Spring/Summer 2015: Part One
Ann Demeulemeester Spring/Summer 2015
I think it is safe to say that for many this collection was seen as being make-or-break for Ann Demeulemeester. Following Ann's shock departure in Autumn it was revealed that she had been training her team to continue on the label without her. Her final collection, Autumn/Winter 2014, was shown as a joint collection in Paris earlier this year, and was in all respects a case of her slipping away quietly. However now stepping into her shoes is Sébastien Meunier, known previously for his menswear at Maison Martin Margiela, who has apparently spent the past four years learning by Ann's side. I think like most Ann Demeulemeester fans I breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the first few looks, followed by a quickening of the heart so readily apparent with the best of Ann's work. Meunier did an amazing job, and it was by far one of my favourite shows of the season. I am already looking forward to trying on everything once it hits the stores, and, unlike the Rick Owens collection, I am assuming the buyers were busy in the showroom.
Boris Bidjan Saberi Spring/Summer 2015
A return to form for Boris. I absolutely loved this collection, especially his use of the olive drab and khakis. As aggressive and powerful as his aesthetic is, there is in my mind always a certain romance, or perhaps better described as a softness, to his vision of the urban warrior - the washed leathers, the subtle shading and fading, the extended and layered sleeves, the open weave knits. It was a short collection, but the detailing was gorgeous to look at. I think last season felt a touch too clinical for me, it was not necessarily a bad collection, but it was very safe. In comparison this collection felt like a refinement rather than a recollection of his work, and I think that will always make for an interesting collection. Again another collection I am excited to see in stores, and I must say I am rather looking forward to trying on the shorts.
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2015
I always love Dries Van Noten's work on the rails and when trying it on, but the collections tend to be a touch too busy and fiddly on the catwalk to make me overly excited. This was however a beautifully choreographed collection. Inspired by ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and featuring illustrated prints by Richard Haines, this collection was elegant and sensual. But unlike the heavy-handed sensuality of Ackermann's recent menswear work ("more silk, more silk...it still feels like it's missing something...I know, more silk!"), Van Noten balanced the layering and combination of fabric and skin perfectly. It is ordinarily with womenswear that one speaks of balance between fabric and exposed skin, but with this collection the dramatically lowered necklines and exposed (albeit strapped and supported) torsos gave an undeniable seductiveness to the styling. Ballet is always tricky to reference, it can cross over into costume far too easily, but here, I think Van Noten hit the sweet spot.
Ermenegildo Zegna Spring/Summer 2015
If you follow me on Twitter on Facebook you will already know of my (shall we conservatively call it) distaste for Hedi Slimane's work at Saint Laurent Paris. Needless to say I think Pilati was far better suited to Saint Laurent (although in a perfect world I would rather see Theyskens at Saint Laurent), and to say he is wasted at Ermenegildo Zegna is an understatement. If I was after the skinny and strung-out-on-heroin rocker aesthetic that Slimane so aggressively peddles it would hardly be difficult to find, especially at a vastly lower price point. Slimane's work is undeniably impeccably constructed and the fabrics are gorgeous, but given the pricing anything less would be ridiculous, especially given that the designs themselves are hardly worth paying for. Slimane rant aside, Pilati's work at Zegna was impressive simply because of how much he has transformed the Zegna man. There is undeniably the spirit of Pilati's Saint Laurent man here, especially in the last look I have posted, and although it is not an aesthetic I myself pursue, seeing it at Zegna filled me with a sense of nostalgia, and further disappointment with Pilati's successor at Saint Laurent (and don't even get me started on Wang replacing Ghesquière...go back to sportswear Wang, let an actual fashion designer take the reins).
I Come Apart ft. Florence Welch - A$AP Rocky
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