Gucci Chooses Black for Milan Fashion Week 2012

Gucci Chooses Black for Milan Fashion Week 2012

The Fashion Week in Milan started on February 22, and it is going to be the penultimate event of the fall-winter 2012-2013 season. The marathon will finish in a few days in Paris.
One of the first to introduce the new collection was the Italian Gucci fashion house, and by its first models one could already say that the black, which had suddenly turned out to be the most popular color among the designers of New York, still would be the relevant color of the whole fall-winter 2012-2013 period. How bright in its graphic quality and the contrasting combination of black, white and gold colors the Spring-Summer 2012 collection by Gucci was, and how dull, dark and somewhat vague the fall-winter 2012-2013 collection, presented by Gucci, seems. One of the main reasons for this is the notorious black as the dominant of the fall-winter wardrobe.
Even the evening gowns, closing the collection, turned out to be black: the thin, black, and almost transparent chiffon with delicate appliqués is strangely reminiscent of the evening ensembles that Frida Giannini once included in the collection of fall-winter 2011-2012. It is just that the luxurious and rich shades of purple, emerald green, and blue were replaced by the standard black color.

Giorgio Armani Prive - Paris Fashion Week

Giorgio Armani Prive - Paris Fashion Week

We continue our study of fashion with a closer look at the collection of Giorgio Armani Prive at Paris Fashion Week 2012. This year, the designer has decided to use the original tints of semiprecious gems (topaz, emerald, jade) in his collection to paint the skirts, jackets and magnificent dresses of complex architectural forms.
Unlike most of his colleagues from the world of fashion, Giorgio Armani preferred not to overload the images with details and rich trim, focusing all his attention on the cut and the unusual texture, reminiscent of the snake skin pattern.

The catwalk was dominated by light-purple dresses, lime, green and bronze attires, which embody all the fundamental principles of the Fashion House. Shiny fabrics together with feminine silhouettes looked very modern, and the accessories – leather mitts, concise clutches and provocative hats – reminded of Futurism, whose influence is felt in all the latest collections of the master.

The line of everyday outfits presented by the fashion designer proved to be no less successful than evening dress, which his Fashion House is traditionally famous for. In addition, most models of dresses will perfectly fit normal female bodies (not all girls have a thin bone and endlessly long legs, after all!).

Paris Fashion Week Versace

Paris Fashion Week  Versace

It has finally happened: Paris Fashion Week has started. The Versace Fashion House was one of the first to present the couture collection to the audience.
For the first time in the past eight years, Donatella Versace presented haute models, though previously she had been focusing her talents on prêt-a-porter lines.

The collection has turned out small, but solid and very effective. Laconic silhouettes of most items are more than compensated by the abundance of lace, embroidery, and decorative details.

Unlike most designers, the younger sister of the great Gianni Versace, is not afraid of bright colors. Although the gray-beige color is at the basis of her collection, it also contains dresses of “citrus” colors, such as lemon yellow, orange, and lime green.

Donatella continues to experiment with “glamorous” Futurism. Minimalist dresses, high-waisted shorts and jackets are easily turned into art objects with the help of well-developed details, including the use of metallic elements in corsets and other components of the image.

Paris Fashion Week 2012

Paris Fashion Week 2012

Over the past few years, Paris Fashion Week has changed a lot. The previous shows resembled theatrical performances, and the presented models looked like art objects. Now, the collections are more utilitarian, and the shows themselves… are less dramatic.
That is why Karl Lagerfeld has decided that the Chanel haute couture should be sold instead of being proudly displayed in the showcases of museums. The entire first part of the collection was presented on the catwalk by mannequin models, dressed in the classic clothes of the Fashion House: knee-length sheath dresses, costumes with traditional tweed jackets, slacks and silk blouses… Everything was done in the spirit of Mademoiselle Coco, but it looked somehow casual and everything but new.

However, the show gradually changed for the better, and there appeared the first evening dresses, embroidered with sequins, beads, and decorated with cut-outs and printed colors.

Using the classic silhouettes of the brand (many people like Chanel for conservatism and loyalty to the principles of the founder of the brand), Kaiser Karl gives them a modern breath, using shiny fabrics, an abundance of sequins, pearls and large gems.

The color palette of the collection is rather dull and dominated by dark blue and deep purple hues that Lagerfeld mixed with silver-gray, milk and lavender tones. The images are completed by long earrings with colored gems, tiny hats with flowers, cameos and brooches, as well as high-heeled shoes with straps around the ankle. We are amazed! And you?

Chanel Paris Bombay Collection

Chanel Paris Bombay Collection

Karl Lagerfeld ventures a fashionable journey. Moscow, Shanghai, Byzantium (and now Mumbai) are the designer’s sources of inspiration for the Chanel pre-collections. As we have already reported, this time he offered to make a 10-minute trip from Paris to Bombay.
During the show in the Grand Palais, the models were walking along the dining tables accompanied by the song Instant Karma by John Lennon. Lagerfeld was inspired by India, and the scenery for the show was created under the famous slogan of the Roman rulers “Bread and circuses”. However, the guests failed to have dinner during the show. The couturier ordered to have the tables served, but most of the dishes were placed in the center of the catwalk.

And as an aperitif, Lagerfeld offered 79 models from the new autumn pre-collection by Chanel. The designer has used enough Eastern “spices”, such as brilliant tika (a jewelry suspension in the hair), nat (nose ring), and Haar (massive necklaces). The Indian wardrobe by Chanel includes a knit tunic and short pants, plain saris, shoes, richly embroidered with gold sequins. And, according to the tradition, there were tweed suits.

By the way, the banquet still took place. As soon as the last model had disappeared behind the scenes, waiters appeared in the hall, treating the guests with French champagne, herbal teas, almond Macaroni cakes and exotic fruits. Thus, Lagerfeld managed to reconcile the French chic with the Oriental style even in the menu.

Chanel SS 2012 Collection

Chanel SS 2012 Collection

Just as Marc Jacobs in his collection for Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2012, Karl Lagerfeld dared to have a radical change of images while creating a new collection for Chanel that was shown at the closing of Fashion Week in Paris.
Instead of the dark and “volcanic” atmosphere of the fall-winter 2011-2012 showing, the SS 2012 collection is characterized by the ease and naturalness of the underwater world: shells, corals and rocks polished by the tide served as the natural scenery for the spring-summer 2012 collection.
For Karl Lagerfeld, lightness is a key element of spring-summer collection: the new fabrics (which even the designer himself was unable to describe) have complemented the collection with pearl shining. The strings of pearls instead of the traditional waistbands and the brightest hues are used to advantage.