Spring/Summer 2014 fashion week: round up of New York, London, Milan and Paris

Fidge Fletcher • Stylist

Spring/Summer fashion weeks globally was a sensation commencing on September 3, with Kaelen in New York and ending in Paris on October 3 with Hermes. For one month, nothing else mattered except Fashion Week. There were so many outstanding collections this season to highlight from New York, London, Milan and Paris. New York Fashion Week was amazing as always with poetic and bold collections from Mark Jacobs, Cushnie Et Ochs, Rachel Roy, Jason Wu, Zac Posen, Red Valentino, Anna Sui, Michael Kors, Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang.

However, it's a no-brainer for me to start with my favorite European collections from Milan, where frankly the trends really start and the rest follow. Without Milan and Paris, some say, the fashion industry would be lost, and I do tend to agree. From the test of time, Milan and Paris have set a standard that, no one else can emulate. Fashion in Milan and Paris has an artistic movement and culture that breathes from the streets to the people, a lifestyle born and bred within. They understand what it takes to really put on a show and never leave the onlookers wanting for more (until next season of course). They take risks beyond no other and truly understand the art of mixing fabrics with various prints and looking for inspiration globally instead of living within a box.

In this week's Flair feature, we will highlight what we deem the top-five favourite collections from Milan - Roberto Cavalli, Etro, Prada, Missoni and Stella Jean, a new up and coming designer from Burkina who is Armani's protégè.

Roberto Cavalli S/S 2014WELCOME TO CAVALLI-WOOD

Paying homage to Hollywood, this collection was daring, bold, seductive, savvy and truly Roberto Cavalli - his bias-cut gowns, striking knit and lace pieces, his signature animal prints using reptile skin jackets in such a clever way, or his sinful baguettes that perfectly fit the silhouettes. His separates were a favorite this season and yet the most versatile. The art deco caftans, the piano-shawl fringing, the lithe goddess columns all had the exhibitionist shimmer of old Hollywood circa 1975. Aside from those second-skin pieces, it actually looks like everything floated away from the body, articulating a language that suspended on punk little chains. This collection would be a director's dream to film and Cavalli-wood was exactly that, a dream-land filled with a fashion reality that translated right on the runway.

PRADA S/S 2014 - AN ARTISTIC POLITICAL RUNWAY

All hail Miuccia Prada! She's a designer that works in fashion, who at one point was the secretary of the Milanese communist party. That's exactly what her collection was - a mixture of political expression and art. This was one of the season's high points - bringing in mural artists to design on fabrics with bold colours while making a powerful feminist statement. The models strutted down an artistic catwalk in tribal-inspired pieces that meet the street and sporty element of the collection, which also infused gang-like elements. Lady-like tote/clutch handbags, with mismatched tube socks along with the fun element of colour-blocking pieces. Although many of the pieces didn't make sense the way that they were styled, this collection was purely about artistic expression and political power.

ETRO S/S 2014 - A WHIMSICAL STORY

Veronica Etro's collection this season was nothing short of whimsical - perfect for a fantasy novel. The characters in the novel would be from a glamorous world of women sailing around the globe in the 1940s. These were abstract graphic prints, airy silk pieces. The collection resembled such wearable artistic pieces that looked effortless: with the prints capturing the imagination of a fantasy fashion world that one couldn't resist. The collection gave us some great separates: easy silk cigarette pants paired with silk jackets and scarves. This collection was fresh and Veronica Etro made you feel alive, putting every woman right in the mood for spring.

Stella Jean S/S 2014 Wax and Stripes! From Burkina Faso to Milan

For those who didn't know Stella Jean is the protgto Giorgio Armani. She got the opportunity to showcase her S/S14 collection at Armani's grand headquarters at Teatro Armani for the first time. Her first time showing her own collection on a runway during Milan Fashion Week and she did not disappoint. Jean's collection is 90% produced in Burkina Faso where the local women use their hand woven fabrics. This collection brought the funk and flare to Milan. It went against all what fashion believes in, minimalism. Inspired by bold African wax and stripe prints with a mixture of her Haitian roots, she celebrated the 50's and 60's Italian style using black and white images of aristocrats vacationing. Her tailored jackets, dresses and skirts were superb with the authentic Burkina Faso fabrics. Bringing an interesting flare to the runway were the head wraps with flowers attached. Stella's talent and ethical awareness are able to open up the dialogue for legendary designers to collaborate with African culture in a meaningful way.

MISSONI S/S 2014- MEDITATION OF ELEMENTS

A meditation of elements is the perfect title for this collection. Looking closely at the collection you can see a glimpse of all five elements we need and use in life; earth, air, fire, water and the love that went into making this Spring collection. Angela Missoni was quoted saying "that her collection was more abstract than literal" but I beg to differ. With bird prints drawn with hand paint like the ones we drew when we were kids or to the PVC fabric that was used in laser cuts. The lace in this collection was reminiscent of Alexander Wang's Fall 2013 collection. The direction of the collection felt very resort with skirts tied like a sarong that would be perfect for any chic beach party, fitted dresses draped like a saris and caftan inspired pieces with extreme volume. There were hot-coloured, striped pieces that felt Mexican. But somewhere between the elongated pencil skirts with the deep kick pleat and the fringed pieces, Missoni edged into a land of fashion unknown.

Stella Jean S/S 2014 - Wax and Stripes! From Burkina Faso to Milan

For those who didn't know Stella Jean is the protégè of Giorgio Armani, she got the opportunity to showcase her S/S14 collection at Armani's grand headquarters at Teatro Armani for the first time - her first time showing her own collection on a runway during Milan Fashion Week she did not disappoint. Jean's collection is 90 per cent produced in Burkina Faso, where the local women use their handwoven fabrics. This collection brought the funk and flare to Milan. It went against all what fashion believes in - minimalism. Inspired by bold African wax and stripe prints with a mixture of her Haitian roots, she celebrated the '50s and '60s Italian style, using black and white images of aristocrats vacationing. Her tailored jackets, dresses and skirts were superb with authentic Burkina Faso fabrics. Bringing an interesting flare to the runway were the headwraps with flowers attached. Stella's talent and ethical awareness are able to open up the dialogue for legendary designers to collaborate with African culture in a meaningful way.

MISSONI S/S 2014 - MEDITATION OF ELEMENTS

A meditation of elements is the perfect title for this collection. Looking closely at the collection you can see a glimpse of all five elements we need and use in life; earth, air, fire, water and the love that went into making this spring collection. Angela Missoni was quoted as saying "that her collection was more abstract than literal," but I beg to differ. Her collection was infused with bird prints drawn with hand paint, like the ones we drew when we were kids, and PVC fabric that was used in laser cuts. The lace in this collection was reminiscent of Alexander Wang's Fall 2013 collection. The direction of the collection felt very resort-like with skirts tied like a sarong that would be perfect for any chic beach party, fitted dresses draped like saris, and Kaftan-inspired pieces with extreme volume. There were hot-coloured, striped pieces that felt Mexican. But somewhere between the elongated pencil skirts with the deep kick-pleats and the fringed pieces, Missoni edged into a land of fashion unknown.