Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear

BUY NOTHING UNTIL YOU BUY

Giambattista Valli

Valli must have been chuffed to bits. To boot, the designer is on a roll, having launched his younger line, Giamba in Milan a couple of weeks ago (with that collection, which sells for roughly 30 to 40 per cent less than his mainline, and up to his couture pieces, his designs now span a huge breadth of price points – all the better for attracting more and more customers).

The collection he sent out today was in a similar vein of pretty with a decidedly Seventies spin - the decade, it’s safe to confirm is the decade of spring/summer 2015. It turns out Valli can cut a mean pair of flares. They came in various guises and topped with thigh-skimming tunics or three-quarter sleeve coats. Varieties of sweet A-line skirts, and shift dresses were presented in a refreshing palette of pink, white and black.

It wasn’t all lust-worthy: a white leather fringe mini dress looked awkward, those stonking silver necklaces with huge sphere hardware were clunky and distracting and some pieces here just appeared too girlish. It was the simpler ideas – and those leg-lengthening flares - that shone through this afternoon.

Sarah Harris

Giambattista Valli

Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear

Maiyet

Maiyet thinks different. The brand is known for its efforts to switch up the fashion supply chain, working with traditional handcrafters and textile-makers from around the world. That's the back end of the business, you might say, except that at Maiyet, its means of production are front and center in both the clothes and the messaging. This season, Kristy Caylor decided to try an unconventional approach on the front end, too, eschewing a fashion show in favor of a salon presentation accompanied by an installation of five short films directed and choreographed by Benjamin Millepied. The films were sort of Isaac Julien-lite, which wasn't a bad thing, and the slo-mo cameras riveted on the featured dancers' lyrical yet forceful bodies. As Caylor explained, that lyricism, and that force, was the driving inspiration behind the new Maiyet collection.

So this was a collection about movement. The theme was witnessed in the fluid tailoring, and in a lot of seemingly hasty, scarf-style draping. Caylor should have invested more in those ideas; frankly, the silhouettes were a bit of a muddle this season. Nothing popped. The materials and embellishments were another story, though, with rich, graphic Indonesian batiks, Peruvian hand-knits and lace, and lovely thread and bead embroidery from villages in India. One suspects that the Maiyet customer, if she's loyal, is coming to the brand for its artisanal qualities, either because she likes the look or because she appreciates the "It's a Small World After All" values. Caylor's best work finds her giving the traditional artisanship a graphic spin, as in the coat here done in black and white batik. To the extent that Maiyet has an aesthetic identity, as opposed to an ethical one, it's to be found there.

Maya Singer
style.com

Maiyet

Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear

Paul van Zyl and Kristy Caylor, the founders of Maiyet, Photo: Vincent Dillio

Sarah Baadarani

Sarah Baadarani is a women’s evening wear label established in 2010. ln 2011, Sarah launched her first collection during London Fashion Week. The line is now in its fourth season.

Sarah was born and raised in London. She is of Lebanese descent. Her creative talents have been fostered since an early age, as a painter and through her passion for the fine arts. Her artistic abilities are evident in her bespoke collections, with its meticulous attention, not only to construction and detail but experimentation with colour and texture.

lt was during university that Sarah honed her skills as a designer, where she earned her 1st Class degree in Fashion Design from Middlesex University. Whilst pursuing her degree, Sarah undertook several apprenticeships at both London based and International fashion houses.

The label is sensual, feminine and effortlessly spontaneous. The unconventional pairings of fabrics and unique asymmetrical cuts draw out the classic tailoring of each silhouette. These powerful contrasts result in an aesthetic that is timeless yet distinctive. Both day and eveningwear are versatile and easy to wear, specifically tailored for the modern woman; she is intelligent and bold, yet her confidence is portrayed in an understated manner.

Sarah Baadarani

Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear

Lucas Nascimento

INDUSTRY known for having the best hair in fashion, Lucas Nascimento is the Brazilian-born designer who graduated from London College of Fashion in 2008 and has since gone on to garner a reputation for his sophisticated and alternative take on knitwear - producing silhouettes and garments not so typical and traditional to the genre. You won't see something bulky and all-enveloping here - though he does cite a protective quality to his designs, but this is meant in the svelte and sleek sense.

Today he played with the idea of a "temporary reality" and an imaginary line that cut the outfits in half so that from one side they were all present and correct and the other they were seemingly disappearing into thin air. This train of thought continued for more slit knits, toga T-shirts and sophisticated sarongs, while sheer pieces brought an added layer of sensuality.

With thanks to Mercedes Benz

Jessica Bumpus

Lucas Nascimento

Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-To-Wear

Rodarte

Q: HOW many ways with an army jacket? A: dozens. Rodarte's Mulleavy sisters presented another blockbuster collection this afternoon, anchored by the army jacket.
They reprised the military topper in so many reincarnations it was hard to determine which was more beautiful than the next (no doubt, international buyers will be pondering over that very matter for days on end when it comes to the task of placing orders that stay within budget). There were white jumbo corduroy versions with khaki patch pockets, others in canvas and with sleeves clad in netting or dripping in iridescent pailettes; some had leather strapping, or hoods, others had athletic stripe collars - they kept coming and coming, and crucially not to the point of boredom. Far from it.
Eveningwear, (for sake of argument let’s call it “eveningwear” but no doubt a Rodarte girl will wear any one of these dazzling, fluttery frocks at any time of the day) was standout. There were ragged, diaphanous slips made from a mishmash of all manner of confection - silk, sequins, netting, appliqué petals, crystals, even ruffled and knitted sections were spliced in there, thrown in for good measure. If all of that sounds like something horrendous from a dressing up box, it really wasn't. These girls are expert at crafty couture, their appeal rides on the currency of it-shouldn't-work-but it-does, and this collection was another example of that ringing true.

Other gowns streaming in nude ostrich feathers oozed more commercial appeal, one of those would work on a red carpet the world over and frankly, any woman - not just a die-hard Rodarte fan - would deem it pretty.
A final note: thigh-high lace-up boots and spray-on high-rise white jeans are cool again.
Sarah Harris