Rebirth of Spring 2013 and Prada

Imma start this post off with some non-fashion things. 1a. I was so excited to be posting all the time about Fashion Week but I just started a new job and classes started and I haven't been able to post as much as I want. Anyway, expect another post after the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week that will probably be me dying over the beauty that Karl Lagerfeld, Sarah Burton, and Marc Jacobs send down the runways at the conclusion of the best time of the year.
Which brings me to my question. I don't know what I'm doing on this blog (Clearly it's hot mess, party of one right now). For those of you that read this, tweet at me, or post in my tumblr (Links at the bottom of the post), or comment on this post telling me what you'd like to see here. Personal style, shopping picks, more reviews of shows, street style...etc. If you don't tell me I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want to do and this blog is gonna continue being a mess. But a wonderful, fashion-filled mess.

ANYWAYS

Goddamn this season has been so good. I'm really feeling pretty much everything that's been sent down the runways. Most of the shows are falling into one key trend: Black and white. But those shows that don't conform to that still feel fresh and exciting.
Spring 2013 is really about rebirth. Designers are making a clear departure from the direction they were going in. These past couple seasons have felt very antique-y -- Lots of florals and retro-inspired looks and it's all been amazing. The tweeds and tulle and velvet have been a good time. And they'll continue of course, albeit used in completely different ways.
Back to this whole "rebirth" concept. Ever since forever, but more specifically, since Bambi, flowers have been a symbol of the rebirth of spring. This shit is deep. Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking. Except this time it is.
No one can deny Miuccia's clever use of symbols or Prada's unusual power as a symbol itself. Lets take a look at Prada's spring collection as a continuation from her last couple shows.

From right: Fall '11, Spring '12, Fall '12, Spring '13 (All photos from Style.com)

Fall 2011: Lets throw on some sequins to show innocent, glamourous femininity.
Spring 2012: Throw together a shit-ton of patterns and pastels to show feminine sweetness.
Fall 2012: That wasn't enough patterns, we need more, and toss on some jewels too to show the bare pleasure of fashion.
Spring 2013: Strip that all off to show our yearning for innocence and dreams.

I know it sounds like I'm being facetious, but I'm really not. (If you don't know by now that nothing I say should be taken totally seriously, like, I don't know what to tell you), I literally die for Miuccia. Shes a genius.

Each collection has been just additions, add more and more onto these amazing looks. Sequins, fur, snakeskin, patterns, more patterns, jewels. Then came Resort 2013, in which Miuccia brought out 12 looks alongside her menswear show. Usually in a fashion show there is a sense of build to a couple over-the-top finale looks. Not so for resort, there was no build, the show ended with looks very similar to all the other looks in the collection. Miuccia herself said the show was a blank canvas.

A blank canvas for Spring 12. Where she showed looks unbelievably different from what she's been showing recently. And the flower motif (seen on 99% of the looks) is a symbol for this rebirth. Back to Bambi and the flowers: they show this rebirth out of the blank canvas she gave us at Resort. Fashion this spring is not meant to be a direct continuation of fall -- instead it is a time of change.

I declare upon Prada that Spring 2013 is a rebirth of fashion.

Designers have been pushing against the over-the-top fashions of earlier seasons and going minimal. Designers who usually throw on the colors and patterns stuck to white and monochrome prints. The sheer amount of black and white has been insane. This is a rebirth into modernity. Collections have been looking futuristic, but not like a futuristic costume -- more like we've finally made it to the future and these are the clothes we're wearing. Plastics; slick, glossy looks; cutouts; even glow-in-the-dark.
Prada gave us the blank canvas upon which to paint the new generation of clothes.

Obviously I can't list or show all the designers doing this, so heres some of my favorites. Not because they show the best examples but because they're the prettiest. And like, what's the point of a post about fashion if it's not maximizing the potential beauty it can show? Because without beauty, what is fashion?

From right: Marc Jacobs, Emilio Pucci, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci

Marc presented a 60's mod-inspired collection that felt completely modern instead of retro. Most looks were black and white, and featured sequins and tons of stripes (Read my full review here). Pucci, who usually shows colors and patterns galore stuck to white, black, and red in a stunning collection. Oscar de la Renta showed a collection packed full of beauty (Despite all the f-ing drama surrounding it with Cathy Horyn) and this black and white dress with the gold embellishment grabbed my eye. So glamourous. Gucci pushed away from the dark patterns of late and showed a bright collection with minimal patterns including this gorgeous white gown with the red/orange decoration on the neckline.

From Right: Chado Ralph Rucci, Alexander Wang, Roberto Cavalli, Burberry Prorsum

Chado Ralph Rucci brought it this season - showing futuristic perfection - lots of white, cutouts, and pink. Alexander Wang proved that glow-in-the-dark can be chic, it's not just for children's toys with his theatric finale. His collection full of cutouts dazzled. Roberto Cavalli's flawless spring collection started off white, then brought in color and futuristic patterns. This white look killed me. Burberry Prorsum's collection was largely full of color, but all of it was glossy and beyond modern. The modified cuts of traditional trench coats and dresses showed that Christopher Bailey is looking at the past for inspiration for the future.

Remember to tweet (@fashstylefab) or post on my tumblr (fashionstylefabulous.tumblr.com), or comment below what you'd like to see more of here! Otherwise this shit show will continue.

Spring 13 Menswear Trends

Shiny

Burberry Prorsum, Canali, Roberto Cavalli, Mugler (All Photos from Style.com)

When Christopher Bailey sent a bunch of shiny shirts and jackets down the runway, I was honestly just confused. What is this mess. But then several other designers followed suit, though in different ways (that I tended to like a little more). Canali and Roberto Cavalli's Shows featured a couple suits with shiny blazers paired with matte pants and shirts. Mugler had a different approach to adding shine, making some of the pieces look almost liquid. Hardy Aimes, Victor & Rolf, and Maison Martin Margiela also featured shiny pieces and looks.

Prints, not Patterns

Burberry Prorsum, Etro, Gucci, Bottega Veneta

Well, Prints In Addition To Patterns. Patterns became real big in menswear this spring and now big prints are joining in. Burberry's show was full of shirts and jackets covered in prints of all different colors, and Etro brought a bunch of Middle East-inspired suits down the runway. Several looks in Gucci's (beyond amazing) show had big, swirling patterns. And Bottega's suits had florals printed over glen plaid. This trend was also seen in Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Salvatore Ferragamo, and more. Read my full post on Prints here.

Monochrome

Ann Demeulemeester, Jonathan Saunders, Gucci, Hermes

Monochrome, the natural step after the color-blocking trend of the last couple seasons, started appearing on the Spring runways in all colors (but mostly blue and orange). Ann Demeulmeester threw some patterns into the monochrome looks, adding a splash of fun. Jonathan Saunders kept it cool in the classy blue looks above. Gucci's all orange looks were drop-dead stunning and sexy. And Hermes brought in this lime green color that I'm really really feeling and I hope it catches on. Monochrome was also seen in Alexis Mabille, Brioni, Mugler, Roberto Cavalli, and more.

The New Military

John Varvatos, Valentino, Belstaff, Balmain

Military? Isn't that a ubiquitous look that can't really be a trend? Well, yes, the military look is sorta always happening and I don't see it going away ever, but designers were taking a new look at it this season. Instead of army jackets and military green, they experimented with cropping (Balmain), Belting (Belstaff), new takes on Camo (Valentino), formalizing military (John Varvatos), and military looks in all colors. Military dressing has gotten exciting again. Maybe this is because of the repeal of DADT and now the gays have a say in military uniforms? I'm into it. This was also seen in Costume National, Dries Van Noten, and more.

Menswear - SS13

It's no secret that I love patterns. Actually, "love" makes it seem like I have a healthy relationship with patterns. I don't. I cannot get enough of them. "Obsession"sums up how I feel about them much better. Lets start over.
It's no secret that I have an obsession with patterns. this whole color-blocking thing that's been going on is not so much my thing. Pattern blocking is much more my style.  Patterns on patterns on patterns is how I like it. If your outfit doesn't worry someone with epilepsy I just don't want to have any part in it.

So I've been loving how, for the past couple seasons, menswear designers have been rolling out new takes on patterns. First it was florals and bright patterns for Spring 12, then they got darker and more geometric for Fall, and patterns have taken a new turn for Spring 13. Instead of small, repetitive patterns (florals, geometric prints, or otherwise) patterns shown in the Spring shows have been big and instead of just sort of happening over the whole piece or outfit, they are placed strategically and the pattern becomes the piece.

Gucci & Burberry Prorsum (All photos from Style.com)

Gucci and Burberry Prorsum (probably my two favorite menswear designers) showed some of the best examples of this. The prints on the shirts (and jacket, in Burberry's case) are these big designs placed on the pieces so that the design itself is an integral part of the piece. I would feel bad layering something over these because you would lose part of the print. That's where these new designs are different from past prints - before, they were repetitive and all over the piece. Now the design is just on part of the piece.

Bottega Veneta & Etro

Bottega Veneta does something similar with florals on blazers. Instead of just having a bright floral blazer, the floral is printed subtly on top of what looks like a even more subtle glen plaid. The floral is just on part of it though. For Bottega, just a couple flowers are necessary. Etro then has their trademark paisley just on the top half of the blazer and the bottom of the leg. The new repetitive patterns aren't repetitive at all - the happen just once and stay where they are.

Roberto Cavalli & Alexander McQueen

Roberto Cavalli did the same thing, except with a speckled pattern on the top and bottom of the blazer. Again, the repetitive patterns happen only in one or two places instead of all over. The second jacket is another big pattern on the piece. Alexander McQueen brought it with the Spring collection, showing lots of amazing looks and suits. The first blazer is just a great print with a defined center on the button, making it look like an explosion from the middle of it, instead of patterns with no start or center previously shown. I'm beyond obsessed with the second blazer. Dragonflies were a motif throughout the collection and this blazer was my favorite use of them. They're focused on the lapels and seem to be flying all around the rest of the jacket. Just perfection.

Moschino & Salvatore Ferragamo

Moschino showed both ways of using patterns - how it was done in FW and how they're being used in SS. Under the cardigan is a print that just repeats all over the shirt and, separately, the pants. Then on top is a cardigan with one big print coving the whole chest. This shows the difference in how the patterns are worn - with the repeating patterns you wear them to add some interest to an outfit with something that's not solid, then the big new prints are there to be there. You don't wear them under something else, the print exists as a whole, not as something to be covered. (Sidenote, this collection reminded me so much of D&G's FW11 collection. I'm still so upset over the loss of Dolce & Gabbana's diffusion line). Salvatore Ferragamo showed some more of the new patterns in different ways from the other designers. The cardigan looks almost like pattern-blocking as opposed to color-blocking. And the blazer is just a great print, and the painted-on look makes the outfit so much more than just a tri-color jacket.