Style Illustrated: May 2012

Illustration by Jolain

Neil Barrett, the Milan based British designer best known for his masterfully tailored men’s wear with an A-list clientele, is making his mark on women’s wear. Barrett graduated from Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design and earned his masters in men’s design from the Royal Collage of Art in London before moving to Italy where he designed for Gucci and Prada. In 1999 he launched his own collection followed by a women’s collection in February of 2006.

Barrett’s women’s collections are naturally born of his penchant for impeccable tailoring, though they never look too rigid or masculine. His women possess a cool chic nonchalance, which have elicited comparisons to Helmut Lang. I’ve compiled a sampling of my favorite Barrett pieces starting with his superb Fall 2012 collection. See for yourself and I think you’ll agree he is worth watching.

Fall 2012

Spring 2012

Fall 2011

Spring 2011

Fall 2010

Spring 2010

Fall 2007

Fall 2006

Above images from style.com

Neil Barrett

Illustration by Jolain

As a designer I’ve always obsessed over silhouette and proportion and had much to consider while looking at the Fall 2012 collections. I’ve honed it down to five categories that I feel best offer a glimpse of the shape of things to come.

This idea has been floating around for several seasons now but has fully come into its own for fall. The natural waist is nipped in, often emphasized with a full skirt reminiscent of Dior’s famous New Look of 1947. Gabriele Colengelo’s take looked anything but retro with his nipped waist pantsuit, placing the fullness at the hips and sleeve, and his coat that nips the fullness in again at the knee. Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein made this silhouette modern by employing an austere aesthetic and juxtaposing leather with sober fabrics.

Calvin Klein

Gabriele Colangelo

Christian Dior

Chado Ralph Rucci

Valentino

Jil Sander

Simple and clean with an emphasis on a lean body conscious line defines this silhouette for fall. Lengths fall anywhere from several inches below the knee to the ankle for both day and evening.

Gabriele Colangelo

Giulietta

Jil Sander

Valentino

Michael Kors

Neil Barrett

This silhouette breaks the unwritten rule that if there is volume on top the bottom should be sleek and visa versa. Though there are really no rules anymore, a certain balance must be struck to make all this volume appear luxurious rather than cumbersome. Designers sometimes raised the hem for a peek of knee or added a belt to control the fullness. Most importantly the fabric must have a rich fluidity that moves with and hints at the body beneath.

Carven

Chloe

Chanel

Nina Ricci

Dolce & Gabbana

Giulietta

Short lengths are hardly news but what does merit conversation is the new softness applied to short. With high necks, long sleeves and ease in cut, short lengths look new when it’s more demure than racy. I love Carven’s streetwise schoolgirl looks.

Carven

Stella McCartney

Sacai

No. 21

Lanvin

Raf Simon’s knockout oversized coat from his flawless Jil Sander Fall 2011 collection paved the way for the trend for super-sized coats this fall. Precise tailoring and bold colors make these coats a force to be reckoned with. I predict we’ll be seeing even more oversized silhouettes in seasons to come.