Marni was another fashion house to present a collection for Fall 2012 with a wonderful 60s edge. The retro vibe given by Consuelo Castiglioni was perhaps my favourite for this season, particularly because of the additional refreshing feel to it. This was primarily because the extravagant print stories that are usually Marni signatures were noticeably absent for Fall. There were prints, but the graphic presence was limited only to a tulip pattern, and a naive floral tracery. Although perhaps ordinarily, I would be disappointed with the lack of exciting prints from Marni, this season, it made for an even better collection. It allowed for the bold blocks of colour that were characteristic of the 60s, to be even more exciting, and beautiful.

There’s a reason why I love the 60s fashion (and everything from the 60s) so much, and Castiglioni managed to capture it all… White stockings, drop-waist silhouettes, and decorative elements like metallic discs and big rhinestone brooches. I absolutely adored the coats; the most bright and exciting (in terms of prints) of which, had a pop-art zing.

Marni- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

I always thought that Tibi presented nice clothes, but nothing really substantial or memorable in my books, and I never really feel a need to own something from Tibi. But everything changed this season, when Amy Smilovic designed undoubtedly, the fashion house’s best, and most beautiful collection yet. She blatantly loves the minimal style of the 90s; ”the Narciso-wearing Gwyneth Paltrow, not the leg-baring Pucci Gwynny”. This idea on its own was lovely, and I didn’t expect anything more, but Smilovic combined 90 style with the swinging style of the 60s. I think it was this combination with my favourite era, that made me love the collection. Most notably, the tailored maxi skirts with trouser-like back welt pockets put a nice spin on the surprisingly still-going menswear phenomenon.

Tibi- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

This season, Riccardo Tisci really had his crowd going, with an equestrian spin on his characteristic super-influential tailoring. His looks oozed confidence, and after seven years with the fashion house, he’s still going strong. His jackets were boyish at the front, but the peplums, bustles and tails gave the back a lovely hit of femininity. There were more pants this season that Tisci normally trots out, and they had an easy jodhpur shape. I loved how they were full through the upper thighs, but then stuffed into knee-high boots with heel-covering sheaths. If ever I felt inspired to go horse riding, it would be now, and although these clothes weren’t actually designed for it, I’d definitely choose to wear something from this collection.

I also love that Tisci didn’t over-indulge on the equestrian in this collection, and that he still kept a lot of what makes me love Givenchy so much. There was a lot of leather and fur. I especially loved the tri-coloured patchworks of the fur.

Givenchy- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Olivier Rousteing has shown in his second runway season for Balmain, that he’s on his way to establishing a promising new direction for the house. His design prowess has really started to take shape, and he has moved Balmain from its days of total rocker chic, with crystal-encrusted strong shoulder hackets and deconstructed denim, to a more relevant, and cooler time, where edge and functionality meet. That’s not to say however, that he’s completely transformed Balmain; he has kept the brand’s couture-level embroidery and detailing, but he has given it a more modern and cool spin that is still very high-fashion, yet approachable and wearable. This season, Balmain was all about the boxy jacket, pearl beading, and rich textures; baroque gone modern.

Balmain- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

David Koma’s prevailing message for Fall 2012 seemed to be: Don’t mess with me! The Koma woman this season was absolutely fierce and badass, yet still very stylish. The technical fabric that was used in most of the outfits looked almost bullet-proff, and the absolutely stunning sculptured greyhounds that formed the wedged heels of the shoes appeared ready to come to life and attack. If you couldn’t guess from the shoes or some of the prints, or the furs or the collars, you’d surely be able to guess from the handful of references Koma provided. This season, he was inspired by dogs; not the playful, child-like kind, but the powerful and strong (yet still very loveable) kind. Koma found inspiration for his canine-theme from Louis Icart’s Deco greyhound paintings, and Thierry Poncelet’s portraits of dogs in aristocratic attire, as well as Boldini’s paintings of Marchesa Casati, menswear from the 20s, and the minimalist fashion from the 60s.

David Koma- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

For Fall 2012, Nicola Formichetti, and his head womenswear designer Sebastien Peigne went back to Mugler’s archives, paying tribute to the “Les Insectes” collection from 1997. For 2012 however, Mugler expanded upon the insect-inspired theme, to include “the idea of the Japanese warrior and the ‘maximal minimalism’ of the music of Ryuichi Sakamoto”, which provided the soundtrack for the show. The show was certainly far less flashy, particularly with the absence of Lady Gaga, and I think this was a good thing, because it allowed for a stronger focus of the fashion, and on the clothes. The show was also more intimate, with the models walking in intricate patterns on a big open floor, and almost in the faces of those in the front row, whereas, in the previous two seasons, Formichetti’s models were placed on an elevated stage.

The clothes themselves, as always, were fantastic, and out of this world. The laser-cut fringe, the peplum, the strong shoulders, and body-conscious shapes were also drawn directly from the “Les Insects” collection, but there was also a modern, 21st century twist to them, with the incorporation of skin-tight moto-style pant suits. Mugler’s bees from 1997 were also interpreted in a sleeker, and slightly less literal way, with structured hoods rather than bug-eye glasses and antennae. The show notes for Fall 2012 said the Mugler woman “might sting, bite or scratch this season”, and she certainly does, because although I’ve always loved Mugler, now I’ve got an itch for it that I just can’t ignore!

Mugler- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection

I can’t believe I’m only posting about Chanel’s Fall 2012 collection now, especially because the Resort 2013 show was two days ago… There’s still many Fall 2012 collections I haven’t blogged about yet, but I will get around to it, and hopefully I’ll finish them soon, so I can start on Resort… For Fall 2012, Karl Lagerfeld brought back the three-piece suit of jacket, skirt, and pants…he’s tried it before, but this time, he got it perfect.

I have to start off by saying that I fell in love with the makeup for the show, and with the eyebrows in particular, by the legendary couture embroidery house, Lesage. Normally, I’m not a fan of thick, bold eyebrows, but the strips of crystal that defined each model’s brows were so wonderful, and so perfect for the show’s grand design, which embraced the shapes and structures of nature. “Nature’s the greatest designer. These shapes are millions of years old”, he said, pointing at some of the more spectacular crystalline excrescences. There were stunning crystals on hems and cuffs, and on the trims on the coats, and on the heels of the shoes. There was an amazing angular cubist articulation in Lagerfeld’s sleeves here, and he created a spectacular new silhouette for Chanel.

Chanel- Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection