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UNDERCOVER FALL 2006 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

So many days I've spent on emerging myself into fashion, yet still I remain in a flow of disability to recognise, to dig into, to be aware of current trends and inspirations. I to this day remain somewhat blind, and I want to change the situation, so here we go!

Jun Takahashi is a Japanese designer, like many - a student of Bunka Fashion College. A follower of Vivienne Westwood sexy x messy style, the vocal lead of Tokyo Sex Pistols. In 1993 he launches Undercover, in 1994 he has his first runway show on Tokyo Fashion Week, in 2002 - his debut in Paris, to where he went under the mentorship and influence of Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons).

The clothing of this collection covers the faces completely - not a rare thing in the 00s. Why? To hide the identity, to shift the focus on the clothes and drift away from the personality? 

Somewhat of a punk movement is bursting out here - fabric rags, random elements. The models are all rolled up, like mummies or ninjas.

It has almost everything BUT leather, which I truly enjoy - you get kind of tired of seeing leather everywhere, you know. The soft and natural fabrics make it earthy. And what makes me extremely happy are huge gem stones, the KEY, the fur trails that look like snakes.

Also, a huge fan of white. Thank you Takahashi for some whiteness.

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SACAI FALL 2022 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

The Japanese brand was founded in 1999 by Chitose Abe, who’s previously worked for Junya Watanabe and Reí Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons).

Since 2020, it’s Chitose Abe’s first show, and for that she decided to make it truly grand. The collection features 6 designers, Cartier’s CEO Cyrille Vignera being one of them. The oversized silhouette, leather platform boots and bold red and black colours make a great contrast with the opulent background (really liked the show set-up by the way). Some of the special pieces of the collection are transparent tops, looking bold yet weirdly comfortable, and parkas, jackets, fur coats for the cold winter season. All in all, the collection is a merger of elegant, funky, easy and sophisticated.

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BURBERRY FALL 2022 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

Ricardo Tisci makes this show about duality: the past and the future, the British elegance and the modern outburst, the shadow and the brilliance. “The collection embodies an intangible essence that is Britishness, honoring the beauty of the past while focusing on the future,” says the designer.

The atmosphere of the show is dim and gloomy, whereas the whiteness of the podium and facial accessories made of brilliants sparkle the forcing murk. The collection suggests the blur of the boundaries, yet we see them distinctively. Velvet, black leather, long boots merge with classic Burberry look of strictness and elegance (checked pattern, beige, dark green) and stylish new-age drama of coquettish pink and punk (as it was said by the makeup artist Pat McGrath).

My personal feeling about this collection is that 2022 gives us hope for a break, a chance to get some fresh air. Nothing new enters the season but compared with the 2021 something strict and heavy (in a good sense; I love the word ‘lourd’ in French which can be translated as both heavy and loud and has some lovely tone in the way it is pronounced) is settling.

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MIU MIU FALL 2001 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

A couple days ago I passed by the Miu Miu store and I just loved the clothes and the way they decorated the shopwindow. All collections, from first ones to late ones, are so pleasant and pretty. This particular show also makes me so comfortable and uplifted because of the rose background and podium. The dresses and blouses are made from delicate fabrics, almost transparent, they look like petals. To match the colourful tights with them was the most perfects way to make the looks soft and gentle. Pay attention to the shoes: cracked and looking worn leather boots, velvet shoes with elongated toes. Closer to the middle of the show the colour starts to show up. Bright dresses (the bright orange and red ones!!), denim suits. Still, black colour remains the main theme: straight pants and knee-length coats and capes step in the way.

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CALVIN KLEIN SPRING 1994 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

I’ve wanted to plunge into vintage CK shows for some time now. This brand has been making the elegant and simple clothes since the very beginning, I love how the collections are always created for both casual and party looks, and have some variety for the buyers: you can either go with the loose silhouette or stick to the tight one. This time it’s a merger of suits, silk slip dresses and pants, lace knitted sweaters. The silhouettes remind me of Cerutti Spring 1997 ones (I’ve posted it earlier here, search it up). It has lots of layering; calm earth tones like black, dark green, dark blue and grey; short skirts and dresses; white and beige tops; black leather boots. The distinctive detail for CK shows are the snow-white runways; so bright the cameras hardly convey the background lines. It’s a good thing tho, it makes us, the audience, more concentrated on the pieces. I’ve got to say again that I’m so in love with all 89 looks! People who own at least one piece from this collection are literally the luckiest.

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DOLCE & GABBANA FALL 2005 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

As Vogue Runway informs, Domenico and Stefano described this collection as “La Dolce Vita meets Swinging London”. Well, as usual, we see the designers’ penchant for fur and jewellery. Rich, elegant, chick and ritzy - you can’t take your eyes off of the pieces (we don’t judge the quality of the pictures here). I especially liked the high fur hats, the experiment with colours for the coats. Not going to forget to mention the lacy tops, long cardigans, and fur skirts too!

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RICK OWENS SPRING 2004 READY-TO-WEAR “CITROEN” COLLECTION

Being a little different from Owens’ other works, this collections brings some new tints to the usual earth tones. This time the bright saturated shades of paprika and coral (shoutout to vogue runway for naming them) make the contrast. The clothing line is again neatly made drapery, light transparent fabrics that wrap the body around and lots of leather jackets and denim shorts which I personally truly like. What you also can’t miss and what makes all the pieces more connected to each other is the pink lipstick that models wear! The collection was influenced by the works of Rene Gruau and Jean-Paul Groude.

(all the photos are taken from Rick Owens official website, thank god it has such a good quality)

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CHANEL FALL 2006 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

I’ve seen a lot of vintage Chanel pieces and Karl Lagerfeld’s works, therefore of course I’m not going to judge the whole brand’s history of design and existence just by this particular collection, but to be completely honest with you I didn’t really liked it. The 90s Chanel shows look organised and actually a little similar to one another, yet still diverse and unique. What I want to say is that this collection holds everything in one: tweed suits, leather pieces, small black dresses and long coats and gowns and making it one big mess. The only thing that puts it all together is the pattern - black and white - with a scintilla of pink, red and gold. It still has a signature move - the famous elegant silhouette and herringbone pattern. I adore Chanel for making womenswear so powerful and graceful.

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JOHN GALLIANO SPRING 2008 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

The idea for the show (not for the collection) was taken from “Grey Gardens” documentary (1975). Remember the 2005 Alexander McQueen collection I’ve posted earlier? These pieces make me feel exactly the same: candies, porcelain, Alice in Wonderland type of thing, maybe with a glint of the Wizard of Oz. John Galliano’s designs are widely recognisable for being so sweet and playful and rich with colours. The girls have the most vivid and diverse make-up, and what I’ve always liked the most is the combination of pastel tints with the radiant and bright ones. Other noticeable traits are frills and girlish 20th century-like frocks. If you look at any Galliano collection, you can not just see but FEEL the attitude, playfulness and naiveness.

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RIFAT OZBEK SPRING 1994 COLLECTION

This collections presents a simple clothes line. It is not sophisticated in any way, it just shows women at their best, and I’m fully here for it! Neat and precise silhouettes; short skirts and slip dresses, sweaters and cardigans; natural calm tones. Rifat Ozbek is a Turkish-born designer. He is famous for making culture-based pieces, an inspiration for which he takes from manifold places, countries and nations. His style is also widely recognisable for the use of heavy fabrics for the tops and the light ones for the bottoms - a very balanced way to perform. In 2005 be opened a store called “Yastik” in Istanbul. It offers cushions of different designs but one smell - the calming and cozy fragrance of lavanda.

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BALMAIN FALL 2020 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

I’ve seen this collection many times before I took any interest in fashion, and I think so did a lot of other people. The perfectly draped leather pieces became extremely popular! I’ve also seen somewhere that it reminds of those statues with thin drapery effect. However, it’s not the only thing that makes this collection so iconic! For instance, I also was fascinated with the dresses with the capes and the suits (especially the fully covered with sequins ones) and the variety of materials used for them - leather, silk, quilted fabric. The calling card of the collection are, I suppose, the sharp volumetric shoulders and leather boots. Olivier Rousteing claimed that he wanted to show the diversity of people. For the interested ones I recommend reading the British Vogue article about designer’s childhood memories. Olivier has been a creative director of Balmain since 2011, celebrating his 10 years anniversary in 2021.

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KENZO FALL 2011 READY-TO-WEAR

The collection made by Antonio Marras has awaken a myriad of feeling inside me, since it takes up so many references. It is completed in dark boho style with quaint fusion of fur, wool and lace. The main colours are dark green, black, brown and red. You may also notice that the clothes are never short, and almost all are descending to the floor. The rebellious elegance of the pieces seems to make me think of British stories about knights and castles (and I’m mostly talking about the most bewitching femme fatale dress I’ve ever seen), however, the original reference is “Latin America's haute bohemia: Frida Kahlo, Tina Modotti, and the female artists who set pulses racing south of the border in the early twentieth century”, as Tim Blanks say for Vogue Runway.

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MARC JACOBS FALL 2017 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

This collection was inspired by a documentary called “Hip-Hop evolution” and Joel Meyerowitz photography. Marc showed us the most casual New Yorker way of dressing up for a simple walk by combining together sportswear, pumped up hats and platform shoes. Everything was thought out: the nail designs, the lip pigments (Bordeaux shade!!); every model had her own individual look. The hats were made by Stephen Jones and the jewellery is a collaboration with Urs Fischer.

"With a palette focused on the warm neutral colors camel, ginger, brown, gold, red, maroon and silhouettes borrowed from casual attire and sportswear, dressing for 'everyday' is as simple as a coat over a dress, a sweater with pants or the casual polish of a track suit."

“Several months ago I watched a documentary called, "Hip-Hop Evolution." The 4-part series chronicles the poignant and pivotal cultural movement that reshaped and redefined the landscape of music, which gave way to a whole new language of style. As a born and bred New Yorker, it was during my time at the High School of Art and Design when I began to see and feel the influence of hip-hop on other music as well as art and style. This collection is my representation of the well-studied dressing up of casual sportswear. It is an acknowledgement and gesture of respect for the polish and consideration applied to fashion from a generation that will forever be the foundation of youth culture street style.”

Models walked a long path through the Park Avenue Armory and then outside, sitting down on chair at the end and playing around with the phones in specially designed cases - making selfies, talking and texting.

I truly liked this show and the way Marc constructed it. The basic neutral tones of the pieces and the leather accessories are somewhat my obsession nowadays.

As a resource for all the info I used Elle.com website.

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ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SPRING 2005 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

I’m just starting to plunge into the inexhaustible world of fashion and I’m extremely happy that I decided to pay some attention to Alexander McQueen collections since the very beginning. A lot of fashion lovers were absolutely fascinated by him, and I totally understand why! Indeed, I highly recommend every amateur to do the same. Almost all his shows were finely detailed and presented to us in a dreamy ethereal way to make us feel like we are a part of some incredible story or a fairytale. It will teach you to look at clothes through ideas and images, and not just wearable rags (excuse me for being rude).

This particular collection reminded me of Alice in Wonderland but it was actually inspired by Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1975 film directed by Peter Weir. The pieces went from girlish-like to futuristic ones. Strangely (or not, since I saw the connection with Alice), I associated the short fluffy dresses and knee socks with cakes, dolls and porcelain. Closer to the final the lights suddenly went out, leaving the audience a little shocked. Soon, the podium became a chessboard - and the models became the chesswomen - and the game started. An electronic voice was managing the “figures”, making them move from one square to the other. In conclusion, I want to say that this collection has left me speechless and inspired to learn further. I’ve never been more interested in actually watching the show recording (oh and I recommend you to do the same!!).

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CERRUTI SPRING 1997 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION BY NARCISO RODRIGUEZ

Narciso Rodriguez wasn’t new in fashion business by the time the collection was shown to the public in October of 1996 in Paris. He’d already produced two collections as Cerruti’s consultant, and made a perfect sensation - a wedding dress for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. This collection showed us a perfect combination of simplicity, elegance and - the most crucial - strength and power. The dresses are light and almost transparent, they seem to be floating across women’ body. We see a lot of floral design on skirts and tops (and that amazing dress on Kate Moss) and it creates the perfect mood for springtime, the rising of nature. The tuxedos, however, are made from stronger fabrics. They remind me of early Ralph Lauren collections. The pieces are both formal and casual and graceful.

“There was a great ease to this, there was a shirt and a skirt, which was kind of bold to show for Paris. You have to look at the landscape; in Paris at the time everything was very conceptual and studied, which I loved. I used to go to the shows and see other designers’ [work] and how methodically and precisely they engineered their fabrics and cuts. And then there was the reality, which I’m always more fascinated with; what are we really going to wear? The most audacious thing that you could show in Paris was real clothes.”

“[My work has] never been minimal, because minimal is void of emotion. When you look at those slips, and the cuts, and the bias, they may not be as ornate or complicated as a Galliano collection, but there’s the same thought process and craft to cutting the bias pieces. The thought, like how to cut a bias plaid skirt in menswear fabric so that it drapes like a woman’s fabric; all of those things. I mean, it’s very considered and it’s very emotional. Who’s a minimalist? I always preferred purist and clean, those terms, to minimal.”

The interview pieces are taken from vogue.com

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AN AMERICAN VIEW SPRING 2002 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

This show you can call extraordinary - in the world of fashion - it combined the works of not one but eleven designers, helping them to gain the attention which they didn’t get due to the notorious tragedy of 9/11. The New York Fashion Week was stopped that September, leaving lots of young talents without any notice. Anna Wintour herself decided to take action and, with the help of Carolina Herrera, organised a joint fashion show. It presented us the works of Benjamin Cho, Elisa Jimenez, Pierrot, Behnaz Sarafpour, Tony Smith, Michael Soheil, Peter Som, Rebecca Taylor, Tuleh, Christine Ganeaux, Maria Cornejo (line Zero). The show happened in complete silence.

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A.F. VANDEVORST SPRING 2019 READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION

An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx met on their first day of school at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the city in which so many talented people were born and raised. Their fashion brand named A.F. Vandevorst was created in 1997 in Belgium.

This collection shows a rather sentimental part of their lives: it represents ideas of wedding gowns; gentle, lacy, silky and white. More than for twenty years the love-based brand was presenting us the fascinating pieces but this collection touches the heart with its purity.