Blog entries tagged with Fashion

Distancing herself from traditional tailoring techniques and materials, Bea Szenfeld's work focusses on paper-made garments. In her latest collection displayed recently at Stockholm's Design gallery, Szenfeld mixes a realm of inspirations. Fusing silhouettes from 50's burlesque, high-waisted and structured to enhance the feminine form, with a architectural vision of the future. It's the perfect foile for her choice of material, the inherent hardness of carboard giving the designer incredible options for creating structure. "In the exhibition one will see creations that resemble the oceanic demons of Jules Vernes and mythical folklore of the sea," says Szenfeld.
As a designer Szenfeld has been in business since 2001, with a savvy eye for blending commercial with personal projects ensuring longeivity, therefore negating the problems many young designers experience. Her client list is extensive and diverse too, counting Hello Kitty, Swarovski, Tommy Hillfiger and Stella McCartney while also holidng court as an engaging and innovative seminar leader lecturing across the globe. Sur la Plage, as her latest show was named is a lesson in modern thinking and material reinvention underlining not only a highly creative mind but also the importance of balancing artistic integrity with that all important bottom line. Szenfeld's current show, Sur la PLage - haute papier is pictured here in all its glory. Colour, shape and form in harmony.
www.szenfeld.com

The confirmation that the fashionworld has been waiting for was releasesd today from Swedish fashion giant H&M who announced that, yes, its Autumn 2010 designer collection would be created by Parisian trendsetters, Lanvin.
“H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world,” says Alber Elbaz, artistic director of Lanvin.
In keeping with Lanvin's ethos of placing as much emphasis on menswear as womenswear, the collection will feature both mens and womens lines. Since Alber Elbaz joined Lanvin in 2001, the company has experienced a huge growth. The addition of menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver has seen Lanvin hold the fashion industry in its grasp ever since; breaking more seasonal trends than perhaps any other label. Raw edges, bows, metallics, bow ties, scarves... can all be traced back to Lanvin, while the pair has a unique take on colour use which sees them flit between understated elegance or pop accents with consument ease.
It's a collaboration which will once again see the aisles of H&M packed to the rafters with individuals keen to snap up the key pieces.

Earlier this year Raf Simons tore into a menswear collection which demonstrated how intelligent use of colour is one of the most devastating techniques in any designer's toolbox.

Ranging from subtle accents to expansive colour blocking, Simons showed no signs of following trend and sticking to monochrome or the greyscale.
At this fall's Milan, showing his womenswear collection for the inventive Jil Sander, Simons took his impeccable eye for colour and left the gathered fashionista in no doubt as to who owns colour in fashion.
Perhaps it's because we're in Sweden, where fashion is dominated with watered down accents and the greigescale (yarn or cloth in its undyed or unbleached form) but looking at the Jil Sander S/S 2011 collection is like being visited by aliens.
Taking things apart, for the past few seasons Simons has moved steadily away from the staple colour combination techniques - taking a dark base and adding a splash of colour for detailing (70:30 works as a percentage between the two but never more than about 30% accent). This year it's almost like he has begun at the chromatic end of the spectrum and moved around the colour circle in random fashion. But it's the balance of chromaticity which almost cancels out the brightness of the colour. Harsh at first to look at but then it tones itself down, quite brilliant and utterly uplifting.
Underlining the briliance of the colour work displayed Simons gives the viewer some colour reference points to root the collection, lots of International Klien Blue (the most beautiful colour in existence - if you ask certain parties in this office) and pure reds. According to this interview in the New York Times, Simons already knows where he will be steering Jil Sander next year. It's hard not to get a little excited.

You'd have to be living in a cave here in Sweden to have avoided the buzz around the forthcoming collection by Lanvin for H&M. The collection will be launching in a couple of weeks and looks set to sell out in one day. Yes, one day - if those at H&M HQ are to be believed. However, Tuesday saw the press view for the collection and it's looking pretty damn sharp and deserving of the hype. Colour plays a big part (as it does in the French fashion house's own collections) with this being very much geared around a classy palette of deep rich accents.
It's all about getting glitzy for the festive season and there's lots of key seasonal reflections in the images we've seen so far including this quick selection from the menswear options. Clarets, olive tones and zingy deep blues show up on the trademark oversized Lanvin bowties.
Most of the key accents are centred around 20-20 percent chromaticness - a phase of accent colouring that is beginning to seep into the design sector too so perhaps something to keep an eye on. Alber Elbaz has also used a base range of neutral tones which probably help to keep the costs down, cunningly adding colour in the detailing. Will it sell out? Almost certainly. Is this another example of the selling power of good colour selection? Almost certainly. See you in the queue...

Next week our series of seminars kicks off at this year's Stockholm Furniture Fair, the week in which Sweden and its capital city becomes the focus of the world's design media. With anticipation firmly placed on the Fair as a key indicator of forthcoming trends (Maison&Objét being something of a disappointment this year - according to our sources) we thought we'd pop along to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (taking place here in Stockholm this week) to take a peek at some of the catwalk trends before we apply the findings to design.
While it's hard to peek at a fandeck in half-dark we need not have bothered. For, as these images show, our new NCS Insight is bang on the money where this year's trend colours are concerned.
Whyred showed what some to consider to be a return to form and its strongest collection to date. Eschewing trends in terms of cut and form yet featuring many colours highlighted in Insight as being key this year. While its ongoing obsession with British Mod culture continued to rear its head through well cut suiting with tight proportions, its womenswear was more concerned with mixing loose and tight. As with the other early shows this year, the wide legged trouser is the current order of the day. Pictured here are a brace of looks playing off a single tone of pink which appears in Insight while men get a flash of green and blue accenting, again all popping up in Insight. (Obviously we would normally give you NCS Notations for all but then you wouldn't need Insight would you..?)
Rodebjer gave onlookers a treat in terms of colour as well yesterday with plenty of action in the family we like to call red. Again, wide or tapered trousers swishing down the catwalk in fine, light materials to keep things flappy not stiff - one of the keys to working the wide silhouette. As much as it might be loosing its impact, colour blocking was in abundance with this particular look positively singing out from Insight with its deep plummy mineral tone.
Queen of layering, texture and all things classically neutral, Carin Wester, gave away more of NCS Insight's base collection of colours. Reseved, yet always intelligent, Wester's menswear was subdued and preppy, with some nice cropped jackets while her womens' collection had some interesting prints which reminded us of Eley Kishimoto and Zakee Shariff in London circa '02.
Want to get your hands on all of the colours from this year's NCS Insight? Pop to our stand AG:10 at the Furniture Fair or head to one of our seminars where we will delve deeper into the trends which went into the 30 colours contained in this unique trend resource from NCS.