Paris Fashion Week: Highlights from Moon Young Hee's Spring/Summer 2018 Ready-to-Wear Show. Photography by Elli Ioannou

Iceland's Volcanic Mountains and Grassy Plains Inspire New Issey Miyake SS18 Collection

Dancers wear the malleable and supple creations of Yoshiyuki Miyamae, showing great freedom of movement. The colours and shapes  inspired by the volcanic landscapes of Iceland. Cover picture and all photographs for DAM by Elli Ioannou

Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake used dancers to open an evocative show in Paris, inspired by Iceland's austere, volcanic landscapes. The Spring/Summer 2018 collection's fluid, three dimensional textiles evoke a frozen, igneous world that is harsh yet full of life, writes Antonio Visconti. Photographs by Elli Ioannou

Backstage in Paris with Issey Miyake
 artistic director Yoshiyuki Miyamae.

ISSEY Miyake's artistic director Yoshiyuki Miyamae's new show in Paris was launched with three acrobatic dancers performing great leaps and runs under flashing lights to atonal music. Located in the Grand Palais' Salon d'Honneur, a spotlight showed the three figures immersed in fabric creating shapes with the asymmetrical knitwear. The designer wanted to display how the clothes gave great freedom of movement and elasticity to the wearer. The overall vision and story of the Spring/Summer 2018 collection was inspired by Yoshiyuki Miyamae's travels in Iceland.

The textiles are printed with natural landscapes displaying volcanic rock and glaciers. The designer wanted to capture the mystery and vastness of Iceland's countryside and mountains.
Miyamae's collection includes flowing, slim dresses and long asymmetric tops that do suggest ice floes and ice cubes. The fluid, three-dimensional garments with their abstract, blurred patterns show in a visual way the haziness of memory. The designer said that despite the tough and primitive Icelandic terrain, it was a place full of life and this inspired his work. He wanted to try and create his experience in the clothes. "The theme of this collection came from my memory of the landscape in Iceland, where I got many new inspirations and I saw the beautiful landscape," Miyamae said. "That's how we started with a simple pattern, like a square of land."

Elemental forms enhanced the vivid prints and colours

The first looks that emerged on the runway were knitwear, with the Issey Miyake signature pleats and folds that give the pieces their unique silhouette. Long tops with high slits, ponchos with graphic prints, flowing shift dresses, and diaphanous silk chiffon skirts gave the collection a breezy, summery atmosphere heightened by the colours and textures drawn from Iceland. The variety of the designs was reflected in the hetergenous casting, with models of different shapes, sizes, colour and ages all walking the show together, still a rare occurrence in Paris. Yoshiyuki Miyamae is able to recreate and breathe new life into Issey Miyake tropes and traditions every season.

A futuristic vibe was enhanced with
three-dimensional fabrics
and angular sandals

Although this collection explored knitted fabrics in an abstract and original way, the designer also experimented with dramatic and eye-catching prints. The palette ranged from rich turquoise to yellowy golds, ochres and sienna. Despite the textiles' complexity in form and pattern, the clothes all had elemental shapes. The dresses and tops had a strong sense of the squares, rectangles or ovals they were made from. Yet the pleats and the strong colour and prints gave a rippling, three dimensional effect.

The check patterns were created with a Japanese dyeing technique called "dorozome" where a textile cube is created by putting together square pieces of fabric. This was highlighted by fringing which gave a sense of Iceland's grasslands. The futuristic, fluid look of the collection was emphasised by the angle-heeled sandals and sleek Velcro trainers. The Issey Miyake loose silhouette gave a broad scope to show the Icelandic landscape on big swathes of the specially-created textiles. The blurred Icelandic motifs ~ suggesting distant memories ~ were created by baking printed glue on to the fabric, which is part of the Japanese fashion house’s continuation of experimenting with new techniques.

Issey Miyake's three-dimensional fabrics, using various stretching methods, brought waves and textures to dresses and tops, enhancing again the sense of the mistiness of memory.  The dark hue of some prints was created using a brown taken from a natural mud pigment that conveyed the geometric designs meant to evince volcanic Icelandic rocks and moss-covered landscapes with crystalline glaciers.

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Backstage pre-show at Issey Miyake with make-up artist Alex Box adding the final touches

Hair and make-up before the runway show at the Grand Palais in Paris

Backstage all of the new Issey Miyake SS18 looks are printed out and numbered

Pre-show wearing the new SS18 Issey Miyake collection inspired by the Icelandic landscape before walking the runway 

Issey Miyake Creative Director Yoshiyuki Miyamae backstage in Paris being interviewed

The Icelandic landscapes captured in the new Spring/Summer 2018 collection

The fluid and elastic nature of the new Issey Miyake fabrics shown by dancers opening the runway show 

The dynamic dancers were a dramatic launch for the new collection

 Natural brown pigments and flowing shapes conveyed the sense of landscape

The show was made up of a diverse mix of models wearing elemental, fluid shapes

 White as snow, this draped tunic with Velcro sneakers made a light contrast to the colourful collection inspired by Iceland's landscape

Issey Miyake's prints of the sky, lakes and mountains of Iceland were superlative pieces in the collection

Backstage the models prepare to walk out on to the runway captured by a photographer

The long swathes of material and simple shapes allowed the designer to show moss-covered rocks and grassy hinterlands of Iceland

Caught in Motion, the dancers leap and bound before the show, displaying the elasticity and freedom of the collection's fabrics

A spotlight at the Grande Palais highlighted the opening choreography of the show, with it's long, knitted forms 

 

Dark navy blues and rich azure of Iceland's blue skies make a strong constrast to the greens of the landscape colours  

The fludity and fine pleating that are the signature of all Issey Miyake collections

The check patterns were created with a Japanese dyeing technique called "dorozome" where a textile cube is created by putting together square pieces of fabric

 

 

 

 

 

New Romantic: Bora Aksu's Otherworldly Collection Inspired by Turkish Aristocrat & Artist Mihri Müşfik Hanım

 A long gown in deep red and black that evokes the designer's inspiration for the collection, Turkish noblewoman and artist Lady Mihri Musfik Hanim. Photgraph by Elli Ioannou.

One of the standout collections of London Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2018 was Bora Aksu's romantic collection. Full of voluminous gowns with swinging, ruffled skirts in chiffon and tulle, the long-haired maidens walking the runway, crowned with sparkling, beaded coronets, reflected his inspiration from the life of Mihri Müşfik Hanım, aristocrat and artist, writes Kseniya Segina. Photographs by Elli Ioannou

An Alice figure in pink.
Photo: Elli Ioannou

BORA Aksu's latest collection also had an Alice in Wonderland flavour with its combination of crowns and rich and fluid fabrics. There was even an Alice-like figure wearing diaphanous pale pink chiffon dress with an apron and a ruffle, finished with white, beribboned sneakers and the unlikely coronet. A deep colour palette of red and blue offset with swathes of pastel reflected the designer's inspiration, drawing on the life of Lady Mihri Musfik Hanim, a Turkish noblewoman and artist. She was the first contemporary female artist to study painting and was recognized especially for her portraits.
In recalling her, Bora Aksu has designed gloves and used traditional Turkish materials in the collection.

As an artist, Bora Aksu found Mihri Musfik Hanim's life fascinating. She left the affluence of her family behind to immerse herself amid the working class of her country. Yet she left to live in Italy and Paris, even having an affair with the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio. Through his connections, she painted a portrait of the pope as well as restoring ancient frescoes. Bora Aksu's collection is full of contrasts like the artist's life, with bold patterns of polka dots contrasting with stripes and floating, ruffled skirts in tulle. Echoes of Victoriana are there with high collars and ribbons yet undercut by some asymmetrical patterns worn with the sporty sneakers. Bora Aksu manages to create opulent pieces that seem to suggest another time and another age, but are still very wearable now.

Ruffles & flowing skirts with a coronet.
Photo: Kseniya Segina

Bora Aksu is a London based Turkish designer who graduated from Central St Martin’s with an MA in 2002. His work was soon noticed and praised and he had his debut off- schedule show the next year. This collection led to him  receiving the prestigious New Generation award from the British Fashion Council ~ which he continued to win for the following four years.

As the designer has shown consistently at London Fashion Week, he has developed a distinctive signature that is both deeply romantic combined with a strong, quirky vision that suggests a darker world. His designs seem more like couture pieces than ready-to-wear and are worn by many actresses and singers inlcuding Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Paloma Faith. In 2013, Bora Aksu was named designer of the year at the Elle Style Awards in Turkey and he has continued to expand his work by collaborating with international brands.

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A Little Red Riding hood in Venetian Red chiffon suggestive of the artist's 19th Century origins in Ottoman Turkey.
Photo: Elli Ioannou

Diaphonous in a symphony of blue with a leaf design like drawing, this piece shows Bora Aksu's affinity with couture.
Photo: Kseniya Segina

Contrasting stripes and a long bow evoke another age that could be from the Edwardian Ottoman era.
Photo: Kseniya Segina

Long, flowing gown with a high neck and fine, pastel stripes that has an element of Victorian, yet is still contemporary.
Photo: Kseniya Segina

Fine stripes and culottes with a carona and transparent gloves.
Photo:Kseniya Segina

 

Finale of Bora Aksu show in London.
Photo: Kseniya Segina

From Haute Couture to Ready-to-wear: Ralph & Russo Open a New Chapter

A dramatic lavender ombré plissé tulle ball gown with tiered skirt and crystal chainmail bodice at Ralph & Russo's haute couture show in Paris last month. Cover picture and all photographs for Design & Art Magazine by Elli Ioannou

As haute couture house Ralph & Russo prepare to launch their first ready-to-wear collection in London next month, we take a look at the label's soigné show that was a major draw card during Paris Couture Fashion Week. Australians Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo head the company in Britain and have plans to create a super luxury brand and the next step is bringing the pret-a-porter range to a new audience, story and photographs by Jeanne-Marie Cilento & Elli Ioannou

Designer Tamara Ralph with partner and CEO
 Michael Russo in Paris last month

TAMARA Ralph and Michael Russo launched their fashion house ten years ago this year, and while they have focused their attention on refining and expanding their haute couture atelier and accessories, the new ready-to-wear collection to be shown in London in September will be another landmark for this remarkable Australian duo. They will join other new faces on the LFW schedule this season including Giorgio Armani and American brand Tommy Hilfiger. Ralph & Russo couture dresses are often seen on the red carpet from Los Angeles to Cannes and worn by actors such as Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. The fashion house has more than two hundred skilled a artisans in their London atelier and each couture creation takes weeks to complete.

The expansion of the fashion house has included adding the accessories range and opening boutiques around the world ~ there will be fifteen by the end of the year plus the special collection at Harrods with ready-to-wear and couture-quality pieces. Michael Russo says ready-to-wear is on the ground floor of the Ralph & Russo boutiques with a couture service available upstairs. He has also mooted that fragrance, cosmetics and eyewear are planned for the future. British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush said that she was very pleased to welcome Ralph & Russo to the London Fashion Week schedule: "The craftsmanship behind their couture collection is a shining example of Britain’s artisan heritage, and I’m excited to see their debut ready to wear collection."  British Fashion Council chairman Dame Natalie Massenet wore a Ralph & Russo suit for her investiture as a Dame at Buckingham Palace last year.



The set for the Ralph & Russo couture show in Paris
with tall pilasters and classical balustradescaption

For the chic and romantic haute couture collection shown in Paris last month, designer Tamara Ralph was inspired by influential 20th century photographers like Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, and Norman Parkinson who captured the glamour she wants her collections to evoke. The runway set was created to look like a classical mansion with tall fluted pilasters and white balustrades. The models stood on the balconies surveying the runway, wearing the signature Ralph & Russo evening gowns with full skirts and sleek silhouettes and full of rich detail such as crystals, sequins, pearls, feathers, embroidery and organza flowers.

Among the front-row guests in Paris were Zendaya, Chopard co-president Caroline Scheufele, photographer Ellen von Unwerth and actress Michelle Rodriguez. The show opened with tailored looks, including a white silk crêpe kimono jacket and a one-shoulder black and silver tweed suit with jewelled buttons. But Ralph & Russo’s haute couture eveningwear is what Tamara Ralph does best. Standout designs were a white organza dress with a ribbon and crystal hand-embroidery that looked like a piece from an Avedon photograph (see below) and a layered tulle gown in beautiful gradations of lavender and violet (see above). A glittering, form-revealing dress made of transparent crystalline mesh made a dramatic contrast to the romantic gowns with trains and was a triumph when Bella Hadid wore a version of it at Cannes.


The collection captured the sophistication
of Richard Avedon & Cecil Beaton

All together there were fifty-seven looks including a gold lace dress with long gleaming fringes and a graceful, white column of a gown that was like what a medieval princess would wear. Indian actress Sonam Kapoor wore the spectacular finale wedding gown, a body-hugging intaglio of Chantilly lace with an overskirt and train embroidered in silver, gold, sequins, and beads, which took some 6,000 hours of hand embroidery. Her hair was sleekly pulled back and covered with a glinting headpiece of gold-embroidered tulle. It will be interesting to see how Ralph & Russo's intricate and luxe aesthetic is translated into new forms for their first ready-to-wear collection.

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Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor wore the spectacular finale wedding gown with a double duchess overskirt hand embroidered with silver and gold bullion, silk, sequins and pearlescent beads.



View from the back of the overskirt and train embroidered in silver, gold, sequins, and beads, which took some 6,000 hours of hand embroidery.

 Tamara Ralph was inspired by influential 20th century photographers like Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, and Norman Parkinson who captured the glamour she wants her collections evoke.

Sleek hair and flowing gowns at the Ralph & Russo haute couture show in Paris. This powder blue chiffon gown and cape overlays a crystal chainmail bustier, edged with crystal and pearl pendant embroidery.

Modern day, medieval princess: white crêpe gown with pleated layers and cape sleeves, hand embroidered with silk and chenille braided cord, crystals and pearls.

Pale pink tulle gown and cape ornately embellished with crystals and silver chain and a
white and gold chain gown, interlaced and embellished with glass beads.

White silk crêpe structured kimono jacket and tailored trousers with silk and velvet braided cord, crystal and pearl hand embroidery.

Rose gold cocktail dress with foil fringe pencil skirt, bullion and crystal embroidered bodice.

Black tulle ruffle mini dress in silver sequins, silver thread, crystal and glass beads with hand embellishment.

White tulle gown with cascading silk fringing, embellished with silver chain, metallic thread-work, opal and gold crystals.

White, amethyst and silver zibeline gown with a baroque floral print, featuring curved draping and bell sleeves with silk organza plissé flowers.

Gold beaded fringe mini dress with crystals, vinyl cut out motifs and glass bead pendants.