Day 1&2 AFW
The 17th edition of Amsterdam Fashion Week kicked off yesterday, and for the opening night, two dutch designers had the honor of presenting their collection. Claes Iversen starting the festivity with a sober-to-overflowing happiness presentation. Out of a turning mirror, we firstly saw minimalistic looks, some of which in a padded shiny fabric and featuring large rounded sleeves, a trend which seems to be confirmed (this season for the first time, the oversized shoulders coats showed a couple of seasons ago were worn by editors and bloggers!). As soon as the first flowers appeared on the catwalk we felt the warm air of spring and summer filled the Westergas area and the romanticism of the flowers embellished dresses to move us.
It was then Marga Weiman's turn to present her collection for the first time in Amsterdam, after exhibiting during many season in Paris. Cities and architecture were the main inspirations of this meaningful collection. Handcuffed to metallic rolling structures, the models presented extravagant and voluminous dresses in black and white graphic prints as well as ochre coats and jumpsuits. To add even more height to the outfits, square-wood platform shoes were created and worn by the models (and designer at the end of the show, proving they can really ve worn!). The highlight of this collection, a black dress presented in total darkness, surprised everyone: asked to call a cell number given at the beginning of the show, the audience soon realized they were in a way designing the dress themselves: their call provoked the dozens of cell phones hung under the dress to light on, creating a super visual effect!
It's great for young designers to be given some space to present their job with the presence of professional buyers and journalists, and Amsterdam Fashion Week enables that. Dorhout Mees was the first one to show her collection: willing to come back to a saner and more simple life, most of the outfits featured nature-related elements, such as moss prints on sateen jumpsuits and green elegant pure lined skirts and jackets.
How good is it to feel this incredible security that the young designer whose show you are attending has got a great future ahead of him. It was the case of italian designer Domenico Ciuffi's collection, who handled tailoring and sportswear inspirations as a maestro and presented a fantastic collection. Inspired by ancient Greece, he extracted the symbols of the Mediterranean culture and mixed them with sports codes. The result, grey, off-white, pink A-line coats, dresses and strict jumpsuits is astonishing, such s the shapes and fabric were under control, enabling a subtle and chic sporty collection.
Roya Hesam's classic collection will surely be a success in stores and the details she developed on the shoulders of her dresses and coat proved the capacity of the designer to go onto a more original path, breaking with the safe fashion show she presented.
Fabric innovation was at the heart of Melissa Siegrist collection: linen men's sleeveless T-shrts presented in tone of beige and then gold! Even a padded linen jacket was showed. The proof that technology and fashion can be best friends.
Rebecca Ward's collection was a bit similar to Iris Van Herpen's style, the dutch designer who now shows in Paris and get one of the best press critics during Couture week. Structured skirts with round extensions at hips' level were worn with transparent tops, enabling the rock inspired print in light salmon and grey to occupy the whole space.
A great initiative was presented during this second day, Individuals is a project which gathers 13 young designers who work together on the collection. Their SS13 one was primitive, featuring almost wide human beings dressed in large white blouses, short pants and their silhouette shortened by the fabric covering their heads, while golden jewelry made their wrists and necks shiny.
The day was closed with the Lichting competition, during which fantastic young talents were revealed. The work on fabrics, textures and shapes were stunning!
Stay tuned fore more AFW news, still three amazing days of fashion shows and trends!
© 2012 The Los Angeles Fashion
Photography by © PETER STIGTER
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