Any good fashion week comes with a good slice of drama doesn’t it? Only days into the schedule and already the fashion elite are serving it up to us on one great big plate. After several seasons of celeb filled front rows, last season saw a return back to focusing on the clothes on the runway rather than what celeb is sitting between Wintour and Carine. However, it seems I spoke too soon. Seating arrangements caused controversy at the Yigal Azrouël show yesterday when scorned call girl Ashley Dupree was found comfortably taking a seat on the front row. On realising the mistake, the designer was said to be ‘shocked’ and unaware ‘that she was there’ resulting in him officially firing People’s Revolution for the mistake. Ashley Dupree or Kirsten, as he likes to call herself, on front row equals bad for Yigal Azrouël, awful for People’s Revolution.
On a more positive note, Israeli born Azrouël presented a well edited and beautifully styled show. Friday 13th was a fitting backdrop for the collection which channelled a strong reference to 90s Goth showcasing a very black heavy colour palette. Models fiercely strode down the runway in fashionista’s favourite, wet look leggings, witchy black capes, tough looking straight hair and hard black eyeliner with lashings of mascara. The collection definitely marked a refreshing trip ‘black to black’ and a hard aesthetic compared to spring/summer’s soft femininity. The collection turned last season’s playful girliness on its head, presenting a dark romance.
Despite his interest in black this season, Azrouël proved that when he does colour, he does it well. A particular favourite was the red and black print bod con dress with a black belt that has already found its home at the top of my autumn/winter hit list!
Azrouël ‘s strength lies in his ability to create clothes that women want to wear, and more importantly clothes that makes them feel sexy. “The women I dress must be confident in their body” said the designer, who cites his main influence as his desire to make women feel and look sophisticated.
He is known for presenting strong women through his exploration of architecture. He does this best in the angular royal blue bod-con dress with black vertical panelling from the neckline. The sharp, clean line of the shoulders screams ‘I need to be taken seriously’, presenting a modern interpretation of 80s power dressing. This echoed the strong shoulders we saw in the couture shows.
I loved the way he played with proportions. Skinny leg trousers were teamed with voluminous jackets creating interesting silhouettes.
The collection is classic yet maintains a modern freshness that Azrouël understands oh so well. This collection proves Azrouël to be a designer that does not follow trends, choosing rather to hone in on his influences each season to deliver all of the basics that a woman wants.
For women's wear, Jacobs' formula was to start with tights (whether in autumn colours, stripes or geometric patterns) and cold-weather-survival boots. From there, he added dresses accentuating the natural waist or roomy peg-leg trousers with bold and cosy jumpers. Many of his looks were topped off with velvet hats and blanket scarves.
Luxurious textures played a big part - think wide-wale corduroy, rich herringbone and oversized houndstooth. And when textiles were basic, colour and construction were not. How about this turquoise dress with ruffles both on the button panel and the skirt?
In terms of menswear, Jacobs maintained the boots and voluminous trousers, but put up grandpa cardigans with shirt-tie combos and structured blazers. The designer upheld the spirit of the line by keeping things bold in a season when many are going dark, and all the better for a line targeting young label-lovers who want to mix their plaids with stripes (another of Jacobs' techniques).
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