A runway surrounded by guests who are either at least 30 minutes late or waiting. Actually, almost every fashion show could be described with this sentence. Nevertheless, each of them is different in a very own way – not just because of the presented collection, but also because of the feelings and inspiration. This also applies on the following four examples, of which you might have already seen some sneak peeks in my Instagram stories. Let’s dive in some of this season’s most inspiring shows!
Thom Browne
Clothes in their own universe. Such as Thom Browne’s designs are always more than extraordinary, so are his exceptional shows. Also this season, he managed to take his guests into another world for almost 15 minutes. To be exact, it was the world of the French painter Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. As a portraitist of Marie-Antoinette, she was one of the most popular artists of the mainly men-dominated 18th century. However, instead of taking her story as the only inspiration, Browne translated Vigée-Lebrun’s mindset into the present days. Besides the greyish designs with oversized silhouettes and feminine details, this inspiration was underlined with the choice of songs. The show started off with Madonna’s “Vogue” that was followed by a theatrical melody for the main part of the show. When “Who Let The Dogs Out” started to lead into the finale, a mistress dressed in a queen-like gown walked down the runway holding the leashes of four male models in high-heels and dog heads. In times of #MeToo and “Time’s Up”, the message was pretty clear.
Just like that, Browne showed how the French painter would possibly feel today. The result: a discreet but very strong mood of female power, deconstructed silhouettes accompanied by seductive details which were slightly turned upside down. Apparently, it was not just about getting lost in Browne’s world for some minutes but definitely about the motivating vibes for this very moment.
Yohji Yamamoto
His shows always resemble each other but actually, they are completely different. What sounds paradox at first, counts as one of the most important characteristics of Yohji Yamamoto. In every collection, he carries deconstruction to its extremes – always in black of course. This season, his designs were marked by an even higher value: they paid homage to Yamamoto’s friend Azzedine Alaïa who died in November 2017. Shown in a depot inspired hall, the 33 looks united the emotions of grief with the design principles of Yamamoto and Alaïa. For example, the tight leather corsets reminded of the figure-hugging Alaïa-silhouettes – in a unique Yamamoto way. At the same time, the Japanese designer incorporated elements of surrealism and Picasso, which were the original ideas for the collection. Eventually, it’s rather unsurprising that I was not the only one who left this show with an overwhelmed feeling. You could even call it paradox because actually, we “only” saw some black (and occasionally some brown) outfits.
His shows always resemble each other but actually, they are completely different. What sounds paradox at first, counts as one of the most important characteristics of Yohji Yamamoto. In every collection, he carries deconstruction to its extremes – always in black of course. This season, his designs were marked by an even higher value: they paid homage to Yamamoto’s friend Azzedine Alaïa who died in November 2017. Shown in a depot inspired hall, the 33 looks united the emotions of grief with the design principles of Yamamoto and Alaïa. For example, the tight leather corsets reminded of the figure-hugging Alaïa-silhouettes – in a unique Yamamoto way. At the same time, the Japanese designer incorporated elements of surrealism and Picasso, which were the original ideas for the collection. Eventually, it’s rather unsurprising that I was not the only one who left this show with an overwhelmed feeling. You could even call it paradox because actually, we “only” saw some black (and occasionally some brown) outfits.
Leonard Paris
Delightful and grounded down, sporty and delicate, classy and surprising. It seems as Christine Phung embraces opposites. However, she definitely knew how to translate them into the DNA of Leonard Paris. The label is especially known for the rigid looks, which are scattered by vivid prints. Inspired by the idealized sentiment of Iceland, the collection showed up in a rather coldish mood. Nevertheless, the color palette of ice blue and purple was warmed up with some deep burgundy and mustard tones. Besides the flower and snowflake prints, there were some quite striking details: from turtlenecks with zippers to V-neck sweaters with athletic stripes and down jackets – or down scarfs. Whereas various other designers incorporated those approaches into their collections as well, you can definitely name them as trends for fall/winter 2018. There is a lot to look forward to!
Mashama
Voluminous silhouettes, exaggerated hoods and high-tech materials in several layers. Inspired by the Japanese anime movie “Perfect Blue”, the venue of the Mashama showed up under blue spotlights. Such as the Mima, who’s the main character of the movie, the presented looks symbolized the multi-facetted personalities of the woman of today. Besides the different characteristics of the designs, it was all about the materials and the new production techniques. Apparently, they made each idea appear even a bit more special – whether you looked at the reversible jackets in “perfect blue” tones or the changing-color chameleon coat. So if you have been addicted to the XXL puffer jackets this season, be prepared for the next level of your upcoming fall wardrobe!
Photo Credit Featured Image © Vogue Runway
Text by Carmen
Layout by Angela
Photographed by Carmen – except for the © marked photos
