Silk-dress by Surface To Air. Available here.

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 mainly by art, dance and film Ostwald Helgason´s creations are eclectic, wearable pieces with a playful und colorful aesthetic.  Susanne Ostwald from Leipzig, Germany, and Ingvar Helgason from Reykjavik, Iceland - the designers of Ostwald Helgason - met while working in a London design studio. In 2007 the duo came up with the first collection and only one year later, the young label is well recognized and blessed with fantastic critiques for the spirit of their contemporary, feminine designs. I stumbled about Ostwald Helgason at Beck´s Fashion Experience 08 in Berlin and some of their dresses blew me away.  So, I am pretty happy to see, that Ostwald Helgason´s Autumn/Winter collection contains even more of these fairy dresses with that wonderful playful twist.

If it´s the knitted curiosities crafted by Donna Wilson and Vík Prjónsdóttir, soft flowing noble-creations from Louise Wahlgreen and Patafisic or the progressive knit-provocations by Sibling and cooperativedesigns - for me, knit is one of the most fascinating division in fashion design. As more designers I detect, as more excited I am, about the plurality of creations that come out of simple balls of wool.
And so, as a matter of course, there´s no getting around Sandra Backlund. Since graduating from Stockholm´s Beckmans School of Design in 2004 the young Swede is causing a furor with her sculptural knit-creations.
Using the human body as a starting point, Backlund composes, multiplies and drapes basic bricks into complex, exe-catching pieces that settle in between fashion and art. Indeed, vanguard and experimental, Backlund´s creations abjure any suitability for daily use, but still cause appreciative attention throughout the world with their characteristic aesthetics and thrilling complexity.

In an interview with über-blogger Diane Pernet, Sandra Backlund betrays how the name for her current collection “Last Breath Bruises” was born and which experiences conduced to become inspirational parts for her actual fashion-knitart-work. Read Interview here.

Photos via Sandra Backlund

Few months ago, the limited Wear It For The Boy ladyfingers collection caught my eyes - light, summerly knit-dresses, manufactured with a special technique and knitted with a shiny cotton made in Italy. (You can see it here). And now the ladyfinger-story continues - i just detected the winter edition that´ll bring us joyful and humorous through the inevitable coming winter.

Photos via Wear It For The Boy

Thinking, creasing, ironing - and zap, the paper map transforms into a day-dress. Elisabeth Lecourt gets from me an award for being the folder of the decade. Unfortunately, the garments are not wearable - made only to be watched. Doesn´t matter. It´s fantastic anyway what Elisabeth Lecourt creases for us.
For three years now, the French-born, London-based artist develops map-garments that travel around the world to be presented in various galleries. Besides some other artwork by Elisabeth Lecourt, the current paper collection was presented at Berendsen Gallery in Rotterdam and the Foss Fine Art Gallery in London.

Photos via Elisabeth Lecourt

Thierry Mugler´s announcement of a comeback to the ready-to-wear catwalks resounded throughout the land.
Many people are curious about chief-designer Rosmary Rodriguez´designs that are inspired by some famous Mugler-pieces. Unfortunately, i wasn´t able to find a whole collection-overview. But luckily, Diane Pernet visited Mugler´s Paris showroom and gives us an awesome impression of what we can expect. I hope, that thrilling dress isn´t the only strong piece the collection offers. I am still curious…

Photos shoot by/taken from Diane Pernet

From bobble to knit-tube -Anuschka Hoevener´s AW08/09 collection becomes more voluminous and sculptural without losing the genteel understatement.
Berlin-based fashion designer Anuschka Hoevener is well-known for her formal collections that shun the eccentric. Instead of shouting out loud, Hoeveners clothing is designed to outlast short-dated fashion trends. Calculating an accurate interplay of classic colors, geometrical forms, ingenious cuttings, Hoevener´s fashion is rather formal and strong in detail than wild-patterned in-your-face. Hoevener herself describes her work as a process that constantly advances while working with abstract themes such as compacting, overlay and accumulation. And so, for her autumn/winter collection Hoevener again experimented with narrow silhouettes and precise drapery and - that´s new - allowed the famous knit-bobbles to transform into knit-tubes that are draped around the neck, the back and the breast of the wearer. With a new sculptural volume Hoevener proves, how elegant ornamental bubbles can transform into warming tubes and gives her plain dresses an extra avant-garde kick.  I read about Hoevener´s development process to knit “the perfect bubble” - so, it´s obvious that I am more than curious how soft or hard the knitted tubes are. Next week I am in Berlin - and it´s for sure, that I´ll visit Anuschka Hoevener in her showroom to touch and feel her collection.
Stay tuned - I will report.

Photos via Anuschka Hoevener