More is more? Looking at the current collections of Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Co., it seems that fashion this year is going to be super colorful and fancy. At Gucci, Alessandro Michele decided to let the models walk down the runway in sparkling sequin sweaters or in leopard and flower printed all-over looks. Also, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sticked to their style: Lots of accessories, different patterns and a wide ranged color palette marked the collection like every season.
Even though we might all love fresh tones and creative cuts, our eyes would definitely appreciate some variety from time to time. Besides an overload of colors and patterns, the minimalistic style has become more and more important over the years. Ready-to-wear Labels such as Max Mara, Helmut Lang or Jil Sander have been known for their puristic designs for a long time.
They go for plain colors, simple cuts and of course, fluid fabrics. Whatever appears as too much is left out – if there are accessories in a look, they are simple and classy. Well, at the current Haute Couture shows in Paris even designers, who are not known for a minimal style, showed that they also can do it in the “Clean-Chic” way.
Sophisticated Excitement
It was her first show for the French Couture house. Last Tuesday, Clare Waight Keller made her debut for Givenchy. For her elaborate gowns and jumpsuits, the British designer combined simple colors with clear and straight cuts. Actually, a third of her very first Haute Couture collection showed up in black. And as we know Waight Keller, her designs such as the blazers and wide pants appeared very sophisticated. “I wanted to make use of the strength of tailoring but in a feminine way”, states the designer in an interview with the American Vogue. Well, this is exactly what she did. Even the straight cut suits came very elegant and feminine thanks to the low cut necklines. There was almost no jewelry – another characteristic of purism. Apparently, this is what made the whole show so exiting and different from what Haute Couture is usually known for: pure simplicity
Surreal Minimalism
At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri drew inspiration from the Italian artist Leonor Fini, who held her first exhibition in the gallery of Christian Dior. As a designer, Chiuri searched for similarities between the surrealistic painter and herself. On Monday, the Musée Rodin was transformed into one of the paintings and some birdcages hung from the ceiling among various disproportionately large body parts. As for the minimalism, you could already spot it on the floor, which reminded of a chessboard. Also for the full collection, the main color palette consisted of black and white: There were coats made out of domino pieces or a simple white long-sleeved dress with a belt around the waist, which reminded of Dior’s New Look out of the 50s – in a modern way of course. Apart from the various gowns, the highlights were definitely the tailored suits for the confident woman of today.
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Hidden Simplicity
Another designer, who is not known for simplicity at all, is Jean Paul Gaultier. This year, he dedicated his collection to the 95-year old fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who is known as the inventor of futurism in fashion back in the 60s. Inspired by Cardin’s work, Gaultier incorporated garish colors and asymmetrical cuts in his Couture Collection for Spring 2018. The models walked down the catwalk with hair styles, which somehow looked like antennas. However, even if there were a lot of psychedelic prints and dresses in the typical Op Art style, one could spot some minimalistic outfits: A black halterneck dress with a pop of white, a black tuxedo with long fringes on the sleeves or a suit with a cape jacket. Also in this collection, details like black gloves made the collection appear more feminine and simple – even if you wouldn’t notice it in the first place.
