THOM BROWNE SPRING 2021 READY-TO-WEAR

Thom Browne’s “first and only” family trip growing up was to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He would have been 11 years old at the time, but he remembers Caitlyn Jenner winning the gold medal in the decathlon and Nadia Comaneci scoring the first perfect 10 in gymnastics. It doesn’t take a lot of mental gymnastics to understand the imprint that these moments of athletic perfection must have left on Browne. Yes, there are the many references to sports in his clothing, but there is also the fact that fastening oneself into his suits requires the mental focus—and often the attenuated calf muscles—of an athlete.

For spring 2021 Browne has gone sporting at the 2132 Olympics, an event he imagines happening 239,000 miles from Earth on the moon. In a wry video he wrote that accompanies the collection, comedian Jordan Firstman and model Grace Mahary banter like sports commentators as models and flag bearers descend the stadium steps of the Los Angeles Coliseum. (The video is as wacky as any live Browne performance: transfixing, imaginative, maybe a little long.) The venue was chosen both for its Art Deco architecture and its hosting of the 1932 Olympics. The silhouettes of the ’20s and ’30s inform the clothing, from the drop-waist dresses to the slim skirts, some pleated, others as straight as your back must be to pull them off.

The entire collection is rendered in shades of white: ivory, eggshell, the palest yellow, the faintest gray. Browne chose the color as a symbol of hopefulness. Here it’s hard to divorce his creativity from that of his partner, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Andrew Bolton. (They have, after all, spent about four to five months working from home together with their dog, Hector, who receives his own tribute as a handbag and as a spaceship in the film.) The Met’s Costume Institute exhibition “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” opening on October 29 because of COVID-19 delays, features only black clothes save its closing look: a white Viktor & Rolf upcycled couture dress, a gesture of stepping into a new, hopeful future.

Source: VogueRunway

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AMI SPRING 2021 MENSWEAR

“Doing a physical show is a kind of political thing,” says Ami’s Alexandre Mattiussi, elaborating that amid the pandemic and crumbling political situations around the world, he thinks “fashion needs to find humility in the situation.” The Ami version of humility might sound quite dramatic: Beside the Seine in the quatrième, Mattiussi held a fashion show on a black wood runway complete with a soundtrack by DJ Jennifer Cardini and a cast of famous models like Clement Chabernaud, Amalia Vairelli, Audrey Marnay, and Georgina Grenville. Its existence, at 8 p.m. on a cloudy Paris night, was both a risk—COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in Paris—and celebratory, an homage to the city’s deep relationship with and love of fashion.

To counter the exuberance of the affair, Matiussi sent out clothing with a relaxed spirit. He described his spring 2021 men’s and women’s collections as “sophisticated but not pretentious.” The slim plaid maxiskirts and black wool LBDs proved the point for women, the louche seafoam and chocolate suits and baggy shorts did it for men. A series of mesh tanks, styled throughout with vacation-y beaded necklaces, emphasized the chill vibes.

But so much comfy, slouchy, pleasant clothing can be done a disservice by such a flashy show format. Mattiussi’s clothing is quite elegant in its form and fit—see Vairelli’s white wool midi—but perhaps a more intimate show would have helped showcase the craftsmanship and care that went into the collection. During Paris’s lockdown, the designer went into his studio alone, connecting with his 160 employees online to make the garments come to life. This collection is a testament to their ability to collaborate as a team and make it through one of the toughest times. Peeling back the curtain on that process might have helped the clothes really shine.

Source: VogueRunway

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PFW 2021 - UN REVE SUR LA COTE D’AZUR by DARA SENDERS in collaboration with EMILY BRICKEL EDELSON of CHIC SKETCH

Debuting today, Dara Senders presents her new collection UN REVE SUR LA COTE D’AZUR and digital presentation/ look book in collaboration with Emily Brickel Edelson, co-founder and lead fashion illustrator of Chic Sketch.

A mixture of pastels, muted jewel tones, and gilded metallics sets the color pallet for this collection. Hues reminiscent of a bright sunny day that leads into a magnificent sunset over the Mediterranean Sea and lavender fields. The array of sophisticated ready-to-wear separates such as ruffled floral print organza and textured metallic threaded chiffon statement blouses and kimonos provide the ease and comfort of day to night dressing. Romantic cocktail dresses and flowy evening gowns sit alongside plenty of sequin numbers to make life and dressing more fabulous. Whether you are dressing for a zoom call for business or pleasure, a dinner date, all the way to an intimate outdoor gathering with family and friends Dara Senders’ 2020/2021 collection will have you looking your best.   

All garments are made to order in Paris, France by Dara Senders’ team of couturiers with an incredible attention to detail and craftsmanship. Each garment made is cut with the brand’s innovative pattern making technology that allows each garment to fit with perfection and ease from sizes XS-3XL. The first drop of Un Rêve Sur La Côte D’azur by Dara Senders will launch for pre-sale on October 5th on DaraSenders.com with a scheduled Holiday delivery. The second drop is scheduled to launch on the designer’s website for pre-sale at the end of October. The Pret-a-Porter collection prices under $400.00 USD while the couture collection prices under $700 USD. 

“Designing luxurious well-tailored clothing that can elevate a woman’s style and allows her to feel beautiful from the inside-out and vice-versa, no matter her physique is what I find most fulfilling! I believe all women, no matter their shape and size deserve to feel and look fashion forward, fabulous every day.” - Dara Senders explains.

Given the world’s current climate with COVID-19, Dara knew she had to think outside of the box to create a visually captivating, zero contact, digital presentation to not risk the health and safety of others that a traditional fashion show or editorial photoshoot may have. She loved the idea of two female entrepreneurs joining creative forces to create a unique way of bringing her brands collection to life. This is how the colorful collaboration between Emily Brickel Edelson, co-founder and lead fashion illustrator of Chic Sketch and Dara Senders came into fruition.  Dara explains, “I knew collaborating with Emily Brickel Edelson to artistically and visually showcase the ambiance of  my collection as its presentation would be a perfect fit. Through her art she truly captured my collection’s ambiance and gave a 2D presentation movement, emotion and depth. It is so wonderful when young women entrepreneurs can come together and support each other wholeheartedly!”

Both women have worked closely to tell the captivating story of “Un Rêve Sur La Côte D’azur” by Dara Senders. Through Emily’s art and renowned fashion illustrations in which visually showcases this collection magnificently,  tickles one’s senses of completely emerging into the French Riviera. “On behalf of Chic Sketch, we are thrilled to collaborate with Dara Senders for her new 2020/2021 Collection. Dara's designs are the epitome of what fashion forward women want to wear to feel beautiful at any size. Through the Dara Senders’ collection, in collaboration with my artwork, one thing we have in common is wanting women to always feel and look beautiful and inspiring women globally to live their dream lives. Now more than ever, we all need something to look forward to and something to wear that reminds us of who we are and gives us a reason to glam up everyday with a little sparkle and a lot of chic!" says Emily Brickel.

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MARIA ARISTIDOU COUTURE SS 2020: PARIS FASHION WEEK

Maria Aristidou SS2020 knit couture collection is, in every respect, inspired by the Art Deco movement of the early 20th century. When the need for change following World War One spread in all aspects of art and design from buildings to furniture, jewelry, fashion and every day objects. 

Similar to the Art Deco movement the collection combines bold styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials representing luxury, glamour and exuberance. 

Maria Aristidou’s BOLD collection, guided by the essence of shape to form clean, geometric designs with vivid colors and vibrant patterns using knit fabrics, represents a challenge for both men and women to deviate from the norm, be BOLD and dive into the fascinating abyss of Art Deco inspired shapes and colors of knit couture.

The magic of knitwear inspired the designer to first explore and then create, using luxurious threads, elaborate techniques, and various knit patterns. The craftsmanship of detailed hand embroideries adds to the uniqueness of Maria Aristidou's fabric collections for the couture evening and accessories.

The process of each collection production starts from the fabric design. Yarns such as wool, viscose, lurex, cotton, silk and velvet (depending on the season) are ordered from France and Italy.  Then, a series of patterns are designed in great detail followed by a series of tests to decide on the yarns to be used for each pattern, how thick or thin the fabric will be, color sampling combinations, hand-embroidery design testing, quality and durability checks etc.  The whole design and production processes take place in Cyprus.

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Alyx Spring 2020 Men's and Women's Collection

Matthew Williams of 1017 Alyx 9SM (his brand’s full name) didn’t seem to attach much meaning to his venue—a stunning, modernized bank building—yet two words projected loud and clear: big and business. This is what Alyx is fast becoming and what the combined men’s and women’s collections encapsulated with their assertive silhouettes and high-fashion positioning.

As the penultimate show of a strong week, Alyx was something to behold, arousing the glory days of Thierry Mugler in the 1980s while attracting the next-generation crowd that has brought incontrovertible energy back to Paris. For now, at least, Williams is committing to a more formal form of urban than his peers. For him, tailoring is not just an outward statement, but an inward reflection of mastery. “Tailoring is a really difficult thing to do as a young brand,” he said. “Some of the construction we’re attempting to do is trying to find our own language. I think it’s a nice challenge to define what that is for us.”

Arguably, his challenge is how to achieve that difference without appearing over-designed. From past visits with him, before he switched to a show format, he revealed his process as methodical, almost obsessional for the way he will privilege one detail over another. Chances are, he vetoed at least a dozen chains before landing on the one that repeats as a parabolic flourish on several of these looks. Other details—elongating panels, zippered knees, hammered hardware, sculpted heels—were fine-tuned in order to be fully integrated, not gratuitous. Elsewhere, outdoorsy pieces that harked back to earlier collections blended in while the draped dresses towards the end remained slightly unresolved.

But that’s just surface stuff; anyone who read the accompanying notes would have learned about the metal hardware sourced from a sustainable factory, the near-waterless leather-dyeing process, the three-dimensional printed seams and myriad more examples of innovation adding functional and psychological value to the clothes. Or, as stated in this succinct yet thorough document, “We engage with systems, scales, and soul.”

Williams, for his part, also suggested the designs gain dimension from those wearing them. “Our casting is a real mixture of models and friends and family—those people’s energy really brings out the clothes.” See Model 54, aka his wife Jennifer, who wore a croc-embossed jacket (the treatment of the season) and a corresponding translucent skirt. Enough of the guests knew her that cheers echoed through the space as though she were an international celebrity. It was a telling moment. Alyx, now acting all grown up, remains as independent and in-the-know as always.

Source: VOGUE RUNWAY

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MARIA ARISTIDOU COUTURE SPRING SUMMER 2019

You don’t always know what ‘s hidden behind a closed door and even when you think you do, you always wonder if you are right. A closed door is, more often than not, a mystery to all of us. We are humans and curiosity is, whether we like it or not, a human imperfection. And when that door has an arch and a keystone, intertwining to form a coherent symplexis, it becomes a mystical and wondrous gate, behind which imagination can run wild! So, open it. If you dare.

Maria Aristidou’s Spring/Summer 2019 knit couture collection was quite the challenge. Inspiration for the pattern came from a single vintage arched door found during a walk inside the old city walls of Nicosia. The simplicity of the door’s facade, together with the complexity of the engineering behind it, gave rise to a series of design trials that lead to this fine timeless pattern for the fabrics of SS 2019 collection. Hand embroidery embellishments on a colorful palette of luxurious knit fabrics made by the designer, capture the beauty and the essence of a woman. Unexpected cuts on timeless classic designs with modern details are the signature of the designer's Spring/Summer 2019 "Symplexis" collection.

In 2015 Maria Aristidou introduced her first A/W 2015 Limited Knit Scarf Collection, a beginning of a new concept in her designs. The magic of knitwear inspired her to first explore and then create, using luxurious threads and elaborate techniques, various knit patterns. The craftsmanship of detailed hand embroideries adds to the uniqueness of Maria Aristidou's fabric collections for the couture evening and accessories.

The process of fabric production for each collection starts from the very beginning. Yarns such as wool, viscose, lurex, cotton, silk and velvet (depending on the season the designer works on) are ordered from Paris and Italy. Then, a series of patterns, first designed on paper, are passed on to the computer knit programmer to be then processed by the programs set for the knitting machines. What follows is a series of testings to establish which yarn will be used on which machine and for which pattern, how thick or thin the fabric will be, color sampling combinations, hand-embroidery design testing, quality and durability checks etc. The only fabric that is actually bought, and not produced by the designer, is the lining needed for each garment.

Once the desired patterns are developed, and the fabric samples are finalized and tested, the fabric production takes place. That is, cutting and sewing (with finishings done with knit trimming on each piece of the garment) along with hand embroidery. All production takes place in Cyprus.

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