Versace goes urban yet romantic

Relaxnews

The Italian fashion house
has joined a host of luxury brands in unveiling the shape of its pre-spring 2017 collection. The Resort 2017 preview
has a distinctly urban feel, laced with sportswear and romantic influences.
The starting point for this new collection from Donatella Versace is an imaginary coast-to-coast road trip in the USA, traveling from city to sunshine via plains and flower-filled prairies. The result is a collection heavy on urban pieces, lifted with hints of vibrant, electric color, and with softer pieces finished with floral motifs.
For the famous Italian designer, the collection celebrates the freedom of the Versace woman, a freedom that has been hard fought for and which remains close to her heart.
This very graphic pre-spring 2017 Versace collection stretches out a series of primary colored polo shirts with pleated panels to make sporty, urban dresses. This vibe is once again channeled through flared pants, cut just above the ankle and worn with platform shoes to liven up the look.
The collection is splashed with electric, even fluorescent colors, echoing the bright lights of New York. A reinterpretation of the Medusa head symbol is finished
in vibrant shades on a knitted sweater, and coloured stripes and spots embellish jackets and polo-shirt dresses.
Leather also has its place in this urban-inspired collection. Versace notably showed a series of jackets mixing leather, calfskin and patent leather with colorful patches. Floral prints bring a softer, more romantic side to the collection, seen on shirts, pleated skirts, jackets and accessories. And as inspirations head still further west, sunsets are a theme, with short dresses with polo-shirt necklines in sunny shades of yellow and orange.
As well as presenting this
new collection, the Italian luxury label has lifted the lid on its autumn/winter 2016-2017 campaign, featuring two star models of the moment — Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss — shot by Bruce Weber.

ELIE SAAB DRAWS ON
JAPANESE CULTURE
The famous Lebanese fashion designer’s signature label has unveiled its Resort 2017 collection, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and its various contrasts. The result is a diverse mix of references ranging from the classic kimono to young kawaii kitsch to the country’s emblematic cherry blossom.
As well as channeling strong Japanese influences, the Elie Saab Resort 2017 collection has a highly feminine undercurrent, showing bare shoulders, cinched waists and semi-split skirts. The collection’s many asymmetrical effects accentuate this feminine style that’s both sensual and sexy.

Contrasting silhouettes
For this new collection, Elie Saab juxtaposes the different facets of Japanese culture, from ceremonial rituals to urban pop culture. Resort 2017 is a graphic and feminine collection that features ample, generous cuts — particularly in sleeves — broken up with large braided belts, echoing the obi belts that accompany kimonos. Certain designs also use cascading frills and pleating.
Asymmetrical cuts are often used around necklines and sleeves, as well as in skirts, accentuating the energy and buoyancy of the collection’s silhouettes. Like many luxury labels, Elie Saab brings an urban touch to the collection too, with hooded sweaters and bomber jackets embellished with leather flowers and perforated detailing.

Sweet springtime vibes
Cherry blossom — an emblematic symbol of Japan — works its way into patterns on certain pieces in the collection, whether on lace, tulle or used as brooches. Embroidery, a signature embellishment of the Elie Saab label, has also succumbed to floral influences, creating technicolor 3D flowers on dresses and bomber jackets.