Paris Fashion Week FallWinter'13 | Menswear

The Menswear from Paris, is always pleasurable and desirable. We can start from Dries Van Noten, Vuitton or Lanvin, but the 'trashy-chic' is always present in Masculine pieces, and Paris is just the perfect example!

This season we have new trends, new must-have pieces and an elegance that we can never compare.

Here's my favourite shows from Paris...

Lanvin

Dries Van Noten

Dries is always impecable in easyness. But this time, we just went too far! In such a good way.

The pieces are easy to wear, very comfortable, including intense dark colors in amazing patterns that we can see in trousers, jackets or even shirts. This 'easy-chic' is so desirable and tempting in cold days, that we can always dress like this.

I just loved the simple looks with white shirt, a simple sweat or blazer, trending with patter trousers and comfy shoes. Are you in?

Dries Van Noten

Givenchy

So Riccardo Tisci just gave us a very dark lesson! And you should better learn.

He said that he wanted to do a much more couture collection for Menswear (because Givenchy's Couture line won't be presented) introducing something chic and elegant, with new cuts and luxury materials, like cashmere or velvet.

We can notice an involvence with America, in sportive american jackets and patterns, but what I liked the most were the involvence of zippers in such a good pieces like shirts, jackets and amazing coats. I really want them! So couture-ish and elegant.

Givenchy

Louis Vuitton

This was GREAT! I simply want e-ve-ry-thing.
The concept was amazing, the styling was amazing and pieces were amazing. Louis Vuitton's Mesnwear is really becoming an extraordinary influence and point of view as we never had seen before.
The luxury/sportive way that the pieces are created is really magnificent. And the mixing of both, in the way that they do it! Just Beautiful.
Can I start my order-list? Oh-Gosh!

Louis Vuitton

Hermés

Hermés is having a great evolution process in Menswear.
The last collection, was by far my favourite, with great colors and and amazing sportive cuts.
This season, the man is more serious and Parisian. I notice that in turtle-necks, navy coats, white trousers and leather jackets! We can see Hermés becoming more younger, but standing in the same luxury position as before! In this show we noticed the amazing whatches and accessories, so familiar and recognixable from the Maison.
My favourite look? Obviously the second one on the picture. Simple, elegant accomplished by the beautiful whatch !

Hermés

Valentino

This is by far, my favourite collection from this season!
It's sad that we don't have details in pictures, but we can sure notice the flawless looks, in great styling and attitude from the renovated House of Valentino Garavani!
Since last collection, Valentino just don't get out of my mind with THESE sneakers, but now we really step forward. The navy-blue is amazing. But the cuts and materials from each piece just blows me away!
I really want that cape with the large leather stripe! I really want that next coat, and the all look! And also the blue sweater with the clutch... yeah, I really want it badly!!

Valentino

Lanvin

The Men from Lanvin is always straight forward.
This time Lucas Ossendrijver and Alber Elbaz wanted to talk about propotion!
Usually the mens body don't have this aproach, but now they wanted to do it right but commercial.
This refresh was about large coats, oversized pants and new silhouettes. Also introducing technical fabrics in shirts, as we had seen before, creating transparencies and a new way of light, not so common in menswear.
And I really loved that mirror-clutch. So fresh and elegant!
Lanvin is never common, and thats why they always do what they believe even if it's extravagant.

Lanvin

Louis Vuitton | SpringSummer'13

Louis Vuitton

SpringSummer'13

3 October 2012

10:00am

Paris Fashion Week

*invitation only*

Photos by NOWFASHION

Paris Fashion Week | SpringSummer'13 ... Stella McCartney, Givenchy and Haider Ackerman

I have to tell you, some of my favourite shows from Paris are in this post.

Stella McCartney is always fun, new and young to a real contemporary woman. The Givenchy girl always accept changes and become more fierce yet mature. Haider Ackerman, shows the most poetical women, always elegant and relaxed, being beautiful and perfect like she always was... Tilda Swinton is a good prove.

I hope you enjoy those shows as much as I did.

SpringSummer'13 is gettin' stronger than ever!

Stella McCartney

Everytime I see a Stella McCartney show I start to love it, more and more. I'm always expecting what she have to show us, always alongside technical fabrics and never using fur or leather. This time the show started with Joan Smalls all in white, with transparencies and details at the fabric, some pleated, that were really amazing. The textures, the silhouette and the colors were sublime. White, orange, blue, old green and black... I didn't love very much the bags, but I did love the clutches, and sandals. They were so beautiful, even the flat ones! Some of my favorite looks were also the ones at the end, that Stella always do... Simple dresses, with amazing construction. This time they all had some fabric stripes cut, making shapes and having fun with the multicolored fabric of last look! What's not to love?

Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci is always innovative and surprisingly. This time we do not have any print, even if it be rottweilers or flowers. This time it's all about simplicity. I had notice this season that the designers had become more simple, more innovative and had created a new clean style to this generation... Finaly we have our own 'statement' look to this century. And Tisci just did it so well with this collection. Aguen we see a duel between opaque and transparent, solid and flued. The clothes seemed to be stucked by mettalic 'pins' to don't fall or to be stuck to the woman. I loved the detail. The collection is all around black and white, soft blue and nude. I love this colors because they put the powerful, but stronger looks become more sweet and fragile with those. With transparencies, lace were also used to impress some lightness to looks, and Maria Borges (Portuguese model) walked from the first time this runway, after her debut at the Couture season for Givenchy. Congrats!

Haider Ackerman

Ackerman is always misteious. His women is always beutifully elegant, with strong shapes, fluid fabrics and solid belts. This time we had bigger graphics and mixed prints, in geometric shapes, introduced to flued long dresses, falling from the chest and fragile women bodys embraced by structured pants and jackets. When you look it always seems so comfrotable, so light and soft. Even the strongest pieces. Ackerman's color sense is always flawless, and this time he played more with black, white and navy with tcwists of brown. Its a surprise when you note 'polka-dot dresses' or vertical stripes combined to other geometric shapes in such a fluid show. But the most poetic look was the last one, a crisp white backless top tucked into high-waisted horizontally striped pants. Most of editors loved it and it's really beautiful, clean and elegant.

Paris Fashion Week | SpringSummer'13 ... Chloé, Céline and Lanvin

Paris continues to show us the golden list of best shows, and here are three more to count...

From the sweet lady Chloé., to the trashy cofident Céline and the powerful contemporary Lanvin. 

All of them are strong womens, walking the runway to show us some beautys...

Do you have favourites, so far? 

Chloé

Chloé since Clare Waight Keller is taking the lead, it's like a sweet dream... Beautiful pieces, soft colors, expert cuts and amazing accessories. Wich means: Great collections! 

I can tell a story of a very feminine women, very confident, with a soft smile. She is practical, cute and calm, and with such softness she's the looking center of every ladys at the office... "Did you see that bag? I love the color"!

She's the dream of many womens, beautifully elegant however, simply practical. That's the Chloé girl!

In this collection I  loved the soft and light materials, the contradition of transparencies in light fabrics with opaque colors in solid materials. The metallic shoes were 'terrific' and the bordeux handbag with 'pony-hair', is just another 'it-bag'!

Céline

The Céline girl is always dangerous. I imagine her rober a bank, right at the financial district, NY, and getting out of the building very confident and badass, in such a 'killer style' with furry-sandals, and her leather pouch full of million dolar diamonds. 

Oh, I'm seeing her walking down the street, kissing her hottest-boyfriend and living in a penthouse at the soho, full of art pieces!

Now talking about the show, I loved those long dresses with a strong cleavage, and the easyness of style that represents it. Just like the rest of the collection, it's all about a sexy oversized silhouette, comfortable shoes and easy bags! I loved the shades of soft pink and blue and the attractive furry yellow pumps. The simple clutch in leather reminds me of Jil Sander's paper bag, and it's beautiful!

Thank you Phoebe Philo for such a strong collection... We love the Céline women, always so challenging...

Lanvin

Alber Elbaz is the genious of  Lanvin. This time he elevates the fashion issue and show us much clean silhouettes, strong womens in clever styles. It's "a new start", said Elbaz. 

I can see a contemporary way to look at classicism. The tuxedo meet kimono at the belts is a sign. The art presented at the location and at the Greco-Roman statue prints at dresses is a way. But I always love the assimetries of Lanvin, the giant bows, smashy dresses and elegant accessories. The black swimsuit look with black trousers were the sexiest look of the show... Kasia Struss knows how to work it!

The clean and linear dresses at the end seemed to be origami inspired... And I start to think: Why women have to complicate? A simple look, at the end, just shows the brighter women...

"Every women wants to look and be like a star." -Alber Elbaz

Paris Fashion Week | SpringSummer'13 ... Balenciaga, Dior and Balmain

Paris FashionWeek it's always the most exciting FashionWeek... 

It's always new, glamourous and fresh with all the long list of Designers that we love... From A(llaia) to Z(egna) it's a all new Alphabet!

It's Fashion... so, look it up at the dictionary! ;)

Balenciaga

Nicholas Ghesquiére for Balenciaga is always surprisingly futuristic, with all the origins and inspirations of the  past centurys of the Maison. Starting with the opening look (which always defines a collection), the top white cross bra with simple black pants were stunning. And I can't even talk about the several looks with giant ruffles, applied in dresses and assimetric skirts. If you look deep, you can see the texture in lace and knits that were applied in details at shirts, shorts and dresses in a certain unic way... 

...just like Balenciaga seems to be. 

This collection is a real 'new loook' that Ghesquiére gave us. Designers have to transform 'their' labels season-after-season, and Ghesquiére, like several good designers can do it soo much better... And that's the reason, why we love it!

Christian Dior

Maybe this was one (or THE) show that we most expected from Paris.

'Christian Dior by Raf Simons' It sounds promissing, and it really was! 

I confess that when I first saw the collection, I was a bit disapointed, maybe because I was expecting too much... (or I don't even know what I was expecting, too!) But, when, I whatched again this collection I found it so beautifull, refreshing and 'new'. It all started with a black tuxedo (the scarf at the neck was clever!) then I started to saw the silhouette changing and I was enjoying it so much! 

The color was added in stripes and organza dresses. First I didn't like it, but now I can not wait to see it in editorials and magazine covers! Other thing that made believe in this collection were the accessories. Dior have new it-bags on the block, and the 'Lady Dior' bag, just had a fresh air and became more clean and minimalist... The shoes where great, some of them with metallic stripes and some were just simply-beautyful-stilettos!! I have to love it!

Congrats Mr. Simons! 

Balmain

For SpringSummer'13 Balmain starts to introduce new 'big-shoulders', I mean, really big shoulders! And then we start to visit the DNA pieces of this Maison. I always love the short dresses, they are my favourite pieces, with great colors, and amazing workmanship. 

They have flawless embroydery and craftmanship, that we can't even understand how it was made! And this just blow me away! Over and over againd... It's so beautifull. The all spirit of the Balmain women is always so strong with powerful jackets in such a sexy silhouette!

I know that many people are right, when they say that Balmain is becoming season-after-season, always the same 'stuff'... 

Please, don't get me wrong! In my opinion (and I love Balmain) when Olivier Rousteing came to the Maison, it was fresh air, and I admit that it sarts to look always the same. But, I don't want to see it that way! 

This is the DNA of the label, it's what made them sell, and it is always great pieces! 

I still love Balmain and I'll always do...

Paris Fashion Week SS2013 | Menswear

Depois de Milão, voamos para norte e Paris apresenta-nos as suas colecções. Inovadoras, tecnológicas, surpreendentes e bastante desportivas...

O Verão chegou, mas calma porque este é só para o ano!

Givenchy

Ricardo Tiscci volta a esmerar-se para a Givenchy. Com uma colecção com bastante carácter religioso, contraditório chegando a tentar fazer de Madonna uma virgem, santa. Modelos apressados desfilaram tons que sempre rodearam o preto/branco, com alguns prints, também looks totais em rosa pálido e outros com acentos de vermelho foram notados. A imagem de marca da colecção fica sem duvida a camisa com a cara estampada, completada com gravata e casaco iguais, dando um efeito utópico, genial e único à colecção. Os volumes e as sobreposições também foram bastante notados, chegando a parecer que os modelos vestiam túnicas por cima de calças e com fatos de corte irrepreensível. Uma colecção bastante dinâmica e maravilhosamente bem estruturada, que apenas vem realçar o trabalho de Tiscci na Gicenchy.

Hermés

Ainda não tenho as palavras certas para falar da colecção da Hermés. Não sei bem o que se passou, mas sei que Véronique Nichanian esmerou-se e muito bem! Numa colecção impecável, simples e muito prática. Fazendo as expressões luxo e exclusividade chegar a um novo patamar com roupa extremamente prática e vestivel da maneira mais descontraída e simples que poderíamos imaginar. Inovando em materiais luxuosos aplicando-os em peças triviais como pele de crocodilo numa t-shirt preta, ou em neoprene de caxemira num blazer simples e de bom corte. Notei também um calçado bastante pratico envolvendo ténis, sapatos e slippers também em materiais luxuosos e maravilhosos. Basicamente conseguia vestir tudo nesta colecção. Notoriamente sem evidenciar a marca, mas estando o mais confortável possível.

Lanvin

Lucas Ossendrijver e Alber Elbaz transformaram o homem Lanvin em algo definitivamente mais maduro e completo. Criaram contradições nos volumes, nos tecidos e nas cores. Usualmente com colecções bastante apelativas cromaticamente, esta colecção manteve-se mais neutra, mas falou mais alto. Volumes em casacos estruturados com misturas de tecidos completamente invulgares, passando de preto/branco para metalizados, num homem mais moldado e decidido com um 'know-how' de 'sense-of-style' bem apurado e completamente a vontade com a sua maneira de ser. Uma das caracteristicas que me marcou mais na colecção foi sem duvida a mistura de 'piton' com 'nylon' em camisas, parkas e casacos. Algo completamente inesperado, mas que resultou tão bem que bem se pode repetir mais vezes!

Louis Vuitton

Kim Jones sabe definitivamente o que faz na Louis Vuitton. E fá-lo tão bem que só apetece ver mais e mais. Neste moento a cada estação que passa o desfile masculino da Louis Vuitton torna-se cada vez mais esperado e ansiado, porque já sabemos que traz novidades, coisas novas e uma nova perspectiva. E isso voltou a acontecer esta estação. Numa onda mais desportiva, mas luxuosa repleta de tecidos tecnológicos e peças inesperadas para uma marca tão histórica, o que o torna mais apetecível e não tão linear como de costume. Dando ênfase a desportos marinhos envolvendo coletes salva vidas em pele, fatos de neoprene e caxemira com detalhes neon. Acessórios luxuosos, mas descontraídos também em tons neon, como os oculos ou malas, completam a colecção e prometem ser um hit em vendas ligados ao publico de street-style que rodeia todas as fashion weeks! Can't wait to see it.

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten 'always impecable' tornou a trazer-nos o que de melhor sabe fazer. Para mim, esta não foi uma das suas melhores colecções, mas definitivamente o padrão camuflado não faz desviar o olhar. Os blocos de cor inesperados foram um dos pontos fortes da colecção e mais uma vez os tecidos tecnológicos voltam a dar de si, desta vez literalmente camuflados. A mistura de cores, de padrões e de tecidos trouxe uma identidade forte, realçada por cortes descontraídos. As minhas peças favoritas são exactamente as compostas por blocos de cor, como a t-shirt branca com verde, ou as calças azuis com laranja. Também as parkas camufladas transparentes que ficam genialmente bem por cima de qualquer peça branca, marcam e muito esta colecção.

Deixo-vos com este video do Style.com que faz uma breve review desta temporada em Paris, realçando o que de melhor se fez e as colecções mais faladas, passando também por estas que mencionei... Realço a apresentação de Thom Browne, completamente inesperada e divertida que trouxe o 'preppy' americano para Paris, em forma de baleias e tecidos em xadrez bem apelativos ao publico Japonês. Contraditório? 
It's Paris Fashion Week, baby!

Paris Fashion Week | Fall Winter 2011 »Part II«

This is the last post about the international Fashion Weeks, for the Fall 2011/2012.

Hope you like my opinion about these shows...

Enjoy it!

P.S. I’ll soon post my coverage of ModaLisboa and Portugal Fashion (and I have so much to tell you!).For the past three weeks my time was zero, but now I’ll try to show you, how it was my experience in the two most important events of fashion in Portugal.

Haider Ackerman, in my opinion it’s the new 'big name' of the Fashion Industry (even Karl Lagerfeld, said it!). He came up with a new

silhouette with a very interesting design. Introduced colors like dark greens and petrol blue (wich I love!). My favorite look of this collection

is shown above in the middle. I love it! And don't forget, put Ackerman on the top of the it-list! He's the new 'big name'!!

Hermés, is no longer in the hands of Gaultier... now Christophe Lemaire is taking the lead, and he's here to succeed. His first collection

with a nomadic notion of travel, inspired on the orientalism, emerged with soft colors like white, browns, greys and little touches of the

classic orange of this 'maison'. A simple collection but a new discover to the world of Hermés, showed at the new Hermés flag.ship in Paris.

Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs are the perfect duo, and this collection proves it. Marc Jacobs is in arch provocateur mode, exploring and

exploding the meaning of fetishes. My favorite pieces of the collection were, the rubber dominatrix boots (instant hit), see-through flasher

macs, and let's not forget the lace-ups that exposed a bare expanse of Kate Moss' thighs below retro briefs.

Lanvin by Alber Elbaz is always a high moment of Fashion Week, the entire Fall collection was about the endless problems, of working with

one of fashion's most mystique-laden fabrics (Gazar), that Elbaz says is "So difficult" to work! But it seems so easy... sumptuous

silhouettes with perfect cuts are everywhere. Shiny colors like yellow, orange or fluo pink were worn at the end of the show, creating the

perfect scenery for the closer of this story! Love it, as always..

Jean Paul Gaultier, message for this show was: 'You're never too old for a little striptease.' Models and guests could prove this rule in

the Gaultier show, Models doing it and the guests enjoying the scene! Trench-coats in leather and wool, leather gloves and so many

special clothes ended up on the same place, the floor. But nobody got worried, because this is Fashion. This is Gaultier!

Valentino is taking the lead! In the hands of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the romantic style and the nudes have become a

new signature of the house, just like the studs in the shoes and dresses. The silhouette is simple and clear, like a t-shirt, and this makes

sense to the women of today. This is for a woman who doesn't have a red carpet to walk every night of the week.

Stella McCartney, continues the trend introduced a month before at the Marc Jacobs show in New York. The polka-dots! This trend was

shown by Stella with a lot of transparencies, making the feminine silhouette more special and sensual. These sexy dresses will be definitely

a popular trend to follow next Fall. Also shiny clothes in gold and silver made this show evolve "to the next level", said Stella, with

aggressive, masculine silhouettes, in dresses, jumpsuits and coats.

Yves Saint Laurent in the headed by Stefano Pilati, continues with the rigor and the sensuality of, the masculine silhouette into the

women wardrobe. With the sense of strict elegance in black and white, visiting the 60's and the 70's at Saint Laurent. A simple, but

powerful architecture. That's it.

Here's a video from Style.com with the Highlights from this Paris Fashion Week...

Paris Fashion Week | Fall Winter 2011 »Part I«

Sorry! I'm late!!

I know this fashion week has passed by... but now it's time to do a review and think about the trends for the next Fall!

This is the first part, and some of my favorite shows are here...!

Hope you like it...

Chanel, as always had a stunning show, this time Karl Lagerfeld decided to recreate a dark forest... The clothes were also dark but always glamorous. I love the men look with reinterpretation of the classic Chanel coat!Also the new lock of the classic bag, Chanel 2.55 is marvelous and i love it!

Besides of Karl Lagerfeld, in my opinion, one of the geniuses of this Fashion generation is Alexander McQueen. Now the brand in the hands of Sara Burton, is still growing and the collections are growing season to season. For the Fall 2011/2012 the collection is in black/white and grey, also with little details of orange. The theme of the collection "The Ice Queen and her court", makes sence when we look to each look and we can see white queens, covered in feathers, leather and zippers that makes the feminine silhouette just perfect.

Balenciaga, one of my favourite brands, now in the hands of Nicholas Ghesquiére came with a collection with a game of proportions, with a zooming in on textures. "Elegant and effortless, this was realism trumping surrealism" said Tim Blanks and he's right! Why does Balenciaga doesn't exist in Portugal? WHY?
The military style remains in the Balmain collection, and Christophe Decarnin continues leading his troupe. Sequins all over dresses and leather trousers in shiny colors. All of these things are well-done styling with simple sweaters in black, white or blue. The glam-rock is in the house, and Balmain still's rock'in. (Even if his creative director "is under doctor's orders to rest after being treated for an unconfirmed illness alternately rumored to be depression or exhaustion." said Tim Blanks from Style.com).

Céline, the brand of the moment in terms of it-bags, came with bits of color in yellow, marron or blue. This brand is nothing more than classic and its why everybody in fashion world loves Phoebe Philo. Céline is rehinvented with turtle-necks, statement coats and outstanding bags. The iPad case it's an absolutely must-have, and the doctor's bag have to be seen by every women eyes.

The most discussed Fashion Show of the season was Christian Dior, everything was around John Galliano being dismissed of the house of Dior. His final collection was one of the bests from him, in Dior. The sign of Dior was there, and the classic "New-look", was in coats and dresses. A very romantic collection, with a soft-pink scheme of colors. "Colors were rich, textures were lush, and there was a layered lounche-ness that amplified the bohemian theme."

Now the question that everyone is asking... "Who will take the place of John Galliano?" (Ricardo Tisci's and Carine Roitfeld?? I think so...!)

Chloé is also another brand that is growing. The camel of past collections give his place to colors of this season. The 70's have now snakeskin, and patterns. Patchwork of python printed in different colors, and different silhouettes stills classic and making sense with the label of Chloé.

Dries Van Noten, a very respectful designer continues his work, after an amazing Spring collection that everybody loved (i loved it too!). For this Fall, Van Noten was inspired by David Bowie and the Ballets Russes, and the similarities between this two worlds. Extravagant patterns in amazing coats and silk skirts, make this collection one of the bests from this Fashion Week.

Giambattista Valli is an amazing new name in this industry. I just love his work, and season to season the collections are even better! With splash of colors, or in black and white, the cut of the pieces are just delightful things for my eyes. This new silhouettes really inspires me and make me feel that FASHION IS ART.

Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci (so far! ahaha) is takin my breath away! Black Panters, transparency, flower patterns and an it-collor, "the yellow". Sweet and romantics black skirts over transparent ones, were definitly a wonderful idea. Givenchy is still a great label, and also has one of the best bags! I love very VERY much, some of them!! So congrats to Tisci's work and we hope that he still doing a great job!

(Photos by Vogue.com)