It may well be over, but the recently concluded showcases at Paris Fashion Week have left us in reflection mode, with a whole heap of items to edit onto our Spring/Summer’15 wish-lists.
From Balmain’s dazzling display of cage-like clothes to Saint Laurent’s groupie-fied garments, here’s a healthy rundown of the best fashions to find for Spring, as spied on PFW’s ramp…
Andrew Gn
Inspired by Giverny (France), Monet and the French modernist style of art, Fauvism, designer Andrew Gn painted a pretty collection down PFW’s runway and impressed an audience that’s notoriously hard to please.
There were pastels, there were contrasting panels of black, and there was a distinctive touch of Gn’s Asian roots, with obi-style belts enveloping models’ waists and red blazing through the collection alongside standout floral details.
The blossoms – hand-painted in the studio before being digitally re-mastered – gave a femininity to the sharp angles of each garment’s silhouette and angular patch-workings, but it was the modern, asymmetrical necklines on some dresses, and slight shows of the upper thigh that helped firm up our gaze on the range ; a clearly crowd-pleasing collection we at SPICE will be shopping when Spring/Summer presents itself after Fall.
Balmain
For Balmain, Olivier Rousteing’s attempt to “free the nipple” (as he told Style.com) went down a skin-showing storm, with the collection for Spring/Summer’15 putting lots of model bodies on show.
Nipples, it turned out, were covered though – layered by bandeau tops, unlike midriffs, decolatages and legs, which were all revealed via cutouts and swathes of chic, striped sheers.
Best of all were the colours: primary red, yellow and blue crystals caged bodies in slick lines and cross-hatching that looked almost like wet acrylic. Contrasted by monochrome, the colours sparkled for attention and set next season’s tone for glamour from the get-go. We’ll be go getting it next season, for sure.
Carven
The racetrack was the driving force behind Guillaume Henry’s collection for Carven, referencing Formula 1 uniforms and race cars to create the striped items he sent down the ramp at Paris Fashion Week.
The new season’s new favourite palette of primary colours were bounced off monochromatic pieces with a 60s feel: shift dresses and coats with contrasting collars and pockets that were worked with a punchy Japanese Pop feel. The karaoke cool of Japan’s best cities went further into the circuit, with Japanese scroll and waterpaint patterns scattered throughout the line up, too.
A special touch that carried the racing theme like a torch though, was Carven’s large handbags, held under the arms of models like racing-drivers carry their helmets.
Question is, will we all race out to catch this collection when it drops next season? We think so – in fact, we’d happily do a few laps of the store it’s destined for, to make sure we’re first to nab one of those coats…
Cédric Charlier
When Cédric Charlier said his collection included a “landscape of ruffles,” he wasn’t lying, with his latest range boasting brilliant, big folds of fabric in a beautiful palette for next season.
There were striped flouncings of black, white, mustard and gray, before pretty peach made way for combinations of green and aqua, and a shock of pillar box red.
Most notable about the Spring/Summer range though, were the aforementioned ruffles, which really took the eye on a quest to find their best execution throughout the collection. Was it the tiered ruffle column dresses, fold-fronted items or the fanciful, sometimes asymmetrical hems? We’re not sure which was our favourite re-imagining of the humble ruffle, but for sure we’d rock it all.
Chanel
Taking the most recent manifestation of his talent to the streets of Paris, designer Karl Lagerfeld unleashed an army of models down Boulevard Chanel – an outdoor set with its own specially curated puddles – and into the headlines everywhere.
The models, clad in Chanel’s Spring/Summer’15 range, launched a protest for feminism to the criticism of those paying attention to China’s recent troubles.
Feminism and the news aside for one sartorial moment – though, it seems Mr Lagerfeld wasn’t looking at one in particular, having said his inspirations included “no ’60s, no ’70s, no whatever, more mode de vie than mode” – the collection included nearly everything we’d want, boasting sweater dresses, suits and coats; prints, bright colours and elegantly subdued hues. There were even 3d floral applique and metallic.
And, with an astounding 86 looks walking the streets as proof of the designer’s brilliant way with crafting a collection, there’s much to choose from for your next season wardrobe – Lagerfeld having gifted us with a range full of “pieces everyone can play with.” In deed.
Christian Wijnants
Designer Christian Wijnants channeled all things ‘girl lost,’ using the jungle as place for his muse to find her way from. Turned out this journey lead the designer down a route encrusted with Swarovski crystals and lined in sheer, plastic-coated clothes, topped with on-trend, here-to-stay bucket hats.
Culottes and sleeveless waterfall-front macs also made an appearance, with jungle green and lagoon blue interrupted by salmon, orange and white for a fresher jungle feel.
We at SPICE love the low-key-meets-luxury-mid-rainforest vide, and would easily get lost inside a wardrobe full of this collection once it finds its way to rails next season.
Maison Martin Margiela
Maison Martin Margiela’s lineup for Spring/Summer’15 included a joyously hand-painted leather fireman’s jacket, covered in kitsch-feeling daisies, as well as patch-worked garments in other prints, like pinstripe and jacquard, that just brought each look to life.
The favourite piece for us at SPICE was an asymmetrical dress, which cantered off down one leg – covering wrists with its long sleeves and catering to sweet teeth with its pretty, pastel paneling.
With the Paris Fashion Week catwalk rife with re-workings of the asymmetrical hem, you’d do well to pin this dress to your wardrobe wish-list, too, though we imagine the divide on this trend will be very one-sided…
Roland Mouret
Roland Mouret used Charles James as the reference point for his new collection’s inspiration, as well as a side-helping of sports, bending the hem of a-line skirts into a curve and using tennis white as the backdrop to striped, colour-blocked ensembles for Spring/Summer’15.
Pieces were given pin-up appeal too, with figure-hugging silhouettes like wiggle dresses and midi-length pencil skirts swaddling model’s bodies.
A favourite feature had to be the palette though, with pastels and candy colours of lilac, orange and pink unfolding alongside yellow, blue and black – all moreish and concluding in a brilliant take on the upcoming season from the much-loved Mr Mouret.
Saint Laurent
Hedi Slimane was thinking ‘70s, clearly, with his collectin for next season steeped in staples well known to the groupie era.
Leather a-line skirts topped platform heels worn with tights, and low-slung necklines revealed just enough cleavage for that “I don’t care that too much cleavage is on show” sort of look that we’ll all be vying for as the weather warms post-winter.
A fur chubby made a rather epic appearance mid show, which we’ll be test-running this season, with all the faux fur on current offering – and, other show pieces, like the firework-embroidered velvet blazer, studded seams, belts and sequined tops might also be worth holding onto if you encounter them in the run up to Christmas.
Needless to say this is a collection to invest in when it arrives, with this season setting our wardrobes up nicely for it in the meantime.
Li Yang
New designer Li Yang may only have launched his label two years ago, but his experience in romantic, angst-y works of art that you can wear seems pretty well established, and a theme he’ll carry forward aesthetically if he wants to continue conquering the niche.
Take the slogan tees that spell “Bore”-“Dom” when viewed back and front, or the over-helping of chiffon, used to cocoon cool staples like tee-shaped dresses and tops, or found spilling out the sides of darkly perfect suit wear.
A standout for Team SPICE was a black two-piece, split in the middle and overcompensated with via silk on one side. And then there was the moment a teal suit with sleeveless jacket stepped onto the runway, baring a chiffon side feature that acted as a sling over the right pocket.
Put a piece from this unusual collection into your wardrobe next season and you’ll work the niche just like Yang: like a pro.
Image source: Style.com
