Burberry x Opening Ceremony

July 13, 2018

Though brand evolution is an inevitable feature of the fashion world, Burberry could not resist the urge to infuse their latest capsule collection “drop,” in collaboration with Opening Ceremony, with a twinge of nostalgia for the label’s rich aesthetic past.

With an overall vintage feel and streetwear edge, the collection takes a twist on Burberry's classic check with Pride-esqe colors stitched into the fabric of every piece including logo prints, tees and hats.

For the accompanying editorial, OC followed Kiev youth around, starting at a 2pm beach rave and ending the morning after. Having captured the qualities of freedom and youth within the Ukrainian underground rave community, it is this very feature that lends this collection a refreshing breeze of adolescence.

Text by Kennedy Fairfax
Photos by Salvatore Caputo

Fashion

At Prada, a Hard Finesse

January 14, 2024

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons said they wanted “to introduce the idea of renewal and change — like nature, natural rhythms which inspired the Fall 2024 clothes.” Though suffused with the house’s signature poetics, this season felt urban, partly nonchalant, fragile and light — with a transitional yet harder edge to match. “Things are very changed in their weight and form language, adapted for different spaces, alternate environments,” says Raf Simons, explaining that “there is this idea of echoing surrounding, being influenced by environments in the garments themselves — office and nature, inside and out, the instinctive change of people shifting between these opposite spheres.” The intriguing dichotomy presented this Fall was the juxtaposition of an office interior teamed with a natural landscape, emphasizing the intention to showcase how man-meets-nature settings can coexist between one another. Prada and Simons are actually intuiting the fact that fashion needs to address a transitional, more classic level of dressing, but at the same time, pressure is on them to stay within the classic parameters of the not-so-defined genre of chic traditionalism.

By Chidozie Obasi
Photography courtesy of Prada

Beyond the brilliant accessories and outerwear staples rendered in wacky (and savvy) color-blocking moments, reality-check wardrobe essentials like maxi bags, neutral cardis, sharp collars, slim but not tight trousers, and the perfect pair of sunnies rounded the collection, renewing the arsenal of classics with new a push on volumes. “The Rite of Spring has inspired generations of musicians to reinvent themselves,” explained Miuccia Prada in the notes, expanding on the fact that “seasons have been the most consistent theme in all schools of painting. fashion aspires to the same effect of renewal.” Representing the things you were not aware you needed but you suddenly would be thrilled to have were a chalk-gray coat teamed with a plush mustard round neck, or a double-breasted suit with patent loafers. The proportions looked just right, with an approach that made sense stylistically, although it lacked sizzle. Thank goodness for those sharply-cut overcoats.

Fashion

Pomp and Glamour at Dsquared2

January 13, 2024

Dsquared2’s Dean and Dan Caten continue to frame their seasonal offerings as a reinvention of the house’s classics, making the most of their penchant for panache. “This season, the references symbolized two sides of the coin, and it’s all about transformation from day-to-night,” they said in a backstage interview before the show. “The casting comprises twins, and we chose to have a day version and a night version,” they explained, adding that, “the show features a magic box: a transformation machine recalling the science laboratory which has the twin walking in as specimen A and out as specimen B. Transitioning from the daily look to the evening ensemble, they get polished, chic-ified, glamified and brushed.” With this latest throughline, they considered all manner of shapes, wearer and occasions — youthful shirt dresses, Jersey shorts with holes, white cotton tanks, trapper hats — even if they didn’t label them as such. “It was very fun, and it’s just our interpretation of transformation!” they added. Fall 2024 landed on such an array of layered staples that weighed in on personality in addition to their creative outlook.

By Chidozie Obasi
Photography courtesy of Dsquared2

As someone who loves themed collections, Dsquared2 seemed to realize they can fully let go. And even though this season’s variation had a clear outline from the outset, their Fall rendition felt more conducive to the spectrum of their practice (and clients): the staples delivered good execution and high drama, through structured silhouettes along stylized separates. This expression of attitude came in the form of vintage look shearlings and patched and worn denim, dominating the men’s day looks. By night, twins get a glow up, ranging from transparent chiffon shirts with studs details that open to the waist, low slung pants with a flared ankle in sparkling velvet or glossy printed python leather, a silver sequin bomber and pants and slinky lurex knits worn with clutches featuring back to back D2 gold hardware. Worn suede duffels and Gothic Belt Bags in jacquard knits are juxtaposed with D2 clutches for both men and women in satin and python printed leather. Elsewhere, sneakers, army and Sasquatch boots make way for slightly heeled men’s boots, and high heeled delicate ankle strap pumps for women—both styles elongating the leg and providing a sense of chic-grit.

Dsquared2 is an all-time keen observer of nightlife. With a new, coming-of-age generation of youthful dressers, the brand’s wardrobes must come with a twist, so they keep their propositions as flexible as possible. It will be interesting to see how their young client base bends this lineup to reality. It’s also very possible that Dean and Dan — both witty and commercially-savvy — will eventually have to pick between two worlds. No stress for now.

Fashion

Fendi's Wild Side

January 13, 2024

Fendi’s Fall 2024 outing puts a spin on the current upward shift in minimalism, musing over the slow pursuits of the countryside and the frenzy pace of the city. Such skewering furnished a fresh take for the opening of the show: A sharply-cut topper teamed with a maxi-pleated skort (There were sweet, skirt-meets-short moments here and there) finished with neutral tints that, on closer inspection, turned out to be worn with leather Wellingtons and high socks. “The collection speaks about timeless classics, taking cues from the grandad coat that’s mixed with a contemporary attitude, which highlights an imperative necessity to tinge from a family wardrobe that holds a legacy of sorts transcending trends: From low-rise bermudas similar to a kilt to the twinset — also a very classic staple — while I was working on the collection I had a photograph of a woman in my studio who inspired me a lot, Princess Anne, who I deem one of the chicest in the whole world,” enthused Silvia Venturini Fendi backstage post-show, who in recent seasons has shown a proclivity for blending the canons of utility and contemporary elegance with great skill. “When she wore uniforms,” she continues, “which are something that constantly veers towards the masculine, she had a vision of breaking down barriers which was quite revolutionary back then.”

By Chidozie Obasi
Photography courtesy of Fendi

The dualist cross-reference also provided a neat solution to the arsenal of layered staples: from a sartorial standpoint, the neutral touches and their wealth of creative touchpoints remain a mainstay amid the menswear offerings, answered by the house by way of transcending trends and uniting a deep throughline that focuses on longevity. The technicalities were pleasing to see: lines from European-like appeal brim aplenty, ranging from the old-meets-new techniques such as the Casentino blanket wools and the smooth loden. “I love teaming an oversize coat with trousers tucked right into the boot, appearing almost like tights because I believe it’s an attitude that gives a new life (and shape),” she said, expanding on the fact that “coats had an important play on volume, which add a refreshing silhouette to the tailored trouser and a sense of ease too, diving into the wild side of the collection — which looks to break away from the city culture into nature-like settings.” The breezy, generous volumes conveyed across the outerwear pieces brought a new lightness of touch to a lineup that sometimes erred on the side of severity. Fisherman’s coats and waterproof wax jackets in canvas run side-by-side with opulent bombers and peacoat shapes, engineering one another with shaved trompe l’oeil shearling piping and seams.

Innocent and gently practical, Fendi’s love for deliberately fuss-free clothes runs directly counter to the prevailing art of conceal and reveal: the clean, innocent and Italian traditional sensitivity of the Fendi man is steadily meeting, as it turns out, a subtly sensual undertone. An interesting direction, which showcases the brand’s broad vocabulary in continuous expansion, which also featured washed denim and mohair textures looped and shredded. The smartly tailored pants and jackets with billowing sleeves that closed the show were partial winners, but not so the sheer shirting which were far from being winter-appropriate. All in all, the collection hit a quasi-perfect note: never dropping to the depths of flatness, but looking streamlined, poised and technically seductive.