Tag Archives: runway

gucci

Gucci Will Host its Cruise 2021 Show in San Francisco

Gucci has announced it will present its forthcoming Cruise 2021 collection in San Francisco. Last time the designer staged a show in the USA was when creative director Alessandro Michele hosted his first cruise show for the Italian brand in upstate New York in 2015.

 

According to a press statement, Michele decided on the California city for the presentation based on its “its history as a center of liberal activism.” Michele has frequently instilled his collections and presentations with a political edge, using his clothes as a template to express support for issues like women’s reproductive health and donating $500,000 to benefit gun control.

 

“This spirit represents Alessandro Michele’s vision for Gucci: the acceptance of diversity and the right to be oneself,” the statement continues. “Unveiling the collection in the city will also reconnect him with his most personal raison d’être: a celebration and validation of self-expression, emancipation and ultimately, freedom.”

 

Gucci will present its Cruise 2021 show on May 18.

 

 

 

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Solange Helped Close Out Kenzo Spring/Summer 2020

Earlier this month, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim announced they would step down as creative directors for Kenzo following the Spring/Summer 2020 show to focus on running Opening Ceremony. The final collection was a toned down amalgamation of all the things that makes the Japanese/French label pop: rich color hues, an abundance of prints, and an athletic sensibility that keeps the brand fresh. This time around, a beachy color palette (lots of deep blues and glimpses of coral orange) was inspired by the designer’s West Coast upbringing. In celebration of Leon and Lim’s impact on Kenzo, Solange provided the soundtrack the show, treating guests to an intimate performance and a mighty farewell.

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Dior Summer 2020 Show Was Perfectly Lush

The serene soft pink backdrop was the perfect auxiliary for the Dior Summer 2020 show. When Kim Jones debuted his vision for the label last summer, it was similar light-toned suits that gave us a taste of the type of fertile direction he planned to steer the House in. Leather work and tailoring was a main fixture in the most recent collection — some key looks include pastel suits, double-breasted blazers with Japanese-influenced elongated ombre panels that bled into richer hues, and more traditional monochromatic options that were elevated with asymmetrical cuts. Additionally, some all-white looks (like jumpsuits and bomber jackets) were garnished with large blue inkblot-like prints and more intricate floral designs. The show also introduced the latest metallic iteration of the Dior Saddle bag, as well as a new collaboration with Rimowa in the form of silver trunks and more compact options that could rival the beloved side pouch.

Watch the Dior Summer 2020 show below.

 

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Saint Laurent’s Spring ’20 is for the Bohemian Rockstar

Marrakech and major ’70s influences continue to inform the majority of Anthony Vaccarello‘s collections at Saint Laurent since he took over the French label in 2016. For Spring 2020, in a beachside show set in Malibu which was attended by recent brand ambassador Keanu Reeves and our fall ’18 cover star Lakeith Stanfield, the show was a fitting mix of stage glam with coastal nonchalance.

 

The collection was a love letter to the Rolling Stones beguiling frontman Mick Jagger — particularly the band’s prolific theatrical Tour of the Americas ’75 which featured a dragon that breathed confetti and a giant inflatable penis in addition to the performer’s regular flamboyance. The iconic singer’s influence was interpreted quite literally at times, with glittery suits, velvet trousers, button-down shirts left billowy and open, and a general sense of glam rock androgyny that has become a dependable strength and staple to the label. But there was an overall sense of insouciance that was more post-show than stagewear. A lot of this seemed to be a result of the designer’s signature skin-tight tailoring being dilated just a little bit and a range of exaggerated harem-like pants that closed out the presentation.

 

Watch the show below.

 

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N. Hoolywood Spring ’20 is Not Punk

At a theatre in the Borough of Manhattan Community College — where I later learned Cardi B attended — models marched to the center of a dark stage in a military-like fashion to showcase the latest output from Japanese/American designer N. Hoolywood. The collection was a hybrid of deconstructed tailoring, tartan prints, colorful pill graphics, and a general anti-establishment aloofness — that is to say, punk as hell. But that’s not what designer Daisuke Obana had in mind.

 

“He didn’t really focus on punk this time,” Obana says backstage, through his unofficial translator and New York correspondent for the label Yasyuo Hibino. “So this is the expression from English culture — he thinks the suiting is very classic and traditional, but other things aren’t as well made. It’s just a summary of what England is to him — it’s not political.

 

Obana was inspired by a recent trip to London — his first in 18 years — when he rediscovered the city “like a tourist.” He went to World’s End, which was originally the SEX boutique founded by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren that was the premier hotbed for punk fashion in the ’70s. He went down Savile Row, the tailoring epicenter of maybe the world. All these British influences were clearly incorporated into the collection, but the designer’s own street-savvy edge kept it from ever appearing gimmicky.

 

There’s also a sustainable aspect embedded in the collection. And since fashion is among the most polluting industries, more designers are announcing sustainable initiatives as the threats of climate change increase and accelerate at an alarming rate. “Large corporations have so much leftover, they have to sometimes burn [excess] because people have to buy new collections,” he says, before explaining that the size of his label prevents this from ever being an issue. “Each season, [our team] really estimates how much they need to produce and there is not really any leftovers. To make samples, they used archive [material], or leftover fabric from previous seasons — they reuse everything to make new collections. So sustainability is quite normal in that sense. It’s not a large [statement], but practical.”

 

There’s an obvious parallel between designing new pieces using discarded pieces or archived materials and punk DIY culture. The whole thing is very ‘Rip it up and start again.’ But there was a demeanor in the presentation and the collection that transcended it beyond any one particular influence, once again demonstrating the label’s strength in combining the classic with the cutting-edge.

 

Images: Courtesy of N. Hoolywood/Satoshi Motoda.

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Fendi’s F/W ’19 Collection Shows in Shanghai

Over the weekend, models strutted down a spiral runway at the Fendi Fall/Winter ’19 show in Shanghai’s Powerlong Museum. This marks the first time the Italian designer has presented its men’s and women’s collections together.

 

The show opened with one of the new men’s looks, which featured a tan suit with black lapels, and a nude-colored mesh turtleneck styled under a button up shirt (a recurring motif in the show), and white patent leather boots that gave off a downtown rocker vibe. Another standout was a printed varsity-like jacket that combined different colorful graphic prints, from a four leaf clover to the designer’s distinctive logo, in a playfully striking contrast to the otherwise tailored and traditional menswear.

 

Take a look at some of the men’s looks below.

 

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Sies Marjan To Launch Menswear Show

On June 22, Sies Marjan will show an official menswear collection as part of Paris Fashion Week. The New York-based designer has previously launched a men’s capsule collection back in 2017, but for Spring/Summer 2020 the designer will showcase a more expansive range as part of its first men’s show.

 

“I am confident that now is the time for Sies Marjan to debut a men’s show,” creative director Sander Lak said in a statement. “We are eager to continue the evolution of this category, which has been a success since its launch. Menswear comes naturally to me as I was originally trained as a menswear designer, so it feels like I’m going back to my roots.”

 

The previous men’s offering has kept up with the label’s dreamy romantic aesthetic, so we look forward to seeing a new collection on June 22.

 

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Balenciaga Releases Book for its Winter ’18 Collection

The first in a series of creative documentation projects, Balenciaga is releasing a specially crafted book, titled Balenciaga: Winter 18. In rare form, photographers Johnny Dufort and Pierre-Ange Carlotti worked together to re-create and share the essence seen at the Winter ’18 show, under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia and publisher Rizzoli.

Neon colors are incorporated into each image by modifying the CMYK color, and the result creates a visually stunning experience. The book is finished with swiss binding and sharp beveled edges, while a repeated graffiti motif is printed on the cover. The overall result is a captivating BTS look at one of the year’s most talked about fashion presentations.

“With this show in particular, even backstage looked like a story,” Gvasalia shared in a statement. “I realized that every show I do from now on for Balenciaga is cinematographic… I’d like to accompany with some memorabilia, something that actually puts you into that show and the process behind it.” The tome provides an exclusive look at the show but, more importantly, serves as a true artifact in itself.

Balenciaga’s Fall 2018 book will start going on sale online tomorrow. Take a look at some images below.

Images: Balenciaga.

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NHTN

The Best Runway Mixes From Autumn/Winter 2015


Image: N.Hoolywood.

As we get ready to rock our full winter threads, we take a look back and a listen to a few of our favorite fashion show tunes from the Autumn/Winter 2015 season.

First, lets flashback to N.Hoolywood AW15 runway show, which, military-inspired in itself, infused sounds of snare drums with other percussions. As the beat builds up, you can hear a whistling sound followed by a base beat, making the mix a bit mysterious yet still very upbeat.

Audio: Yuji Honda for N.Hoolywood. 

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