The Cutting Class

Alexander Wang, AW12.

On first impression Alexanders Wang’s recent Autumn- Winter 2012 collection was all about textures - matt vs. shiny, coated vs. uncoated, bubbled vs. smooth. The subtext however was far more interesting and by reading further into the use of all these textures there was a sense that the collection was actually much more about control.

Whether it was in the fluid soft-handling chiffons trapped in the seams of leather bodices, or the bubbled wooly fabrics glossed under a slick coating, there was a layering effect that was all about using discipline - and the contrasts were in effect just a tool for showing the control. The glossy maroon textured fabric was more interesting when seamed directly next to it’s unglossed counterpart. The wet-look ridged fabrics were nicely offset by matt press studs. Even the way that the press studs in themselves were used to hold lapels back in place were a small token of control in themselves, and also served as a punctuation mark on the garments.

Images from Vogue.co.uk».

Dior Homme, AW11.

It is amazing to consider how separate Dior Homme is within the context of the wider Dior label. It is such a separate entity, a cult all it’s own that seems a million miles away from the Christian Dior womenswear line. They are definitely not the brother/sister or boyfriend/girlfriend duo that exists at other labels… or if they are, then the Dior Homme brother is far too cool and understated to ever let his over the top Christian Dior sister hang out with his other sleek male friends.

The collection sent out by Kris Van Assche for the Autumn-Winter 2011 season, featured an elegant focus on contrasts and beautiful details. The lapels and linings were panelled and contrasted against the main garment fabrics (sometimes referred to as the “self” fabric), there were raw and simple techniques such as overlocking and untrimmed stitches that gave an edge to the clean and classic tailoring, slouchy oversize silhouettes were offset by narrow collars and lapels, and the monochrome palette was brightened by a smattering of looks in a vibrant crimson tone.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».

Burberry Prorsum, AW11.

There was a certain naive, cartoon-like quality to the Autumn-Winter 2011 Burberry Prorsum collection. On the most superficial level this was due to the dalmatian spot hats and fur details, but on further inspection the feeling of the collection being very stylised was a result of construction references to the sorts of black outlines that we would imagine on hand drawn cartoon illustrations.

The trims and fastenings were often oversized and in black, as though they had been sketched in with a thick piece of charcoal. And every line of the garment seemed to have been traced over and emphasised by a thick border of topstitching, which was then echoed in other belts and accessories.

There was a certain thickness to everything in the collection, emphasised by the fabrics used which fit with the roundness of the off-the-body silhouettes. One clever trick of the eye on some of the more oversized garments, was to place the centre front buttons in slightly more narrow parallel lines to create a more slimming effect. This helped to ground the position of the actual body, within the oversized silhouette.

Catwalk images from Vogue.co.uk».