The Whimsical Blues of Erdem

by Lotus Ladegaard

Established in 2005, Erdem has become synonymous with experimental textiles, vibrant prints, versatile yet powerful femininity that speaks to a variety of women. Behind the brand also known for its detailed craftmanship is Turkish Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu, who studied at the prestigious Royal College of Art and interned with Vivienne Westwood. Over the years, the talented designer has received many awards and accolades and gained a wide celebrity following. 

Drawing on inspiration from the work of photographers Diana Arbus and William Eggleston, Erdem has created an interesting and bold Resort collection that will charm his fans and intrigue new ones. Bold floral prints, dramatic collars, and vintage elbow-length gloves all culminated in several stand-out looks with tons of editorial appeal. 

Styled with unusual, at times even funny, hats, calf-length stockings and odd loafers, some looks seemed to clash more than match yet still somehow worked together. The colour palette was busy with several floral prints from the darker and dustier tones such as navy blue, black and grey to lighter tones such as pink, white and metallic silver. The Victorian and pipe collars stood out and certainly made a focal point borderlining the avant-garde yet remaining very Erdem-esque. The Turkish and Canadian designer had also played with the silhouettes almost distorting them to mimic a dress that had its lining pulled out without actually distorting them. 

Among the stand-out looks were a couple of sheer chiffon dresses in silver and navy blue with white dots styled with a sass at the waist tied in a bow as well as a pink floral coat with pleting at the back. Many of the floral dresses felt romantic and feminine with a vintage feel that undoubtedly will do well with many fashionistas around the globe. 

Erdem has created a very intriguing Resort 2019 collection with tons of editorial appeal that will only cement him further into the world of fashion.
 

Alejandra Alonso Rojas and the Rise of the Anti-Trend

by Olivia Moreau

Alejandra Alonso Rojas does not follow trends. She is part of a movement that is slowly permeating the collective psyche of consumers who are rejecting the insta-driven, blog-pushed marketing trends that follow the feral consumerism of fast fashion masquerading as art. So to classify any of AAR's work within the realms of any cycle is a hard task and we rather not do that. Ultimately her current collection is a product of her foundational values of trend-free fashion and stands proudly on excellent tailoring, bespoke work on leather and fabrics. From family albums to old French mills, AAR finds her muse, her inspiration and the love she feels for creating exquisite fabrics comes through the work she produces. Incorporating hand-techniques of old latin bespoke masters (which by the way cannot be replicated by a machine...yet), she delves into the deep end of the bespoke slow fashion revolution and few years down the road would be considered to be one of the most important designers among her peers. 

Ultimately AAR's collection is a process where a product is brought into life with the added benefit of having history and craftsmanship smeared all over it. To create vintage now is a holy grail many have tried and failed... in AAR's case failure is neither an option nor an end result. 

Built on Eileen Gray with Max Mara

Cara Livingstone

Ian Griffiths of Max Mara is not unfamiliar with the history of feminism. His latest collection finds inspiration in the life of  Eileen Gray, a female architect of the early 20th century, who broke the glass ceiling and blazed a trail through her own for a generation of female architects. Her subtle yet exquisite style is the perfect prototype for Max Mara and its philosophy. The marinière stripe knits provides the foundation for this collection and the dignified style is sure to be popular with woman of a certain class and quality. 

Isabel Marant and the Tightrope of Athleisure

by Samantha Mitten

Pre-fall is a curious time for designer houses. It's neither here nor there. So pre-fall has become a far more experimental avenue to promote what is already in the pipeline for fall. Isabel Marant understands that very well and in many ways, her pre-fall collection is a collection that is seasonless. The clever, the chic' and above all the Parisian philosophy behind these clothes are what makes them so evocative and worthy of a double take. The skin tight pants to blazers to leggings make this collection a testament to Isabel's ability to find equipoise between leisure and athletic without going overboard into athleisure territory. 

Elie Saab's Evolving Symmetry

by Lydia Schaff

Elie Saab’s bridal wear has always been filled with lace, embellishments, elaborate silhouettes, waist-defining belts along with fairytale narratives. But this specific collection moves intricately within that realm to provide something more streamlined and minimalist (compared to the previous collections). Tighter symmetry complemented by craftsmanship of the highest quality is what this collection is about. The collection brims with a new found sense of optimism and modernity. Elie Saab is always evolving as all great designers do.

Vera Wang's Color Revolution

by Linda Bezos

Vera Wang does Vera Wang like no other does Vera Wang. This collection of bridal wear oozes with class and clarity of a designer who is not too bothered by the restraints of tradition. Vera Wang's collection reformulates the notion of bridal wear and incorporates a different classic...Vermeer. Edgy romanticism with a homage to probably the first painter photographer is a perfect equipoise for this collection as it is steeped in forward-thinking constructs that would stand the test of time. Rebecca Moses did the hand-painted detailing to further substantiate Vera's place on the throne of bridal wear. The beauty of this collection is not only in its uniqueness but also in the fact that despite doing away with some traditions, VW firmly remains grounded on romanticism. And that dance you cannot learn before a wedding, you are born with it.

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Balmain and the Natural High of Francophiles

by Linda Bezos

Olivier Rousteing is hot right now. Everything he touches turns to gold. The highly anticipated makeup line of Balmain (debuting in September) is just another commercial achievements Balmain has ticked off in the last few years. Commercial success aside, Balmain's collection have gotten more and more artistic and avant-garde and that speaks volumes about the genius of Olivier's vision. The resort collection is the exuberant extension of Balmain's pro-France line and by the looks of it, it is likely to be commercially as successful as any Balmain line. 

 

Photographs Courtesy of Balmain. 

Minimalism's Protagonist

by Lotus Ladegaard

Georgia Lazarro's Protagonist is a protagonist when it comes to minimalism. While other brands have overused and confused the term, Protagonist always manages to deliver and while offering a bit of a New York twist to scandi-looking fashion.

It is subtleties that casually hides within the Protagonist collection. It is where the brand stands out and it is part of their DNA. It also means that silhouettes will evolve from season to season and can be worn in many ways. At first glance, many of them, however, might come off as masculine and unisex, but the more you look at them the more delicate and feminine they become.

Protagonist's 2018 Resort Collection stands out in that usual Protagonist way, it is interesting, minimalist, stylish and fashion forward. 

The 2018 Resort Collection offers the shirts and slip-dresses that have become synonymous with the brand. It also introduces new feminine and delightful pieces such as a cropped jacket and ruffled collars on the shirts. The collection is due to hit the stores in the autumn so Georgina Lazarro also included knitted sweaters and warmer looking coats and jackets. The color palette is surprisingly held in darker tones such as navy, burgundy, black and white, but also offered splashes of colour with a yellow sweater and pastel light blue pieces.

The collection, while not for every woman, will undoubtedly excite fans and followers, but Georgina Lazarro has added enough oompf and it factor to win over many more.

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Naeem Khan's Summer in the Winter

by Abigail Smith-Rowe

Naeem Khan is a staple when it comes to bridal wear. As he expands his deft touches to the ever evolving market of in-between clothes, he is acutely aware of the needs of his jet-setting clients. This 2019 collection is an homage to that clientele who are on the move, who will be attending weddings and engagements during the summer at greek islands and south african coasts. The color palette of the clothes are wildly satisfying and they are easily portable unlike a wedding dress. Naeem’s work here is relatively more minimalist in terms of silhouettes and lines. His bread and butter remains tie-ins and convertible pantsuits yet this collection touches all aspect of that elusive summer that will come eventually.

Love in Lisbon with Galia Lahav

By Andrea Arjento

Galia Lahav’s head designer Sharon Sever took on Lisbon at it’s most clear and most enigmatic and unfurled a set of gowns worthy for a torrid love affair that is their inspiration. While it may seem counter-intuitive to have bridal gowns as an homage to torrid love affairs on paper, the reality is all love affairs worth writing about has a certain element of torrid-ness to it. And Sharon is able to weave that element of variability into a fairytale that looks wonderfully complex and elegant. This specific collection has all the signature Galia Lahav details but in many ways, it is also the most realistic exploration of the fairytales we tell ourselves. And for that, we are in love with Galia Lahav's Lisbon collection.

Diane von Furstenberg's Pioneer Women

by Olivia Moreau

Diane von Furstenberg's spring collection is a homage to a different kind of pioneer women than the wild west. It is more of a concept as opposed to an historical repeat. The women trailblazer are the pioneer women in DVF's eyes. And this homage is partly based on what they would wear now and partly based on the 'homely' and humble aspect of life as a woman. It is a product of DVF's inherent and uncanny ability to mix cultural shifts into traditionalism. From the softened color palette to outright mixture of prints, this collection stands out. 

Burberry's Generational Inclusivity with Riccardo Tisci

by Lana Hamid

Burberry has always been the favorite of traditionalists. Before Riccardo Tisci’s arrival it was a brand that was most comfortable within the realm of uptight sophistication and occasional burst of legacy obsession. To call Burberry (pre-Tisci) boring would have been a bit harsh but accurate. That label is wearing off with each collection Tisci is producing. In his second full collection Tisci takes on the generational divide and bridges them with traditional and non-traditiional silhouettes, clever infusion of color and above all an imposing collection of the rebirth of Burberry 2.0. The rigidity is now complemented by fluidity, the beige icons are complement by blue and red. And the traditionalists and the avant-garde-ists are both equally represented as a happy medium. Re-inventing Burberry is harder than it looks but the ease to which Tisci has gone about dismantling the cobwebs of comfort into a frenzy of dynamism is worth admiring, applauding and above replicating.

Fendi and it's Faustian Bargain

by Olivia Moreau

Fendi loves the decadent.  Fendi is decadent. From Ribbon and Pearls to Macramé lace to fil coupé, silk jacquard, 3-D knit, Shibori-inlaid and intarsia mink, and laser-cut eyelet, Fendi unleashed a collection oozing with class and decadence. Decadence not to be mixed with the decadence of Donald Trump's golden toilet or something equally obnoxious and vapid but decadence that appeals and overwhelms our sense of aesthetics casually yet leaves a formative sense of longing. Fendi's collection is uniquely Fendi...free, liberating, expansive, elegant and above all, ahead of the curve. 

Vera Wang's Un-Traditionalism

by Anita Monroe

Purists be damned…Vera Wang is pushing the envelope in directions in bridal wear we haven’t seen in a century. Despite taking her inspiration from the Sun King, the avant-garde aesthetics she has been pushing is relentless, modern and above all entirely her own. Unlike the rest of the bridal market, Vera Wang’s work has no derivatives but her own. And this collection is an extension of her previous collection and you can see the grand mosaic of her work slowly building up to a crescendo. It is light, it is forward thinking and above all it is Vera Wang.

The Soft Whispers of Marchesa

by Olivia Moreau

Marchesa has always been ethereal, and full of feminine glory. This collection is no different and we are thankful for that. The delicate dance between ruffles and sheer, the love affair between tone and lines are all present in Marchesa’s Spring collection. The torrent of negative attention that almost sunk the brand seems like a distant memory or may be it is just an escape from the realities that still await Marchesa. It is still a polished and quietly confident collection that knows its limits and its appeal.

The Origami of Osman

by Lotus Ladegaard

Behind the fashion label known for its architectural and structural aesthetics that flatter and celebrate the female body is British born Osman Yousefzada, who first met the world of fashion through his mother’s couture dressmaking business. After graduating Central Saint Martins, he established his eponymous fashion house, in 2008, and quickly became noticed as one of London’s exciting designer talents. But Osman Yousefzada is much more than a designer, he is an artist who does not settle for a single media, but master quite a few. Each year, the artist publishes the Collective, a cross-disciplinary publication drawing on Osman’s friends, fellow artists and other creatives.

For Resort 2019, Osman has created an exciting and bold collection that will wow his fans and win over new territory. It is fresh, contemporary and features a whole line of stand-out looks. The colour palette had a little bit of everything from black and white to prints, gold and metallic. The silhouettes were interesting and detailed like the tiered ruffled pieces, a little black dress and the outerwear. A silver sequined dress was among the stand-outs as well as a fantastic easy-to-wear coat in gold print. Osman had also made room for some delicate and romantic crepe-de-chine separates that are easy to mix and match like the black and white sheer skirts. Among the more edgier pieces was a black pilot leather jacket with open sleeves for the rock’n’roll fashionista and a great athleisure look with slacks and knitted cardigan that would look great for many occasions. Several of the outerwear was editorial and rather exquisite, it was tailored, feminine and with plenty of movement, it will appeal to many types of women regardless of age and body type.

Osman has created a wonderful Resort 2019 collection and it is easy to spot his talent and unique eye. His designs are relevant, bold and artistic, just like Osman himself.
 

Tomo Koizumi's Ruffled Genius

By Cara Livingstone

Tomo Koizumi’s path to NYFW has been probably the most magical in terms of introduction to impact. Plucked from relative obscurity by Katie Grand, his ascent to the pantheons of NY fashion has been an interesting exploration of celebrity culture and the power of such cultural trends to dictate aesthetic pleasures for the masses (or at least the New York IT crowd). So Koizumi’s second collection presented during NYFW this cycle came with an added novelty and a bit of dread of falling into a sense of manufactured genius.

Koizumi deftly bypassed all that American Idiol-esque shortcuts that brought him here and produced quite possibly one of the most outstanding exploration of ruffled fabric. With hundreds of meters of ruffled Japanese polyester organza, utilized with only one zipper, his work spoke volumes of his genius. It was almost like finding out that an American idol winner is actually David Bowie in drag.

The beauty of the layered ruffles along with a sense of levity of his costumes (they cannot be classified as everyday wear), made Tomo Koizumi’s second collection devoid of novelty and brimming with genius.

Osman and the perfect 10

by Cara Livingstone 

Osman Yousefzada is the fashion insider to the fashion forward. Finding Osman's work in high-End Galleries to Red Carpet to Supreme Court, should not be a shock as his vision is universal as it is tailored for his muses. His now famous "Perfect Five" concept is 2 years old and has fully permeated his art. While that modular system is ingenious due to its simplicity, his more complex work from the exposition of sunbursts to red hats are what really stands out in his pre-fall collection. And let us not forget the gold shoes... they are the statement piece that truly completes this collection.  The extraordinary ease to which Osman has been crafting away complex ideas in a singular narrative is admirable and his pre-fall collection does justice to his talent. 

4 Independent Designers to Watch in 2023 and Beyond

by Olivia Moreau

THEBE MAGUGU

2021 International Woolmark Prize finalist Thebe Magugu grew up in the city of Kimberley in South Africa’s Northern Cape, where his passion for design began at an early age from watching broadcasts of Paris and New York fashion weeks. After studying at LISOF, where he won best graduate collection, he launched his eponymous label two years later and went on to win the prestigious LVMH prize in 2019. The emerging label is part of MATCHESFASHION’s Innovators Programme, which supports pioneering talent. Based in Johannesburg, the designer sources from local suppliers, artisans and factories to produce his ready-to-wear offering, inspired by his South African heritage and Africa’s storied history.

OLF by Omi

Renowned fashion photographer, visual artist, and an all-around-force-of-nature Omi have outdone himself (again) by dropping his OLF 1.0 (Omi’s Left Foot) collection as a super-exclusive 50-pair drop with Italian art house shoemaker Fab-brizio. The 50-pair micro-collection sold out within an hour of dropping on a private sneakers list. Merging a solid color palette reminiscence of early Valentino’s visual solidity and Rick Owen’s sense of counter-culture (with finesse) the hightops are intricate yet lavish wearable art or at least that’s what the people who were able to grab a pair has been saying.

The custom kicks are made with Italian leather in Rome and come with individualized magnet insert boxes with imagery from Vogue, NatGeo, and gallery shoots Omi has done all over the world. We only hope this is the first of many drops from Omi’s Left Foot and the next iteration is not limited to never-gonna-be-able-get-it drop. Omi’s photography work has covered many fashion elites from Kendall Jenner to Bella Hadid. Despite such mainstream success his work both in photography and in fashion remains firmly within the scope of art noir and can often provide a sense of outsider art with subversive messaging about consumerism and the absurdity of celebrity. OLF 1.0 exudes all that. and more.

Ahluwalia

Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia launched her menswear brand in 2018. She primarily uses vintage and deadstock fabrics, offering a modern approach to traditional menswear. She was tapped to participate in GucciFest last November and last month during London Fashion Week, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. So we expect great things from Priya, but hey no pressure.

Puppets & Puppets

Artist-turned-designer Carly Mark doesn’t come from a conventional fashion school background, and her label, which is named for her Chihuahua-terrier rescue, Puppet, exudes that sort of non-structured rebellion. Non-conformity aside, P&P has taken over the streets of Paris and New York with ease and is now a staple among. the fashion elites.

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