Pamella Roland Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.





Pamella Roland Resort 2016.

A One-Shouldered Ombre Ballgown, changing from Peach to Dusk Pink at the hem, A Wide-Leg Jumpsuit in Ombre Lace in shades of Apricot and Peach, and a Sapphire Blue Jacquard coat were the standouts in Pamella Roland's Resort 2016 presentation which took it's inspiration from Summer Sunsets on Lake Michigan at her Home. A very pretty throng of clothes indeed, but as usual, all evening and as such... grew tedious by the end, even though it was only 24 looks.

As a Michigan Native, I am always rooting and praising Ms. Roland, yet, her aesthetic oft times can be a trifle belaboured, as is the case with mostly all of the designers on the circuit who show nothing but Confectionary Evening wares. As much as I will and can Champion her Splendid pieces, it would be so refreshing if Roland attempted to inject a little more vitality and backbone into the collection with some seriously conceived Daywear! It would do her, and the collective Evening Wear designers of the world... A Mountain of good if they did!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Thakoon Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.





Thakoon Resort 2016.

Thakoon Panichgul's 2016 Resort fare was quite the embodiment of Easy and Relaxed. Loads of pieces that can be mixed together with your old favorites to give a wardrobe refresh, or to be bought by the multiples to create an entire new set of options. There was no real overarching theme or single unifying idea, just some recurring motifs and ideas and real wearable clothes for the real world.

There were lots of Knits, Lace, Perforated Mesh, and Iris prints galore. But truthfully... nothing really STOOD OUT! A Sheer Black dress with that Iris motif, in an almost Devore style, was Risque to the hilt, but that was about the end of it. No one thing truly took hold of one's attention and would linger in one's memory too long after seeing it. That isn't to say that great looks couldn't be achieved with the pieces, because they can, But they won't be exactly, Memorable.





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Tadashi Shoji Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.

Tadashi Shoji Resort 2016.

A Zip front Baseball styled Jacket does not Sportswear make when it's inconveniently jammed into a Full on Evening Collection. That was the minor takeaway from Tadashi Shoji's Resort 2016 offering. The major takeaway... The colour White is having a Breakout moment! Those Baseball Jackets actually seemed uncommonly out of place in this collection. Shoji was, it would seem, trying to inject some Sportive elements into his assortment of evening Bonbons, and sadly, it didn't work. It only managed to make the assemblage look silly and obtuse. Which was a shame, because the rest of the collection, minus those unfortunate collapses of judgement, was pretty Gorge!

While White was the centerpiece of the collection. there was a fair amount of Blue to go around, from Navy to a soft pastel Cornflower shade, it added a youthful lightness in this delicate and sweet shade. But when Shoji got down to Brass Tacks with the White, it was Marvellous! The final Two looks attest firmly to that! Shoji would have had a Full-On winner had he not inserted those comically miscalculated jackets into the collection. Conversely, had he ACTUALLY taken the time to design some REAL Sportswear to go along with those jackets and ceased with his Evening Only Revue, it would have made more sense. Here, even with the beauties, the whole just came off as a discombobulated miss! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Narciso Rodriguez Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.

Narciso Rodriguez Resort 2016.

In Narciso Rodriguez's hands, Fashion imitates, to some small degree, if not physically, then most assuredly in intent and content, Architecture. Within saying that, he mimics one of the Greatest tailors and designers of All Fashion History, The Maestro Gianfranco Ferre! Ferre was a brilliant Designer, one of the truest of the Inspired Masters of the metier... His precision of Cut, Drape and Fit was Unparalleled and Unmatched by perhaps only that other Scion of Couture, Geoffrey Beene! Mainly their gift was an Unequaled understanding of the Feminine form and how to fit clothes on it, Ferre exalted the body by using the Pinpoint preciseness that comes with Architecture! Unlike even the Haute Couture, in Architecture, you cannot be off by even the most minute degree or building collapse, Ferre brought that Exactitude to clothing. 

Rodriguez's work feels the same way, but less about the precision of Architecture and more about the Lines and Planes of the art and how they converge to create something Magnificent. Rodriguez feels like the Frank Lloyd Wright of fashion, this Resort collection was a testament to that, the Purity and Streamlined sense of Cleanliness pervaded with strict, yet sensual allure! The way a Tropical Wool Jumpsuit dismissed superfluity with an almost monastic rigour, or how the Black Pantsuit look at the end hid the gentle flourish of a softly delicate ruffle at the hem, in the back of the Razor sharp blazer. 

Rodriguez's Look Book only featured 14 looks, but it was impactful enough that he need not gild his Lily with more. It was a Superb the way it was. Using an Architectural idiom from the Infamous Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe... Sometimes, Less, IS More! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Jonathan Saunders Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.

Jonathan Saunders Resort 2016.

Jeff Koons and Ugo Rondinone are somewhat odd bedfellows to glean an inspiration from, but for his Resort 2016 collection, Jonathan Saunders did exactly that in a collection he dubbed "Synthetic Aesthetic" Pointedly, there was something of a Glossy, Surreal bent to things, even though, this proved to be one of Saunders most Palatable and better collections of late. As of the last few seasons, Saunders usually Inspired and Brilliantly off-kilter juxtapositions in colour theory, were flawed in the most nauseating ways, one only need look to his Fall 2015 collection to prove that point to a T! 

Here, Simplicity was more the special of the day and a joyous and upbeat palette kept the clothes from being memorable for all the wrong reasons. Saunders almost Virtuoso eye for colour combination was in full effect here, Salmon mixed with Pale Peach, UItramarine Blue with Autumn Golden Orange, (that specific colour combo was particularly successful! He should have done more of it!) Citron, Carrot and what could be called Strawberry Ice Cream Pink mixed together with White in ombred effect and looked Brilliant! The best outfit, strangely, for a man so gifted with mixing colour, was a Sleek and Simple Black shift that had a crew neck and long sheer sleeves, upon which RAVISHING sprays of flowers in Mediterranean Blue and Green and White were embroidered, making the most Dazzling of statements! 

Saunders Gave plenty more here to coo over, he's not a designer prone to artistic extroversion, his abilities are his Prodigy like way with colour and his creativity in tweaking the clothes that women wear everyday and making them a little more special. In those regards, One could argue his Resort 2016 collection was a Surefire Touchdown! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Gucci Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.

Gucci Resort 2016.

In the right hands, the Casa Gucci is a not only a Star Maker, it's a creator of Legends! Tom Ford is one of those Legends, a Force Majeur in not only the Fashion world, but the Pop Culture Zeitgeist as well! Alessandro Michele has poised himself at that cusp and is most certain to propel himself into the breach! Like Ford before him, He has totally renovated the look of Gucci and in doing so, become the Leader and not follower of the Fashion Pack. His vision is so unyielding singular and self-assured, that it cannot be anything other than the impetus of similar styles across the fashion landscape. 

As far as Michele's Resort Collection... It was a Spectacular Masterpiece! It was a Quirky, Eclectic, Eccentric, Magpie Hodgepodge of disparate ideas and pieces pulled together with a Virtuoso hand to form a totally believable and cohesive amalgam! The extrovert diversity of Michele's fashion is the draw, it compels you to think differently about your perceptions of Excessive and challenges you to see the Joyous magic of the uninhibited mix of Print and Fabric and Embellishment and what could be considered as conveying a sense of Bad Taste! But that deliberate pushing of the envelope is what makes it so Intriguing and Exciting! 

We saw, quite firmly, in his Fall debut for the house, The Mix is The Message! Here, there was no difference in that equation. There was everything from Folkloric Northern embroideries and appliques mixed with Asian Japonesque and Chinoiserie accents and busy Wallpaper florals sat next to Eye-Spinning Chevron stripes and that is only a partial list of the wonders to be found! And the Colours... too many to even begin to name... But bright Mustard Yellow, Dusk Pink, and Royal Purple made some of the biggest statements. Among the best of show outfits... A Gorgeous Majorette coat near the close of the show in that Rosy shade of Dusk Pink, a Brocaded Scalloped edge suit in Mustard on Tami Williams that just made the tears perk up at one's eyes because of it's beauty, Amilna Estaevo in a Green Floral quilted coat that was like the World's most Exquisite Pot Holder ever envisioned!

Also, Definitely well worth mentioning, a purely Perfect Marigold Schoolgirl Suit with a pleated skirt and finished off with a Black Velvet Bow at the neck was Achingly Marvellous and the Mustard Broadtail jacket with Embroidered Frog closures and Smoke Grey Mink trim and collar came from another plane of Existence! There, Of course, was more, MUCH more... but why demystify it all with in depth explanations... It all speaks for itself with a Bravado that is well earned. Michele's world that he is inviting us into is a Heady and Giddily addictive one. One that is so far removed from Dullness and Drabness and the Depressive that it comes over you like a Cool breeze off the Aegean and couldn't be more welcome in such Dark and Solemn times. 

Footnote: Michele is raring to prove he's Game Ready to Bat in the Big Leagues, with just his Third show under his belt, Michele is already showing he can play with the Heavy Hitters, the Paris Three, Chanel, Dior and Vuitton, by as well taking his Caravan on the road to New York, closing off streets and showing in a Garage like space right off to the side of a busy Street, it was just as Kooky a choice as all the ones made by Michele, and one that fit Splendidly into the Aura of the show! Alessandro Michele is at the forefront of a new wave crashing over the fashion world, he is well on his way to being one of the new Megawatt stars of fashion, the only question of concern, with such a Strong and Singular vision as his, Can Michele continually refresh it in the years to come to keep that vision as Potent as it is now in it's infancy? It's a tough answer, one that Michele himself might not actually have, but if he doesn't... he will leave a body of work in his wake that, however brief or extensive, will be one of the Greatest in the metier! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Suno Resort 2016.

Thurs. 06/04/2015.

Suno Resort 2016

With the inspiration of "Modern Folk" for their Suno Resort 2016 collection, Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis put plenty of Bohemian into their folklore. There was even a somewhat, delightfully so, odd Mexican bent to the collection, with it's Serape style stripes that opened the collection in Bright South-Of-The-Border hues of Cyclamen mixed with Navy and Gold. There were also some beauteous Floral prints that struck one as particularly Fiesta Festive. Transpose that with a Blissful combination of Sea Blue and Rust in a simple and flattering T-Shirt dress, and you have a brilliant counterpoint. 

The last Five pieces of the collection gave off a more Northern Hemisphere outlook to the pieces, (an Idee that had crept in with the lacy White Filigree pieces earlier in the collection,) Scandinavia in particular. An almost Edelweiss looking floral gave rise to this perception as did the Cheerful embroideries seen in this section, most effective on a Joyous A-line dress with Pockets. 

Beatty and Osterweis put the Fashion into Folklore with this exposition for Resort 2016. It was Upbeat, Quirky, and Highly Fashionable... All the things the Modern Bohemian with a taste for the Folkloric is bound to be looking for! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!