Preview of the new Prada Spring Summer 2011 womens accessories collection that will hit stores next year! Yes, fashion is so fast, we are way ahead of time to know what’s on offer even for the coming season. Good for consumers to plan their purchases

What do you think of Prada’s Spring Summer 2011 women’s accessories?

In my opinion, the pieces make a strong graphic statement. Bold use of pattern, in colourful stripes created a impactful visual language (Kinda reminds me of prisoner’s uniform from yesteryear.Colours are exciting, bold and loud (Especially the ultra bright blue which seemed to be the key colour for Spring Summer 2011). You cannot help but be noticed. The ultra thick wedge sole are key design traits for footwear. Applied on brogues, peep tops, heels… you name it, you got it. Woven leathers in multi-colours are also an interesting choice of material (although they feel very Bottega Veneta).

The bags also play heavily on graphic pattern, with almost every handbag created made from canvas and accented with leather buckles. The blue and white ones evoke a strong nautical holiday sensibility. Beyond bags and shoes, those colourful fur boas are a standout and looking incredibly seductive!

Having ’sing’ all the positive points of the collection, it’s time to get brutal. Sad to admit, the entire collection runs on the ‘NON-PREMIUM’ side, but more casual. Canvas material no matter how gorgeous, is still fabric. Devoid of any hardware, it looked even less expensive. Leather buckles may seem like a innovative alternative to metal, the way they have been crafted looked less polished.

Sorry, Prada. For the amounts these bags and shoes are going to fetch, I think there is a need to balance design and ‘looking the price’. I guess Prada fans will appreciate the design concept, but I will think twice in terms of idea vs. price. Call me practical and want my money’s worth.

Burberry released a trading update yesterday. sales were up 17% for the first six months of trading to 30th september 2010. There were a couple of interesting points made, but here is my little analysis as a consumer :

growth in china

China cropped up time and again in their financials press release. although there wasn’t any geographical breakdown, it was reported that 30% of europe’s sales were from chinese customers. This doesn’t come at a surprise since much of eurozone’s currency had really gone down the toilet this year, making it much more cheaper and attractive for tourists from the far east to come visit and spend.

Other notable news include the buy back of 50 stores in china. This would give them more control over this fast growing market. How significant? As at 30th september, burberry owns 164 retail stores, and 30% of the stores are in china.

China is obviously a very significant and growing market for burberry. But we have yet to see an obvious design shift to deliberately appease/appeal to the chinese audience. no cheongsums, no pandas tigers or dragons in sight yet. They seem to be doing their thing, and leaving the arduous task to the marketing teams, to make the collections relevant and appealing to chinese market. And for the record, i like that.

A sulpherous burning and bright yellow, which dominated the show set the blazing tone for Damir Doma’s serene S/S 11 collection which he declares on the press release to be one that “frees her from the mould (the rib of the man)”.

The androgyny of last season softens further into a raw elegance where surprisingly, the waist becomes the focal point with wide wrap leather belts and a delicate feminity is worked into sheer mesh trails peeking out from short pelmet skirts and demure shift dresses. The Far Eastern influence seen in the colour palette can also be traced from the high kimono trousers, robes as well as in the consideration for fabrics.

This exercise in purity still says that Doma is keen to make his womenswear distinctive from his acclaimed menswear offerings and with his latest nomination in the Swiss Textile Awards, it will be intersting to see him put the two together in cohesion.

DAZEDDIGITAL

Dutch duo Viktor And Rolf (Designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren) has been producing avant garde and highly conceptual collections (sometimes pushing fashion tolerance) since 1993. Their sense of quirk and surprise in their work can be easily identifiable even thru their ‘out of this world’ upside down flagship store decor in Milan. That speaks volumes of the designers’ aesthetics and couture like sensibility.

Having done menswear for many years, the menswear line has recently expanded into mens footwear. I guess in part due to Renzo Rosso —owner of Diesel, chairman of Only the Brave (OTB)— taking a controlling stake in their company. Viktor & Rolf stated that this deal is meant to allow their company to put out a wider range of products and to open more stores. I was having high expectations for a freshly start up shoe line from the brand since their forte is in ready to wear. But from these new lookbook pictures, I can say, my interest has been sparked…

These new Fall Winter 2010 arrivals for guys embody the same quirk and surprise seen in their RTW pieces. I find the puffy and quilted trainers something of an attention grabber. It’s bloated and huge… a show piece in its own right, although I wonder how it will look on a real person. But in the name of fashion, I have confidence some fashion forward fanatic will be grabbing a pair nonetheless. Another outstanding piece is the iridescent/pearlised metallic trainers which achieved a unique colour and texture for mens shoes design. They look like moon boots to be tread out in space.

As for formal footwear… the duo’s designs shines like a beacon. There are many beautiful pieces to tempt. I love the black crushed velvet ankle boots or the emerald velvet lace-ups. It’s perfect luxe for the cold season with a dash of debonair. Besides velvet fabric, there are also bi-material options with leather and felt or leather and wool. If you want more detailing, those designs lined with metal round studs are gorgeous and in tune with the Napoleonic military trend happening this fall.

Besides shoes, belts are also offered in the collection. They come in many formats, of course with the metallic iridescent version being my favourite. I also adore the use of the brand’s logo in a wax seal as belt buckle. Something classic with an elegant touch, masking the brashness of using logo branding.

It’s a pity Club 21 no longer stocks the brand. Things have taken a better turn in terms of wearability for Viktor and Rolf’s menswear the past 2 seasons.

I will post a few of her other works soon, but here is a look at some of her latest creations which are a series of stud and crystal embellished straps which can be worn in a myriad of ways.

It’s like Givenchy and Prada s/s 10 chandelier heels had a crack baby.

Glare be damned!

But maybe, just maybe, these pieces from Illesteva’s debut 2010 Spring-Summer collection (available at Oki-ni) can convince me to take the necessary leap of faith. I’m sure, like me, many of you have seen countless releases of plastic or acetate frames in all the possible colors, across all the budget brackets. But something notable about the Leonard pairs is their shape, which is a combination of many designs – from the pointy curve at the nose to the swimming goggle-thickness of the bridge and around the frame.

Also the double screws and the exposed wire: they betray a cooky personality, that may be a deceptively shallow but always interesting.

The mechanism of the sunglasses is purposely set in contrast to the acetate material to prove that not all loud types lack substance.

However, luisaviaroma currently only stocks a black calf leather loafer with studs at €314.17. I hope more styles will soon be offered at the online retailer’s website.

Giacomorelli is also planning to set up their very own online store which is targeted to be operational by end July.

So stay tuned!

For this first Fall Winter 2010 collection, there will be a total of 7 styles where style number 1, 2 and 4 will each be offered in 3 different colours. Production run for each design are limited (100 pieces maximum for each style). However, for the upcoming Spring Summer 2011 collection, there will be 2 very limited styles going for a exclusive run of just 30 pairs. The possibility of collaborative designs with some major brand names are also in planning. I have yet to receive the lookbook for their Spring Summer 2011 collection. But once the images are sent to me, I will definitely share them here.

Here’s a little background information about the designer and the business partners involved in creating Giacomorelli:

Giacomo Morelli is a new and young designer who was born in Italy 24 years ago. After high school, he left his own town and studied in the Marangoni fashion school in Milan, developing his ideas and honing his acute sense of style.

Upon graduation in 2009 and finishing his fashion show in Paris, he started gaining valuable experience from working with some famous brands before embarking on his own label. Having always the dream to create his own line of shoes, Giacomo Morelli began developing his shoe designs as early as 2009. Hand made in Italy, the quality and innovative designs caught the attention of Vittorio and Roberto in December 2009 where they use their industry expertise and experience to help Giacomo distribute his shoe line to well known retailers all across Italy.

The GIACOMORELLI brand name was hence born. With the help of the good business strategy by Vittorio, these beautiful shoes has now been introduced to reputable buyers and customers worldwide.

For next fall D&G sends puffy ski-wear clad hunks down their runways. As a result, this ski theme idea translates thru to the bag collection as well.

Lots of nylon and distressed leather. Waterproof, weatherproof and abuse proof. Sometimes, you just need a tough bag to bring along when you are up for some those snow cap adventures!

For prefall 2010, there are roomy duffels with a v front design, or totes in leather or nylon that is practical and sans the usual loud D&G branding. And ‘Loewe Calle Bag‘… Is that chu? Wonder who in D&G approve this bag design for production? ‘Copying’ or great minds think alike?

As for the Fall 2010 Bags, it’s all in the charms… bag charms. Loving all those cute little trinkets that hangs on the quilted nylon totes. Prada-esque, Chanel Coco Cooonish… whatever you describe it, those charms are what sets these bags apart. The furry pom poms, ‘mountain climbing’ D-hooks and rope , phone wire looking charms etc. add colour and a sense of explorer attitude to the otherwise sombre winter collection. They almost seem like souvenirs you pick up from some hill tribes while trekking those ski mountains.

For Spring Summer 2010 Frida Giannini presents The New Bamboo, a 21st century reinterpretation of one of Gucci’s most iconic handbag designs. In reinventing this House classic, Giannini blends tradition with high-tech innovation, and history with high-fashion.

The original Gucci Bamboo bag was a small constructed handbag crafted in pigskin with a curved bamboo handle. First created in 1947, the design became an iconic example of Gucci’s craftsmen. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the Gucci Bamboo bag was worn by countless international celebrities, sealing its future fate as one of Gucci’s most beloved and successful handbag creations.

The bag has now been proposed both in its historical shape as well as in a new, larger scale. For the first time, nickel has been introduced as the hardware for the bag, giving it a cooler touch. Like the original, the bag has a long leather strap to complement the bamboo handle, but it has now been augmented with a second strap of draped metal chain with a braided base, which adds a sexier touch. Also new are the bamboo fringe tassels.