Haider Ackermann Rules Paris / Winter 2013

There are few words powerful enough to properly describe the aesthetic, power, and presence of a designer like Haider Ackermann. Often admired for his talent of creating harmony through contrasting elements of medium, inspiration, era, and even social class; Ackermann has even been compared to the late and legendary Yves Saint Laurent himself, who did much the same during his time. He is regarded as one of the most notable and interesting designers to ever emerge out of France; debuting his first Collection to significant praise in 2001, having even been approached by powerhouse mavens the likes of Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Margiela, and Dior.

This year at Paris Fashion Week, Haider Ackermann presented his brilliant Winter 2013 Collection following the same vein of power and presence in the industry. A beautiful, slick palette of Winter greys, charcoal blacks, shiny leathers, and gunmetal elements dominated the aesthetic. It was architectural, stark, and brilliantly composed through variations of textural layering, contrasting prints, and large, billowing, and flowing forms.

As usual, I absolutely adore the wrap forms. The hottest trend this Season is in full swing and I couldn't be happier! The draping knitwear is so tundra meets glam, and so super chic in a really lax way. It takes street wear into high fashion territory and is a celebration of the coolest silhouette of the year - over-sized, over-shaped torsos with those fantastic long and lean legs. A retro nod to an 80's-era fabulous while maintaining the urban, modern, youthful street style that is so trendy into today's evolving Runway scene. Androgynous, baggy, masculine-inspired suit pants ground some of Ackermann's strongest forms; accented by easily the most powerfully cut coats this season. A masterfully composed presentation!

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Beyond The LIM IT / 3.1 Fall 2013 #Womenswear

This post is long-overdue blogosphere! The incomparable Phillip Lim give us perhaps my favourite Fall Collection this year - littered with blocked and bright leathers, fantastic trenches, glossy pants, and urban knitwear. A Collection that boasts an aesthetic that is so Lim - with the right amount of streamlined chic and the right amount of youthful street style.

I am beyond obsessed with the coats in this Collection. Phillip Lim for Fall is always so architecturally pristine - with an 80's flare for the dramatic; the turquoise and beige overcoats exude a New York flair that is super-chic. Beyond that it has to be the pants and the boot wear - bagged leather, textured and cut with a bold shape. The lines, overlapped textures, and layered pieces are visually brilliant and an urban nod to a little but of 90's as well, if you can see it! The layering of line and colour remind me of a diverse cityscape; and it's held together by a fantastic, stark, and seasonally-sound palette of slate greys, whites, camels, and glossy blacks. A visual symphony of proportion, line, texture, and colour - I wish I could wear it all, especially that turquoise-on-a-teal-edge overcoat. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

I know I post a lot about Phillip Lim, but represent his work is almost a must for me. He is, as I've said before, one of the most impeccable and talented modern designers in the world right now, despite his young age and relatively short career thus far. His taste is consistently and elegantly on-point season after season; and the construction of his pieces, beyond just the tailoring alone, is always a masterful composition of form, colour, and texture. It's as if he is creating incredible buildings that you can both appreciate from a distance and right up-close, in terms of grandeur and presence as well as the finest detailing. I could own every piece in this entire Collection. Bravo!

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