Fashion Month GIFs

Prada

Fashion month brings about many changes within the fashion industry, and most of the time, collections that reflect the ever-changing and evolving design aesthetic of designers and labels. Whatever the month of September brings, the heart of it all is fashion. The non-conventional UK magazine, Dazed & Confused, have uploaded a series of GIFs on their website appropriating a few of the best looks throughout the collections presented throughout the month...

Givenchy 

Chanel

Alexander Wang

Fendi

J.W. Anderson

Proenza Schouler

Confused? I was too. Don't worry, head to Dazed Digital to find out what the hidden meanings behind each are!

Images courtesy of Dazed Digital

Tales of the Cold

The bitter cold may be a thing of the past here down under, but as the Spring/Summer 2014 collections are being showcased, simultaneously, gear for the long Winter is filling the shelves of stores in the Northern hemisphere. Fendi's new fashion film, named "Neverwinter Tale", is an injection of calm before the cold hits. The slow-motion cinematography of the film manages to emphasize the cuts, details and materials of the individual pieces of the illustrious label's Autumn/Winter 2013 menswear collection. The colour palette of the collection go hand in hand with the visuals of the film, perfectly reflecting the sallow blues of the colder months. Allow the soothing film fill your mind below...

Images courtesy of HipHopPotHead and Selectism

Video courtesy of Highsnobiety

Best of Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014

The beautiful city of Milan plays host to the second last fashion week of September, with famous designers and labels such as Moschino, MSGM, Salvatore Ferragamo, Missoni, Jil Sander, Roberto Cavalli and Giorgio Armani showcasing their upcoming collections for the Spring/Summer season. My favourites from this season include:

Fendi

It's wonder to see how Karl Lagerfeld, being the Creative Director of both Chanel and Fendi, can diversify and adapt to the different design aesthetics of these two illustrious fashion houses. Karl's collection for Fendi is abundant in space-aged sheer layering, creating a juxtaposition of femininity against the hardness of the technological. To further enhance this, coats and jackets feature patterns reminiscent of conduit boards and displaced triangular tessellations are present in the latter half of the collection.

Costume National

Costume National is one of those fashion houses whose intermittent repertoire is a rarity, and whose influence on fashion is apparent but unknown to many. The Italian fashion house has shown a very grounded and effortlessly stylish collection, focusing on warping essential womenswear staples such as white waistcoats, tea and cocktail dresses via the cut outs along the decolletages and hems and placement of sheers. The perfect collection for a woman whose style embodies the climax of minimalist and cubist details.

Prada

Prada never ceases to amaze the fashion industry with its consistently eccentric aesthetic, which so often changes, but has managed to set the benchmark for other underdog fashion designers and labels with its distinguishable look and feel. Amongst the street art and graffiti filled venue, models donning garments featuring eloquent encrusted jewels, vibrant colours and the odd artistic portraits of women walked the stage. A closer look at the collection forces one to question whether the leg-warmers are a hit or a miss, but there's no doubt that the footwear and handbags are going to be a hit amongst the mass.

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta's earthy and grounded aesthetic is the label's signature, and has been translated so once again in their Spring/Summer 2014 collection. What stands out in this collection is the layering, draping and fabric creases within the dresses, which, rather than adding weight and heaviness, bring a sense of lightness - a hard feat to achieve especially in these techniques. Undeniably sophisticated, the collection has been designed for the understated woman who loves the weight and feel of textured fabrics combined with expert craftsmanship.

Gianfranco Ferre

The architect of fashion, aka Gianfranco Ferre, and his geometric and cubist approach to fashion has been carried on by the Creative Directors of his label, with the Spring/Summer 2014 collection making that evident. With the architectural construction of these garments, you'd assume more a harsh and non-wearable aesthetic to be the product of the techniques involved, but this is certainly not true. The luxurious fabrics used within the pieces bring a softness to the obvious accentuated waistlines, shoulders and necklines, backed up by the sombre colour palette.

Images courtesy of Fashionising

Fendi x Karl Lagerfeld: The Glory of Water

It is no surprise that Karl Lagerfeld, as proactive as he is, has contributed his creative genius to Fendi in collaboratively coordinating the launch of the new Paris flagship store. In the heat of Couture Week, an event such as this is heightened by the complementing photography exhibition showcasing the King of Fashion's matchless photography of the Roman fountains of Italy (as part of their collaborative project to restore Trevi Fountain) that went hand-in-hand with the event. The exhibition, "The Glory of Water", is applaudable, seeing as it has given lost glorification to these historical water features of Italy. Amongst the more concentrated buzz around the designers' collections, the exhibition brought a contemplative and almost melancholic air to the chaotic week.  

For a look at the launch of the flagship Fendi store on Avenue Montaigne and more details on the "Glory of Water" exhibition, CLICK HERE

Images courtesy of Fendi, FauxRealFashion, Wallpaper, Blou Art Info and Elle

The Art of Menswear

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2014

Most of us prejudicially judge fashion as a form of art when in reality it is design - the combination of science, technology, skill, visual interpretation and business knowledge. The link between art and fashion is often blurred, especially when it comes to Haute Couture, but almost never with ready to wear. The dissection of this misbelief has been carried out with the artworks of Catherine Raben Davidsen.

Fendi Spring/Summer 2014

Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2014

Depending on the ethos and aesthetic of the collection and the designer, each artwork is a visual disintegration and reconfiguration of the pieces within the collection. The abstraction causes the models to become more of a surrealist figure in the artworks, whilst the clothing emerges as the centrepiece, as it should be. Catherine has successfully diversified the mundane fashion photograph into masterpieces that emphasise the amount of creativity that flows from the designer into their pieces, by adding elements to the photograph that embody the interpreted vision of the clothing and what they mean to the potential wearer.

Prada Spring/Summer 2014

Raf Simons Spring/Summer 2014

Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2014

Images courtesy of SHOWstudio