Mary Katrantzou has made her Name on her Perfectly executed and Brilliant Whimsically conceived Digital prints that are almost as lifelike as the real thing. For a few seasons she was Innovating wildly and rather Prodigiously in that Metier, but there had to come a time when the Tedium set in and she would want to spread her wings and embrace something different. Fall 2014 was that Time, for Better or Worse. Unfortunately, The move Failed her miserably and she produced one of her most Gawky and Awkwardly unsophisticated and Downright Bizarre Collections.
There was something Religiously Glorious about the Three Embroidered looks that opened the show, Beautiful, Restrained, Penitent. But Quivering with a Sensuality underneath that was in Direct opposition to the Purity of the Clothes. And then... It all went to Hell! From a Technical Standpoint, what was to come was Damnably Brilliant. No Joke. But No one ever said Brilliant Equaled Beautiful, Now did they? Kantrantzou's Exercises in Pastiche and Collage were Extraordinary, Yes. But also, Laughable! Not for the reasons she wanted them to be Laughable either. She may have intended them to be Funny or Arch, but they were Humourless, Dry, Mirthless. They actually looked, Regretful! They didn't convey any Lightness or Fancy, they seemed like an Acadaemic attempt at being Funny by being witty and it just comes of as Drab.
From there on, More Inexplicability, what was with the Longer Pleats falling from the neckline of the Shorter shift dress? Paging Dr. Common Sense to the ER!!! On and On it went. There was a Bitter flavour to this collection that was not palatable at all. It careened through different ideas and none of the flattering or engaging outside a Technical position. It was crucial to make this move, Fail or Succeed. Katrantzou needed to get comfortable outside her Safe Place, From the rest of the world, She Succeeded Swimmingly. From My Perch, it was a Titanic and Sad Mess.
Maybe because of the Critical success it will embolden Katrantzou to Greater things and better things than this, one can only hope she grows from this, for this was not her Shining Moment.
That's All.
Bye4Now!
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