Céline Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – Paris Fashion Week

04/10/201505/10/2015 | Syuzena Pitz

Céline unveiled spring/summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection designed by Phoebe Philo.

The show opened with a series of white lingerie slip dresses and camisoles (it seems to be a trend for spring and summer) which arrived in silk and leather versions and trimmed with black lace. They had ironed-in creases as though they had been neatly folded and pulled straight out of a suitcase. Other pieces too had that same feeling, like a crinkled shirt dress that looked like it might have been slept in, but prettily so, and came grounded with a modern cowboy boot. From lingerie dressing the collection progressed into structured outerwear, plush white furs, and suiting-like plaids, before coming to a close with a leather dress with a knit mid-section worn over loose cream trousers.

One is sure – this season’s Céline collection is a lesson in contrasts

Emanuel Ungaro Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – Paris Fashion Week

04/10/201505/10/2015 | Syuzena Pitz

Fausto Puglisi unveiled his Emanuel Ungaro Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection today in Paris Fashion Week.

Great designers’ greatness is stamped on our memory by the signature codes they leave behind them. Hence, when other designers succeed the house’s founder, they face a challenge: a delicate wrestle between the codes they have signed up to inherit and the urge to express their own point of view. Their own codes and Puglisi has his code,in fact Fausto Puglisi chose to focus on a set of sweetly provocative floral macramé looks, all froth and of-that-era liberation touched with a softened space Age futurism.Impressively, Puglisi re-established a connection with the Swiss factory that made Ungaro’s ’60s pieces to create a wonderfully psychedelic lace macramé of ochre flowers and paisley petals used in his last capelet—teamed with matching thigh-highs and a long loose skirt. The netted-check that ran throughout the collection, even down to the weave of the pressed-foam ruffles that edged many of these Looks, A harder, more Puglisi-ish preoccupation—expressed itself in the ringlet bonding on black vinyl and hot pink skirts, and as suspension on floral-scattered bustiers. “A little bit bondage, maybe, but also in romantic attitude. This is not a collection for wallflowers or delicate petals—but for a woman in search of punchy, in-your-face prettiness, it will have allure.

Kenzo Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – Paris Fashion Week

04/10/201505/10/2015 | Syuzena Pitz

Kenzo unveiled Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection. designed by Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.

Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, love a far-flung, unexpected destination for their Kenzo shows.

The modern global traveler, she comes and goes with ease ,just like the models on Kenzo’s spring runway, who were positioned on a series of platform blocks that gently motored out into the venue, assembling into a runway. It was a neat special effect, attention-catching but not so much that it outshined the collection of happy, summer clothes that could be on their way to or from a Destination Holiday.

Cropped tanks with an angled hem and a skinny T-shaped strap in the back paired with matching lean low-rider skirts in chevron-printed patchworks felt fresh. Some were layered over cutout maillots for a sexy swimwear look that was also reflected in cool cutout mesh bodysuits worn open and untucked over skirts and pants.

The accessories, such as belts with little wallets on them and patent gladiators with spongy shower-sandal insoles, made getting there comfortable and easy.

Nina Ricci Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – Paris Fashion Week

04/10/201505/10/2015 | Syuzena Pitz

Guillaume Henry has the goodwill of the fashion world. He gave Garven in 2009 a global profile and a distinctive look. Women responded to Carven’s gamine sensibility. Yesterday’s show was Henry’s second for Nina Ricci, but he hasn’t yet found his footing. It’s an issue more of tone than execution, though both play a part. His backstage mood board was pinned with pictures of Romy Schneider in the 1971 film Max et les Ferrailleurs, and images of ’90s models like Kate Moss, Ktisten McMenamy and Nadja Auermann .“I’d love men to fall in love with the Nina Ricci woman,” he said.

It looks as if Henry has done away with the precious girly femininity that the Nina Ricci house had become known for and in its stead decided what the world really needed was a seductress. A woman not afraid to wear a sheer green or pink silk top that leaves perky breasts exposed to the elements – taunting those around her to dare to make a remark. A woman who can wear a glossy black apron with straps out of rhinestones and make the matronly garment look sexy. A woman that likes minimalistic clothing, with just a bit of undulating feather embellishment from time to time, basically because it can be easily slipped off at a moment’s notice.The sultry boudoir vibe of the show was a clever way for Henry to go. And overall he succeeded in his new Approach.

Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – Paris Fashion Week.

03/10/201504/10/2015 | Syuzena Pitz

Vivienne Westwood has made a habit of using her fashion shows as a platform for activism. This season, she was championing two related causes. On the runway she paid homage to Venice, a city that, perhaps due to climate change, is sinking even faster than it was before. Venice is a good theme for Westwood—her shows tend to have a certain carnival atmosphere in their mix of the decadent and the louche. You’d have expected a Vivienne Westwood Save Venice! collection to feature quite a few of her signature evening dresses, with their bouffant skirts and baroque swirls of sculptural draping but instead of cocktail looks, she emphasized rather plainspoken daywear silhouettes, shown on male as well as female models, in a gesture that read less political than as an homage to the Venetian tradition of the masque. The cross-dressing theme was echoed as well in the array of tailored items, in particular suits that looked oversize and mannish, with trousers cut to appear as though they’d been cinched up spontaneously to fit a woman’s smaller frame. That was one of Westwood’s dramatic flourishes; others included poufed sleeves and hardware and crystal embellishment sewn onto jackets. Westwood made a few very spectacular pieces, such as the extra-long coats worn high overhead and a bodysuit of sequin-dripping net that conjured a very fancy birdcage. Of course those looks had quite an impact on the runway.

What is always clear at a Vivienne Westwood show, despite the reliable spectacle, is exactly what has ensured the designer’s longevity: wearability. The ruffled-hem wrap dresses; the sexy oversized tailoring; and the embroidered skirt and sweater combos had serious appeal. These are clothes that time and time again highlight the beauty of the female form, made by a woman who knows exactly the areas that women want ( and not) !