Porsche Design Group (Q8928)
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design and licensing company
- Porsche Design
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Porsche Design Group |
design and licensing company |
|
Statements
Will Americans ever be able to get over the fact that Porsche Design is not about cars, but instead about clothes? Who knows? It doesn't seem to bother the Europeans, where it's been a brand name since the 1970s. But one thing is for certain: A rose is a rose no matter the name, and good clothes are good clothes no matter the label.And Porsche Design makes some good clothes. This season, senior fashion designer Pierre Costin focused on a strong shoulder and a nipped-in waist. "We're defining the silhouette," he said backstage before the show. "You could say it's '40s or '80s, but really it's about clothes that give you a sense of confidence and strength." The best looks for women really stuck with that idea, like a black quilted robe coat cinched in with a supersized round-buckle belt, or an army green military coat propped up on the shoulders of a black trench dress. An off-the-shoulder wool dress framed the décolletage instead of building on it, and a gray flannel twist-front dress whittled the torso with a camel-colored quilted corset worn underneath. To an extent, the men's looks mimicked the women's in color and texture. Her quilted neoprene skirt, paired with a curved-shoulder coat, matched his black quilted vest, worn under a banded blazer.There was certainly something futuristic about the collection, due in part to the shield sunglasses worn by every model. (They were a reissued design from 1979.) That simple styling trick pulled it all together.
15 February 2015
On hearing the revelation that Porsche produces a line of clothing (it has in various forms since the '70s), people's response is almost invariably a baffled, "But what does it look like?" And the answer is almost too obvious: sleek and expensive. This season Porsche Design creative director Thomas Steinbrueck dubbed his show "Zentech" and riffed on elemental Japanese minimalism with a hearty dose of the futuristic. Working with a palette of navy and neutrals, he topped his outerwear with obi belts; those obis even subbed in on occasion as tube tops, teamed with flowing, high-waisted trousers. To balance out airy shapes, there were shiny, sculpted vests and figure-hugging shell tops with plunging necklines. But like Occam's razor, in some cases Steinbrueck's simplest solutions were his most successful, as with an exquisitely draped maxi shirtdress in navy washed silk, or asymmetrical, off-the-shoulder tops in buttery leather.For men, Steinbrueck conjured up cargo jackets teamed with crisp, collarless white shirts; baggy shorts; and handsome ribbed knits. One white pullover, sheer except for some sporty paneling, was admittedly less wearable than some of the pieces that bookended it, but had a certain techy richness. The collection on the whole was full of winning, elegant propositions. In a couple of places the clothes felt a little bloodless—so lean and luxe as to seem standoffish, like a chilly beauty just out of reach. But my, isn't she lovely.
7 September 2014
Porsche has been designing products other than automobiles since the fifties, so while the clothing line bears the legendary sports car's name, it's not the sort of thing you find at a gear shop. In fact, Porsche Design is a luxury brand established in 1972 that sells watches, sunglasses, luggage, and more. For Fall, creative director Thomas Steinbrueck—who was president of merchandising and design at Kenneth Cole New York before joining Porsche Design in 2011—was actually thinking a lot about the seventies. "The collection was inspired by late-'70s alpine wear, but it was more about the mood," Steinbrueck said backstage after the show. "We wanted it be retro-futuristic, not retro."Steinbrueck was able to accomplish that aesthetic goal, building a 44-look collection for men and women that had a contemporary vibe nodding only slightly to the past. The women's looks in particular were nicely executed. The opening number—a cropped navy felt jacket, paired with a navy turtleneck and a slightly A-line wool skirt—was a winner, as was a low-cut dress in mustard felt that snapped together at the front. For men, a chunky-knit olive sweater worn with leather trousers stood out as being distinctive but not too flashy. (A quilted crew-neck sweatshirt in rust, on the other hand, might've gone one shade too far.) Steinbrueck's experience at Kenneth Cole suggests he'd be good with accessories, too—the chunky buckle boots for women had a definite appeal.
9 February 2014