Chanel Spring/Summer 2016

I used to be the biggest fan of Chanel. I think it is fair to say that I much prefer Chanel show spectacles like the Supermarket from the Fall 2014 collection rather than the actual pieces in the shows.

My general feeling about Lagerfeld at Chanel is that he's lost his touch, completely. Don't get me wrong: we still have a reference to Coco - sharp structured tweed suits in now a multitude of newly developed sporty neoprene fabrics and garish marbled colour palettes; somewhat ruining her pioneering, signature looks, however.
 
Saying all this, Karl seems to have a tendency to push everything out of proportion. In a typical prêt-a-porter show, we normally see a strong 40-50 looks that fit perfectly into a set theme or incentive. However at Chanel, we see a frankly lack-lustre 90 or more looks, most of which are the exact copies of the ensembles we have seen prior to that specific collection. 

 

 

 

To buyers and editors, enthralled would be an understatement; they feed off the giant branding sets which today took the shape of a Chanel Airport. A set which we have seen in the past, to be exact Spring/Summer 2012 Couture- Cara Delevingne's runway debut, was the collection which allegedly showed the future for Chanel's Haute Couture. 

However, I digress. This season's Chanel was all about the jet-setting life of the super-rich (hence the presence of Kendall Jenner who closed the show).

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The clothes simply did not radiate quintessential Coco or even the basic essence of Chanel for that matter; they emitted a futuristic angle which was more tacky than anything: giant orange mirrored aviators covered the faces of the models paired with flat-formed plastic drawstring boots and bubble-gum PVC coats.

 

 

 

 

In contrast to my rather pessimistic point of view, there were some undoubtedly beautiful pieces- the sour-toned checked tweed jumpsuit which opened and the layering of kick flares underneath full chiffon or leather skirts, dabbled with the ideas of classicism meets the digital era. The branded wheelie luggage bags and petite airplane brooches will definitely get the global e-commerce soaring.

 

 

 Kick flares which sat loosely under full-skirts

 

There was a definite sense of diversity, albeit eclectic, in relation to the overall execution of the show; diversity was shown through the model casting and the new, fluid silhouettes sent down the runway.
At this point in time, it seems that futurism is the only theme that Lagerfeld can bring to the Chanel check-in desk. For example, those trainers he put in one of his Couture shows, or those crushed Camellia flowers which emblazoned a tweed overcoat. I'm sorry to say this, but I do believe it is time for a change. The brand is in need of a new lease of life, Karl has led an incredible legacy, but he's coming to the end of his time.

 

Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com & edwardlewisstyle.com,

Céline Spring/Summer 2016

As expected with a Céline collection, it never fails to let us down. This season was a retrospective of everything we love about Phoebe Philo (creative director for the house). She is able to create clothes that women actually want to wear and could wear (despite the price tag). Asserting the idea that clothes can be easily adaptable to the way women want to live their lives, instead of feeling victimised by fashion.
However today, Philo played more with the ideas of femininity, gently moving away from minimalism with the introduction to prints and a wider array of fabrics.
Femininity through the more accentuated silhouettes and voluminous dimensions- crepe trousers and puffed up shoulders; cinched in waists and severely sartorial structures.

We saw pieces that we would have never of dreamt of seeing at a Céline show. Take the silk slip dresses that have deemed rather popular this season,(seen at Givenchy, Burberry and Calvin Klein)which had lace details that carefully drew attention to the female form. Or perhaps that deconstructed moss green overcoat which Philo re-worked, offering us a confliction between the cinched-in elasticated waist and the boxy, masculinised shoulders.

 

 

Lace silk slip dresses

 



 

Morphed shapes in moss green

 



My favourite looks were the leather tunics that sat over asymmetrical jersey dresses, they just screamed aggression yet downplayed by the fluidity of delicate fabrics. Almost resembling a suit of armour.

 

Leather tunics implied powerful futurism

Also Céline is generally well known for its rather grandiose array of accessories, in particular bags. From the phantom tote to the trapeze, these bags are pure dreams. This season exhibited a brand new selection: pillow bags, the box clutch and those auburn bucket bags.(literally to die for)

 Pillow bag

 

Violet Crocodile box-clutch

Amidst this perfectly conveyed notion of masculine vs feminine, we also had this portrayal of almost quite a pertinent futuristic 'urbanista' as one now calls it. A woman of the utmost class and dignity, who believes only in a non-mainstream and alternative way of dressing. Someone who can easily adapt their style to their surroundings, as it were. Definitely open for interpretation.

For me, Phoebe Philo remains one of my favourite designers. Her visions are simple, raw and dynamic. Season after season she brings us more than just clothing collections, they are art installations.

Please Note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com

Balmain Spring/Summer 2016

With the Paris Fashion Week Board banning super-skinny models from the catwalks and designers diminishing the infamous 'sample sizes', it would only seem right that Olivier Rousteing would celebrate women and curves in his latest Spring/Summer collection for Balmain.  

Of course being Balmain we saw an extremely opulent colour palette- from warm toffee suedes and chocolate browns to crisp whites and bewitching beiges.
This colour palette also represented a new richer, textural dimension that we were yet to see in Balmain clothing. For example those cut-out skirts layered over harnessed bodysuits reminded me of last season's heavily metallic deluge of crimped lamé bondage dresses, instead these were just a mitigated version of those. Perhaps this muted palette and fabric choice was Rousteing's way of slowly introducing his newly changing silhouettes to us.

 

We were presented to an array of cut-outs, jewelled lattice work and figure-hugging spandex on models of all different body shapes. (Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Alessandra Ambrosio, to name a few)

                                  Alessandra Ambrosio

                                   Kendall Jenner

                                     Gigi Hadid

My personal favourites were the tiered ruffle trousers (clown pants), the voluminous suede which perfectly complimented the darker skin-tones, as worn by Jourdan Dunn and the weaved macramé which coated the floor-length gowns.
The pieces themselves had lightness and fluidity, accompanied by this fierce sexiness which Balmain will always continue to radiate.

Doutzen Kroes in a white cropped blazer and cascading ruffles

 

 

Jourdan Dunn

                                        
                                detailed macramé work

I have to say that this collection was not my favourite. I felt it lacked that electrifying glamorous nature of which we usually associate with Balmain. However, I do understand that Rousteing has been focussing solely on the much anticipated H&M X Balmain collaboration which will be out next month.

   Please note: I do not own any of these images, picture courtesy of Vogue.com

Gucci Spring/Summer 2016

From the deconstructed images of dated maps that plastered an iridescent skirt to the kaleidoscope trompe d'oeil ruffles and pussy bows that sat loosely around the neck. Yes, this season's Gucci collection was, without a doubt, the most beautiful art installation I've ever seen.

 

As you probably all know, I was apprehensive about Alessandro Michele taking the Gucci reigns from Frida Giannini. Their difference in styles and aesthetics are huge. Giannini was one to create an illusive, dark yet romantic Gucci woman, however Michele's vision for the house is far more experimental- 70s, androgynous, eclectic and nerdy.

Now, I have to say, I absolutely adored this collection. Talk about going big or going home. 

It was definitely a spectacle, we saw practically every piece seen last season, reimagined and reworked- taking on a new form of Michele's modern techniques. For example the invoking of the trompe l'oeil was certainly one of the main focus points in the collection. Now for any of you wondering, trompe l'oeil literally means 'deceives the eye', with this in mind Michele uses this as a technique, simply by taking a normal cut transparent piece of fabric and putting this special print over the top of it, appearing to us will be an object in three dimensions, however this is just an optical illusion. Quite clever I think.
Take the pink sequined skirt with the trompe l'oeil ruffles imprinted on it, anyone would have thought that was just a chiffon skirt, however we are wrong.

 

The clothes also felt more historical than ever. Perhaps it was those 70s bejeweled glasses, those boxy crocodile handbags which reeked 50s glamour or even the opulence from the graphic images which slathered onto a whimsical column dress.

 

 

As always the styling was unusually executed. You could tell that Michele was more bothered about the pieces individually and the fabrics and textures, more so than anything else. Lace, lurex, silk, chiffon, organza and eel skin, believe it or not- the list was endless.

my favourite pieces included the leather biker jacket with embroidered serpentine and oriental motifs, the python A-line midi-skirt with the red panel which sat on the hem, those garish primary studded strappy sandals that accented the geek-chic idea and lastly those psychedelic 70s wallpaper prints that gave a brand new definition to the word nostalgia.

 

  Please note: I do not own any of these images, courtesy of Vogue.com