Wednesday, March 27, 2013

INSPIRATION Grace Kelly 1957... Christian Dior SS||2013

This wonderful picture of Grace Kelly [left] might have been on Raf Simons' inspiration board for his first Christian Dior SS||2013 ready to wear collection [right].


Sunday, March 24, 2013

INSPIRATION Raf Simons for Jil Sander FW 2012||13... Raf Simons for Christian Dior HC FW 2012||13

Two wonderful dressed designed by Raf Simons experimenting pattern making techniques on the bustier: one created for his last collection as creative director for Jil Sander's FW 2012|| collection [left] and the other for his Christian Dior Haute Couture FW 2012||13 debut collection [right]. Click here for a similar story on Raf Simons.



Friday, March 22, 2013

INSPIRATION Louise Dahl Wolfe 1959... Jil Sander FW 2012||13

While observing the work of Raf Simons for Christian Dior evolving through the seasons, with its inspirational research mostly within the fifties [the decade while Monsieur Christian Dior himself was designing for the maison- more precisely between 1946 and 1957], let's do not forget that Raf started his fifties aesthetics research much earlier. All three last collections while being the creative director for Jil Sander have some kind of inspiration belonging to the fifties, and there was a rumor at that time that Raf Simons' final three collections were a sort of portfolio to apply for the job at Dior. In any case Raf Simons' ultimate collection for Jil Sander FW 2012||13 [right] appears to me as an hommage to the work of amazing fashion photographer Louise Dahl Wolfe and more precisely to this wonderful picture from 1959 [left] with its pink flower-fashion arrangement.


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

INSPIRATION Geoffrey Beene FW 2004||5... Céline FW 2013||14

For everybody who follows my blog this issue might not be news. But it appears that the awareness towards plagiarism is growing and more and more critics and journalists within the fashion system are getting interested in the matter of intellectual property of designer's work. WWD for example has published this week an article about this Céline wool coat designed by Phoebe Philo for FW 2013||14 [right] that resembles apparently too much to a Geoffrey Beene wool jersey coat from FW 2004||5 [left]. In this article appears even a quotation of Karl Lagerfeld saying "I must say I was a little shocked.' I'm actually not surprised at all that Geoffrey Beene is so widely copied, since he was an remarkable designer [also Stella McCartney has been caught by me some time ago using him as inspiration: click here], I just did not see Céline as one of the labels that could and would use an inspiration without a creative translation into something new and unique.



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

INSPIRATION Jil Sander SS||2011... Michael Kors FW 2013||14

Peplums have been a thing in fashion for the longest time now, but I still love to remember seasons and collection when they were kind of new and just introduced to us. Raf Simons for Jil Sander for example was one of the first to use them in his collections in wonderful contrast colors like orange on a black plain base [left]. Michael Kors proposes a similar outfit version for next FW 2013||14 [right].


Thursday, March 14, 2013

INTO THE SAME IDEA... Blumarine and Giambattista Valli FW 2013||14

In the mood for Bon Ton?... Then start to think about tender colored blouses with enormous bows for next winter, like the ones proposed by Blumarine [left] and Giambattista Valli [right].



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

INSPIRATION Christian Dior Haute Couture FW 2012||13... Tod's window display SS||2013

Ever since Raf Simons has used a million real flowers to create an unique stage design for his FW 2012||13 debut Haute Couture collection at Christian Dior [left]... flower arrangements have become a trend also in visual merchandising, as we can notice in the current window display of Tod's [right].


INSPIRATION Givenchy SS||2010... Tom Ford FW 2013||14

For the next fashion season FW 2013|| are proposed uncountable new black and white optical patterns that are very eclectic and kind of crazy, like the one by Tom Ford [right]. A similar kind of pattern I remember from the SS||2010 show of Givenchy, where the design of a kaffiyeh scarf has been pushed into allover digital pattern with the result of a zigzagging psychedelia ornament [left].



Friday, March 8, 2013

INSPIRATION the mosaics of Sicily's Cathedral of Monreale... Dolce&Gabbana FW 2013||14

Dolce&Gabbana has used the amazing Byzantine mosaics of Sicily's Cathedral of Monreale [left] as a very powerful inspiration for their FW 2013||14 collection [right] that embellish most of their outfits with countless individual artworks. In addition to the visual interpretation of the mosaics, that appear in form of prints and embroideries, the Italian design duo has chosen to use this amazing artistic work as a metaphor for craftsmanship and meticulous work.


Thursday, March 7, 2013

INTO THE SAME IDEA... Alexander Wang and Maison Martin Margiela FW 2013||14

There was a curious little trend to observe during the last fashion weeks for FW 2013||14. Alexander Wang [left] and Maison Martin Margiela [right] had created some curious solutions that integrate hair styling into the garments.



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

INSPIRATION Céline SS||2013... Zara SS||2013

And here comes another happy rip-off: Céline has created the wonderful Trio Rolled bag in vanilla colored lambskin for this current SS||2013 collection [left]... and Zara produced a slightly simpler version of it [right] for the same season, right now available in the stores for 29.25 Euro. Thanks, I guess.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

INSPIRATION Louis Vuitton SS||2007... Céline FW 2013||14

It is not the first time this very specific tartan pattern, known to embellish cheep plastic bags used on parisians flee markets to transport large quantity of merchandise, has made its way up to high fashion. For SS ||2007 Marc Jacobs has created expensive leather bag versions for Louis Vuitton [left], while Phoebe Philo proposes for Céline an even more bold elaboration of this theme on an entire oversize coat for FW 2013||14 [right].



Saturday, March 2, 2013

INSPIRATION Andy Warhol's fashion illustrations 1959... Christian Dior FW 2013||14

With his second RTW collection for Christian Dior continues Raf Simons' investigation of the time period between the 40ties and the 50ties, including an accurate research of its costume history, its art and of course the Dior archives. To embellish and also to lighten the extremely elegant outfits the designer chooses colorful vintage fashion illustrations created in the fifties by Andy Warhol. Before he found fame as the father of Pop Art, Andy Warhol was an accomplished advertising illustrator and commercial artist for fashion tastemakers such as Barney's, Neiman Marcus, Glamour, Mademoiselle and Harper's Bazaar. One of his delicately beautiful and playful illustrations used by Simons for Dior's FW "2013||14 collection [right] is the 'Female Head With Stamps' from 1959 [left], in addition to other celebrated designs like shoes and flowers.


Friday, March 1, 2013

INSPIRATION the Chelsea girl look 1968... Moschino FW 2013||14

The Chelsea girl look, a preppy girl look we see here on Marie Claire's cover in 1968 [left], was a popular look in the sixties that has been fancied by many hipsters of that time period like for example by models Twiggy, Penelope Tree and Jean Shrimpton. The Chelsea girl look might have been one of the inspirations of Rossella Jardini's Moschino FW 2013||14 collection [right].