THE COLLECTIONS FALL/WINTER 2018

FALL/W INTER 2018

Spotlighting the mustknow looks from the season

From the way Miuccia Prada armed her Prada ingénues with padded vests, to how a troop of protective headgear shrouded the runways from Dior to Gucci, fashion’s game plan this season seemed designed to prepare women for urban warfare. Peek beneath the layers and you’ll uncover messages of empowerment that say: Stride forth and conquer the world in style. Edited by Gerald Tan

BALENCIAGA

By now, pictures of the graffiti-covered, faux snow mountain that served as the backdrop at Balenciaga’s fall/winter 2018 show have made their rounds on Instagram a million times over. Demna Gvasalia, the Parisian brand’s creative chieftain, knows a thing or two about speaking to a new generation of customers through social media. But there’s more to the designer’s collection for the House than a cleverly engineered photo-op.There’s the caravan of models who wore a dozen layers of outerwear each as part of Gvasalia’s study of couture shapes and volumes (you’d have seen pictures of those floating around the Internet as well). However, there’s also Gvasalia’s determination to grow into his own at Balenciaga.To that end, he flipped traditional notions of tailoring on its head by devising sculptural jackets that had been moulded through high-tech processes, devised figure-skimming mini dresses, and expanded on the selection of scarf smocks that he had a part in popularising.

CHANEL

“An Indian summer” was how Karl Lagerfeld described his vision of fall for Chanel—one marked by blue skies, uncharacteristically warm temperatures and a lightweight winter wardrobe. In keeping with the brand’s tradition of mega shows, the grounds of the Grand Palais were filled with fallen leaves, while moss-covered trees stripped bare of foliage immediately transported show-goers to a forest where Chanel magic happened.“Chanel,” Lagerfeld added in show notes,“it’s life itself, clothes that have a possibility of life.”The designer translated the wonders of nature into a splendid collection: Sweeping tweed coats in autumnal reds and greens, lace gowns and rust-gold thigh-high boots conjured a nostalgic sense of Old World charm, while quilted puffer jackets were elevated to plush territory by the House’s renowned know-how.

VERSACE

With last season’s touching tribute to Gianni Versace still fresh on everyone’s minds, Donatella Versace managed a stunning follow-up that showed her mettle.The show began modestly enough with a glossy leather coat, then a classic camel coat, before exploding into a high-octane mish-mash of cat prints and punkish tartans. Pleated miniskirts, kilts, and berets gave us flashbacks to 1995, when the cult film Clueless introduced Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz and her girly plaid skirt suit to the world. Corsets and thick logo belts emphasised the body, as did graphic silk pieces such as billowing skirts and body suits.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

His previous 10-year stint at Diane von Furstenberg (which ended in 2010) certainly helped Nathan Jenden—the newly installed Chief Creative Officer reportedly only had a month to put together his debut collection for the brand. Jenden’s familiarity with the codes of the House, plus rapport with its enigmatic founder, was evident in the ways he cut the brand’s famous wrap dresses in uplifting tropical motifs, at the same time creating sophisticated trouser suits and one-pieces in clashing patterns.

HERMÈS

It was perfectly timed by Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski and her team: At twilight, models stepped onto the crimson blanket of gravel that snaked around the gardens of the LycéeVictor Duruy, dressed in an impressive array of finery that reiterated the nuanced simplicity of Hermès. Dusty chartreuse knit sweaters, black leather dresses and tangerine-coloured boots paraded down the runway, which glowed like a magical path as the Parisian sunlight slowly faded into darkness. Outerwear took on a utilitarian spin; a wide-collared bomber jacket left a deep impression. Pyramidal studs synonymous with its watches flourished as buttons or across collars.Vanhee-Cybulski continued to mine the House’s heritage—its equestrian links turned up as subtle quilting details on a cropped jacket or a saddlelike element on a trench coat crafted from leather.

LOUIS VUITTON

Built by renowned architect Hector Lefuel, the Cour Lefuel is a 19th-century courtyard situated within the Louvre. Designed to allow entry to the riding manège, horses would canter around the compound, the cacophony of their hooves on cobblestones reverberating around the walls of the palace. Fast forward more than a century later, and the gently sloping staircases had been converted into ramps that were now part of a catwalk resembling the blueprint of a giant spaceship.

It was here that Nicolas Ghesquière chose to present his latest instalment for Louis Vuitton. Models bearing his designs moved along the runway in a spectacular assemblage of quintessentially French regalia that fused Ghesquière’s fascination with futuristic dress codes and Louis Vuitton’s travel-steeped history. There were asymmetrical halter tops, metal chains on tweed skirts, and sporty dresses bearing graphic Sci-Fi-inspired logos—some models even carried bags constructed in the likeness of high-tech computer motherboards.

MIU MIU

A little rock ’n’ roll, a little rebel without a cause. The latest Miu Miu collection had bleached denims, oversized leather jackets and houndstooth dresses that channelled the non-conformist attitudes of Elvis Presley and motorcycle gangs of the ’50s. A diverse lineup of models stomped down the catwalk with massive beehives and swathes of graphic eyeliner, in a showing designed for the girl who just wants to have fun.

MOSCHINO

Jackie O cowlicks, matching skirt suits and pillbox hats... Jeremy Scott imagined a collection that was a witty quip about Man’s obsession with aliens and conspiracy theories.The irreverent designer sent the fashion set back in time with ’60s-inspired, two-piece ensembles in glowing neon colours, or shift dresses superimposed with Australian artist Ben Frost’s Pop Art renderings of food packaging. Scott has never shied away from making commentaries on the runways; this season, he painted some of his models into extraterrestrial creatures to shine the political spotlight on Donald Trump’s controversial stance on immigrants.

PRADA

How does one capture the beauty of the night and the silence that either brings with it a contemplative mood or a thirst for adventure? Miuccia Prada set out to replicate that conundrum in her latest fall/winter collection at Prada. First, she dressed the models in a variety of neons so bright, they seemed to illuminate everything around them. Prints that evoked the foggy mirage of headlights also turned up on dresses layered under tweed bustiers, or on structured bags teeming with a ladylike sophistication.The dark is not without its perils too, so Mrs Prada offered her troop of warriors protection in the form of utilitarian padded nylon coats that will allow them to bravely stare danger in the face.

MAX MARA

The woman Max Mara champions is a trailblazer. Since its inception in 1951, the Italian Marque has made it its mission to equip women with the sartorial tools they need to light their own paths. It’s business as usual for Max Mara this season, with the likes of Halima Aden, Doutzen Kroes and Lara Stone taking to the catwalk to represent the different faces of today’s empowered femme fatales.The collection had plenty of hits: A sleek pinstriped double-breasted jacket, floor-length checked skirt, plus Max Mara’s signature camel coat, all made an appearance. An extra edge was injected through the appearance of animal prints and graphic tees designed by artist François Berthoud.

CÉLINE

All eyes are on Hedi Slimane’s highly anticipated debut for Céline, but fans of the designer will have to wait just a little longer—his designs for the French Maison will not be available to purchase until spring next year. Meanwhile, a team who has worked with ex-Creative Director Phoebe Philo assembled an interim collection that should serve as a bridging link between the tenures of the two designers. A languid silhouette formed the backbone of the collection, around which they added oversized coats, scarf-print dresses and pin-sharp suits. A collection of bags, slung casually across the shoulder, brought together some of the best shapes from Philo’s tenure.

GUCCI

Within a brightly-lit operating theatre painted in clinical teal, Alessandro Michele invited on-lookers on a poetic exploration of a “post-human universe.” Likening his work to that of a surgeon’s, Michele stitched together a showing that was an otherworldly affair.Tributes to David Bowie, Leigh Bowery and Dutch courtesan Mata Hari came through, along with many a playful tease of English tweeds, vintage silks, and several blinged-out editions of the brand’s classic insignia on wool coats and lace cardigans. A charmingly quizzical array of knitted balaclavas and cartoon-emblazoned sweaters, topped off with models posing as humanoids holding severed heads and baby dragon replicas, reinforced Gucci’s radical reign over the fashion world.