This is a MUST for any fashion lover! If you love velvet, kimonos + tiger embroideries on the most coveted satin bombers, DONE, DONE + DONE! This ‘Pink Velvet Tiger Kimono’ by Jaded London, with its oversized fit, crop loose sleeves + embroidered tigers on both back + sleeves, you’ll slay for sure! But how could you say ‘NO!,’ to such a beautifully vibrant tiger on soft pink velvet?
What makes this piece a MUST is how you can wear it as a cardi substitute, a wrap dress or a jacket over a slip or strapless dress. And what’s best is how it’s seasonless, making it a perfect addition to a Fall or Summer wardrobe.
For your very ‘Pink Velvet Tiger Kimono’ by Jaded London, go to JADED LONDON.
If there is one coat out there your closet will whine for it’s this beauty by Arthur Arbesser. His ‘Blue Corduroy Double Breasted Coat’ is a perfect statement piece for this season, that can be easily dressed down with a pair of joggers, kicks or boots + a fuzzy mohair hooded sweater or, it can be dressed up, as seen here, with matching blue cord wide leg pants, available separately.
Marking Vienna’s heritage of applied arts + turn of the century architecture as Arbesser’s key source of inspiration, there’s so much to love about this coat. Cut in an oversized longline fit with a double-breasted front, blue cord covered oversized buttons + twin flap pockets, deep enough to place one hand while exposing one finger, hopefully wearing a statement ring, this piece is bound to cause those around the wearer to turn green with envy.
Made in Italy, this soft corduroy towelling coat also features wide peak lapels + a storm flap at right side + at reverse, with full stripe lining.
So if you want to stop traffic this season, purchase your very own ‘Blue Corduroy Double Breasted Coat’ by Arthur Arbesser at Avenue 32.
Tie dye usually used to spark images of Seventies hippies if not that of Burners of ‘Burning Man’, but not when it comes to this ‘Open Back Tie Dye Sweatshirt’ by Aries Arise. Taking the ultimate sportswear staple of the sweatshirt, in this case, an oversized one, emblazoned with a genius tie dye design of black, grey, orange + white, the sweatshirt is elevated to another level, ready to take on the office straight into the night.
Made in Italy of 100% cotton, this sweatshirt gets its edge from its open back created by the perfectly positioned slit straight down. But the genius behind tie dye is how no two designs are ever alike as that is the point, is it not? So even if you + your squad can’t be without owning the same top, your fears are laid at rest with this truth.
Bearing the Aries logo bottom right is the perfect way for this sweatshirt’s design to come full circle, with gold embroidery on black, amplifying this top’s design that much more. With its oversized silhouette, this top would look as great with jeans, joggers, wide leg + cropped trousers, shorts + or a great fitted skirt, perfect for channelling the ‘GirlBoss’ that you are!
So if you want to take over tomorrow + every day after that, get your hands on Aries Arise’s ‘Open Back Tie Dye Sweatshirt’ available at OTHER SHOP.
After looking at Kenzo’s Spring collection, I couldn’t help but think of them as one of the best contenders to design costumes for the ‘Bladerunner’ film reboot. A collection knee deep in the Seventies, there are so many nuances about each + every piece, you can not NOT but see them being worn in the future just the same.
As VOGUE RUNWAY remembers, Kenzo Takada having been known to staged a fashion show back in 1977 in Studio 54, complete with models carrying on with dangling cigarettes from their lips + balloons bouncing at their feet + the genius behind Designers Carol Lim + Humberto Leon who’ve always had their finger on the pulse of what should be trending is more than evident here as has been the case ever since they hit the scene, with their ‘in the know’ boutique + brand Opening Ceremony. But for this collection, according to VOGUE RUNWAY, ‘Their Resort collection was a nod to their own ’90s club kid days, + this season they cycled back four decades to the epic night in the house’s early history.’
With many metallics to gush over, you see looks that would work just as well in a club as they would in the office, thanks to the current reality that we now we live in an age where sparkle is not just left for sundown. You can sparkle as early as 8 a.m. especially when it’s a gold lamé baggy top, paired with a cream skirt + strappy black heeled sandals as seen below. If that doesn’t scream ‘GirlBoss’ I don’t know what does?!
Then you have denim looks that take place of your typical skirt suit, with a trapeze denim jacket, paired with a short skirt with large pockets. Of course, I’m sure had the denim been lighter in color, that ensemble’s impact wouldn’t be as strong.
For this Spring collection, the Kenzo woman is one who’s always in control, even if she is nothing but a simple knit bodycon dress with a deep plunging neckline, where the top is very simple with thin straps, attached to a bodice + skirt in a sweet knit pattern, perfect for layering, if you’re not ready to reveal all your greatness in one spin.
Of course, any mention of Studio 54 or the Seventies in fashion can’t but help throw the late Antonio Lopez’s name around, THE fashion illustrator of the time. In fact, what better way to pay homage to such a talent than to embellish some of the looks throughout this collection with a lot of his imagery. Having called upon the archives of artist Antonio Lopez, referring back to his famous Polaroids featuring many of the ‘It’ models on the scene at the time—Jerry Hall, Pat Cleveland—they took a lot of these images + added them to appear printed on athletic trapeze-style crop tops for day, or on gigantic black + white paillettes like the mini dress below.
And who can not remember the Disco era without a hint of chainmail in the form of a slinky purse, a dress or even a bra? Well here, Kenzo used it for the best purse ever, not to mention as the front of bra tops, to be worn over white-button down shirts, with stiff folds, exposing black line drawings similar to those of Lopez himself. Either way, the Seventies with a Nineties twist is here to stay + if it keeps looking anything like this, then please, sign me up again + again + again!
When you quickly glance at Gucci’s Spring collection, you catch glimpses of different points in history while all making sense. With excess being synonymous with glamour, especially that of the Seventies, Gucci managed to feature a lot of the obvious kind but then drop subversive hints of other which included something as sweet as embroidered roses on a man’s double-breasted coat or a salmon pink tulle ruffled coat paired with a patent leather aviator’s cap, patent leather opera gloves + patent leather thigh high platform boots.
There were plenty of metallics seen throughout the collection, either part of a fringe tiered coat, a metallic hooded parka, gorgeous brocades or simply as accents, including the best gold bow pin worn between the white button down shirt underneath a hot pink Gucci sweatshirt paired with cream wide trousers + their signature loafers, worn by a perfectly inked male model. But it was great to see the mix of huge vintage hats with modern flair when mixed with patent leather platform boots, athletic style pants with a wide side stripe along with a floral jacket.
Besides loafers, there were plenty of platforms seen throughout but the ones that stuck out the most were these patent 5-inch wedge with a velvet upper, in various colors, embroidered with a gold snake, said to represent a moment of Renaissance Venice. “Prostitutes in Venice used to wear these,” designer Alessandro Michele exclaimed to VOGUE RUNWAY. But what made this shoe extra special was the two-in-one shoe made extra special with the rose bud–printed insole within. “You see, there is a flat slipper inside, one you can wear separately, ”as Michele explained while dismantling the shoe.
In addition to these sweet romantic details, including stockings with small bows in between peek-a-boo holes going up the front of the model’s leg when exposed, there were an enormous array of hats adding another level to the looks they accented. The collection of hats included everything from turbans to bows, fascinators + a long visor covering the whole face.
Every piece told a story but they all amounted to one of the most spectacular collections of this season only Gucci could achieve!
Apart from wretched Crocs featured as the main shoe for this Spring collection, Christopher Kane provided cool looks synonymous with those of an urban nomad, from different stages. The urban nomad here was likened to a homeless person, with some pieces bearing a print of what looks like found objects. I’d like to think, these are all of their belongings captured on film, then digitally printed onto their garments, so to always have them near, to which Kane mentioned to VOGUE RUNWAY as souvenir Polaroids + backstage shots as his “patchwork of memories.”
Then you have that other nomad who’s just taking care of business with a simple slip dress + oversized cardi, ready for a night out, brunch with friends or simply a day at the office. Other looks included tops + skirts either sectioned off with black lines if not with black sheer panels.
Evening looks were also part of the plan as what urban nomad wouldn’t want to look good for their late night early morning misadventures?! From pleated lamé to lace, this nomad was going to be noticed, no matter where they ended up.
Of course, Kane being who he is, there were more prints to speak of including animal print, on both rubber + what appeared to be silk. Unfortunately, the marble print was a huge fail-just plain unattractive. Then there’s the question of, “Why pair one of the ugliest shoes in creation with even the most successful looks?!”, that kept intruding my thoughts over + over.
Overall, the collection was wearable but not Kane’s best.
For Spring, Marc Jacobs put together a rave complete with high shine, bright colors + sheer excitement, literally! With the help of Stefan Beckman converting the Hammerstein Ballroom into the perfect party space, complete with an elevated, grease-slicked stage with thousands of little lights strung above, the models began to come in one by one, like flashes of beaming light cast off one another.
As models go, they’re all usually very tall but for Jacobs, he needed more height, perfectly achieved by tons of pastel colored dreadlocks strewn through their hair along with super high platforms in various designs + colors. Of course, the same hair could’ve been better executed with tubular crin or cyber falls, often seen in a bevy of colors, on cyberpunk/goth chicks. Dresses were very short. Some were sheer, adorned with lace + ruffles, while others, teased with a pattern + peek-a-boo hole, front + center.
Shine blinded all from metallic lamé, a jacket with rainbow-patterned holographic sequins, to sequined accents + satin. At times, simple shapes were stripped of their purity by the addition of feathers. Subtlety, however, came in doses, from a simple camo print to thigh high cotton socks with sweet prints.
Once again, artist Julie Verhoeven lent her magical hand, having collaborated with Jacobs for his Spring 2002 Louis Vuitton show. This time, Verhoeven’s illustrations were embroidered on many designs including sweatshirts, bags + those wicked tall shoes, perfect for being noticed when you incite the perfect leg extension into your choreography while at a rave, once that bass drops.
Over + over, I couldn’t help but imagine seeing most of these looks inside some undisclosed Brooklyn warehouse location to listen to some killer techno, but simultaneously, my fantasy became bittersweet, in the thought of finding the slightest tear, cig burn or liquor stain on such beautiful pieces for partying as hard as mamma did!
Velvet has always been a fave for me, trending or not. Anything that feels that smooth to the touch should be perceived the same way by all, but for the dissenters + sheeple alike, velvet’s en vogue again for Fall + what better way to step out than in this ‘Black Velvet Piped Coat’ by Isa Arfen?!
A bathrobe style coat, the inspo for this piece was 80s Blitz Kids, part of Isa Arfen’s AW16 collection.
Sparking the dark mystery of the 80s underground scene, this rich black velvet coat with contrasting metallic gold piping and a self-tie waist, could be dressed down or up + who doesn’t love that?
This coat features oversized notch lapels, with long sleeves + a detachable self-tie belt with piping, kept in place by belt loops. With twin slip pockets, satin finish twill lining + a flap vent at reverse, this coat screams subtle elegance.
So if you haven’t got a speck of velvet yet in your wardrobe for this season, add this piece to your arsenal. Isa Arfen’s ‘Black Velvet Piped Coat’ can be purchased at Avenue 32.
