Piombo, Mens, SS12.
Although a simple white background can often be the safest way to showcase clothes without distraction, designers are increasingly experimenting with more colourful and detailed back drops that lend their garments more personality. For some collections, the back grounds really serve to give the collection a new context - it can create a story around the more simple garments, or can make serious eveningwear more playful.
Topshop Website, July 2011.
The fashion media has a way of sensationalising trends - everything with a scrap of colour has been dubbed “colour blocking” recently, and it only takes a couple of celebrity pictures before they start heralding the new must have bag, the new must have shoe that replaced the must have bag or of course the easy target of the “new” black.
Chanel, Couture, AW11, Paris.
Hidden amongst the boucles and tweeds at the Chanel couture collections were some incredible buttons that were as beautiful as brooches. There were also some trims that on closer inspection seemed to have been designed to directly mimic the look of chain, and this ran around the edges of cuffs, hems and collars.
Knitting 3D Patterns, a documentary on the work of Borre Akkersdijk.
The way of the future for fashion is not simply through new designs but also in rethinking the industry including all aspects of how we use, wear, make, recycle, market and sell our clothes.
Burberry Prorsum, Menswear, SS12.
Although buttons and zips are always used in abundance in the collections it was nice to see some variations of fastenings, particularly in the Menswear shows. The designers featured have used the fastenings to be a functional and aesthetically pleasing part of their designs, rather than be purely utilitarian and hidden away. At Burberry Prorsum this included what hooks to be a variation on a hook and bar, or oversized hook and eye, and there was more metal hardware at Dior Homme where a ring motif was used.
Valentino, Couture, AW11, Paris.
There were some exquisite details used in the recent Valentino Couture collection for Autumn-Winter 2011. From fine plaited trims, to near invisible laces, and rows of tiny pearls that were handsewn into position. There was a real respect for the beauty of the fabrics in these garments that made intricate handwork and time consuming beading appear light and effortless.
Christian Dior, Couture, AW11, Paris.
With all the excess that comes with a couture show, it would seem counter intuitive to suggest that the masters of the genre are able to exercise great restraint and discipline, but it was at the recent Christian Dior show (the first couture show sans Galliano) that this need for focus became obvious.
Shaun Samson, Central Saint Martins MA, AW10.
While the realm of menswear can often appear more limiting than womenswear, there are still so many experiments to be had by manipulating the fabrics and materials to create new textures.
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, Menswear, SS12, Paris.
The classic pinstripe has been appearing in a lot of collections of late and it makes for a good opportunity to see how different designers bring the pinstripe into their own context. Most often pinstripe is associated with suiting and tailored garments but even within this context there are so many variations that designers have to play with - lapel shapes, double breasted vs. single breasted jackets, different coloured grounds for the stripes, slight variations in stripe colour, using stripes on the bias, in different scales… and on and on.
Umit Benan, Menswear, SS12, Milan.
There was a certain nonchalance about the Spring-Summer 2012 collection from Umit Benan that gave the Cerruti-inspired suiting a relaxed and very wearable feel. The jacket shapes and pleated trousers were classic and retro in cut, and hung with the sort of oversized silhouette, that leaves the body room to move without appearing overly boxy or unflattering.
Prada, RST12, Milan.
Among the many carefully chosen details from the Prada Resort 2012 collection, the collars, plackets and yokes were often defined with a piping trim. Piping is an excellent way to add definition to garment edges and seamlines as it forms a subtle 3D edge, perfect for small hints of contrast colours.
Stephane Rolland, Couture, AW11, Paris.
Couture appears in it’s most traditional and romanticised form when the fabrics are luxurious, the fabric manipulations are intricate and elegant, and the overall silhouette appears as stylised as a well drawn fashion illustration. At the Stephane Rolland catwalk show for Autumn-Winter 2011, the couture pieces presented represented these 3 factors to dramatic effect.
Maison Martin Margiela, Couture, AW11, Paris.
There is an incredible process involved in building the structure of a bespoke tailored jacket, and for the Autumn-Winter 2011 Couture collection from the Margiela team the structure was on display, sandwiched between layers of sheer fabrics and completely visible from the outside of the garment.
Jean Paul Gaultier, Couture, AW11, Paris.
Fashion has had a long love affair with the symbols of the ballet world throughout history, from tutu inspired dresses and ballet flat shoes, to colour palettes inspired by soft nudes, pinks and strong blacks.
House of Worth, Couture, AW11, Paris.
Boning is a structural material most commonly used hidden away inside garments to form cage-like structures that support the body or the garment. It is a material often associated with corsetry, where boning is often inserted into channels in the fabric or enclosed under bias binding in strips that run vertically up and down the torso, moulding to the curves of the figure.
