MANILA, Philippines – Fashion week season comes to an end this year with an optimism that welcomes the new frontier, from the cyberpunks of Nicolas Ghesquiere’s collection for Louis Vuitton to the space femmebots of Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe — all seem to be preparing the humanity for a trip to Mars — to save Matt Damon, of course. YStyle rounds up the best collections from #PFW.
DAYDREAM DRESSING Balenciaga
Alexander Wang’s final collection for his three-year stint at the storied house ended with a sensual, calm and unexpected bow. Lace, silk, feathers — three things you normally won’t associate with the designer — were used in the unabashedly feminine collection. The designer, known for his street-meets-athleisure couture, sent boudoir-inspired pieces down the runway. Wang’s signature sporty silhouettes like racer-backs, cargo trousers, and anoraks contrasted with the daintiness of the collection that also consisted of slips, bras, and nighties. And let’s not forget about the (almost hotel-like) lace bedroom slippers he showed — like his swan song bidding us good night.
BACK TO THE FUTURE Loewe
Jonathan Anderson’s tenure at the Madrid-based house is best described as nothing but stellar. Make that interstellar because the designer went space age for spring/summer ‘16. His foil-like trousers and silver tinsel detailing resemble solar panels; glossy PVC material can be seen everywhere in skirts, shoes, and even reimagined in a heat-sealed version of the brand’s iconic Puzzle bag. Head-to-toe logo prints are also showcased in tops and pants. Also not to be missed are the accessories that ranged from crystal shards to gold koi necklaces and fringed-bracelets. All these “foreign” objects were meant to create tension against the leather offerings, which the house is famously known for. Anderson’s innovation when it comes to mixing textile and creative imagery is shaping what Loewe is now and its future.
SILENT SANCTUARY Dior
It seems like it’s a quiet season for the overtly emotional (Watch Dior And I for the uninformed) Raf Simons for spring/summer 2016. The show, held inside a tent filled with thousands of delphiniums that resembled a hill, was inspired by Peter Weir’s film Picnic At Hanging Rock. The mood of the 50-piece collection? Futuristic romanticism that included a myriad of scallop-edged tops, sheer organdy dresses, soft-tailored jackets, and low-key thrown-on parkas, everything was light, young, and elegant. Every piece is for the everyday life of the quintessential Dior woman.
SPRING CLEANING Miu Miu
Leave it to Miuccia Prada to close the season with eccentricity and kitsch. Styled by longtime collaborator, Oliver Rizzo, Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2016 assemblage of goth chambermaids slash retro secretary, evoked a fetish-filled dream. Sheer nylon-esque negligee dresses are layered over gingham button-downs and pencil skirts. Colored fur stoles hugging the body bring a pop color to some of the looks. Lozenge-patterned coated leather jackets in erratic colors contrasts the baby-hued pencil skirts.
MODERN BOHEMIA Chloe
“Optimism is one of the most important messages to take away this season,” Anna Wintour said in an interview during Paris Fashion Week. No other designer has put optimism to the forefront for spring/summer ‘16 better than Chloe’s Claire Wright Kelly. Her collection, a parade of rainbow-colored and contemporary bohemia pieces, evoked youthful sophistication look after look. The brand’s mainstay silhouettes — festival dresses, peasant tops, lacy ban
CRAFT PUNK Louis Vuitton
If you follow Nicolas Ghesquiere on Instagram, chances are, you’d know by now that the designer has a penchant for Japanese animation and all things futuristic (from architecture to film). His first few posts on the social network are of his miniature toy Gundam and Storm Trooper, an inner-nerd, we must say. So it came as no surprise that his reference for spring/summer ‘16 collection is that of his obsession with sci-fi. Ghesquiere injected his designs with inspirations from animes Sailor Moon (Fernanda Ly’s tiara) to Ghost In The Shell. The Vuitton woman this season is unapologetically a cyber punk, what with the moto jackets, metal-embroidered skirts, beaded knits, and fingerless gloves. Fishnet sweaters contrasted with the frothy-skirts that were paired with vests, which used the brand’s traditional leather in epi and monogram.
MILE HIGH CLUB Celine
For spring/summer 2016, designer Phoebe Philo had travel in mind. “What would you need to take with you if you were traveling for a year?” she asks. Philo showcased option after option for the Celine woman — all with a sense of ease and comfort in each piece as per usual. These “travel essentials” included lace-trimmed slip dresses, rib-waist coats, long satin jersey dresses (perfect for that long-haul flight), and slouchy trousers in buffalo-plaid. If we had this whole collection in our luggage, we wouldn’t mind paying over baggage.
GLAMARAMA Dries Van Noten
The Antwerp-born designer who’s famous for transforming even the most upholster-like fabric into elegant and decorative clothes turned to the 1930s for inspiration for his spring/summer ‘16 collection. The look? Bold ’40s rolled hair, midi dresses, strong shoulders, and ’50s bras worthy of
Madonna’s Gaultier costumes. Van Noten’s staple fabrics jacquard,
brocade, and silk are colored this season with bright hues in purple, yelloe, blue, and watermelon.
FROCK AND ROLL Lanvin
Alber Elbaz is the kind of designer that dresses women of all shapes and ages. He is boundless when it comes to dressing the Lanvin consumer whether with masculine or feminine sensibilities. For his spring/summer ‘16 offering, Elbaz, famous for his “raw and unfinished” elegance, paraded his signature looks from frayed tailoring to exquisite draping and sequined beading to crispy gazar manipulation. What’s new this season is the brand’s perfume bottle and shoe shapes splashed in bright pop Warhol-esque colors in some of the dresses and coats. Always with a playful, child-like demeanor, Lanvin keeps it sophisticated with fashion that is not inspired from the streets but from the timeless, original soul of the Parisian label.
TECHNO-LOGIC Paco Rabanne
Futurism has been the resounding theme all over the shows in Paris. Julien Dossena, one of the few young designers who were given a high-profile responsibility of reviving an iconic house, merged sci-fi with a sensual sportiness sensibility. For spring/summer ‘16, the Paco Rabanne woman takes a subtle inspiration from Leelo Dallas (cue “bada-bing bada-boom”). Motocross-inspired tops, corseted girdle dresses and slips, all form a disheveled insouciance. The designer paid homage to the label’s iconic pieces by showing chain mail and slinky gold dresses. The future looks bright for the house of Paco Rabanne under the helm of Dossena. And how timely it is that the brand’s first free-standing store in Rue Cambon will open first quarter next year stocked with these future perfect pieces.