It is strange that, despite all being of the one fashion week, there is barely a single note of similarity between two of the high profile shows: on one hand we have Galliano and his reworked New Look - full of fantasy, beautiful silhouettes and a true sense of glamour and elegance; on the other hand we have Armani Prive.
Armani is the king of good tailoring. His looks are always smart, sleek and full of a tight elegance. In both menswear and ladies fashion, it is the Armani suit which carries the collection through. His look is always ornate but never whimsical. He tends to set new trends and yet never pushes the boat too far into the stormy seas of the totally unwearable/totally covet-able.The Spring/Summer 2011 collection is one of the most innovative I have seen of Armani in recent years. A continuation of his lunar theme from last year's collection, this year it has been taken to dizzying new heights. Apparently his inspiration this year was a treasure chest - and the clothes certainly do remind of a beautiful gem discovered, not on Earth, but on Mars. These clothes are made with incandescent fabrics and plastic detailing. They shimmer as the lights hit them. Combined with metallic flying-saucer hats (designed by Philip Treacey!) pulled low over the eyes, the models have taken on an alien look that complements the clothes while reinforcing the concept of the collection.
In terms of the cuts: The straight style dress with a drop exposed waist doubling as a pocket skirt is a new silhouette for Armani. It is an interesting extension of the 1920s straight flapper dress cut, as well as a departure from the strict body-tailoring that is the norm. I don't know how wearable they are though. Dior's clothing may be fantastical, but I can see Galliano's collection out on full display on the undeserving red carpet. These dresses however, as truly beautiful as they are, may just be a shade too brave for any aspiring and insipid starlet.
The other, and less exciting and no less lovely, designs of the collection are more to the Armani brand - fitted bodices, incredibly well-cut cigarette leg trousers and a lot of embellishment.
Two of the cuts that really interested me were a jacket with an assymetric cowl neckline and dresses that had a kind of ellipses effect at the waist exposing not skin (hurrah! down with the peep-hole!) but a lovely red ruby satin.
Armani seems to be furthering the trend for jewel bright colours - Prada's collection last year featured that luminous jade that is going to be all over the place (as proven by the recent Golden Globes carpet) and Armani appears to be pushing for a wider trend of gem-brights.
The shatter effect as embellishment on some of the pieces will hopefully steer the high street away from the full sequin - it would be nice to take a little bit of change on.
This collection is luxurious in it's innovations. I only hope it might cause the high street to challenge itself a little. I can't afford anything from Armani, but I can stretch to H and M. What pains me most is that collections like this almost never filter down - it is so much more expedient for the high street chains to stick to the nude, minimalist, soft tailoring thing that they have had going on for the past however long. I don't want to be nude and soft! I want to wear fuchsia lipstick and appear as though beamed down from another world!
In terms of the cuts: The straight style dress with a drop exposed waist doubling as a pocket skirt is a new silhouette for Armani. It is an interesting extension of the 1920s straight flapper dress cut, as well as a departure from the strict body-tailoring that is the norm. I don't know how wearable they are though. Dior's clothing may be fantastical, but I can see Galliano's collection out on full display on the undeserving red carpet. These dresses however, as truly beautiful as they are, may just be a shade too brave for any aspiring and insipid starlet.
The other, and less exciting and no less lovely, designs of the collection are more to the Armani brand - fitted bodices, incredibly well-cut cigarette leg trousers and a lot of embellishment.Two of the cuts that really interested me were a jacket with an assymetric cowl neckline and dresses that had a kind of ellipses effect at the waist exposing not skin (hurrah! down with the peep-hole!) but a lovely red ruby satin.
Armani seems to be furthering the trend for jewel bright colours - Prada's collection last year featured that luminous jade that is going to be all over the place (as proven by the recent Golden Globes carpet) and Armani appears to be pushing for a wider trend of gem-brights.
The shatter effect as embellishment on some of the pieces will hopefully steer the high street away from the full sequin - it would be nice to take a little bit of change on.This collection is luxurious in it's innovations. I only hope it might cause the high street to challenge itself a little. I can't afford anything from Armani, but I can stretch to H and M. What pains me most is that collections like this almost never filter down - it is so much more expedient for the high street chains to stick to the nude, minimalist, soft tailoring thing that they have had going on for the past however long. I don't want to be nude and soft! I want to wear fuchsia lipstick and appear as though beamed down from another world!
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