ZUHAIR MURAD FALL 2014 COUTURE

DANIELA DE JESUS (MAJOR)

ZUHAIR MURAD

FALL 2014 COUTURE

Beirut has been undergoing an architectural renaissance, with Herzog & de Meuron, Norman Foster, Steven Holl, and Zaha Hadid among the starchitects making their mark on the Lebanese capital.

Zuhair Murad, who is based there, saw the potential for a Couture collection built from geometry—particularly Hadid's extreme forms.

To most eyes, Murad's interpretation might seem tenuous; dresses generally adhered to classic cocktail or gala silhouettes, with an occasional angular bustline, displaced hemline, or enhanced-volume overskirt.

But look closely at the surface detail and you could see how the stretched, encrusted wave patterns; guipure macramé; and puzzle-piece prism motifs expressed a certain neo-futurist edge—especially when rendered in black, white, and silver (the result of hammered metallic sequins). 

In trading last season's precious garden inspiration for a modern cityscape, Murad nudged his aesthetic forward, even if only incrementally.

To his fairy-tale wedding dress, he added a 5-meter-long veil; yet the crosshatched embroidery evoked the distinctive cladding employed by various architects today. 

 The designer could have pushed further beyond his signature glamour comfort zone—but perhaps his clients (well-evidenced by the primped-up women sitting front-row) don't demand this of him

 He mentioned that his couture customers are younger and younger—in age and also in spirit, and maybe the beaded, multicolored jump-short number will be purchased less because it represents a good investment than a youth-affirming indulgence.

The penultimate look, a shimmery belted caftan, was an outlier in its Art Deco vibe; its unstudied elegance was the most modern statement of all.

DANIELA DE JESUS (MAJOR)

DANIELA DE JESUS (MAJOR)

ANASTASIA IVANOVA (WOMEN)

STYLE.COM

PHILIPP PLEIN FALL 2014 RTW

 PHILIPP PLEIN FW 14.15

"This isn't your ordinary fucking fashion show, I'm telling you right now," Rita Ora declared today at Philipp Plein before launching into her hit "Facemelt." The lyrics of that tune, "I'm the kind of heat that will make the place melt… This the kind of beat that will make ya face melt," would take on greater meaning before the end of the night.

But Ora's pronouncement rang true from the moment the invitation arrived, a huge brass buckle with a cow's skull in the center surrounded by the words "Philipp Plein: Noir Cowboy." Inside the Teatro Alcione, the designer installed a neon-lit gas station and parked an El Camino Classic underneath it. And that's not all: Plein hired none other than Naomi Campbell to open and close his show. 

Production levels and expenses of these kinds aren't actually new for Plein, who has booked Grace Jones and Iggy Azalea in seasons past.

What was different this time around was the action on the runway. Working behind the scenes, stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele gave the proceedings a new sense of gloss. (Maybe her participation had something to do with the big-name models who stalked the catwalk as well.)

 In keeping with Plein's cowboy theme, there were studded black leather jeans, swaggering dusters with giant fox-fur lapels, and ankle-scraping ruffled skirts.

Plein also had red-and-black tartan (prairie plaid?), which was a little less obvious but still fun. Borrowed-from-his-men's collection distressed and faded denim was the best of all when it came stomping out in flat studded boots. 

Plein had us until the back of the El Camino, mere feet from the front row, erupted in flames. Facemelt!

DANIELA DE JESUS COSIO (MAJOR)

ALANA ZIMMER ()

LAIS RIBEIRO ()

ANNE V ()

IZABEL GOULART ()

NAOMI CAMPBELL ()