Thursday, April 28, 2016

Chloe.

Sun. 03/08/2015.





Chloe.

Needle. Stuck In Groove. That would be how to describe Claire Waight Keller's Fall 2015 opus for the venerable house of Chloe. We've been treated to this Hippy, Droopy, Grungy, Granola Crunchy, Macrobiotic, Gluten-Free, Coachella/Music Festival gal for quite many a season now, and it has grown uninspiring and rote as all out Hell at this point. It's nothing New, nor Fresh or even remotely unexpected... You got your Stevie Nicks Witchy Woman cum Granny Grunge Dresses... Check. Your Corduroy Seperates... Check! Your Denim, your Patchwork, your Liberty Prints, Chiffon, Ruching, Draping, Streamers, Ponchos, Lacy Lingere styling, Saville Row pantsuits... Check, Check, Check, Checkmate!

The newly slenderized cut of the floor sweeping coats was a shot of adrenaline the collection needed, that went wasted on all the stale rehashing of typical Chloe fare on display. A little White dress early on, modeled by Juliana Schurig was Outstanding, but still nothing atypical for the house. This was a Boring and deeply lackluster affair, one that had little to keep the eye entertained or the brain stimulated. In a succinct summing up... A Snooze Fest.

And that's me being kind!





That's All.





Bye4Now!



Celine.

Sun. 03/08/2015.






Surprise of surprises, I found myself truly captivated by Phoebe Philo's Fall 2015 Celine collection. Philo has been one of the most over-hyped and overly lauded designers in the past few years, Celine has some kind of Cult following that has dominated Top 10 lists and Designer must have labels for many a year now with now discernible reason as to why! The clothes (and Philo's Snow White, Ethnically bleached shows that displayed them) were incomprehensibly deified, and in reality were quite spectacularly and singularly unappealing. 

This collection had shades of those same mistakes (HIDEOUS Padded coats with Snap-On/Off sleeves, Pointy Knit Breastplate sweaters, and those Disturbing Jumpsuits... UGH!) but the overall effect of the rest of the collection was one of innovative individuality and eccentricity. From Tattered to Layered to Streamers and Feathers, there was something for everyone, all touched with a Quirky hand, These ideas were expressed in more free silhouettes as well as in streamlined looks that were as classical as anything seen this season. 

Standouts... A Gorgeous Creme Patissiere Leather Trench trimmed in thick bands of Fur, a Navy Pajama set paired with a Canvas coloured Redingote, or the Sleek, Pure lines of Lineisy Montero's Wool Car Coat... All masterful in their execution. Many Fashion writers want to delve into the deeper depths of meaning with Philo's show, and I am fully sure there is a Dissertation worthy back story to be had here, But in the end, it doesn't matter! The clothes have plenty to say, even when they are speaking quietly, And for me, that's much more than Story enough to satisfy! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Emanuel Ungaro.

Sun. 03/08/2015,






So Finally, Fausto Puglisi gives us a coherent and stylish collection for Emanuel Ungaro. Fall 2015 looks as if Puglisi has curbed some of his worst tendencies and settled in on a TRUE Ungaro look for his latest collection. It wasn't a collection free of complications, in fact, it faltered in all the typical ways that Fausto Puglisi's collections falter for Ungaro, saying that, however, the collection was much more a triumph than a failure this time out.

From the start, we could observe that Puglisi was exploring new territory and reining in some of his less successful habits, by truly uncovering the past oeuvre of the name over the door of the house. Cohesion this season was mainly achieved by keeping the palette limited to Black and White with some Gold thrown in for a Luxe effect. Restraint also played a major role (Whoever would think that, knowing the past of the house, RESTRAINT, would ever be a watchword to follow??) towards making this collection more accomplished than past ones.

Beautifully cut coats, some with Wide sweeping lapels, Flirtations Polka dots, Le Femme Francaise Ascot neck blouses and even some Very Ungaro Pleating all added up to a Whole where the parts were just as important as their sum! Not everything hit the mark, Puglisi still has taste issues where his eponymous label and Ungaro are concerned and a bit too much of the collection came off looking Cheap and downright slutty at a few points, but when he did hit the mark, it was a Confident and Assured outfit striding before our eyes... Riley Montana in an Ivory textured coat with Black revers and Black Mattelasse trousers with a Glittery Ascot neck blouse was perhaps the most sophisticated and outwardly Chic outfit to be seen. Though, the opening exit had much in the way of Kick-Ass elegance going for it too!

This by far was the best we've seen so far from Puglisi at Ungaro, It was Chic, Sexy, French, and dutiful to the house codes without a trace of slavishness, there was much to love and much to desire, even with the hiccups, Puglisi needs to continue on this course, because before this collection, his efforts have been mostly abject failures, Finally, he's pulled it together and the outcome is surely encouraging!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Kenzo.

Mon. 03/08/2015.






Carol Lim and Humberto Leon's Fall 2015 Kenzo collection was odd in the utmost. It almost didn't qualify as Fashion. To be honest, it was a total and complete disappointment and letdown. The Colours were Wrong, the Styling... Wrong. Generally everything... WRONG! What the duo were particularly trying to say with this befuddling opus seemed obtuse to the point of confusion, Rain Ponchos, Long Tunics, Asymmetry, Head-to-Toe Matched prints... An entire dazzling array of Absolute Bullshit! 

This collection faltered on every level, if not flat out failed totally, it was hard to find any redeeming quality amongst the perplexing throng. The worst offense, the Egregious colour scheme... it is perhaps the only time that Nauseating would have been a preference to the totally Psychotic combinations of hue posed here!  Possibly, individual pieces could be salvaged into something coherent, a Tunic here, a Jacket there, a Poncho or two... but shown as is... Toss it all in the Dumpster. Sign the DNR forms for the collection presented here and take no heroic measures to save it, it was lost from the inception!! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Nina Ricci.

Sat. 03/07/2015.






As often the case, in fact as is most times, the case with a new designer debut at a house, it's not always a fully successful enterprise. It can be a bit of a bumpy road to navigate, ESPECIALLY, when replacing someone who had already left an indelible mark on the house and trying to struggle out of that shadow can be an immense pain in the hind quarters. Guillaume Henry faced just this challenge in his rather uneven, but on the whole, Solid and positive debut at Nina Ricci, filling the enormous space left behind by Peter Copping in his move to Oscar De La Renta. 

Henry, having successfully brought the house of Carven back to life, was picked to succeed Copping to helm the house of Ricci, Now, Henry is very different a designer from Copping and that means that while both had to work with the essential DNA of the brand, their approach comes from radically different perspectives. The prime directive of the house of Nina Ricci is Femininity, and that remains the same in Henry's hands, but the achieving of that objective with Henry feels more playful and definitely more eccentric, More Modern even. There is a mixed metaphor message being played around with at the house for Fall 2015, Henry is juxtaposing Soft with Strict and Fluid with Tailored with a bit of Boudoir thrown in to top it off. 

When Henry tried to inject some sheer, filmy frippery into the equation, he lost the tempo of the collection, these pieces seemed underachieved and sloppy, Even worse, a few outfits bordered, not on the good side, of Frumpy and Dowdy, like the ruched, gathered Navy lace tops and dresses and one purely Dreadful White long sleeve top and skirt in fine lace that just sank like a Lead Weight! Much more successful, a Silver Sequined T-Shirt Dress that glittered like Christmas morning and the White Sequined T-shirt dress which was the Star piece of the entire show and had an Ethereal yet Sporty spirit to it and louche, laid back elegance running through it! 

This was no where near a Home Run (and all that fringe was not doing anything or anyone any favors) but it had the Germ of greatness buried deep in there. More often than not, Henry missed the mark, but when he did get it right, he showed he has the capability of transforming the house into something Special. Right now, He needs a good editing eye, and maybe a deeper immersion in the archives of the house, for he right now is crawling instead of confidently striding! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!



Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Acne Studios.

Sat, 03/07/2015.






Jonny Johansson's Fall 2015 collection for Acne Studios while, Wholly Eclectic, did not prove to be Totally convincing. There were stumbles and missed opportunities galore, saying that although, there were many moments in the brief and highly stylized collection that gave witness to highly wearable and desirable pieces. The Outerwear was the biggest plus of the collection, Multiple coats and jackets were the standout pieces in this mishmash. Johansson also showed a propensity for Patchwork and Nubby tweeds which offered a slightly Off-kilter, Vagabond nature to the collection. Laces that wound themselves like Cording up and down some of the pieces added a Whimsical, Artisanal touch that elevated much of what they were found upon.

Pieces of consideration came in the form of a Pink Double-Breasted elliptical shaped coat with dropped sleeves, or a Molded Baby Blue Coat/Jacket and Skirt that with it's Zaftig shape, was made edgy and directional. The Piece de Resistance was a Maize Tweed dress with those laces wound through it, It was Chic, Stylish, and Refined yet modern enough to not look too ladylike! The Leather Pantsuit in Black with elliptical sleeves and giant Natural colour Patch Pockets was a Surefire Winner as well! 

On the whole, Johansson put on a very Fashion Forward and Exciting collection, one that took risks and didn't always deliver a reward on the dividends, but certainly had no lack of interesting fashion. Interesting trumps Boring each time, and No where was this Acne Studios collection in any regard, Boring. 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Martin Grant.

Sat. 03/07/2015.






If the world were mine, I'd give Martin Grant control of a Major Fashion house and the unlimited resources therein and let him have a Gay Old Time! Hermes. Saint Laurent. DIOR! His aesthetic and skills are Juicily ripe for Haute Couture and for Luxury RTW! Yet, Grant is not a showman, so that Extroverted aspect might confound him a trifle in the current climate of Big, Bigger, BIGGEST Defile experience (where the Reigning masters of this Metier are Undisputedly, Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs!) but given time and the too delicious not to indulge giddiness of such Extravaganzas, he might find his niche... or he could simply be the voice that quiets down all the Social Media and Celebrity Obsessed Cacophony that has permeated the Fashion industry... Again, if given the chance. 

In The Now, Grant quietly, masterfully, perfects his craft season after season with the most gloriously covetable and discerning clothes on the market! Fall 2015 saw Grant inject something of a more modern, even sportif, spirit into his usually Ultra-Refined aesthetic. A new casual approach lent the clothes much in the way of Contemporary attitude, The work of YSL was evident, as it is always, in Grant's collections, and this time it came to the fore in the way of a "Le Smoking" inspired Jumpsuit, or in the Slithery slink of a Silver Lame evening gown. Also of note, a supple Chocolate Leather skirt teamed with a Simple Turtleneck had Rive Gauche swagger in Spades.

Grant is one of the most accomplished designers on the Fashion Circuit that somehow keeps himself quietly under the Radar. With clothes this Incredible. that might need to change, Post Haste!





That's All!





Bye4Now!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Elie Saab.

Sat. 03/07/2015.






Despite what might be seen as his best efforts, Elie Saab cannot seem to stop himself from overindulging himself on superfluous excess. His Fall 2015 treatise on Darkly elegant glamour was bogged down by a surfeit of beaded lace insets, ripples, folds, and scrolls of fabric that obviously were meant to look fluid, but looked instead just heavy and unneeded. With all this going on, one would be lead to think the collection would be overtly Snazzy... In all actuality, it was boring and even more sadly, Fusty and Dated. The Glamour came off as stale and had very little opulence to it. 

Surely, There were options that captured a modern spirit, an embroidered Black coat paired with Flatteringly cut trousers and an ascot neck blouse also in Black had a YSL flair to it in the contemporary sense, but other than that... the collection sorely needed an edit and a less weighty hand at the helm. Also, Saab is in INTENSE need of a Refresh, his collections have become almost comically predictable with no sense of the mirth that comedy would allude to. Fall was simply another occasion for Saab to gratify his Saccharine penchant for Embellishment and Decadence. And like most such indulgences... It grew unpalatable quickly. 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Mugler

Sat. 03/07/2015.





Mugler,

While the Mugler Aesthetic of old is something of a tough act to follow, it is also something that, considering moving the label forward, should not be adhered to with any slavish sense of respect and fealty. However, if David Koma is actually going to make the label work in the modern scope, at some point, the huge elephant in the room of the Maison's past is going to have to be addressed in some fashion. So far, Koma has avoided any direct allusions to the work of the house founder and at the beginning, this has worked in and of itself as to presenting the Mugler of the NOW... but when the collections have been as unimpressive as they have been thus far, Koma might consider a deeper delve into the archives to come back with some historic inspirations to reconsider in a more Current Mode.

Seeing as there is little in the Fashion of now that is even remotely outrageous, the World of Le Mode could do with an Injection of some of Mugler's High Camp, Over-The-Top Insouciance now. Koma, could indeed benefit, from such a jolt to the system, because while he has taken the Futuristic vein of his own line and of Thierry's almost Jetson's sense of style into hand, his collections have been interesting, yet Anemic. Fall 2015 was simply more of this. Taking Computers and an almost "Tron" inflected style from Circuitry and Motherboards, Microchips and the such, the collection DID feel Avant, there was nothing that got the blood bubbling above a lukewarm simmer. Grommets and Bronze Metallized leather can only do so much to inspire ardor.

There were precious few moments that catapulted the collection beyond memorable. In fact, it was the simplest of pieces that caused the pulse to quicken, and that mostly occurred in the clothes that combined Black and White. A Shift in White with a Black inset in front was recalling the Mugler Heyday well, and the Tailored suits were Sharp and Sleek, but they didn't have that Aerodynamic Swagger of the suits of olden days. Koma has the skills to elevate the label to the next echelon, but firstly, he needs to realize that the past of the house will be his key to opening the door to the brightest future!





That's All.





Bye4Now!