Lingerie Inspiration

The concept of underwear worn as outerwear is not new to fashion. It has been around for a few seasons – we’ve spotted lingerie elements in various designer collections, promoted by celebrities, sometimes borrowed in streetstyle looks. Yet, for the Spring Summer 2016, lingerie inspiration seems more prominent than ever before.

Alexander Wang Spring 2016

In a realm which favors oversized volumes, baggy styles and genderless tailoring, I guess there is a need for softer elements. Whether it is more a matter of styling (as seen at Dries Van Noten, Vetements or Saint Laurent) or becomes an inspiration for entirely new constructions (check Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Celine), lingerie is far from exhausting its power of seduction.

Bringing lingerie into the spotlight could be also regarded as an attempt to revamp and redefine femininity in terms fashion design. Let’s see in which way all those brassiere details, frills, negligees or pajamas will impact the configuration of our wardrobes.

Calvin Klein Collection Spring 2016

Balenciaga Spring 2016

Dries Van Noten Spring 2016

Lanvin Spring 2016

Miu Miu Spring 2016

Celine Spring 2016

Saint Laurent Spring 2016

Vetements Spring 2016

Hood by Air Spring 2016

images source: vogue.com

Posted on October 15, 2015October 15, 2015 by laviniaban 0

HBA Takes It to the Next Level

Hood by Air Fall 2015/ backstage photos by Helga Taxler

I have already wrote about Hood by Air as one of the most promising young brands of Ready To Wear. Now that HBA showed their latest work at NYFW, I’m even more excited. It seams that HBA’s creative Shayne Oliver succeeded to take it to the next level. The brand grows up every season, and it grows nice! For Fall 2015 season, anyone can note a well-grounded approach to androgynous streetwear which is already a HBA signature feature. While some pieces look really avangarde, the clothes are still wearable and highly desirable, paired with a perfect styling. Take the large pleated trousers, the deconstructed fur coats or the cut-out pieces – everything in this collection looks absolutely amazing. Of course, a fashion nostalgic would say that some outfits recall former Margiela or Kawakubo styles. But that era is dead and Shayne Oliver knows well how to use all references and put them into a winning formula. At the end of the day, Hood by Air is a genuine streetwear label. It is about what real people would really enjoy to wear. The shoes are stunning again, especially the way they melt with the pants. The casting is essential in each Hood by Air show – this time again it gives a particular flavour to the clothes. With the aid of Amy Farid (hairstyling) and Inge Grognard (makeup), the beauty was impeccably solved too.

catwalk images via style.com

Watch the HBA fashion show video for Fall 2015 below:

Posted on February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 by laviniaban 0

Relevant fashion label – HOOD BY AIR

What is Hood by Air?

Hood By Air is a New York based streetwear label created by Shayne Oliver and Raul Lopez in 2006. Inspired by hip-hop culture the line features edgy garments and graphic tees printed in bold colors, usually bearing the signature HBA logo. Started as menswear with a collection based on sweatshirts and T-shirts, Hood by Air gradually evolved to more complex constructions. The outfits tend to be rather unisex.

Key words: T-shirts, sweatshirts, logo, prints, Centaur boots, bold, denim, leather, genderless, powerwear.

While the classic HBA tees play a lot with graphics and logos (such as Paramount-inspired logo), more recent collections introduce daring cutouts, bold accessories, lace-up details and sophisticated layering. After Oliver Shayne was awarded with the LVMH Young Fashion Designers special prize there was a significant shift in label’s evolution, which obviously became more luxurious.

Hood By Air items can be purchased online (check VFiles), as well as from famous boutiques like Opening Ceremony and Colette.

Why is it so relevant?

Firstly, because it is an example of American design at its best! Hood by Air delivers extremely clean and wearable clothes, re-imagining Americana style and giving it a fresh allure. The collaboration with Italian footwear brand Forfex resulted in a line of amazing boots, another great addition to the HBA overall look. Although the clothes per se are neither artsy nor emotional, they have instead an experimental component and an evident sexual charge.

Then, because it succeeds to be avant-garde being in the same time ’normal’. Actually, Hood by Air is a smart hybrid between streetwear and high-end fashion, better said an avant-garde streetstyle. In the context of boredom and indifference which dominates fashion lately (see normcore), HBA delivers something new.

Finally, HBA already means much more than clothing. Exploring notions as body, identity, gender, Hood by Air aims to grow its influence as international lifestyle brand. Indeed, working across different creative mediums, they succeeded to build an entire world around these garments. And that’s precisely what makes the difference between ’another label’ and a powerful force in contemporary culture.

A prominent event in their work it’s the recent ‘HBA trilogy’ conceived for the S/S 2015 collection. Having the exploration of the male self – id, superego, ego – as the main theme, the collection has been exposed in three parts:

Part 1 (EGO), presented at NYFW introduced some cool kids wearing signature cut out pieces and amazing plexi choker necklaces; Part 2, (SUPEREGO), which took place in an abandoned office space in Paris focused mainly on “refashioned versions of men’s tailoring, meant for a world where the codes transmitted by a traditional suit no longer exist“(Maya Singer); Part 3 (ID), back in New York at MoMA did not present a new collection, but a party performance and multimedia installation. Bringing together costumes and elements of the previous two collections, with the participation of artists as Mykki Blanco, Boychild, Venus X, Fatima Al Qadiri, Leilah Weinraub, SSION, Total Freedom, HBA’s PopRally event at MoMa delivered an unified view on brand philosophy.