Reminiscent yet modern - Versace A/W RTW 2011

The venue that was selected to host the Versace catwalk show - Via Gesu Milan, the couryard of her deceased brother Gianni's Milan mansion - already suggested that Donatella Versace would be walking down memory lane with her current collection.

Apparently, Donatella had grappled with the maison's history and archive recently and processed this in her garments, which seemed more to the point than usual and less flashy at the same time.
The ubiquous sexiness that is the predominant streak in every Versace collection was pleasantly reticent and consequently more appealing. A signature baroque Versace curlicue was rediscovered and echoed in bold colourful snaky details that meandered around the otherwise plane and sleek garments. The colour palette comprehended a lot of black and white and was spiced up with purple and petrol shades as well as the occasional canary yellow. Quite startling that in a season where most big Italian brands went fur and exotic skin galore that of all things Versace went a little more low key than usual and won us over with a sleek sexiness that was less brash and in-your-face.

Versace blended feminine cuts with military style and created beautiful jackets that convinced with their sharp cuts and simple bold details like gold buttons with the Medusa signature emblem and golden belt buckles. The angular sharply tailored assymetric dresses with the sexy side slits and smart back cut-outs were as simple as they were effortlessly stylish. The balancing act between sleek restraint and sexy decadence  - reflected in particular by the leather outfits which comprised black pleated glazed leather skirts -was nicely managed and spiced up with beautiful peep toe boots in various executions - ranging from laced glazed leather boots to patent leather ones - as well as desirable hobo bags. The usage of furs and exotic skins seemed rather dosed compared to other collections during Milan fashion week - who would have thought that this is something you might ever write about Versace?! Also, observable was that this collection paid significantly less attention to the eveningwear than usual but the few pieces shown were a direct hit.


The combination of simple yet sharp cuts and bold Versace signature details made the collection striking and powerful.


xoxo
Glamazone

Source: style.com, WWD.com
Picture Source: www.style.com, www.WWD.com

Blending Boho - Matthew Williamson A/W RTW 2011

British Designer Matthew Williamson's inspiration this year was one of Russia's premier avant-garde artists: Francisco Infante-Arana, who made himself a reputation by blending mirror installations into nature to evoke a visual fusion of nature and modern materials.

The contrast of textures, the antagonism of surfaces was mirrored in Williamson's collection, which seemed to be an artsy approach to his grown up bohemian girl.
Like the artist Infante-Arana, Matthew Williamson indulged in a mix of textures, reflections, graphic prints, which echoed in a toned-down way in the wool and leather outerwear.

The recognition effect of Williamson's sophisticated hippie woman, which reflected in Mongolian vests, embroidered dresses and woolen outerwear was combined with leather biker trousers and skirts as well as some sheer synthetic blouses. The weak points in the show were the combinations of plain cut trousers in graphic prints with semi-translucent blouses as well as the assymetrical wrap skirts, which did not transport the otherwise light effortless feeling of the collection. At the same time, some of the coats with fur lining, graphic prints and embellishments seemed too forced.

A collection with interesting silhouettes, sophisticated combinations of textures and materials which left room for lightness and glamour at the same time.

xoxo
Glamazone

Source: WWD.com, style.com
Picture Source: WWD.com, style.com, todayandtomorrow.net, ilikethisblog.net

Severe with a twist - Marc Jacob's A/W 2011 RTW

  If one had to brainstorm compatible materials for a collection, latex and lace seems like an odd choice - not for Marc Jacobs apparently - which he proved today in his fall/winter 2011 ready to wear collection.
Jacobs, who triggered the big 70ies boom that has strongly been channeled during New York Fashion Week this season, has clearly moved on from this homage to Yves Saint Laurent's glamour hippie look and is displaying quite a contrast in his current collection.
Strict silhouettes, strong cuts and prim necklines replaced last season's effortless fluidity and left a far more rakish and sexy impression as one might expect from those buttoned-up styles at first glance.
Marc Jacobs paid tribute to himself by reviving some themes of previous collections - the polka dots for example were an ode to his first collection, which was showcased 20 years ago - and spicing them up through an eclectic mix of textures and fabrics. Fake fur met synthetic materials, latex met lace, vinyl met real fur. Jacobs managed to deliver a strong collection which looked serious and kinky at the same time - feminine, elegant shapes with an undeniable ironic twist to them - i.e. a rubber dress that was processed to look like sequins.

The girlish polka dot theme resurfaced in every imaginable and unimaginable material and size - from tiny spotted socks to three dimensional vinyl buttons and polka dot embellishments in a wide array of textures and materials. The colour palette ranged from classic navy to burgundy, grey and black combined with the occasional white shirt.
Sharply tailored outerwear emphasised the fitted silhouettes of the skirts and dresses and added that dash of sophistication to the outfits.

Despite the prim and austere look, accessories like the short gloves, playful mini-baretts and pill box hats that were fixated with a tight chin strap were just the coquettish icing on the cake of the collection.

J'adore! A very smart-looking collection which managed to conjoin seemingly contradictory materials and statements to a very contemporary and elegant look.


xoxo
Glamazone

Source: WWD.com, style.com
Picture Source: style.com

LVMH carving out its territory at Hermès

Could Hermès International one day possibly collaborate peacefully with its most rivalling competitor LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy - personified by CEO Bernard Arnault? After fighting out the circumstances of the equity swaps - which resulted in LVMH owning 20.2% shares of the family-owned company publicly, one may doubt so. Despite Bernard Arnault's previous assertions that LVMH's intentions were "peaceful" and of "friendly nature", he recently added in a press conference, that he does not intend to remain a passive shareholder in the company.

Currently, French market regulation is still examining the exact circumstances of the equity swap, which did not only arouse numerous questions within the hereditary family of Hermès but also rose the question of stricter regulations within the French market.
As a consequence to the rather surprising intrusion, the founding family has recently created a holding company, which will enable the family to pool the approximately 70% of shares which remain in its possession and hinder further purchases by external stakeholders.

Despite delivering a more than solid performance in 2010, the LVMH share fell on 4th February after LVMH failed to exceed analysts' expectations. Profits from recurring operations rose by 29% percent to 4.32 billion euros in 2010. The revenue of Louis Vuitton brand drove the profit, with its raised prices and new product lines like the "Monogram Empreinte" collection. LVMH is surely relying on China's growing appetite for luxury within the next years.

The year ahead will surely give direction to the "battle" between Hermès and LVMH and their nip-and-tuck-race in consumer favour.

xoxo
Glamazone


Source: www.bloomberg.com, www.businessweek.com
Picture Source: www.be.com

Prada gone bananas

New year (well, let me wish you a happy 2011 and a happy new year of the rabbit!!), new season, new fashion ahead and about time to be bold.
Bold colours, bright patterns and campaigns that are everything but discrete are a great indicator that the crisis is over and we are back to go bananas with our fashion statements. Miuccia Prada took this quite literally in her spring/summer '11 campaign and added bright colours with prints that range from cherubs to monkeys ...and yes, you might have guessed so ...bananas! From bright tangerine, deep emerald and cobalt blue to vivid stripy combinations, Prada went decisively bold with the colours and even a little cheeky with the beautiful ad campaign photographed by Steven Meisel, which converts the collection's mood even better in the video.

As opposed to the previous collections, the clear cuts were loosened up by ruffles or tassles that round off the clear cut of skirts or dresses that are tightly fitted up to the knee. As it seems, Miuccia Prada is over the bossom already, which she played to the gallery last season. In spring/summer 2011, Prada is buttoning up and favoring bateau necklines and v-necklines complimenting skirts and dresses which are all knee lenght. The looks were accessorized with wedged sneakers, brightly striped fur stolas and sun hats.
Prada is seeking to dedicate a lot of attention to the Chinese market in the future and developed a luxurious edition of the spring/summer '11 collection especially for the Chinese market, where most of the cotton pieces of the Milan show in September were replaced by radzmire silk and a special touch of sequins was added to most outfits.

Major topic amongst the glamourous audience however was the fact that Prada is most likely to finally go public after years of flirting with this option and postponing the plans due to global market conditions. “Up until now we haven’t made a definitive decision. At this point, we think a listing in Hong Kong is the most opportune solution. In the coming months, we will evaluate the timetable and the details.”stated Patrizio Bertelli, husband of Miuccia Prada and CEO of Prada.
A clear strategic signal where Prada sees the highest growth potential in the future - last year's revenues of Greater China (including China, Hong Kong and Macau) rose by 75% to 389 million euros, already representing nearly 20% of the group's total turnover. Also, Prada decided to open two new design studios - one in Paris, one in Hong Kong a rather unusual yet contemporary move for an Italian fashion house to embrace new talent and new inspirations from different creative hubs.

The year of the rabbit is supposed to be a favorable year of international relations - let's see if it will favour Prada's strategical expansion plans.

xoxo
Glamazone

Source: WWD.com, huffingtonpost.com
Picture Source: WWD.com