The aesthetic dimension of the showcase…

We have spent many years arranging our shop window as the natural showcase for the collections that change from season to season inside the store. It is a sort of metaphysical space in which to display and show off the spectacular nature of certain apparel, and especially our own fanciful interpretation of these items. There is no way for us to be sure that the general feelings and ideas we have about the collections are conveyed in the best possible way, on the other hand, the designers themselves often leave out or simply refuse to express the possible connotations of their collections.

So that’s how it is, an entirely arbitrary composition that takes over the main window of the store each week, as well as the less imposing side windows and interior cases!

It is a general image that employs a precise aesthetic lesson provided by that singular and indefinable concept of beauty known as wabi-sabi; something that different forms of the so-called Japanese school expertly make use of in clothing. Greatly simplifying, we might say that wabi-sabi is the opposite of all that which in aesthetic terms we call ‘luxury’. Luxury is glitter, flashy and smacks of something new and artificial, it is easy to reproduce and make widely available; it has a simple and explicit message. The beauty of wabi-sabi remains open in every sense to the changing times, trends and events, making it impracticable, if not impossible, to replicate. In the words of Leonard Koren:

It is the beauty of things imperfect,

impermanent, and incomplete.

It is the beauty of things modest and humble.

It is the beauty of things unconventional.

Yohji Yamamoto, long train dress in organic cotton serge, flared shape, slit neck with pointed stand up top edge, front joke detail, sleeveless, horizontally cut at rear, tiered hem, row cut edges

Katrien Van Hecke,  dress in hand dyed silk crepe, print realized with airbrush and natural colours come from spices and herbs, round neck, center gathering folds, short sleeves, rear zip fastening, slightly flared shape, knee length

Vlas Blomme, reversible jacket, one side in shiny linen and silk and melange linen on reverse, garment washed, notched collar, front button fastening, welt chest pocket, two front flap pockets, long sleeves with slit at the hem, small vent at back

Katrien Van Hecke, oversize bomber jacket in hand dye silk crepe, print realized with airbrush and natural colours come from spices and herbs, front zip fastening, collar and hem band in knit ribbed hemp blend, slanted welt pockets, silk lining

Rick Owens, long top in rayon and silk fine jersey, front draped at one side, straight shape, loose fit, rounded v neck, dropped shoulder, short sleeves, asymmetric front hem

Trippen, ballerina in vegetable-tanned calf leather, wax finish treated, fold detail on the vamp, two cups rubber outsole

Cauliflower-Issey Miyake, stretch honey comb pleated top in multicolor mosaic pattern printed, low round neck, dropped shoulder

Deux Dans Umi, asymmetric dress in polyester and viscose jersey, irregular curved cuts patterned with draped and embossed effect, asymmetric neck line, front slanted slit detail, sleeveless, row cut edges, shorter at the back

Vlas Blomme, melange linen with bar stripe back, wide fit, shawl collar, dropped shoulder, long tapered sleeves, no fastening, upside down wearable with longer effect

Bao Bao-Issey Miyake, tote bag in multicolor flexible glossy PVC triangles, black adjustable handle, interior zipped pocket; length: 34cm, height: 34cm, handle: 38cm

Photographs by Sari Milan

The Paris Fashion Week has just come to an end, and it is with great pleasure that we wish to share with you the spaces, previews, discoveries and friendships we experienced, which, over the years, have come to be the most intense moments of the season.

Thankfully, though the pace is brisk, it suits our insatiable and tireless curiosity, our suppliers, representatives and colleagues are all dear friends and, not least of all, the setting is that of the beautiful Ville Lumière.

It is an opportunity to display little known and even less talked about areas of fashion, far from the usual stereotypes that associate the fashion world with pomp and luxury. Here, in the middle, exists a very human experience, characterized by tireless experimentation and work with styles as yet little explored.

Daniela Gregis showroom:

Vlas Blomme showroom:

Comme des Garçons defilé:

Comme des Garçons showroom, with Madame Kiyo Hirano:

Junya Watanabe defilé:

Junya Watanabe showroom:

Yohji Yamamoto defilé:

Y’s Yohji Yamamoto showroom:

Penelope, Brescia, at Y’s Yohji Yamamoto showroom

Tatjana and Diana for Yohji Yamamoto:

Issey Miyake, defilé:

Karina, Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake showroom, with Giampiero Molteni, Tessabit, Como:

Rick Owens defilé:

Oyuna cachemire, showroom:

Katrien Van Hecke showroom:

Landscapes and friends:

Place Vendome

Municipal bicy

Natalie Doudous, Solis, Lione

Bernardelli, Mantova and Dolci Trame Blu, Carpi

…and Sari, the phographer!

Vlas Blomme, in Flemish, means “The flax flower”. This is a clear tribute to Flanders, the world’s capital of the production and manufacture of this valuable fibre, and also a tribute to flax, the material of the entire summer collection.

Designed by the Japanese Satoshi Ishii, the brand uses the precious material from Kortrijk, one of the most important places for flax production in Belgium, to give shape to a simple selection of items of clothing, specifically designed to enhance the material’s potentials.

The design infact proposes a perfect and surprising union of shape and fabric. The suggestions of the vast Flemish plains are evoked and recalled through the colours and patterns. They talk about skies, trees and country life, that is rural and light-hearted at the same time. The evident ability to give shape to materials, however, goes beyond the common, ordinary shapes of isolated, rural lives. The lines run with the wind, juxtapose and create uncertain outlines.

A deep care and an evident love for the fabrics can be seen on collars and shoulders, where convolute forms are created that are still very sober.

Vlas Blomme follows a path that indulges in environmental subjects, working on the qualities of the best natural fibre, and above all being able to test its brand new, fresh, lyrical possibilities.