It’s the return of elegance, again. The trickle down of ubiquitous streetwear culture and TikTok fashion has fashion designers craving minimalism and classicism.
Huishan Zhang is declaring that elegance never left — in some parts that’s true. It’s a canvas cleanse — the embellishments are toned down, colors are softer and proportions nod to Christian Dior’s New Look, which was introduced 75 years ago.
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Zhang is not alone: Lanvin’s Bruno Sialelli and Jenny Packham have also received the elegant memo.
The Chinese-born designer had a yearning for Europe while being locked down in China and the influence of the large Italian team he works with rubbed off on him. He started binging and brainstorming around the films of Italian silver screen stars Silvana Mangano and Anna Magnani.
“It’s about a really strong woman that stripped off all the excess and to really focus on the code of the woman,” Zhang said from his Qingdao atelier.
His designs are less rigid and more freeing than past seasons even when the models are wearing pastel hued column dresses; tweed separates with cinched waists, and corsetry. He’s even added in a silk MA-1 bomber jacket in “red brick”, a color that was custom made for the collection by Zhang’s longtime mill.
Despite selling “more black and white” pieces, he’s adamant that color remains the essence of the house and it’s always the way he wants to approach anything.
But that’s the mistake in his design strategy — twee does not always translate to high English tea and if he follows the elegant direction as he has in resort, he will be shuffling up to sit with London’s discreetly elegant designers, such as Emilia Wickstead and Erdem.
Launch Gallery: Huishan Zhang Resort 2023
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For the resort season, designer Johanna Ortiz is sending a message of celebration.
In the lush garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, creative director Ian Griffiths penned a love letter to Portugal through a strong collection that revealed a more sensual side of the Max Mara woman.
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The South Korean designer channeled Y2K and all of the optimism, color and off-kilter proportions of the period.
The program is called “Beauty as a Legacy 2030.”
Outdoor-inspired utility mixed with gender-bending flamboyance on this season's runways.
"There's a real excitement about dressing up again," Packham said in an interview at her Paris showroom.
The 360-degree approach marks the first time Dior's fashion and beauty divisions have converged on a single location for a pop-up.
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The designer layered brightly colored, ultra-sheer fabrics into voluminous, sometimes fantastical looks.
A highbrow inspiration of private spaces resulted in a more mass-friendly hiking-inspired collection for the French brand's new menswear.
The French designer turned to Morocco as a key influence in another quietly consistent collection.
Designer Monique Lhuillier returned to Italy to photograph her celebratory, vibrant collection in the streets and canals of Venice.
K-pop pandemonium overshadowed Hedi Slimane's finely hewed rock-star collection.
Inspired by an oasis in the Californian desert, Carlotta Oddi delivered a beautifully executed and mood-boosting collection, which also marked Alanui’s serious foray into accessories.
The upstart L.A. brand from founder Caroline McCaul launched a three-piece capsule with Bloody Dior as part of a larger project on mental health.
The Spanish designer goes tight, short or low-cut — sometimes all at once.
Celebrities like Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter, Janelle Monáe and more looked to recent runway shows for the awards show.
Designer Onye Anuna brings vibrancy to his afro-contemporary collection with bold prints and lace shirts balanced with structure.
Inspired by an oasis in the Californian desert, Carlotta Oddi delivered a beautifully executed and mood-boosting collection, which also marked Alanui’s serious foray into accessories.