The new couture code......

If we're honest we all knew that this time would come. Fashion became saturated with 'minimalism'. In fact SS 2011 was still saturated with it. But someone decided to buck this trend and really look to the future. Raf Simons, Creative Director of Jil Sander since 2005, took this step and because of it the collection has been hailed as the toast of the SS2011 ( although we'll see after Paris!).


Welcome to: MAXIMALISM 
(at least that's what it's been labelled as)

Inspired by Yves Saint Laurent couture silhouettes.

NEW COUTURE = Silhouette + Colour (Not beading, corsetry etc).

Everyone at Milan was trying the colour thing, but Simons has perfected it. Combining this with a wearable, yet couture-like desirability is something creative and original.

Laura
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Watch highlights of the collection below- you can get a sense of the volume at the back of the garments as well:

The Beautiful.......Gabriele Colangelo

I've covered 'The Bold...', now I've looked at one designer who decided to follow the other main trend of SS 2011- pure and simple. 

Milan is known for the fashion week that features the big, established design houses, such as Versace, Gucci, D&G etc, but rarely can you see new designers emerging. Mainly because it is notoriously hard to begin a career in design in Milan.

This collection wouldn't have looked out of place at NYFW. 

What particularly attracted me to Colangelo's collection was 2 things: his inspiration- the work of Wolfgang Tillman and his fabrics- thread encased in silk organza that created an innovative new textile, whilst remaining simple and clean. 

A detail of the thread between organza textile

His sense of layering was, again, very different compared to most of the Milan shows- consisting of gradual transparencies and subtle colour changes, like 'midnight blue' to 'dove grey'. 

I would say there were similarities to Simone Rocha at Fashion East last week.

Laura
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Look what I found.....

I found a fantastic website that's called "Into the Fashion". It shows you where a designer's fashion inspiration has come from. A bit like I've been trying to do when I've come across the press releases. I think it's great when you can actually see the theme behind a collection- it takes you beyond the mere aesthetic and teaches you how THEY design. The site also analyses trends as soon as a collection has shown at fashion week. It's IMMEDIATE!

Take a look at some examples from this season's collections:

Helmut Newton from 1985 showing an outfit of Yves Saint Laurent's Rive Gauche collection from 1985. Gucci Spring/Summer 2011

Missoni in 1971 by Barry Lategan and a 70s inspired collection by Marc Jacobs for SS 2011.

www.intothefashion.com

Laura

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The Bold.....

I don't think anyone really expected Prada's show at Milan Fashion Week, neither did anyone expect the blinding colours that were present in most of the collections. Some efforts were tasteful and some were definitely not!


PRADA: 'Banana's at Dawn...'

For me the styling of Prada's SS 2011 was a little much- I know the sunglasses were meant to stur up images of 1920's bohemian starlets, but they looked a bit Tim Burton's Willy Wonka for me. 


The inspiration, like many designers, were 2 completely opposite concepts: A Jazz-age Josephine Baker and 17th Century cherubs. It was a strange combination, but I really liked some of the slightly simpler pieces. 

The look above was definitely the best colour-led look- the turquoise was striking and the top silhouette was clean and fresh.

I actually preffered the striped pieces, with small bursts of colour- the classic-cut silhouettes needed simplicity in the designs and some of the bold prints were just a little much. The collection was strong and bold for such an established brand like Prada.


ETRO: City vs. Tribal

Etro normally has everything in abundance: silhouette, print, colour and SS 2011 was no exception. Again, much like Prada there were some looks I much preferred to others. The look in the illustration above was an edgy playsuit where the top of the trousers was a matt blue into black legs- just a simple, yet creative touch.

The loose, wide-legged silk playsuit was stunning- the colour was bold, but not frightening.
 

There seem to be a lot of these long, over-sized silhouettes in Milan this week. Think a very plain, big silhouette creating a blank canvas for a bold, statement print for SS 2011.  


VERSACE: 'Not forgetting the fringe...'

First Mark Fast, now Versace- there was more than just a similarity between the finale piece of both collections.

This look was a compromise between the nude trend and the bold trend. The strong colours were inspired by Greece- the white, in contrast, the colour of villas on the Greek islands.

The finale look....


Some other looks that stood out:

Fendi

Gucci: Inspired by the colours of Guy Bourdin for the late 1970's (I love Bourdin's work- the colours are so striking and continue to be modern)

Laura
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Illustrations by Laura @ SpoonfedStyle