With 2019’s Autumn/Winter fashion week bidding adieu, we take a look at which designs stunned and stumbled this year in the fashion capitals of Paris, New York, London and Milan.
Paris, New York, London and Milan are home to the four biggest fashion weeks each year and are flocked by glam-hunting tourists and celebs alike. Of course, there are other fabulous designers wowing the world from stages all over the globe, including Tokyo, Moscow, Seoul and Madrid (new fashion destination staples). There are also surprising up-comers, Antwerp (Belgium), Bogota (Colombia), Beirut (Lebanon) and Lagos (Nigeria) bringing their best onto the scene.
This year we searched the offerings from the traditional top four fashion epicentres and discussed the wins and woes of the A/W fashion season for 2019.
All the most glamorous labels were there. Paris offered up an extravaganza of Chanel, Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake. Milan impressed with Moschino, Fendi and Versace. London triumphed with Erdem, Matty Bovan and Simone Rocha. NY stunned with Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Prabal Gurung. So how could we choose the best? Perhaps, it’s best to say, we chose our personal favourites!
Paris Fashion Week
Paris; the hub of timeless haute couture gave us all the glitz and glamour that one would expect from the City of Lights.
Saint Laurent, in particular, gave us reason to lavish praise – making heads turn with elegant and eye-catching evening wear as pictured below. Not pictured, but almost as prominent in the show, were glow-in-the-dark neon designs which must have been exhilarating to witness live!
However, we were not loving Marine Serre’s designs which seemed to opt for innovative designs with a hint of “controversy for controversy’s sake” neglecting the search for a more “likeable” beauty. Masks were popular this year but perhaps at the expense of practicality and comfort…
New York Fashion Week
In New York, Prabal Gurung shone brightly with his rich colour palette and modern feminine designs. The collection was called “Suitcases of the World”, drawing inspiration from the designer’s recent travels around China and India. He added hippy artisanal flair to his pieces and an excellent play of patterns and layers.
Marc Jacobs, New York’s favourite, continued an emphasis on extreme volume by exploring floral prairie dresses from an avant-garde perspective and offering theatrical-style pieces that often bordered flamboyant. The designs mirrored Jacobs’ goal of exaggerated reality but made one uncomfortable by just how deliberately unflattering they could be to the female figure.
London Fashion Week
In London Erdem showcased some gorgeous feminine evening and day wear, rocking bright florals with a hint of vintage and sixties glamour. The designs were inspired by Italian Princess Orietta Doria Pamphilj and her visit to London in 1963, which saw a clash of aristocratic grandeur and the “Swinging Sixties”.
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham and Burberry may have played it a little too safe for our liking with sophisticated but a somewhat too familiar design. Victoria Beckham’s collection (below) was coined “A-Z of a Woman’s Life” for the everyday modern woman with comfortable designs that had a splash of colour. But perhaps the designs were just a bit too comfortable for the runway.
Milan Fashion Week
In Milan this year Alberta Ferreti offered up soft, feminine elegance replete with cowboy hats, wide-legged pants and suede cowboy boots. It was a collection of ideal, wearable daywear with winter-white statements that worked perfectly and saw the designer break out of her shell from her more customary night wear design preference.
At Milan Fashion Week, Gucci decided to redesign the wheel with masks taking centre stage again. Although this look has received praise from some fashionistas, it left us feeling like we were in a bizarre sci-fi or superhero film – less glamour, more bizarre!
Let us know your Fashion Month highs and lows in the comments below.