1. Unique Luxur y 29
LOUIS VUITTON
28 www.uniqueestates.com.au
Fashion
by Tracey Porter
WOMeN’s
Fantasy versus reality, it’s a sartorial showdown as
international fashion houses demand we choose
a side this season.
If the beginning was out of this
world, so too were the designs
when Louis Vuitton took to the Paris
runway to launch its latest spring
collections.
Inspired by the notion of inter-
galactic travel without moving, the
fashion house’s design head Nicolas
Ghesquière managed to make it one
hell of a journey.
In just his second season for the
brand after replacing former creative
director Marc Jacobs, the current
British Fashion Awards International
Designer of the Year award winner
embraced wearable design with
beautifully cut blazers, cleverly
knitted-together textured tops, raw
indigo denim jeans and quilted biker
jackets as close as it got to offering
any form of tradition.
But whether in this world or the next,
fortune clearly favours the brave
and it was his nod to the ‘70s. The
flashes of velvet as seen in pantsuits,
the sequined mini dresses and the
splashes of leather – whether, acting
as colour strips on a shirtdress or
woven with metal rings - added real
daring to the collection.
Belted cargo jackets and print-laden
white leather trousers rounded out
the offering while an array of denim-
looking leather bags and patchwork-
looking ankle boots aptly filled
ticked the box when it came to cool
accessories.
New Revival Boots monogram canvas - $1,380
Petite Malle Calf Leather Bag - $4,750
Denim Twist Bag with epi leather - $4,100
www.louisvuitton.com
Stockists: 1300 883 880

2. 30 www.uniqueestates.com.au
MIU MIUNo where does it say that you have
to have been a punk, a tart, a thief or
a rebel in a former life to fall in love
with Miuccia Prada’s magnificent
summer 2015 offering.
Because in trying the key ready-
to-wear pieces on you will almost
certainly be transformed into one, or
perhaps all, of the above.
Boasting all the hallmarks of Prada’s
impeccable attention to detail and
beautiful tailoring, this collection is
the very epitome of good girl gone not
bad exactly, but… raunchy.
Referencing John Waters twisted
comedy Female Trouble; it combines
rich 18th century-style silks with
fraying wool checks and frills plaid
bra tops.
In another designer’s hands the
‘50s-influenced housecoat, pencil
skirt and capri pant are the very
essence of gentrification but in
having their fate decided by Prada
they are given bold new purpose.
Daring décolletages and exposed
midriffs are teamed with dirty shades
of leather while on the feet large
mules are dressed up with bows
while gigantic platforms complete the
reconstruction.
But for those who are not quite ready
to submit wholeheartedly into the
new aesthetic, there is still a chance
to buy into the Miu Miu magic with
the label recently announcing plans to
make its first foray outside of fashion
and accessories and into the world
of beauty with the launch of its first
fragrance later this year.
Camoscio Vernice Boots - $1,910
Box Calf Bag - $2,430
Tricotina Belt - $390
www.miumiu.com
Stockists: 02 9223 1688
Unique Luxur y 31

3. Unique Luxur y 33
CHRISTIAN DIOR
32 www.uniqueestates.com.au
They say history never repeats but
of course it is the unwritten rule
of all super sartoralists to not only
break with convention - but to utterly
decimate it.
And so it was when Dior head
designer Raf Simons took to the
runway to showcase his work on the
brand’s Spring Summer 2015 ready-
to-wear collection.
Justifiably pleased with what he
achieved for Dior’s breathtaking
couture show several months
earlier, he sought to emulate it
for his legion of fans seeking less
expensive equivalents - in the
process confirming the Belgian’s oft-
quoted mission to bring a reality and
modernity to the label that reflects
the way women live their lives today.
Producing a masterful blend of
both fantasy and reality, key looks
were repeated in the form of his
18th century-influenced egg shaped
skirts, smock shirts and sublime
white cotton shirtdresses. While
lacking some of the embellishment
witnessed in the couture line,
Simon’s signature tailoring meant the
pieces lost little, if any, of their shine.
With the collection themed around
the concept of “looking forwards and
backwards to prepare for the future
through a dynamic sampling and
remixing of history”, the evidence
was clear with pleated minis, quilted
silk skate shorts and floral bomber
jackets rounding out what makes
Simon one of the most in-demand
designers on the planet.
Large Diorama bag in Rose Poudre smooth calfskin - $7,100
Diorosphere necklace in metal with palladium finish - $2,700
High boot made of black hand-knitted elastics and calfskin toe - $3,600
www.dior.com
Stockists: 02 9229 4600

4. 34 www.uniqueestates.com.au
prada
Unique Luxur y 35
Diehard Prada disciples over the
ditch are delighted by the news
the design house has opened a
new store in Auckland’s Queen
Street. Spread over two floors, the
new space houses the women’s
and men’s ready-to-wear, leather
goods, accessories and footwear
collections.
Featuring the brand’s signature
black-and-white marble chequered
flooring, the bricks and mortar
space is characterised by green
fabric-clad walls while perspex
display cases, transparent skylights
and originally shaped tables
complete the furnishing.
The Italian fashion house, which
also owns the Miu Miu and Church’s
brands, currently operates nearly
500 stores around the world and has
announced plans to open a further
35 to 40 stores before 2016.
The Kiwi store launches with the
current spring/summer collection in
stock which translates to mean its
rails will be heaving with an array
of mix and matched vintage-style
brocades, top stitching, A-line skirts,
lace and leather coats, oriental silk
shirts and splashes of colour via
ribbed knitted vests.
Following the cool ‘70s vibe,
fabrications will include denim,
leather and raw cotton while
key colours include apple green,
lemon and vibrant reds combined
with neutrals and blacks. Key
accessories include platform clogs
and two-tone bags.
Vitello bag - $2,600
Vacchetta shoes - $1,370
Earrings - $760
www.prada.com
Stockists: 02 9223 1688

5. Unique Luxur y 37
GIORGIO ARMANI
36 www.uniqueestates.com.au
Giorgio Armani’s much celebrated
sense of class and power has
always appealed to the Hollywood
set so it is no surprise that in a
career spanning more than 40 years
he has designed costumes for more
than 100 films.
Those familiar with the Armani
story may remember that it was
the Italian designer’s success
with the Richard Gere-led film
American Gigolo in 1980 that to
this day is considered one of the
most innovative and successful
brand promotional activities ever
undertaken.
For his part, Armani has always
viewed the relationship with the
cinema as essential - both because
it appeals to the marketer in him but
also for creative stimulus.
His latest project sees Armani
team with The Help actress Jessica
Chastain to create the entire
wardrobe for Chastain’s character in
A Most Violent Year.
The film is set in 1981 in New York
and focuses on the struggle against
political and industrial corruption
by Chastain’s character and her
husband. Armani worked alongside
costume designer Kasia Walicka-
Maimone to produce a sophisticated
wardrobe from the era, including
crepe blouses, beaded jackets
and wrap trenches and as well as
providing access to his archives
and even some original pieces from
the period.
His admiration for the period and
obvious adoration for the big screen
is perhaps why Armani chose a
theme of renewal for his summer
collection.
He played with forms and
proportions of jackets, showing
shorts that appear to be small skirts
and uniform-like jackets made from
double-sided fabrics.
An ability to evolve is what sees
a man like Armani dominate for
four decades where so many of his
design colleagues have failed to
even survive one.
Natural tan smooth calf skin briefcase - $3,285
Bronze and silver woven fabric leather sneaker platform sneaker shoe - $905
Almond toe flat shoe with ankle strap and decoupage patent - $1,085
www.armani.com
Stockists: 02 8233 5858