These days, models seem to have disposable careers, which is sad. Often girls are big for only one or two seasons. It's no longer the age of the supermodel, where girls are groomed for success. These days, they are here one moment and gone the next. I am aware that I have a responsibility within the industry, and I often like the idea of using somewhat older models within the campaigns. The Nina Ricci silhouette suits lots of body shapes, and I like to work with a lot of stretch fabrics which work with the body.
Peter Copping picked up where he left off last season at the Nina Ricci show. The collection tapped into the feminine sensibilities from the spring show, especially on the floral printed dress and chiffon skirts but the combination of slip dresses styled under tweed jackets was more covered up than before. The lingerie combined with oversized sheer chiffon blouses and dresses brought back memories of dressing up in your mother's wardrobe as a child but in a good way.
That said, the collection was actually a lot more grown up than last season. The peek-a-boo blouses teamed with knee length skirts and braces and that black cut out thigh baring dress worn by Liu Wen were more powerful and sexy than there were girly and and feminine. The deep red ruffled dress was beautiful but sadly there wasn't many other memorable statement dresses as Copping opted not to close the show with his usual statement gowns.
It's taken me a while to embrace Nina Ricci post-Olivier Theyksnes but this week, Peter Copping got it just right. The collection was the perfect combination of femininity and womanly sensuality as Copping revisited the floral prints by Zina de Plagny who collaborated with the brand back in 1930, incorporating them on figure hugging skirts and dresses nipped in at the waist. The prints came in different shades and styles like a grey and white version on an oversized lightweight coat to in a ditsy muti-coloured style on feminine dresses and thigh skimming playsuits.
The use of lingerie, which he started for Resort, helped add a grown up feel to pieces that could have easily felt a bit cutesy. Bra tops came in day time styles teamed with flirty skirts in white and for evening, they came under cropped sleeve jackets and matching skirts and a sexy cropped cocoon shaped jacket teamed with a body hugging pencil skirt that you can imagine Kim Kardashian sporting. Slip dresses also appeared, as did sheer midi length dresses in white with cut out details along the hem unveiling lingerie underneath in a similar vein of what we've seen over the past few seasons. Lace also added a grown-up twist along the neckline of lightweight cardigans teamed with cropped tops and sexy over the knee skirts.
Three days has passed since the big reveal of the the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress and we're still talking about it. Before the cermony had finished WWD managed to release a list of comments from the fashion elite about their opinion of the dress and, based on their comments, they loved the dress just as much as we did.
Mark Badgley of Badgley Mischka, speaking for himself and James Mischka: 'James and I have goose bumps! The dress is perfection; and will stand the test of time. It is a classic Grace Kelly look. The skirt is divine. We love the hair down and the veil. The proportion is beautiful.'
Nina Ricci's S/S11 ad is special as it marks the first campaign under the helm of Peter Copping who was appointed after Oliver Theyskens' departure from the brand. Maglosia Bela is the brand's model of choice. “She looks contemporary, modern, sensual — all those things I see for the Ricci woman,” Copping told WWD.
When coming up the concept for the campaign Copping revealed that he had the likes of Julia Restoin Roitfeld and Charlotte Casiraghi in mind and young women who are not “not sitting at home in a party dress. They’re out and about and wanting to be seen.”
The campaign, shot of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, will make its first appearance in the February issue of Vogue Paris and will only appear in specific high-eng glossies in Germany, Italy, Japan, France and the UK.
It was all about colour at the Nina Ricci show yesterday as Peter Copping showed a collection full of bright yellows, pink, red and blue compared to the otherwise neutral palette that we've seen so far in Paris. It was all about being optimistic. "I wanted it to be up and feel good," Copping told Style.com before the show.
We definitely saw a softer side to the Ricci girl yesterday. Jackets came intentionally distressed and creased - in a good way - in hot pink and cinched at the waist teamed with a matching skirt. A high waisted skirt came in a greenish-yellow teamed with a relaxed tee in peach and a chunky cropped short sleeved knit cardigan and bright yellow floaty tops were teamed with neutral thigh-grazing minis. But don't be fooled - the collection was not without some drama. Copping played with feathers on a white top tucked into a high waisted neutral toned leather skirt and also on a beautiful bold red bubble hem dress and a bright yellow mini dress came with multiple intricate folds.
On a first appearance, the collection didn't look like it was Nina Ricci at all. The colour palette was bright, which is a far cry from Olivier Theysken's last critically collection at the house, but on a second look the Ricci girl was still there. Although she may be embracing colour and all things optimistic this season, the collection was far from sickingly sweet and hinted at what we can expect to see from Copping in seasons to come.
Thank you, Sundance Channel, for returning 'The Day Before' to our lives. This time around, the fashion documentary - which will premiere on Sept. 8 at 10 p.m. EST - will follow the 36 hours prior to Fall '10 runway shows from Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez and Jeremy Scott in New York, plus Nina Ricci's Peter Copping in Paris, and Donatella Versace's Versace show in Milan.
If you ask director Loic Prigent: “It’s been great to do a second season with a very different mix of designers. We explored the energy of New York with young labels like Alexander Wang, grandes dames like Diane von Furstenberg, energy and humor with Jeremy Scott, and couturelike precision with Narciso Rodriguez. In Paris, you see the sweetness and romanticism of Nina Ricci, and the extreme everything of Donatella Versace in Milan. All those houses are very different, which has made it such a crazy experience.”
Peter Copping hit a milestone with Nina Ricci this season. It was his first on-schedule runway show for the label after he officially took over for Olivier Theyskens last season. And it looks like, for Fall, the former Louis Vuitton designer (Marc Jacobs left him in charge of pre-collections and resort) is playing it safe. Copping turned out dignified black wool coats with faux-fur sleeves, muted jumper and silk skirt sets, and below-the-knee slip dresses that undoubtedly could work into any accomplished woman's wardrobe. That said, many of the pieces could have fooled us for Vuitton, so we'll see if he develops his own trademark next time around.
Copping got playful with ruffle-sleeve, neutral-palette dresses, sheer insets and a bustier or two. Pretty, yes, and saleable - both of which are good characteristics when consumers are cautiously pulling out their pocketbooks again. However, floral ruffles at the waist confused some of Copping's pared-down silhouettes, and at times, bodices somewhat worked against the forms inside them. We're pleased that the designer is playing his moves cautiously, but we can't help but miss the dark and adventurous romance of the Theyskens years.
Assouline, the company renowned for its luxurious, illustrated books "dedicated to fashion, photography, art and design" is set to release a new tome based on Olivier Theysken's career (including his Nina Ricci years before he was replaced by Peter Copping). The book, which showcases Julien Claessens' photographic work, is most likely to be housed alongside Assouline's other "exquisite gift lines", which seeks to "show books off as gifts". If you can see yourself displaying such a masterpiece on your coffee table, then you'd be advised to pre-order one for $120 to avoid being diappointed. We predict they will sell like hot (fashionable) cakes.
