Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Erin Fetherston Spring/Summer 2016.

Thurs. 09/10/17.




Erin Fetherston Spring/Summer 2016.

Presenting a collection inspired by both Jane Birkin and Anne of Green Gables could be a undertaking fraught with fashion peril. Fortunately enough, in Erin Fetherston's sure hands, it was a naïf and demonstrably pretty collection for the grown up woman still in touch with her inner youthful self. To be clear, there were no big "WOW" moments or serious "Fashion" to be had, but with what was presented, there needn't had been those things, the collection stood on it's own for what it was, a feminine and romantic offering that had a distinct whiff of fairy tale, yet conceived in a modern vocabulary.

Fetherston struck a nice balance between girlish dresses and more urban sportswear, giving us a floaty frock here then counterpointing that with a knit tank and culottes or a femme top paired with sharp Navy trousers. Little surprise, the dresses were the items that fared the best, and Fetherston offered up one delight after another, especially her finale trio of White gowns that could easily work for the modern romantic as a less traditional and fussy bridal option. Fetherstone was right in her niche this go round, there was little in the way of surprise, but much in the way of prettiness and enjoyment. The wheel need not be reinvented when it obviously works just fine the way it is.





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Kimora Lee Simmons Spring/Summer 2016.

Thurs. 09/10/17.






After a few years hiatus of divorce, remarriage, birth of a son, another divorce and finding herself a loving Billionaire for a third husband, Kimora Lee Simmons has been through a whole fucking lot since her relationship with her previous design house, Baby Phat was dissolved in 2010. Bringing world wide attention and assimilation of hip-hop couture and urban luxe fashion to the public, much of the current fashion landscape can be laid at her and her former husband and business partner and father of her two daughters (Ming and Aoki) Russell Simmons feet with no sense, eve of overstatement or insincerity to that claim. 

Her new fashion venture could not be any further from the celebratory days of Baby Phat, Here her KLS Collection is deeply Smart and Sophisticated and with a penchant for Bod-Con dresses (sort of like Celeb-turned-designer Victoria Beckham's clothes were at her labels inception) with a flattering cut and sleek aesthetic. Simmons' Spring/Summer offering was brief, but impactful, shaved down and pared back to an essential emphasis on graphic executions of Black and White with a touch of Hot Pink and Navy for contrast and a throw in a Silver Lamé draped gown for good measure too! Keeping lengths modest, but still sexy was the overarching theme of the showing.

Without a single note of hyperbole, every outfit was a high, there wasn't one low in the bunch. Simmons cast a gimlet eye on the edit and kept everything laser focused, which produced a worthwhile and exciting effort. Simmons has the background and with this collection as proof, the skill to further propel her new venture to the highest echelons of success, and if the results are, going forward, this excellent, the heavens are her limit!





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Bye4Now!


BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer 2016.

Thurs. 09/10/2015.





BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer 2016.

As of late, Lubov and Max Azria have been, it would seem, throwing every possible thought and idea at a wall, at once and seeing what sticks and then cobbling together an incoherent and sloppy mishmash mess and calling it a collection. Spring 2016 sees them narrow their focus slightly, but with still skewed results. Claiming their inspiration came from their hometown of Southern California, specifically, The City Of Angels. What that translated into was Surfer and Skater vibes shot through with a touch of Californian bohemian, and what did that all come to? Another slipshod performance that failed to move itself beyond the inexplicable.

There was much to take in, long, short, layers, floral prints, bucket hats, shorts, virtually not one outfit was not expressing multiple personalities from top to bottom. Even the simplest of outfits were bogged down by an overabundance of nonsense. The salient takeaway was that, deconstructed, the pieces would work nicely, but together as conceptualized, the looks bordered on foolish. Yet, rather than prattle on about the lows let us look at the highs... Um... Ok. Then, let's just end this now. Fini!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Sachin + Babi Spring/Summer 2016.

Thurs. 09/10/2015.





Sachin + Babi Spring/Summer 2016.

In what was a pretty straightforward, modern, graphic and brief Spring/Summer 2016 Sachin + Babi collection, Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia showed that they know their way around an evening dress. The Wife/Husband duo presented a less elaborate collection than what is the usual for them, with much less frills and bedazzling than to be expected. A minimalist streak found itself firmly entrenched in this collection and led to some superb garments in this slightly less than stellar showing.

A slim White sheath dress was given a punch of colour with an off the shoulder band in a vivid Orange/Marine Bleu floral print, which catapulted it from just ordinary, to at the most, memorable. That same print showed up a few times, though was most effective as deceptively simple cocktail number with pin pleated side panels. The Ahluwahlia's collection wasn't setting any fires of unquenchable passion by any means, but any woman could find herself a snazzy number here to make her evening shine a little brighter than most, and truly, sometimes, that's more than enough.





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Bye4Now!

Monday, July 31, 2017

Creatures Of The Wind Spring/Summer 2016.

Thurs. 09/10/2015.





Creatures Of The Wind Spring/Summer 2016.

Thinking outside the traditional fashion box is something that is bandied about over many a designer, and just because said designer might be offering something slightly more esoteric than what the fashion crowd is used to, does not make it actually so that they are thinking anywhere near outside the box. When it comes to Creatures Of The Wind designers Christopher Peters and Shane Gabier, the thinking outside the norm assertion is wholeheartedly, the unvarnished truth. Their Spring/Summer 2016 collection provided ample corroborative proof of this, in a collection that was equally idiosyncratic as it was haute and wearable.

Peters posited the query before the show, "When does something that's come and gone, come back into fashion?" Well, Good Damn Question! For Peters and Gabier the answer it would seem for this outing was a forward motion approach that encompassed many different styles and eras that have come and gone and frappé them together into a cohesive unified statement that exemplified all the hallmarks of Peters and Gabier unique fashion perspective. As per usual, the duo took a eclectic view of the fashion they love, through a retrospective prism that time traveled through multiple decades and eras and somehow managed to never feel vintage-y, but did have a kind of cuckoo sensibility which imbued the collection with a vivre which made one smile in delight at the duo's sublime mix mastery.

The best takeaway, surprisingly, was that the most covetable outfits, were the most simplistic utterances. For your consideration, a stunning reefer coat in a Bronze Brocade tapestry print was casually worn atop a pair of killer lean Black Leather trousers and a colour-blocked top in Black, White and Rust Red, all the eccentricity was found in the pattern of the coat, but otherwise, a city chic assemblage for any woman of any style stripe. Or, try on for size, Exit No. 32 on Maria Borges, which had all the earmarks of Uptown, worn with a Downtown flavour, Black Topcoat worn with a sliver of a print skirt and textured White top was channeling ODLR in the best sense of the word.

Gabier and Peters have a rather bighearted and whimsical way with presenting serious fashion, one that keeps the eye of the viewer engaged and at attention, a fine talent to be sure. If the duo keeps presenting brilliant envisioned collections as they have been, they could become part of the new guard of NY Fashion Heavy Hitters. One hopes in the utmost for that to come to pass.





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Nicholas K Spring/Summer 2016.

Thus. 09/10/2015.






The Nicholas K woman of Spring 2016 is an Urban Adventuress cloaked in "Mad Max" Caliber nomadic layers and tough, yet pretty, swaths of fabric rustling about her in billowing and voluminous amounts! Nicholas and Christopher Kunz's Spring selections were a spectacular pre-future/post apocalyptic nomadic mishmash that summoned images of the elegance of Bedouins, T. E. Lawrence and Paratroopers all in the same breath.

The saving grace of this look was the exciting juxtaposing of roughness and lightness, using featherweight parachute nylons and filmy chiffons, the militaristic styling and cuts imbued the rigid uprightness of the Martial outfits of soldiers and paratroopers with a flowing liquidity that merged into something if not exactly quixotic, certainly quirky! One could take the designers to task for perhaps one too many riffs on this trope, because the collection felt somewhat overloaded with ideas, there was never per se, an exact repeat of an outfit, but far too many variants on the theme at hand. While this was distracting, it did not detract from the proceedings so much as it led to a bit of visual fatigue.

The collection opened with shades of White from creamy to optic, and moved on through inky Indigo dip-dying, to Desert Bronze and Hazelnut Brown, to Black, Mahogany and a rather spicy shade of deep Saffron that worked as the Kunz's one go at colour in the mostly dark and neutral palette of the collection. The Kunz's also counterpointed all those floaty and filmy fabrics with much tougher weather beaten leathers and suede as well as that urban favorite material, denim. These acted as a more hard edged foil to all the gossamer light material wafting down the runway and enhanced the look of those outfits by given them a bit more gutsiness and attitude.

When it was all said and done, Nicholas and Christopher put down a a seriously chic showing fit for the Urban Road Warrioress. It may have had it's hiccups, which were admittedly, very few, but in the end, the collection was a major success.





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Bye4Now. 

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Victor Alfaro Spring/Summer 2016

Weds. 09/09/2015.






Comebacks are never really easy, and are usually fraught with disappointment and dejection, for one may have too high of hopes of what kind of reception they will receive upon trying to rise back up to the stature of former days. Victor Alfaro seems to have none of those thoughts clouding his mind and is just quietly, unassumingly, doing his own thing and doing it well and reaping the benefits from simple, honest, hard work. He doesn't even seem to entertain the idea of "Comeback" for him it just was the right time to get back to what he was doing previously.

What that, gladly, translates into for Spring/Summer 2016 was a collection full of riches to plunder for the woman that came of age in Alfaro's Fashion Heyday, and it was altogether evident that the aesthetic Alfaro mined and was one of the prime arbiters of in the halcyon 90's is still fully intact, but calibrated to today's moment and the woman of this time, even if she is the same woman of 20 years ago! A richesse sense of the relaxed permeated Alfaro's Excellent collection, Languid would be a spectacular word. Louche would be too, but it implies something more overtly sensual than what Alfaro is offering. His clothes drape and swish around the body in bias-cut perfection, now tweaked with inventive seaming and cutting techniques and more liquid fabrics that have developed since the 1990's.

Alfaro had a somewhat Southwestern vibe pulsating through the collection, that offered up a couple utterly delicious Blanket Coats that hinted towards the Native as well as Georgia O'Keefe. That Southwestern tone was reflected in the pallette, with shimmery, sandy tones and a strong Orange-y Yellow that evoked the Navajo in it's colouration. Even saying that, the sense of modern, minimal, urbanism was what was evoked most. Alfaro is equipping his woman to be as much a Urban nomad as a windswept desert wandering one. Although, it'd be hard to imagine his woman wandering any desert (with the exception of Palm Desert) in his Jaw-Slackening bias-cut gowns that he showed early in the collection in Black, and then reiterated at the finale with a trio of gowns in luminous moonlight shades, colour blocked by using intersplicings of sheer net. It was a quietly powerful example of Alfaro's talent and for the woman craving that retro aesthetic updated for right this minute, it couldn't have been a more spellbinding present! 





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Bye4Now!

Thursday, June 29, 2017

M Missoni Spring/Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.






You can always come to the house of Missoni for colour, and LOTS of it, The M Missoni collection for Spring 2016 was in no way deviating from that well followed path, and perhaps because of that, the collection wasn't much in the way of surprising or satisfying. There were the expected Missoni Swirls and Whorls and Zig and Zags and kaleidoscopic prints all over the collection, but they, ultimately, didn't add up to much. 

The best pieces in this display did offer colour as per usual, but with a more judicious hand instead of one that had gone mad. These pieces, colourful as they were, were treated with a wisely tempered hand. Taking the Big Top as inspiration seem to embolden the design team to go wild, and that was a costly mistake, for while there was wildness in the expression the clothes themselves leaned more towards, unremarkable. The only thing that gave these outfits punch, more oft than not, were the vibrancy of the colourations and prints. When simpler applications prevailed, we got the better clothes from the bunch.

A pretty Parchment colour gown with multicolour stripes was currying much favour, as was it's shorter counterpart in Black. A swirling multicolour print shirtdress with bold White Placket, oversize buttons and collar was also one of the standout pieces because all it's elements worked in tandem with one another. Otherwise... Punchy, Bold pieces were the Mode du Jour, but in the end, it all was just a little less Big Top and more County Fair! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Escada Spring/Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.





Escada Spring/Summer 2016.

For the Escada customer, the prospect of a Head-to-Toe Floral print pantsuit isn't at all remotely terrifying or more matter-of-fact. terribly unusual. That Daniel Wingate decided to open his Spring-Summer 2016 Escada look book with this piece demonstrates that the Escada clientele is a little more comfortable with an extrovert wardrobe than most. With that in mind, Wingate's core Escada consumer that is, he also felt it was smarter to try to woo the customer on the other side of the fence, and offer her coolly chic wardrobe options that didn't sing so much in the high C Register and sounded more approachable near Middle C.

Take that print and whip it up into a full-length wrapped evening skirt and throw a Lipstick Red T-Sweater on top and you've got an recipe for success with a woman who might not find herself clad from top to bottom in that same print. There was more to find lovable as well in Wingate's Spring offering... An impeccable pale Aqua Caban was paired with Spotlessly clean White trousers and top while a Basketweave Knit T-Sweater was coupled with a sassy Citron (called Limoncello, by Wingate) A-line skirt looked refreshing and if not exactly, youthful, it struck a young-ish note. Everything else managed this balance as well, a particularly striking outfit consisted of a sheer White top with a matching camisole under and voluminous pale Aqua trousers sashed with Black at the waist. It was a modern, relaxed and fresh take on evening for the Escada woman, one that had a foot in the familiar and one in the immediate present.

Wingate seems pressed to push his customer, maybe prod is the better word, into the present while remaining faithful to the roots that have made the house a success all these years. It's a process that is going to be slow in the going, yet, poco a poco, he's getting there, with some highly stylish results!





That's All.





Bye4Now!








Monday, June 26, 2017

Red Valentino Spring/Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.






Designers at some point all seem to find themselves to the original fashion plate herself, Marie Antoinette. It's inevitable, like the tides. Every designer worth their salt will in one way or the other, come to the Trianon and find their inspiration there. what they do with it is up to them, but the spirit of the beheaded royal is always seemingly hovering about waiting for a designer to commiserate with her past styles and ways of dressing. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli would seem to be two designers who would for certain, not be immune to Maria Therese's charms. the cute and playful Spring 2016 collection that they whipped up for their Red Valentino label was the perfect playground for the designers and the Queen to commune. 

With plenty corset detailing and much in the way of filmy, frothy, flimsy laces and tulles and point d'esprits abounding, the collection came off as very cutesy, almost to the point where it teetered on jejune, these were not "SERIOUS" clothes with a capital S, but Gay and Naïf with a healthy dose of pretty! There perhaps, were too many pieces to keep one interested from beginning to end and a palpable sense of the predictable seeped in and wouldn't disappear towards the end. but the clothes were definitely made for Chiuri and Piccioli's girlish-of-all-ages client base and gave them plenty of delectation for their money. 

The only drawback, the outfits came off, one too many times in fact, as frankly, childish. Too baby-doll precious and too devoid of real substance, that a great deal of women would find them more appropriate to their toddler than themselves. But, still and all, some women make their lives on dressing half their age, and styled in a different way, the pieces can refresh and brighten a wardrobe. When it was all said and done, the main takeaway was this... Had Marie been alive today, she would definitely be sporting Red Valentino's wares unabashedly and boldly as she took selfies and caroused with the It Girls of the moment. And yes, Cake would be eaten all... Gluten Free, Vegan Cake, of course! 





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Bye4Now!

Friday, June 16, 2017

Protagonist Spring/Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.






While one of the creators of the Protagonist label said her farewells before this Spring 2016 season, the design team left behind fulfilled the task of living up to the principles and ethos of the house. Building a collection on Rock Solid luxury basics can be, at times, dangerous waters to wade into, the clothes can often come off as bland and lifeless and reek of what women already have in their overfull wardrobes. When handled properly, however, it can be a revelation of nigh biblical magnitude and can inspire a woman to see the banal as the radiant apotheosis of chic! That's hat has been achieved here.

Sleek is a word well used and often overused, but there was a stripped down, pared back purity and unfussiness that could only be called that. Sleek! Lithe. These clothes were meant for function, not lollygagging around just looking impossibly poised and nonchalant (although they fit that bill also, immaculately) There was motivation and movement in these clothes, despite their sparseness of detail and aesthetic sobriety. This would lead one to think, boring, and that would be foolish, for the clothes excited on a very base and immediate level of chicness. A perfectly proportioned and balanced Black pants ensemble with a long belted wrap coat/jacket, devoid of any extraneous detail, a elongating White jumpsuit shed any of it's retro connotations and seemed as pure as the dawn light.

This collection, from top to bottom, excelled in it's achievement of creating the perfect, modern wardrobe for a woman that has more confidence in herself than in her clothes. No one can hide behind the startlingly reductionist silhouettes provided here, but then again, the Protagonist customer has nothing she is in care of hiding anyway! The Protagonist woman is a woman who speaks for herself, her clothes are simply an amplifier for that voice!





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Bye4Now!


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo Spring/Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.






Anthony Thomas Melillo's Spring 2016 collection was a pure and minimal offering of sumptuousness cloaked in austerity. Melillo's brief treatise encompassed sleek and slickly tailored pieces with easier, relaxed offerings given as beautiful counterpoint. Which shouldn't be much of a surprise, owing that Melillo's guiding motivations have been to create the ideally perfect T-shirt for his woman, and there was ample evidence of those on show as well as superbly cut blazers and slender pants. Nothing here was super attenuated, but all was created to elongate and winnow a woman's silhouette without squeezing her like a sausage in a casing. 

The collection had a legginess to it that was in no way owed to abbreviated hems, in fact, there was a since of modest sexuality that was more evocative of sensual than outright vampy. Slim pants gave the illusion of mile-long legs, and all were cropped, either above the ankle or just below the knee. Body limning dresses played with length more casually and freely, playfully going to mid-calf and others creeping up much higher on the legs. 

With the collection being so restrained with colour and shape, Melillo designed pieces that were still impactive and eye-catching... A Putty coloured coat dress that opened the looks was a practice in Utilitarian chic that was mouth-wateringly covetous, while a simple Barley coloured shift dress read as austere, but was certainly an attention getter! The scene-stealer though, had to be the Pale Moonlight Silver ensemble of a slim coat and pants with one of Melillo's signature drape-y T-shirts underneath, an outfit that could travel from any boardroom to any party zone this side of the Atlantic! Melillo's sureness in what he does and what he wants to create, gives his collections incredible gravitas and depth, even with simplicity and an ascetic approach being his calling card. To be sure, Rarely has so little had so much Oomph! 





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Bye4Now!

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Tomas Maier Spring-Summer 2016.

Tues. 09/08/2015.





Tomas Maier Spring-Summer 2016.

Fresh, Relaxed and Colourful. Tomas Maier's Spring 2016 collection hit all the right notes for the woman looking for easy and cheerful pieces with an innate sense of chic. Bright colours abounded and made for a gay feeling in pieces such as the opening scintillating Coral wrap dress or in a super easy to wear Easter Pink Linen sundress. As balance and counterpoint, there were darker shades and they lent a gravitas that was well needed and grounding from all of the perky shades on view. Most effective, a nonchalant beaded slouchy tank worn with dark cropped jeans had plenty of attitude but never crossed over into rough.

Also of note, the pretty tie-dyed sundress and the Mustard utility jacket and short set both had desire written into their DNA and both outfits would fit in anywhere the sun was shining from Palm Beach to Palm Springs! Maier's own collection is far removed from his elegantly cerebral collections at Bottega Veneta, but they both express the same caliber of profound respect for dressing a woman in a Chic and Classy way. Though, his eponymous labels work may be on the less erudite end of the spectrum, it is not one less bit desirable!





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Spring-Summer 2016.

Weds. 05/10/2017.





Dear Readers,

Lots has been going on in my life. But I am so happy that there have been those that have stuck with reading my posts. You encourage me deeply. I am trying to get this all down before the new year starts and have caught up all the shows... as Herculean a task as that is when in just a few weeks it will be Fall Couture 2017 and then Spring 2018 Ready-To-Wear just a few scant weeks after that... and we are already heading into Resort 2018 as we speak... so lots to catch up on!

Please, Keep reading and please, I Beg, comment and suggest this site to your friends who like fashion. I always love feedback and hope to finally get some! 

Thank You! Take Care! 





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Bye4Now!

Valentino Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Thurs. 07/09/2015.






Rome. Home of Fendi, which showed it's one-off collection of Haute Fourrure the day before, and to Valentino's ateliers where the diabolically romantic and elaborate confections of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaola Piccioli come to life. It was also where they decided to pay Homage to the eponymous master himself, Valentino Garavani, and in effect, to both of their own Italian heritage. What transpired happened to enrapture those that seen it in it's live form. Seeing the video and not being there in the magical space of the Piazza Mignanelli might have dulled the sensation of breathlessness for me, but all I can say is that, as obviously majestic and creatively exquisite this collection was, it was dreadfully, much of the same we've come to expect from the house with little variant of any kind.

The bloom has been off the proverbial Rose for Chiuri's and Piccioli's penitent, virginal, faux naïf vision for the house for quite some time now, and what has happened is that the collections suffer, morosely, from a sameness, that to say is dulling, would be to far too kind a degree of understatement! The duo's work has almost become as predictable as a Metronome, with the same painfully boring sense of repetition to boot. This collection, filled to bursting with glorious works of Alta Moda, could also double for any of the last 6 collections from the house! The high necklines, the sheer tulle and lace, the plodding, leaden floor sweeping hems, the monastic sense of restraint... all present and accounted for plus a few other tropes that have made the rounds.

Were there Dazzlers that stood out among the pack? Certainly. The show ending sextet of limpid, scandalously sublime Black Velvet gowns were heady fodder indeed, and there were others, however, those pieces still hearkened back to work that they have done already, so going into detail would be to reiterate praise that has been given before. As a celebratory return to Mother Roma... The collection was a thrilling success, I can't in any good conscience say that even as repetitive as it is, that most of the pieces were not Fantastically Extraordinary. But leave with this thought... As good as Chocolate Cake is... No one wants to eat an entire one, Correct? That is the equivalent of what Chiuri and Piccioli have been serving... One Hideously Rich and Lavish Chocolate Cake after another... Honestly... At this point... I am in the mood for some Gelato. Aren't you? 





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Bye4Now!


Zuhair Murad Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Thurs. 07/09/2015.





Zuhair Murad Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

What can be said that hasn't been said before... Beautiful, Glamourous, Exquisite... Blah... Blah... BLAH! Zuhair Murad's Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Haute Couture collection was a predictably boring succession of the same dulling wares he (and his Lebanese compatriot Elie Saab) has been producing for almost the entirety of his career. One showstopping, treacly, glittery, deathly dulling piece after another with little variation. This time it was the Galaxy of Stars that he alighted upon... Whatever! It didn't help the collection elevate itself in one single way! In fact, it was one of the weakest collections from Murad seen in a while. It was heavy and plodding and no excitement to be found, frankly, I don't want to sound like my needle is stuck in the groove, but why shouldn't I??? Murad is suffering from the exact same complaint!





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Bye4Now!

Fendi Haute Fourrure Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.





Fendi Haute Fourrure Fall/Winter 2015-2016

"Silver Moon" was the overarching theme to be found at the house of Fendi's first foray into Haute Fourrure. It was an Alta Moda/Haute Couture collection in all but name, and as such was a display of the maddeningly extravagant technical skills of the Roman Furriers ateliers. The Fendi sisters. led by Silvia Venturini-Fendi saw this as a chance, one, to celebrate the dazzling facility of it's craftsmen and women and two, a way to showcase the mastery of the craft of house designer Karl Lagerfeld, who would be celebrating (well, HE HIMSELF, wouldn't be celebrating, as allergic as Unkle Karl is to anything with a notion of the backwards glancing) 50 years designing for the house. One can fairly imagine it was akin to pulling teeth to even get Karl to commit to doing something that was in any capacity a recognizing of his tenure at the house, but Lagerfeld also likes to challenge himself, and push the limits of the people who work for him. Truth told, he seemingly enjoys pushing himself more.

So, this was an opportunity to show just what the Fendi family's technicians could achieve with fur. And, Oh! What they did accomplish! Firstly, Lagerfeld chose the Théâtre Des Champs-Élysées for showcasing the collection, famous for the infamous 1913 debut of Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps" and rightly so, Lagerfeld used it as score for the show. Secondly, as with the most recent Fendi collection, there was a influence of Giorgio di Chirico, with a huge backdrop of his painting "Piazza de Italia" serving to drive home the point. (Side Note: Chirico's painting is from 1913, also, same year as the debut of "The Rite of Spring, Lagerfeld's mind is dizzingly agile!)  As to the collection itself, Lagerfeld is always plucking and taking from different eras and periods to synthesize something entirely foreign to those times, but provocatively reminiscent of them as envisioned in the modern context. So, one could eek out allusions to Poiret in the cocoon coats or the 1940's as seen through the prism of Ridley Scott's dystopic and futurist vision of Sean Young in "Blade Runner" (The strong Joan Crawford Shoulders, the hair whipped up by Sam McKnight) or the highly stylized Glamour of Erté in the silvery, stylized floral embroideries and elaborate configurations of some of the pieces.

Even with all that boiling together in the stockpot, it never for one second felt trapped in any past, to be sure, it felt entirely of the now, maybe even a little, of the future now. The "Silver Moon" moniker of the collection lent itself more than subtly to the proceedings... everything was shining, almost glowing, but in that darkened theatre, it was as if we were watching some nocturnal migration of pelted beings saunter before us, embraced by the shimmery, ethereal glow of moonlight. The opening exit was all the proof that was needed, a tulip hemmed hooded mantle in deepest, darkest natural Sable (One cannot even FATHOM how much the price of this coat possibly could be) with a sweeping-the-floor train, slinkily stalked the runway and undulated as if it was Velvet. The Silver frost that all natural Sable has seemed even more eerily luminous in this and the following Sable exits that glided out. From this almost, demure opening, things began to shift into high gear as Lagerfeld and his seamstresses began to puzzle-piece together, imitate, reconfigure and pretty much destroy every conception of what fur can be... splicing together two or three diverse pelts into one organic whole... Cutting small pieces of fur of unknown varieties and applying them as applique embroidery ONTO FUR... Feathering long hair Mink to look like something from an ornithologists textbook yet never had these feathers arced skywards for a second! Attaching sheared Mink in a rippling Zig-Zag effect onto clear Plastic in a brief shift dress had to be the height of disregard for the precious nature of fur and made this piece even more delightful for it!

There were Stripes and zigs and zags and Mongolian Lamb mixed with Chinchilla and surmounted as a deliciously gaudy border on a White Broadcloth coat, there was Ermine that looked like Chinchilla, Chinchilla that looked like Lynx, Lynx that looked like... well... The most ungodly expensive and desirable thing in Lynx that any woman could hope to own! There was even needlepoint on Fur! FUCKING SERIOUSLY? Lagerfeld defied every single idea and conception of what Fur is in this monumental ode to all things pelted. It was a Brain-Scrambling masterpiece that will long give evidential proof that Lagerfeld occupies a space that no other designer has ever dared to dream of, and none that are still here, could hope to ascend to. He has no peer. He is an Island. One of Supreme Fashion Paradise. And one, we all hope that we can wash up on it's shores!





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Bye4Now!

Monday, May 8, 2017

Jean-Paul Gaultier Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.






It is always, it seems, the simplest gestures from Jean-Paul Gaultier, that make the biggest impact. That was assuredly the takeaway message from his delightfully, yet somewhat consternating and overwrought 2015 Fall Haute Couture collection. With it's influence coming from the northern shores of Brittany, France, which has always held a place of reverence with the designer considering one of his most recognizable signatures is the Marinière Breton of Marine (Navy) Blue and White. That particular Breton stripe was splayed all over this collection, from the opening look with it's striped stockings, to the a cropped top with a ruffled skirt shape that was soon to be seen as a plumb line through the entire show.

That flattened circular shaped skirt was derived from the crêpe stands that dot the Brittany landscape and while amusing for a few exits, began to grow wearisome after a while. It added an unneeded and somewhat costume-like pall over the show, which in places showcased marvellously Gaultier's extraordinary gifts and facility of cut and execution. Take, per se, the sleek lines of a Blazer in Black Wool that was cut like a peacoat but slenderized into something much more formal, with it's military-ish gold embroidery on the sleeves, it had the allure of an Officer's jacket but so far more elevated it was not even funny. Or, take for example, humble inky Black Corduroy cut into a phenomenal pantsuit studded with Jet crystal "Pinstripes" that was a concoction which would have made YSL himself Swoon! Of course, there were sillier moments, it wouldn't be Gaultier if there was not these moments of camp and hilarity, the offence here was that those funny, offbeat moments, threatened to overtake the collection and mar it's brilliance. Gaultier walked a fine line that, too often, he stumbled over onto the wrong side of, and those missteps catapulted this collection into the gimmicky. 

When Jean-Paul is Good... He's OH SO VERY good, witness Ysaunny Brito in a Charcoal Pantsuit at Exit No. 45 and weep. The luscious simplicity and perfection of cut is nigh orgasmic. But counterpoint that with say... Exit No. 29 and you'll see where this collection went off the rails. Gaultier always marches to the beat of his own band, and in most instances, that unique singularity of vision yields marvels of fashion, This time though, somewhere along the way, Gaultier lost count of the beat, and the incongruity of such, almost led this collection almost to abject failure.





That's All.





Bye4Now!



Friday, May 5, 2017

Viktor & Rolf Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.





Viktor & Rolf Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Fashion as Art? Art as Fashion?

Painting as Sculpture? Sculpture as Painting?

Quixotic questions to be asked and not quite fully answered at the 2015-2016 Fall/Winter Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture show. These ideas were posited and postulated to an ephemerally brilliant degree by Viktor Horsting and his partner Rolf Snoeren in a collection that dazzled the mind and the taxed it as well, ever so subtly. Coming on the heels of the cessation of their RTW line as so they could focus on their quirky, arty, couture label, that move seemed to concentrate their genius into one of the most poignant and deeply moving fashion shows I've ever seen. There wasn't much going on outside of the Ideé Fixe of transmogrifying what started out as wearable sculpture into real, in the moment, paintings that Horsting and Snoeren carefully draped and hung on the extensive back wall of their runway. Not every piece was a mutable object to be reworked from one state unto another, but they didn't have to be... The high-minded theorems presented here were about the exact nature of when does, and more acutely, CAN fashion, transgress into being ART? It's a big and loaded question that has been traversed by greater minds than mine and I am not really sure Horsting and Snoeren appropriately answered that question. I don't think their point was to, in all actuality.

Their point was more, to my imagining, to pose the question and give a demonstration on how to some way, come to the answer. Were these wearable "Clothes", outside of the daintily decorated Chambray smocks the models wore under their laboriously worked "Sculptures" (Which by the way, were the epitome of the opposite of couture)... Well, not exactly. Yet, the wondrous garments that weighed them down in the most magnificent of ways on top of or enrobing those smocks (Really, how some of those girls navigated some of the truly gargantuan pieces they were cloaked in is a triumph in and of itself, let alone the outlandishly taxing construction of said pieces!) were the story to be seen and experienced. Had Horsting and Snoeren spent one minute more on the underpieces, it would have worked against the theme that was being debated.

Should I talk about the clothes... Alright. They were unwearable to an almost lunatic caliber. Yet, had not the Belgian duo did so much to the clothes (those weighty wooden frames, C'MON!) the clothes would have had an almost Fairy-Tale like allure, and would have been fantastical, yes, but easily wearable in the context of Couture. Though, was that really anything that was of interest to Horsting and Snoeren? In the end, It doesn't matter. When all was said and done, the viewers were transported for a few brief minutes into a world where it seemed all was possible, that one could perhaps stroll into the Museum of Modern Art, gaily lift Van Gogh's "Starry Night" off the wall and wear it as a piece of clothing. That's not ever really going to happen, but in Viktor & Rolf's heads, It already did! Sort of.



That's All.





Bye4Now!

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Alexis Mabille Fall/Winter Haute Couture 2015-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.






If  Alexis Mabille could manage to bring an element of sophistication to his elaborate works that he presents for his usually over-designed Haute Couture collections and his designs didn't usually look pageant-ish and costume-y he'd do himself a world of favors. Even though his Fall/Winter 2015 Haute Couture collection was better than his most recent output, near the end it became as it usually does, convoluted. Starting off with a slinky fishtail gown in Emerald, it was also an exercise of overindulgence, surmounted as it was by a back draped shawl of sequins. 

As the looks progressed, they became an orgy of excessive detail and outsize exhibitionism of fabric and none of these details served the clothes in any matter other than to distract rather than amplify. A Shell Pink gown with a outrageously huge pouf of Rose Pink Taffeta on the shoulder looked baroque and operatic, and it was perhaps the only piece that didn't suffer from an overabundance of largesse, even though it was still quite grandiloquent. Mabille's collection was a typical extravaganza of superfluity and as such, suffered as his collections usually always do for it. 

If Mabille could tame his more excessive instincts and not gild the lily to within a 1/8 inch of it's life, he'd produce pieces that didn't look fit more for a production of "Die Zauberflöte" and work in a modern context. One can only hope he finds that the axiom of "Less is More" is something he should follow and apply to his work.





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.






Gorgeous... Check! Beautiful... Check! Exquisite... Check!

Boring... Check! Redundant... Check! Expected... Checkmate!

Elie Saab's Fall/Winter 2015 Haute Couture opus was as about as predictable and underwhelmingly exciting as per usual the house. The seasons may change, but at Saab, the couture song remains the same! Effortlessly breathtaking and rapturously stunning evening wear aplenty, but all in the same tired formula we've been presented with season after season. Endless variations on the same theme that have grown from wearisome to tiresome to flat out who the fuck cares anymore! You've seen one lovely Saccharine confection, you've seen twenty dozen from Saab.

It'd be great to even point out a number of two that shone above the throng of sing-song-samey beauties... But there wasn't even one number that we haven't seen some derivation of in the past and done better to whit! One needn't wax prosaic on this effort... it was about 22 tons of sequins, beads and shimmer, stuffed in a 5 ton bag. The Song seems to still remain the same, Chez Elie Saab!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Maison Martin Margiela Artisinal Fall/Winter 2015/-2016.

Weds. 07/08/2015.






Firstly, one must savagely curtail the instinctual habit to over-contextualize John Galliano's work at the Margiela Maison. His work has been greatly over elaborated upon in the past, at Dior, his own label and most certainly Margiela. The desire to analyze and intellectualize the work proffered by Galliano is a strong one to resist... However, resist one must! Secondly, Galliano's Fall/Winter 2015 Artisinal collection was truly, Electrifying. An amalgam of the absolute best aspects of the work of both John and Martin. A synthesis of perfect proportions. Yes, there is probably scores and volumes of context hidden in this collection for the intrepid enthusiast to decode (including the sly allusion to Dior in Maartje Verhoef's Taupe Satin evening dress at Exit No. 23) However, if Galliano is comfortable enough to remain Sphinx-like in the way of explanations... I am all right and well with it too! 

Galliano mined the rich heritage of the house he is currently residing while keeping something of the eternal subversive streak that runs to his core. Margiela was not so much a designer of subversion, more of reappropriation, and Galliano stuck his foot firmly in that model of execution, with pieces rendered from old Potato Sacks (A simply mavellous wrap coat that was then richly appointed with Lesage embroidery) or a Frothy, complex assemblage of a evening dress that said Lacroix on Acid from the front, but had what appeared to be a full on attached overcoat flailing from the back! Galliano also riffed on such homespun English favorites as tapestry Needlepoint (in a superbly breathtaking dress of immense intricacy on Ondria Hardin) to Crochet (paired with a genius Black Leather wrap jacket, no less!) He even audaciously attached a metallic jewel tone Green halter strap to what was, it looked, a Camel hair blanket, and called it a dress! 

However, it was two looks, both showing how gifted a technician he is, where Galliano shined brightest, one being a minimal black jacket that had a shadowy echo of Dior's "Bar" line to it, paired with a Christmas paper bright sparkly Green pencil skirt that gave us a glimpse of the John of "Ye Olde" and most potently, the Mauve Opera coat on Magdelena Jasek that was pristinely unadorned from the front, cut with the purest and most adroitly precise lines, yet between the shoulder blades in back, draped like some deformed Japanese Obi, a shock of Electric Blue Silk done up like a backpack! It was, in a word... MONUMENTAL! 

Galliano has shown in just 3 collections that he is plotting a course of discovery and rediscovery, discovery of the hidden treasures of Margiela, in all their distinct variety... And also, a rediscovery of self that had somewhat become subsumed by all the Glamour and heady excesses of Dior. It's going to be a journey worth the watching, of that, we can all be sure! Where we end up... 





That's All.





Bye4Now!



Saturday, March 18, 2017

Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Tues. 07/07/2015.






Alexandre Vauthier's Haute Couture work does not look like anyone elses on the Couture circuit. That's a good thing. It distinguishes him and gives him exactly what a couturier needs, a distinct voice and P.O.V. even if his work is something of a Crazy Quilt Patchworking of styles that run from 90's era Mugler, crossed with Versace (Gianni, that is) shot with a good deal of Roberto Cavalli and a right proper amount Azzedine Alaïa with just a pinch of YSL thrown in for good measure. That sounds like something of a lot... And, admittedly, it is! But Vauthier seems to whip all this up in his Robo-Coupe and pour out something uniquely and singularly, him!

Fall/Winter 2015 found Vauthier Fringing and Furring and as Body-Con as ever, hems were as always, Ass grazing, the tailoring was, per usual, surgically precise, the slick shine of Patent, Leather, Satin and anything that essentially looked like it was glossily lacquered to within a quarter inch of it's life, prevailed heartily and yes, Cutouts GALORE! (too many mayhaps, actually) What was most convincing of Vauthier's skills this season were the quieter moments, the one's that had no reason to shout and more so, salaciously whispered, which made those moments all the more scandalously delicious! If the fringed leather opening number was a precursor of things to come, it surely prognosticated in a delightful way, for it was as restrained as about Vauthier can get while still applying all the rules of the house codes.

That is, until a superb moment of quiet sensuality sashayed down the catwalk, an asymmetric hanky hem poncho tunic in Black with a deep V-neck was revelatory and made a case that Vauthier should try a dash more restraint in his collections to come, for it was insanely sexy, but didn't announce it's sexiness a good half hour before it's arrival, as many of Vauthier's looks can. And sometimes, one can get more done by by powerful quietude, than aggressive shouting! 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Armani Privè Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Tues. 07/07/2015.






Giorgio Armani was more than obviously a little preoccupied with Elsa Schiaparelli for his Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Privè collection, For Pete's Sake... He named it "Shocking" quite pointedly a homage to the colour famously conceived by Madame Schiaparelli. More apparent than that perhaps was also, the wide swath of embellished indulgence and eccentricity Armani applied to his work, well known to the Italian rival of Coco. It was Gutsy and as the show progressed from "PINK" to other saturated hues contrapunctally juxtaposed by black, one got the feeling of immediate fatigue before the show was halfway over. 

If Pink wasn't the only 30's-40's inspiré gleaned from Elsa, so were peaked "Pagoda" Shoulders, which didn't really add much excitement, to be sure. The collection moved from one overwrought idea to the next without nary a break in sight. Armani's gift of cool, elegant, moody luxury here was so spangly and furry and feathery and bedazzled that it all came off as rather childishly amateur. Excess can be all fine and dandy, but there needs some breathing room in it somewhere to counterbalance the abundance. Armani's best moments here were the ones that didn't wear their elaborate nature like a medal won in a race, like the relatively restrained Black Pantsuit in which the pants were shot through with splotches of brilliant colour. 

The showing was a total miscue, but it wasn't one of Armani's more convincingly effective outings. The major flaw was, everything felt, even with all it's positive and vibrant colourations, leaden and heavy, weighty. It didn't have that lilt of lightness that could have been a major asset to this collection It was not, by any means, the worse we have seen from Giorgio in this Metièr, but it was far from a resounding best. 





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Bouchra Jarrar Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Tues. 07/07/2015.






Even though Bouchra Jarrar is a Modernist kind of designer, she has a keen and unapologetic romantic streak in her, as undoubtedly confirmed by her Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Haute Couture collection. She's also a woman who understands that her client and perhaps more broadly, most women of the world, have need of clothes before 6PM. So, the joyous delight of seeing full-on, serious Daywear at her Haute Couture showing was a celebration all unto itself. There was something vaguely Moroccan or North African about the opening look, a striped coat in Black and White worn with precisely cut Black trousers and a slice of a Bandeau top, it looked pitch perfect for the woman of the now, but had something nostalgic to it as well.

Moving on, a Shell Pink Satin sleeveless Trench and trouser combo effectively raised the goose pimples on one's arms, while it's sister outfit a few moments beforehand of an exceptional Drop sleeve peacoat with matching shorts was equally fulfilling. The sleeved Trench/trousers combo in a starlit shade of Periwinkle also dropped one to their knees in worship, and there was something rather deliciously contrarian about seeing Hedvig Palm end the show in something of an Homage to the Greatand Mighty Rigourous Sensualist that was Yves Saint Laurent in a Sheer blouse with Pussy-bow neck and fluid trousers all in Black. Yet, if one thinks that Jarrar isn't the kind of woman made out for evening, sample if you will, Leila Nda in a Slinky, Black slip gown... and then motion to your friends to help you pick your jaw up from off the floor! 

Jarrar's kind of couture is the kind that is sorely needed to refresh from all the confectionary and Bon Bon couture we see so much of during the shows. She's is an antidote to the overload of Saccharine and sadly as of this writing, she has stepped down from her house to design Lanvin... let us pray and hope that that house cranks back up it's Haute Couture operations to let Jarrar shine again in this arena in which she excels so marvellously!





That's All.





Bye4Now!


Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016

Tues. 07/07/2015.






In the pantheon of "Spectacles" that have been produced by the Maestro of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, an Iceberg of Snice from Sweden carved by 35 ice sculptors over 6 days from 28 TONS of Snow and Ice from 2010, the futuristic Greenhouse with over 300 mechanically blooming paper flowers, the 80-odd metre high globe of the world (which also rotated like our own globe, Earth!) marked with little lights and tiny. White flags with Black CC's indicating all of the worlds Chanel Boutiques and in shop stores around the planet, (including the two, perfectly placed flags in my beloved home of Michigan in the Northern Hemisphere of the Globe, stuck, proudly and almost exactly, in the spot where Troy, Michigan is located on a map of the state!), the Art Installation in which all 70+ pieces of Chanel referential art were created by the Granddaddy himself of the house and then created to his precise dimensions and filled his "Gallery" of the Spring show...

I could go on... Wind Turbines and a Solar Panel Runway, Le Supermarche, Boulevard Chanel, again, there are such extraordinary set pieces, that they are too numerous to catalogue. Within that context, Karl for Fall 2015 has in a way, seemingly outdone himself, if not exactly in scope (how can anything truly be more awe inspiring than a FUCKING ICEBERG!) more so in how ideally matched and brilliant the set and decor match the theme and clothing to such an acutely perfect pitch. After Lagerfeld so perfectly encapsulated this with his "Brasserie Gabrielle" for the Fall-Winter Ready-To-Wear, comes back with a space so perfectly attuned to embodying the aesthetic and "Esprit de Chanel" that it was almost overwhelming in it's purity.

"Le Cercle Privè" (The Private Circle) was Lagerfeld's envisioning of a High Class, High Style, playground for the rich women and their cadre of friends that buy and wear couture. It was a perfect Synthesis of Art Deco, 20th-Century Modern, and the Regal luxe of Monaco Casinos. If such a place has never existed, this beguiling set piece proved that it should have! It was more than say, An Iceberg, or a Supermarket, or an Undersea Tableau, This was a a slice of a life that does not exist made corporeal. That was the Genius of this and the Brasserie, these were Lifestyle backdrops that could double in Real Life! Not something fantastical or whimsical or outlandish for the sake of creating a jaw drop moment of gawking dumbfoundedness... No! This was something that could have been taken from some parallel life or different timeline of reality and gently set down, Fully Formed and perfect to the most infinitesimal degree. It was as if someone walked into the Grand Palais and found themselves in a Universe completely contained in there, like something perhaps out of "Men In Black" or akin to waking up in a ship in a Bottle. A unique world, captured, in this one, singular moment, Frozen in time and place.

But that's Lagerfeld's superior genius, Unlike a Play or Opera or Movie, where we get to inhabit that world multiple times, Lagerfeld knows the immense power of the ephemeral. Yes, it will exist in Video and Pictures, but those that inhabited that universe in the real life, for however long or brief it was, will only occupy it that once, live that experience that once, and never again! It makes it all the more Heart rending for that and more impactful. Not being able to attend, I can look at the pictures and videos and ascertain a shadow figure of, an inkling of the atmosphere, but I cannot take part in this Fairy-Tale, I can only extrapolate. That brings a wistfulness to the proceedings, something, unfathomably radiant and also desperately sad. Sad, because it is so surreally special and only so few get to inhabit that Deceptively Real, Imaginary world for those few brief minutes. This beautiful and magical world, that for all the laborious work that goes into evincing these fantastical spheres of artistry can evoke, are here but for a brief time and then, Poof! Disparu! Lagerfeld does however, give us ALL, the ability to dream, either by being in that world, or wishing to be, and in that respect, there is a kind of munificent equality to his majestic ideas. The dream Karl is weaving is democratic in that it is not banned from anyone being able to enjoy, but the democracy ends there, because not all can partake.

So, We find ourselves thrust into this Postmodern Deco Casino and the eerie quiet and calm that precedes it... The curtain has already been raised, the environment not only meant to imply but to, down to the most minute particle, Imitate a real casino, including fully functioning Chanel Branded and influenced Slot and electronic card game machines (with names like "Silver Camellias" and "Little Black Jack" and "Trente-et-Une" all sly witticisms on Chanel Codes!) Roulette and Chemin-de-fer tables. This elegant and PRISTINE Misè-en-Scéne in the sunken center of the Casino, was attended by a bevy of Studly young gentleman, patiently... Waiting. Waiting for what, you may ask?... In the silent, almost Kubrick-like space (think "2001") in entered actress and Chanel ambassadress, Kristen Stewart, striding in alone in her custom Chanel Couture Velvet pantsuit, and descended from the balcony section of the runway and down into the pit, to take her place among the tables, following her, actress Geraldine Chaplin and model Jamie Bochert, wafting in also in custom Chanel Couture, Chaplin in a diaphanous Black Chiffon stunner, Bochert in a floaty Velvet and Mousseline ensemble (do you sense a Theme?)

Following in succession: Actresses Lily-Rose Depp (Daughter of Johnny) and Lily Collins, gaily, jauntily, prancing in, swathed in short Velvet dresses with deep bands of Satin at the bust and hem. Japanese, Academy Award nominated actress and fashion plate, Rinko Kikuchi strode in, swathed in darkest night Black Velvet, followed by Tugba Sunguroglu (French Actress) and Violette d'Urso (Daughter of the first muse of Karl's for the house of Chanel, Ines de la Fressange, also a Model/Actress) in Cadet Blue bias Satin (Sunguroglu) and Black Tweed and Tulle (d'Urso). Next. another Chanel ambassadress, Rita Ora in a Le Smoking suit of Pannè Velvet in the colour of Starlight with a full-length slit skirt. Ambassadress to the house, Alice Dellal followed in a brief dress of Black Leather polished to a patent like finish. French actress, Isabelle Huppert, was escorted in by French actor Jeremie Elkaim, she wearing a Black bias Satin fishtail gown and he a custom Tux, behind them Jemima Kirke, cousin to Dellal and an artist/actress in a full-skirted tea length Black Lace number. G-Dragon, Korean rapper/musician was next (custom Tux) and then house favorites, models Stella Tennant (In a deep Claret Red Velvet gown) and Jake Davies in another custom Tux. Another pair of house favorites strode in as a couple next, Models Lara Stone (In a curvaceous Trompe l'Oeil Black Crepe Satin gown looking like a two-piece Tux) and Baptiste Giabiconi (one of Karl's male muses) in what else? A Tux! Lily-Rose's Mother, longtime house collaborator and friend, Vanessa Paradis, in a Embroidered Golden Beige pantsuit of a tunic top and pants. And finally, as a pair, Actress Par Excellence, Julianne Moore in a Figure exalting swath of Emerald Green Velvet (perfect for a natural Redhead!) escorted by Academy Award winning British Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis' son with renowned French Actress and César Award winning actress, Isabelle Adjani, Model Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, Tux, Naturellement.

All of these, as Lagerfeld called them, "Friends of the House" were kitted out in Specialty One-Of-A-Kind Chanel Couture outfits that were designed for them for the occasion by Karl. He created each piece as a unique to the person outfit and not as part of the collection, but as a unique calling card, Fashion wise, to the specific "Friend" The reasoning? Company higher-ups wanted Karl to showcase the recent relaunch of the reproductions of the original 1932 Haute Joaillerie collection that Madamemoiselle created, and in Karl's mind, the pieces did not fit in with the collection he was creating which had it's jumping off point from the idea that he had entitled the collection "3-D" (more on that in a bit) So, he invited a clutch of his ambassadresses and house favorites and models to showcase them, all in Custom Couture. They were in a sense, the "Show, within the Show" as they blithely carried on playing Casino games as the models wound round them acting as if they noticed them not one whit. They acted almost like a Divertissement around which the collection was showcased. Once Lagerfeld addressed that little, aside... On with the show!

Starting out, This was by far Lagerfeld at the Zenith of his talent, it was in fact, a pinnacle of achievement. That aforementioned jumping off point "3-D" was describing the opening 10 Chanel "Suits" Not suits in any conventional terminology, but netted, web like structures created with a 3-D printer. Showing off a Savoir-Faire of unspeakable magnitude, these tweeds that were not at all tweed, these iconic Chanel suits that were unlike any Chanel suit ever. The 3-D suits were lined with either Tweed, Feathers or most often, elaborate configurations of Beads, Sequins, Pearls and Crystals. They all mimicked a similar silhouette, but were all achieved in different manner materials and formations. Festooned with ascot blouses that tie at the neck into fluid bows, or slim shirts underneath, the suits were the epitome of the principles of Haute Couture, hideously expensive (they were rumoured to cost upwards of $300,000.00 each!) and practically unwearable other than standing up, no sitting allowed and created for no more than the fanciful art of creation.

After this exercise in iconic classicism executed in a thoroughly of-the-moment modern rendering, Lagerfeld presented the collection proper, inspired by Iribe's illustrations in the 30's by way of Balenciaga's Barrel line of the 60's. Lagerfeld structured his silhouettes with a broad shoulder line that was achieved without any padding but by wide epaulets and often with a swinging sway back "Barrel" flare and since most of the jackets displaying this effect were gently cropped at the waist, it modernized the line, Another aspect that came into immense relief was that Lagerfeld got back to figuring his Tweeds out of just that... Simple, unadorned, Tweed! Yes, in recent years, Lagerfeld has presented his tweeds in embroidery and intricate fabrications such as tweeds that are dissolving or fraying or tweeds woven not even out of thread, but here, Lagerfeld showed how much a technical wizard he is and cut the humble fabric into supple, fluid suits that though backward-looking in their inspirè, were totally of-the-minute in their execution. Their simplicity of fabrication, however, made it all that more precarious, for if they were one millimetre off, as Karl would say, "Forget about it!" If asked, as a critic or reviewer, which were some of the best, it would be a Solomon like task to do so. All were so exceptionally sublime that to split those kind of hairs, you'd need one of those $5,000+ Sushi knives! Though forced to do so, Exit No. 23 was an exemplary study in understated elegance, in Hematite and palest Dove Grey blend tweed, with it's purist lines and stand-up Shawl Collar, it was a slice of purest exquisiteness. Unfussy and totally about application of fit and cut. Technically, the last day suit, proper, in the show, on Pauline Hoarau at Exit No. 29, in the Papyrus spangly tweed, was a revelation as well. with it's high cut jacket and Whippet thin silhouette, it was the embodiment of the unimaginable exactitude it takes that creates a Couture Masterpiece as such.

And Evening... Where to begin? Where to END!? There was such a plethora of beauties that the mind is surely befuddled by such a surplus. Firstly, a loud clapping of hands to Lagerfeld for showing off his skills that he used to dazzle us with in the past, his superiority of drape and fit and cut of fabric with absolutely no adornment whatsoever, save a brooch here and there or a bit of jewelry. There were some absolutely Mind-Blowing pieces that had not one whit of embellishment and stood out amongst the throng all the more so for it. namely, a Navy bias Satin Chiffon stunner on Camille Hurel at Exit No. 46 that simply left the jaw AGAPE. With it's banded bodice, Empire line and Hi-Lo Flapper hem of sheerer fabric, it defined "GLORIOUS!" I'm not even going to try to take the time to talk about Exit No. 61... This review has gone on plenty long enough already and I could write another review of that one piece alone, which would match this one in prolixity! Just let us say, Unbelievable. As for the Flapper feeling, the trio of gowns from Exits No. 55-57 also were indubitable showings of Lagerfeld's legion skills and the titanic mastery of his Chanel ateliers. In luminous shades of Steel Grey (the hooded version on Louise Parker), Champagne Nude (on the EXQUISITE Josephine Le Tutour) and pale Off-White tiered gown on Maatje Verhoef (which was rumoured to have been covered in over a million tiny caviar beads) all phenomenal examples of supreme lightness and deftness of execution.

Ending, Lagerfeld sent his current Muse Du Jour (Kendall Jenner) out in an Casino worthy Marieè Tux in Crème Blanc, with a crystal bead studded "Train" whipped up into an attached stole around the sleeves and shoulders. Not any kind of fan of Ms. Jenner, (I Loathe her particularly, but what are you gonna do?) but the subversive turn of this Bride as Groom was especially piquant after all the resplendent femininity of what had come before it. As ever, Karl showed that he is always light years ahead of the pack, even when he's backwards glancing. He mined the rich history of Chanel, yet once more, to come up with something resolutely modern, yet unabashedly classic! It's an alchemy that few, if any, can achieve, and the stupefying and dumbfounding aspect of it all is, when one considers the Set/Decor, The One-Of-A-Kind pieces made for his "Friends du Maison" 67 exits and also, Shoes, Accessories, Hair and Makeup that this ONE MAN spins his Spectacles out of (owing that he conceives all these aforementioned ideas) It's an alchemy of the likes that we will never see practiced again. In that way, there is a painful pang of sadness and wistfulness that suffused this collection once it was over... This kind of perfection, does not happen everyday, knowing that, one must absorb all the Joy and Surprise and Delight that Lagerfeld affords us. No one knows for how long the show can or will go on... But, GODDAMN, What a Fantastic Fucking show it is!

EVERY! SINGLE! TIME!





That's All.





Bye4Now!









Thursday, March 2, 2017

Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Mon. 07/06/2015.





Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Being a true Eccentric with a real contrarian streak and a penchant for the grandiose statement, channeling Peggy Guggenheim seems like a natural fit for the eclectic sensibilities of Giambattista Valli. Name checking the outsize clothing persona of Guggenheim and cross-pollinating that with the likes of Talitha Getty, however, makes for some, admittedly, strangely odd bedfellows, Fashion-wise that is. Getty's hedonistic bohemian with Guggenheim's richesse and arty eccentricity don't jive on paper, but in Valli's hands, well... the indubitably strange brew coalesced into something, if not fully convincing in it's early moments, absolutely Spellbinding, by it's magisterial conclusion.

Opening with, in an effort to be polite, i'll be tactful, frankly dumbfounding stiff concoctions of bristly layers and ruffles of Tulle, Valli's Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Haute Couture collection started off problematic, at best. Then out came the Ostrich Feathers and shaggy Mongolian Lamb Fur and Organza petaled ruffles. To say it was a case of Too much of Too Much, would be a gross understatement, which is saying quite a lot, once one was subjected to the mountainous clouds of fabric that ended the proceedings. Also, Valli seemed to be suffering from a slightly major case of Schizophrenia when it came to hemlines, from Go-Go dancer short to respectably ankle length, giving a whiff of the discombobulated to the first 1/3 or so of the show.

When the drapeè gowns appeared, we were now on solid ground and were traveling towards Fashion Mecca. The PearYellow version was of particular exquisiteness, while the Black warp print Lily-Of-The-Valley gown slung over one shoulder and curved across the sternum was a Masterpiece of excess! Yet, it was the finale procession of positively titanic behemoths of ruffled tulle that were the colloquial Cherry on the Sundae. It's not really within the scope of the mind to imagine how these colossal barges of Silk translate into the fabric of the modern world, but when they are as achingly and heart quickeningly sublime as these Amazements are, who really gives a shit! They are so Magical and Fantastical that they defy all quantification!

Valli summoned up the spirits of two iconic fashion deities in the pantheon of style and blended them into a phantasmagoria of nonconformity and eclectic brilliance. It took a mind only as clever and oddball as Valli's to conjure up something as this, in less individualistic hands and a mind less agile, it would have been something of a confusing disaster of monumental proportions, Thankfully, Valli handled it with virtuoso aplomb and finesse.





That's All.





Bye4Now!




Thursday, February 16, 2017

Alberta Ferretti Limited Edition Fall 2015.

Mon. 07/06/2015.





Alberta Ferretti Limited Edition Fall 2015

In what is actually a presentation of her Spring Demi-Couture collection shown during the Fall Couture schedule, Alberta Ferretti presented a collection of such awe inspiring beauty that one was left mouth agape. It was not simply Beautiful on an Incandescent level, it was stupefyingly Gorgeous! Taking inspiration from the offices that she had recently moved into on the Glorious Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, next to her Paris Boutique, she obviously was moved by the Rococo splendour of the location, translating the Watteau like painting and gilded friezes and splendiferous floral work into her first section of gowns, done in a sublime shade of Celadon and counterpointed with a milky White, seemingly more simplified than their counterparts in Green, but actually more lavish for they were smothered in gilt embroidery, they elicited gasps of sheer, orgasmic pleasure on their viewing.

From there we saw a Golden shade of Wheat, and a Dazzling pair of outfits in Cranberry that were truly spectacular, (the strapless number on Karly Loyce was purest perfection!) and then a Smattering of Mallard green and then we were in Ferretti's wonderland wheelhouse of filmy, gauzy, lacy goddess gowns that all transcended ethereal by uncountable degrees. The final grouping was essentially, a throng of de facto Wedding dresses in tight tiers of ruffled White Tulle, the last of which was an exceptional example of the modern bride who need not throw off her Mariée for the reception and needs her gown to do double duty. That's absolutely the pinnacle of getting the most bang for your Couture buck!





That's All.





Bye4Now!



Thursday, January 12, 2017

Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Mon. 07/06/2015.






As late in the game as it is, we all know this was to be Raf Simons last Haute Couture collection for Dior. Being perfectly frank, I am glad. Simons never really felt right for the job and his collections were always so completely subsumed with Intellectual over thinking and overly indulgent cerebral introspection that they were bogged down by all the psychological elucidating that the one thing missing was the one that was sorely needed... Passion! Passion for the woman wearing the clothes, passion for the sake of passion, passion for the Couture. To Simons, it was always analytical Art Project, he completely divorced the soul of Dior from the house and concentrated on the logic, the mind, and in that, his clothes were great to talk about... However, to wear...??? Another story, indeed! 

So here we are, his last gasp at making a statement that would solidify his tenure at Dior in a way that would show him in a better and more celebratory light than his past collections... Perhaps because the decision was only percolating in Simons' mind at the time (July of 2015) and only came to fruition within the days leading up to his last show (October 2015) maybe he hadn't fully committed to leaving and thought there would be more to show as a Couture designer... Maybe he knew all along and this was his last statement, as arch and impertinent as his collections during his short stay at the house all seemingly were. No matter the case, it wasn't the kind of collection that one wants to be remembered for. It wasn't dreadful, in places, it was as stunningly wonderful as anything one could ask for, in others... Outright confusing. More directly, Ugly. Ungainly and Awkward spring to mind also. 

Spending inordinate amounts of words and time going over all the things wrong with the collection would be parallel to pointing out the few moments of glory. It's a fool's errand, both. For, the collection just did not cohere in any possible configuration or formation. It felt as lopsided and maladroit as those one sleeved hulking masses Simons called coats. Someone out there will madly, try to make them work, and maybe succeed, but it will be the few and far between that do. Let's put it as pointedly and simplistically as one can... if the Wafer Thin Models parading around in them look as if they were just this side shy of Quasimodo, How are the clients who as much as they would like to think they are model size (and as deflating to their money lined egos this may be) but most certainly ARE NOT, going to look in them? Flat Out Ridiculous! 

At every turn, the collection looked as if it had been styled by Lucia di Lammermoor in her mad scene. Simons willfully seemed and always seems, to fight with every fiber of his being against simply designing something... Beautiful. He has to Ponder on it, Futz over it, Re-examine it, Throw in a Intellectual curveball and then, only then, is he happy, Instead of going with his obviously Legion instincts, (partake of the Fall/Winter 2014-2015 Haute Couture collection and WEEP at the Diabolical Loveliness!) He simply doesn't rely on them. He has to THINK about the clothes, and that thinking leads him to travesties like this. The Fucked-Up part? When he does let go and simply, instinctually designs a garment, Bliss is achieved... Take for example Exit No. 46 on Ondria Hardin? A sylph-like gown that from far away, to it's Genius quality, looked like a Rib-knit Tank top fabric under the dead GORGEOUS Floral embroidered bodice. The flowing White gown, as it gained on you, you realize that those "Ribs" were densely embroidered Caviar Pearls, that then released away around the knee and the gown fell into Chiffon panels with striations of those "Ribs" running down them! IMMACULATE! See!? when Simons simply Lightened The Fuck Up... look what he can achieve!

Simons is going to be remembered one way or the other, have Sarah Mower and Tim Blanks and those of their ilk tell the tale, it's going to be a Renaissance and Golden Era for the house, for they couldn't ever see the forest for the trees, for them it was all achingly beautiful and satisfying and breathtaking. Ask anyone else to be nakedly honest, they'll tell you it never really made a lot of sense. It was simply easier to hop on the train of masturbatory praise and orgiastic fawning that the others all seemed deeply entrenched in. To me, It was a blip on the Dior radar that had it's shining moments, but more oft than not, was a period of great hype with nothing more than said hype to show for it. Simons may have had Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" as his starting point, but what transpired was more like Baudelaire's "Fleurs de Mal" 





That's All.





Bye4Now.



Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

Mon. 07/06/2015.





Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015-2016.

First Impression... Bertrand Guyon has quite the masterful, not to mention, eclectic, hand with Daywear, as clearly evidenced by his Debut collection at the house of Schiaparelli, which has gone through a bit of a shake-up recently, with Marco Zanini unceremoniously stepping down for who knows what reason, then leaving the house in Limbo this past Spring for a collection that, besides the dramas going on, was pretty substantial and inspiring.

Now, the house has what hopes to be, a head designer who will stay the course, the way that fashion houses have been playing musical chairs as of late, that seems more and more tenuous and shaky as the days proceed. But really, all that matters are the clothes. For his debut, Guyon has decided to take the less literal approach to the archives, as Zanini did, and keep things forward looking while glancing sidelong at the past. However, while Zanini's debut was much more Madcap, Guyon's is more subtly irreverent. As with all the designers so far at the house, they have all instrumented something of the Template laid down by the Unspeakably Brilliant Christian Lacroix who relaunched the label with a one-off collection that has seemed to be fodder for all that has come next. (Rightfully, Lacroix SHOULD be the Head Designer of the house, but he wants no quarter with that, so....)

Back to that Daywear observation, Guyon's packed plenty of eccentric punch, de riguer for the house of Schiaparelli, From a Gorgeous Matelassé coat in Lacquer Red paired with a Soigné matching colour dress to a Quirky and Offbeat combo of a Mushroom colour Crocodile "T-Shirt" paired with an Organza skirt that looked like Moonlight had been captured in a fabric. Other standouts included a Black Satin top paired with a A-line skirt in Mink that had a profile likeness of Elsa on the front and a Molto elaborate, embroidered, nip-waist suit in Golden Yellow, embellished to look like it was a Cut Velvet or brocade, with it's swinging, gently flared skirt counterpointing the Sharp, Fitted jacket above, it was a nod to the past while being only possible in the present.

Evening saw a bevy of Dazzlers, also. from a Ode to a Grecian Goddess moment in a filmy White Chiton inspired gown with a drop skirt, deep draped neck and stitched down pleats, it was as effortless as it gets and equally as High-Impact. Also stunning, the Liquid Bronze Pannè Velvet Stunner near the end, rippled and undulated like molten metal wrought forth in sumptuous tangible material! And the Strapless Amphora shaped Ballgown with the Hand-Painted tableau on the front in Bone White was a masterstroke if ever there were one!

Sadly missing, a Bride. Most houses have left this tradition behind, and it always saddens me a little to see that neglected, it may be hopelessly old fashioned, but it gives a designer grounds to do the most unthinkable and unimaginable things and steal the breath of the onlookers. Even though Guyon chose not to close with a Marieé, he did conclude with Elsa's signature Shocking Pink, And he probably did capture the hearts of many a audience member, for the gown was spellbinding and rapturous. When all was said and done, Guyon produced a collection that made you want to see much, much more from him. Here's hoping we get to do just that!





That's All.





Bye4Now!