Istanbul Fashion Week

By Neslihan
I know how hard it must be for starting designers in the fashion industry. You're unknown, have great ideas and want recognition for your work. But where and how do you start? That's why 'Fashion Weeks' are a true blessing for upcoming McQueens, Erdems and Katrantzous because we need to look for the next generation of geniuses, who are going to transform our closets according to their own imagination. And I'm always in awe when I discover a new designer, who totally fits my fashion philosophy. Up next: a selection of my personal favourites from the IFW collections I've checked so far.

The sporty one:

Meet Ece Gözen, an Istanbul based designer, who has also participated in many collections, that were already shown during London and Paris Weeks. She isn't new in the industry because she has already worked for Hakaan Yildirim (HAKAAN).  She has her own line since last year and is known for her sporty yet feminine style. This A/W collection has this strong futuristic vibe with strong lines, geometrical shapes and flashy hints of fluorescent yellow.  In love with the first and last dress, could kick some ass in it.

The floaty one:

Nejla Güvenç founded Nej in 2002 and things have been going well ever since she started. She believes in sustainable fashion  because she says that designing is a long journey and she uses natural fibres that correspond to her ecological thinking. Just look at those fabrics, how effortless and soft do they look? It's as if they're about to caress your skin. I really like the see-through aspect, I like how it always creates mystery even though almost everything is revealed. This collection seems like a mix between Maison Martin Margiela X A.F. Vandervorst X Ann Demeulemeester, which is a huge, huge, huge compliment. 

The hipster:

Arzu Kaprol is really well-known among Turkish celebrities but she doesn't only appeal to Turkish fashion lovers but she can also count Monica Belluci as one of her customers. But Studio Kaprol is something new she founded in 2011. It's a platform for young designers, who work on different projects concerning fashion, graphic, music, print, etc under Arzu Kaprol's mentorship. It started with 5 designers but now there are 13 designers. This collection looks really modern and wearable and it also follows every trend we've seen this winter. Think of geometrical shaped necklaces,   lumberjack shirt, lammy coats and classy dandies.

More at:  http://istanbul.mbfashionweek.com/

Under skies, we still see

By Neslihan
Dearest fashion lover,
Whether it's just chilling by a river, sitting on a bench in the city, eating ice cream or just being this lame weirdo with your friends, do have fun! I mean, sometimes you just have to do those crazy, impulsive things. Don't think too much, just give it a go. Whether it's buying those fantastic pair of shoes or applying for the job of your dreams, go for it! Be passionate, be creative but most important -cliche but true- be the ever so fabulous you. Just a simple piece of advice but I shall stop here before I get too corny.

Let's talk about Simone Rocha. She's said to be the most promising new talent discovered by the NewGen (read more here) during London Fashion Week. The Irish young lady graduated from Central Sain Martins in 2010 and a year later she even had her first spring/summer collection. Rocha creates some beautifuly tailored clothing pieces made from great materials like lace and tule. She isn't all about tradition and hardcore wearable garments because she has the guts to combine the ever so beloved, classic lace with a plastic like material. She makes me say 'plastic is fantastic' without being ashamed of being accused of bad taste. Rocha wants her ladies to be playful, girly yet very polished. She also plays hide and seek with us by using see-through fabrics. She works with collars Alexa Chung would totally kill for and even has fun with green and coral. It's like she knows what women will be craving for this spring/summer. A wearable and very pretty collection for girls who like to transform the traditional into something more edgy but still look ridiculously romantic. I warn you for the amount of drool leaving your pretty mouth. Enjoy your weekend. Love.

To flush away the day.

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.

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

Alexander McQueen: Ars nec artem celare

De zomer mag dan wel ver weg zijn, de couturiers zitten niet stil. Ze hebben immers net hun collecties getoond in Parijs en de meningen zijn verdeeld. Zij die in herhaling vallen, zij die beter nooit begonnen waren en zij die ons met stomheid geslagen hebben. Bij die laatste groep hoort ook Sarah Burton. De laatste collectie die ze heeft ontworpen voor Alexander McQueen is een pareltje geworden. Een ware lofzang voor het vrouwelijk lichaam. De show zelf was zo breekbaar. Het decor zo simpel, zo puur. De muziek zo mythisch, in het begin tenminste. Daarna versnelde het tempo. Het leek wel alsof de kleding zelf zorgde voor de beginmelodie. McQueen was nooit iemand die traditioneel draagbare collecties maakte. Het was vooral niet altijd de bedoeling om het vrouwenlichaam te accentueren, maar juist die 'rariteiten' sierden hem. En met deze collectie bewijst Burton alweer dat ze een waardige opvolgster is voor McQueen. Burton ging aan de slag met goud, zilver, zacht roze, wit, koraalrood en zwart. Ze gebruikte stijve stoffen die ze vormgaf met ruches, maar ook doorkijkstoffen. Ze speelde met asymmetrie en parels, maar vooral met volume. Ze gaat zelfs zo ver dat ze het traditionele kant schaamteloos gaat mixen met latex. En die vreemde masker- en badmutsachtige dingen op het hoofd waren eigenlijk gewoon de McQueen-handtekening, want zonder zou het er algauw minder McQueen uitzien. En dat heeft Sarah Burton maar al te goed begrepen.

English translation: Summer might be months away but fashion designers are always busy with next season's trends. They have been showing their collections in Paris the past days and of course everyone had a merciless oppinion. Some repeated themselves, others shouldn't even have started to design and some others surprised us once again. So did Sarah Burton. Her last collection for Alexander McQueen was an absolute delight for the eyes. A true hymn for the female body. The show was so fragile. The setting was simple and so pure. The music was mythical at the beginning though. The tempo speeded afterwards. It felt like the clothing was making the soft tunes.McQueen never created traditionally wearable collections. He didn't always desire to accentuate the female body, but these oddities made him the designer we know now. With this collection though Burton proved once again that she's a worthy successor for McQueen. Burton used gold, silver, soft pint, white, coral red and black for this collection. She used rigid fabrics and made them fluent with ruffles, she has also used see-through fabrics. Burton played with asymmetry, pearls and volume. She even dared to match latex with the traditional lace. And those weird masks were the McQueen signature. This collection would've been less McQueen without them. So, well done, Sarah!

Foto's/Pictures: www.vogue.fr

N.D.