Fashion Directory

When art meets fashion wonderful designs emerge. For spring 2013 season fashion creatives came up with painterly motifs by themselves or teamed up with visual artists to create stunning prints that make clothes look like wearable paintings. If you want to spend on fashion this spring than you should definitely invest in an artistically printed clothing piece.

One of my favorite collections for spring/summer 2013 belongs to the innovative clothing line of Tokyo-based label Beautiful People. Hidenori Kumakiri, a graduate of Bunka Fashion College, the Apparel Technology Department, worked as a pattern maker at COMME des GARÇONS and in 2004 founded Entertainment Ltd., an outsourcing pattern company. Beautiful People, as a fashion label for both women and men, launched in 2007 with a spring/summer collection. In 2011 Hidenori Kumakiri opened his first retail store in Omotesando, Tokyo.

Beautiful People spring/summer 2013 lookbook

Young British designer Sophie Hulme gets her inspiration from the things she collects with a passion; living in a converted toy factory must help also for infusing more creativity into her designs. In fact she intends to brand her collections as collectibles by using every each season a distinct motif. For autumn/winter 2012 toy dinosaurs were replicated on patterned knits, lace embroidery and golden metal charms.

Sophie Hulme fall-winter 2012 collection

What I want from a good pair of shoes is cool classic-updated looks, comfiness and lifelong durability ‘cos I’m in for an investment in the shoe area of my wardrobe. Well Spanish footwear label Deux Souliers seem to have read the minds of shoe investors like myself. Set in 2010 in Barcelona with creative director Nunu Solsona at the helm of the design team Deux Souliers (meaning "two shoes" in French) aims at combining high craftsmanship and innovation in a single design.

Deux Souliers autumn/winter 2012/2013 shoe collection

Lizzie Fortunato is a New York-based women’s accessories label founded by twin sisters Elizabeth and Kathryn Fortunato. Beside their main jewelry line, they added leather goods since the launch of the fall-winter 2011 collection. Richly detailed and meticulously crafted these accessories mix found, reclaimed materials with precious stones and metals. The result is a unique look both fashion forward and bohemian - take the hand embroidered supple leather Ipad case for example. This young label has already gain success with features in prominent glossy magazines and design collaborations with fellow new yorkers Suno and VPL fashion brands.

Lizzie Fortunato spring-summer 2012 accessories collection

Footwear design studio SIX, London celebrated last month (November 2011) ten years of existence with a limited edition shoe collection in collaboration with six top international fashion bloggers. The company’s creative team chose their favorite fashion bloggers and asked them to imagine their ideal pair of shoes. The result is SIXby6bloggers collection, a covetable modern looking ensemble and very distinct, just like their creators. I love how each pair reflects the personality of each blog(ger).

SIXby6bloggers, Caroline Mode boot

A collection inspired by a novel and film heroine is fresh news in fashion marketing. Swedish fashion retailer H&M brought Trish Summerville on board for one of its latest fashion collaborations. Trish is the talented costume designer for “The girl with the dragon tattoo” movie by David Fincher. Certainly Versace for H&M collection is the big news now, because of the glam factor, but I am keener on the film-fashion association.

"The girl with the dragon tattoo collection" by Trish Summerville for H&M

Every fashionista must own a pair of leather shorts says Net-a-Porter.Com. This urban chic trend will be present on the fashion scene for at least two seasons, and even if it may seem like targeted for teens, new designs on offer are more women friendly. Sure this look could easily slip into the tacky zone if being too short, tight and “zipper-y” or teamed up with glitzy tops – Balmain even counts on this formula.

Global fashion label H&M enlists American topmodel Karlie Kloss to star in the autumn 2011 lookbook. Trends for the upcoming fall include 1970s tailoring from soft, thick fabrics (flannel, tweed, leather) and precious silk, lace, brocade, velvet, all in warm colors including luscious burgundy red, camel, chocolate brown, cream, tan, forest green, rusty brown, tomato red.