filmed by JEJ for FACADES

If Bernard Chandran claims that his designs were an ode to the woman who was jilted by heartbreak and its ensuing pains, I happily report that his collection depicted a certain joy that was well over the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.  The lady in question seemed to revel in the demise of her misfortunes and has moved on to celebrate in the knowledge that freedom was not necessarily hinged to no anyone or anything for that matter.  The joy was within the wearer.

The strongest pieces of the collection were the dresses in the form of shifts.  Contrary to what Bernard Chandran claims, his pieces conveyed an inner strength with nary a hint of vulnerability.  They showed no pain.  On the contrary, the collection exhibited strength. Standouts were the pieces rendered in black and white.  Pieces were wearable and timely.  And if Chandran had to apologise for what his muse had to go through to produce his works, I look forward to the next collection when his muse happily breezes through the joy of life itself.  A sad collection, this wasn't.  Bernard Chandran, you are an abject failure in producing a collection steeped in misery.   I look forward to the next collection.  Miserable or otherwise.  Well done, Mister.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

To me, this was an exhibition on urban streetwear.  The whole collection was a stark show of black and white, with its uses of mix and match pieces and combinations of different prints (also in black and white) which were a bit reminiscent of the 80s.  The vertical, boldly-striped, black and white dresses, although well balanced enough did nothing to its wearers and one finds it difficult to imagine a woman shopping, on the high street, for a piece that could add inches, vertically, to her figure.  I would imagine them working well, though, as a cover-up at the beach or as a throw-on at a resort.  Or on a really slim and coltish young lady.

Surprisingly, I thought the best pieces on offer were the jackets or blazers.  They were cut to definite specifications that contributed a jauntiness, exuded youth and at the same time, displayed that brevity that leans toward chicness.

As a collection of street pieces, which could well be paired with an existing professional wardrobe (especially the jackets), the show held its own with a younger clientele in mind.

My personal view: the clothes were light, happy, wearable and timely but were rendered cumbersome by the show's director, who seemed to require the young models to trudge along almost heavy-heartedly.  The word, 'synergy' and the lack of it, come to mind.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Mr. Buchinho commenced his show with his own signature look (a dress, in this case) that developed throughout.  Trouser suits, mostly knee-length dresses, jumpsuits, a few long dresses and very pretty ensembles, consisting of tops and skirts or trousers, made for a very complete collection. With a certain pink or coral as a base, his combinations were at once cool and warm.  Greys, mocha, black, flesh, a medium powder blue, mauve all seem to sound odd as combinations, but they work and worked beautifully: imagine muted, sherbet colours that spelt warmth when combined.  Buchinho's use of colours, combining them subtly or boldly through blocking, is his own.  His forté, if I may add.

Another element he used was fine pleating, which was either left to flow or used sculpturally albeit in gentle and comely fashion.  Very flattering.  Very feminine. Modern, yet soft.  Nothing was inflexible.

His separates, combining tops to skirts or trousers were graceful and delicate.  The classic pleated culottes were a definite staple and should prove amongst his best sellers.

My favourite piece was the simplest, white, sleeveless jumpsuit which featured practically all his trademarks, including THAT pleating, which still left the breezy attire uncomplicated and guaranteed to prove a classic.

I almost forgot: in true Paris fashion, his clothes were cut extremely well and programmed to flatter its wearers.  Very well done, Mr. Buchinho.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

After attending a number of Issey Miyake's shows, there is one thing of which I'm certain: the videos don't do justice to his creations compared to how you they make the viewer feel as his masterpieces come down the runway.

Miyake opens with short outfits in the semblance of dresses, and shirts and tops.  In place of his usually ubiquitous pleats, stripes were used in a multitude of ways to decorate and complete his compositions.

Floaty fabrics in the colours of spring and summer connived to deliver his vision for the season.  The cuts and shapes, true to the prevailing fashion of the present period, were loose and barely skimmed the body.

One dress, finely-striped in brown and white, stood out of the crowd.  It was cut off the grain, a supposedly major booboo in fashion schools, and as it undulated down the catwalk, it seemed to trumpet a triumphant, almost sneering and mocking statement on behalf of the designer:  I can get away with this.  And he ran with it.

Pantsuits followed, in two statements for the tops: sleeveless and flimsy; voluminous and airy.  The trousers worn went through the whole gamut of the bifurcated article: square-cut; straight-cut and loose; ankle-length; capri; pedal pushers; bike shorts.  Something for everyone.

A couple of black and white, striped, pleated dresses attempted to steal the show.  The gliding, black and white pleats were anchored cleverly by seams that prompted them to end in solid black.  The dresses' movement, shapes and grace conspire to fool the eye; it took a second glance to notice that the pieces were actually transparent.  And still, they were devoid of anything that could be considered indecorous.  Far from it, actually.

Many of the shapes in this collection hearken back to the 80s, but in contrast to most designers' feeble attempts, in the past years, to re-install the 80s into our wardrobes, Miyake's hand at it ends in success.  His pieces proved modern, timeless and fit for all ages as they ambled along in a myriad of colors: blue; purple; yellow; violet; black and white; brown; turquoise; and greens, from mint to lime, all the way to fatigue.

Miyake is always head and shoulders above the rest because he neither follows nor leads the fashion world.  Simply put, he has his own world.

Our felicitations to Miyake's newly-appointed creative director, Yoshiyuki Miyamae, who has replaced Dai Fujiwara.  Miyamae is now in charge of the womenswear collections whereat he'll be focussing "on the further development of the brand".

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Fatima Lopez did not deliver as she did before.  Call me a bit sexist, but after being trained myself by women, that certain touch that women designers have over their male counterparts were definitely absent in this 13-minute show, which seemed to crawl through to the end.  The first piece that sauntered down the runway featured a slit so high, no woman in her right mind would wear it, unless it were a blouse.  Spoiled by the quality in craftsmanship and, especially, the fit and cut, to which we've grown accustomed at the Paris shows, not a few were disastrous in terms of fall and fit.  A number of the pieces hugged the mannequins on the most unbecoming places, such as on the belly.  Throughout the collection, I asked myself, why most of the slits were sky-high.  Some, so high, that they actually caused the garment to lose its shape at the hipline.  Surely, Lopez is aware that showing miles of jambs isn't the only way for a woman to look alluring.

Not all pieces were done poorly.  A short pantsuit hit the spot.  A number of jumpsuits were a marvel and a few of the long black dresses fit and fell properly.

The colour palette was mostly black with inserts of blue and blue/greens.  And aside from a pretty chartreuse number, the over-all effect proved tedious.  Tepid applause, at show's end, just about summed up the show's calibre.

Video filmed by JEJ of Brioni SS13 presentation  on June 26, 2012 at Viale Alemagna 6, Milan

It was a lovely HOT day in Milano when Brioni presented its new collection for spring/summer 2013.

The whole setting was like a collage of scenes from a variety of old Italian films.

Models wore all Brioni summer gear such as clothes, hats, shades, shoes, and other accessories realistically emoting a variety of characters outdoors in the sun chatting, drinking, smoking, eating, playing sports, painting, playing music, and some just merely posing on their classic motor bikes.

La Dolce Vita in the sun -INDEED.