This autumn is especially colourful, with saturated and bright shades that radiate strength and energy for the darkest months of the year, where it is usual for neutral ranges and pale tones to predominate. Now it is just the opposite!

First it was the neon colours, then orange as a transition between summer and autumn and now there are other shades within the colder palette ready to take over. According to a Trends Report from Pantone (the international colour authority), the colours for Autumn-Winter 2018 “express our need for individuality, ingenuity and creativity”. They are unexpected autumnal tones that are complemented by more traditional ones that radiate this desire to break with the seasonal structures. The same report points out that they are “expressive colours that reinvent the history of seasonal colour and allow fashion to play with art and originality”.

Here we reveal four colours that illuminate the looks of autumn and that have already been seen on the catwalks:

1.- Red Pear

This red is the most appealing of the palette and perhaps also the most classic of the fashionable colours. Red Pear is an intense and delicate red that attracts by its exquisite depth. It is a seductive color (reminiscent of burgundy), which admits a great variety of shades and in fabrics it appears frequently thanks to its versatility with fully evocative reliefs and textures. Companies suach as Elie Saab , Bottega Veneta , Roksanda , Givenchy , Lanvin or Oscar de La Renta have incorporated this shade tone into their autumn collections, creating easy-to-match looks.

2.- Ultra Violet

This tonality is more present in our minds because Pantone chose it as the colour of the year 2018. Whilst we thought it was merely a passing mention, this radiant hue of violet appears in all its splendour in the autumn collections. It is a bold tone linked with creativity and imagination. In fabrics such as velvet Ultra Violet acquires a more sophisticated side, although it also suits floral embroidery and Jacquard. On the catwalk companies such as Moschino, Tibi, Salvatore Ferragamo , Marni or Dolce & Gabbana have shown daring with this variety of violet.

3. Crocus Petal

We continue with violet shades by focusing now on their softer version. Crocus Petal, according to Pantone is “a cultivated and refined shade that brings a feeling of lightness”. It is a very feminine pastel tone that softens traits and stands out from the rest for its unique character, a colour which enhances movement and which in fabrics can be appreciated very well on soft, smooth textures and with slight reflections. On the catwalk Crocus Petal has been seen in designs by Acne Studios, Miu Miu and Ashley Williams.

4. Quetzal Green

Deep, evocative, sophisticated … this shade of greenish blue is simply breathtaking. It is a colour that abounds in nature in certain bird plumages which stand out against females of the same species: ducks, peacocks … It is a beautiful mix of deep blue and turquoise that aligns with elegance and that allows practically all the textures that highlight the nuances of this rich colour. On the catwalk companies such as Alexander McQueen, Alberta Ferretti, Paul Smith or Self-Portrait have all given full expression to Quetzal Green.

At the end of the year one of the most anticipated exhibitions is taking place in Barcelona, giving life to the most bohemian and boundary-breaking side of nineteenth-century Paris. This is the exhibition ‘Toulouse-Lautrec and the spirit of Montmartre‘ which is being housed today by the Caixa Forum of Barcelona. This home-production by the Obra Social of La Caixa, curated by Phillip Dennis Cate, presents an extraordinary collection of 350 works of paintings, drawings, engravings, posters and other objects of the time from different museums around the world. It is an extensive exhibition headed by the works of the multi-faceted painter Toulouse-Lautrec (61 works, including six oil paintings, a drawing and his best-known posters) which portrays the bohemian heart of Montmartre and its nightlife, in line with the vision of other contemporary artists who lived in Paris at the end of the 19th century.

Montmartre, the common denominator

In 1880, Montmartre was a marginal and dangerous area away from Paris that began to attract many young creators. Thus for example the artists Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Signac, Pierre Bonnard and Henri-Gabriel Ibels, the philosophers Aristide Bruant and Yvette Guilbert, the writers Émile Goudeau, Alphonse Allais and Alfred Jarry, and the musicians Erik Satie, Vincent Hyspa and Gustave Charpentier moved there attracted by the neighbourhood: they wanted to live frugally, work and avoid the bourgeois centre of the French capital. This is how in a few years, Montmartre became the common geographical denominator of many artists who actively contributed to define the avant-garde aesthetic of the time.

The centre of bohemian life

At the end of the 19th century Montmartre was the epicentre of the social and cultural motor that defined its modern style and bohemian character. Its streets, the night cabarets, the neighbourhood cafés … were the scene of a creative explosion thanks to those young artists and intellectuals who through their works challenged the status quo. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Albi, 1864 – Château Malromé, 1901) and other artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Jean-Louis Forain, T. A. Steinlen, Pierre Bonnard or Édouard Vuillard contributed to this flourishing of a break-through movement outside the bourgeoisie.

The artists of Montmartre had a critical attitude and in their works it was customary to reflect on the poverty in the streets and the harshness of prostitution, two recurring themes that were part of this social denunciation. On many occasions humour, satire and caricature were used to disseminate their ideas in a renewal of artistic language that was inclusive and appealed to ordinary people rather than the elite. Accordingly their work was also presented in unusual places: cabarets, experimental theatres, circuses or in the street itself, which was a continuous source of inspiration.

“The exhibition shows the boundary-breaking character of many Parisian artists of the 19th century”

This spirit was not only limited geographically to Montmartre, but became an avant-garde mentality that moved to the new leisure centres of Paris and the main European cities. It marked a before and after in the new forms of expression that are consolidated with the turn of the century. The exhibition ‘Toulouse-Lautrec and the spirit of Montmartre’ can be seen at the Caixa Forum in Barcelona until 20 January 2019.

FOTOS

Crédito: Fotos extraídas del CaixaForum, exposición ‘Toulouse-Lautrec y el espíritu de Montmartre’

After the summer The Colour Community is back with a new inspiring report. The association for those “passionate about colour and materials” has presented the latest innovations in its eleventh edition, held as usual in the former Damm Factory in Barcelona. It highlights a new logo that transmits the essence of the association: the union of several multidisciplinary professionals who together constitute a totality of visions of colour; there is a new website offering consultation and guidance to those interested in investigating the subject and finally a new colour chart that act as a guide to the Spring-Summer 2020 season.

The Colour Community is an initiative in constant evolution that we have supported from its birth because as an international textile company we are also interested in colour and texture and how they are applied in design. The founding team of the initiative consists of three people: the architect Pere Ortega, the designer Eva Muñoz, a specialist in Colour & Trim and Rosa Pujol, Textile and Colour Stylist in the same company. These professionals work day to day with trends and their implications for seasonal and socio-cultural factors, never losing sight of the vision of the market in order to try to adapt to future needs. As they say in their online portal, ” We Do Colour “.

This edition revolves around the concept of ‘ Double Poetry ‘ that refers to duality: antagonisms which are related to each other, such as as the rational and the impulsive, the scientific and the emotional … and concepts that complement each other, but always playing on this linking of two ideas. This fresh and energetic creation is articulated through four ranges of colour, textures and materials and given the names Iced Risk , Los Angeles , Mother Tech and New New .

Below we give a brief explanatory summary of each of them:

1. Iced Risk

The first inspiration focuses on the idea of controlled risk. For the appropriate consumers it presents innovation in the service of functionality together with design without shrillness. It offers versatility and dynamism centred on geometrical lines, optical illusions, controlled volumes, technical,fluid and pleated fabrics, ethereal silhouettes and some grid motifs. It is represented mainly with a palette of greens inspired by nature, urban blues and brushstrokes of mustard yellow.

2. Los Ángeles

   The second range is more youthful and is inspired by this Californian city and its more relaxed lifestyle. It draws on colour contrasts, forms inspired by water, by surfing and sailing aesthetic … Here there is an abundance of synthetic materials such as plastics, nets, faded or geometrical prints … in bright colours presented en bloc or which contrast with the purest white.

3. Mother Tech

The third inspiration plays with the concept of technology and how it relates to the human being. It is a range which demands creative use and invites you to lose your fear. At the same time it also reflects how technology can coexist with nature and complement it. In terms of textures, it is expressed in experimental forms, water-marks, imperfect fibres, mirror-like sequins, iridescent fabrics, laser cuts … The range of colours goes from mint green to patina blue and metallics, especially the colour silver in both glossy and matt version.

4. New New

   Finally, the fourth range is the most daring, connecting directly with Generation Z: young people of the 21st century who are now old enough to be consumers. It is inspired by the classics in a contemporary version, by collectors’editions, by the rare avis … It is a renewal of traditional codes for a totally new public unfamiliar with the past. Fabrics such as denim, non-typical shapes, textiles with a message … all combine in this presentation with a chromatic palette of the most strident colours, including yellow, lime green, chewing- gum pink or gold, among other shades

Tweed is an emblematic fabric that has a history, a wild card in constant evolution that appears, to a lesser or greater extent in the winter seasons. Classically inspired, elegant and chameleonic in turn, tweed retains a defined structure and aesthetic that remains intact over time, although it is renewed in clothes that change style according to current trends. Before focusing on the current collections we will delve a little into the history of this singular fabric, which is so recognizable to the naked eye.

To begin with, tweed is a wool fabric with an irregular appearance that does not have that natural look and smooth finish of a conventional fabric. It has a rugged touch, a solid and elastic texture and defined patterns such as houndstooth, windowpane, Prince of Wales check and herringbone. It also constitutes a fabric that lends itself to sewing and ironing with a versatility that has no limits in either the feminine or masculine wardrobe.

Humble origins

Tweed has its origin in Scotland and was initially linked to rural areas. It was a common fabric in the warm clothes of the popular classes and was used especially in the field to withstand the harsh weather conditions. During the nineteenth century tweed drew attention within English society: the British upper class saw it as the indispensable fabric for their hunting activities. They saw in tweed a versatile fabric closely linked to the countryside and sports activities that also had an elegant reverse side. You could be well-dressed when in the country.

The legacy of Coco Chanel

If there is a fabric that is associated with Chanel‘s legacy and that of its founder, that is undoubtedly tweed. It was towards the end of the Twenties when the iconic designer decided to incorporate tweed into the feminine wardrobe, seeing its enormous potential as a fabric and its multiple virtues: despite being robust it was flexible and responsive, characteristics that allowed this fabric to adapt to the most casual wardrobe of an leisurely society that was beginning to enjoy free time. Thus Coco Chanel was the pioneer in offering women comfort and modernity through tweed with clothes such as suits, skirts and jackets (an icon of the maison) that were adapting to these new needs and which freed women from the rigidities of contemporary dress. 

The success was immediate and turned the tweed into a key piece of Chanel style language, an authentic hallmark. In the Fifties tweed was a very popular fabric that had a follow-up of more modernized variants, new uses and surprising combinations. In short it would continue to revolutionize the fashion industry. Not in vain there have been many designers who have incorporated it into their collections to this day. Even so, no matter how many years pass, tweed is always associated with its pioneer, Mademoiselle Chanel, historically linked to the emancipation of women.

Tweed in the current season

Quite apart from Chanel, in its multiple versions and with a new facelift for every season tweed is a fabric that is practically repeated in most of the prêt-à-porter collections by the big fashion-houses. Apart from the lady style jackets and suits, it is also used in long coats with straight lines, midi-skirts and frock-coats. Look out for three details from what is currently on offer: the wearing of frayed effect, the introduction of more colour and the combination with denim and leather to give a more rebellious effect to the outfit. Take note of some of the cat-walk looks from Balmain, Gucci, Miu Miu and Michael Kors.

In Gratacós we also want to show you some of our tweeds, so that you can imagine your autumn outfits. Take good note of some of these ideas!

“Thank you Delpozo for these six wonderful years. I have felt as if we were one family, and I am very proud of all the things we did together. ” This is the farewell phrase that Josep Font left last Tuesday on his Instagram, after six years leading the artistic direction of the company. At the same time Delpozo, for his part, thanked people for their excellent work over the years. It was an exchange of thanks which terminates a fruitful and successful collaboration.

Josep Font was responsible for the “rejuvenation and continuation of the legacy of Jesus del Pozo ” according to Pedro Trolez, president of Perfumes and Design Group and owner of the company, making the Spanish brand one of the most coveted at an international level. “He has an extraordinary ability to mix colours, textures and volumes, turning them into delicate and feminine collections. I am grateful for his loyalty and for having been a part of this first stage for Delpozo, “added Trolez .

An architect by training, Josep Font joined the Delopozo project a year after the death of Jesús del Pozo, who founded the company in 1974. In these six years, Font was responsible for renewing the identity of the Delpozo woman and giving her global projection via a parade first in New York and then in London, the two latest two parades . Apart from the reformulation of the name for commercial purposes(Jesús del Pozo became renamed DelPozo ), the Catalan designer devised his own language inspired by the forms of nature to create voluminous, ethereal and delicate designs in a very colourful palette characterized by its magnificent contrasts: it dances between the most dream-like pastel shades and fully saturated shades.

Apart from nature the designer has also fed from art, music and architecture to create each new collection,each of which was more surprising and more applauded. Passionate about craftsmanship, Font also opted for quality embroidery by recruiting suitable staff for his workshop., a task which bears witness to that minuteness of detail and to finishes in garments closer to haute couture than prêt-à-porter , presenting an incomparable vision of the feminine wardrobe. For all this, Josep Font has shown the value of well-made pieces, slow-cooked fashion, architectural silhouettes, tulle, ethereal volumes and good taste without excesses. All this through Delpozo .

At the moment  Delpozo  has not given clues as to who will be the designer to relieve Josep Font as the head of artistic direction. It is also not known what the next step will be for this Catalan designer, who has managed to fulfil the dreams of privileged women able to be dressed by Delpozo in the Josep Font era.

Sorry, this entry is only available in European Spanish.

2018 has been filled to the brim with pastel shades: the millennial pink still resists, the soft lavender tone of last winter, the calming baby blue, mint green… After this feast of sweet colours, fashion marks just the opposite with shades willing to revolutionize customer’s retinas: fluorescents. Therefore, with the summer still marking the calendar, we welcome the autumn with this daring chromatic trend that has been rescued from the 80’s to bring a little light to our traditional winter wardrobe.

The return of neon colours is not something new. In fact, almost a decade ago they were back in apparel sporty style inspired by the outfits worn by rappers and hip hop artists, who sported it in accessories such as shoes, sunglasses and other details on clothing as sidebars that shone in the darkness. Now, some designers rescue this fever for fluorescent colors and they do so with new approaches and conceptual arguments. The two most obvious or representative have been Calvin Klein and Prada, although neon shades have also seen on the Moschino, Marni or Balenciaga catwalks.

The creative director of Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, Raf Simons celebrates his first year in the job by exploring the universe of American culture. In this case, fluorescent shades are used to highlight the concepts of “safety” and “protection” with garments that refer to reflective safety jackets, overalls and balaclavas and where these tones are used for fashion purposes.

This season, Prada does a review of sporty style in futuristic key with oversized garments Inspired by outdoor sports. Waistcoats, windproof jackets, trench coats, wellies, fisherman hats in fluorescent colors, luminescent fringes that adorn dresses and superimposed fabrics that create an attractive iridescent effect on the catwalk.

And how do the fluor tones combine? They are colours that transmit dynamism and transgression and are associated with youth and fun. This power of visual attraction they exert is, in turn, their greatest defect because in the same way they entice, they repel instantly. It is easy to get fed up with them! The most risky option is to wear them with athleisure- style garments, in parkas, raincoats and windbreakers or in jackets that cut the formality of a closed dress or a midi skirt with a shirt. The most discreet way is to relegate them to small accessories or details such as side stripes or zips. The colours that best accompany them are white and black along with the range of neutrals.

In Gratacós we welcome neon tones with some daring fabrics that do not go unnoticed in the store. Do you want to come and see them and touch them for yourselves?

Who really was Gala? Who was this enigmatic woman who never went unnoticed and who raised contradictory feelings between the artists and poets of the time?  Was she a muse or a creator?  Never before to this day has such a large and detailed exhibition been focused on this visionary figure with the new exhibition Gala Salvador Dalí in Barcelona.

The National Museu d’Art de Catalunya and the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí have set a challenge with this event: to unveil Gala, muse, artist and a key figure in twentieth century art. Curated by Estrella de Diego, professor of Art History (UCM), the exhibition explores the life of Gala, companion of Salvador Dalí and before that of the poet Paul Éluard. Sometimes admired, sometimes forgotten or even insulted, Gala is undoubtedly a key character of the avant-garde.

A long journey

Gala (September 7, 1894 – June 10, 1982), was born into a family of intellectuals from Kazan (Russia), and spent her childhood in Moscow. She settled in Switzerland, where she met Paul Éluard, with whom she moved to Paris, where she contacted members of the Surrealist movement, such as Max Ernst.

In 1929 she travelled to Cadaqués, where he met and fell in love with Dalí and they decided to start a life together. For eight years they were in exile in the United States, and on their return they commuted between Portlligat, New York and Paris.  Gala was indeed known worldwide as the woman of Salvador Dalí, his muse and the protagonist of some of his paintings.  From this point followed the transformation of Gala into an artist in her own right, since the couple opted for an artistic cooperation which meant the shared authorship of some works.

Admired at times, sometimes forgotten or even insulted, Gala is a key figure of the avant-garde.

A key figure

Without Gala the surreal game board would appear incomplete. The paintings of Max Ernst, the photographs of Man Ray and Cecil Beaton and especially the works of Salvador Dalí are much more than portraits: they make up an autobiographical journey in which, as a postmodern heroine, Gala imagined and created her image.

For this reason the show will discover a Gala who is camouflaged as a muse while building her own path as an artist. It is also undeniable that to follow the evolution of Salvador Dalí as a painter she was essential in the artistic development of the Empordà painter. In this sense the exhibition gathers together a very important set of his works, some 60 in total, between oils and drawings. There is also a selection of paintings, drawings and photographs by other artists who gravitated in the surrealist universe with Max Ernst, Picasso, Man Ray and Cecil Beaton or BrassaÏ. Exhibited for the first time too is an interesting set of letters, postcards and books, as well as clothes and personal items from Gala’s toiletries.

 

As a postmodern heroine, Gala imagined and created her image.

In total, the exhibition brings together some 180 works that allow the reconstruction of the complex and fascinating figure of Gala. The works in the exhibition come mainly from the Dalí Foundation, but there are also objects from private collections and international museums in the United States, Germany, France and Italy, among others.

The Gala Salvador Dalí exhibition will remain open to the public until October 14.

 

Source: Photos provided by the National Art Museum of Catalonia and the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation

 

Although we have an eye on the 2020 collections – we are working on those fabrics likely to be in fashion in the next couple of years – we want to send off the current collection by focusing our attention on  the freshest and lightest fabrics that to a lesser or greater extent always have a certain presence in what is on offer for summer.  We’re talking about perforated fabrics that can be presented in various ways as sensual cotton embroidery, with a die-cut effect, in the form of net or laser-cut, which allows just a glimpse of skin.  Hinting, but not revealing.

From our analysis of the catwalks we give some examples of these fabrics and notice a chromatic tendency that is practically timeless because it is no longer subject to any season: the black-white binomial.

Cotton embroidery

Cotton embroidery  is associated  especially with the boho -chic style through oversized garments with maxi volumes. As an example , the designer Isabel Marant has used these fabrics in puffed blouses  accompanied by skirts and shorts.

For her part this same fabric also forms part of a dream-like creation from Simone Rocha, through whose designs women can be both naughty and innocent at the same time. Here we focus on her wide cotton dresses, some with stamped fabrics which give them this quality of apparent naïvity. The preferred colour for the die-cut continues to be a pristine white.

Net effect

If before we focused on a more romantic and evocative proposal, net fabrics are at the other extreme in that they highlight the more urbane and contemporary side of women. Woven fabrics are living a moment of splendour by abandoning intimate fashion and conquering new feminine garments such as skirts, dresses and sports-inspired tops.  Net effects are combined with each other or superimposed, leaving in their wake a sensual play of transparencies.

From net fabrics we highlight two novelties that have surprised us this season : that of opting almost entirely for the colour black – rejecting all those colourist fantasies – and the application of this fabric to all kinds of complements and accessories.  Proof of this are the summer collections by Emporio Armani and Dior.

Perforated

Finally we are highlighting those perforated fabrics where small circles reveal glimpses of the skin and laser cuts on leather or other light, transpirable fabrics. These create unique floral or fantasy prints that emulate the tattoo effect on the skin. In this case we are highlighting the looks of Salvatore Ferragamo, which go beyond mere white to include more daring pastel tones.

The Christian Dior museum in Granville, hosts a special exhibition that represents the opportunity to see a unique journey through the savoir faire of the famous couturier through its collections. Thus, the exhibition ‘The Treasures of the Collection, 30 years of acquisitions’ represents a selection of 60 Haute Couture dresses, accessories, numerous archival documents, photographs and personal belongings that belonged to Christian Dior. These “treasures” allow us to discover and enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit of the couturier, his career as a creator and his visionary secrets.

The exhibition is located in Villa Les Rhumbs, in the emblematic pink and grey farmhouse where Christian Dior, that reserved and dreamer child, spent his childhood. A place of exuberant vegetation, away from the agitations of the city where the designer found in the English garden his main sources of stylistic inspiration that later, transmitted in the spirit of the Maison Dior.  In 1987, the exhibition “Christian Dior, the other himself” organized at the Richard Anacréon Museum of Modern Art led to the creation of a Christian Dior fund. The idea of ​​creating a museum in the house where the great fashion designer was born came true ten years later.

Among the items on display, some curious ones stand out such as a silver chest donated by the Emperor of Japan, or Christian Dior’s personal belongings of that were part of his routine such as his lucky star, his agenda, his watch and his scissors. The museum also features several dresses acquired or donated and restored that are exhibited for the first time to complete the museum’s collections. To close the exhibition, visitors can admire the miniature reproductions of 30 haute couture dresses, created especially for the occasion by the Maison Dior workshops.

This exhibition, curated by Brigitte Richart -conservative, general curator- , and by Gwénola Fouilleul – in charge of the collections – is also backed up with Florence Müller, scientific adviser, and Barbara Jeauffroy-Mairet , mission manager. The stage design has been commissioned by Alighieri Agency from Simon Jaffrot and Noémie Bourgeois. ‘The Treasures of the Collection, 30 years of acquisitions’ can be visited at the Christian Dior Museum until January 6th, 2019.