Best and Worst of Fashion Month Spring/Summer '18
Fashion month is finally over, and I've been covering the most important shows and presentations for Fashion Fix Daily alongside the team of fashion-obsessed writers, including Honey Pop Kisses, Bee Waits and Forever Yours Betty. Here, I've rounded up my best and worst picks from New York, London, Milan and Paris, with key snippets from in-depth reviews the FFD gang has written.
New York
Best: Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
"Colour and texture were key elements here; deep pinks, sultry reds, bold yellows and rich oranges entangled themselves in exaggerated tassels, flowing, stiff leather and smooth satins. Surfaces contradicted each other, like matte and wet-look, sheer and opaque, metallic and earthy; contrast was key for the Calvin Klein woman this season, while silhouettes were kept simple and elegant, with plenty of structured suits and feminine a-lines, with a little dose of cowboy chic."
Worst: Alexander Wang
Alex Wang
"Plenty of his signature black was paired with muted nudes, blues, and whites. Underwear as outerwear is clearly staying the course until next year, as we see corsets, bralets, and slips alongside leather and denim. It feels very much like Courtney Love meets Carrie Bradshaw, with grungy, baggy garments given a girly, fashion spin. There's even some sparkle in there for you glamour babes. Please don't quote me about those khaki cargo pants, as I'd really like to erase them from my mind."
Read Jessica's full review here
London
Best: Pam Hogg
Pam Hogg
"The legendary Dr Pam Hogg showcased her Spring/Summer 2018 collection and it was absolutely sensational. The whole weird and wonderful offering "was undeniably optimistic, with highly creative uses of tulle, lace and lycra, eccentric hues and colour clashes, and a cast of sexy and confident models strutting their stuff in bold and beautiful make-up. The best part yet again is the beauty; Pam Hogg (unofficial queen of LFW) has styled the whole look as one unit, with fiercely bold makeup tying perfectly with the clothes."
Worst: Ryan Lo
Ryan Lo
"Ryan Lo is leaning hard into fashion's current love affair with princess dressing....gone are the big, brash and bright colours that have so often defined his presentations previously - instead sticking to a far more muted colour palette and shifting the focus onto texture. There's nary a look here that would look out of place in Harajuku in particularly the mini caplets covered in butterflies, sheer tulle dresses and twisted pearl detailing throughout."
Read Claire's full review here
Milan
Best: Prada
Prada
"Comic strips of all styles - from pop art to manga - decorated the walls and the outfits of last nights catwalk, but there was one thing every illustration had in common: they were of women, by women... Outfits were layered heavy, so busy they felt like comic strips themselves. With pop art style polka dots, comic strips matched with leopard print, mostly worn with a brilliant mix of traditionally masculine and feminine shapes. "
Worst: Jil Sander
Jil Sander
"Combining the brand's signature minimalist Scandi vibes with a new, boho direction involving autumnal colour palletes, crochet dresses, rouching and tassels created an interesting-if not somewhat confusing- mix of looks, from supremely tailored suiting to Coachella chic daywear. Overall, the collection for me was a bit of a let down, as I hold Jil Sander to high standards as one of the most important shows on Milan's schedule."
Paris
Best: Rick Owens
Rick Owens
"There is a strong idea of discord then, between the natural and the supernatural. On one hand, the colours were muted and earthy, with a palette of black and white injected with forest green, soft grey and mustard yellow. On the other, the shapes-as expected- were otherworldly. The SS18 Rick Owens girl is futuristic and alien, and yet still down to earth. Her look is never a costume, always a carefully calculated reflection of inner identity; she treads the balance without a care."
Worst: Maison Margiela
Margiela
"You can clearly see the inspiration for this collection trickle down from Galliano's brilliant haute couture offering (the 'Artisanal' collection) back in June, which was based on the designer himself throwing on an old trench coat, with wet hair still covered in shampoo, in a rush to meet a friend, the ultimate in nonchalant French glamour. From the jackets to the cowboy boots, it was a rather unimaginative copy and paste affair; it was disappointing not to see some new ideas from the house for their very different ready-to-wear customer."
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So, the four fashion capitals offered a really mixed bag this season; some really intriguing stuff, but god I'm glad it's over and the team can rest our weary fashion eyes! at least for another couple of months! If you still need to catch up (there is certainly a lot to catch up with!) after flicking through Fashion Fix Daily, I 100% recommend watching the live panel discussions presented by SHOWstudio which delve deep into the key designers and brands of the season. What were your most and least favourite collections? Let me know in the comments!
Images via NOWfashion