Romanian Fashion Week

Fabulous knits at Romanian Fashion Week

Romanian Fashion Week also featured beautiful knitwear starting with young designer Andra Clitan who presented her MA graduate collection inspired by the Hindu culture.

Andra Clitan at Romanian Fashion Week

Kinga Varga, a well-established romanian knitwear designer showed up with sweet looking soft knits using mohair, wool, silk and cotton fibers.

Kinga Varga at Romanian Fashion Week

The collection gathers mostly dresses but also skirts, jackets and
jumpsuits in a rich color palette: crème, mint green, ink blue, claret
red.

Kinga Varga fall/winter 2008/09 collection

And last but not least, Una Moda Group, a designing team representing the Art University of Bucharest, displayed a futuristic inspired collection, which included stunning crochet knit pieces, loose and light as spider webs.

Romanian Fashion Week: Ludmila Corlateanu

Ludmila Corlateanu was one of the up-and-coming designers staged at Romanian Fashion Week. Originating from Kishinev, the Moldavian Republic, she has now established her label in Bucharest making her way in the fashion business after studying clothing design in her home country and at Istituto Marangoni, Milan.

Ludmila Corlateanu fall/winter 2008/09

Her fall/winter 2008/09 collection is a small tribute to subtle elegance suitable both for young girls and for grown-up women who are in a search for effortless, timeless chic.

Ludmila Corlateanu at Romanian Fashion Week

The simple Lolita styling and the narrow color palette set the mood. The pieces were inspired by the Soviet era school uniform, hence the mix of rigorous cuts and fabrics such as crisp white lace, wool toile, tweed, heavy fur appliqué (eco friendly synthetic fur) and soft cotton velvet.

Ludmila Corlateanu

Highlights of Japan Fashion Week (II)

Not so long ago I wrote about Japan Fashion Week SS09 held in Tokyo and about my favorite collections presented there. Well, here are three more.

Matohu is a young label designed by Hiroyuki Horihata and Makiko Sekiguchi and probably "the next covetable Japanese export" as Fashion Wire Daily considers. Both Horihata and Sekiguchi studied the Apparel Design Course at Bunka Fashion College (Tokyo) and after graduation they subsequently worked for Bora Aksu in London.

After returning home, in March 2005 they launched Matohu, a womenswear
label which mixes contemporary design aesthetics - modern silhouettes,
simple, comfortable cuts - with Japanese traditional sensibility. A
signature piece for Matohu is their kimono jacket worn loosely belted
and layered over slouchy trousers and flowing dresses. For
their spring 2009 collection the designers used a traditional Japanese
tie-dying technique called "tsujigahana" creating beautiful, elaborated
prints.

Motonari Ono is a young designer (born 1981) who studied fashion design at Mejiro Design School (Tokyo), London College of Fashion Foundation (LCF) and at the Royal College of Fine Art Antwerp. In 2004, he joined Bora Aksu (London) as a chief pattern-maker and, after returning home in 2006, he established his namesake label - motonari ono.

The time spent in Europe has left a strong mark on his design philosophy: his spring 2009 collection has strong military influences and romantic, historic references mixed with his version of Lolita look. Motonari Ono sent down on the runway "porcelain dolls" dressed in military jackets teamed with short shorts and miniskirts, waistcoats, mini dresses and rompers with puffed sleeves, poet shirts with Elizabethan removable collars in ivory white or deep black with red and gold details.

Norio Surikabe, the man behind Support Surface label, worked for more than 10 years with Italian fashion houses (Romeo Gigli, NN Studio, Alberto Biani, Trussardi) as an assistant, then chief designer and design consultant. In 1999 he started his own label, Support Surface, offering high quality clothing which allows women to be true to themselves.

In 2003 he won the prestigious Kuwasawa Award prize, smoothing the labels' path to success as it has every chance of becoming an international brand. Every Support Surface collection, the spring 2009 line most of all, exudes the elegance of classical sportswear mixed with beautiful, soft fabrics and a impeccable flair for draping, folding and pleating.

Highlights of Japan Fashion Week (I)

September 1st to 5th, Tokyo: Japan Fashion Week hosted 37 brand (maisons) spring 2009 shows. Among them, young designer Aya Furuhashi of fur fur label who presented a youthful, bohemian collection in garden-like scenery.

Under those many layers and flowers you can notice sweet and feminine pieces such as frilled baby-doll tops and chiffon dresses; three quarter length sleeved spring coats and jackets in precious taffeta or brocade as well as flower printed leisure trousers, all in warm, sun-bleached shades.

Another wonderful collection showcased at Japan Fashion Week is signed by designer Hidenobu Yasui, a collection which could pass as minimalist, considering the narrow color palette (white, dark blue, navy and black), if it weren't for the draping, pleating and elaborate details such as rosette pockets.

The clothes are very modern, in soft fabrics and with masculine influences: three-piece pant suits, baggy trousers or blazer inspired evening dresses. On a more feminine side are those short jackets with elbow sleeves and long, flowing skirts.

The designers at new-born label Lep Luss, Seiji Igeta and Yoshiko Kato sent down on the runway a very sophisticated, lady-like collection. And that's no wonder for their couture background. Seiji Igeta, a graduate from Esmod Japon, worked for Issey Miyake while Yoshiko Kato, an alumnus of Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, joined Yves Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake before establishing in 2008 Less Plus Design Co. Ltd. and launching the fashion line LEP LUSS.

And last but not least, Mikio Sakabe spring 2009 collection designed by Mikio Sakabe and Shueh Jen-Fang is a mix of 60s through 80s references with short hems, op-art patterns, cocoon shapes, bow-blouses, oversized mannish blazers and futuristic, silver leggings and shoes.

Fashion Pictures Of Kirrily Johnston

Kirrily Johnston

Kirrily Johnston is another remarkable Australian label that showed at the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2008 (2-9 March). Among its notorious fans the most recent one is top international supermodel Irina Lazareanu.
Kirrily Johnston at Melbourne Fashion Week

Kirrily Johnston at Melbourne Fashion Week
Designer Kirrily Johnston studied at the Melbourne Institute of Textiles and began her career in fashion in Melbourne in 1999. She launched her self-titled label for spring/summer 2004/2005 season and opened her first boutique in Sydney, in June 2005.
Kirrily Johnston autumn/winter 2008

Kirrily Johnston autumn/winter 2008
Kirrily Johnston style mixes elegance with innovation, focusing on luxurious fabrics and high quality craftsmanship. Kirrily's clothes are tailored yet maintain a modern edge and a certain artistic quality with details like patchwork styling, beading and appliqué. A perfect example is a beautiful baby-doll dress that combines leather, sequins and silk georgette.
Kirrily Johnston fall/winter 2008

Kirrily Johnston fall/winter 2008
The label is sold in selected boutiques and department stores in Australia, USA, UK, Asia and New Zealand and online at www.kirrilyjohnston.com. The label is in the medium to high price range, destined for women who appreciate fine garments and are willing to spend on a beautiful piece of clothing they will cherish it for more than one season