Jonathan Saunders Fall 2014 Treatise was Something of a Puzzling Affair. Perplexing, more aptly. I admire Saunders Greatly. He's an Intelligent and Provocative designer with an Astute mind and rather well honed technical gifts. There is always something deeper going on in his collection that is meant to Unsettle and Disquiet. This season, the Subtlety was lost and in a his move to create something more Dystopic, He may have let the Subtext become the Pretext and in that it just felt a little too much about an Idea and not enough about the Clothes.
The Clothes at times were Pushing Boundaries and were Limitless in their appeal for the Urban Amazonian Warrioress. The beginning Coats looked as if they had been salvaged from some battlefield where many Men had Perished and these Nomadic Ladies plucked the clothes of the bodies and enveloped themselves in them. They were too Big and looked as if they had been haphazardly patched up and stained with Who Knows. They made Statements and were Smashing! The Camel and Grey one at Exit No. 3 was One to Note for sure. Then, for a brief soujourn, The Romantic side of Saunders Shone light into the mix and here's where it felt he lost the story. Had it been a Romantic Dystopia... Cool. Or even had it been a Brutal one, Cool Again, But the mixing of the two felt Disingenuous and Incongruous! And after that brief moment of Romance, it seemed to slip away, only to peek from behind the mantle of Severity in the rare occasion.
A Champagne Sequined Gown at Exit No. 8 had that Romance and A new and innovative look to it and was rather Glamourous and was worthy of mention! Elsewhere, once one looked at the clothes, all the INSANE Technique and Effort that went into these clothes became apparent, It was a credit to Saunders Skills that nothing came off as Belaboured. There was an Air though, of Intensity to the rest of the proceedings that somewhat sucked a bit of the Joie out of the clothes. Maybe Saunders wasn't going for Joie this collection but it could have used a Teensy bit of it. Even the Slip dresses and Patchworking pieces just felt so, IMPORTANT!
The Patchworking pieces that came later in the show were so Divine that they made one Physically Aware of their Magnitude! But even though they alighted upon Beauty, they felt devoid of a want TO BE Beautiful! They felt Like a Cut and Paste Project rendered into something Miraculous, Almost Frankenstein-like to be Patently Plain! It was that Haphazard, Accidental, Random structure that seemed devoid of intention towards Beauty. As if Saunders was more involved with the Acadaemic Brilliance of the Craft of these pieces rather than giving them Heart and Soul. Combine that with the Dour, Bleak Sweaters and Destroyed looking coats and Everything began to be cast over with a Miasma of... Foreboding!
The Patchworking pieces that came later in the show were so Divine that they made one Physically Aware of their Magnitude! But even though they alighted upon Beauty, they felt devoid of a want TO BE Beautiful! They felt Like a Cut and Paste Project rendered into something Miraculous, Almost Frankenstein-like to be Patently Plain! It was that Haphazard, Accidental, Random structure that seemed devoid of intention towards Beauty. As if Saunders was more involved with the Acadaemic Brilliance of the Craft of these pieces rather than giving them Heart and Soul. Combine that with the Dour, Bleak Sweaters and Destroyed looking coats and Everything began to be cast over with a Miasma of... Foreboding!
If there had been more moments like that Sequined Dress, Things may have been a little less Savage and Grim. Maybe it's Me, though! Perhaps that was Saunders Intent, It wasn't as if the clothes weren't Spectacular, they just were a little Devoid of Romance and Lightness. Saunders may have been trying to say something about the Beauty of Grimness and that sometimes A bit of Dread can be a Powerful thing. I don't Know. I do know, this was one that will leave a lot of us scratching our heads at just what did transpire!
That's All.
Bye4Now.
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