filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Sharon Wauchob opened her show with a white ensemble that almost summed up what we were about to feast our eyes upon.  A short, loose jacket over a flaring skirted dress that, in one sweep, boasted well-cut sleeves, a proper lapel, proportions that couldn't be improved upon, and that jaunty walk, the model used to convey the comfort and ease in which she was wearing her outfit.  From there, Wauchob's line seemed to subtly get sharper whilst still adhering to the softness that she seemed to be promoting for spring.  

A strapless top, with an empire line, worn over just-under-the-calf-length trousers, all in black, which featured seemingly transparent circles (I wasn't sure what they were, but they were gorgeous) on the pants' hemline floated beautifully down the ramp, as if to say:  this is about as tight as it's going to get, folks.

The rounded motif in question recapitulated itself on pantsuits with cropped trousers and on easy, throw-on yet structured coats which could, honestly, have been worn with anything in the collection.

Delicate dresses appeared, subsequently, from light sleeveless numbers to a very smart A-line top (smart: could have been worn as a dress, too) which was worn over another pair of cropped trousers, slightly longer than featured earlier.

Amongst the mostly black and white ensembles, a sprinkling of very, pretty coloured and printed spring dresses stood out like spring flowers in a field of grey. 

The show, which lasted 2 seconds short of 8 minutes, showed a spectrum of strong yet gentle pieces which adhered to Wauchob's philosophy: soft dressing on sound tailoring for women who need pieces to accompany them to functions to which they have to go.

From the pantsuits to the dresses, from the tops to the skirts, from the jackets to the coats, from the black and whites to the coloureds, each of Wauchob's outfits summarised, time and again, her missive for the season:  softness, ease, femininity, strength, modernity and almost ridiculous wearability.

This collection was an easy review.  I didn't like it as much as I adored it.  Thank you, Ms. Wauchob.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

A black, knee-length dress worn over white trousers; a profusion of white trousers littering the runway; that theme of dresses over trousers (with the dresses working well in all lengths); no tight pieces —I sense a collaboration amongst many designers this spring.

Perhaps because of a good sense of proportion, even the longest of dresses worn over trousers left the models long and lean.

Pantsuits, another spring staple, were presented in different proportions.  The difference between these numbers from the ones seen in recent magazines is the lack of tightness on the jackets, which suited me just fine.

Black, used sparingly, worked gently while worn with white pieces, which were mostly trousers and a few skirts.

On the jackets and coats, shoulders varied from rounded, effortlessly worn cuts to the more tailored, squarer type with which we are all familiar.   

Subtle injections of colour were also hinted into the collection: splashes of yellow, a bit of brown, and a definite leaning toward the colours green and pink helped to usher in spring.

Not a few of the coloured pieces and ensembles presented themselves in the likeness of unconfining, loose dresses which floated dreamily down the grey catwalk.  And with a small number of headpieces which hugged some of the models' tiny heads, I couldn't help but notice a 30's/deco nod to a part of Huelle's collection.  Whether I was seeing things or not, I must say, it all worked together.

The most fitted of outfits were shaped to show off the body whilst barely skimming it.  Reiteration:  nothing tight, please.  Happily, I thought that all the pieces presented in the collection, especially the separates, could, would and should be mixed together to compliment each other.  As a designer, this is no mean feat.

A loose, full-length, white dress which could easily be dressed down or up, presented as the finale piece, was the perfect punctuation to the designer's statement.  There's a philosophical or political statement there somewhere, I gather. 

For now, I must congratulate Lutz Huelle for her vision and a job well done.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Beginning with a series of looks described by my editor as ‘little house on the Prairie on acid’, outfits became tighter brighter and more revealing as the show progressed. Pam Hogg’s are clothes for rockstars (unsurprising, as she dressed the kings and queens of rock in her heyday) and few else. This doesn’t however take away from their beauty, but maybe appreciation is better made from afar in this case.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

With focus on structural tailoring and statement silhouettes, Kuho Jung has successfully created garments that are both classic and avant garde. With a body-conscious SS12 collection, Jung has transitioned into AW12 placing the same importance on shape- colour takes a secondary role, with a black and grey-heavy palette. A hint of punk sensibility saves it from being another collection concerned simply with a minimalism that we’ve seen many times before.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Korean Lei Sang Bong covers vast fashion ground in his AW12 show- From a snow-queen white fur-collared coat and cocktail dress to bad-ass biker jackets. While the cuts have a youthful edge, the collection has a sure sense of maturity, the “moody darkness” that Bong set to create is definitely one fit for the grown up woman far beyond her angsty teen-age years. Although the collection is perhaps lacking in the freshest of ideas, an air of luxury sets it apart and Bong has found success in making wearable and flattering clothes. 

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

The New York based label showed in Paris for the first time this season, but the 70s parisian chic that designer Andrea Karg was trying to achieve seems to have been lost somewhere; I can only describe the collection allude sent down the AW12 runway as bohemian dowdy. While it is a collection that has been done time and time again, Bohemian has plenty more inspiration to be drawn from and it’s disappointing to see more of the same from Karg.

filmed by JEJ for FACADES

Young Spanish designer  Amaya Arzuaga has consistently displayed interesting ideas and a spot-on aesthetic. The fall collection comprised of flawlessly tailored coats, intricate pleating details and rich jewel tones against muted greys and blacks. It is a collection that exudes femininity with a strong focus on skirts and dresses (only five of the forty-two looks showed models in separates), yet it isn’t ‘girly’ in the slightest. Symmetric patterns based on butterfly wings and vaguely spider-webbish patters are reminiscent of her fall 2011 collection which drew inspiration from insects. This isn’t to say she is repeating herself; this year she has taken the idea of understated sexy to a whole new level.