The romance of Kenzo, the drama of Raven

Amongst the Paris shows, Kenzo collection is the one I started to look forward to every season. What I love about Kenzo is the depth and meaning put into the clothes, as well as the amazing textiles used to construct them. The Kenzo looks have this rich textural and layered feel to them with a variety of fabrics, knit, vintage-y prints and detailed embellishments seamlessly incorporated together. I enjoy the thematic and culture-oriented aspect - their collections take me to another place and a different time.

The creative director behind the new Kenzo is an Italian designer Antonio Marras. He is definitely a self described romantic and brings "a touch of poetic idealism" to his work (this is his own quote from WWD in the January 22, 2009 issue). His collections are always well-researched and have a strong cultural context, in a very feminine and pretty way.

I think the SS 2010 is great! I illustrated one of the looks that caught my eye. It is an interesting twist on a woman's pantsuit, with pants being rolled up and jacket nipped at the waist with a wide fabric belt. A really cool and relaxed look. See the original creation here.

By the way, did you notice the unique feather bracelet clutch that I illustrated? It is a nice little discovery I made recently by couture accessories designer Raven Kauffman. If you look at her collection of dramatic bags and delicate clutches, you'll soon realize that she loves birds just as much as Stylish Goose does.