From left: Chanel, Christian Dior, Iris van Herpen, Maison Martin Margiela, Valentino.

January 28, 2013
Fashion

BEST OF COUTURE S/S 2013

Every couture season brings with it the same questions of the form’s continuing relevance, but the recent Spring collections offered several invigorating arguments for its lasting importance for fashion, as proved by The Last Magazine fashion direction Alastair McKimm’s top five looks. At Christian Dior, Raf Simons pushed forward with his reinvention of the storied, historic house with a show that combined his trademark vibrant colors and minimalist designs—and his newfound love of floral embellishment—with the elegant shapes that defined the New Look all those decades ago. There was a distinctly A-line shape to the collection Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli sent out for Valentino as well, along with a reminder, through show notes that exhaustively detailed the time and effort that went into each piece, of the valuable wealth of human ability and history necessary for each latticework cape or sheer tiered gown. The house of Chanel knows well the value of that legacy, given its famed dedication to the ateliers that produce its couture pieces, and Karl Lagerfeld’s latest collection was a bold reimagining of the classic idées fixes—tweed, skirt suits, stark black and white—that are so integral to the label’s personality. Maison Martin Margiela added a sharply contemporary tone to the week, turning shiny candy wrappers into glimmering riffs on fur and pairing coolly modern shift dresses with distressed platform boots. Newcomer Iris van Herpen served up another promising vision of the future of couture, using a three-dimensional printing technique for some of her dresses, which popped with intricate and delicate cutouts and fractal shapes that looked like instant classics.

Róisín Pierce Transforms Sustainability Into Luxury

Winner of the inaugural Chanel Prix des Métiers d’Art last year, the rising Irish designer turns the history of “fallen women” into a forceful and provocative collection suffused with details and handicraft underpinned by a foundation of sustainability.

Women in Charge

Gabriela Hearst, Marina Moscone, and Marine Serre are three of the many women taking charge in fashion of late, offering distinctive visions while attempting to slow down the endless churn of the seasons.

Angel Chang Slows Fashion Down

After years of experience at major international brands, the New York-based designer returns with an eponymous sustainable line crafted by artisans in remote China using ancient techniques, reconnecting consumers with handcraft and tradition.

Prabal Gurung's New Book

The Nepalese designer celebrates a decade of championing diversity, inclusion, and a world made “stronger through color” with his vibrant clothing in his first monograph.

Faces by Gregory Harris and Katelyn Gray

Photographer Gregory Harris and our fashion editor Katelyn Gray offer a celebration of individuality and originality with the help of a cast of eleven rising models assembled by The Secret Gallery.

A Love Letter to New York Starring Binx Walton

The cover story of our Fall 2019 issue is a love letter to New York City from photographer Dan Martensen and stylist Clare Richardson starring Binx Walton.

South African Thebe Magugu Is the Winner of the 2019 LVMH Prize

As one of the first-ever LVMH Prize finalists from Africa, the Johannesburg-based designer seeks to share a new side of his homeland through vibrant collections based around university curricula and a zine focused on his city’s new wave of cultural talent.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Bethany Williams Puts Her Principles Into Every Design

By using upcycled materials and partnering with charitable organizations for every gender-neutral collection, the London-based designer serves as a role model for socially conscious creation, imbuing her streetwear with strong guiding principles and ethics.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Hed Mayner Designs His Own Body Language

Oversized silhouettes in neutral colors and natural fabrics form the starting point for each collection from the Tel Aviv-based designer, whose pure æsthetic is driven by the dialogue between clothes and the body they embrace.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Bode Turns the Past Into the Future

A lifelong collector drawn to the emotional qualities of material objects, the winner of this year’s CFDA Award for Emerging Designer looks to an overflowing archive of vintage fabrics and her personal relationships with friends and family for inspiration.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Kenneth Ize Wants to Slow It Down

Born and raised in Vienna, the Nigerian designer returned to his parents’ hometown of Lagos to launch his namesake label, focusing on creating covetable handmade fabrics meant to connect wearers more intimately to their own clothes and the people who made them.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Phipps Offers Lessons on Sustainability

Science and sustainability are the two driving forces behind the two-year-old menswear brand that combines environmentally responsible fabrics and “educational clothing” with a slow-and-steady approach to growth.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Stefan Cooke Makes Old Ideas New

Just two years after graduating with MAs from Central Saint Martins, the London-based duo have established themselves with intricately crafted designs that pull inspiration from the crowded and diverse history of fashion.

The 2019 LVMH Prize: Anrealage's Kunihiko Morinaga Sees the Future

A fascination with the liminal space between the real and the unreal is a hallmark of the Japanese designer’s work, manifesting as a fabric that changes color when exposed to ultraviolet light and garments designed from detail shots blown up by three hundred percent.

Peter Ash Lee's New Magazine 'Burdock' Celebrates Asian-American Talent

Named after a root vegetable common to Asian cuisine, photographer Peter Ash Lee’s new magazine and digital platform celebrates Asian-American culture in an attempt to welcome a more diverse group both in front of and behind the camera.

Spring Cleaning

Bright colors, long lines, and unconventional textures are the hallmarks of Jen Carey and Alexandra Carl’s fashion feature from our Spring 2019 issue starring Lithuanian Giedrė Dukauskaitė.

Tonne Goodman Shares Her 'Point of View'

In her new book, the celebrated former Vogue fashion director shares images from her childhood, her modeling career, and her family life, along with the countless editorials, advertisements, and covers to which she has lent her crisp eye over the years.

Before the Bloom

Emma Summerton and Théophile Hermand find tranquility with Sneha Kaul in London’s Hampstead Heath as the season begins to turn in this fashion feature from our Spring 2019 issue.