Revolution in Silk

The beauty of metaphor is that it speaks a language that doesn’t rely solely on words. A twist of ruffled fabric the color of an angry ocean can reflect—in the right hands—the unrest on life on land.

That’s what came to mind with the recent shows in Milan. Far from an obvious, tortured look that would bring to mind the current unrest [of any countless topics—the refugee crisis in Europe, American politics in general] designers such as Simone Rocha and Alberta Ferretti crafted ensembles that brought to mind to the era of the French Revolution: dramatic, sometimes complicated, and always grand.

Simone Rocha

No. 21

Prada, No. 21, Alberta Ferretti 

Glitz and Grunge

This season's Fashion Weeks have showcased some of the strongest collections in recent memory—strongest, of course being somewhat subjective. I'll rephrase: my personal style alarm has not stopped ringing since No. 21 sent a slew of nubby sweaters the color of moss down the runway paired with—what else—iridescent midi skirts and jewel-encrusted trousers.

Dreams Van Noten

Have you ever come across a work of art that speaks to you so directly it's as though the artist stole a thought of yours? Or--if you were capable of welding steel--what's sitting in front of you would be exactly the thing you made?

I sustained the feeling reading all of Charles Simic's notebook The Monster Loves His Labyrinth, in snippets the first time I heard Nico's "These Days," and, most recently, viewing Dries Van Noten's Fall 2013 collection.

Last season, my love for his work was aspirational. His creations were articulations of dreams I had yet to have. Yes of course florals and plaid work together! Why not wear a kimono with a tea-length skirt? White sunglasses and mussed hair: I'm there.

This seasons I--by no means uninspired by the man's past work--found myself ingesting DVN's collection while wearing a coordinating outfit.

Slacks under cocktail dresses? I've been doing that all season! (I hate black tights, by the way.)

Tons of textured volume? I just so happen to have purchased a vintage Parisian brown lambswool skirt two weeks ago!

Baggy sweaters and long skirts? Pfff.

Drop-waists, head-to-toe prints, oxfords, and socks with sandals? So on it.

 

 

This collection, besides being one easy to mock, is interesting. It's fresh and cosmopolitan. I'm inspired to throw a pair of patterned pants beneath a 1940s black drop-waist dress I've had since Wilmington, when I purchased it on credit at a vintage store where I worked. Small tangent: You never know what you will discover while vintage shopping, and so often your explorations lead you to beautiful craftsmanship, these crepe silk creations, you never knew existed. What better way to clad oneself than in mystery and surprise. 

Model images courtesy of Elle.com

All collages the work of Francesca Soroka

 

Crisp Genes

Walking through the city today, my boyfriend asked, "Why is it that girls dress like guys now, and guys want to look like girls?" In front of us was a couple. He wore skintight black pants rolled at the ankle, loafers (sockless) and a tailored leather jacket. Very svelte. She wore mud-colored baggy pants, combat boots, a motorcycle jackets and printed brown and blue scarf.

He had a point. Mine was that perhaps we always want the other. We're intrigued by what isn't ours, and when we're told something is the way it is, there's a certain sect that wants it even more. By taking what is traditionally male or female and spinning it a complete 180, we succeed in sartorial domination. Perhaps.

In a move I chalk up to the balancing of sugar sweet and/or an adherence to clean lines, the white shirt is having its moment.  Here are a few looks gleamed from the interwebs and Milan's fashion week. I love the looks because they manage to keep cool and wear in a realistic way. Besides, aren't we all a little male/female?

The Sartorialist, Street Peeper

Dries Van Noten

It's as though Dries Van Noten crawled in through my ear and sketched from the hazy outlines of my dreams. His collection was filled with exactly the sort of thing I'd don at 27 while living in Paris, writing and gazing from ancient stone balconies onto the cafe scenes below.

 

Photos: Vogue

Dior Moment

There were the requisite LBDs done to perfection and exaggerated silhouettes that nipped at the waist and nodded to the brand's history, but this season's Dior collection for Spring and Summer did more than meet expectations.

Raf Simons embraced the 2013 season with fabrics, lines, and color combinations that were decidedly twenty-first century. His dresses seemed laser-cut, the colors glossed with iridescent space dust. Whereas other designers may have cowed to the brand's history, Simons made it his own. And in the midst of a fashion moment that seems to teeter between two extremes--the ugly chic of the '70s or pared-down Minimalism--Simon's did neither. He embraced 2013--the first year to break The Jetsons barrier that is, after all, just about to be our present.



 photos: WhoWhatWear