Joseph Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.





Joseph Resort 2016.

Sportive Minimalism. Luxe Utilitarian. Both ideas were the Makeup of the Joseph 2016 Resort showing designed by the Brilliant Louise Trotter. Ms. Trotter refrained that the core of the Joseph label is "Luxury Essentials" and with this collection, how she could elevate the everyday (A Marvellously Egalitarian thought process, indeed!) and present them to her faithful clientele and hopeful newcomers to the fold. She succeeded so far beyond wildly, that it is an insult to call it anything less than Earth Shaking! This collection was so Superiorly Perfect, that I could remark in grandiose detail on every look, even though that would be pressing the nerves of any reader, and still have volumes to say afterward.

Trotter certainly took the "Everyday" and "Elevated" it to near narcotic levels of Addictive and Desirable. To be brief, I shall gleefully expound on a few of the most Soul-Enhancing pieces and leave it at that, for the fear of slipping into prolixity. A Gorgeous Cinnamon Napa Overall jumpsuit with a matched hoodie was a practical study in how to combine in a fresh way items that under usual circumstances would be mundane! The All-White look comprised of a Snap-front Anorak, Sharp as a Razor full pleated skirt and Button-front shirt for all it's worth looked unassuming, but had in it's bones that unshakable feeling of being Essentially Important and Majorly Moving! It was it's Clean, Monastic severity that gave the outfit it's Gravitas!

Take the Quietly, forlornly Romantic look of a Long Plaid shirtdress paired over a floor-grazing Black Pleated full skirt... Unquestionably Impactful! Or the Always winning combo of a Camel Cashmere Peacoat worn with Sweatshirt Trousers and matching top? Ask Michael Kors if you don't believe this isn't always a Flawless colour pairing! Finally, a most Sublime pairing of a Pecan colour Reefer coat paired with Salmon Pink Leather trousers and a matching Knit tee that should be seducing all whom gaze upon it as it has me! Trotter seems to be in the direct line of design as her fellow Brit, Pheobe Philo at Celine in Paris... But as where Celine gets all the attention, it's actually Joseph that's producing the most Remarkable clothing! Trotter has Philo beat by Hundreds of miles, the only hope is that she will begin to get the recognition that Philo has been getting (somewhat unjustly, if you ask me!) and become the Fashion Luminary that she deserves to be!

And Oh, BTW... If Philo ever wants to retire from Celine... I know a Certain Brit who'd do a most Jolly Good job at replacing and/or... Surpassing her!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Giorgio Armani Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.

Giorgio Armani Resort 2016.

Confessing that the former Chanel/Karl Lagerfeld Muse/Model Ines de la Fressange was something of the inspiration behind his typically lovely Resort 2016 collection, Giorgio Armani did seem to inject some little bit of "Le Femme Francaise" into the clothes this season. It was subtle, but then again... when ISN'T Armani Subtle!?! Ignoring that little sobriquet, Armani was in usual form, Colourful, yet Minimal. Exotic, yet Subdued. Since what was presented was so brief, it's hard to be too effusive, for there wasn't much for variety's sake, but what was there was to the Top-Notch Armani standard. 

A rather Fabulous Cerulean Blue Trench was that in name only, transmuted into something far more unique and interesting, A Stellar Tomato Red pantsuit was brimming with Armani's impeccable Suit making DNA, while a Glacier Blue Blouson and cropped pants combo was channeling Armani's always usual fascination with Eastern Zen dressing in a Western Lounge wear way! If de la Fressange showed up in the collection anywhere it was more in Spirit than Style, although the Red, White and Black jacket of woven ribbons with White slacks, Tee and Ecru gilet did look like something Ines would gravitate to in a millisecond! C'est Fantastique! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Balenciaga Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.

Balenciaga Resort 2016.

With his Fall 2015 collection for the house of Balenciaga, Alexander Wang proved with utmost proficiency and ingenuity that he could get a handle on the metier of Couture, even if it was reimagining it in a decidedly modern way. His Fall collection was a brilliant treatise on modernizing the house codes while retaining their inherent elegance and grace, (Something Nicholas Ghesquiere could NEVER do, or was more aptly, CAPABLE of doing!) Yes, he did give them the Crackle and Punch of his more Hard Core aesthetic, Yet, he blended them smoothly together to form a potently electrifying synergism of Old and New!

Wang's Resort 2016 collection for the house is as such, a continuation of that conversation of past and present. Wang maintained the trajectory he started with last Fall and moved into a new, lighter and freer space. The clothes here were dramatic, Oh My Yes, But less Grandiose and less opulently intentioned also. Maybe because it was a Resort showing, Wang kept things minimal and breezy to a degree, Black and White were the major colorways with touches of soft Blues and Pinks for contrast and a rather attention getting Floral print to mix things up. 

The most obvious nods to the Couture nature of the clothes. the rounded, gently ruffling peplums and full skirts of the dresses, the corsetry effects, and a Sensational pair of Military styled coats in Ecru and Black paired with the sheerest lace skirts possible, that mimicked Cristobal's Barrel line, all were present and reworked into thoroughly contemporaneous versions of the archival pieces that they surely took their inspiration from. Wang set forth a high water mark that would be difficult for him to match, and as this is written, he has since left the house and replaced by Demna Gvaslalia of Vetements. It's a sad occurence, Wang was hitting a sure-footed and fleet stride with this collection and the possibilities of what was to come are left tantalizingly unanswered... Though with work like this left behind him at the house, he'll be a surely tough act to follow!

That's All.

Bye4Now!

3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.

3.1 Phillip Lim Resort 2016.

Boho, Magpie, Eclectic Eccentric... Call it what you might, the only descriptor in my mind that embodied Phillip Lim's 3.1 Resort collection was, Confusion! A mighty mixed up mishegoss of Fringe, Sweats, Knits, Fraying edges and absurdity that for all it was trying to do, ended up looking more Homeless than Homely! Although it looked that as well! The message Lim was trying to get across? Your guess would be as good as mine! If things didn't look threadbare and shambolic, they looked frumpy and sloppy! 

Lim was inspired by Boho girls, with their Magpie touch to the way the wardrobe themselves, I can't think of a single woman who would want to be layered in these silly trifles. Lim had a few moments, but they were buried under masses of unneeded trickery and haphazardness. Again, it had a few charms going for it, but they were negligible in the thicket of such unappealing fashion! Lim, I am sure was full on Head and Heart into this muddled collection, and That's sadly, the part that worries me most! 

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Tome Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.





Tome Resort 2016.

"Languid" the catch word of the day for Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin of the label Tome in describing the mood of the clothes for their Eclectic and Delightfully Offbeat Resort 2016 showing. The oddball pairings in this presentation gave off the impression of the most fashionable Hausfrau ever! Citing the Acerbic Wit Mistress herself, Dorothy Parker as inspiration, it was easy to see her lounging, in one of her drunken malaise moments, in these clothes, in the modern iteration of her!

There, admittedly, is a lot going on in this collection, many different moods and styles were expressed and scores of ideas flowed freely, that made it hard to pin down specific looks, for everything was so brilliantly intertwined and synergistic. Martin and Lobo packed a whole world of options into this collection with out it feeling forced or over abundant! Examples... The irreverent sensuality expressed by a Black duster coat and Lace Sheath dress underneath was an Unorthodox combination but Spot-On in every way! The Crisp White shirtdress of Look No. 10 was breezy and clean, but surprisingly elegant. And the sheer White Lace blouse with a pair of Cornea Sizzling Chevron striped shorts in Red, White and Blue was Eccentric at it's best!

Lobo and Martin's work here was among some of the best work they have done. They captured an eloquent freedom and studied sense of easiness and relaxed elegance that made the collection shine from end to end. Others would have gotten lost in the thicket with so many ideas tumbling about, the Tome boys showed how adept they are at such Fashionable Juggling and ended up with a Sensational set of clothes!!





That's All.





Bye4Now!

Philipp Plein Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.

Philipp Plein Resort 2016.

Bright, Colourful, Rock 'N' Roll fashion are the signatures of Phillip Plein's Fashion. Never can it be too loud or too much or too... ANYTHING! For Resort 2016, Plein offered up Emojis in Crystals (Hello, Donatella) Pixelated prints, and a Black and White Skull motif (the most successful of the sections, by far!) and as often... repeats abounded. There were Three iterations of the same Belted Trench simply done in 3 different prints, as was a Brief T-Shirt dress. It not only was Infuriating, it was Lazy!

And Plein also fell into the Trashy Trap, yet again. His clothes here didn't look Upscale or High-End, more like someone trying to make their Gaudy, Cheap wares look High-end with Embellishments and Good fabrics. In the end, it still looked tacky. and even worse, like clothes that any 15 Year-old could find at "Hot Topic" or "Forever 21" Even the black gown that ended the looks had the feeling of Prom to it. In it's own way, and worn with a Unconventional and Renegade spirit, the clothes may work, especially worked in with less commonplace pieces, it might work. In conclusion... It was Pretty and Fun, and that's about all it was!

That's All.

Bye4Now!

Versace Resort 2016.

Fri. 06/05/2015.

Versace Resort 2016.

Oh, Nostalgia! The 2016 Versace Resort collection put forth by Donatella Versace, hearkened back to the good old days of yesteryear for the house! The Colours! The Riotous Prints! The Baby Dolls, Lingere, Mesh and Bell Bottoms of the Bygone past of the house all came to the fore in brilliantly calculated and expertly judged modern variations! Starting off with The Lady and then moving into The Tramp, Donatella presented as the first look, a Vivid Granny Smith Apple Green Leather trench, Chic as the day is long and also with that Vital Versace DNA roiling through it's bones, a little lurid, a hint trashy, but never anything less than Pure Class! 

From there we get Safety Cone Orange mixed with the Green and the Versace favorite, brief pleated Gladiator skirts in Black highlighted by the vibrant aforementioned colours. From then on there were past Versace allusions to be found everywhere, The Apple Green crop top and pencil skirt, this time modernized with tiny little pinhole punctures forming a Graphic pattern, a dazzlingly printed Baby Doll dress done in pleats recalling the 1993 Fall collections, as did the Combo Print Slip Dress interspliced with Black Lace. Or the always winning combo of Lace and Shiny Mesh, shown in this go-round in Highlighter Pink! 

In this presentation, Donatella got back to the roots of the house while still traveling at light speed into the future, Her best is always achieved when she has one hand in the archives and one foot on the accelerator into the what-comes-now/next future! This Resort collection was as perfect a synthesis of that ideal as one could ask. Let's just hope we can see more of this in the collections to come!

That's All.

Bye4Now!