Wrapped Up: Spring/Summer 2014

As I was making my way through the shows from Spring/Summer 2014, a pattern began to emerge. The coats that were usually packed away before reemerging in the Pre-Fall collections never made it into their virtual moth balls. One could say it was a consequence of the industry’s newfound obsession with “seasonless” dressing. With that move away from pieces that spoke loudly of heat waves and lazy days came the prominence of items meant to keep out the chill.

These unexpected pieces added a breadth to the season that was missing from most of the proceedings. Sometimes they reflected the mood of the season. Sometimes they reflected the warmth of the season. And they often referred back to the classics.

Although the tried and true trench tends to dominate the warm weather months, it was joined this season by some of the cold weather classics ranging from the peacoat to the varsity jacket.

At Guy Laroche

At Norma Kamali

At Kate Spade New York

At No. 21

At Marni

At Stella McCartney

These coats of substance were contrasted by those of a diaphanous nature, light and barely there, only meant to add texture to the ensemble as a whole.

At Tribune Standard

At Akris

At Francesco Scognamiglio

At Dries Van Noten

At Fendi

The overarching trends of the season also made their mark. White, one of the dominant colors of Spring/Summer 2014, was seen in coats of all shapes and sizes.

At Jenni Kayne

At Rochas

At Paule Ka

At Nina Ricci

At Mulberry

At Suno

And that cool minimalism floated in here and there.

At Burberry Prorsum

At Osman

At Joseph

At Guy Laroche

At Hermès

But most of the coats were about something more. The vibrancy that was lacking in so many of the collections were all over the toppers that were presented in a variety of colors.

At Marios Schwab

At Katie Ermilio

At Dolce & Gabbana

At J JS Lee

At Jil Sander Navy

At Miu Miu

At Burberry Prorsum

A variety of florals.

At Miu Miu

At Nicole Miller

At Eudon Choi

At Ann Demeulemeester

At Prabal Gurung

At Dries Van Noten

And a variety of other prints.

At Pedro Lourenço

At Clover Canyon

At Céline

At Antonio Marras

At Mary Katrantzou

At Prada

The yearly excitement caused by spring's arrival was all around.


Photos via, via

The Leftovers: Paris Fashion Week SS14

In Paris this season the story boiled down to the two colors that have taken over the fashion community’s imagination for spring and summer.

Black.

At Christian Dior

At Stella McCartney

At A.W.A.K.E by Natalia Alaverdian

At Giambattista Valli

At Alexandre Vauthier

At Saint Laurent

At Neil Barrett

At Gareth Pugh

White.

At Christophe Lemaire

At Vika Gazinskaya

At Valentin Yudashkin

At Véronique Leroy

At Rick Owens

At Issey Miyake

At Maison Rabih Kayrouz

At Chalayan

And myriad combinations of the two.

At Piece d’Anarchive

At Martin Grant

At Moncler Gamme Rouge

At Guy Laroche

At Talbot Runhof

At Bouchra Jarrar

At Vika Gazinskaya

At Pedro Lourenço

At Cédric Charlier

If one had to choose which of the season’s trends Paris would come to make its own, these of course make the most sense. They are, more than the other colors on the wheel, blank slates that lend themselves to maximum creativity. Most of that cool, 90s minimalism that took such a hold in New York faded away and left behind were clothes that covered a range of volumes. They were quiet and loud and everything in between.

And spring and summer once again stuck their heads out, reminding us of what awaits us when the snow and the chill melt away.

At Hèrmes

At A.P.C.

At Vika Gazinskaya

At Chanel

At Miu Miu

At Manish Arora

At Julien David

At Balenciaga

At Carven

One can only live in the fantasy of a world without seasons for so long.


Photos via