MANISH ARORA RTW SS12

Manish Arora is undoubtedly one of my favourite designers, you can always rely on his collections to bring that little something extra that sets him out from the rest. Whether it be an innovative material used or an eye melting colour palette, Arora ALWAYS delivers the goods!

So obviously, out of all the SS12 collections I've seen so far, Mr Arora's is by far my favourite!

The first thing I noticed and LOVED, was that the collection seems to be divided into two; half the collection is in metallics/pastels, whereas the other half is mostly black/green and jewel colours. This dichotomy of moods works so well...Their is definitely something for everyone, and the looks will work well day or night!

Arora is well known for his futuristic style, using abstract shapes to give the wearer an otherworldly silhouette along with kaleidoscopic colours that should NEVER work together...but somehow work SO well...

If Barbarella ever needed a frock...Manish would be the first port of call!

I was stunned by his use of iridescent detailing on a number of the pieces...Not something you often see on the runway (obviously this disappoints me) and when combined with marabou feathers, the effect is alien-like and luxurious...a combination that again, doesn't seem achievable...but somehow Arora manages it to perfection!

The slatted piece with the green bird decoration, though beautiful, is almost identical to one by Gareth Pugh for SS12...I'm not sure what I think about this, neither are one to emulate other designers, however they are REALLY similar...I'll leave that for you to decide!

The finale of the show was by far my favourite piece..an anatomical top made of what appears to be balsa wood...totally bizarre and impractical, but totally inspired!

Here are my favourite pieces from the collection...Enjoy!

LEEROY NEW & KERMIT TESORO

Following on from my Marry The Night blog post, I decided to check out more of Leeroy New's work...and I've gotta say: I LOVE.

Out of all of his past works, It's his previous collaboration with fellow Filipino, Kermit Tesoro, that caught my attention in particular.

With Tesoro providing the shoe and undergarments, together they showed this collection during Philippine Fashion Week 2010 and without a doubt it was a show stopping collection.

The subdued colour palette along with the unusual silhouettes created by the avant garde ensemble, Is a delicious concoction of underwater and futuristic inspired forms. This contemporary mix is a sure fire winner and with their recent collaborative effort for Gaga, i hope to see more work from this pair very soon.

Here are my favourite pieces from the collection...If you'd like to see more of New's work (not limited to just fashion!) then hop over to his online portfolio: strycatcher.multiply.com

REIN VOLLENGA

The work of Dutch designer Rein Vollenga is firmly on the fence between art and fashion, he creates avant-garde and contemporary sculptures that are intended to be worn...although they would look just as good in a gallery!

The aesthetic of each piece is fluid and glossy, resembling a cross between insects and futuristic machinery: Dark, visceral and very fetish. I'm a huge fan of exo-skeletal/armour-like accessories, and this series completely blew me away!

Each piece is completely unique and will never be reproduced, with Vollenga saying...

 I also aim for every piece of my work to be a one off; I don’t reproduce anything. It’s really boring to do that, and another reason is that I like to review myself all the time. I also think that it benefits the piece itself when it exists alone and is the only one on earth, it makes it more special.

Vollenga also believes that his work is more sculptural art than it is fashion, despite being commissioned by some of the biggest names in fashion.

Here are the stunning images of the collection, I don't think the mood could be more perfect for the pieces!

Vollengas work caught the attention of Mugler front-man Nicola Formichetti, with him commissioning the artist to create a sculpture to be used as part of the AW11 ad campaign...The sculpture looks to be very Geiger inspired, with the figure being exaggerated and Alien-like. As a HUGE Geiger fan, I love it...

As an obvious fan of Vollenga, Formichetti then went on to commission him to create jewellery pieces for his AW11 collection also...

Here are some pictures from the runway, as well as some close up shots of the pieces themselves posted by Vollenga on his own blog.

To see some more of this amazing artists work, you can visit his official website and keep up-to-date with his blog! reinvollenga.com

PETER GRAY

Hair extraordinaire Peter Gray went all out in this amazing spread as part of the 2010 Asia Beauty Expo, I cannot get over how stunning these images are!

Gray and his styling team, which included Nicola Formichetti, created this spread with the help of 16 other stylists in celebration of all that Is contemporary and avant garde in the world of hair and fashion.

The hair is WAY out their, dark and dangerous, edgy and eccentric...Perfectly reflected in the gorgeous clothes, ferocious nails, traffic-stopping poses and maniacal make-up!

Anyway, without further ado...Here are my favourite shots from the series...Enjoy!

P.s. To see more of Grays extensive backlog of work, visit thecollectiveshift.com/Gray

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

I know, I know...The Maison Martin Margiela AW11/12 collection dropped many months ago, but I think it definitely deserves a blog post!

Margiela, undoubtedly one of the greatest couture avant-gardists to have ever lived, is well known for his extravagantly OTT creations...despite having previously designed for the likes of  Hermès and Gaultier. His signature combination of de-constructed garments, unconventional materials and exaggerated proportions has earned him notoriety in the fashion world, as well as a league of celebrity fans.


The 'Artisanal' AW11/12 collection has got to be my favourite show to date...the colour, cut, shape and texture of every piece is a sumptuous feast for the eyes...Unconventional down to every last stitch: A COMPLETE triumph!


Using plastic, Liberty print fabric, leather, feathers, ribbon and flowers, Margiela created stunning silhouettes unlike anything else on the runway that season...This is avant-garde couture at its finest!


Below are my favourite pieces from the collection...You can also see Margiela's previous work, for both men and women over at his official site maisonmartinmargiela.com

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK

Belgian born designer Beirendonck has been at the fore-front of avant-garde fashion design for almost three decades now, and shows no sign of slowing down! His contemporary designs are heavily inspired by art, film, music and pop culture, which he fuses with ethnic and nature influences, to create exciting and playful collections.

I'll be the first to admit, a lot of his work is BIZARRE, but there's no getting away from the fact that it's undoubtedly FUN. Along with the aesthetic of his work, I love his tendency to work against the 'fashion grain', for example choosing middle-aged, hairy men to model his SS 10 collection. 

I'm also a HUGE fan of OTT accessories, and Beirendonck never fails to deliver. So far models have worn everything from gargantuan ear-muffs and top hats, right down to 3D rocket shaped padded necklaces. 

His previous collections had an urban/ethnic mix of styles, fusing day glow colours with tribal print.

Beirendonck's SS 2012 collection see's the designer take on a more formal style, with pastel suits for men and floral dresses for women. Obviously, with the Beirendonck signature stamp!

 

Visit his site to view more of his insane collections, guaranteed you've never seen anything like it! www.waltervanbeirendonck.com