Rick Owens

In my mind, Rick Owens is one of fashion's great thinkers and most intriguing people. He seems to effortlessly capture his thoughts in his work and somehow produces a finished product that is inescapably mesmerizing. This season, his focus was control, which resulted in a nearly quiet collection, often containing heavy fabrics and lengthy hemlines that made it seem oddly strict. At the same time, there was a wave of aerodynamic power. I will just make myself crazy trying to understand and explain, so I'll let you see for yourself.

Uliana Tikhova

Tati Cotliar

Valerija Kelava

Melissa Tammerijn

Hanne Gaby Odiele

Yulia Kharlaponova

Olga Sherer

Chantal Stafford-Abbott

Alana Zimmer

Irina Kulikova

Julia Nobis

Olga Sherer

Kasia Struss

Frida Gustavsson

Kinga Rajzak


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Balmain

Christopher Decarnin, like Nicolas Ghesquière, showed punk-inspired clothes for his latest collection for Balmain. His execution, however, was a far less subtle "fuck you" to the self-proclaimed taste-makers of the industry. The collection was typically sexy and was heavily detailed, bearing some impressive hardware. Decarnin abandoned the usual embellished party dresses for leather jackets, cropped pants, and super short bottoms. He certainly knows how to give his girls what they want. The designer's rather skilled at beautiful destruction and has been fueling a lucrative business—despite the fashion house's astronomical pricing. With this collection, there's little sign of slowing down.

Daria Werbowy

Kasia Struss

Freja Beha Erichsen

Karmen Pedaru

Anna Selezneva

Snejana Onopka

Abbey Lee Kershaw

Kasia Struss

Sasha Pivovarova

Carmen Kass


Just a look at the detail...




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Balenciaga

Nicolas Ghesquière does not base his work on what will be trendy or fashion of the moment, but instead seems to work on impulse and inspiration. So even though Vogue has renounced rock and roll, looking instead to a lady-like look, Ghesquière continues to pursue his own ideas. His latest collection for Balenciaga—one of my very favorite fashion houses—takes inspiration from the street style of punks. Some of the pieces within the show seemed to have an influence by way of Tokyo, while others spoke to London's punk credibility. I couldn't help but to look fondly upon all the houndstooth and recall McQueen's Fall/Winter 2009 collection. I don't mean to assert it was a reference, but it spoke to me. The play on masculine versus feminine established a unique strength that Nicolas so expertly infuses in his designs. Boyish pants and flat, clunky menswear inspired shoes pointed to the former, but ultimately did not seem mannish. The designer's experimentation with fabrics continued as well with plastic-like lace being the most intriguing. The show's cast was also notable, with several next-to-unknowns, Miranda Kerr, Amber Valetta, Stella Tennant, and Gisele Bündchen walking the catwalk. In more ways than one, Nicolas Ghesquière broke rules this season, and the result is absolutely gorgeous.

Milou van Groesen

Bambi Northwood-Blyth

Delfine Bafort

Jaime Bochert

Delfine Bafort

Bo Don

Katie Fogarty

Stella Tennant

Kasia Struss

Kirsi Pyrhonen

Julia Nobis

Freja Beha Erichsen

Gisele Bündchen


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Gareth Pugh

This season Gareth Pugh's collection, like his presentation, had a focus on the future and technology. Instead of having a typical runway show, the young designer collaborated with supermodel Kristin McMenamy, model Jonathan Baker, and filmmaker Ruth Hogben to create a short film for the collection. Kristin is a force of nature within the technological universe created for her, showing the beautiful movement to the clothes. The collection itself was fairly light for Pugh in terms of color, with only a few black pieces. Bionic-looking paneling, sharp lines, and mirrored fabrics met unexpectedly flowing shapes that came alive through film. The lookbook hardly holds a candle, but I selected a few looks that I particularly like that can be more easily seen than the sometimes kaleidoscopic film. Watch it and you will more readily understand the beauty created by the aforementioned artists.

Hanna Kern models.











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