Suzy Menkes系列：全球時尚觀察

Suzy Menkes系列：全球時尚觀察作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網巴黎設計師曾在垂褶印度紗麗、絲綢中山裝與和服外套等老派風格中尋找時裝系列的主題靈感。

但我對這樣的概念更感興趣：在當今這個互聯化的世界中，優秀設計師紛紛從世界各地湧現出來。

他們渴望在巴黎開秀，實現自己的夢想，但他們各自擅長的工藝卻都源於自己的祖國。

我選取了四位設計師，他們的影響力源自各自的國度，而其設計才華已為世人熟知。

Rahul Mishra：用心成就完美

Rahul Mishra的秀被安排在長達四周的馬拉松式時裝周最後一天的倒數第二場。

時裝嘛，總是能令人愉悅，Rahul Mishra的秀也的確深深地打動了我。

他在為我們描述那些簡約卻精緻的時裝時，將本系列命名為「擺渡者的故事」。

這些作品的設計初衷源於他在日本的一次旅行，日本的傳統藝術賦予了他創作靈感。

之後他回到印度走訪了很多村落，那些村落里有許多從事手工藝品製作的手工藝人。

他將日本藝術的靈感與印度手工製作相結合，設計出了現在的時裝。

他的時裝飛越大洋，出現在了巴黎、紐約這些大都市的時裝店裡。

得知Rahul Mishra獲得了本年度國際羊毛標誌大獎時—— 無論是其外在構型還是內在精髓—— 我尚未真正理解Rahul Mishra作品的精妙之處。

拉鏈夾克配修身長裙，精美的歐根紗上衣與半透明薄紗抹胸疊穿，三維立體風格印花圖案……當我親眼目睹這一切時，我才真正理解Rahul Mishra的設計故事。

Rahul Mishra的時裝不僅以簡約優雅著稱，還擁有不少有趣的元素。

他的每件單品都或多或少帶有刺繡元素，由於大多數刺繡都採用了美利奴羊毛，而不全是歐根紗，因此也充滿了幾分摩登現實感。

當時我正趕著去Hermès的秀場，因此沒能到後台近距離欣賞Rahul Mishra的作品，但Rahul在東京宮的台階上拉住我聊了幾句。

這位設計師談到「打造美麗的故事」時說：「我推崇的是慢時裝的概念，也就是慢工出細活，只有當製衣過程放慢時，才有可能做出更加漂亮的時裝來。

」關於這位設計師，還有一個不為人知的故事：Rahul Mishra鼓勵那些居住在城市貧民區的手工藝人回到自己的村落，並僱傭這些人為自己工作。

Rahul設計的另一個突出特點就是造型優美且富有現代感。

雖然作品中沒有加入紗麗褶皺這個標誌性的印度元素，但作品展現出了的印度女性那種與生俱來的優雅卻絲毫沒有因此而減弱。

我一直認為，當今最高端的時尚奢侈品都是手工打造的。

這些時裝所展現出的繁密精細和工藝質感最能打動我。

張卉山：時尚大融合作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網張卉山：時尚大融合

我曾有兩次機會看到張卉山的作品，但直到第二次才覺得這機會有多麼難得。

我在這場以英式茶會形式舉辦的時裝秀即將結束前趕到了現場，但由於來得太晚，我只看到了精美華麗的晚禮服。

設計師張卉山在英國中央聖馬丁藝術與設計學院深造，常年往返於英國和他的故鄉中國青島兩地。

他還定量承接Dior高定時裝的設計工作。

到法國展廳內近距離觀賞這些時裝便會發現他的作品格外精緻，但呈現出來的風格卻又如此簡約幹練：剪裁考究的白襯衫上裝飾著一塊色澤亮麗的刺繡，與一條仿若樹葉繡成的半透明薄絲裙搭配。

張卉山設計的一款簡約白色長裙上有一隻刺繡熊貓圖案，從這件作品中，你很快就會看到這位設計師融合時尚元素的卓越能力。

還有一件更加別致的作品，仍是一件白色長袖連衣裙，但卻將五彩底色與淡色鏤空花邊結合在了一起。

我們不妨這樣想：若中國手工藝人與受過時尚專業教育的設計師聯手，一定能創造出雪紡樹葉刺繡這樣的精美作品。

離開展廳，我一直在想，卉山的中西時裝故事必將有一個完滿的結局。

Manish Arora：穩中取勝作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網Manish Arora：穩中取勝

無論是在故土印度還是在異鄉法國，Manish Arora的時裝秀都是一道精美絕倫的風景線，我在這兩個國家都看過他的時裝秀。

我能想像出那種大膽又極富戲劇性且令人炫目的圖案和創意十足的裝飾點綴。

對於這位設計師來說，再多的圖案和點綴都不為過。

我仍記得一些印度與歐洲合作的時裝秀。

事實上，我覺得他是第一個對運動鞋的顏色和圖案如此狂熱的設計師。

千禧年不久後，我有次去孟買，在那裡我看到了他與Reebok合作的炸魚運動時裝展，那種風格的出現遠比當下流行的鞋履風格要早得多。

但那已經是過去時了。

2015年春夏秀場上，你會發現Manish 似乎想要為每個人設計他們夢寐以求的時裝。

模特們戴著印有粉紅色花朵圖案的棒球帽，穿著精美的刺繡貼花運動衫，秀場上瀰漫著濃濃的運動氣息。

有的造型下身搭配褶皺雪紡裙，簡直美不勝收。

然而，設計師並沒有將運動褲或帶有類似印花的上衣與喇叭裙搭配，這反而使整個時裝系列顯得更加迷人又親切。

Manish Arora設計的刺繡貼花裙與大街上那些便宜的裙裝絕非同一水準。

不過這些長長短短的弔帶裙乍看上去也並沒有什麼特別之處。

Manish以一隻眼睛的圖案為基調再加上銀色的羅馬涼鞋，在眾多的街頭風格元素中獨領風騷。

時裝秀末尾部分那件簡單長裙胸前印的彩色眼睛圖案著實招人喜歡。

但是這其中很多作品在裝飾方面根本就沒有真正體現出印度風情，尤其是那些帶有印度神明圖案的運動衫，這些風格在世界各地都有，比如在早期的運動鞋設計中。

Leonard：東方魅惑作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網Leonard：東方魅惑

Leonard是一家以精美高貴印花著稱的法國時裝公司。

公司的標識是一朵蘭花。

為慶祝公司創立50周年，Leonard打算在東京舉辦一場時裝秀。

Leonard在不少亞洲國家擁有大批追隨者，日本就是其中之一。

作為家族品牌的領頭人，Daniel Tribouillard吸納了很多有才華的設計師。

但最近他決定聘請華裔法國設計師Yiqing Yin，Yiqing Yin在法國生活並建立了自己的時裝工作室。

過去幾年，印花被時裝界遺忘在角落，最近數碼印花又以不可阻擋的勢頭風靡起來。

即便這樣，Leonard 依舊堅持自己的體系：公司倉庫里存放的上千件時裝全都是手工繪製和手工印花。

可是Yiqing Yin如何才能使她的設計具有現代感呢？她採用丹寧布料，這在Leonard品牌史上可能還是頭一次。

她將丹寧布料染成不同顏色，做成運動感十足的服裝，如工裝褲；也採用其它一些輕薄面料，但通過特殊印染看起來就像丹寧布一樣。

休閒系列包括用帶子裝飾的比基尼上衣，印有公司蘭花標識圖案的牛仔服。

夏季少女系列與詩意牛仔系列相比似乎風格迥異，就像一件露背上衣或一件印花丹寧夾克上面淡淡的蘭花圖案搭配印有蘭花圖案的褶皺雪紡裙一樣。

但對於Leonard來說，這並不是什麼壞事，公司創建50年來，如今又展現出新的生命力，一支來自東方的花朵正悄然綻放。

RAHUL MISHRA: BEING GOOD AND DOING GOOD作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網Draped Indian saris, silken Mao jackets, and kimono coats used to be the preserve of old-style Parisian couturiers searching for a theme of the season.

But I am inspired by the idea that in this interconnected world, fine designers are emerging from across the globe. They yearn to show in Paris for the consecration of their dreams, but their strength is in the workmanship that they find in their home countries.

I have selected four designers whose influences derive from their homeland and whose design talents are open to the world.

RAHUL MISHRA: BEING GOOD AND DOING GOOD It was the penultimate collection on the final day of the four-week marathon. But fashion can always come up with good karma. And Rahul Mishra's collection touched me.

Here was what the designer called a "Ferryman's Tale" as he recounted in streamlined but intensely decorated clothes a design journey to Japan and the inspiration of that country's traditional artworks, then back to his native India through multiple villages where craftsmen worked on hand embellishment. Then the final clothes winged their way across the world to land in stores from Paris to New York.

When this year's International Woolmark Prize was given to Rahul Mishra, I did not really take in the excellence of these clothes - in their construction and their spirit.

I understood the full story only after seeing a zippered jacket over a slim patterned skirt; a delicate organza top overlaid with semi-sheer disks; and a three-dimensional pattern aligned to stylised flowers.

This collection was far more interesting than its streamlined elegance suggested. Every piece was decorated in some way with embroidery, but because a lot was done in Merino wool, rather than all on silk organza, the clothes had a modern reality built into the design.

Because I was rushing off to Hermès, I had no time to go backstage and see the work up close. But Rahul caught up with me on the steps of the Palais de Tokyo.

"My idea is slow fashion - I want to slow down the process of making clothes to make them far more beautiful," the designer said, talking about "making beautiful stories". One of those hidden tales is that the designer is encouraging people doing artistic work in India's city slums to return to their villages and work for him.

The striking thing about these designs was how sleek and modern they looked. There was not a sari drape in sight, but the same kind of innate Indian female elegance in the effect.

I have long thought that today's greatest fashion luxury is found in things touched by human hands. In their sophistication and craftsmanship, these clothes touched my heart.

HUISHAN ZHANG: FASHION FUSION作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網HUISHAN ZHANG: FASHION FUSION I had two opportunities to see Huishan Zhang's work - and it only grew in importance the second time around.

I caught the end of the show presented in London as an English tea party. I was late, so I saw only the delicately embellished, after-dark dresses of a designer who has been travelling between his native Qingdao, China and the UK, where he studied at Central Saint Martins. He also did a stint working with Dior Haute Couture.

Up close in the French showroom, the work was ultra-delicate but the effect simple. I picked out the look of the season: a tailored white blouse with one bright patch of embroidery. It was shown with a semi-transparent gazar skirt, like an embroidered curtain of leaves.

The designer's successful fashion fusion could immediately be seen in an embroidery of pandas on a streamlined white dress. Even more delicate was a rainbow coalition of pastel flowers in lacy shadow play - again on a plain, long-sleeved dress.

It is good to think that Chinese handworkers - in collaboration with a fashion-educated designer - can create effects such as chiffon leaf embroideries. I left the showroom thinking that Huishan's East/West fashion story is going to have a happy ending.

MANISH ARORA: PLAYING IT SAFE作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網MANISH ARORA: PLAYING IT SAFE I have seen magnificent collections from Manish Arora both in his native India and in Paris.

I can conjure up the wild, theatrical, dizzyingly patterned, printed, and decorated creations from a designer for whom too much was never enough.

I also remember some of his India/Europe collaborations. In fact, I think he was the first designer to go crazy with colours and patterns on sneakers. It must have been soon after the turn of the millennium that I saw on a trip to Mumbai his Fish Fry Sportswear collaboration with Reebok, which was way ahead of the great footwear trend of the moment.

But that was then. In his Spring/Summer 2015 collections it looked like Manish wanted to be all things to all people.

The main vibe was sport, as models decked in rose-pink flower patterns donned colourful baseball caps and wore them with delicate sweatshirts with appliqués of embroidery. That look, with a pleated chiffon skirt, was pretty enough. But instead of taking it further, the sporty trousers, similarly patterned tops and flaring skirts looked fetching, but familiar.

This level of appliquéd embroidery was a world away from cheap, high street dressing. But slip dresses, long or short, with the rose decoration, seemed generic.

An eye motif and silver gladiator sandals took Manish through various elements of street style. I liked the end passage with a multi-coloured eye on the front of simple dresses. But so many of the clothes - especially those Indian deities plonked on sweatshirts - never achieved anything so quintessentially Indian in decoration, but global in culture, as those early sneakers.

LEONARD: THE ALLURE OF THE EAST作者：Suzy Menkes 編輯：claudia.ke 翻譯：徐雯菲

來源：VOGUE時尚網LEONARD: THE ALLURE OF THE EAST Leonard is a French company known for flower prints, delicate and majestic. The orchid is its signature.

The house is marking 50 years of creativity with a celebration planned for Tokyo - one of several Asian countries where Leonard has a major following.

Daniel Tribouillard, who heads this family brand, has hired a variety of talents, but recently he decided to take on Yiqing Yin - a Chinese-born but Paris-raised designer who lives and built her fashion business in Paris.

During the years when print was ignored by fashion and then in the recent overwhelming flood of digital prints, Leonard stayed faithful to its own system: hand-drawn and hand-coloured patterns that are stored in their thousands in the house archives.

So what could Yiqing Yin do to make her designs seem contemporary? She used denim, probably for the first time in the brand's history, saturating it with colour and making it into sporty shapes such as a workers' overalls. Or there might be airy fabrics, but printed to loo like denim.

The casual clothes included a strapped bikini top or the denim look with the house's signature orchid pattern.

There seemed to be a wide gap between girly summer clothes and the poetry in jean fabrics, as in a faint orchid pattern on an apron top or a printed denim jacket worn with a draped - and orchid printed - chiffon skirt.

But it was good to see that for Leonard, new life can begin at 50 - by planting a new flower from the East.