Sunday 31 August 2014

Michael van der Ham Fall/Winter 2014/15


If there are families of style in fashion, Michael van der Ham is a London brother of New York’s Creatures of the Wind and Suno. This loosely linked tribe of assemblers of colors, textures, and prints, lovers of textiles and gently fitting pieces, has struck a chord with women who themselves are assemblers of looks that feel personal to them. It’s a market for women with a magpie eye for lovely surfaces, subtle glitter, and things which generally side-step the obvious clichés of prettiness.








The conundrum for van der Ham is how to present and develop that alternative, sensitive aesthetic within the constraints of the ordinary rules of the runway show. This time, it proved an unequal struggle for the individual appeal of van der Ham’s pieces to stand up within the vast space of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. Several of his dresses a blue sheath with 3-D flower appliqués, a couple of veiled organza dresses with sparkly underlayers of embroidery with Swarovski crystals, one with a draped velvet top and a gently flared skirt stood out, nevertheless. But perhaps he’d be smarter to resist the pressure of conforming to the strictures of the total-look runway performance all together. A presentation with intimacy would suit his talents, and the character of the women he speaks to, far better.






































Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories

Photo Credit / Source: VOGUE
Photos by KimWeston Arnold / Indigitalimages



Michael van der Ham has a distinctly hands-on approach to conceptualizing a new collection, and his starting point is more likely to be found in the vaults of a storied French textile mill than pinned to a mood board. Having launched onto the scene straight out of Central Saint Martins four years ago in a riot of collaged dévoré, van der Ham has set up a richly textured playing field for his label, and this season lavish fille coupe jacquards caught his eye.





Saturday 30 August 2014

ELIE SAAB Pre-Fall 2014


The expectation with Elie Saab is always that there will be beautiful lace and embroidery. On both counts, the designer did not disappoint with his pre-fall collection. But it was a surprise and pleasure to see how the workmanship that goes into those materials could be applied to cashmere and fur. The former, for instance, played a starring role in a jacket-cape hybrid. Double-faced instead of lined, the cashmere formed softly around the torso, opening from the shoulders into a sleeveless, swingy back. That same controlled trapeze shape reappeared in a suit jacket contoured with satin and zippers, as well as a lace and organza tunic in ultramarine. Though this silhouette is conducive to a spectrum of figures, the fit-and-flare remains Saab's standby.

Discover ELIE SAAB Fall/Winter '14/15 RTW & Haute Couture at the end of this post! 

LoL, Andrea 







As a modest evolution, dresses were shown in a new perforated, ribbed fabric cut in body-contouring panels that left a more precise effect than lace. More important, it strikes the right amount of red-carpet sizzle to ensure its use beyond one-season wonder.

Meanwhile Saab seemed to figure that pre-fall was an opportunity to push further into the accessories market. His heels adopted the same contouring as his dresses, and it goes without saying that the bags available in metallic-finish exotic skins are not season-specific. The roomy, tissue-box-size clutch solves the problem of what to carry when wearing the coat-cape. All told, this was a thoughtful collection even if it never once deviated from Saab's feminine ideal.






























Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories 

Photo Credit / Source: The House of ELIE SAAB


More ELIE SAAB To Love ... 


As always, it was that kind of a fairytale show, and if there’s one thing that Elie Saab does very well, it’s a fairytale dress. For brides-to-be, or even for brides that were, his are the sorts of dresses that dreams are made of – they’re the ultimate princess fantasy and you can’t help but fall in love with them, simply because they are so exquisite, elaborate and beautiful.





The Light Of Now - There is romance in the darkness - silk printed with shadowy, wilting blooms. Black and blush pink rising triumphantly from forest green and wine tones. A series of 1950s and 60s inspired silhouettes are infused with movement, ease and opulence for th ELIE SAAB Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2014/15 Collection.








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