Mugler, Van Noten, Pugh create tensions in fashion

Opposites and contradictions fuel contemporary fashion, as seen in the second day of Paris ready-to-wear shows.

Wednesday saw an abundance of such contrasts in style, fabric, tailoring and even in location that gave the start of the fall-winter 2013-14 season a dynamic lift.

Whether it be in Dries Van Noten's ode to Fred and Ginger, which captured his signature flirtations with menswear on girls, Guy Laroche's fierce versus the feminine, or Damir Doma's perfect twinning of slouchy and sophisticated, tensions littered the catwalk. They were often delivered with an ironic wink.
To playful gasps from onlookers, down the grand salon of 19th century townhouse Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, Gareth Pugh gave his show a postmodern kick by sending models wearing shredded polythene trash bags down the catwalk. They shivered like luxuriant black plumes.

Even the Mugler show, the day's most unified, featured plays between sheen and fur, and midriffs versus shoulders — a reminder that tensions are inescapable.

Thursday's shows include Balmain, Barbara Bui, Rick Owens and Lanvin.

DRIES VAN NOTEN
Dries Van Noten thinks fashion is far too serious. That's why he explored his usual menswear-womenswear tailoring this season via the frivolity of ballroom dancing, feathers and the two-some Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Wednesday's show was proof again of the Belgian designer's mastery when it comes to the art of clashing styles.

Who better to represent the Van Noten universe, where men's and women's styles merge together, than one of the most iconic and inseparable male-female couples in Hollywood history?

Ostrich feathers in midnight blue, faded gray and tea rose billowed like 1930s boas with large vivid embroideries and vintage fur alongside men's baggy pants, club stripes and Prince of Wales check.

One fantastic look said it all: a sumptuous navy feathered skirt (Ginger), and a large white tuxedo shirt (Fred.)

In Van Noten's world, like in Hollywood, there's no man without the woman, no Ginger without the Fred.

GARETH PUGH
To discordant music and hellish mist, Gareth Pugh went to the gates of the underworld, bringing back with him an inspired collection of dark angels.

Starting in white and ending in black, the 49 looks saw the London wunderkind further explore the long, flared and otherworldly silhouettes seen last season.

Here it came with stiff cowl and giant shawl collars, or fold-over jackets with exaggeratedly large lapels.
Each look was fastidiously tailored.

At times, it looks as if Pugh had made a pact with the devil and channeled the full-skirted proportions of the 1950s, with their tights waist and full collars, but with dark excess.

But in Wednesday's show, Pugh saved the best till last: a series of impressive black creations billowing with shredded black polythene.

They fluttered by malevolently like feathers, as if the models were half-human, half-raven.

DAMIR DOMA
Croatian designer Damir Doma was back in top form for fall-winter in a show that saw his slouchy style get an unexpectedly elegant makeover.

"Neo-corporate" was how the Raf Simons alumnus described his smarter looks backstage.

Although cropped futuristic tunics and zippered shift dresses aren't exactly run-of-the-mill office attire, the sleek long silhouettes were a welcome turn that saw Doma's vibe get more sophisticated.

But if there's any worry that the Antwerp cool-kid is now grown up, mature and boring, fear not. The usual Doma DNA was still here, if muted.

Boxy jackets and classical menswear touches, such as stacked Chelsea boots, as well as masculine fabrics in perforated wool and lacquered leather, kept up the edgy fashion contradictions.

MUGLER
In a tight show of only 27 looks, designer Nicola Formichetti served up a collection of feminine, cocoon-like silhouettes.
Slick was the word.

The gentle rounded shoulders and softer skirts, in soft gray, blue and peach, evolved away from the angular, insectoid-obsession that's been almost haunting Mugler's recent collections.

It was a welcome change, which made for a ladylike vibe — in line with this season's trend.

Contrasts, such as soft peach fur on champagne satin, made one gentle look sparkle.

The odd geometric print — used sparingly — added the signature futuristic edge, as did neat bonnets on the heads.

Keeping it simple seems to suit Formichetti: it's one of the strongest collections he's done.

GUY LAROCHE
"It's the story of women, women who don't need men," says Guy Laroche's designer Marcel Marongiu of his brash, even kinky offering.
With this mantra, the Franco-Swedish designer explored a whole new terrain this season.

See-through lingerie shifts, rock-and-roll leather and even fierce bondage straps moved on quite dramatically from the classical codes of the house.
The sumptuous evening wear was still here though, in shocking pink and purple silk gowns, and several looks in blinding navy rhinestone.
He cited the style of Jimi Hendrix and Prince as inspirations — seen in the revealing sexuality of exposed nipples.
There were some great statement bombers, another nod to the fall trend: coats as the new accessory.

99 shows, 22 countries: Bonjour Paris fashion week

The world's largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap fashion season for nine days of intensive ready-to-wear.

And this fall-winter 2013-14 is the biggest to date, with some 99 "on-calendar" shows that see the week almost tearing at the seams, starting earlier and finishing later than ever.

"There are 12 shows a day. Twenty-two different nationalities this season. With new top designers at work," says Didier Grumbach, president of the French Fashion Federation. "It's an impressive mix, an energy that sets Paris apart from what's going on elsewhere."

Tuesday — day one — saw collections dominated by three up-and-coming Belgian designers: Veronique Branquinho, Cedric Charlier and Anthony Vaccarello, who dressed actress Charlotte Gainsbourg at last Friday's Cesar film awards.
The similarities start and end with their nationalities; all three threw together strong but highly individual collections.

If Branquinho was elegance, Charlier was edgy architecture, and Vaccarello was retro sex-appeal.

In other shows of the day, Le Moine Tricote spiced up the bread-and-butter knitwear with woven fabric.

Wednesday's shows include Guy Laroche, Damir Doma and London's enfant terrible, Gareth Pugh.

ANTHONY VACCARELLO
The no-holds-barred sex appeal for Anthony Vaccarello is not for the faint-hearted.

The third Belgian designer to show on Paris fashion week's first day served up a black-and-white ode to the early '80s in a show that featured micro skirts, chainmail, a lot of skin and lashings of sensual leather.

Strong retro shoulders, asymmetrical, diagonally cut skirts, upturned lapels and cowl collars set the fashion time dial firmly back to the era of the New Romantics.

This was fused with the innate sexiness of his variations on the Little Black Dress.

The best look was a black kimono-style top, which billowed in great contrast to the tight, bright shiny black mini.

Subtle this was not, but then, subtle isn't glam-loving Vaccarello's thing.

VERONIQUE BRANQUINHO
It was the modern bohemian woman on parade.

Veronique Branquinho mixed and matched eclectic references, from wooden African bracelets to Obi-style dresses with belts.

The soundtrack included Marilyn Monroe's sultry "One Silver Dollar" from the Western "River of No Return," which played as cowboy boots and denim studs peppered the looks.

Stetson cowboy hats in Shetland went too far, but overall it was a strong collection for the up-and-coming designer — reined in only by its feminine silhouette proportions and textural contrasts that unified the show.

The graceful, slouchy style, now a Branquinho signature, was seen on several of the dropped waist looks, often in beige and fawn.

LE MOINE TRICOTE
Fall-winter sees bright-eyed designer Alice Lemoine brimming with ideas.
First of all, in the unique presentation of her Le Moine Tricote collection via three different mediums in three different rooms: there were edgy photos, vintage-looking video projections, and the clothes themselves on mannequins.
Second of all, there were new ideas in the direction of the up-and-comer's knitwear line itself, which saw the repertoire this season spun out to include stricter woven fabrics. They provided a subtle but welcome contrast to the more feminine thick-knit tailored jackets in black, beige and gray.

The strongest piece in the show was a fantastic black mid-length coat dress that had pockets, a lapel and sleeves in billowing wool to imitate fur.
Despite sporty flashes, the collection overall remained thoroughly feminine, thanks to the natural roundness of the thick-knit silhouettes.
This season, ladylike is the name of the game.

CEDRIC CHARLIER
Architecture, "art brut" and Dutch Master Brueghel were all inspirations behind Cedric Charlier's diverse show.

The first pieces, among the collection's best, mixed up sharp geometric paneling alongside oversize coats with fluid, rounded shoulders.

Ensembles were made up of several layers, like square navy skirts on top of knee-length leggings with a rectangular bib form hanging down.

There were also some great structured sheaths in silky navy and black leather.
It's a far cry from the more fluid looks seen in Charlier's last collection.
The designer said medieval painter Brueghel inspired the bright colors of some of the prints and patterns, as did an early 20th century movement called "art brut" that celebrated art from shunned circles, like mental asylums.

It was an interesting idea that worked on the more simple silhouettes.

Spanish fashion looks abroad, away from crisis

With Spain stuck in the economic doldrums, the country's fashion designers have redoubled their imagination to conquer new markets in Europe, the United States and emerging economies.

"Abroad difference, quality and creativity are very much appreciated," Nuria Sarda, creative director of Catalan lingerie brand Andres Sarda, told AFP at the four-day Madrid fashion week which wrapped up on Thursday.

"No two countries are alike, each has its own characteristics and you have to adapt," added Sarda, whose brand exports mainly to Europe but also to the United States, China and Russia.

Andres Sarda, Nuria's father, presented his latest collection on Tuesday at the twice-yearly fashion industry event which showcased work made by around 30 designers.

Among those who showed their works was Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, whose colourful and bold designs have made her one of Spain's best-known creators.
Models for luxury jewelry brand Aristocrazy meanwhile wore sumptuous necklaces that descended down to their waists, over black sheath dresses in a cathedral setting.

The Suarez Jewelers Group behind Aristocrazy launched the ready-to-wear jewelry line in 2010 in Spain and is preparing to make the leap to new markets.

The brand has projects underway in neighbouring Portugal as well as in Chile, Colombia and Mexico to respond to the "global interest" which the line has sparked, said 28-year-old Aristocrazy director Juan Suarez.

It promotes itself mostly through blogs. Aristocrazy works with New York-based blogger and fashion photographer Scott Schuman whose fashion website The Sartorialist is considered a major influence on industry trends.

"The brand has invested a great deal in this world. You get opinions about the product from people which are very direct and real," said Suarez.

The value of Spanish textile exports hit a new record in 2012, surpassing 10.35 billion euros ($13.6 billion), an increase of 8.0 percent over the previous year, according to the Information Centre for Textile and Confection.
Clothing exports were fuelled by the success of companies such as Inditex, the world's biggest clothing group, and Catalan high-street clothing chain Mango.
"We must not forget that the Spaniards, with Inditex, Mango, Desigual and other companies are world leaders in clothing, which brings widespread international recognition," said Borja Oria, the president of Acotex, an association of textile and accessory companies.

"Spanish designers are increasingly recognised beyond our borders," he said, giving as examples Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Josep Font and Miguel Palacio.
De la Prada's 2013-14 winter collection included a short blue skirt embellished with a big red heart, a turquoise dress decorated with a huge white moon and accessories decorated with giant daisies.

"Since the national market has collapsed, what remains is the international market," the designer's manager, Carmen Ayats, said.

Exports of the brand have soared and now account for 75 percent of total sales, against 45 percent before the start of Spain's economic crisis in 2008 due to the collapse of a decade-long property bubble.

The brand takes part in Paris fashion shows to project its image worldwide and its main markets are Japan, Brazil and the Arab countries such as Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, she added.

"Movement is happening elsewhere. There is no life here," said Ayats.
Europe is the main destination for Spanish clothes exports but with the continent stuck in recession Spanish designers have turned their eye on emerging economies.

"Forget France, forget Milan. Europe is in bad shape," said Madrid fashion week director Leonor Perez Pita.

Spanish designers should not be afraid and should use new technologies for their expansion, she added.

"It is never too late," said Sarda.
A model displays an outfit by Spanish designer Andres Sarda at Madrid Fashion Week on February 18, 2013. With Spain stuck in the economic doldrums, the country's fashion designers have redoubled their imagination to conquer new markets in Europe, the United States and emerging economies.

A model displays an outfit by Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada at Madrid Fashion Week on February 20, 2013. Her colourful and bold designs have made her one of Spain's best-known creators.

A model displays an outfit by Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada during Madrid Fashion Week on February 20, 2013. De la Prada's 2013-14 winter collection included a short blue skirt embellished with a big red heart, a turquoise dress decorated with a huge white moon and accessories decorated with giant daisies.

Fashion Fanatics are Welcomed to London by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, as London Fashion Weekend Arrives!

The home of British fashion, Somerset House, is the perfect location for London Fashion Weekend, which takes place directly after London Fashion Week. The event is sure to be packed full of famous guests, hot trends and new beauty products, so make sure you don't miss out on the chance to attend. Millennium & Copthorne's six stylish London hotels are the perfect place to stay while visiting the capital, and are all within easy reach of the venue.
Over 80 of Britain's best designers will be selling one-off pieces at reduced prices, including Twenty8Twelve, Pringle of Scotland and Linda Farrow, at this unique shop and style event. London Fashion Weekend also supports emerging designers, such as Lost Property of London and Tata Nata, so their collections will also be available for visitors to browse! 

There will be catwalk shows, both designer and trend, from a wide selection of designers showcasing four main trends: Graphic Art, Urban Lifestyle, Eastern Promise and Doll's House. There will also be goodie bags handed out by Radley, and the events sponsors include Toni & Guy, Elle Magazine, Canon, Elizabeth Arden and Kinder Bueno, so there are sure to be some great giveaways on offer!
There are a variety of tickets available online, offering access to different areas, starting from just £15.50. It promises to be a weekend to remember, so why not make your stay in the city unforgettable by staying in one of Millennium & Copthorne's London hotels, which offer convenience, style and luxury.

Fashion Week Geeks Out with Couture 3D Prints, Stitched-In Chips + More

Technology and fashion.  Those two words may be the least likely combination you’ll ever come across, but as technology invades every facet of our lives, it’s not so absurd.  Given the growing interest retail has shown in technology applications with the help of Big Data analytics, it was only a matter of time before new tech invaded the holy grail of fashion.

Fashion Week is a bi-anual, week-long event held months in advance of the season so designers can show off their upcoming collections.  The participating fashion capitals of the world are Paris, Milan, New York and London, with Madrid gaining popularity.

Just as Fashion Week offers a glimpse of the colors, patterns and cuts that will be popular through 2013, the global event also hints at the emerging services fashion will employ with the right technology in order to market and appeal to buyers.  So how has technology injected itself in today’s fashion?

Personalized fashion chips
.

Burberry launched a new initiative at London Fashion Week by embedding digital chips that deliver bespoke information regarding the new season’s coats and bags.  The idea is to entice consumers to pre-order items as they hit the runway.

The name of the game is personalization.  Consumers can pre-order coats and bags and have bespoke metal nameplates stitched into the lining of the item they want.
With the aid of a smartphone, the chip displays the story of the coat or bag, from its beginnings in a sketchpad to the runway.  The same technology can be found in its flagship digital store in Regent Street, London.  The chips will prompt the information to appear in its large-scale mirrors that turn into screens.

Burberry will reveal more information about the technology in about 9 weeks.

Fashionable hackathon
.

In New York, Decoded Fashion, a company that bridges the gap between technology and fashion, launched a hackathon that brought together hundreds of graphic designers and software developers.  The result was the creation of 78 different fashion apps.

SWATCHit, the “mobile-web communication platform that manages coordination between designers and artisans in emerging market textile industries,” took home the $10,000 grand prize.  Aside from the cash prize, Ramzi Abdoch’s team also took home a $2,900 Donna Karen New York (DKNY) shopping spree, a strategy lunch with the Refinery 29 founders at their headquarters, a private Macallan tasting, and a commitment from the Council of Fashion Designers of America to actually build the app.

Haunting haute-couture finishes off London Fashion Week

Spectral outfits and chilling winter prints capped off London Fashion Week on Tuesday, as the fashion season baton moves from the British capital to Milan.
London, one of the four major international fashion hubs alongside New York, Milan and Paris, attracts more than 100 million pounds ($154.43 million) in orders each season, according to estimates from the British Fashion Council (BFC).

Britain is also increasingly drawing high-profile names to its fashion industry, which has a direct value of 21 billion pounds ($32.43 billion) to the Britain's $2.5 trillion economy, BFC figures show.

American designer Tom Ford made his catwalk debut in London this week, while pop-star Rihanna chose to launch a clothing line with British retailer River Island.

Ghostly girls in white Edwardian lace and black veils circled the vast space of the Tate Modern museum's tanks for Anglo-French design duo Meadham Kirchhoff on the final day of fashion week.

The predominantly monochrome collection, which included outfits of black velvet with white collars and long silk skirts, was inspired by lyrics from the Beatles song "Helter Skelter".

A spokeswoman for Meadham Kirchhoff declined to comment on whether using the song for a show at the Tate was a deliberate reference to Charles Manson, whose interpretation of it as a prophecy of racial war led him to go on a murder spree 1969 that included the killing of actress Sharon Tate.

The pair told Elle UK it was an obsession with perfection that inspired the designs.

"I was thinking about perfection, being the perfect homemaker," Meadham told the publication in an online posting.

"People want to trivialize women's interests...I bake all the time; keep my home clean. I'm obsessed with perfection; that's what got me going in the first place," he said.

Belgrade-born Roksanda Ilincic echoed the mood at her show, where models in pale pink and black drifted down the catwalk.

"It was really about creating that special modern feel of a haunted beauty - mix of opposites," Ilincic said.
BRITISH LUXURY
British designer Maria Grachvogel printed the skeletal branches of trees in winter onto a sheer white blouse for one of the final shows at London's Somerset House, which hosted John Rocha, Jasper Conran and Issa London to packed audiences.

Grachvogel, who used hues of bone, oxblood and lichen in her 34 piece collection, said London was going from strength to strength as a fashion capital.

"London has always been known for its young creative spirit and its young talent, but I think what's happening now is that the young talent is growing up," Grachvogel told Reuters after the show.

"We've got the luxury brands of the future - we have some already - but it's getting stronger and stronger," she said.

Luxury British label Burberry Prorsum drew international celebrities to its red carpet reception earlier in the week, as did veteran designer Vivienne Westwood's Red Label, another British fashion industry torchbearer.
But London is best-known for its up-and-coming talent, such as Fashion Fringe award winner Haizhen Wang, whose show of sharply tailored separates, draped dresses and quilted jackets served as a finale for fashion week.

Wang, who was mentored by Burberry's chief creative officer Christopher Bailey, follows in the footsteps of former Fashion Fringe winner Erdem Moralioglu, who has gone on to garner international appeal and also presented at London Fashion Week this season.

"It feels exciting and I wanted to see how far I can make it myself," Wang said.

DOMINOES
Anya Hindmarch provided relief from the darker collections of the final day, with an elaborate display of 60,000 dominoes that tumbled around a course of trapdoors and pyramids.

The British accessories designer showcased her collection of satchels, clutches with graphic prints and handbags with giant tassels.

"The whole inspiration behind the collection was about games, so looking at dominoes and backgammon boards and all the kind of amazing graphics and colors," Hindmarch told Reuters.

All eyes now turn towards Milan's fashion week, which kicks off on Wednesday, before the finale of the season in Paris.

Westwood mixes politics and fashion

Few designers so consistently mix fashion with politics, or manage to secure her fans' adoration with the same looks almost every season. But Vivienne Westwood is not any designer.

The flame-haired grand dame of British fashion on Sunday sent her models walking down the catwalk in her signature tight-fitting dresses and nipped-in jackets, then in the finale joined them wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a giant image of her own face and a slogan that read "I am Julian Assange."

As always, Westwood was less interested in talking about her designs than about climate change, a subject she has long campaigned about.

"There's no latest thing, it's all rubbish," she said, brushing off questions about fashion. Instead, she patiently explained to reporters why she feels so passionately about her climate change campaign.
"Every small thing you do can really change your life," she said. "And the first thing they must do is inform themselves, believe the scientists . then they'll stop being consumers and start being more interested in the world."

It's anyone's guess how many people attending the Vivienne Westwood Red Label autumn collection shared her enthusiasm, but the crowds were clearly taken by the designs shown on the catwalk, which was held at the Saatchi Gallery.

Although the makeup was startling — chalky white faces paired with eyes and lips outlined in stark, cartoonish lines — the clothes lived up to her legendary fame.

Jackets and blazers were beautifully tailored to accentuate the waist and hips, and dresses were draped in all the right places to draw the eye to the curves. The palette highlighted a delicious plum, teals, and metallics.

There were dramatic pieces, for sure: a metallic zebra-stripe was printed on coats and a striking prom style dress with stiff underskirts, and an iridescent foil-like tight biker jacket that shimmered purple and green was paired with harem pants dripping in sequins.

Westwood has been selling the Assange T-shirts to raise support for the WikiLeaks founder, who is living in the Ecuador's Embassy in London. He is seeking asylum from the country to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault questions.