February 2012
88 posts
5 tags
Versace RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Sheesh. I’m a little scared. The Versace girl has taken a bit of a turn towards darkness – a ground explored rarely by Gianni or Donatella in the years of Versace. Rooney Mara must have had in influence. Those short bangs, putridly smokey eyes and turtlenecks are surely an interpretation of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.
Not to worry, there were still outrageously bright yellow and orange...
12 tags
Jil Sander RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Raf Simons showed his last show for Jil Sander today. I am just as surprised, shocked and saddened with this news as most of the fashion industry was. Simons was pure genius at Jil Sander. He was the life and spirit of the house, and created work which was true perfection. Anna Wintour led a standing ovation for the designer, at what was possibly one of the most emotional shows Milan has had in a...
10 tags
Fendi RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
There is an obnoxious focus on modern times in the house of Fendi. I mean this in the nicest way possible, of course. Perhaps it is the strongly-viewed Karl Lagerfeld who banned any references to other times in the Italian fashion house, for this collection was the ultimate futuristic invention. And while looking at the daunting future, the Fendi hybrid-girl took a leaning towards warrior chic...
10 tags
Prada RTW Fall/Winter 2012
Miuccia Prada showed a menswear collection only a month ago which astounded the fashion world. It played with ideas of tradition and power, and featured clothes of perfection. A cast of models and quite a few male superstars stomped down that runway, in what received my award for best show of Milan FW. After that enormous triumph, what on earth was Miuccia Prada going to do next?
Well, she...
8 tags
Gucci RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
After a spectacular menswear collection this season, Frida Giannini took the same style, theme and show and gave it a feminine spin. The sumptuous velvets and baroque prints were still there, with the dark colour palette – yet instead of the 1960’s hooligan youth vibe of menswear, the woman seen in this show was more a 70’s Cold War villainess, with an underlying current of 19th Century...
8 tags
New York RTW Fashion Week Review
Possibly the best New York fashion week I have seen. Everyone knows how much of an influence young designers have on New York, and now they are finally starting to mature and grow as designers. Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Jason Wu, and the girls at Rodarte all showed much more improved collections. They are starting to expand their businesses and explore new things, which is the reason NYFW was...
16 tags
New York Fashion Week: The Accessories
Shoe: At Rodarte this week, the Mulleavys were inspired by the cinematic landscape of Australia. The shoes throughout the collection were truly amazing, inspired by pocketknives and the layered sand you would find in the desert. These shoes have a clear heel which is filled with the different sand layers, so you can take a little piece of Australia wherever you go. Not to mention that amazing...
3 tags
Ralph Lauren RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Downton Abbey, definitely the most successful costume drama of the last decade, has brought the 1890’s-1920’s period to attention in the fashion world. Other designers this week have taken inspiration from this beautiful era, such as L’Wren Scott, yet Ralph Lauren did it best.
This theme couldn’t have fit Ralph Lauren’s aesthetic any better. With his old English sporty style, and his eye for...
6 tags
Marc Jacobs RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Marc Jacobs. Fashion’s greatest showman.
Honestly, at times I think Marc must be the one thing keeping New York fashion week alive. Ideas such as “Wizard of Oz” and “Charles Dickens” were thrown about by the spectators. It indeed was a romantic, melancholy, operatic, sad, dreamy fantasy. Throw in a thousand more adjectives while you’re at it, because it is impossible to pin down a description of...
8 tags
Calvin Klein Collection RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Could this possibly be? A change in runway for CK? Believe it or not, Calvin Klein Collection may be making its way out of the slump it had last year. Menswear was a success for this season, and for Ready-to-Wear we saw some progress as well. Was it good? I’d rather say marginal. Yet compared to last years’ work, this deserved a massive sigh of relief.
Gone was the concrete + white wall ensemble...
8 tags
Thom Browne RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Even I have to clear my mind before watching a Thom Browne show. To truly appreciate his work, one must get rid of any judgements they have made about fashion in their head, and see the beauty that he creates.
Yes, a little summary from me to help people like me who originally weren’t fans of Thom Browne become ones. This time at Thom Browne’s ready-to-wear show, the designer explored the ideas of...
9 tags
Victoria Beckham RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Mrs Beckham knows exactly who she is designing for nowadays; herself. Every single look that came down the runway of Victoria Beckham’s fall 2012 show was something that the designer herself would most definitely wear. After months with her baby bump, the looks were tight, form-fitting and slim. And, of course as a footballer’s wife, there was a high influence of sport aesthetic...
8 tags
Rodarte RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Laura and Kate Mulleavy keep getting better and better. This season at Rodarte they created a collection inspired by the landscapes of Australia. As the house grows and expands into both high fashion and commercial markets, they couldn’t be designing any better than they are now.
The girls at Rodarte always draw from the most artistic sources with their collection. Like Vincent Van Gogh last...
4 tags
Diane Von Furstenberg RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Warning: A Diane Von Furstenberg woman may be trying to steal your husband.
Perhaps that was a little blunt for an opening statement, but this season Furstenberg named her collection ‘Rendezvous’. It was designed to seduce. We aren’t talking tramps and hoes, of course. A classy woman such as Furstenberg would never dream of such a thing. This collection captured glamour, elegance, and...
5 tags
Donna Karan RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Nobody would think that a collection featuring heavy menswear influences and powerful style could be romantic. However, in all the mushiness of Valentine’s Day, Donna Karan’s fall show was inspired by the strength of her husband. And for all the hopeless romantics such as me, this stirred an “Aww” moment. Aside from that gesture, DK sent her New York attitude back to the 40’s via an assembly of...
7 tags
Alexander Wang RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Alexander Wang too is making big moves in the fashion industry. His fall 2012-13 RTW collection changed from just sportswear to true high fashion, proving Wang is a designer to be taken seriously. Not only that, but he brought back many off-work supermodels simply for his show, and has plans to open 14 stores in China. No longer just another New York designer now, is he?
Alexander Wang was...
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Prabal Gurung RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Like quite a few other New York designers, Prabal Gurung is showing a lot more confidence this season than ever. This collection was truly an expression of the designer himself, and how he is growing in his taste and skills. It was quite literally expressed, in fact, with the collection going from dark to light in the space of 42 looks.
In an open room lit by the daylight through the windows, the...
7 tags
Hervé Léger RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Two seasons ago Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton presented a collection lathered in fetish. Now, Lubov Azria has jumped upon this dark and strangely luxurious theme. Except for Hervé Léger, it went down an alternate path. Scratch the film noir romance and mystère. Replace it with a New York refinement and you have something completely different.
With very complex, tough looks, Azria opted to set his...
9 tags
Rag & Bone RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
David Neville and Marcus Wainwright are two English lads in the bright lights of New York City. This is what gives Rag & Bone its urban outsider’s-look on fashion. For fall 2012-13, Rag & Bone’s collection was inspired by the correlation of England and India. This historic period in time caused a cultural blend which has inspired so many designers before Rag & Bone’s collection – yet...
6 tags
Tadashi Shoji RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
New York has received a small injection of romance from Tadashi Shoji. Like many Paris and Milan designers, Shoji created an authentic vintage look and referenced back to past culture. His fall/winter collection for this season was an echo of the Shanghai Golden Age. Shoji, one who is known for his success on the red carpet, created wearable dresses that mixed functionality with luxury.
Necklines...
7 tags
Jason Wu RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Jason Wu has extended his horizons to a much darker place. After a light, lustrous collection for Spring 2012, Wu presented a dramatic collection and runway which evoked a Chinese militant theme. Charcoal colours and vibrant red brought an aesthetic reminiscent of Viktor & Rolf, yet with less structure and romance. Wu called his take on China “inauthentic” – not the words one would expect to...
5 tags
BGBC MaxAzria RTW Fall/Winter 2012-13
Climate change has started to have a very odd effect on fashion. Like the weather, BGBC MaxAzria’s fall-winter collection was very unseasonal. There were light flowing fabrics, fruity colours and a lot of airiness that would usually be associated with the spring season. However, Lubov Azria tied these in skilfully to create a stunning collection which is perfect for the chilly weather we have...
The reviews will be a lot shorter in the upcoming weeks since so many designers are showing.
NYFW is about to really take off. Will be posting reviews soon! :) But before that, I must pay tribute to a legend and mourn the death of Alexander McQueen. On February 11th it will be two years since the designer’s tragic passing. RIP.
