Fashion & Art Pt. 4

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Yesterday we had the opportunity to see a fashion show at Pitti Uomo during men's fashion week. This was something I have been looking forward to since I first signed up for this trip. Being a fashion major I of course have always heard about men and women's fashion week and that only bloggers, journalists, buyers, and the most important people got invitations to attend. It is a amzing feeling being surrounded by diverse peoples, all coming together for one common interest and passion, who all love and appreciate the art of fashion and style like I do. It was a very special moment for me, and 13 year old Olivia who became obsessed with runway would be very proud!

The event was Concept Korea and we saw two collections, the first was for the brand Bmuent(te). In this collection a lot of the pieces were very oversized, and all in neutral colors such as, black, gray, white, and shades of beige. The pieces were all pretty simple and all had a coat or sweater, that was meant as the focal point of the outfit. The sweaters were again all neutral in color, oversized in the sleeves and in length, and also were only placed halfway on the model, to showcase the button-up underneath the sweater that went just right below the model's chin in a wide collar. The coats were again, all fairly long in length, ending past the knee, and neutral in color. Most of the coats had straight lines throughout. A few had more rounded shoulders and sleeves. I also noticed a re-occurring theme within this collection of attachable sleeves, extending from the upper arm to the wrist. All of the sleeves also had the same cinched, puff sleeve, and also some were longer in length, either extending completely past the hand or just slightly past the wrist. All of the pants were cropped trousers, and were all mostly a solid black or had pinstripes. It seemed to me that the designers of this collection were using elements from both formal and casual wear to create a classic, yet effortless look. For this collection, I doubt you would see outfits like this in small town USA, but possibly certain elements from the pieces could show up, such as the pinstriped cropped trouser, which we have already seen, and the oversized sweater, which is very popular among women, maybe not as much in men.

The second collection was by a brand called Beyond Closet, and was definitely my favorite of the two. The style of these pieces were more casual, but still with a sophisticated element. All of those clothes had a vintage, eclectic feel, which just happens to be my favorite style. In this collection I could tell the designers played around with a lot of different patterns, such as plaid, argyle, stripes, and gingham. These pieces were more colorful than the first pieces I saw, I think I saw just about every color combination in this collection. I also liked how the designers would subtly insert a pop of color that you almost would not notice at first, until you really studied the garment. My favorite was a tan double-breasted trench coat that's collar was multiple colors in zigzag lines and even the lapels had a orange, yellow and blue plaid pattern. I liked how the designers took classic pieces, but put their twist on them with pops of random colors, animal prints on the sweaters, scarves and trousers, and sporty headbands and coonskin hats. I always loved how they had a theme of crochet sweaters that is a very retro, almost dated look. Again, I really doubt I would see these exact pieces in small-town USA, but definitely certain elements I have already seen. Such as, the plaid trousers and coats with fur-lined collars. Also, in women I have seen the crochet sweaters at Anthropologie where I work, and they are very popular.

I have only been to two fashion shows, both through EKU, the Trash Fash, and the Lions Eye Foundation fashion show. Both of those were of course very different from the Concept Korea show, just because our program has used local venues, models and designers who are just starting out. From the fashion shows I have watched through social media I would say it is pretty similar. Except I did not imagine them to be so short, and I also I thought the people were quite rude when they started walking out before the show was even over, so I do not know if that is typical or if that is just because this show is not as “acclaimed” as a bigger designer or label, so the people who attend are not aware of the proper etiquette.

Overall, the fashion show was one of my favorite parts of this trip so far, and now that I have been to one I will most definitely be attending more!

Today, we went to a couple museums, but my favorite was the Strozzi Museum. I liked how I could walk up to the painting so close I could see paint strokes that the artists did hundred of years ago. It is crazy to think that I am staring a painting or sculpture that was done so long ago and it still has an impact on today's society. My favorite piece was River God, done by Michelangelo. What I like most about this piece is that it is unfinished, but still an amazing and meaningful piece of art. I cannot wait to visit more museums and see more art and architecture for the remainder of my trip!



Until next time!





CIAO!

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