Schiaparelli Couture Spring 2015

by David Pedroza, Editor in Chief

Back view of Look #11 (Schiaparelli Showroom)

In-house designed collections have become the norm lately, when houses are in trasition from one creative director to another. Most critics do not give in-house teams the best support or accolades for trying their hand in creating a vision for certain collections, but I must hand it off to the team at Schiaparelli for turning out a positivly, wearable, and beautiful collection. They met the stanards of creativness and wearablity, while remaining true to the herritage of the house. For Spring 2015, the house focused on Schiaparelli's surrealism in whimsical prints, and trop l'oiel. Silhouettes where calmer than Zanini's previous collections, they became softer and wearable. There was no lack of color and charm, but this collection overall had more "elegance" and a commercial appeal that can take this brand into more couture client's closets. A stand out look, and personal favorite was look #11, a  bias cut emerald green dress, with a necklace, released at the back with a shadown print of hands, a must have for any colector.

                                                                               Photos from style.com

Atelier Versace Spring 2015

by Daid Pedroza, editor in chief

Last night Donatella Versace kicked off the couture week calendar with the Atelier Versace Spring 2015 collection. I must say there was no lack of sex appeal or glamour on the runway, nor the absents of a 1990's super model; The runway show closed with Eva Herzigova and Amber Valletta.  What impressed me the most was the restrain in beading and print in the first half of the collection, which focused on cut and tailoring. Exquisite tailored day pieces, emphasizing the female figure, with body hugging curved seams, and curved shaped edges that brought an elegant sexiness. The color palette, also restricted to white, black, red, and cobalt blue. No one can mistake the Alexander Calder tear drop cut a ways, or the japanese emoji-beaded mini dresses, which are perfectly executed on a silk crepe bustier. Although, Versace has been noticed for a star studded front row, they also proved they have a clientele demanding clothes from Maison Versace. This was also a testament on the skills that their esteemed atelier possess, creating beautiful, wearable clothes, in the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Backstage, as the Atelier puts finishing touches.

Photos: stylebistro/ ImaxTree

John Galliano's return to Couture

by David Pedroza, Editor in Chief

There are no other words to describe John Galliano’s return to couture, except for exuberant and Avant garde. The designer presented his first Martin Margiela Artisanal collection in London, with a private showing of a spectacular one would expect from the Galliano. Yes, the collection reflects references to his past work at Dior and even erlier in his career, but these creations are modern and capture the essence of Maison Martin Margiela conceptual vision. Although the house of Margiela has been known for minimal conceptual designs, Galliano took the artisanal, or haute couture line, step further, adorning gowns with odd objects to create elaborate and complex embroiders. One stand out piece was a red trapeze coat with red painted sea shells, transformed into a face. Other pieces, have been turned inside-out and deconstructed, demonstrating the houses skilled hands.  Other looks showed restrain and modern elegance, such as silk sack gowns, and black suits, which showed off his expertise in tailoring. Relaxed suits with sharp shoulders, and one bustier "upside-down pant"  dress are sure to be best sellers about clients who are looking for year-round clothes.  Although the collection takes an artistic view on clothing, many pieces can be adapted to create marvelous pieces any couture client would treasure. John Galliano is making his mark, again, in haute couture with a new house, without foresaking his own style.

The Private World of Valentino Haute Couture

Interview by David Pedroza

By David Pedroza, Editor in Chief/ Writer

Art Direction, and Sit-in-Editor, Wilson McCord

Photo by Wilson McCord

Haute Couture is a rarified and private world. To be part of it is a privilege, and the title is bestowed to only a few houses that exemplify the qualifications of this rare tradition. Myself and our Sit-in-Editor, Wilson McCord had the honor of visiting one house that undoubtedly, represents the true art of Haute Couture, Valentino.  Situated in Place Vendom, is the home of Valentino Haute Couture showroom, where collections are completed before the couture shows, and clients are welcomed to view the collections.  Last November, we were warmly welcomed by Katia Smirnoff, Directrice of Valentino Haute Couture.  Madame Smirnoff is an elegant and chic woman who represents the house and works directly with every client who wishes to buy Valentino couture. The showroom was being renovated for the first time in about ten years at the time, with large, hand-poured glass windows. It is an impressive and regal space, suitable for Valentino’s Collection and his clients. Madam Smirnoff introduced us to the senior designer, Antonio Trotto, who works very closely with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, whom were appointed Creative Directors of Maison Valentino in 2008. Both, Madame Smirnoff and Mr. Trotto sat with us, in the Valentino showroom, and shared with us the private world of Valentino.

Valentino Garavani opened his house in Rome, in 1959. In 2008 he retired, leaving a legacy that will continue for generations to come. The houses’ legacy is in the haute couture, the coveted craft that Valentino has been able to harness and master. He became the first Roman couturier to have the official title of Haute Couture, which is only granted by Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, in Paris.  The Haute couture HQ showroom is in Paris, to honor a tradition of the Syndicale, but the ateliers and studios of Masion Valentino are based in Rome. Madame Smirnoff indicated that all Valentino Couture pieces are designed and made entirely by hand in Rome. Every fitting, stitch, and finish is done in Rome with the exception of Embroideries. Masion Valentino keeps in tie with the tradition of using local Parisian ateliers that specialize in a certain craft, and contracts firms such as Lesage and Hurel, that specialize in embroidery. Traced garment sections are sent to these Paris firms to be embroidered, then returned to Rome to assemble each piece into its’ respective “model” or design.  All fabrics used for each collection is secured and made exclusively for Maison Valentino by different fabric mills in Italy and France that create the most beautiful luxury textiles. All designs start with a sketch, and then a toile or model of the garment is made up in cotton to perfect the cut and silhouette of the design.  Those designs that are strapless and require a foundation are secured with a cotton tulle bustier, with boning for added structure, and ribbon stays to secure on the body. No detail is gone without special care and expertise, even shoulder pads, some requiring two days of work, are made from the sculpted and shaped to perfection. Each garment is made-to-measure, with the exact specific measurements of each client or model who will wear the creation for the Haute Couture Defile.  Maison Valentino is so precise on fit and proportion, that they request the measurements of every model from each agency, and create each look to fit perfect on each girl.  An atelier of 60 seamstresses work on the collections in Rome, but a team of 200 employees is required to come to Paris, 3 days before the show, to complete and present the collection.  Each collection keeps the romantic and feminine vision of Valentino, with a modern focus, attracting a wide group of clients worldwide.

Maison Valentino has a thriving haute couture business, catering to women, globally, that demand high-quality, made-to-measure, unique (yet timeless) garments to wear for every purpose and occasion. Madam Smirnoff indicated that their clients come from as far as Australia and Brazil, the U.S. and of course Asia and the Middle East. She receives many requests for looks off the runway, to simple separates, such as blouses and skirts, to meet client’s daily needs.  Mr. Trotto works with many of the clients that come to Valentino, to create “adaptations” which are reinterpreted looks from the runway collections.  Some clients order dresses as they appear on the runway, but many require changes, and other options, so that not two dresses are exactly the same. Katia Smirnoff ensures that the exact design is never reproduced for another client, and that no two women in the same city will have a variation of a design. Every garment must be unique and special for each woman, especially at this level. A Valentino haute couture garment can require anywhere from two to three months of labor, and made by Valentino’s skilled atelier; some of the tailors and dressmakers have worked at Valentino 20 years or more. It is not unusual that it takes years of dedication and training to become a skilled hand to work at one of the ateliers at Valentino. Many of their young apprentices practice the craft, under a watchful eye, for 10 to 15 years before they become a qualified hand to make an entire couture garment.  The requirements to achieve a couture garment, sets haute couture at a whole different level which cannot compare to ready-to-wear garments, not matter how lovely or expensive some ready-to-wear garments can be. Sometimes, Madam Smirnoff receives request from women all over the world.  But an understanding of haute couture is necessary.  A couture garment cannot be purchased off the rack; it must be made to measure, and requires patience, especially when each dress requires three to five fittings.

A majority of Valentino’s couture business is in wedding gowns, which is sometimes the first couture piece a client will order in her lifetime. They have a private showroom, in which we met, dedicated to creating custom wedding gowns. Although collections are not available for bridal, many designs are custom visions between the designer and the client, or an “adaptation” of a dress shown in the main haute couture collection.  Madam Smirnoff has archival boxes in the showroom, with large pieces of lace, tulles, and silks with which a client can experiment. She showed us panels or various types of silks that can be matched and paired with delicate haute couture laces, and veils that can be changed to a desired length and style.  Maison Valentino can create a whole trousseau for a bride, which not only includes her wedding dress but, also made-to-measure pieces for her honeymoon and reception.

As the house of Valentino quietly serves the apparel needs of very private women, whom one will never see or hear about, they have publicly conquered the world. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli created a new energetic mood at Valentino while renovating and opening new stores worldwide. All Flag ships stores have been rejuvenated, representing a new generation, by capturing clean simple aesthetics with refinement of hand workmanship; Granite somber walls with hand-laid marble floors, and art-deco, simple, crystal light fixtures.  Flagships globally received this make over, including New York, and most recently Shanghai. The Valentino brand has grown more in the Asian market, as women from China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore are attracted to the image of Valentino, their ready-to-wear and haute couture. To celebrate the Shanghai store opening, and a new expansion to Asia, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli designed a one-time only special capsule line for the occasion. On November 14, 2013, a spectacular runway show, presented an entirely red collection of both haute couture and ready-to-wear offerings, specifically designed for Shanghai. It was the first and only time both levels of fashion were presented by the house, for a specific territory. The collection is a mixture of the houses vision, with an eastern, more abstract influence, making this collection chic, elegant, yet unique and enchanting various shades of red, such as oxblood, crimson, and of course the Valentino Red, were used to create each piece, such as double faced pieces, capes, and feather appliqué lace dresses.

The House of Valentino has proven to be the epitome of Haute Couture. This brand has mastered the skills and experts of the craft, attracting a large, loyal clientele, and capturing a global audience that wants to experience the world of Valentino through different channels of media and technology available in today’s world.  With an image and style of its own, not to mention its own color, Valentino has been able to successful compete with the changes of time and the demands of a modern generation.  Being able to visit the home of Valentino Haute Couture was a privilege and inspiration, and I hope future generations will feel the same. 

Atelier du Sartel

Womens Bags:  Loewe,  Liberty,  Vincent Du Sartel

Written by David Pedroza, Editor in Chief

Art Direction by Wilson McCord

Sit-in-Editor, Wilson McCord

Photos Courtesy of Atelier du Sartel

The soul of a luxury house is in its designers and craftsmen.  Most major luxury companies depend on the out-sourcing of the development and manufacturing of certain goods that require special attention by an atelier that specializes in a specific trade.  Atelier du Sartel is one atleier that has mastered the design and know-how in leather accessories, hardware, and lifestyle items such as desk accessories and furniture.  

Vincent du Sartel has dedicated his life to developing new technique advances to create the modernization in the way leather goods are made, while retaining the style and requirements of the times we live in. Mr. du Sartel is a craftsman himself, havening been trained to build cabinets by hand, opened his eyes to the integrity of great workmanship and quality, thus having the desire to create the best luxury items he can make.

Wilson McCord, our Sit-in-Editor, made the introduction, and told me about Atelier du Sartel, which took my interest. We met with Mr. du Sartel, at his Paris Atelier, located in a most obscured, private, residential neighborhood.  A fitting location for him and his team to devote their time in cultivating ideas to create designs for luxury houses such as Zilli, Ferragamo, Bulgari, Zenga, Ferrari, and other companies known for their reputations in fine luxury.

Vincent du Sartel and his associates concentrate on accessories in leather, to create modern yet timeless pieces, while using traditional and modern techniques of workmanship to create quality leather goods. He earned his degree at the Versailles Academy of Fine arts, before attending Saint Luc cabinet making school, where he restored 18^th cabinets that required skilled hands and attention to the smallest details.    The highest standards of craftsmanship then became important to Vincent du Sartel, thus leading him to search for new ventures in luxury design.

Luxury Travel Luggage:  Atelier Du Sartel

Cartier:  Luxury and Parfume Packaging

Center: Vincent Du Sartel, Creative Director and Owner and Atelier Creative Heads: Sergio and Jana; Clockwise:

Louis Vuitton Ring, Ermenegildo Zegna Mens Belt, Louis Vuitton RIng,

Ermenegildo Zegna Mens Belt, Sol Womens Shoe Project, Womens Embossed Liberty Bag,

Leather Craftsman Working, Davidorf Luxury Briefcase, Louis Vuitton Tableware  Luxury Coffret,

Thread Spools, Atelier Du Sartel Workshop, Cartier Luxury Funiture Prototype, 

Loewe Womens Luxury  Eyewear.

In 1986, Vincent du Sartel came into Louis Vuitton, and started a 13 year relationship that would alter the future of the house.  Although the house was established and well known at the time, Mr. du Sartel worked hard to create an image for the brand, the essence of Vuitton, which would continue to this day.  His focus was to develop leather goods, and make improvements on the Louis Vuitton Trunk, a house classic. During his time at Vuitton he grew the small accessories studio from two persons to over 40 in 13 years, including the 6 years that he served as Creative Director of LV accessories.

He studied the craft of leather making at the house, to understand the process used to manipulate leather.  This fascinated him, since he could relate trunk manufacturing to the manufacturing of furniture, both using brass hardware and wood as its foundations. The Vegetable-tanned leather used as the trim on the trunks was created with a process in which cow hide is layered with alternating pieces of wood,  that is compressed with pressure and tanned underground, creating extremely durable leather.  These techniques and craftsmanship had taken Mr. du Sartel into pushing forward the design innovation and craftsmanship of luxury leather accessories, which lead him to join the Luxury Spanish house of Loewe, in 2000.  

At Loewe, Vincent du Sartel worked with the house, concentrating on ready-to-wear and accessories made out of leather and exotic skins. The houses strong heritage and prestige in leather, was the DNA for Mr. Sartel, who worked on designs that would remain timeless, while evoking the modern styles of our times. Each pieces was created in the best leather and exotic skins, and either manipulated to create new forms and textures or dyed in saturated, bright, colors. All care went to the tanning and assembling of Loewe’s leather garments and bags.

Atelier du Sartel opened in 2003 launching his own name sake line of handbags and accessories, along with consulting luxury brands in accessory development.  His conviction for what he designs must remain intimate to the identity of a brand set him apart from other designers. Luxury houses seek him out to take over accessory development, which also involves the sourcing of materials and the process used to make each item.  Atelier du Sartel has become responsible for consulting leading jewelry houses such as Cartier and Bulgari, helping them develop accessories, such as Cartier’s exclusive, leather box set, featuring made-to-order perfumes.  This unique edition required special attention in creating a box that was refined, well crafted, and tied in the houses identity.  The refined and well-crafted box created an elevated level of packaging for Cartier fragrances, and became a coveted item.

Mens Luxury Briefcases, Davidorf - Very Zino Collection

Mens Shoes,  Loewe (Advertising);  Loewe Shoe Designs

Mens Accessories, Ermenegildo Zegna Cat Walk Show;  Womens Luxury Evening Bag, Liberty;

Luxury Home Designs (Porcelain),  Cartier; Womens Luxury Purse, Louis Vuitton

 

Clients like Ermenegildo Zegna request hard-ware designs from Atelier d Sartel, which includes materials such as aluminum and other metals to create items such as belt buckles, snaps, and rings that will be used as closures.  These small, yet important, luxury elements are carefully designed to maintain a classic aesthetic, while infusing modern design and technique.  The atelier not only designs, but finds solutions for making certain metals, like making aluminum, light and durable, and keeping a high standard of quality. These developments led to creating watches for luxury Timepiece manufactures and working on Kyocera ceramics, a very hard, durable ceramic that has the properties of metal, but the lightness of ceramics, and can be manipulated into more complex forms. Atelier du Sartel is creating watches, and working with these types of materials to create elegant and high end time pieces, with a more tech aesthetic, and bringing a modern lightness to the luxury Watch industry.

Most recently, Vincent du Sartel and his team, has been working with Bentley, the renowned luxury car manufacture, to create an exclusive line of Bentley accessories and outerwear, in leather.  Mr. du Sartel is working closely with the best tanners and leather suppliers, to use the skins at their highest potentials in creating beautifully crafted modern designs.  He is creating leather goods with less seams, by molding leathers to create accessories with a cleaner, stream-line look.  The Bentley line will appeal to car’s customer base, as well to luxury enthusiasts.  Atelier du Sartel, has become the go-to firm for luxury companies, who seek the know-how of experienced designers to create leather goods, shoes, jewelry, furniture, and desk accessories, such as envelope knives.  Having the privilege of knowing who creates these extraordinarily well crafted accessories, and that they have devoted their life’s work and time to create these beautiful pieces, brings a much greater worth to the luxury goods, designed by Atelier du Sartel.

Travel Bag:  Ermenegildo Zegna - Vintage Collection

 

Christophe Josse Haute Couture Fall/ Winter 2013-2014

 

by David Pedroza, Editor in Chief

Photos Courtesy of Maison Christophe Josse

In the spirit of the season, Christophe Josse presented a collection of pure serenity and beauty. The tranquility and peacefulness of his Fall/ Winter 2013/2014 collection celebrated the exquisite craftsmanship of haute couture in a vision of white, alabaster, cream, and fleshy rose. Inspired by the folklore of near east Asia, the Urals of Russia, and the rich resources of haute couture, Mr. Josse has created a winter collection that is light, yet warm and elegant.  Although regal and dramatic in theme, the clothes themselves are stately, refined, yet casual.  The simplistic forms are matched to those of contemporary sculpture, and the textures are rich, thus no need to be emphasized by color, reminiscent of the work by contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer. Christophe Josse is a personal favorite, crating clothes that an  intellectual yet creative soul would gravitate towards.  The opening look, a wool crepe alabaster tunic paired with neoprene knickers, was an instant favorite, along with look number two, a guipure lace dress that captured a spiritually pure energy and perfection. Mr. Josse has refined his image and softened his hand, making him one of the grande masters of Haute Couture.