Tues. 03/10/2015.
Alexander McQueen.
While Sarah Burton's Fall 2015 Alexander McQueen collection definitely had it's moments, but on the whole, felt disappointing and underwhelming. It focused on a Melancholic, almost Victorian, Haunting, disheveled beauty that was centered around the idea of Roses, (Very English, indeed!) as Burton said, that there is beauty in all the stages of a Rose, found her inspirational germ for the collection in photos by David Sims of Roses, and, like the petals on a aging rose, her woman "unravels" and her clothes began "Peeling away"
Nuanced, Yes! But did it work? Not really. The opening coats, were, Lovely. The Lace "Skeleton" gowns in Black and Red near the end, Inventive. The dress on Stella Lucia with the 3-D Roses blooming in the folds of it's skirt, Breathtaking. A pair of Pink outfits with Applique Embroideries and Cape Back Sleeves were STUNNING! And then... Meh! It felt like it had been done, and done better BY Burton. The collection just felt Forced a little too Fussy. One can never say McQueen can be OVERDESIGNED, McQueen is one of the last Bastions of the Excess, but here, Burton seemed to be too prissy with the details and it made for a collection that felt a little too studied for it's own good. A little more Roughing up around the edges would have been acutely helpful!
Where Burton is beginning to shed the spectre of Lee Alex and leave the indebted nature of continuing his name behind her, She is becoming freer in her expression and finding the Parallels to Lee's work and her own instead of trying to imagine what Alex would have done if he were still among us. She's a different designer than he was, and it's thoroughly gratifying, even when it isn't the greatest success, to see Burton emerge into her own Spotlight and leave Alexander's to continue to shine on him and his legacy. This is Burton's McQueen now, and the more Sarah embraces that, the more Amazing her work will continually become!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Friday, June 24, 2016
Paul & Joe.
Tues. 03/10/2015.
"Le Femme Francaise" That was the feeling exuding from Sophie Mechaly's Fall 2015 output at her resolutely Francaise label, Paul and Joe. There were Scarf/Ascot neck blouses, a bit of deconstructed "Le Smoking" (In Velvet, no less) some "Le Petit Robes Noire" and all the things that a Stylish woman needs to keep her closet and wardrobe refreshed and perky come the new season! Mechaly provided some of the easiest to wear and chicest options available come Fall. Par Example, A VERY YSL suit in Grey Flannel cut with slim Bermudas instead of pants, A Perfectly French shaggy Mongolian Lamb Fur Shearling coat with a Floral print wisp of a dress underneath, which will give an instantaneous Boho Moment to whomever will be wearing it!
With Berets, Little discreet ruffles, Peter Pan collars and Excellent tailoring, Mechaly achieved a spirited, yet balanced, approach to the season, while still remaining true to her aesthetic, From a short Black Coat, (Exit 26) perfect for the Modern "Belle Du Jour" to the Super Easy and Offhandedly Glamours Tank strap sequined Slip dress in Stripes, there was a bit of everything for everyone. Mechaly came up with a Strong and Stylish Effort that showed a Resolute conviction and Scalpel Sharp Focus, something many of her brethren could learn and learn, FAST!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Valentino.
Tues. 03/10/2015.
Valentino.
As it so happens, The Valentino Fall 2015 collection feels oddly overwrought and full of extraneous threads that don't coherently weave together into an altogether pleasing whole. In the past, the Abundance that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have sauntered down the runway had been a giddy balm to some of the more monastically restrained character of many other shows during the season, Yet, in their eagerness to show just how prolific their output can be, the Diversity has led to a overwhelming feeling of diffuse. Couple this with their just oft times outright Outlandish taste in the eccentric and you have a collection that while many the time is SO Achingly Exquisite it's tear-jerking, but usually, just head scratchingly oddball!
Fall 2015, again fell into this trap. On the one hand, while it concentrated mainly on White and Black (to it's betterment) even that was eye-poppingly distracting in clashes of optical prints that while visually engaging, they did mostly in fact, make the viewer Queasy from the Retinal Hyper-stimulation. The thing that mostly could be levied at the designers is a DESPERATE need of editing and simplification. While both of those points were terrifically addressed at times, the simplifying here took a turn to the, How shall one say, Homely. Much of the garments sent out in this Spectator colour palette was Divine, You can NEVER go wrong with Black and White, but some of the design choices skewed more towards the Vestal.
Now, When the "Busy" Bug bit Chiuri and Piccioli... Oh, it bit hard! The duo cannot seem to get away from this Penitent/Sexy combo of High Necks/Long Sleeves-Sheer Fabrics Elaborate detailing theme that has defined their success and been the hallmark of their tenure at Valentino, but it's wearing thinner as the days weigh on. Especially considering the questionable taste level that is exercised in some truly puzzling choices of colour and decoration! Maybe it was the inspirations for the collection, Emile Floge and Celia Birtwell. Muses to Gustav Klimt and Ossie Clark, which if one truly envisages that mashup, the two (Klimt and Clark) have a strange relevance to one another, artistically. Both had a love of Visual Abundance and bohemian freedom in their work, Klimt's was more controlled while Clark's was more Enthusiastic, but the Through-Line was there.
How this translated in Chiuri and Piccioli's hands is where the narrative slipped, When the duo did their take on the YSL "Belle Du Jour" in Gentle scarf neck blouses paired with Sleek trousers or when they translated a Dragon Motif (Designed for them by Birtwell herself) into a delicately vaguely Orientalist Embroirdery on a Sublime sheer Point d'Esprit, Lace and Mousseline gown, they made Magic. Contrast that against a horrifyingly Headache inducing print in Bright Fuschia and Blue on a Black Ground or that optic Crazy Quilt pattern with Splotches of fur that came down as a coat and most Stupefying, as a GOWN later in the proceedings, Insanity! One more thing... Whom advised the two that Burgundy and Olive Green Lace go together? Those dumbfounding colour combinations in a section of interspliced lace gowns sank like lead weights and threatened to take the entire collection with them.
Not all was lost in this collection, but Chiuri and Piccioli let their whimsy and taste for the Quirky get much of the best of them here... In one Regard, the collection was ascetic to the point of being Puritanical, on the other, we had nipples and undies and Folkloric prints and embroideries abound! It gave more than one nod to the Bi-polar, and it also sadly stalled the collection from being the success it might have had the possibility of being. As much as the collection had going for it, there was FAR too much not working in it's favor to call this one anything less than a Grand Scale Miss!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Valentino.
As it so happens, The Valentino Fall 2015 collection feels oddly overwrought and full of extraneous threads that don't coherently weave together into an altogether pleasing whole. In the past, the Abundance that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have sauntered down the runway had been a giddy balm to some of the more monastically restrained character of many other shows during the season, Yet, in their eagerness to show just how prolific their output can be, the Diversity has led to a overwhelming feeling of diffuse. Couple this with their just oft times outright Outlandish taste in the eccentric and you have a collection that while many the time is SO Achingly Exquisite it's tear-jerking, but usually, just head scratchingly oddball!
Fall 2015, again fell into this trap. On the one hand, while it concentrated mainly on White and Black (to it's betterment) even that was eye-poppingly distracting in clashes of optical prints that while visually engaging, they did mostly in fact, make the viewer Queasy from the Retinal Hyper-stimulation. The thing that mostly could be levied at the designers is a DESPERATE need of editing and simplification. While both of those points were terrifically addressed at times, the simplifying here took a turn to the, How shall one say, Homely. Much of the garments sent out in this Spectator colour palette was Divine, You can NEVER go wrong with Black and White, but some of the design choices skewed more towards the Vestal.
Now, When the "Busy" Bug bit Chiuri and Piccioli... Oh, it bit hard! The duo cannot seem to get away from this Penitent/Sexy combo of High Necks/Long Sleeves-Sheer Fabrics Elaborate detailing theme that has defined their success and been the hallmark of their tenure at Valentino, but it's wearing thinner as the days weigh on. Especially considering the questionable taste level that is exercised in some truly puzzling choices of colour and decoration! Maybe it was the inspirations for the collection, Emile Floge and Celia Birtwell. Muses to Gustav Klimt and Ossie Clark, which if one truly envisages that mashup, the two (Klimt and Clark) have a strange relevance to one another, artistically. Both had a love of Visual Abundance and bohemian freedom in their work, Klimt's was more controlled while Clark's was more Enthusiastic, but the Through-Line was there.
How this translated in Chiuri and Piccioli's hands is where the narrative slipped, When the duo did their take on the YSL "Belle Du Jour" in Gentle scarf neck blouses paired with Sleek trousers or when they translated a Dragon Motif (Designed for them by Birtwell herself) into a delicately vaguely Orientalist Embroirdery on a Sublime sheer Point d'Esprit, Lace and Mousseline gown, they made Magic. Contrast that against a horrifyingly Headache inducing print in Bright Fuschia and Blue on a Black Ground or that optic Crazy Quilt pattern with Splotches of fur that came down as a coat and most Stupefying, as a GOWN later in the proceedings, Insanity! One more thing... Whom advised the two that Burgundy and Olive Green Lace go together? Those dumbfounding colour combinations in a section of interspliced lace gowns sank like lead weights and threatened to take the entire collection with them.
Not all was lost in this collection, but Chiuri and Piccioli let their whimsy and taste for the Quirky get much of the best of them here... In one Regard, the collection was ascetic to the point of being Puritanical, on the other, we had nipples and undies and Folkloric prints and embroideries abound! It gave more than one nod to the Bi-polar, and it also sadly stalled the collection from being the success it might have had the possibility of being. As much as the collection had going for it, there was FAR too much not working in it's favor to call this one anything less than a Grand Scale Miss!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Chanel.
Tues. 03/10/2015.
"Brasserie Gabrielle" A Paean. An Ode. A Tipping of the hat to the olden days of the French Brasserie where all the intellectuals would spend their idle hours in discussion or thought and wile away the day watching the whole of Parisian society enter and exit and move on. A microcosm of Paris as a whole one might say. To construct this Brazen idea was a Stunning conceit. One that in the History of Le Grand Spectacle shows that are a Chanel "Event" (One could call them nothing less really!) was perhaps the most lofty undertaking yet, and this is coming from the house that shipped in 6 TONS OF ICE from Norway some many moons ago, for a show!
Every conceivable aspect was recreated in the most Grandiose of fashions at the Grand Palais in Paris, from Hundreds of thousands of tiny mosaic tiles that were inlayed in the floor to meters and meters and meters of Burnished Walnut wood, Revolving Doors, Intricate light fixtures tricked out with Custom-designed Glass... REAL MENUS AND FOOD AND WINE!!! It was Dazzling and Heady and Altogether, ASTOUNDING! One keeps thinking Karl Lagerfeld, As if we could have been talking of anyone else, can't POSSIBLY, come up with yet another Overwhelming triumph of Design and Decor for his Chanel shows, Yet this was perhaps the most Epic to date. Not only because the utmost care and attention to detail was taken down to the most Minute, but because it was so Breathlessly Regal and unexpected... To take, what in Paris is something that can be found on every Avenue, Boulevard or Rue you stroll down, Le Brasserie, and then to create it in such Monumental scale and still have it be Captivating and Awe-Inspiring... It is a gift that few possess!
What's more, Lagerfeld's Fall 2015 showing in the "Brasserie Gabrielle" was as much a treatise on Meticulous design as the set was. With a ridiculously robust exit count of 97, Unkle Karl displayed such a Facile hand with everything that the mind actually swam from the overload. New ideas merged with old ideas, Codes Ancienne were reinvented in exciting and modern ways, Every Chanel Trope was given it's due and done with an utter sense of the Now, and one could say even, Nouvelle, that this came off in no way as a Chanel we have seen in the past, even though it all felt as familiar as a Warm Hug from an old friend. Lagerfeld expressed so many ideas as to be profuse to the extreme, but somehow, it never felt weighted down by the abundance. There was such freedom to be found and so many ideas spinning around that any 10 other designers, designing together, could not have kept the narrative cohesive, Though in Karl's hands, it didn't feel like he strained even one finger sketching such copious delights for us to indulge in!
The show began with a North/South approach, Two ideas were strutted out simultaneously from opposite ends of the Brasserie, One the Parka. Beaded, Embroidered and/or Puffy. They were paired with Strict and Severe pencil skirts in Plaid Tweed and simple tops, such as the Funnel Turtleneck or oversized Roll neck sweaters. These came across as nods to the 60's and equally to the 80's. The Gold Parka outfit at Exit No. 23 had a Distinct feeling of that decade, it's broad shouldered silhouette and modest skirt length all recalled the "Power Dressing" era captured in a contemporary P.O.V! Counterpoint this positively, Genteel idea with what exited from the opposing end of the runway, Highly designed, Intricate Cross-pollinations of Chanel Tweed and the Bomber jacket. These were, oft times, as elaborate as the counter silhouette was simplistic. Tufted and Quilted and Puckered inflated Bomber silhouettes enmeshed with Stolid tweed in a Frankenstein-ish sense of intertwining textures and volumes. It was Fascinating and Daring, to so deconstruct the Bread-and-Butter of the house, The Tweed suit, in such a disorienting way, yet, Lagerfeld has never truly stood on the ceremonial in that respect, to be sure!
One thing that was made apparent rather quickly, the firmly Classic Chanel Standard of at to below-the-knee length hemlines was followed to the letter, and to go with those conservative lengths, the major conceit of the show, a reconsideration of the classic Chanel Pump, which as Lagerfeld duly noted, in his 30+ years at the house he has never shown this shoe in any collection. Presented here, as it was so many years ago when Madamoiselle herself created it to lengthen and accentuate the leg, shown with EACH AND EVERY Exit, the shoe created a single-minded feeling of unity among the many disparate threads that King Karl wove into his Fall 2015 Chanel Tapestry! The little Midi heel looked Chicer than ever and made even the most resolutely forward thinking outfits feel grounded and approachable. Saying this, it was interesting to note that there was a mood of restraint permeating the collection that felt all the more Vanguard for the fact that what could, in this moment, be more renegade than Classic Conservatism?
It was all too prolific to touch upon every aspect that needed to be touched on... I might add that the tailoring in this collection bordered on the Impeccably Faultless, bringing a Dynamism of Fit and Cut that is usually reserved for the Haute Couture... Most notably in the Tweed Dresses section that followed after the opening passages. These pieces were so finely constructed and rigourous that they could have passed easily for something from any Couture collection Lagerfeld has put on in recent memory, Their invention and variety only served to underscore how facile Lagerfeld's hand is at creating remarkable fitting garments. Another moment worthy of acknowledgment, the pair of outfits outrageously embroidered by Lesage, replete with Feathers, Sequins, Beads and all matter of Flotsam and Jetsam, paired with sober Tweed, they truly called to mind the Dizzying skills of the Paraffection Ateliers, and looked as Diabolically expensive as they surely were!
To go on, again, would be a Fool's Errand of Gargantuan proportions... there was simply SO MUCH to consider and ponder on and admire, one has to stop somewhere or they would fall into the trap of verbal diarrhea! Lagerfeld put on the spectacle of a Lifetime, one that he Jammed Full to the Brim and perhaps even, to Overflowing, with every Trick in his Chanel bag! It was a Masterpiece that I don't think he is even capable of repeating, or Surpassing! Fall 2015 was a High-Water mark for Unkle K, He spun a Fantastic and Magical Fairy Tale that Apotheosized a bygone world, one that he said was a Tribute to Paris. Indeed, for a City as filled with Delight and Joy and Magic that Paris is, this was most definitely a Tribute worthy of The Greatest City on Earth! And Yes, Karl Lagerfeld IS the only one that could have done it justice in just this Spectacularly Grand a Style!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
One thing that was made apparent rather quickly, the firmly Classic Chanel Standard of at to below-the-knee length hemlines was followed to the letter, and to go with those conservative lengths, the major conceit of the show, a reconsideration of the classic Chanel Pump, which as Lagerfeld duly noted, in his 30+ years at the house he has never shown this shoe in any collection. Presented here, as it was so many years ago when Madamoiselle herself created it to lengthen and accentuate the leg, shown with EACH AND EVERY Exit, the shoe created a single-minded feeling of unity among the many disparate threads that King Karl wove into his Fall 2015 Chanel Tapestry! The little Midi heel looked Chicer than ever and made even the most resolutely forward thinking outfits feel grounded and approachable. Saying this, it was interesting to note that there was a mood of restraint permeating the collection that felt all the more Vanguard for the fact that what could, in this moment, be more renegade than Classic Conservatism?
It was all too prolific to touch upon every aspect that needed to be touched on... I might add that the tailoring in this collection bordered on the Impeccably Faultless, bringing a Dynamism of Fit and Cut that is usually reserved for the Haute Couture... Most notably in the Tweed Dresses section that followed after the opening passages. These pieces were so finely constructed and rigourous that they could have passed easily for something from any Couture collection Lagerfeld has put on in recent memory, Their invention and variety only served to underscore how facile Lagerfeld's hand is at creating remarkable fitting garments. Another moment worthy of acknowledgment, the pair of outfits outrageously embroidered by Lesage, replete with Feathers, Sequins, Beads and all matter of Flotsam and Jetsam, paired with sober Tweed, they truly called to mind the Dizzying skills of the Paraffection Ateliers, and looked as Diabolically expensive as they surely were!
To go on, again, would be a Fool's Errand of Gargantuan proportions... there was simply SO MUCH to consider and ponder on and admire, one has to stop somewhere or they would fall into the trap of verbal diarrhea! Lagerfeld put on the spectacle of a Lifetime, one that he Jammed Full to the Brim and perhaps even, to Overflowing, with every Trick in his Chanel bag! It was a Masterpiece that I don't think he is even capable of repeating, or Surpassing! Fall 2015 was a High-Water mark for Unkle K, He spun a Fantastic and Magical Fairy Tale that Apotheosized a bygone world, one that he said was a Tribute to Paris. Indeed, for a City as filled with Delight and Joy and Magic that Paris is, this was most definitely a Tribute worthy of The Greatest City on Earth! And Yes, Karl Lagerfeld IS the only one that could have done it justice in just this Spectacularly Grand a Style!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Monday, June 6, 2016
Saint Laurent.
Mon. 03/09/2015.
It's really simple. Hedi Slimane has revived the Saint Laurent label in his own image. A Skinny, Androgyne, Skimpy, and for Fall 2015, Slutty woman who feels more like a Girl but dresses like Boy! That's a lot to digest in one sitting, but the formula is actually quite easy to comprehend. Yes, Slimane has his detractors, Critical and elsewhere, but the near double digit increases in sales would provide a picture to those naysayers that would surely put them in their place and quiet their wagging tongues.
Again, This isn't rocket science, it isn't even anything approaching the mentally taxing, Slimane has hit upon a style that thankfully, suits him and the archives of YSL. Each season he seems to be mining those archives and contextualizing them in his own vernacular which thusly, updates the old Hoary Chestnuts of YSL Yore and gives them a Freedom and Modernity that was altogether alien to the late Maestro of Couture. Fall 2015 saw him push the boundaries to their breaking point, it would seem, with a Streetwalker bent to the clothes that parallels what Saint Laurent did back in his day by Giving a Street wear bent to his Couture and faced the same associations with the Demimonde and Les Belles de Jour!
It was a risky gambit, one that could have come off Tacky and more detrimentally, Cheap. Slimane worked both associations without fear or concern to whether they actually did descend to either of those Adjectives. Courageous, No? This season sees the Rough and Tumble, Punky days of the 80's getting their due, and completes the course through the decades that Slimane has seemed to be on recently, working through the 60's and 70's now, he's arrived at the Debauched 80's! The highlights of this season were the ones that hewed closest to the Saint Laurent Lexicon, refreshed in the Slimane Patois... A Silver Leather Peacoat cut to Perfection... The Black Snakeskin Trench...The Beaded Point d'Esprit blouse under a Black Le Smoking... and much more, those were just a few of the best. When paired with Hooker chic ripped pantyhose and much baring of nipples, the mood was complete!
Slimane is quite Masterful in his approach at Saint Laurent, he has desecrated all the iconic imagery of Yves, yet rebuilt it, Steve Austin/Jamie Sommers-Style into a $6 Billion dollar temple of Indulgence and "I Don't Give A Good Fuck" Attitude. It's working, and as long as he can continue to spin gold out of the dried straw of the old codes of the house, he is sure to continue performing fashion magic closely akin to Alchemy.
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Sonia Rykiel.
Mon. 03/09/2015.
After Julie de Libran's highly successful debut for Spring at the storied house of Sonia Rykiel, Fall 2015 fell right into lockstep with that debut and the spirit that de Libran is bringing to the house. This collection envisaged the Rykiel woman as somewhat more Boheme than Spring did and capitalized on the Mariniere theme that was running through that collection as well. Here, the collection was augmented with some of the best Coats to be had for Fall and some Sparkly confections just right for those girls trying to catch that Studio 54 vibe in the 20-teens.
One thing that came certainly to the fore, de Libran has some serious Tailleur chops. The coat at Exit No. 3 proved that without any effort at all! Sleek, Razor Sharp and Clean, it was one of those pieces that screamed to be a Closet staple for Fall, Winter and the Chilly days of Spring. Elsewhere, de Libran's Rykiel girl was less Gamine than last season and a little more Magpie, threading a 60's eclecticism into her wardrobe this time out, from Zig-Zag stripes to an Absolutely Stunning Apricot Pink Suede coat flourished with Curly Mongolian Lamb and Stitch embroidery!
All-in-All, this collection didn't feel quite as Laser beam focused as Spring, but held treasures for the plundering nonetheless, especially a Glittery Beaded cutout Lace top paired with Silver Velvet pants that could have been slung across Diana Ross' body, Circa 1977 and was the most appealing of the sparse evening section of the show. De Libran is headed in all the right directions and only need to keep her Aim True and her vision Honed. Next time, she might want to edit a little more ruthlessly as to not meander so much away from the her True North. Yet, Sometimes, a little bit of a Caprice never hurt anyone!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
Hermes.
Mon. 03/09/2015.
As far as debuts at a fashion house are concerned, Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski's at Hermes for Fall 2015, in the wake of the Brilliant Christophe Lemaire's departure, was about as close to a Smash Hit as one could ever possibly hope for. Being that Hermes is primarily a Super Deluxe Leather house with a Horsey Equestrian background, Vanhee-Cybulski caught all those details and whipped them into refined, restrained and quietly elegant sportif pieces with a Hyper Luxurious hand.
An elegant quietude pervaded throughout the collection and only served to make the Richesse of the outfits come through with an even more pronounced voice than had Vanhee-Cybulski indulged in a more overt sense of Decadence. Nothing here even barely approached a volume above polite and courteous, but quaked inside with an ebullient air of Untouchable class and of the rarefied! The palette helped evoke all these things as well with colours that sidled more on the side of contained rather than Extrovert, although a shade of Maroon red was prevalent, as was a Joyous Yolk Yellow outfit that sauntered out, otherwise, Vanhee-Cybulski kept it neutral and monotone with mostly Black and shades of White.
Some examples of the best the show had to offer, A Black Mink belted waist jacket with Pleat-front Suede trousers on Ajak Deng was Subtle to a fault, but in it's indulgent fabrics was also peerless in Extrovert luxuriousness. A sublime Riding-style "Equestrienne" Cardigan in a Inky Midnight Blue on Leila Nda, paired with a matching skirt was so Ethereally breathtaking as to cause one to swoon ceaselessly! Vanhee-Cybulski so flatly hit this collection to the Nosebleed seats, it didn't even bear contemplation. She succeeded a man who had made an identity for this house after he came in behind the idiomatic and singular Jean-Paul Gaultier, and made it into a Blockbuster, and then handed the reins over to Ms. Cybulski. Her task, was to take all that had come before, Margiela, Gaultier, Lemaire... and synthesize something from those archetypal personas and make something recognizable yet entirely her own and new. All one can say if asked if she did is, Hell Yeah! In Spades!
That's All.
Bye4Now!
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