A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
Birdy of the Week: Autumn 2014-15 Trends
Put a bird on it: Alberta Ferretti's Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection. Photography courtesy of Alberta Ferreti.
Just when you thought you'd seen the back of birds (and I was almost considering re-naming this blog "wee watermelon"), along comes a flock of feathers down the catwalks of Milan for Autumn/Winter 2014-15.
Alberta Ferretti's Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection. Photography courtesy of Alberta Ferreti.
Alberta Ferretti's Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection. Photography courtesy of Alberta Ferreti.
Alberta Ferretti's Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection. Photography courtesy of Alberta Ferreti.
The pieces that were paraded back in February are dropping into stores now, and it seems that Europe's leading designers have taken Portlandia's command to "put a bird on it" to heart.
At Alberta Ferretti, birds were a recurring motif that were worked throughout the collection using various materials and techniques, from knitted intarsia birds and bird prints to embroidered and appliqued birds.
And if you didn't quite get the message that birds are back in Ferretti's books, she used feathers as a major decorative feature, from a subtle trim around the hem of a frock to heavily embellished layers of feathers, remininscent of Matthew Bourne's swans.
But if you're after more of a subtle flash of feathers, Alberta Ferretti's exquisite feather-encrusted ballet flats, below right, are the perfect solution (and they've gone straight to the top of my dream wishlist).
Stella Jean AW14-15 collection. Photography courtesy of Stella Jean.
Stella Jean AW14-15 collection. Photography courtesy of Stella Jean.
This ties into the folk trend that I talked about a couple of weeks ago, where birds (and other woodland creatures) are a recurring motif, often appearing via handcrafted techniques such as embroidery, tapestry and intarsia knits. Let's call it crafty couture (yeah I know, it's ready-to-wear, but I'm rather fond of the alliteration.)
Intarsia knit birds could also be seen over at Stella Jean's collection for AW14-15, via a rather handsome cockerel on stripey sweater, and birds were a recurring motif in her glorious African prints, appearing on coats, skirts and a kimono-style dress.
Valentino AW14-15. Photography courtesy of Valentino.
Valentino AW14-15. Photography courtesy of Valentino.
Valentino AW14-15. Photography courtesy of Valentino.
Over at Valentino, embroidered and embellished birds fluttered across a dreamy and whimsical collection featuring floaty maxi silk gowns, and sheer layers of chiffon.
Dolce & Gabbana AW14-15. Photography courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana.
And while I loved Dolce & Gabbana's embroidered and embellished florals, I must confess that their rendering of naive owls, foxes and an assortment of other woodland creatures got me scratching my head. Is it just me or does it look a tad crafty, circa Etsy 2008?
Don't get me wrong - I'm basically the queen of twee, Etsy and portrayals of creatures large-eyed and naive, but those foxes and owls look way too familiar. The point I'm trying to make is that they're crafty tropes that have had a good run for a few years now, recalling '70s style illustration and craft.
Or is that exactly the point? Do Domenico and Stefano have their tongues firmly lodged in their cheeks with their exquisitely embellished naive renderings of owls, foxes and squirrels? Or perhaps 2008 doesn't seem awfully long ago to me, but in sartorial terms, it's fair game for the swings and roundabouts of fashion.
Tell me: what do you think?
Head back to Wee Birdy tomorrow for my edit of how to shop the bird trend for your wardrobe.
