Original Sin: Stine Goya AW12

Stine Goya is a perennial favorite of mine, bordering on obsession.  When I went down to Copenhagen Fashion Week earlier this month, I was incredibly excited to get to see her show, knowing that it would be filled with Goya's very specific brand of eclectic elegance.  This season the designer went with a biblical theme: the Garden of Eden.  Models strode out of a giant gilt apple, and were adorned with golden snake jewelry, as well as a couple of heavily embroidered black sequin serpents.  Really though, it was more of what Goya does best: gorgeous custom prints, perfect chunky twisted knits, and classic silhouettes that have been slightly tweaked so that they look entirely new, all layered with a pinch of sparkle and strass.  I can't pinpoint what exactly makes Goya's clothes so magical this season, but I know that it creates deep stirrings of material lust that can be traced all the way back to when Eve took her first bite into the apple.

-Tiffany

The Future is Now: Stine Riis Fall 2012

 

In the overlap of Stockholm and Copenhagen fashion week, which are close in both proximity and general atmosphere, I ended up seeing Stine Riis's show twice.  The first time was a surprise, as her collection was unveiled as the winner of the prestigious H&M Design Award at Stockholm Fashion Week.  Riis competed with graduate students from Europe's best fashion design schools for the 50,000 Euro prize, which is meant to promote future design stars, and give them the means to launch  a proper collection and show.  A graduate of the London College of Fashion, but a native of Denmark, Riis then showed her collection two days later at Copenhagen Fashion Week along with four other up and coming young Danish designers.  The more relaxed setting allowed me to take in the full  elegance of Riis's work, which is meant to highlight the construction process, while remaining wearable and complementary to the female form.  The result is chic, well tailored, and minimal, with a futuristic twist.  Perhaps the best benefit of winning the H&M prize, for consumers and for Riis, is that unlike most other graduate collections, this one will actually make it into the stores. H&M will be selling several pieces from the collection at a selection of its stores later this year.

EP30: Fashion Show from H&M Design Award on Vimeo.

-Tiffany