The NewGen looks promising/ Do it like a brother

by Neslihan
Hello, dearest fashion lovers
If you're still hungry for more Fashion Week collections: grab a mug of coffee and put your fashionable reading glasses on. And make sure you've got Fashionmania on your screen.

The Fashion Week I love the most is LFW because it's all about being innovative, extravagant and avant garde fits in this row too. It's about young designeres standing up and showing their most amazing creations. And since I tend to neglect the men's collections on this blog, I'm going to show you some style for guys today. And there have been a couple of very different collections pour le mâle. Star Wars, the Beatles, and sporty elegance were all to be spotted at this season's lfw for guys. Let's start with Martine Rose.

   

 Martine Rose LFW RTW A-W 2012

Martine Rose is one of the NewGen designers this season. The New what? The New Generation is an organization created by the British Council of Fashion that looks for new talents every season. It was thanks to this project that we can/could enjoy McQueens gaga creations, fall in love with Erdem's rose garden and go nuts with Christopher Kane's prints. And a little more recent is Mary Katrantzou's launch. Martine Rose though is different. Her show consisted of  black suit pants and amazing white shirts. She played with proportions while giving the male models a waist and  destroyed this waist again with bomber jackets. She used shiny, satin like fabrics to make the whole collection luxurious. She didn't only play with proportions when it comes to sizes and shapes but also when it comes to gender. She gave her dudes a blond/ grey wig but then again she made them wear Cats ( she had a collab with them), with which she tried to man her collection up. Not so many colours: think of spicy orange, military green and lots of black+white. The capes gave the collection another dimension. So I liked it because it was wearable but still had a few weirdnesses to top things of.

Matthew Miller LFW RTW A-W 2012

Oh how I nearly passed out looking at those delicious prints! I've got the impression that men's fashion is always a B plan but how Matthew Miller, another NewGen launch, puts it on A again! He knows to keep the balance between elegance and being laid back. He splashes with colours that make your head spin around. And his fittings are just so fine! His keywords are industrial, tailoring and sporty. One thing though: I don't get the futuristic black trench coats in this collection. Maybe drop 'em next time?

J.W. Anderson Men LFW RTW A-W 2012

The first thing I thought when I saw the first look (first picture) was: Starwars! How it hit me like a fireball! Seconds later 'the Beatles' popped into my mind. So that might've been J.W. Andreson's (also a NewGen designer) two inspirations while designing, well euh...his outfits. Don't get me wrong, I think his collection is rather interesting. I mean at the end I am the one who said that you have to look further than words like 'beautiful' and 'wearable' because like Simon and I agreed: fashion is a form of art. Fashion is there when no more words are left to say. So keeping that in mind I truly liked what Anderson did but it's just too literal. I can deal with futuristic but a full length homage to Darth Father and C-3PO is just a little too much. Maybe wear the jumpers but the shiny jumpsuits? Nah, didn't think so.

Move your fingers towards this site's direction for more fashion because less isn't more when it comes to exploring new designers.

Love.

Spring is here!

by Simon
Waking up this morning (or noon, rather), I was surprised and pleased to see the sun fill my room with light as I opened the curtains. It might not be warm enough to go outside without a coat on, but Spring is here and that's reflected by streetwear from around the globe. No matter where you hang around the Fashion Week shows - in Amsterdam, London, New York, Milan,....- color is omnipresent. Large prints are very in right now and so are neon shoes and accesories. Have fun with it! Below a collage of my favorites, pics are from http://www.teampeterstigter.com/streetwear/.

Fashion Circus

by Simon
Going through Fashion Week show reviews, I couldn't help but notice the remarkable amount of Circus-esque looks on the catwalk. These colorful acid trips might be attempts to bring happiness in times of crisis. Or maybe the designers are just as sick of the grey Fashion we've seen lately. My general opinion about these kinds of collections is that they can become wearable by picking separate pieces and teaming them up with some good basics. These shows are very entertaining to watch and could inspire some interesting editorials!

Meadham Kirchoff, Fall 2012 RTW, London 

Meadham Kirchoff presented a mad collection that could be the moodboard for a Tim Burton movie. Neon Marie-Antionette-style wigs & bold Picasso-like make-up made for a fitting styling. The looks mainly consisted of bright-colored socks tucked into colorful heels, generously splattered with glitter. Layers are a generally present trend this season and this consisted added some sheer and animal-print fabrics to the mix. My favorite pieces were the faux-fur coats that looked like Muppets were slaughtered during the production process, just because they're so on trend and playful.

Conclusion: there were some very nice garments but the combination of everything together was quite hard on the eye.

Jeremy Scott, Fall 2012 RTW, New York

Jeremy Scott continued to prove that he's a a designer to watch: his collection was one of my absolute favorites because it's so cheerful and wearable. The few men on the catwalk wore pop-art sweaters printed with emoticons and Bart Simpson images paired with bright galaxy-print pants. The shoes look like they're bright canvas sneakers and there were some really cool palmtree shades. I wouldn't mind owning some of the pieces of this collection! The women wore rainbow-toned bodycon silicon dresses Katy Perry or Nicki Minaj will soon be spotted in. The raincoats with computer symbols were really interesting as well and this collection also contained some great faux-fur garments. The cripped hair and blue lipstick was rather off-putting, the looks would have been a lot stronger with simple styling.

Conclusion: A playful, fun collection that saves Scott's position on the list of hot designers for at least a few more years. He could ofcourse do without the cardboard unicorn dresses though, unless he wants to look like a first-year student.

Bas Kosters, Fall/Winter 2012, Amsterdam

Dutch designer Bas Kosters's collection was sponsored by Vodafone, resulting in phone-prints on many of the garments. My favorite pieces, however, didn't have any communicative devices on them. A great black, floor length dress had a pink and orange maxiprint on it that I adored. The men (or were they women?) wore really cute jumpers but I didn't quite like the digit-print leggings (they looked like something from the Forever 21 sales rack), especially the fringed version (disgusting!).

Conclusion: A fun show you'd have to select from. Styling was fresh and on-trend but the garments had a few too many ideas going on.

HEAD OVER TO STYLE.COM OR TEAMPETERSTIGTER.COM TO SEE THE WHOLE COLLECTION

Introduction of a Stranger

Hi Fashionlovers,


My name is Simon, I'm 17 and I was lucky enough to be asked by the amazing author of this blog to join her and  to contribute to this great blog. I'll start by explaining why Fashion (with capital F!) is so important to me. First of all, it's a true form of art and expression that has a purpose beyond being decorative. It's basically wearable craftmanship and innovation. Furthermore, Fashion mirrors the ideas and atmosphere of the era it was made in, so it's historically very interesting. And last but not least, life is simply too short to wear ugly or boring clothes.

What can you expect from me? 


I will try to voice my opinion about the latest Fashion shows and trends, as well as some journeys back in time. Taste is ofcourse different for everyone, I hope you like what I like and if you don't, feel free to let me know why! (feel free to say something if you do agree as well ;))


Things to come:

Thom Browne Fall 2012 RTW NY

VPL Fall 2012 RTW NY

Jeremy Scott Fall 2012 FTW NY

My favorites of the Fashion Weeks so far! Lots and lots more to come (with commentaries), so stay tuned!


Fashionable Greetings, Simon

Wedding outfit dilemma

I might have told you guys that I love weddings: the music, the dancing (I don't dance, I only watch people dance), the wedding gown, the joy, the outfit criticizing. I mean lots of stuff I like about weddings but there's always one dilemma: my own outfit. Because you see: the Turkish weddings I go to do not have a dress code or actually they do but it's an unwritten one. The more glitter, the sexier, the showier and the better of course. Or that's what counts in my family. Blue, red, pink and lots of body glitter can turn this wedding into an unforgettable happening. It actually kind of looks like prom: all those people wearing colourful ball gowns with sparkles, layers and feathers. And volume, oh lord, lots of volume. It becomes a game actually. Who looks the most ridiculous? A game I don't dare to play because there's a huge risk at failing. So that's why I want to keep it 'simple' and very moi. I want to wear something I really like, something that defines me. I like prints. Stars ( praise Dolce & Gabbana), polkadots, stripes, birds, palm trees ( praise Maarten van der Horst), galaxy (Oh C. Kane, I love you) and last but most definitely not least, flower power! I have been obsessed with this print last summer. I went for the sweet farm girl edition and this print was just everywhere. I've worn it, breathed it and eaten it. This winter though I was sick of it. I mean I had seen it all or that was what I thought until Dries van Noten walked in to the room with a new version of this divine print. He combines big, bold florals with graphic prints of trees and other characters that belong to Mother nature. He is just so innovative. I loved it but before I saw his creations though I had to walk in H&M's to buy myself a dress for that wedding. And guess what I bought? A dress with a floral print and that happened on the same day when I openly stated my disgrace about this summery print. Ah, the world is such a small place. And I was happy with this dress until I saw a great pair of pants in the same shop a few weeks later and a very sweet dress at Zara's. Then the hesitating started. So I kind of want to hear your opinion on this one.

So, this is the dress I bought. And I really love its fabric (satin like) and it's fitting because it's really straight. And also the print of course because it's big and looks a little retro.

Then I saw this dress at Zara's and I like this one because it just looks so sweet. The birds look so romantic and the round black collar is just incredible with the yellow fabric.

After a while I thought why not wearing an amazing pair of pants? And that's how I found these at H&M's. The florals are just big and it looks like an amazing painting. Feminine but not too much if you keep your top simple. Maybe simple see through in white?

As you can see: I'm against overdressing. A great print can create miracles. Of course the shoes and other accessories are important too but I will show you those when I've made a decision (pants or dress?).

Love, Neslihan D.



Disastrous comeback and its disastrous consequences

I warn you for the amount of 'drama' that is on its way. Let's start with dissecting this title for instance. I have been off the blogosphere for quite some time right now. And I had my reasons. There were moments during which I just had a writer's block and there were also moments during which I had tons and tons of inspiration but I just didn't know how to write it down. And just when I had lots of ideas and topics to write about my computer crashed. And since I'm a little superstitious I thought this was a sign from above. The fashion gods just don't want me to write about 'la mode'. Now, I'm thinking: screw you! I'll write whenerver I want and what I want to write about! So here I am, making a 'comeback'. What a dreadful word. It just makes me nautious. I also have some surprises for you. I'm not going to reveal what these surprises are, you just have to follow this beacon of -let's hope- inspiration. Okey, I'll give you a hint: it involves this 'fashion friend' of mine. Curious? Stay tuned.

L'officiel Paris February 2012- Editorial/ Review
I couldn't help but post these pictures of this month's L'officiel Paris. It was a very special edition indeed. You'd almost think that it was L'officiel Afrique. What an amazing concept. On the cover Afro-American delight, Chanel Iman, starring in a fashion shoot with two other black beauties. The three models were posing in the prettiest outfits (spring/summer 2012) of huge brands like Dries van Noten, Prada and Chanel. There was also another fantastic photoshoot called 'Belleville-Bamako'. The model, Egle (never heard of her before), was white and that created an amazing contrast between the set, the colourful prints and the make-up, which was kept simple: red lips and a great skin. Tulbands, shades of brown and orange and African prints made this photoshoot super powerful. There was also a lot of hotness and sensuality in this edition and that was because of the 'Riviera Revival' photoshoot, which remembered the glorious times of the riviera during the 50's. That was a bit about this month's L'officiel Paris, if you still do not own this great piece of art: get your fat ass to your newsagent and buy it!
The cover

'Town chic' 

'Belleville-Bamako'

'Reviera Revival'

Love,Neslihan D.