Meet the pieces that will supplement your diverse Spring/Summer ‘19 wardrobe.
Valentino
A successful cruise collection is one that boasts versatile pieces, which women will want for everyday wear and not just posh travels alone.
And in the case of Pier Paolo Piccioli, the streets of his home city is where the Roman designer has found such ingredients to match his own classical sensibilities. To give it a glam-worthy kick, hometown in Rome, Piccioli coupled his evergreen collection with sartorial touches of a Seventies-inspired polish — a clever move that also added to the collection’s lust factor.
The brand’s delightful range of dreamy dresses were all duly included within the collection. Maxi cotton frocks for day made way for a stunning sequinned, skimpy floor-length number for evenings. There were day dresses in breezy, thigh-skimming lengths in addition to flattering denim flares trimmed with adorable Seventies-style front/back pocket details.
Piccioli also included a dash of logomania that was essentially a clever mash-up of archival logos transformed into a refreshing and modern pattern. Splashed across tops, dresses and outer pieces, they covered a wide spectrum of fabrics from silks to wool and in one very artisanal creation, an intarsia-ed mink coat, too.
Prada
This collection was in simple terms, Miuccia Prada’s throwback and revival of the brand’s Nineties heyday. The brand’s once gaudy but vibrant graphic prints made for some of the collection’s best highlights. Fashioned as pantsuits, knitted tops and outerwear pieces, they maintained their boisterous charm and looked relevant today as they did decades ago.
In other looks, Mrs Prada rehashed the brand’s take on Nineties minimalism by way of showing a streamlined silhouette coupled with easy layering and colour-blocking chic. Wild trapper hats and sporty zip polos added to the collection’s athleisure touch and spoke volumes on what fashion’s Instagram set might soon be snapping up as soon as the collection hits stores.
Louis Vuitton
This was not only the collection that debut the coveted accessories collaboration between the Maison and Grace Coddington, it was in fact, an entire tribute to the beloved stylist and fashion doyenne herself.
Nicolas Ghesquière cited eccentricity as his buzzword and collection’s inspiration, and have even credited Coddington’s peerless style and English roots as a huge contributing factor. The kookiness didn’t just start and end with Coddington’s cat sketches that popped up on Petite Malle clutches or Alma handbags, there were touches of the subversive and brave in nearly every aspect of the collection.
The over-knee-sneakers were for one a good starting point to illustrate this. One part sporty and many parts futuristic, they juxtaposed but complemented many of Ghesquière’s ultra-feminine looks. Some of these girly pieces came in the form of dresses that were fashioned to sport frills and even peasant-style proportions, but going with the type of women Ghesquière designs for, these pretty concoctions are not meant for simply shrinking violets.
Ghesquière’s women are of a very different fashion breed: Peerless, tough-chic and somewhat andro-feminine, exactly like the eccentric clothes that he makes. Mannish jackets reinforced Ghesquière’s know-how on immaculate tailoring and he cut them baggy, wide shouldered and slick in an Eighties sort of way. One particularly structured, boxy and cropped jacket looked unexpectedly current when paired with pleated high-waist white trousers.
Hermès
Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s vision for Cruise was that of grandeur and lightness — think lightweight leather shirts and shirtdresses, wide-legged trousers, overalls with breezy waist cut-outs…
The design storyboard showed the distinct beauty of refined, sensible styles. Versatile pieces, to be exact, and literally a staple wardrobe that can last for years to come.
One of the standouts included a mossy green leather shirtdress that was also fashioned into a separate coat, shirt and high-waist shorts ensemble. From a distance, the leather looked weightless enough to be passed off as nylon. Its gleam and buttery softness similar to the latter’s weather-bond appearance. There were more leather looks with artful treatments, such as spliced strips and panels joined with flowy fabrics or layered under lace.
The occasional use of blush-y Madras checks and a carré-inspired print were the only colourful motifs Vanhee-Cybulski’s introduced. They complemented the collection’s sea of monotones and earthy browns and further reinforced the enduring charm of lust-worthy wardrobe essentials that can stand the test of time.
Gucci
There were many extraordinary aspects about Alessandro Michele’s theatrical collection. One of which was the show’s location — the Alyscamps burial grounds in Arles, France.
Michele’s clothes were just as deviant as the brand’s venue of choice. Show notes read: “Widows attending grave sites, kids playing rock ’n’ roll stars, and ladies who aren’t ladies.” The latter, but of course described some pieces in the men’s collection, which saw male models delicately clad in velvet suits, pussycat bow blouses, and all sorts of floral and sparkly sundries.
The women’s range was Michele’s usual plethora of charming skirt suits, period-style dresses, richly embroidered capes, robes and fringe-y separates. In short, every bit of Michele’s luxe thrift-store appeal, which fans have grown to love and expect from his oeuvres.
The allure of fashion’s dark side, which Michele’s has slowly but surely made a point on introducing into his body of work were all present here, too. One look said it all — a beast of a big, black fur coat, which completed the look of everything that’s enchanting yet fashionably grim.
Fendi
One thing about Italian labels is the guarantee of design eclecticism. And at Fendi, you can add the label’s spirit of Fun Fur to the list. After all, where else have you seen a mink coat pieced out of chevron strips and fashioned to mimic a pajama-style robe?
The latter was not the only precious piece that Karl Lagerfeld went a little kooky with. The designer presented a brand new idea for a three-piece suit: Strong-shoulder jacket, cropped trousers and an attached, apron-style pleated skirt. Were these unconventional styles made for Tomboys or power women — or both?
There was nothing short of feminine even in these part-andro styles. The collection’s colour scheme on its own saw a mix of soft, girlie and saccharine hues: Pale blues, pinks, mints, lilacs… And just when the candy colours got a little too sweet for the palette there was the injection of tangy, bright orange to knock some of the frou-frou styles into a tough girl perspective.
Monogram prints are one of the season’s much lauded trends and they too, were nonetheless seen here rendered with a graphical know-how in two colour renditions.
Dior
Mexican escaramuza riders are Maria Grazia Chiuri’s go-to heroines this time around and rather befitting considering the elements of their riding regalia, discipline and performance grace. The balletic silhouette of these costumes alone bear a striking resemblance to Dior’s New Look and even more so, the many new signatures that the Roman designer has since introduced to the house.
Full crinoline-d skirts, similar to the styles worn by of the escaramuzas were seen paired with summer-style bar jackets or white cotton shirts via Chiuri’s rendition. At times, the tulle underskirts were even worn on its own, which offered an appropriate hard vs soft comparison synonymous with the Adelita-inspired sport.
Folkloric dresses embroidered with colourful floral motifs or panelled Chantilly lace made for some of Chiuri’s more refined and feminine offerings within the collection. The use of a vintage-y toile de Jouy pattern with flora and fauna imageries were as compelling as they were intriguing, especially when skilfully appliqued onto white tulle for two exceptional looks.
Chanel
This season, Karl Lagerfeld gathered his crew on board La Pausa, a faux ocean liner, which the French brand built within the colossal grounds of Paris’ Grand Palais for its show set.
Show notes reminded fashion scribes that Mademoiselle Chanel is credited for popularising cruise collections (as early as in 1913) and likewise, Lagerfeld having had his hand in rejuvenating Chanel’s cruisewear history, too. (Cruise collections apparently fell out of fashion’s favour and interest during the time Lagerfeld began designing at Chanel in 1983).
Lagerfeld collection delved into Coco Chanel’s championing of chic appeal coupled with ease. He showed nautical themes in the likes of sailor styles and knitwear pieces, similar to those that Mademoiselle Chanel herself loved and borrowed from the men’s department throughout her entire career.
Tops and blouses were cropped at the waist for several two-piece ensembles and they accentuated a feminine shape plus offered a sense of peek-a-boo sex appeal. The season’s ubiquitous Sixties trend was also seen in the likes of the collection’s Breton-inspired mini dresses, two of which was fashioned in Mod-worthy plastic and coloured feathers.
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