Monday, March 31, 2014

Christophe Lemaire.

Weds. 09/25/2013.











Christophe Lemaire obviously has the "La Femme Francaise" Bit down Pat. Because for Spring 2014 he was giving the Incontrovertible truth that French Woman just GET Chic! They Live, Breathe, Inhabit all that is offhandedly A La Mode! His vision reeked of that Je Ne Sais Quoi element that imbues the French Woman with a natural grasp of all that is Fashion! 

Citing the Louche and Languid Indochine of Olde now known as Vietnam and bringing a a rigour from that area to the proceedings was just another nod to how the French Woman appropriates from all over the Globe and can coalesce those elements into something intrinsically Francais! 

Trenches and coats thrown about the shoulders in a terrifically cool way spoke in a thick French accent, Juxtapose that against say, Exit No. 9. a relaxed "Suit" cut more like a pair of pajamas in Creme De Caramel Satin, but owing more to the Vietnamese inspiration, gave a bit of jittery instability to the collection that refreshed the eye when things became too Metropolitan! A series of Drawstring waist shirtdresses accomplished that same thing but in the right hands could also be embarrassingly chic as well! 

Lemaire progressed from strength to strength in this most stridently confident of collections and whipped up a show full of chic and sporty options but all cloaked in a mantle of relaxed sophistication that was addictive and giddy! Lemaire has been remaking the Stolid house of Hermes in this mould of fantastical chic, At Hermes it's at the very Zenith of Luxury but there is something equally Luxurious about his namesake collection, something that if he continues in the way he is going, he may very well eclipse his own work at Hermes! 










That's All.










Bye4Now!










Anthony Vaccarello.

Tues. 09/24/2014.










Anthony Vaccarello.

Anthony Vaccarello has made suggestive skin baring an art of the likes that have not been seen since Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaia and Giorgio Di Sant'Angelo... Although with Vaccarello there is something a little more Raw and Steamy than the aforementioned designers (though it does take some skill to be more steamy than Gianni in his Sexiest Mode!) So with that claim to fame as his, Vaccarello is surely working his Oeuvre to the Nth Degree.

And therein lies the peril and the paradox.

Even though the audacity was actually reeled in this season in favor of tailoring and more focus on creatively displaying the body (though, believe... displayed it was!) it seems like it was just too little too late for it to save this collection, with it's oversized domed studs, Sheer Mesh (showing up yet again) plunging necklines and SUPER high hemlines. Most assuredly it veered from some of his most body glorifying works, and how he manages to keep these perfect bodies that wear his clothes (Anja Rubik, Anyone???) confidently encased is a thing of almost Mathematical precision.

The challenge here is that things started off with a try for more sobriety and perhaps even modesty, but by the latter third of the collection it became far too tawdry and immodest. Not that sometimes a little immodesty isn't a good thing, but here it felt not only rote, but a little Trashy, Kelly Bundy Trashy, Anna Nicole Smith Trashy, Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian Trashy! And that soured the collection. Were there beautiful pieces, Of Course!

The Opening on Anja Rubik with a Louche long Jacket covered in studs worn with short shorts and a open blouse had Sexy down to a Science and at Exit No. 22 on Kaitlin Aas, a Siren Red dress in Pliant leather was a Surefire Hit.

Yet, for all the body empowering beauty of the collection, The pervasive feeling of too little being too much hung in the air thick and heavy and the further things progressed the less chic they became. Will Vaccarello keep his ladies who "Dare To Bare" Happy, Surely, but he can only plow that furrow so long before many will wonder if he is a One-Trick Pony or a Triple Crown Star.










That's All.










Bye4Now.


Saturday, March 29, 2014

Cedric Charlier.

Tues. 09/24/2014.











A Delightful Juxtaposition was on hand at Cedric Charlier for Spring 2014. Firstly, A Monastic and Graphic Minimalism with inspiration from the Martial Arts (Seemingly, a micro trend of the season) Secondly, An artistic and extrovert dissertation on Stripes (also another inescapable trend this season!) This treatise on Stripes was played in more than one incarnation and in later guises lent a Subtle, almost Couture air to the proceedings.

Starting with stark plays of color in the most adaptable basic colours of all... Black, White and Navy, The collection dabbled with Asian influences and Architectural modernity. A sharp suit all in Black leather paired with a wrap top also in Black at Exit No. 5 was a study in Duality juxtaposing Asymmetric sharpness in the skirt with a more boxy almost detail free jacket. Then came the stripes, Black and White accented with painterly swipes of Cardinal Red. An especially successful pairing of a Sleeveless top and wide pants at Exit No. 17. 

From then on, things took on a Graphic tone that was Angular, But Gentle. Interplays of Solid and Sheer and Cutouts and Insets of materials back in the home base colours of Black, White and Navy. One Stunner, Exit No. 26, a Study in Spectator Contrast in Black and White Panels with a Hi-Lo Hem and floating train was an Ethereal Dream Vision walking! Ending on a note of Restrained Extravagance in matte Sequins the show closed in a Bright Haze of Cardinal and Seafoam and gave the show an ephemeral swan song to a collection that was firmly rooted in the Here and Now. 

Charlier presented a Stellar, Thoughtful collection full of invention and gravitas. Little more could be asked of any designer. 










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Paris Spring 2014.

Mon. 03/24/2014.





Dear Readers,

Now off to Paris for the final Reviews of Spring 2014. This has been harder than I expected, especially getting sidetracked with Familial issues and such. For those who have hung with me, I am more honoured than words can convey, so now off to Paris. Thank You So Much! 





Yours, Sincerely,

Terrill Lawrence Sanford.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

To My Readers.

Thurs. 03/20/2014.


Dear Readers,

Thank You all from the Very Bottom of my heart for those who have continued to follow and read my blog and posts. I know I have gotten behind a good bit, But I am trying to catch up now. My Father was in the hospital for a good bit and I was posting some but was concentrating more on getting him back to healthy and now that he is better I will be focusing on blogging intently now. Again, My Deepest and Sincerest Thanks from the Bottom of My Heart and Soul to those who have stayed with me! 

I will hopefully be done with Paris Spring 2014 quickly and will do a quick survey of the Spring 2014 Haute Couture Collections (As amazing as they were, How could I Not?) and then on to Fall 2014 and hopefully will be done before the Resort/Cruise 2015 shows kick off with the usual opening Salvo of Chanel's Cruise collection (this year in Dubai!) If all goes as planned, I will be blogging live during the Resort shows. 

My Sincerest Gratitude! 



Terrill Lawrence Sanford.

Giorgio Armani.

Mon. 09/23/2013.










Giorgio Armani.

If you've seen one Armani Collection... Well You know how the Axiom goes. As this Spring 2014 confirmed, Mr.Armani seems to be in retrospective mode. He is rehashing a lot of old standbys and the feeling is of deepest Stagnation! As with his Prive collection where Armani can be counted on for a really stellar collection, they vacillate wildly! And that is the sad truth of this collection. Beautiful in places, Yes, but sadly innovation was left by the wayside.

There were the typical Narrow Jackets, Ethnic Flourishes, Shorts instead of Skirts for the suits and as always 1001 Shades of Beige! Yes, the Tailoring is EXQUISITE, anyone denying that fact would be Lunacy, but Tailoring alone is not sufficient enough to elevate a collection where Tailoring is Stock In Trade! However, the biggest offence is that the collection looked like it could have been shown in 1989, 1999 or 2009 and fit in just as seamlessly amongst the Spring collections of those years. That may be considered by some to be Timeless, but it is more a case of Suspended Animation!

Plainly, The Collection is awfully Pretty. No one would dare deny that! Pretty wasn't enough though, to elevate the collection above the familiar! Yes, Some gorgeous pieces, Like Exits Nos. 12 and 13. A pair of abbreviated Finely tailored boxy jackets in Lapis Blue and Midnight Black with a slim, fluid skirts and sheer striped blouses underneath had an appealing freshness Chez Casa Di Armani.

Armani kept things Resolutely short. Not one long item in the whole collection (which was quite brief in comparison to Armani's usual Prolificness) He also presented some rather eye-catching abstract prints that would make Matisse and Miro quite proud. As much as the prints felt refreshing and blithe, the Silhouettes were frumpy to the point of awkwardness as Evening got underway which didn't help the atavistic quality of the show any!

This didn't measure up to the greatest of Armani's collections which when they are Great, They are MONUMENTAL, yet when they are like this, They just feel Uninspired and Redundant. Armani does have a catalog of hits that makes him one of the Grandmasters of the Fashion Game, and he can never, ever, REALLY produce a Disaster of a collection. But he can produce one that fails to advance his dialogue any further. This happened to be one of the latter!










That's All.










Bye4Now!



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Marni.

Sun. 09/22/2013.











For the Eccentric, Bohemian Woman, Milan has a couple of house ideal for her Eclectic tastes... There is the Arch, Satirical, Almost Bitterly Defiant Eccentricities of Miuccia Prada, The Intellectual, Precise Uber-Luxe Modernist Tomas Meier at Bottega Veneta, and the Darling of Boho... Consuelo Castiglioni at Marni who offers the Free Spirited Boho the most eccentric and eclectic fashion of the lot! Whereas the Intellectual is primary for Prada and Meier, although they definitely fall on the polar extremes of the Intellectual side, for Castiglioni, Intellect is sublimated for Emotion! Her vision is always informed with a Kooky Playfulness and Visceral artiness that edges sometimes into the comic, Yet she manages to pull the reins just before it topples into Buffoonery!

For Spring 2014, Castiglioni's Marni was given the Athletic patina that has coloured much of the Spring 2014 collections. Working the Sporty/Athletic Bohemian miasma hanging about in her own way, Castiglioni managed to inject a sense of modernity into her work which usually has a Hippy-ish vein running right through the middle of it. Oh, Yes. There was Hippy, Earth Mother elements on display, (Would it be Marni if not?) but translated through the prism of Sportif, those elements were rendered fresher and more relevant to a different strata of Clientele! 

The Simple Black Dress of Exit No. 2 when viewed closer showed it was not simple in the least, with it's different fabric drop sleeve and T-Shirt neckline it would work on the Streets of Manhattan as it would Haight-Ashbury! Another Exit of note, Exit No. 6, all in Black, Clean and Simple and Restrained and as Perfect as anything this season with a belted Duster coat and Pants with deep cuffs in a sueded fabrication that was as Pure as it was Pure Genius! 

If one looks past the Gym shoe inspired Platform sandals and Sun Visors which are obvious sport tropes, she kept the shapes minimal and athletic which also gave a sporty feel to the clothes. At Exit No. 7, we were given a whiff of full on Marni Boho with an Oversized and patently lovely Nature print that fit in with miraculous ease! However with just a few exits in prints, that whimsy was gone quickly, never to return. It was shocking, But welcome in the extreme. 

By the time we were rounding the bend to the Finale exits, a couple of toppers in Gleaming Perforated (Showing it's head again) Patent were standouts of the highest regard. A Spectacular wrap Jacket/Coat in Deep Bordeaux with an embroidered collar at Exit No. 24 was Blissfully Gorgeous! As the show worked towards it's end we were given the most Soul Satisfying Sensory and Embellishment Overload! It would make a Magpies Heart Flutter. Castiglioni just heaped on with Zealous abandon Beads and Oversized plastic Sequins and small fabric modeled flowers and more... it was dizzying and Virtuosic and so free in it's joyous excess that one could not smile, She even finished the show in an All White version that could easily be used as a Modern Hippy's Bride dress! 

Castiglioni showed a new and astounding versatility this season that was coupled with her steady and assured Bohemian hand which produced a collection of Staggering Brilliance. It was one for the Ages! 










That's All. 










Bye4Now!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Fausto Puglisi.

Sun. 09/22/2013.











If Gianni Versace and Christophe Decarnin had a Baby and that baby's Godparents were Roberto Cavalli and Peter Dundas and Olivier Roustieng... Well that might give you some clue as to the vibe being slung about by Fausto Puglisi. Young and Impetuous and working a serious Rock 'N' Roll motif to the bone, Puglisi is the newest Firebrand on the scene to emerge and along with another recent entry to the fraternity of the Rockin' side of Fashion, Philipp Plein! But where as Plein is going the Uber Luxe Rock Frock Route, Fausto is a little less polished and this collection suffered from a serious issue with repetition!

Puglisi exclaimed that the collection was "Carolina Herrera Meets Axl Rose!" Now, how that might have possibly looked could have been a disaster of Quantum proportions. At certain moments, It lived up to that disastrous potential! Otherwise, the collection was a Fun, Sexed-Up, Raucous Romp with bed hair and enough Palm Trees to Populate a production of South Pacific!

There was Leather aplenty and Full swishing skirts for day that could translate as well for night. The great fault in the collection lay in that Puglisi repeated the same Silhouette time and time again... Antebellum Full Mini skirts with a shirt on top or the full length ball skirts (The Carolina Herrera side obviously) with Leather Moto Jackets or button front shirts. Puglisi would have done the collection much justice had he not inadvertently channeled Gianni Versace's Fall 1991 collection so heavily!

Some Fine exits... Exit No. 18, A Palm tree embroidered White Sheath gown on the Stunning Cora Emmanuel and Exit No. 34, A White camp shirt with Black piping paired with a Foulard print Black and White Ball skirt lavished with Gold and Crystal embroidery.

Puglisi put forth a collection that is going to appeal to the Starlet that wants to look like a Rocker and the Rocker chick that wants to look like a Starlet and the woman in between who just wants some Sexy Edge injected into her Spring 2014 wardrobe.










That's All.










Bye4Now!









Saturday, March 15, 2014

Salvatore Ferragamo.

Sun. 09/22/2013.










Salvatore Ferragamo.

Massimilano Giornetti has infused new life into the Giant Powerhouse that is Salvatore Ferragamo. One of the few houses that could have survived alone on it's Accessory divisions. For more than 60 years they have made the most perfectly designed shoes and also have a thriving Handbag business. Yet, to be taken seriously, one cannot rely on accessories alone nor can a house rely on just providing Deluxe and Safe Sportswear. Like all major Players in the game, the house has to step outside and play with the big kids and that means Giornetti has to work beyond his comfort niche and insert some edge into the mix!

Sometimes, when one has more classical sensibilities, as Giornetti does, that can pose some difficulties.In the last few seasons that has yielded not only positive results, but has placed the house that Salvatore built on the Hot List of many top editors and retailers. Giornetti now has become comfortable with staying in the current waves of the moment and charting his own path amongst the throng. For Spring 2014 that provided slightly mixed results that erred on the higher on the side of good than bad.

Being current sometimes entails being risky, throwing some Curveballs in with the Fastballs and seeing what the results will be. Gironetti in some exits let the tricks get the best of the genuinely Chic and wearable pieces, like the dissecting of the middle of jackets and coats into two pieces, which as an idea was more interesting than the reality.  The kilts and wrap over skirts were also unsuccessful, for they just didn't look smart or stylish. Confused would be the best word. They didn't Detract (not totally) from the rest of the collection, they didn't add anything, to be frank, either.

What then, was the message. A tweaking of the classic sporty elements of a Woman's wardrobe, The Trench, The Kilt, The Moto Jacket, The Bomber... all done with a Light hand and usually in extremely luxe materials that ranged from Liquid Silks to Buttery Leathers. All achieved with almost nary a variation outside of the Beige/Ivory range. Throw in some Spiky coloured Hand Painted Python skin and the collection was a Extravaganza of the deluxe!

To Wit, Try Exit No. 8, Refreshing in all White with a most desirable Nautical inspired Trench and Papery Pleated Kilt. Or try Exit No. 13, Deceptively simple, with intricate side pleating via a Trench belt at the side. Exit No 28 was perhaps the peak of the show, A Fawn Beige Trench in supple, paper thin Leather was Outstanding and perhaps the chicest thing of the season.

The collection ended on a Navy note in the last few exits and closed with another Trench in Crisp Navy Silk that was the Epitome of Nighttime Chic for a Parisian Femme! Giornetti is proving he has the goods to keep the label on the front lines of fashion and keep his soldiers well appointed whilst in battle. In all houses there are stumbles along the way, it's the mark of a not a good, but a Great designer that even with stumbling that they can also produce Covetous clothes along with the tricks. Giornetti has the Reigns of the house firmly in hand, and shows no sign of letting up the slack!










That's All.










Bye4Now!



Dolce And Gabbana.

Sun. 09/22/2013.











Speechless. Flawless. Stunning! Just one of the best from the house of Stefano and Domenico. Spring 2014 was a collection full of Wonderment and Astonishing beauty! A Dream of Ruins and of the Passionate Sicilian Woman that has captivated the duo for all of their career but as of the last 3 seasons seems to have permeated the clothes to their core. Last Spring, it was Rural and festive with an almost comic feeling of Puppets and Street Festivals, For this past Fall, there was a Deeper, Religious impart to the clothes that merged Byzantium and Catholicism. Here, there was something more Blithe, yet, Earthen. Ruins and Almond blossoms and Coins of Roman Antiquity proliferated.

There was as they would say in Italian... Abbondanza! A Decadent Excess of all elements from the Delicate yet Masterfully elaborate embroideries of Almond Blossoms to the Photo Realistic depths of the ruins prints and the more quirky, yet wholly Whimsical use of Ancient Coinage in the prints, belts, bracelets, and more! before it was over all these elements would be mixed together in some permutation that bordered on the Schizo but was nothing less than Maddening Genius! 

Let's get a handle on things before we seriously start. There was so much in this collection that bordered on Flawless that to adequately pick and choose specifics would be a Brobdingnagian task of the most Herculean Sort! The riches abounded with such Fecundity that one was embarrassed with the wealth of the bounty! From the opening Exit to the Last Parade of Models ensconced in soft light Gold Lace, It soared from one peak to the next with effortless facility! 

From the Column Printed Column dress that opened the show to the next exit, a White dress of Milkmaid innocence, with it's flowing skirt and modest length and printed with branches ripe with blossoming flowers that were then replicated as 3-D embroideries of those said same flowers was just a magical application of Whimsy and Intellect! A Little Nothing of a dress at Exit No. 8 (On the Radiant Maud Welzen) in Peach/Nude Organza was Smothered in those Blossoms and belted with a Gigantic Coin Belt was As familiar as an old Tee but as Exquisite as Couture! 

As per usual, there was a 50's-60's "La Dolce Vita" Undercurrent in Abbreviated little A-line coats and dresses and Hip-Molded Wiggle skirts and dresses along with the always familiar Poaching of the Sicilian Widow gone Sexy in Black Lace and Underwear styles... all signature tropes for the house but here done in such an Insouciante and Carefree way that they were rendered Afresh! 

A section in the middle of the show cast all in Black was the evocation of the "Sicilian" Inspiration in it's Purest form. From the Pencil Slim Bustier Dress to the calf on Catherine McNeil at Exit No. 42 was Sublime for the simple fact alone that it was almost wholly unadorned, save for Earrings and a Bag. A few exits later an exemplary suit in Black Lace at Exit No. 47 with a Shaggy fur collar was as perfect as a Italian Madre on Sunday morning in Church!

The show careened on with such versatility in the variations on the themes presented that it flowed into the waters of the Virtuoso. Take the Crinkled Patent shift in Granny Smith Apple Green with the Flower blossoms embroidered upon it was Mod and Classical in the same breath. This Fever Pitch of Sensual/Innocent Dichotomy was conjured up with a Magician's Flair. Dolce and Gabbana put on a show for the ages with this collection and surpassed virtually all others in the Race of Spring 2014 show of the season! It was a Breathtaking Opus and so Fantastical that it rivaled nearly all that has come before it this season, or past!










That's All.











Bye4Now!














Friday, March 14, 2014

Missoni.

Sun. 09/22/2013.











It's a LONG Way away from the days of Papa Tai and Mama Rosita being at the helm of the fabled house of Missoni. Daughter Angela has turned the house around into a Directional must see collection during the season of shows. In her revamping of all that is Missoni, Angela has also perhaps lost her way. In many ways that was DANGEROUSLY Necessary to keep the house relevant as it goes into it's 60th year. But in all that revamping Angela has also perhaps lost something of the Signature of the house amongst all that modernizing. 

The Collection Missoni presented for Spring 2014 was inspired, Angela remarked, by the elements, Air, Fire, Earth and Water. That translated into heated earthen colours sitting boldly beside cooler airy aquatic colours. Incorporate into that a Logo-Tastic Variation on the Missoni name in a Quasi-Tribal mould and Woodblock inspired Japanese influenced prints of Birds and Mountains, The Mix became even more interesting. But interesting sometimes is not the same as good.

Starting with one of the Logo print tops and a wrap skirt in the Bird/Aquatic print, things looked to be off to a easy, arty start, the next exit, a one sleeved tube dress to the calf in the same Bird print was awfully good looking too. If not exactly typical Missoni, it was a refreshing addition to the house codes. but from there things began to simply metamorphose into a incohesive mishmash. There wasn't anything particularly Awful, it just felt as if the collection was clutching at everything and anything available and putting it in the Fashion Blender and whipping it into Frappe of... Nothing.

The collection was simply not memorable. Nor did it stand out in any exciting way. Some pieces did speak more loudly than others... Exit No. 24 in a hammered silk chiffon Print of Aqua, Orange and Brown draped into a sleeveless calf-length dress was Truly an Eye-Catcher!

On the whole... Spring 2014 was a solid effort for the house of Missoni, yet it also felt as if it were pushing itself further and further away from it's own history. Ignoring such a rich and lush storied history that is her Families Legacy can only lead to future disappointments. Angela would do herself and her family name well to reconsider the path she has decided to trod down and reestablish some of the Greatness that the House of Missoni is known for!










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Emilio Pucci.

Sat. 09/21/2013.










As time has progressed at the house of Emilio Pucci, Peter Dundas has grown more and more confident in his Super Deluxe Bohemian Rock offerings for the house and his clientele. He has cultivated an Oozingly Sexy Oeuvre in the manner of what Decarnin did at Balmain and others have begun to finesse as their Home Base of Style. Dundas may be the Gold Standard of this realm and also may be the most diverse. He has the rich history of the Pucci Legacy to feather his nest and work within that mould whilst injecting his own mind into the mix. It has been, from the start, an amalgam of perfection and unity of vision! Dundas has rarely set one foot wrong since he left Ungaro to take over the house Emilio Built.

This collection, somehow, felt something of the atavistic in that it was more a recalling of his early days at the house, where in recent collections Dundas has pared the Pucci Swirls and Dots and Psychedelic Fantasmagoria optical prints as more accompaniments to his burgeoning voice, This collection relied heavily on those prints but didn't feel as if they were a Crutch. There was far too much else going on for them to feel dominant in the Grand Scheme of things.

Starting on the Joan Smalls, A Bejeweled supple leather tee was paired with a Beaded and copiously embroidered mini that showed at least 3 disciplines of adornment in one skirt. Firmly rooted in the Deluxe, but was comfortably Easy and Scathingly Sexy! The first third of this collection was dominated with these lavish embellishments and the vaguely tribal variation on the optic Pucci prints. The Tribal look came along in Beading and Intricate woven versions as well in this section... as in a Strapless short dress at Exit No. 11.

Next on the menu... Peter Dundas is Well known for his Sporty/Athletic interjections into the language of Pucci, this season was no exception. With Motocross pants and Skydiving inspired Jumpsuits in Bold and Bright colours like Royal and Carrot they stood out quite definitely Amongst the throng. Another trope was sarong draping, but that wasn't really as successful as Dundas may have hoped and bogged the Esprit of the collection down a bit. However a Skintight Jet beaded Catsuit and Sequined Jacket all in Black at Exit No. 40 (Again on the Dazzling Joan Smalls) was an Allover success!

In the end, On the one hand, It was nice to see the Pucci prints back and rocking harder than ever, but on the other, there was an obvious lack of focus and cohesion in this collection that stopped it from being one of Dundas' masterworks for the house. But, Gosh, He's due a little slippage... he's been hitting such highs consistently for the last 3 years or so that he cannot be at all faulted for not always batting it into the nosebleed seats! It's simply a testament to Dundas' Greatness that even when he isn't clicking on all cylinders his work is still some of the best to be found!










That's All.










Bye4Now!


Monday, March 10, 2014

Philpp Plein.

Sat. 09/21/2013.











WORK! What a Fashion-Gasm! Philipp Plein not only executed a Marvellous Rockin' Rollickin' Clubtastic Winner of a collection for Spring 2014. Gutsy and Sexy, It was a Triumph of Diversity and Showed just how a designer can cast a show with more than just 3-4 familiar faces of colour and build a whole lineup out of AMAZING Models with skin tone something more darker than Milk! 

More so than that, the collection was Glamourously Excessive and Extrovert. It had the Rock and Roll vibe down pat and Luxuriously Deluxe! From the opening Crocodile outfit on Liya Kebede in Black that had a Swaggering ease to it, Plein threw down the Gauntlet that this was not a collection for the Shy! 

Plein's Collection had a Active-Sporty vibe to it's Rock and Roll Vibe and also offered up some deep technical virtuosity in places! The collection focused almost exclusively on Black, White and Silver with hints of Metallic Aqua Green and Fuschia Pink! From a Sportif Godet LBD with Faggotted vertical stitching at Exit No. 15 to Lavishly embroidered gown at Exit No. 23 with a Skull woven into the Macrame lace Tank top of the gown, The show See-Sawed from Elaborate Exhibitions of The Over-The-Top to more refined and restrained arabesques! 

The collection ended on a White Note and Shown on some of the most Chocolaty Darkest of Beauties Grace Bol and Ajak Deng the White gowns that ended the show were Stunning Showstoppers in Intricate Beading and Embroidery, Grace's Exit No. 41 densely encrusted with Lace and Crystals forming a Psuedo Sweet and Innocent Heart at the bodice that was thrown off the Sweet train by the words plastered across the heart (See Dress Here.) and Ajak's Exit No. 42 Richly Covered in Crystals and Pearls featuring a Skull right on the front. Daring and Sweet all at once! 

The big Takeaway from the show was the usage of an All-Black Cast can be and IS Viably an option for a designer. The Diversity Issue has expanded for sure, but the Fashion World could easily take a page from Philipp Plein's Playbook and realize that there are dozens of Faces and Bodies of Colour in the Model race that are as Magnificently Beautiful as their Paler counterparts. And that's a lesson that I must Stress, Cannot be learned at all soon enough! 










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Jil Sander And Aquilano.Rimondi

Sat. 09/21/2013.










Jil Sander.

What more is there to offer on Jil Sander Unceremonious THIRD Exit from the house that bears her name? Who can know her mind and who can question her decision? From the sidelines though it appears there is some Ambivalence or Schizophrenia involved. Was she just there as a Solid Rebound after Raf Simons left for the Greener Pastures of Dior? A Stopgap? Was she truly, really, seriously trying to reclaim the house with her name on the front? Speculation all of it.

One thing is a fact for certain... The house needs an injection of Stability and Commitment from someone, someone willing to put in the time to put the label on the back where it was and not fly off to some paradisic islet of glory as Raf did when he took the money and ran to Dior. Someone in it for the re-establishing of the house and as such, creating a name for themselves in the process.

On to the Matters at hand, Spring 2014. The collection can be wrapped up with little blather and bracing economy. It was a showcase of what Jil does best and only gently arced out of her established comfort zones with some elegantly embellished fabrics and a stupendous wild print that was well outside the norm for Sander. The Ascetic is always the Aesthetic Chez Jil, and here was no faltering in that practice. Sometimes in made things Antiseptic to the point of Anodyne. In other places it Shone like a Beacon in the night.

One such beacon of Light was exit No. 29, A deceptively simple shift in Virgin white belted at the waist with a curvaceous shape to it... it spoke volumes without saying as much as one word! And so it went until the show ended... was it a Swan Song of epic magnitude? No. In fact, it felt Anticlimactic in the extreme. Maybe there was going to be a continuation with Jil at the helm... Maybe this was a spur of the moment decision? Maybe she just didn't feel she could do this anymore, Who is to say? Whom truly is to know?

Whatever the case, The house has been abandoned and left to the spirits once more. where the winds of change and fashion will take it is anybody's guess, Just pray it will find a safe harbour in the near future. There is too much history here for the fields to be left fallow.











Aquillano.Rimondi.

As much colour and content that Roberto Rimondi and Tomaso Aquilano tried to pack into their collection, from misguided YSL like colour combinations to the poaching of Gaugain canvases, it didn't serve to make this collection feel less unfortunate and busy with overabundance. Using primarily Lushly saturated Silks, the collection had an inherent luxury that was subverted by the more relaxed and sporty silhouettes. This was surmounted by some extremely Lavish Textural and Surface treatments from Damasks and Brocades, yet on the Optically searing Colours used in the collection, those fabrications became a little jarring!

There was too much going on, or conversely, too little. A portion of the exits verged on the skimpy in design execution and felt underwhelming, if not a bit childish! Juxtaposing these two halves of the spirit of the collection led to a disjointed air that affected the collection to it's core.

To Wrap it up, The collection was not the best from the Aquilano.Rimondi duo and has been the most recent in a line of underwhelming and unsatisfactory collections. Hopefully they can turn this streak around and come back with work that recaptures their earlier glory and brilliance.










That's All.











Bye4Now!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Roberto Cavalli.

Sat. 09/21/2013.











It was business as usual at Casa De Cavalli. That's not necessarily a good thing. In the case of Spring 2014, it wasn't a good thing at all. Saying that, The collection brimmed with some Exquisitely Beautiful clothes that showed off the Dazzling Technical Mastery of the Cavalli ateliers. However, Technical Brilliance is not going to get you everywhere. Cavalli's collection did nothing to advance the Fashion conversation except to show he is relying heavily, almost slavishly, on his house Signatures and Tropes. 

Firstly, There were some sublime pieces. I wouldn't dare say that the Historical Archive of Cavalli isn't rich with extraordinarily Gorgeous items. Yes, that's true. But recycling them without carving a new niche for them to exist in is an tedious exercise in the Repetitious. Focusing his Spring 2014 collection on dreamy, almost hazy, colours that arced from shadowy Silvers and Greys to Bone and Ivory and then onto springish pastels of Pink, Blues and Greens and then onto the Colours of the season, White and Black, which dominated the second half of the collection almost exclusively. 

There was the expected Rich Hippie Bohemian vibe running through the collection and the pre-requisite Rock Star leather and Snake pants and Tuxedo Styled blazers... but haven't we seen all that Chez Cavalli numerous times? The Caftans, The Fringe, The Slinky Slip Gowns...??? I am all for being recognizable, but there is also times when one needs to take a few well judged and Hell, Some Badly judged Risks! There wasn't a risk to be found here. It was all the stuff we are used to seeing in just minimally different Guises. 

Saying all that... The collection was Awfully Beautiful in many places and was a Glamourous treatise on Deluxe Bohemianism in the way that A Roberto Cavalli collection can always be. It was just as the Great Yogi Once Said... "Deja Vu All Over Again!"










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Bottega Veneta.

Sat. 09/21/2013.











Disconnect. It was the Inescapable feeling at Tomas Meier's Spring 2014 Bottega Veneta Collection. That something was most surely off in this most Intellectual of Fashion Houses. Where the Discourse here is always managed in the vernacular of the experimental, This season the Experiment seem to get away from the Experimenter. The clothes looked Disheveled and Bogged down with unnecessary weight. 

Opening with a look that by any terms was a success, an all Black Two-Piece dress with a deeply cuffed short sleeve shirt and a crinkle pleated skirt was Modern, Classic and Forward looking while being easily wearable. Exit No. 2 was just as Tricky but wearable in a White version of the opening, but now with wide, Sharp flounces at the waist and hem and a Cap Sleeve top. 

Things felt totally in hand though, Until Exit No. 6. Things just began to Fraction apart into Overly complex configurations, layering pleats and swirls and whorls upon and onto the outfits just belaboured them with so much experimentational over reaching that the clothes, to be honest, became somewhat ugly. There was a vacillation between the Extrovert and the contained that lent an air of discombobulation and Schizophrenia. 

This Artistic tension followed the collection to it's end and didn't do anything towards resolving the inherent issue at hand... How do the elements of this collection find a resolution of the argument between Simple, Yet Complex and the just Difficultly Complex? I don't think Meier had the found the answer to that equation by the end of this show. 










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Versace.

Fri. 09/20/2013.










Versace,

The design style of the Great, Late Gianni Versace is long a thing of the past. Donatella has forged her own Highly recognizable path at the house her brother so brilliantly built. She has shaped the Codes of the house into her own vision of Ultra-Luxe Sexed up Glam-More! On the one hand, to forever not be cast in the Titanic Shadow of her Big Brother, Donatella HAD to Bury the past glories of Gianni. Bury Them DEEP! On the Other hand, Her forwarding of the house identity has somehow left a hole in the Essential Fabric that is Versace.

SO, that leaves the Fashion Onlooker in something of a Quandry. Do we continue to crucify Donatella for falling away from the emblematic ideas that we fell in love with when Gianni was alive and running things? Or, do we accept that Poor Frere Versace is long dead and buried (almost 20 years now! My how times have changed) and Move on as Donatella has and live in the "What Is Now" and realize that She is NOT her Brother and she has differing Aesthetics and Tastes than he did?

I prefer the Latter route as much as I would love the Former, It's unrealistic and a Set-up for disappointment. Donatella has forged a new path, and whatever the path that Gianni may have taken had he lived to continue designing up to this point, is an exercise in the acadeamic. No one can know. We can only look at what Is, Not what Might have been!

In that respect, This was equally one of Donatella's Strongest and Weakest showings. The Opening half of the show was a Powerhouse. The mix of Denim and Raffia in the Opening exit was Vampy and Sexy yet strangely, Demure. The sky high hems and and Sinuous Pencil Skirts Gave Va-Va-Voom In Spades while the Raffia Dirndl skirts were more romantic. Donatella toughened up the looks with the "Medusa" head chains draped about the outfits giving them a bit of Glitzy Edge!

One Other Point, The Prints, although not nearly the Caliber of what Gianni produced so Prodigiously and Fluidly, were Quite Pretty and perhaps made for the times... though one could hope that at some point Donatella will do a TRUE print Revival at the house just to acknowledge one of the Symbolic House codes. Her Prints here were Spacy and Optic or hearkened back to the Glossy 80's in digitized looking Florals which then later became a more traditional floral.

The best was the 70's Concert Tee "Versace World Tour 2014" Print. on a pair of Mesh accented tees. The weakest point was the actually usually Donatella's Strongest point, The evening Wear. The gowns this season were a little, Haphazard and Inelegant. They didn't actually devolve into the trashy, but they didn't look especially Glamourous or Sophisticated, which even in the most scandalous of looks, Donatella is capable of achieving with Breathtaking ease!

In the end, it was a Stellar and Easily appreciable collection and further proved that Donatella has moved out of Gianni's Shadow and into the Bright Light of her own Magnificence. This may not have been from top to bottom the best collection she has shown, but it without one trace of doubt is a continuation of the Dialogue that is now Firmly Speaking In Donatella's Voice.











That's All.










Bye4Now!




Saturday, March 1, 2014

Trussardi.

Fri. 09/20/2013.











Gaia Trussardi's Debut for Spring 2014 at the house that bears her Family name was something of a mixed bag. On the one hand there was definite high notes and pieces that set the house on a good path for Ms. Trussardi's Premiere Collection, but on the other hand, there were also the missteps that are inevitable in such an undertaking. A stronger Commitment to her vision would have improved things tremendously, also a more Pointed editing eye would have been helpful to weed out some of the weaker pieces. 

Starting on a good foot, the Cropped White Pantsuit held Much promise and the Cowboy styled scarf at the neck was a whimsical edition that by the time the collection was over though had grown somewhat stale. The one thing on Immediate view was that the Tailoring at the house is Top-Notch. The Pantsuit was cut with Utmost Precision and Clarity and will be decidedly desirable. Same for the Snap front "Varsity" Jacket that came next in Bleached Python which had COVETOUS Ingrained in it from the Inception. It's one of those pieces that women will be fighting for! 

Exit No. 7 explored the same Overtly Luxurious Territory with a Long Cardigan coat that fused Python on the inside to the paper thin Cashmere outer and was Stupendous! Paired with the same Python Hot Pants and Bandeau, it radiated a Quiet, Fun Opulence. 

From the Python Prints to the use of Real Python the show had serious Mojo working. It was innately Confident and perhaps in that over confidence is where it lost some of it's lustre... The cowboy hats were not working and that Gold Glitter Ball Jumpsuit was better left on the cutting room floor, Yet with all that being said, One couldn't find anything objectionable with this collection. It wasn't shaking the Fashion Firmament, But it's certainly a Credible Start for Gaia Trussardi and shows she has the talent to make something out of this sleeping giant of a Label! Just give her Time! 










That's All.










Bye4Now!

Tod's.

Fri. 09/20/2013.











29 Exits. That was all it took to Capture the collective Imaginations of the Fashion Community at large. 29 Soigne And Desirable Exits that reclaimed the status of a certain Ms. Alessandra Facchinetti. Now, That name comes with some baggage. Ousted after a little over a year, Consecutively, from TWO Fashion Houses that obviously were in deep stages of flux and had no damn clue of who they were letting go of. Both Gucci and Valentino were the houses that deposed Senora Facchinetti after a brief year at the respective helms and if not for the Massive successes of Frida Giannini and Pier Paolo Piccoli amnd Maria Grazia Chiuri respectively at those houses, they might upon reflection and viewing this triumph, they may have well been kicking themselves in their asses for such Knee-Jerk Reactions! In my opinion they should be anyway, For Facchinetti's work for both of those houses were stellar and given time she would have elevated those Maisons to where they are now or perhaps even further! 

Facchinetti Beguiled and Bewildered with her Facility and Technical Mastery. She made it seems So Easy, So Offhanded and Nonchalant, Like it was just blown together by Fairy Magic and the Forest Breeze! Her Colour Choices were one of the reasons everything worked so splendidly... has ANY other designer used Brick Red so Fearlessly and with such Aplomb this season? I think Not! And this Drama Plus colour was her opening salvo and used to spectacular effect! 

A glossy Leather outfit in that Brick Red with White Piping was Deluxe while being Efficiently Smart and Easy! A Double-Breasted Pantsuit (How comforting to see an honest to Goodness Pantsuit!?!? FOR REAL!) in that same Red at Exit No. 4 was as chic as anything ever made at any house! As a relief, A palest Rose Pink shirt dress with a laser cut underskirt at Exit No. 6 was as Editorial as it was Commercially Viable for the everyday world! 

If Simple can also speak volumes in a quietude, Exit No. 19 was just so in Spades! A perfect White Shirt (The Ne Plus Ultra of any wardrobe) paired with a Dirndl in Grey with a richly embellished hem and side zip pockets was so Effectively Stunning in it's Understated power that it made one's breath catch without even realizing it! Although there were many more examinations of chic before the show ended, To go on would just serve little purpose other than to continue to gild the lily! 

The collection was enough on it's own to Wow and Amaze in abundance. Facchinetti will hopefully be given time to Blossom and Flourish into Full Bloom of her talents at the house and have a much longer span than she did at her previous engagements, as we can now surely see, Gucci and Valentino's Loss is Diego Della Valle's baby, Tod's, as well as Fashion's, Gain!










That's All.










Bye4Now!