Wednesday, September 21, 2011

AMSTERDAM FASHION STYLE 2011

amsterdam fashion week: 2 love tony cohen

tony cohen, one of amsterdam fashion week’s more prominent designers (and whose s/s 2012 collection we’ve recently seen), closed out the event with the launch of the spring line of his newest label, 2 love tony cohen, developed so, as the site peter stigter points out, “more women can own a Tony Cohen.” okay, you can relax now.

i wasn’t able to discover whether the collection followed any sort of specific theme, but it seemed more like an array of pretty, flow-y clothes with a dose of the designer’s namesake and a lot of the general trends we’re seeing amalgamated and popping up in shops like h&m, forever 21, and topshop. as the site lifestylehunters notes, except for leather items, the pieces will retail for ” below €100,” so perhaps we ought be contented with hints of trend and less concentrated inspiration.

the palette strayed toward neutrals and cool hues, with shades of beige, nude, off-white, bark, and sand eventually giving way to indigo, turquoise, lilac, french blue, fuchsia, and mauve, with solid colour pieces the strongest, and occasional soft tie dye-like prints cropping up in a mix of two or three colours. materials, meanwhile, included silk, satin, the aforementioned leather, and jersey, with sequins, ruffles, an occasional belt, buttons or pockets, scarves, long necklaces, and bows adding the effeminate-but-not-too-heavy embellishments to the pieces.

as is mr. cohen’s habit, charmingly girlish cocktail dresses made up the bulk of the range, with fluid trousers and trenches, little shorts, drape-y blouses, leather jackets, jumpsuits, and billowing cardigans making up the rest of the presentation. at times the collection felt rather strongly in sync with the designer’s main line, from the palette and the patterns to the low-key flow, with perhaps a slightly stronger inflection of a bohemian nature present here (and, as with that one, suggestions of the newer, mellowed roberto cavalli present from time to time).

although the signature line did, no doubt, some single looks that bowled over anything on offer in the 2 love collection, in final analysis, i couldn’t help but feeling that the less expensive show boasted better deals. i didn’t think, in the tony cohen show, that the designer took as many risks as he ought have, and comparatively, for the price, the diffusion line seemed to have a lot of the same flavour and details (if, perhaps, less superior fabrics and an almost offensively horrific name). maybe he’s still struggling with the concept of directing two collections, but let’s hope, like donna karan or marc jacobs, that he proves equal to the task soon (as his f/w 2011 show suggested he is capable of), giving us separate ideas for each show, rather than just a watered-down version of some of his less-successful ideas for the designer range as we’ve seen here (however sometimes lovely they might be).

Source URL: http://stars-2012.blogspot.com/2011/09/
Visit stars 2012 for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection

FASHION WEEK 2011-AMSTERDAM

amsterdam fashion week: sheguang hu

(images via peter stigter)
sheguang hu’s s/s 2012 show was one of the most lavish spectacles to mount the catwalk of the spring round of amsterdam fashion week presentations, with what felt like an endless display of some 50 dresses presented on over 30 models, the complex creations requiring (again) what felt like endless bolts of fabric and detail.

titled ‘emotions,’ the range was inspired by the baroque period of art from the 17th century, with liberal references to the designer’s birth country of china interspersed throughout. “My aim is to combine Chinese elements with the Dutch fashion,” mr. hu explained to x inhua news. “For me, the Chinese way of dressing is much more tender and delicate. Chinese designers pay a lot of attention to details, while the Dutch designers tend to focus more on a decent way of dressing.”

adding that people’s depression over economic troubles have lead to “grey and dark,” aesthetics, he said he strove with the range to spark things up. and indeed, the palette was quite lively, with jade green, lilac, pale blue, aubergine, cherry red,aqua, lemon cream, off-white, bubblegum, black, nude, and cobalt paired alongside metallic shades of silver, gunmetal, and dusty gold and iridescent hues of blue and purple. patterns included delicate florals, paisley, stripes, ferns, polka dots, abstract geometrics, asian motifs, and bolder flower prints.

the show’s materials, the site runway passport informs us, included leather, organza, silk, and crinoline (i also spotted some tulle, satin, fur, and plenty of jacquard) and embellishments were quite heavy-handed, with profuse ruffles, pleats and tucks, ruching, high collars, intricate drape, sequins, elaborate buttons, feathers, layering, sheers, embroidery, corset detailing, and bows to create drama and draw attention.

dresses were of course the runway mainstays, with elaborate ball-type gowns the strongest element of the collection, although simpler cocktail frocks, jackets, frock coats, and wraps were also featured, while stylized pantsuits with ruched trousers and fanciful matching (or contrasting jackets) were a key collection trend. within the exits themselves, there was quite a lot of variety, with some skirts cut rather high, or bodices dipping low to reveal profuse amounts of cleavage. others, though, echoed the stuffy costumes of court: beautiful if not particularly enticing to don, with the stiff high necks, ruffs, and ponderous trains of fabric trailing along.

though there were delicate creations that spoke of both craft and precise vision, the show faltered under too much strain of spectacle and excess. instead of looking opulent, some of the metallic and shiny pieces simply appeared rather cheap, with the high and revealing cuts that intended to be seen as modernist and couture-like reading more as kids gettin’ funky in the high school costume department after class. this of course isn’t to say there weren’t triumphs—in the sculpted black pantsuit, as above or the immaculate white ruffledand be-furred almost elizabethan affair, for example—but when the chinese and dutch themes combined with the complexities and inherently french notions of the baroque era (and the designer’s grand imagination), aesthetics vacillated and left one wishing that he could have pared down his ideas so we might ultimately have seen unfettered the talents he doubtless possesses.

August 3, 2011 2 notes

Source URL: http://stars-2012.blogspot.com/2011/09/
Visit stars 2012 for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection

FASHION WEEK 2011

amsterdam fashion week: winde rienstra

(images via peter stigter)
we’re finally closing out amsterdam fashion week with the s/s 2012 collection which most moved me: that of winde rienstra. as the site fashion nl explains, she is a dutch designer of slow fashion and, having participated in several green fashion initiatives as well as the competition last season, homegirl’s present work is a continuation on that theme.

working with such materials as wood, string, knit fabrics, and wires, ms. rienstra draws inspiration from architecture, nature, and spacial design. the resultant pieces are often quite conceptual, the sculptural elements mixing with the wearable and often, as nrc points out, gleaning comparisons with the better-known dutch dramatic art-fashion designer, iris van herpen.

colours remained soft, with virtually all pieces presented in shades of white, cream, and nude, while hair and makeup helped to achieve a certain futuristic-cum-approachable effect. indeed, casting nieuws suggests that the white makeup gave girls an alien aesthetic, while the winding braids played up on something a little more bohemian and casual to pair with the complex science fiction-y fashions.

interestingly, as off-putting as some of the designs might at first seem (peter stigtercomments that they “were not all very wearable”), it was ms. rienstra herself, taking her bowat the end of the show, which introduced a more realistic side to the clothes. some have complained that female designers are a sort of ‘last model on the catwalk’ effect, but this need not always be a negative; indeed, by pairing her eye-catching beige belt (third from top) with a simple black shirtdress, the designer showed how her pieces might be taken from catwalk to chic reality.

in the end, that made for the kind of presentation which makes me so happy: designs which challenge what we understand of the industry and might not be worn in their entirety out into the world (lest you be exceedingly brave), but might also be easily adapted for such (see good additional shots at dam style). besides, drawing on nature as inspiration is a refreshing move from the too-oft quoted short list of chic artists and musicians we always hear name-dropped at these things. let’s hope two things: that we see much more of ms. rienstra in the future and that she resists the magnetic fingers (and fashion soul-sucking elements) of lady g.

(see a short show video here)

August 9, 2011 6 notes

amsterdam fashion week: hunkemöller

(images via peter stigter)
perhaps needless to say i’m ready to be on to blathering about my beloved copenhagen fashion week (as i always am with any new event) and leaving the past behind us, but we’ve got a couple more shows from the netherlands to quickly scope out before sliding on to the next, and dutch lingerie brand (and much-approved vicky’s secret alternative) hunkemölleris up with their latest, not as good as f/w 2011, but better than s/s 2011, s/s 2012 efforts!

as peter stigter explains, the show was divided into two sections, with lingerie filling the first part and swimwear closing the presentation out. fashion.blog.nl notes that this season marked the first assortment of bridal lingerie (which we can expect to see each subsequent season), and lingerie subgroups included ‘modern brigitte bardot’, ‘hot pink’, ‘flowers everywhere’, ‘golden touch’, and ‘oriental beauty’, while those of swimwear were titled ‘fashion jungle’, ‘shapes in cobalt & macrame’, ‘copacabana beach’, ‘tropical fever’, and ‘ethnic animals’.

classic colours such as white and black played heavily throughout, but nude, aqua, hot pink, teal, purple, pale gray, and metallic silver were also prominently featured, while an assortment of floral prints and calicos, zebra stripes, tropical fruit motifs, psychedelic ‘70’s-esque patterns, stripes, snakeskin, leafy prints, and tribal motifs also walked the runway. silk, satin, tulle, and lace were among the show’s materials.

amica comments that embellishments were a big factor in providing interest to the range, and indeed, the rosettes, draping, macrame, ruffles, bows, rhinestones, feathers, cut-outs, and ruching helped accentuate the variety, making for what seemed a greater assortment of pieces than any swimwear or lingerie show might traditionally offer. however, hunkemöller certainly didn’t skim on options, providing, as styleranking notices, the traditional assortment of bikinis, one-piece suits, monokinis, and stranger swimsuit choices alongside kimonos, rompers, bra-and-panty sets, teddies, nighties, robes, maxi skirts and dresses, and step-ins.

hunkemöller traditionally infuses their shows with at least a little vintage flavour, and while that was still present today (particularly in the lingerie sections), i couldn’t help but feel that the range was especially closely tied with what the brazilians are doing of late and that the bright colours and prints were more in line with the trends than the brand’s own aesthetic that we’ve seen more strongly in prior seasons. and perhaps if they’re making a push to be competitive with vicky’s secret, it makes sense. however, i couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed with the lack if i did nevertheless quite appreciate several individual looks. and being so in tune with the times, i have no doubts it will sell. hopefully that won’t encourage the label to entirely turn their back on their prior offerings and scent, for those of us who love the retro and glamour (that vs has never even vaguely evoked) in our days.