To bring humor into fashion, without appearing clownish and volitional is a tightrope walk that young Swedish designer Ulrika Sandström is proficient in. “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, originally a songtitel of Belle and Sebastian, was as well eponym as inspiration for Sandström´s current autumn/winter collection. The uniform-like, strict appearance of waitresses, fashion-disasters and a lot of humor and love incorporated into a unique and exciting collection were every piece became a real eye catcher. Combining lots of playful details like oversized ruffles, a bit too large buttons, fake gold chains or childish prints with VERY feminine silhouettes, Ulrika Sandström is not making fashion for the faint hearted, but for the self-confident and humorous of us. Photos via Ulrika Sandström
When women want to prove something to their male counterpieces - most of the time, it´s pretty inconvenient for the Lords of the creation. Allowedly, “What has to be proved to the man” sounds little bit like revolution, women´s libber stuff and fighting chickenbitches.
So, it feels very pleasant that the three ladies from Quod Erat Demonstrandum pour Homme, short: QED POUR HOMME, neither come up with wagging fingers nor with a new journal for female revolutionizers.
Julia Böge, Simona Gabrieli and Jasmin Moallim - the heads behind the Berlin-based label - rely on good clothing for great guys. Abstaining from big falderal, but focusing on clear shapes and a color palette that consists of non-colors such as white and black and some grey-tones the felicitous insertion of minimalistic-playful details is the only element of agitation in their collections.
For the QED POUR HOMME winter collection the trio was inspired by Kinetics. With pieces that invite to interact by giving the opportunity to make some fast and easy changes, contrasting square-edged shapes combined with round ones, through layering, cuttling and the play with volumes and patterns QED POUR HOMME proves that for completing the chain of evidence you don´t have to reinvent the wheel, that reduction can be a powerful element of creation and that men are sometimes well advised to listen to their female counterpieces.
Pepper and Pistol is Silvia Hillmann and Katrin Wiens who both grew up in Germany but then traveled the world for jobs and carreer. The one to make her way into the field of fashion, the other, to go into graphic design. Meeting in New York, the two creatives managed to mesh-up their talents and knowledge for best and came up with their own label. Pepper and Pistol stands for custom prints, feminine cuts, playfulness mixed with sexyness and unique clothing with a twist of humour. I go for it and recommend it to those who also like Ostwald Helgason, Richard Sorger, KIND.
Photos via Pepper and Pistol
Inspired by fear of stains and the illusion of control Sarena Huizinga developed fashion accessories and clothing that emphasis the need for hygiene and reflect the reluctance of the ‘dirty’ environment. Odd, quirky, unique …
Recently been featured in fashion156, Josefina Lar definitely polarizes with her autumn/winter collection that offers mainly pastel-colored 80´s shapes and highly detailed knitwear pieces. I kind of like it - not because of the wearability - more because of some great childhood memories. When i was a kid, my mom used to wear this strange shoulder-padded-batwing-high-waist-wide-leg-thing combinations and even beeing dressed in those ridiculous 80´s designers pieces, she then was the most beautiful woman in the world for me. Since grown up, I always asked her for this terribly ugly pantsuit (cutted like the suit shown below, but kept in the grossest green you can imagine) that she was wearing only on special occassions at that time - and shortly, before she passed away, she forced me to bear her on the attic where i had to sift through all these boxes full of clothes … you can imagine how shirty i was. But although beeing very weak and highly bemused by the cancer medication, she first keept quite when i found the green uglyness. With a bright smile from ear to ear, she was extremely happy to give it to me - and although i would never wear this terrible 80´s relict, i am keeping it like a treasure. Maybe, this is, why Josefine Lar´s collection seems so likable to me although it´s so superspecial. For those, who want to know more about Josefina Lar, check here.
Mwau…contemplating J.W. Anderson´s autumn/winter collection at first I almost felt confronted with a crossing-creation of forest trolls with an alpine folk music marching band. But of course, I was wrong! Not a single designer collection in the world would ever be based on such primitive sources of inspiration.
It´s Russia, the tsars and the communism that correlate with J.W. Anderson´s collection. Not to forget the mystical figure Grigori Rasputin. Combined with World War l and Egg-Maker Peter Carl Fabergé - for me, the collection description starts to become kind of overloaded. Not implausible, not disagreeable - just too much for me. So, I try to make it short: The bandwidth of Anderson´s collection goes from artsy-experimental to absolutely ready-to-wear. High-quality work, craftsmanship and the stitching of luxury materials are closely connected to the elaborated, detailed designs. Jewelry is sized, prominent and distinctive and underlines the theatrical character of Anderson´s creations.
With his second collection the 25-years old Irish-born designer slingshots himself into the front row of the most aspiring European young-designers and proves, that creativity and craftsmanship are not always a matter of age.
NEXT WASTED TOP MODEL - Great gift, great fun, great change to go for project runway or next topmodel.
I´ll tell you what the jury said about my application-photos. I promise, i´ll BRING THE NOISE Thank you Paul - the shirt even fits perfectly! (My posing-backround: XXL-poster by artist Stefan Marx)
For those who didn´t get the hint - BRING THE NOISE is one of the new T-Shirts from the WASTED GERMAN YOUTH empire. As well as the top model shirt it´s available here.
To bring humor into fashion, without appearing clownish and volitional is a tightrope walk that young Swedish designer Ulrika Sandström is proficient in. “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, originally a songtitel of Belle and Sebastian, was as well eponym as inspiration for Sandström´s current autumn/winter collection. The uniform-like, strict appearance of waitresses, fashion-disasters and a lot of humor and love incorporated into a unique and exciting collection were every piece became a real eye catcher. Combining lots of playful details like oversized ruffles, a bit too large buttons, fake gold chains or childish prints with VERY feminine silhouettes, Ulrika Sandström is not making fashion for the faint hearted, but for the self-confident and humorous of us.
- Great gift, great fun, great change to go for project runway or next topmodel.
