New Looks & Trends: What We'll Be Wearing Autumn/Winter 2016

Tangerine, red and pink with dashes of lime green were key notes at the Fyodor Golan collection. Photo by Mike Rolls

Now the London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks have come to a close, our correspondents Limor Helfgott and photographer Mike Rolls take a look back at the highlights and trends that will influence what we'll be wearing during the next autumn/winter season

WINTER fashion always seems more challenging than the spring or summer with toned colour's and many more layers. But London Fashion Week, even with freezing temperatures, proved that winter collections can be colourful and exciting. Designers looked back to the seventies and eighties for inspiration and used furs, asymmetric cuts, leathers, feathers and a lot of fringing and bling. Here are the best of the highlights, designs and trends that were seen on the catwalks this season.

Leather, Leather Everywhere

The first really noticeable trend this season was the use of leather in many of the collections. One of my favourite designers, David Koma, presented a show which was powerful with leather pieces seen on the catwalk alongside nude fabrics, knitwear, wool dresses, lace and macrame. The inspiration for the textiles came from the Op Art designer Barbara Brown.

Leather cut out pieces revealed and concealed flashes of skin and appeared not only in black, but in stunning blue with trims and ruffles. The collections also explored the shapes of the sixties and seventies with the era’s trademark angular lines, asymmetrical cuts and structured shapes. The colour palette was a mix of bright orange to bold indigo, mixed with black and classic nude. The combed back hair and minimal make-up kept all the focus on the clothing.

The Eighties Are Back!

The designer of the moment, J.W. Anderson, also presented leather pieces such as wrap-around leather skirts and long leather dresses. But the label also proved that the 1980’s are back, and I have a feeling it’s the next big thing. With Human League’s music opening the show, the models appeared on the catwalk wearing pussy-bow blouses, over sized printed jumpers, metallic tops and spray-paint effect sweaters all accessorised with belts, big earrings and chunky colourful heeled knee-high boots. It was all about clashing textures, prints and colours.

The Eudon Choi collection also showed hints of the 80’s trend with big, rich metallic pieces but his collection was more geometric, taking inspiration from a Japanese radical architectural movement called “Metabolism” and re-utilising existing Asian design by recycling popular styles. This created a wearable and stylish collection of brave outerwear and precise suiting, layered with structured dresses and architectural knits. There was also a wink towards the 1970’s in the form of over sized fringed shawls and shearling lined jackets and flares. 

Topshop Unique was also all about the Eighties. Creative director Kate Phelan created a collection that mixed a nonchalant Yves Saint Laurent party-girl cool with the 1980s-Kings-Road-Saturday-night vibe. Tailored dresses, black velvet mini dresses and wide flares teamed with big knits plus pieces of leather.

Another trend that was seen on the Topshop catwalk was fur, which will remain the rage for AW15 and was seen on many other catwalks. The House of Holland, Gareth Pugh and Holly Fulton have all given their own take on the fluffy look. And it came in all colours too! Ashley Williams paired her pink fur with PVC to add to her Goth collection. Those less brave among us who are not sure about going for the full furry look, can go for the cuffs and collars which were seen at the Topshop Unique show. 

Furs were also seen at the Jean-Pierre Braganza catwalk that were teamed wonderfully with the other major trend of leather, in the forms of a cropped fur jacket over a leather dress, an aviator jacket, given a glamourous touch with fur trim and stiff leather bracelets as accessories.The show started with the deafening sounds of air-raid sirens, that I have to admit were a bit disturbing to my Israeli ears, and I was half expecting to see utility detailing and khaki coming onto the catwalk. 

Instead, I was surprised to see origami folded dresses more suited to cocktails than a cockpit. The Collection, called “Excelsiora” was created with a modern, strong woman in mind. Like a modern incarnation of an exacting film noir vixen and war-time heroine, she looked deceptively elegant. There were pieces such as Amelia Earhart’s sheepskin flight jacket, A-line skirted designs and thigh-high boots replacing the rigidity of the jet theme to turn it into something more modern and carefree.

Fur and leather detailed pieces were also found at Hakaan Yildirim’s collection, which was the last show for the week. The collection was inspired by the movie “Grey Gardens” and its main characters, a mother and a daughter who lived in poverty but still with great style, using their creativity and imagination to wear the same pieces in different styles. These two women reflected on the attitude of the whole collection against today’s limitations. Oversized duster coats were given a luxury makeover, and garments were teamed with turbans and abstract headwear to add a bohemian edge. Wool, viscose velvet and silk met black, green, cream, red and beige tones and dominated the beautiful collection.

Colours: Red &Tangerine 

At New York fashion week, a certain 70's burnt orange ruled the catwalks, but in London, it was tangerine. Stepping away from the standard sea of beige and neutrals expected at this time of year, this zesty shade made a big impact at the David Koma, Christopher Kane and Sibling shows and I predict it will find its way onto the high street too. So it's going to be a bright next winter. Red was also everywhere, in different shades mixed with pink, white and navy. Tangerine, pink and red were key colours at the Fyodor Golan collection.

The talented Latvian-Israeli duo presented the rainbow wheel collection, collaborating with My Little Pony which they have been “obsessed with since childhood" bringing their own interpretation of the animated characters. Collaged onto garments, the figures bring an element of naivety and joy of nostalgia. The reds and candy-coloured pinks met with bright purple and acid green. Floating on to the catwalk came exciting and innovative pieces inspired by trips to Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong such as a soft pink ribbed turtleneck, structured kimonos, an asymmetric skirt and animated horses across flirty cocktail dresses.

Another collaboration was with Michael Wolf translating his images into plasticized textured prints based on the photographer’s colourful and abstract work of Hong Kong’s housing complexes. As fun and light hearted as the collection was, it was built around luxurious and sophisticated pieces combining clean, geometrical silhouettes with modern luxury. Maybe it will not appear wearable to some of us, but they have certainly brought us a lot of magic.

Embellishments

Another Trend brought to us through this collection was the trend for bling and embellishments. Fyodor Golan brought us delicate orchids and many other designers this season decided that decoration isn’t for spring/summer only: it looks like sequins are going to make their way into our wardrobe in a big way. Holly Fulton presented feathers, jewels and dresses with all-bling detailing and Mary Katrantzou’s collection was full of lavish embellishments, bright patterned furs and multiple prints and textures.

At Jasper Conran’s collection, the bling came to life in a very sophisticated way with geometric sequin dresses and silk Georgette shirts with corsage embroidery. The collection, presented on a carpet of brown leaves covering the catwalk, inspired by painter Augustus John, was full of rich tones of dark navy, bottle green, brown, plum and rich yellow. As always, his signature wearable, simpler looks were my favourites, with a touch of femininity and fine tailoring.  He used wool, cashmere, suede and silk on garments like tunic dresses, A-line skirts and chunky knits to create the perfect head-to-toe wardrobe.

Of course, I can’t finish any LFW coverage without reporting on Burberry’s show. This year was all about one woman: Naomi Campbell, who showed up very fashionably late, and caused a social media meltdown walking into the show with a gorgeous larger than life fluffy white fur coat. Of course, the Burberry show, always highly anticipated, didn’t disappoint. But I am curious to see what trends it will inspire this year. Last year, Burberry’s blanket scarves were all the rage but this year, it was all about bohemian fringing and vibrant prints.

Mosaic encrusted crop tops, heavy fringed ponchos, quilted floral jackets, folk dresses, and lots of trench coats also dominated the catwalk. Colours were darker and more romantic: teal, maroon, olive and magenta with a Sixties touch. So what did we learn from LFW AW15? Fringing is here to stay, so is the leopard print, and it is certainly okay to clash three different prints in totally different colours.

Click on photographs for full-screen slide show

David Koma presented a powerful show using leather, nude fabrics, knitwear, wool, lace and macramé. Photo by Mike Rolls

 Eudon Choi's collection took inspiration from a Japanese radical architectural movement called Metabolism. Photo by Mike Rolls

The geometric collection by Eudon Choi reutilised Asian design by recycling popular styles. Photo by Mike Rolls

Eudon Choi's Japanese-inspired collection included structured dresses in brilliant hues. Photo by Mike Rolls

Leather and stripes were standouts at Eudon Choi. Photo by Mike Rolls 

There was also a wink towards the '70s in the form of oversized fringed shawls at Eudon Choi. Photo by Mike Rolls

Jean-Pierre Braganza's fur jacket with a glamourous leather dress. Photo by Mike Rolls 

Jean-Pierre Braganza's Excelsiora collection was created with a modern, strong woman in mind. Like a incarnation of an exacting film noir vixen and war-time heroine, she looked deceptively elegant. There were pieces such as Amelia Earhart’s sheepskin flight jacket, A-line skirted designs and thigh-high boots. Photo by Mike Rolls 

Leather was featured at the Hakaan Yildrim collection which was inspired by the Grey Gardens film. Photo by Mike Rolls

Turbans and abstract headwear added to the bohemian edge at Hakaan Yildrim. Photo by Mike Rolls

Long, red leather dresses and black turbans featured in the Haakan Yildrim runway. Photo by Mike Rolls

Lavish, oversized coats were highlights of Haakan Yildrim's show. Photo by Mike Rolls 

Leather dresses with cut-out pieces concealed and revealed at David Koma. Photo by Mike Rolls

The David Koma collection explored the shapes of the '60s and '70s with those eras' trademark angular lines, asymmetrical cuts and structured shapes. Photo by Mike Rolls

The colour palette at David Koma was a mix of black and classic nude with bright orange and indigo. The combed back hair and minimal make-up kept all the focus on the clothing. Photo by Mike Rolls

The talented Latvian-Israeli duo Fyodor Golan presented a collection inspired by the animated series My Little Pony. Photo by Mike Rolls

Tangerine, pink and red were key colours at the Fyodor Golan. Photo by Mike Rolls

Candy-coloured pinks met with bright purple and greens on the Fyodor Golan runway. Photo by Mike Rolls

Jasper Conran presented a very sophisticated collection of geometric, sequined dresses presented on a carpet of brown leaves. Photo by Mike Rolls

Silk Georgette shirts with corsage embroidery were a highlight at Jasper Conran. Photo by Mike Rolls 

Inspired by painter Augustus John, Jasper Conran's collection was full of rich tones in yellow, plum and dark green and navy. Photo by Mike Rolls

   

Human League's music opened the J.W Anderson show with models wearing 1980's pussy-bow blouses, printed jumpers and metallic tops. Photo by Dan Sims, British Fashion Council

Topshop Unique's creative director Kate Phelan created a nonchalant Yves Saint Laurent party girl cool mixed with a 1980s-Kings-Road-Saturday-Night vibe. Photo by Sam Wilson, British Fashion Council

Mary Katrantzou's collection was full of lavish embellishments, bright-patterned furs and different prints and textures. Photo by Shaun James Fox, British Fashion Council

Holly Fulton AW15. Photo by Shaun James Cox, British Fashion Council



Norway: Architecture for a Dreamland Photo Essay

The reflective waters of Norway's Sognefjord is like a fairytale landscape of green mountains, clear lakes and picturesque villages. 

Travelling through Norway’s fjords and glaciers, Andreas Romagnoli captures this mysterious northern landscape and the country’s famous ancient churches and stark new architecture 

NORWAY'S landscape merges the grey-brown colors of winter with the green of spring and the ethereal blue of its lakes. The countryside’s scarce population make great stretches seem like uninhabited lands, where every journey represents a metaphorical journey within ourselves, exploring our fears and dreams.

But it is the architecture of Norway that captures the country’s response to changing cultural, climactic and economic conditions. International architectural influences are often apparent in Norwegian design but they are adapted to meet the local climate including the difficult winters and high winds. During the 20^th century, the architecture has been determined mostly by Norwegian social policy and its focus on innovation.

The history of Norway differs from other European countries in never adopting feudalism and maintaining its traditional ways of farming. Combined with the prevalent use of wood as a building material, this ensured the country has few examples of the elaborate baroque, renaissance or rococo styles built by the ruling classes in the rest of Europe.

Much of Norway’s vernacular architecture has been preserved on farms in open-air museums that show buildings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century such as the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo and Maihaugen in Lillehammer.

Today, Norway is also the only country in Northern Europe with intact wooden churches from the Middle Ages. While stone cathedrals were being built across Europe, Norway continued building in wood. From the period of the Vikings, Norwegians worked with wood for boats and buildings. This tradition culminated in the stave churches.

These wooden churches are an important part of Norwegian architectural heritage and the oldest is Urnes Stave church in Luster by the Sognefjord. A church has been on the site since 1130 and the current building dates to the 17th century. The builders were aware of international trends in architecture but used wood instead of stone to create the new forms. The interior of the church is richly decorated with animal motifs such as elks and doves as well as centaurs and dragons. This decoration has become known as the Urnes style and it is the only stave church on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Oslo's Opera House built in 2008 is representative of the contemporary Norwegian aesthetic where glass and brick has replaced wood. Designed by Snøhetta architects, the Opera House is the place where Norwegians come to enjoy both the performances inside and the vast marble rooftop where they can contemplate their city and harbour and view the cluster of cranes soaring above new buildings.

Click on photographs for full-screen slideshow

Grasses and hardy plants grow amid the lands surrounding a solitary wooden house in Eidfjord. 

Lighthouse on the coast at Krakenes.

Trollstigen or Troll's Road is a surreal landscape of undulating rocks and grasses.

Bergen's beautiful waterside promenade with it's traditional gabled buildings.

Bergen's imposing 19th century buildings are a mix of wood, stone and brick.

Alesund's apartments cluster around the water with boats moored virtually at the doorstep.

The famous Urnes Stavrchirchen from the 17th century and the oldest wooden church surviving in Europe today

Once a private church for a powerful family, the original builders were aware of international trends in architecture but used wood instead of stone.

This is the Stavrchirchen in Flam looking like a religious Ginger Bread house.

A masterclass in woodwork, the Norwegian traditonal churches go back to the Middle Ages. 

Two girls sitting on the vast marble rooftop of  the Oslo Opera House, contemplate the new construction going up around them.

The Oslo Opera House with it's marble roof terraces where Norwegians can stroll, skate and enjoy the harbour.

Snøhetta architects wanted the art, material, form, landscape and people to be united in the Opera House project. They worked with artists Jarunn Sannes, Kristian Blystad, and Kalle Grude to create the roof as a piece of public art. 

A girl plays on the Opera House's terraces. At 20,000 square meters, the marble roof is made from about 30,000 different stone pieces. 

Interview: Award-winning Art Director Gaetano Castelli in Rome

Where the real and imaginary meet: artist, creative director and set designer, Professor Gaetano Castelli with one of his paintings at his studio in Rome, Italy. Portrait by Paul McDonnell. Click on pictures for full-screen slideshow

One of Italy’s great designers, artist Professor Gaetano Castelli was Director General of Rome's Academy of Fine Arts and works on Italy’s top television programs including the latest show by Oscar-winning Roberto Benigni & 18 Sanremo Music Festival extravaganzas plus winning the Rose D’Argento and two Rose d’Oro awards at the Montreux International Television Festival. Today, he is the creative director of the spectacular, multi-million dollar stage shows at Paris’ Moulin Rouge. Jeanne-Marie Cilento talks to the gallant and enthusiastic designer at his studio in Rome


View across to Villa Medici from the Castelli Studio

STROLLING through the great walnut doors of a grand palazzo in Rome’s elegant Via Margutta you enter another world. The city’s cacophony of people and cars disappear as you are enveloped by a green sanctuary of tall trees and gardens ringed by stately baroque buildings. Like a village within the city, this sanctuary was the place where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck filmed Roman Holiday and today is home to film studios, offices and apartments.

Castelli & Associati is so hidden away up among steep, winding stairs, stone pathways and flowering trees that someone is always dispatched to meet visitors and lead them through this beautiful haven. Today, it is Manuel Bellucci taking me from the enormous entrance courtyard through the gardens to the studio.

Talented designers Chiara Castelli, Gigi Sabbatella & Manuel Bellucci

Inside, the mezzanine space is a hive of activity as the studio team work on their many projects which range from theatre to television and fashion to architectural projects. Chiara Castelli, Gaetano’s beautiful blond daughter, oversees the studio and is a trained artist and designer herself. Like her father who was the director and a professor at Rome's Accademia di Belle Arti, she also taught there as well as working at the studio alongside talented designers Manuel Bellucci and Luigi Sabbatella.

When Professor Gaetano Castelli arrives, he has a commanding presence tempered by a natural charm and grace and perfect manners. Below his leonine mane, he has the smooth, year-round tan and fitness of the avid tennis player. Once we are at his desk, he speaks about his work with great passion in his signature gravelly voice. He travels across the world for his work and seems to spend half of his time on planes visiting projects from Paris to Macao where a new version of the Moulin Rouge show will open in 2016.

Gaetano Castelli with his wife Gail Milissa Grant 

Married to soigné American writer and former diplomat, Gail Milissa Grant, the United States has also become a frequent stop in his peripatetic life. The couple have a beautiful home in the heart of Rome which displays some of Professor Castelli’s paintings which have been exhibited in Italy and London.

Growing up in Rome, Gaetano Castelli knew from an early age he was interested in art. His father was an art director and his mother was one of the first women in Italy to work at a bank. “When I was a young boy my uncle suggested I become an accountant,” he says. “But I realized I was made for an artistic career. My mother helped me to follow my dream, she said to me ‘I want you to do what I could not do which is to follow what you love'.”

Minimalist set for Roberto Benigni's 10 Commandments, December 2014 

Professor Castelli’s career bloomed immediately as he began not only teaching but also working as an assistant set designer on television shows. “I started teaching and working in TV at the same time. I began to teach when I was very young at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. By the time I was 24 I had already started creating the sets for major television shows and I was travelling across Italy to work especially to Florence and Torino." 

 A dramatic moving set for the TV program Fantastico 1980-90 

His career took off as he became the art director for Italy’s highly popular Saturday evening variety shows. “I was art directing most of the Saturday variety programs at the Teatro Delle Vittorie such as Fantastico and Roberto Benigni’s shows. As a performer, Benigni captures the attention of viewers as he is a great entertainer and he is very expressive and satirical. He is not only talented by also a humble and sensitive person and always calls me personally to thank me for the design of his shows.

“I worked at the Teatro Delle Vittorie for 15 years when it was the peak of variety television in the 1980s. At that time, the Saturday night shows were a ritual for many people. They wanted to watch something interesting after dinner, commenting with family and friends, singing the songs and admiring the dancers.”

Sculptural creations for the TV program La Sai L'Ultima 1990-2000

Professor Castelli designed and created the sets for numerous other television shows including Canzonissima, Fantastico, La Sai L'Ultima, Carramba Che Sorpresa, Stasera Pago Io, Studio 80 and Palcoscenico along with the first news programs for Italy’s state broadcaster RAI and haute couture fashion events such as those for Rome’s Alta Moda as well as museum exhibitions.

Creating the streamlined design for TV show Fiorello in 2011

By the 1980s, Professor Castelli was also being asked to design the singing and dancing spectaculars for the famed Parisian theatres, the Lido and Moulin Rouge. Today, the Castelli team work for five years designing each multi-million dollar production creating not only the enormous and technically complex and elaborate sets and lighting but also every detail of the famed dancers’ costumes. Once the design of the Moulin Rouge shows are finished they are on stage in Paris for more than a decade.

Painting by Gaetano Castelli Rome, 2007

“In 1984, I started to work at Moulin Rouge and for the Lido. The new show for Moulin Rouge is set to open in 2017 and takes years of work to produce. It’s very important to create harmony between all of the different elements of the design from the lights to the costumes. Everything must work together to create the right atmosphere, there must be coherence in the lights, scene and costume.”

Gaetano Castelli has created beautiful drawings and paintings of costumes and his capacity to not only see the big picture of the set design but also to focus on every detail of the costumes is one of his outstanding talents. “I see the dresses of the dancers like pieces of architecture with particular lines, curves, perspectives and diagonals which are all designed to create a strong visual effect," he says. "I also try to imagine the face of the person who wears the costumes and express the soul of the dancer through the design. Costumes should make you dream.”

Designing the La Dolce Vita set for the Sanremo Music Festival in 2011

It is hard to overstate the importance of the historic Sanremo Music Festival as one of the biggest events on Italian television for more than sixty years. For a week in February, everyone watches and follows the show and the singers, if only to fiercely criticize them. The Castelli studio has worked on eighteen of them and each time Gaetano Castelli tries to come up with something new and outdo all of the previous shows.

A colourful retro design for the Sanremo Festival in 2004 

“Working on Sanremo I look back at what I have done to make sure that I don’t repeat the same look or theme again. And I keep up with the latest technology in computer programs and lighting so our designs are also cutting edge.”

A technically complex, clam-like shell featured at Sanremo 2012 

When he was the director at Rome’s Art Academy and teaching set design he worked with students from around the world and has travelled across Europe and China to take workshops on the art of graphic and set design.

“I love working with students from across the globe," he explains. "My advice to young designers is to be open to everything and prepared to work on a range of things from the set of a movie to designing a business card or the cover of a music album. It is important when you are young to start with small jobs not with something too big. The artist needs to emerge step by step and be appreciated and recognized for his talent then he gains the trust of great directors."

Hand-drawn sketch for the set of  TV program Rock Politik 

Set design has been very important in the history of theatre and opera since it was created on canvas and paper. "When I started, everything was still painted by hand and the set designer had to learn how to create small, important details that catch the attention of the audience," Professor Castelli says. "An art director must be very skilled in a lot of fields from painting, drawing, printing, perspective and be ready to also work without a computer. “

Painting by Gaetano Castelli Rome, 2005

Although the Castelli team use complex animation, graphic and engineering software to design colossal systems of lighting and moving sets, Professor Castelli prefers to create the original designs by drawing and painting.

“I don’t ever tire of my work and I always enjoy designing each new production,” he says today. “Whenever I go on holiday I really miss the work as it is very creative and gives you so much energy.”

Click on pictures for full-screen slideshow