, everything seemed to go to that direction. The clothes, never too bright, seemed to conceal the body more than showing anything: oversize shapes, layering of fabrics draped and tied around the body, just few instances of thin waists and slim fit.

I expected more from John Galliano at Martin Margiela. Everything was a little bit too confused, but I loved the camel-toned coats manipulated in various ways. Nothing like that Balenciaga (photo 9), after which I could breathe easy as Alexander Wang proved again to be one of the most interesting designers around - remember I didn’t like his collection for his eponymous brand? This time, it was classic reloaded: egg-shaped coats, pencil skirts, cute fitted jackets, very classic old-fashioned pieces with extremely modern details. The different items looked stapled more than sewn together, the dresses and jackets are completely studded, giving them an edgy look, at the same time elevated by sophisticated details like the brooches with the initials of the great master, Cristóbal Balenciaga.

The idea of Japan is a fixed obsession for Yohji Yamamoto (photo 10). You could see it in the yards of fabric wrapping the body in shapes which only remotely reminded kimonos, yet they were an obvious reference, using colours like black and blood red. Tailored looks immaculately constructed showed Yamamoto can also go very Western-like, with a touch of masculine style.

Off-White awesomely reinvented 70s vibe, with leather and sheepskin jackets paired to classic cut beige trousers freshened by the insertion of a little print. Beautiful the last printed ensemble paired with Timberland-like boots.

xxx

Paris Fashion Week - Days 1 & 2

The last fashion week, Paris, started three days ago to say bye to fashion lovers with its amount of innovation, craziness and fantasy put into clothes. Let’s see these first exciting two days.

Day 1

Léa Peckre (photo 1) chose to explore deconstruction and reconstruction. And what better way to do it if not tailoring? Beautiful jackets with separate panels forming a structured piece or patchwork skirts with raw hems underlining the different parts were the strong pieces of this collection.

The most ironic - if there’s one - versione of death and mourning was at stake in Dévastée collection, full of humour and lightness. Total black was lit up by white chiffon over simple short dresses and long tops, with prints depicting graveyards, gravestones and ghosts with smiling faces. It was the idea of youth as a period so far away from death that can even dare laugh at it. Brilliant. Anrealage (photo 2) started its show with a first part in total black where the powdery white of the centre of the looks seemed to be as an escamotage to make everything look even more black with its difference of tone. Genial the use of the two contrasting colours (b&w) to explore the theme of light: it was translated into simple military-like woolen coats, or knitwear, even as a mosaic degrading from pure white to grey and the blackest black. The second part was surprisingly…colour. It made it more complete, the prints hit by limelights enhanced the power of the light showing the strong contrast with the part of the looks still drenched in darkness.

AtJacquemus show (photo 3) you probably felt like it was an exhibit of contemporary art where the focus was on form. It was like an analysis on the power of cut, intended literally as the thing you do with a pair of scissors. That explains a lot: it explains the half-naked models sent down the runway, it explained the cut-out pieces of fabric covering some of the models’ faces as well as the ‘second face’ drawn next to the real face of some other models. And it also explains the aesthetic of the looks: different materials cut into geometrical or more irregular shapes covering the body through the use of strings, bows, knots, creating a new never-seen-before wardrobe.

Coperni Femme delivered a total collection: an ideal wardrobe where basic pieces were mixed with more conceptual and unique others, where the real innovation came from details - sometimes even not so subtly: a coat with petal-like shapes juxtaposed giving the idea of movement, very long sleeves, or menswear pinstripe fabric for a very feminine little dress.

Day 2

At Lemaire focus was on the shoulders: big, strong, underlined by necklines which let them naked and sexily showing. Coats and strapless dresses were the key-pieces of such a collection. Cédric Charlier (photo 4) married a vague American sportswear 'cheerleadish’ vibe in the silhouettes and in the pleated skirts, in the lengths taken a little more than above the knee, to an elegant appeal, made of contrasting shades never too bright or in-your-face: there was navy blue with bordeaux, green and black. It was simple, yet successful: loved the choice of materials, giving structure to the little cocktail dresses and short jackets.

Grounded Glamour was the name of Dries Van Noten’s collection (photo 5), and it immediately spoke to you from the very first look: there was brocade with beautiful golden embroideries, paired with military-like ensemble in oversize shapes and neutral colours, a little lived-in looking. It was the description of a brand wanting to dress with opulence the people of today, with their needs coming from living in an urban jungle. Always glam.

Rochas (photo 6) was a roller coaster between conservative shapes and details and sexiness to its extreme sophistication. Conservative were the colours, with a chain of looks in brown, reminding old coats worn by poor people in the years of the war maybe - that’s what it made me think, actually - conservative were the shapes, with long straight-lined dresses with short puff sleeves, conservative were the details, very high necklines closed by bows. The collection was cheered up now and then by a flame of brightness, like the yellow of the dress in the photo. Sexy was instead the black chiffon, covering and showing the body at the same time, beautifully decorated by delicate prints of birds and leaves. 

An architectural collection came from Aganovich (photo 7). The fabric and its cure were the real protagonists. Pinstripes, white, black and white tweed-like fabric designed new innovative lines crossing the body and manipulating the body’s silhouette. Sometimes they were sharp like knives, sometimes rounded, following the body lines. The result was always a harmonic movement of shapes structuring the body like a sculpture.

An interesting theme was explored in Alexis Mabille’s collection, all about the idea of knotting and the crossing of lines, brought through every look of the collection in different ways: sometimes it was the detail of two fabrics tied together, sometimes it was about strings crossing the dress, sometimes it was translated into print.

xxx

Milan Fashion Week - Day 5 & 6

Very few collections were in my opinion worth talking about in these last two days, and I’ll be honest: I was disappointed by this Milan Fashion Week this year. Pity, as usually it’s my favourite moment of the fashion year, but as a reviewer my judgments should be completely unbiased. Now let’s see who got it right.

Day 5

Marni delivered straight lines, kimono shapes made vibrant by abstract and flowery prints, even the lace became simple and a subtle decoration for this collection where the luxury part was in the insertion of fur pockets and in the neckline. Laura Biagiotti took inspiration again from her favourite theme: the Roman empire. You could see it in the ‘twisting’ patterns, especially in the first awesome part in which it was played around the different tones of grey, in the column stylised on some of the dresses, as well as in the strong shoulders, underlined by the use of fur, and the embroidered fronts of the tops, where studs gave an impression of armour. But you could also see it in the beautiful, floor-length evening gowns: modern goddesses, that’s what these models looked like.

MSGM (photo 1) took the concept of three-dimensional to the next level in such a simple way it’s impossible to understand why not everyone does the same. First with big knots just below the neckline, then with decorative patterns over tops and trousers, it continued with full bright contrasting colours: lemon yellow with electric blue, a particularly flamboyant shade of orange. Not sure if I liked the three-quarter length of the trousers, but in general it came up very strongly.

All the stripes and lines in Salvatore Ferragamo collection really reminded me of Missoni. I loved the fact that the theme was not researched in an expected way: stripes are not only those of colourful patterns, but also those given by a particular type of knitwear, or those - I guess it was a trompe-l'oeil effect - of the pleating of skirts. Silhouettes were back to those of the 40s, simple, functional, toned down, but colours exploded in the last graphic part with optical prints. I loved that most of the pieces in Trussardi collection were leather, even the ones you would never expect: slip dresses, jumpsuits - my favourite ones - cocktail dresses. The colour palette was really classic, based especially on brown, which is after all the most natural colour for leather. 

You know I don’t like animal prints - especially zebra, but who does? - blingy/tacky clothes, in general I don’t like when there’s too much going on. In this case there was DEFINITELY too much going on, but it was like they found the way to make it work and show a certain polished quality to the looks which made everything like an ironic game. It was definitely a collection which could make you laugh, impossible to list all the colours, the prints, the materials used. It was infused with a sort of 70s attitude which was not pushed too far. It’s the last word you would think to associate to such a collection, but it felt like it was balanced.

Impossible not to laugh at the ode to mothers of Dolce & Gabbana (photo 2). They translated their signature elements - black lace, black chiffon, bright-coloured embroideries, silhouettes taking inspiration from traditional everyday clothes from the South of Italy - for a figure which is definitely one of the most important in  a person’s life: mum. It’s like an inspiration coming from THE inspiration, the first and foremost in your life. I would have done without the writings on skirts and dresses, but the children drawings in embroideries or prints gave the entire collection an aura of innocence which no one could resist. Once again Dolce & Gabbana proved they can be inspired by something as simple as not so much thought-about: who would ever think of going so literal on such a theme? Beautiful.

Day 6

Western inspiration for two designers coming from the West - Dsquared2 (photo 3) designers are Canadian. It was like a Western film actually: there were the Indians, with ethnic prints, big ponchos and fur coats, as well as the beautiful girls seducing men in the saloons, with ruffled dresses, exaggerated proportions down the waistline - translated here into more modern trousers and jeans - and a cocky attitude which definitely suits Dean and Dan Caten’s type of woman.

The brush of colour crossing one of the first pastel-coloured looks at Giorgio Armani (photo 4) set you already for some pops of colours here and there. They were not very bright though, and this was the focus of this collection: understatement, which, if you know a minimum about fashion, is not a new thing for Armani. This time the colour palette was really subtle: it went towards light blue, grey, some nudes. Folding, juxtaposition of materials, see-through with ethereal chiffon: it was mysterious, it was fascinating.

xxx

Milan Fashion Week - Days 3 & 4

Day 3

I start my review with Emporio Armani (photo 1), with a slight inspiration coming from Asia, with lines similar to the kimono translated into Armani language. Maxi-buttons were placed on the side, shiny silk brocades gave a little light to the looks, ruffles everywhere and just one very bright colour, red, together with grey and black. Sportmax (photo 2) always finds a good compromise between wearability and fashionability. It was great because the details that made the clothes simple made them also remarkable: the raw cuts of the little dresses, wool in neutral shades used for the beautiful coats closed by just one string, straight lines and basically no decorations at all.

This time I didn’t like the prints in Etro collection - guess in some cases it reminded me of Desigual, which I hate - but I recognise this is a matter of taste. It wasn’t a bad collection, but overall that’s the problem: it was just nice. Too many dresses looked as the same, the only successful ones in my opinion being the ensemble top + trousers and the ones in the shiny tones of gold. Iceberg (photo 3) was instead a grower for me. It started looking like another ‘normal’ collection but it wasn’t: when you start noticing the three-dimensional quality of the few prints, or the focus on the extremely tight waist, with high-waisted sort of trousers which are maybe more leggings than pants, in neutral tones, or the wool multi-coloured skirts paired with immaculately made white blouses, well, it wins you over.

How I like experimentation with fabrics! The great strength of Marco De Vincenzo’s collection (photo 4) was, first of all, the extremely wide variety of materials: there was leather, sheepskin, denim, wool, velvet. And then the interesting manipulation of these materials: criss-crossing in contrasting shades, fringes, fur patchwork. It was a total collection. Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini (photo 5) had period elements with 70s vibe: the ruffles, the bows, the white lace meets high-waisted slightly flared trousers, chiffon maxi-dresses, bright colours like blood orange, with some much more modern twists - shorts with printed sweaters and tiny jackets in flowery patterns.

There were definitely too many idea in Versace collection. The glam look is becoming old, and the only looks I really appreciated were the black ones with slits revealing slashes of amazingly bright colours: lemon yellow, fiery red. I also save the little dresses with the puzzle of greek prints - signature of the brand - declined in different colours. For the rest, it’s a no no. Bally chose instead classic shapes revisited with a touch of irony: colour blocking, oversize croco trousers, bright accessories.

Day 4

Ermanno Scervino (photo 6) presented a collection which was already successful after the first few white quilted dresses in which the quilt creatively formed a pattern. It then went on with a chain of sophisticated blue looks, with dreamy and romantic shapes. Beautiful the gowns closing the show, inspired by the 40s and still linking the brand to its signature elegant style.

Creativity takes over again at Antonio Marras (photo 7) and the result is always fabulous. Colours veered towards pastel shades, but shapes are much more rigorous and structured: square-shaped oversize coats with prints inspired by abstract and deco art, referencing the beautiful lace used throughout the collection, mixed with velvet or juxtaposed on the other colours to create beautiful graphic effects.

I chose that outfit in the photo for Gabriele Colangelo (photo 8) because it represents, in my opinion, the very core of this amazing collection: a pair of wool blend grey trousers and a simple woven panel as a top. The woven panel was the real fil rouge connecting the whole collection and was present over dresses, coats, trousers, skirts. Wonderful idea that of the insertion of colours in the final part, fuchsia being the main tone. Fur added that little bit of opulence giving character to an already perfect collection.

xxx

Milan Fashion Week - Days 1 & 2

Milan is currently hosting Fashion Week, and as I’m living there I can tell you: the city breathes and lives fashion! Let’s see together these first two days of fashion week.

Day 1

Genny went sexy this time, with total see-through crossed by lines forming geometrical shapes. Beautiful the white and gold pieces.

Himalaya is definitely Stella Jean’s latest inspiration (photo 1), as we’ve seen in her menswear collection - and she actually translated some of the prints she used for menswear here for this new exciting collection. Useless to talk about print when it’s Stella Jean: that’s her signatur, we know that, we love that. Last season I wished she would change something in her design which was becoming repetitive; now I can say I’m happy with this collection. I loved the puff skirts in plaid, the warm pullovers and the beading made of pearls, little jewels, fringes… I even saw a more sophisticated attitude in her tartan trench coats.

Luisa Beccaria’s collection was about modern Cinderellas, and you could actually feel that romantic atmosphere in these clothes inspired by lady-like shapes and the most classic of gowns and feminine desires: a pale golden long evening gown with no decoration but just its simplicity; cute little caps; chiffon blouses, blingy cocktail dresses.

Gucci (photo 2) is still recognisable as Gucci, so we can breathe easy. I admit, after the beautiful menswear collection I saw in January I expected more from the new appointed creative director Alessandro Michele, but there were still many very valid elements. For example, it was slightly more daring than usual: some models were basically walking down the runway with completely sheer ensemble - without wearing bras, of course. It continued on the gender-crossing mission, and some looks could be definitely worn by either men or women. Yet, there was something missing, that je-ne-sais-quoi which still doesn’t convince me completely. But Gucci is on the right track.

Every designer draws inspiration from the remote past from time to time - Alberta Ferretti (photo 3) did it now. Renaissance was visible in these total white lace looks, or in the brocade-like coats and trousers lightened by golden threads against the black background. I particularly appreciated the white blouses, being the pieces in which the detailing is at the same time the most subtle and the most intricate and sophisticated. I also liked No. 21 collection (photo 4), and the only negative thing I can say about it is that I still need to find that fil rouge connecting the different styles in it. Overall, though, I was completely blown away by the pixeled landscape print and the dozens of ruffles architecturally placed around the body covered by the white coats and jackets looking like white paper.

Fausto Puglisi’s style doesn’t suit me personally, but I recognise the strength in it, a sort of kitsch attitude combining very distant things together, gold and zebra print, elegant shapes and urban style. Francesco Scognamiglio’s show (photo 5) started with extremely simple black silk dresses, and I was already in love. It takes guts to give start to a runway show with extreme simplicity. It kept that way throughout the collection, with some highs of sexiness and sweetness some times, romantic shapes and ethereal fabrics gently and swiftly following the body lines.

The principle ‘sport, sport, sport’ is taking Brunello Cucinelli as well, so much that he decided to match activewear shapes with hyper soft furs for this new collection. And I’m sure this can make a trend.

Day 2

Max Mara proposed effortless looks with effortless shades in effortless shapes: coats lost all the decorations, even buttons were invisible; shades veered towards sand, beige, cream; beautiful the quilted sweater coordinated with the quilted silk coat. Even more basic was the direction taken by Les Copains, yet there was a sober atmosphere which gave space to the very small details: jewel brooches, the soft quality of materials, colours declined in different very similar shades building a tonal architecture which gave depth and structure to the clothes.

Fendi (photo 6) went slightly alternative. Younger and fresher than usual, it started with loud white ensembles in candid leather which lit up the runway completely. It went on with very innovative elements: the duvet of the coats used to create total duvet dresses, maxi-coats with strong shoulders, oversize furs wrapping the body.

It’s official: I like Roberto Cavalli’s secondary line, Just Cavalli (photo 7). It’s becoming much more polished, elegant and animal prints are disappearing or are translated into something more graphic and less predictable. It was Cavalli anyway: the fur, the feathers, the edgy attitude of his woman, everything was there as proof that you can keep your style without necessarily going tacky. The one thing I loved about this collection was the extreme variety of the offer: there were little dresses in total black, maxi furs, studded jackets, mini skirts…

Miuccia abandoned the black she embraced during last season and for menswear, and she went back to her first love for this Prada (photo 8) collection: colour. And crazy prints as well. Everything looked like being made of neoprene, but then I read Tim Blanks’s review and saw that he missed the 'joke’ as well: it wasn’t neoprene, but double-faced jersey. Magician Miuccia pulled another rabbit from her magic hat. And so she went on, with irony, mimicking tartan and tweed prints, mixing colours, showing that something new in fashion can still be created.

Cristiano Burani presented a cool collection with an edgy and activewear twist: bomber jackets in fur, coloured stripes everywhere, black leather and glossy plastic for mini-skirts. Daniela Gregis knows how to be a conceptual designer without giving up on wearability. Research on cut and colour was central: peek-a-boo elements opening a window on brushes of colours looking like painted on a canvas. Black serving as the contrast against which opposing the whole rainbow.

Byblos Milan opened its show with shocking pink and colour blocking, which could trick you into thinking you were going to assist to an explosion of tones. That was not the case: colours were used to lit up the main shade, which was definitely black. Black made electric by blue, black made bright by the match with the most classic white, black being sexy as pattern on sheer fabric against the naked skin. And then Moschino came. The first looks really made me hope that Jeremy Scott was over the references to pop culture - which I like, but you know, you have to change if you want to stay hot in fashion. Then it started with another of his obsessions: cartoons. This time it was Looney Tunes, but the formula was the same: blingy accessories, shapes and types borrowed from football, basketball, sport in general. But it wasn’t even cartoons: it suddenly went to what we can easily call the new 'mascotte’ of Moschino, the teddy bear. And then graffiti. It was definitely too much - but is it a praise or a critique for a designer whose motto can easily be summed up by 'more is more’? Anyway, my favourite part was definitely this last one: I didn’t even think Scott could be able to conceive such elegant traditional shapes. Reinvented through the colourful graffiti though. Yes, I would have definitely loved to see some more of that, it would have made Moschino collection one of the best so far. 

I was in love with Ports 1961 (photo 9) as soon as I saw the first photo of this new collection. After that, I couldn’t get over it anymore. Beautiful the grey ensemble with the maxi-knot in front, being the detail which turned around a whole look. And then it went on with ethereal fabrics, looking like made of nothing, the beautiful draping of some gowns - bravely paired with slippers - decoration to the minimum: even the simplest thing can look great.

Marcelo Burlon County of Milan closes my first review for MFW, and I can say alternative futuristic fashion lovers have found their guide in Milan. Everything was over-the-top without being bad taste: graphic prints, silver fabric looking like space suits, exaggerated proportions.

xxx