And there goes another series of fashion weeks. Technically, it's the women's spring/summer 2019 runway presentations that have just ended. We won't blame you if you thought otherwise though, because there were a bit more co-ed collections this time around as compared to seasons past. It gets a bit confusing sometimes (even for us, to be honest) so we've summarised some of the major highlights that took place for this instalment of the spring/summer 2019 fashion week season.
Chanel literally built a beach
Karl Lagerfeld is known for his elaborate sets for Chanel. There was one where an entire Parisian street was reconstructed, a space shuttle launch, a giant Chanel supermarket and even that one time part of the Eiffel Tower was built within the Grand Palais. Spring/summer 2019 blows them all out of the water due to the level of detail that went on. Instead of bringing guests to the beach (where Chanel wouldn't have any control of the elements), Chanel brought the beach to them. Once again, the interior of the Grand Palais was remodelled and took the form of a real sandy beachfront, complete with a lifeguard and most impressively, undulating water. It really goes to show how you're only limited by your imagination.
To sit or sleep
Marni has been having quite a bit of fun with the seating at its shows. Attendees had an even greater conundrum this season: to sit or lounge. In place of old televisions, bouncy balls and antique bumper cars for seats, guests had the herculean task of staying awake on top of cushy beds done up with pillows. With more than halfway through the fashion season at that point, it would have been totally understandable if any of them took a snooze.
Moncler's new clothes
The second instalment of the Moncler Genius Project was presented with no actual physical clothing. Instead, each collection was displayed digitally on screens, with each designer-led project conceptually different from one another. It's different but also an exciting change for Moncler. The first Moncler Genius project was presented through grand installations that were quite a spectacle. The shift to a more digital-based installation this time around could mean that every season will be different, opening the possibility for newer ways of presenting fashion that we have yet to see. What's in store for autumn/winter 2019 is for us only to guess.
Gucci does sexy
If there was one takeaway from Gucci's runway show at Le Palace in Paris, it would be the unusually sexy and cheeky men's underwear and leather jockstraps. It's unusual because Alessandro Michele has never approached sexy in such a defiantly overt manner before. The jockstraps were designed in all-black leather while the high-waist briefs took on various iterations. There was one in red leather with a zipper that runs through the front, an all-over Gucci monogram piece, and the pièce de résistance, one with a bejewelled shell right at the crotch.
135 looks at Burberry
You definitely can't accuse Riccardo Tisci for being lazy. For his debut collection for Burberry, he presented a grand total of 135 looks spanning across menswear and womenswear. He further segmented the collection into three parts, which he referred to as 'Refined', 'Relaxed', and 'Evening'. There were the classic Burberry looks but elevated with edgier trims, and also the graphic mishmash that Tisci was known for during his time at Givenchy.
Raf Simons went in deep for CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC
At CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC, Raf Simons referenced two movies—Steven Spielberg's Jaws and Mike Nichols' The Graduate. Yet, it was the former that left a greater impression. Scuba wet suits and its many interpretations were quite visible throughout, with one all-black scuba jumpsuit look topped with a red beanie a la Bill Murray's character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. What we're betting will be a big hit for spring/summer 2019 though, will be the Jaws printed T-shirts.
Skirts for boys
Well, not really. John Galliano deconstructed skirts and turned them into other articles of clothing for Maison Margiela's first ever co-ed runway show; almost to drive the point that clothes are just clothes after all. From skirts, he created capes and dresses for both men and women. In a podcast for the fashion house, he insisted that the goal was not to make boys look like girls or vice versa, but rather to explore the ways a garment can be more than what it was initially set out to be.
What's the beef?
Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood was playful, irreverent and diverse. Instead of the usual walk out, models entered the space on skate scooters and skateboards. While there was the curious chair headpiece sported by a model, the highlight was most definitely the muscular male beefcakes in skimpy attire. The juxtaposition of the super muscular bodies in barely-there underwear, on tiny scooters was a sight indeed.
Marc Jacobs versus Rihanna
Talking about beef, was Marc Jacobs sore because he wasn't the closing show for New York Fashion Week this season? Probably not. Rihanna's Savage x Fenty presentation was schedule to go on after Marc Jacobs'. But the latter's show only started one and a half hours behind schedule—a rarity as Jacobs almost always starts on time—which meant that editors had to choose whether to stay for the Marc Jacobs show or head on over for Rihanna's which was quite a distance away. Many have speculated that Jacobs did it deliberately but he has since apologised and blamed it on an underestimation of time needed for things to happen as intended.
CÉLINE CELINE
Hedi Slimane's highly anticipated debut for the newly-rechristened CELINE was (and still is) the talk of both fashion insiders and lovers. True to from, Slimane presented a collection that his fans would be incredibly familiar with—body-skimming, glitzy and mostly black—but one that didn't sit well with women who looked to Céline for clothes beyond the archetypal sexed-up and hyper feminine clothes that are in abundance. The upside to this is that those who have been clamouring for a menswear collection from CELINE will finally be catered too, albeit served on a Dior Homme/Saint Laurent platter.
Related stories:
Listen to our audio review of Tod’s first men’s runway collection.
Listen to our audio review of the latest chapter of #MonclerGenius.
Listen to our audio review of Riccardo Tisci’s debut at Burberry.
Listen to our audio review of Salvatore Ferragamo SS19.
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