Dolce & Gabbana

Technological advances have been at the forefront of this years fashion week, with design houses putting creative thought to how their viewers perceive the brand as much as the clothes they send down the catwalk. Dolce & Gabbana were no different in this respect. Before the show, guests were invited to leave comments on the companies website. These comments were later screened during the show to accompany live filming of backstage, front row and the outside of the theatre. The vision took on a theme of an all seeing eye, making not only a spectacle of the clothes but the celebrity guests, the work put in behind the catwalk stage and all importantly what guest's felt about the show. Although an interesting advance it led to more attention upon the screens then garments and a lack of surprise when the finale approached.

The clothes shown had an air of androgyny yet with the gender divide made distinctly clear, not only through the clothes however but through the styling of the models. Hair was coiffed to quiffs and sideburns and each were donned with a pork pie hat, gracing the collection with the Madonna era. The suit's created for the "males" shifted from 1940s sensibilities right through to mods, rockers and punks, as well as taking in the era of rock glamour when glitter made an appearance later in the collection.  The "females" however took on prints. A star print ran throughout and was manipulated from monochrome, to bursting into glitter, becoming bejewelled and making an appearance in neon. Lace, musical notes and the designers favourite print, animal also made an appearance. Bum bags made a return adding a flirty edge, as clip purses to full on satchels were mounted to models hips. The finale saw all model's reappear on the catwalk and the "male" counterpoints removed their jackets. Overall the show saw the duo embrace technology, yet the collection firmly had roots in the past.







Missoni

As Margherita Missoni describes the latest Missoni collection as 'a fairytale' we see the obvious connotations. Missoni this season takes on a soft pallet of pastel hues and we see them fuse out from candyfloss pinks, to powdered blues, to coral and lilac in a diffused sense of watercolour. Pre-adolescent colours have been applied masterfully but often in a way that deploys a sense of child-like playfulness. The Missoni stripes still make an appearance however this season they appear to be drawn onto fabric with a crayon, and then only to have a glass of paint dipped water splashed across them. Artist Tiara Langdon contributed to the prints creating naive drawings that now appear painted upon garments and embroidered across gowns. Although these element remain very feminine, elements of menswear ground the collection giving it a beatnik style through soft vest top and matching ensembles that reference suiting. Knit's are what Missoni do best and there is no lack of them in this fairytale. Jumpers become playful as arm-like sections of knit hug the body through weave, and fine almost translucent whispers of vest tops appear on top of floor sweeping gowns. This sophisticated collection may be grounded in a fairytale, but you may need to wake us up to read it first, as we are very much still dreaming.







Versus

This seasons Versus collection was off to a noir classical beginning yet a hint of glitter on the models heel was just a sign of what was to come. The collection looked to the angular lines of corsetry, revealing panels and structuring a sultry silhouette that echoed the geometry of architecture. The stage was set, with a catwalk designed in the shape of a triangle, and this played out further as the tessellating shape spread across the designs. These were the strengths of the collection, aiding in creating a fierce female, with seductive curves and later a sense of play. As the collection developed from matt charcoal to patent leather, glitter seeped in starting from models toe until it reached her neck. Christopher Kane described it as a 'glitter firework' as fine detailing appeared like out of the night sky.










Edited by Mini Bear - 01 Mar 2011 at 12:20pm