Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Brunello Cucinelli.

Weds. 02/25/2015.






"Wild Luxury" was the theme of Brunello Cucinelli's Fall 2015 offering of Super Luxurious Sportswear highlighted by Innovative and Daringly Expensive pieces juxtaposed against more grounded and urban ones, while still feeling Urbane and Minimalistic, sort of a City Hippy inflection. A Cosmopolitan Nomad! Layering was part of the plan of this "Luxury" Cozy knits and Lightweight layering pieces existed with Warm, Inviting Coats and outerwear, achieved much in Fox and Mink fur, among others.

What made this collection so Refreshing and Appealing, coaxing one to investigate into the clothes further, was the Offhanded and Nonchalant attitude of the clothes, There was an Offbeat sensibility to the outfits that combined Thermal and Sweatsuit Fleece materials with Cashmere and Silk and Fur. A modernist approach also lent a Freshness to the collection that kept it totally from feeling Precious and/or Dated. The reserved colour palette also grounded things and let the eyes settle on the Magisterially Luxe Clothes, like a White Fluffy Bomber Paired with Crisp, Bone coloured trousers and a Charcoal Sweater Tee. Or a Papyrus Jumpsuit with Jodhpur styled cropped Pants that had a drop crotch, worn with a Knit Cardigan featuring a Fur trimmed hood worn over another Coat. Try the Sharpest, most modern outfit perhaps, a Stone coloured hooded Anorak over a matching Belted Knit Sweater dress and Dark Grey Leggings.

Evening was addressed also, in this same spirit of Invention! A sleeveless Jacket in Navy paired with a White shirt and a Pearl Sateen full-length A-line skirt was an Easy and Elegant option, while a Billowing Pearl Chiffon elastic waist Wrap dress that wafted over matching Satin trousers and a Cloud Grey knit sweater, evoked a totally Modern vision of Evening! This was possibly one of the most Original and finely Calibrated collections of the season, It was Beautiful beyond words and a Stunning proposition on how to dress come the Cold period of the year. Cucinelli's clothes exuded a Charm and Offbeat style that was thoroughly Unexpected and Engaging, Above all that, Exquisitely Luxurious to boot! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Philpp Plein.

Weds. 02/25/2015.





Philipp Plein.

Philipp Plein's woman is one Bad-Ass Bitch! She's Sexy! Strong! Powerful! Rich! And not ashamed in any way of letting the World know all of these things about Her. Basic is NOT in Her vocabulary! So, it was with Acres of relief that Plein let this Woman loose upon the World. A Jet-Set beauty who is as comfortable on a Private Jet as she is on a Yacht tooling around the Cote d'Azur! But you better believe, she's always where the Action is! And most likely, the Firestarter of most of the Action! Fall 2015 for Plein was a return to form after a Puzzling and disappointing Spring collection. This was Raunchy and Gutsy and Take No Prisoners Unapologetically Sexy and Tough!

Plein also played it Classy as Hell in places, showing off his Taste and Chicness with Stylish and Cosmopolitan looks that played against the more brash pieces wonderfully. Like the SUPER Slick Patent Coat early in the show, which while having a Rock 'N' Roll demeanor was faultlessly Refined. A "Le Smoking" Pantsuit later in the show also had that air of Raffinee and Louche, in equal measures, especially worn with a Much Skin revealing top and Crystal encrustations on the Collar! Plein also showed his best hand in the Luxuriant and Sportif way he had with Fur. From a Black and White Varsity "Sweater" in Mink to the "T-Shirt" on Nadja Bender that had "Warrior" Emblazoned on it!

Evening was where we saw the strongest clothes from Plein, If only hours earlier we bore witness to fellow Glam Squad Memeber, Fausto Puglisi, channeling Gianni Versace for all he was worth, Plein was decidedly doing the same in his Evening wear, although there was just as much allusion to Hedi Slimane and Olivier Rousteing, or in parallel, Peter Dundas and Roberto Cavalli... All of whom owe a Debt of Gratitude to the Grandmaster Versace for their Risque Evening offerings. However, it was the Slimane/YSL vibe that was being most apparently envisaged. That did not stop Plein's Eveningwear from being Devastating in it's own way, in the least! A Black Crepe Jersey gown on Binx Walton, with one side of the Top half of the gown Bedazzled with Crystals and slit up to High Heaven on the other side, Would have done Gianni Proud, while a Fortuny Draped and Pleated Jersey gown Criss-Crossed with Crystal Studded Leather straps would have made Him Weep it was so Flawless and evocative of Gianni's oeuvre!

In the end, Plein simply put on a Wham, Bam, Thank You, Madame Helluva show! One that showed why he belongs in the Milan Fashion circle, and why he has the ability to stay there. It was a Gutsy and Balls-Out collection, not one made for Wallflowers or for Women who care more about Subtlety than Full-On Blatant, In-Your-Face Sexuality. Those type of women exist in ever increasingly larger amounts and they all seem to have more Money than Inhibitions about being Provocative and Sexually Daring! We all know a few of those kinds of Women, in this current moment of Popular Culture! Don't We?!?





That's All.





Bye4Now!




Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Fausto Puglisi.

Weds. 02/25/2015.






Gianni Versace is quite Obviously, Very close to the Heart of Italian designer Fausto Puglisi. In some form or other, he has channeled the Halcyon Heydays of the Too Soon departed Maestro, in nearly every collection he has done. To varying degrees, the inspiration has either been Subtle or Sledgehammer Blunt. Fall 2015 is a case of the Latter, And THANK GOD! As of recent collections, Puglisi has schlepped forth one Dreckish collection after another, The clothes vacillating from either Severely Tacky and Cheapish to Bombastic and Overdone. Here, He hit the Nail Square and True and distilled all those Delicious Gianni-isms into a Puglisi flavoured essence that was Unrequitedly Sex Laden and Lustily Bawdy!

Hardly anything was left unembellished in this Cavalcade of Skin and Sparkle. From Suns and Coral to Geegaw sized Gems, the mood of Unrestrained Exuberance and Luxuriating in Excess permeated the collection in the best possible way! What saved this from being a Masturbatory orgy of Gluttonous Indulgence was the sophisticated hand Puglisi showed with much of the collection. Steely Control and Discretion led Puglisi to such things as a Beautiful Camel Coat trimmed in Black Mink and Black Leather pants surmounted by huge Gobstopper Jewels and Chains, the balancing out the Sobriety of the coat with the Extroversion of the Jewels was Acutely Precise. Or how a Swingy swirly Zebra print Halter neck shift was embroidered with Crystals and Beads only on the top 1/3 of the dress, in muted Jewel tones no less! 

Puglisi got the Versace Spirit just right this time around and it showed. Take a look at the Yellow Shift dress with the Black Fur hem with Black embellished Patch Pockets and Straps... It was a Masterpiece and Evoked Gianni at his best! As did the simple and brief Black Sheath near the end of the show with a Fur band at the Bodice and decorated with Jewels and a Chain-Link Belt. It was evident that Puglisi is putting his Best Foot Forward with this collection and showing he is the Big-Time Player on the Fashion Field that he has been showing promise of being since his Debut a few years ago. This collection simply, finally, Harnessed his powers and let them shine as Brightly as all those Jewels he had Studding his Looks! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Monday, September 7, 2015

No. 21.

Wed. 02/25/2015.






It was so Dauntingly and Mind-Blowingly difficult an endeavour to parse out exactly what Alessandro Dell'Acqua was trying to say with his Fall 2015 No. 21 collection, Dell'Acqua was all over the map with an Inconsistent and Wandering narrative that never fully settled on one unifying idea to tie it all together. There were many ideas, and none of them seemed to correlate to each other, Grey Herringbone with a rather Cheap and Gaudy Gold Brocade, Fan pleats in White and Peach, Vestal Virgins all in White, Taffeta Tiers... It was all a Jumbled mass of Mess!

Individually, with the exception of those Irritatingly Odd Pleated Tiered skirts, There were pieces that were Viable and quite interesting, The pieces in the Needlepoint Tree prints with Embroideries of Peacocks and other Birds were Gorgeous, Aside from those pieces... Confusion! Dell'Acqua is a Quizzical man, sometimes offering us Wonderlands of Fashion Goodness and at times, Bleak Landscapes of Utter Dismay! This collection was a Seriously Chagrin Inducing case of the Latter!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Gucci.

Weds. 02/25/2015.







Many will look at Alessandro Michele's Debut for Fall 2015 at Gucci as a Radical departure of the Tom Ford/Frida Giannin Era's of the House. While in many aspects it is just that, at it's Heart, it is more a Reconsideration than a Departure. A... Recalibration more than an Overhaul. Why I would put it in these terms is because, it is in no way apparent that Michele has brushed aside the Signatures and Codes or more directly, The HISTORY of the house, he has just taken the Iconography laid down by Tom and Frida and instilled his Vision into those recognizable Motifs. 

Michele obviously knows the House Archive, That he has taken to reapportioning certain hallmarks of the house here and there, may be a Slyly Subversive poke in the ribcage to his Successor Giannini and her Husband Patrizio di Marco (Before any of this happened he was her Lover and CEO of Gucci) whom were unceremoniously Dumped by new head Marco Bizarri after years of critical favour for Giannini's work but less than stellar sales over the past few years. So, in waltzes Michele after Giannini ups and jumps ship after the firing of her Fiance, and being offered to stay and Finish the Fall collection before she was shown the door for good. So, in the wholly uncomfortable position of being given the Captain's wheel of a ship that was FAST Sinking to it's demise, Michele cobbled together a collection with little more than 3 weeks before he had to show it! And with Ford offering a Blithely offhanded and SHADY about Michele when asked about his thoughts on the appointment, Obviously, Michele was in for throwing a little shade of his own! 

So, Those Gucci "Flora" Prints that ushered in Both Ford's taking of the Helm (Spring 1994) and Giannini's first outing Chez Gucci (Spring 2006) were turned Right on their Ever-Loving Head by Michele, in a kind of "Anything You Can Do" kind of Spirit, by draining all the Overt, High-Speed Sexiness that were the Stock-and-Trade of all of Michele's Succesors (Lest we forget the thin Sliver of a Gucci moment Occupied by Alessandra Facchinetti!) He turned down the Sex volume to virtually Nil, unless you can count the Androgyne Sexless Lolita style of Sexy that Michele offered. So, That was firstly how he began to shade, Then Exit No. 9 on Molly Bair... OOOOOHH! THE SHADE OF IT ALL! 

Did that outfit look in ANY WAY Familiar? It should, for it was a New School Gucci take on the moment when Tom Ford became a Household Name! Fall 1994. Peacock Blue Satin Shirt. Violet Velvet Flares. Madonna MTV Movie Awards. See it now? Michele took one of the most ICONIC Fashion A-Bombs and rendered totally afresh by De-Sexifying it to the point of almost Asexuality and even making it... one could say... DEMURE, with the little Black Schoolboy ribbon at the neck! Again, it was, a Shout out to Ford, Like "Eh, I ain't Afraid of you, Bitch!" I'll take what you did and do it my way! It was a Subtly, but Gigantically, Ballsy move. There is no way in Hell you cannot see the Allusion to the Gucci Fall 1994 collection in this.

So, outside of the Reading The House Down, in Fashion Form, to Giannini and Ford (The Liberry Is Now Closed!) Michele kinda of Middle fingered them in the sense that for the last 20 years, Gucci has been the Epitome of Untouchably Luxurious, High Roller, Jet Set, Expensive, Sex In The Champagne Room GLAM-MORE! Michele said, "BASTA!" to all that and exorcised the Gucci Whorehouse and made it Respectable again (as respectable as showing Tons of Nipple can be) Virginal almost. The Fall 2015 Gucci woman is now an Eclectic Tomboyish Magpie, who sifts through dusty attics and thrift shops and Anna Sui Boutiques for a Hippyish, Celia Birtwell meets Talitha Getty on the way to Joni Mitchell's Place for a Love-In! 

What was so accomplished about Michele's fast tracked debut was how Fully Formed it was! We were given access to the Oeuvre Michele is going to be working and how thoroughly complete the look was for the Previewing of what's now in store for us. Michele did not Waiver or succumb to the recent history of the house. He, rather bravely, stuck to his vision and come Hell or High Water, Success or Failure, was going to present his Imagining of what Gucci now, must be! The Quirky, Kooky mix is frankly, Entrancing. It's so Boldly Unapologetic that it teeters on being Defiant. A Fashion "Fuck You!" in a sense. Michele didn't pander to anyone and offer more recognizably Gucci fare, nope, this ain't your Mama's Gucci, Buddy! This is Nueve Gucci! And that is a woman who is in touch with her Youthful nature, but has a Mature Sense of herself. That was the Giddy Contradictory nature of the show, Ingenue and Sophisticate all wrapped up in one Nutty, Off-the-Wall Package!

With pieces like the Angelic Creme Pink Astrakhan Bathrobe Coat and a Vibrant Blue Sweater Deluged with heavy encrustations of Needlepoint and Beading and Sequin Embroidery over the filmiest of Nude coloured lace Skirts, Michele showed he has the Extravagant chops to keep the Luxury Hounds that come to the house for such indulgences, Mouths Watering and Pulses Racing. He will also attract a Younger and decidedly more Experimental customer who will be in Sync with his Crazy-Quilt ideas and sense of the Improvisatory! What we as onlookers can expect is some newly exciting fashion to Flourish from this Germ and for it to grow into a Behemoth of a Beanstalk in seasons to come. The only thing we have to concern ourselves with is, Will Michele learn to Grow this idea and not become Stagnant and Fallow? Truth be told, he can only work this idea for so long before it becomes Tedious, or More Awfully, Parodical! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!




Friday, September 4, 2015

Joseph.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






Savage. Raw. Powerful. All words that convey the nearly Pre-Historic Cave Woman Elegance of the Fall 2015 Joseph collection designed Superbly by Louise Trotter. It was neither a Conventional or Easy to Love collection, but it was one of those that moves you to your core! Trotter's collection had a Brutal and Organic Minimalism to it that made it look Offhanded, when it was all rather quite complex. Every exit was Finely Calibrated to Resonate with the one that came before and after it, so that you felt as if there was a Circular and Continuous Narrative to the collection. 

Filled with intellectually, as well as sartorially stimulating clothes, Trotter served up a bounty of Smart, Interesting pieces for the Modern, Deconstructionist Woman. The Nomadic, Artfully Disheveled look was expertly presented with Luxe outerwear and crafty, organic sportswear replete with twisty shapes, intricate draping and restrained colourations. Trotter was as Thoughtful and Considered as her customer IS, and will BE with such garments. They never really Suggested the body, but they cleverly accentuated it, even with all the strapless pieces, there was a Dignity to these clothes that never sidled into the Flirtatious. This is a Cerebral Woman, who doesn't need the power of her body to achieve anything, including Sex and Seduction.

Everything, pretty much was of an Exceptional Ilk, From Anna Cleveland's Zip front Plaid Blanket coat, reconstructed with a floppy Portrait collar and to the hem Lapel, to the Dropped sleeve Neanderthalian, Brown Mink jacket that was dual mix Savage and Elegant ! Even more Exciting, the Cocooning feel of the Rapturously Deluxe Knits in Long, Chunky sweaters and matching Skirts that showed plenty of Leg, but never were Salacious! And, the Trio of Patched together Slip dresses wrought from Silk Scarves, were a feat of Technical Brilliance and Sensual Exquisiteness!

Trotter is a New-ish voice in the fashion landscape, though not in the world of Fashion having been at Joseph for years before deciding to take it to the Catwalk. Her voice is an Original one, as well as a Vibrant one, and one that I have no fear of losing the love of the Sound of!






That's All.





Bye4Now!


Giles.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






Even though the Models may have been Campily Vamping it up and the Clothes had more than just a Hint of the Gothic about them, Giles Deacon Fall 2015 show was actually a more Subtle affair than the presentation may have insinuated it was. The clothes themselves, Elaborate though they may have been, in reality, approached something more Wearable and Communicative than usual for Deacon. Deacon infused a more, "Madame" nature into the clothes that, even though there was a Perverse sense of the Macabre, made sure the garments on display never ventured into the realm of Outlandishly Unwearable. 

In all due Honesty, with all the Theatrics and High Drama a la Le Grand Guignol, the clothes didn't fully live up to the hype. Deacon is more at home when he is Pushing limits and Going WAY out on a Limb, it's the place where he does his best work and where is Imagination Burns the Brightest. Here, it felt more like Costume and Vacuous. There was no Depth to the work. It was a Bawdy fun time and produced Major Moments of Fashion Love, But that Deacon sense of Tap Dancing on the Fine Edge of a Greased Razor Blade was missing, to coin a Macabre Phrase to go along with the setting, Like it's Heart had been ripped right out it's chest! 

Maybe that was the reason for all the Play-Acting... everything was so conformist, it needed a little Drama to give the pieces life. This IS the man who put a Giant Bat (Of the Winged Rodent kind) on the head of Binx Walton Not too long ago! As it lay, Deacon did put on one Helluva Show, However therein lay the rub, Cus even with the clothes being Quite Lovely, This effort felt like it was nothing more than Just for Show! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Hunter Original.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






Spectacular and Directional Outerwear is the Name of the Game at Hunter Original. Alasdhair Willis has been Kicking things up a few notches every season at Hunter and is proving he is on to something. Yet the tedium is about to start to set in and Willis would do himself an Extraordinary amount of good to take a Page or two from Giambattista Valli who Reinvigorated the Moncler Gamme Rouge Label by now moving it into Sportswear and More. The Strolling out of Coat after Coat after Lovely Coat can grow stale ever so quickly, and if that's all he continues to produce, that Staleness will set in before Willis even knows it!

The Fall 2015 show was dominated by Puffy pieces and shone best when the Puff was deflated and some Real tailoring was shown,  A short Black and Charcoal Buttonless Spencer was Splendid paired with Black Corduroy Culottes and a Army Olive Poncho had Wardrobe Staple written all over it. All-In-All not a Spectacular showing, but a Positive one, If Willis can cure the Monotony and bring in some real design and some Sportswear, he might just have something great on his hands, if not... the ride won't last very long! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Christopher Kane.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






As with most Christopher Kane collections, Fall 2015 had way too many Non Sequitur ideas going on for the collection to feel as if it was all part of the same show. The passages came Fast and Thick and just as you were about to get a bead on something or get to digest that idea, Kane shoves another course down your throat and you still haven't really finished with the previous one. Maybe in Kane's Fast Working mind, the sections make sense as a whole, unfortunately, I am not of the same mind and this was again an experience in the Discontinuous.

We know Velvet was a big thing for Kane the season, as was the Anatomy of the Body, taken to it's furthest point in the finale of anatomically correct Shadow figures interconnected in a Orgy of Limbs and Breasts and Cocks. Whereas Kane may have been going for Shocking, it transgressed well past Shocking or Gratuitous and into the Macabre! It wasn't Clever, or Controversial... It was downright Unsettling! The lifeless panels of Human length Lace, Swirled together to make the pieces, portrayed more of a Necrophiliac frisson than one of Scientific Exploration and Depiction. A bunch of Limp, Lifeless Bodies arranged in some Morose Tableaux Vivant around the body. 

Aside from that, Kane's tailoring skills and dynamic imagination were on display in the best pieces of the show, A sleeveless Sheath with graceful Velvet panels inset into them, looking like Silhouetted shadows of the Human form were Exquisite and Vibrant, As was a Muddy Blue Croc embossed Leather coat that was as Chic as Hell. Though it was a Black Velvet coat with Jewel shiny, Push-Click closures that was Prim and Modern but simmered with a gentle undercurrent of Sensual that Stole the Show! 

Kane again was trying so desperately hard to prove just how Clever and Astute he is as a designer and also, how Facile technically he is. As is the case when he goes off on these "Look At Me and My Talent" Tangents, they seem Vacuous and Permissive, He Knows he is Talented, WE Know he is Talented. For him to always brandish this fact and trying to Impress with his Aptitude is quite Bluntly, Snotty! He'd go further with letting the technique do the talking and not the narrative or his Vainglorious desire to demonstrate just how creatively Dexterous he is! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Burberry Prorsum.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






Honestly. Not Christopher Bailey's best showing for Fall 2015. There's no need to go into Stultifying, Elaborate detail, It just missed on most fronts that it was aiming to succeed on. The prints and colours were akin to dreadful, (What is it with these WRETCHED colours this season!? Fall 2015 is shaping up to be the Season of the Queasy Colour Mix!) and the Boho Granny gone Sexy look was a misjudgment of incalculable measure. Bailey was calling this mishmash, "Patchwork, Patterns and Prints" and that it was, a veritable Hodgepodge of all, and none of it added up to more than Confusion. 

The collection was hopping on board that Steaming Juggernaut of 70's Hippie/Boho inspiration that has infected the Fall 2015 collections like the Strigoi, What the worst part of that co-opting is essentially, Bailey added not one single iota of anything fresh or interesting to that ongoing conversation this season and Even more of a Fault, this collection felt entirely all too familiar. Bailey has been Trawling these Waters at length and has not dredged up anything special in a while. The Inflection this season may have been somewhat different but the Dialect was the same. 

The Saving Grace was that Bailey is no Amateur, and even in a weak collection he has many pieces that will beat even most great designers on their best day! Every variation of Fringed Cape/Poncho and Tapestry printed Trench was a winner without question! The Patchworked and Hand-Painted Suede versions were mouthwateringly luscious! As also were the PLUSH Furs that garnered much lustful admiration. But the Heartstopper of the collection was a Drop Dead Sensational Fringed Yoke Buttonless Suede Trench in Toast! It Sang out among all the Eccentricity, a Lone Bell in the Distance of an overcrowded Wood! It was Fantastic! 

Bailey knows how to make stunning collections from Front to Back... But this one was not one of them! The theme was played out, the hearty Belting of singer Claire Maguire was a trope that Bailey should put to Death, Immediately for his shows, and the clothes felt Contrived and Gimmicky. The simplest pieces in the collection were the best and the really, truly, utterly and inexorably radical thing for Bailey to do would be to strip all that Extraneous Detritus away and offer a paired back, Clean, Simple collection of Really Strong, Unfussy clothes. Now, that would be something to Sing About, Indeed! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Erdem.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






More interesting a matter than a Designer having a Sprawling, Gothic Narrative and Backstory to attach to His/Her collection, Is how Fanatically some Fashion Writers will look for Nuance and Impart in every little thing as to spin a Yarn about a collection so that they can relish in the sound of their own voice and Self-Satisfyingly diddle themselves with their Cleverness and Astuteness. Reading Some reviews by a couple of Writers who Rhapsodically Over Indulge in the Masturbatory Delectation of their written words (The EVER Prosaic Tim Blanks and Sarah Mower) the desire to actually seek out deeper meaning in a Designer's collection is THOROUGHLY Squelched by their Puerile and Vapid Preening and Incessant need to be "The Most Verbally Adroit Kid in Class!" Well, they win that Medal! 

In both reviews that I waded through by Blanks and Mower, I was only mildly taken aback at how both Manifested this Autobiography of Erdem Moralioglu's Phantom Woman that he concocted for his Fall 2015 show, out of the Ether! As for the Designer himself,  Moralioglu's Invisible muse took shape after visiting a Art installation in Oct. 2014 at the Frieze Masters Art Fair put on by Robin Brown for the Helly Nahmad Gallery called "The Collector" which in essence was an elaborately detailed "Mise en Scene" of an empty apartment fully appointed with all manner of Accoutrement and Objets that belonged to a Non-Existent Parisian Art Collector, one would have to guess, to Moralioglu's Fertile mind, all that was missing were the Clothes.

So, He designed them! With Brown's help Moralioglu designed a Set to Mimic a Fragment, a Segment of the Installation, and in it's way, became more Provocative and, Slightly Sinister, for it. There was a Claustrophobia surrounding this Intimate set that was hard to escape and it added a layer of the Unhinged to things, as if one was trapped in some tiny box of an almost Stephen King imagining where the "Visual Memories" of Moralioglu's Heroine strode forth from the dark to Bedevil (perhaps even, Torment) our intrepid Heroine.

Moralioglu's collection was, Per his Press for the show, A woman from an Affluent past who lives in a world of Faded Glamour where she is surrounded by the Vestiges of said past and has in her own way brought together the elements of the halcyon days with a modern touch for a slightly Offbeat Amalgam of Past, Present and Future. The clothes did an Excellent job of communicating this without all of the Enraptured mental Gymnastics that some put into the show. The collection was Yes,  Quite Beautiful and Emotionally Stirring. Yet, It wasn't exactly one of Moralioglu's Most intriguing. It had a Celia Birtwell-meets-Alberta Ferretti vibe going for it that made it seem a little.. Derivative and while producing some Impactful "WOW" Pieces, it erred a little too much on the Overly Studied. Not to go all Tim Blanks, But one would have imagined the Woman being envisaged by Moralioglu to be a Trifle more Spontaneous and Courageous in her Fashion, This, Felt Safe. Eccentric... Well... perhaps, But Still, Safe.

A Black coat with a Needle Punched Vivid Shocking Pink Brocade hem was of the most Exquisite Caliber, as was a Cutwork Leather outfit in Black on Leila Nda. Aside from that... Status Quo. This isn't to take away any of the beauty of the work seen here, but only to inform that Moralioglu has done collections where he has reached farther outside his Safe Zone and done more Rewarding pieces. On the Whole, It may have been the Intricate Narrative which detracted Moralioglu's attention away from giving a more Exciting Roundup. The Story seemed somewhat more Compelling than the clothes, The risks in the collection were negligible and Although Exquisite in places, Ultimately, The Story was the best part of the Show!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Antonio Berardi.

Mon. 02/23/2015.






If the Goal that was trying be achieved was to Consternate and Dismay, then Antonio Berardi plotted a trajectory that landed squarely home on that course of action with his Fall 2015 collection! How Berardi let this tragic lapse in judgement leave the Workroom is a bizarre Mystery in need of solving. The Asymmetrically folded Flamenco Ruffles, the strange and alien gathered bunches of fabric at the hem, the inflated volumes... It was so Appalling and downright Outlandish that it almost seemed Revolutionary, and in the spirit of drinking the Kool-Aid, it began to grow on you, despite your better judgement. 

Berardi let the collection best him on an immense scale, it was so much wrong going on, that the right things in the collection got shoved out into the margins and forgotten. Berardi's tailoring was as always, right on target. However, not content to let that be enough, Berardi began futzing around with the fabric, Swooping it and Folding and Inflating and Ruffling it, inspired as he was by that most overrated Architect of the Eyesore, Frank Gehry and his recent Catastrophe, The Foundation Louis Vuitton Pour la Creation.

As the collection meandered towards it's end, Berardi's experiments began to make a home in one's Imagination and somehow, as still undeniably unattractive as they were, a sense of Atrocious Beauty set in and one could see the Odd viability of these options. It was the most curious of sensations and caused one to reflect on the clothes in a new light. It was still troubling in the deepest meaning of the word, but that became something to be embraced and in a way, applauded!

Berardi managed to accomplish an improbable feat, creating something distractingly Unattractive and imbuing it with novel beauty and unique interest. Not all was of this precious Ilk, but the pieces that were, stuck in the imagination and took root there. It wasn't by any means Great, but it was provocatively Arousing and Stimulating!





That's All.





Bye4Now!