S'09: RTW Paris

Lush to AcidQ:

PARIS!
Alexander McQueen is, so far, not the least bit wearable, but it is worth checking out, if only for this:

LOOKATTHAT. Insane, right?

DOES. NOT. COMPUTE.

The detail shots of it are freaking gorrrrgeous. Gorgeous. It looks like a disco mosaic wall. And then, oh my god, there are these kaleidoscope crystal dresses that have to be seen to be believed. And with shoes to match! And then McQueen comes out at the end dressed as a furry. I don't need to comment on this; your coverage is complete. (I will view it obviously) (hooooooly sweet succulent jesus.) Status: Wholly Holy Fuck. I'm dancing the dance of life. Raging, Frothing, Unbridled, Lunatic Success. My favorite - period.

*I like Andrew Gn's a lot - a REAL lot. Fantastic colors and paisley and....yeah, it's a must-see.

Now here are clothes you can wear forever. Well-made and stylish, but not trendy. Just lovely and flattering and in it to win.

I'm always delighted to find at least one ensemble or two or jesus, wow, three fit for an Egyptian goddess. You're right about the colors - I love unexpected shoe pairings and the saturated hues. I'd like to maybe be buried in one of these.After my organs have been removed, of course. Especially that last one - rich brown like the earth from whence I emerged. Status: A Pantheon of Goddesses Agrees

*Antonia Berardi's (it's a he- AntoniO)
first half is really cute, and the second half is more meh. I guess nothing particularly mind blowing, but really cute.

Sounds like London déjà vu. I'll check it oot now.
Okay so the shapes and movement are fab.

I have to say I've never liked fire engine red with pepto-bismol pink unless it was Valentine's day. But it is a lovely number.

This is also the first full-on LOOK AT HER BOOBS show. Not really anything interesting about that fact, just kind of noteworthy. Perhaps I should have footnoted it. Too late.

What the HELL is this? The vag slit? The side sheer boob? Ugh.

Thanks be to the creator that the only truly Hidy one is gone and this comes in to redeem him.

Status: I don't know what you were talking about in terms of halves. I found the good spattered throughout right alongside the meh.

*Balmain is like, insane 80s shoulders - even on cardigans, which....I'm at a loss as to how that was even constructed - and sequin detailing, but there are some cute dresses and it is, as a whole, hilarious, so it deserves to be seen.

Ah, finally the cover girl for the S'09 r-t-w on style.com appears. I was wondering who they'd picked. I see that style doesn't think they're "insane 80s shoulders" but rather, "a super-skinny sleeve, finessed upwards into a brilliant new shoulder with a bump-peaked swagger on jackets and dresses. (The eighties never looked like that.)" Perhaps it's back to fashion school for you, young man. Of course not being at the show in person coupled with a lack of detail shots could cause one to miss such obvious differences....you get a pass today. THIS time.

Something like this would have benefited ten-fold from a detail shot. We've really got to pen style an angry letter some day. If I modeled I have to say this show would have been super fun to do. It's such a grab-bag of glitz and chintz. Every model appears to be back-lit, shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide? The part where it chokes up for me is the acid-wash jeans.

They're just. never.going
to.look good!!!! (And neither will that model's face, but I digress)

Don't you DARE close your eyes.
Okay wait a minute, where the hell was that shot that opens the R-T-W? It has similar shoulders and a similar drum-line vestament....hm...but not the same background. The search continues. Oh if I had just utilized my eyeballs I could easily have read its 3.1 Phillip Lim, which you've not included.

Status: Crack. Ho. Crystal.

Also, I've decided that I like Raquel Zimmermann. How dare you. HOW? DARE? It's pretty much based entirely off this photograph:
So now whenever I see her scowling her way down the runway, that image pops into my head. What can I say! Maybe you ought to also let this pop into your head. Yeah wash your brain out with that. ARgh.

*Celine is good clean wearable fun balanced with some baggy mess stuff, and one hella slutty boob band. O boob band, how you deserve an ode. (ETA: That is a Chanel boob band. THIS

is a Celine boob band. Cur.)

It's kind of the balance of wearable/bonkers that I was expecting/hoping from the New York collections; I guess you could take that as a compliment or as an insult. I mean it as a compliment, though.

How could you have missed this part of the review???: "looked like it could've come from a tribe called BoBo…as in 'bourgeois bohemian.'" That's the new meaning of Bobo, forever. I notice some of these silhouettes are quite staid, like the egg. Dresses run between narsty and semi-lovely, but nothing for me to write home about. One sexception. Yeah I typed "sex ception." If you don't understand why, then maybe you shouldn't be reading this. Too many looks and I hate these feathers. I also find the shoes somewhat tacky.
Status: No sir, I didn't like it.

*Oh my god, read this: "Since it's not exactly feasible to invite people to view a Chanel collection in-house, as it used to be done, Karl Lagerfeld instead decided to bring the Rue Cambon to the thousand or so people who crowded into the Grand Palais. A life-size facade of the storied Chanel building at number 31—complete with a street runway—had been dropped into the space. The doors opened, "Our House" by Madness struck up on the sound system, and a line of Chanel-clad pedestrians (as in, these people are so pedestrian?) streamed out." That is the most fabulous thing I have ever read. Sorry, Toni Morrison. It's all by way of saying, of course, that Chanel is a must-see. I'm not that into their dresses this time around (be sure to look out for them, though... they are a sight to see) but this might be my favorite collection of suits I've seen from them. Really!
Well I'd better strike up the band! I dig this suit, excepting the triangle of torso, but I assume something could be done about that. I find that this show, as always, is completely Chanel in every way. And its wearable and chic, and it's etcetera.

Pink leather faux shopping bags are worth a titter in the least.

And I think a lot of these ensembles that I just don't seem to "get" are supposed to be that way. It's the French elitism. They'll roll about in mud and glue twigs to their armpits and you'll still love it because that is the French way. But oh, I don't know, something about this show is a little...fatigue-y. Je suis fatigue (e?) AcidQ. And it's not a good sign.

I'm seeing a whole lot of your new fling steamrolling down the Rue. Perhaps that is why I feel so sapped. We may blame it upon the horse's head.

Indeed, I am a dreadful human being. Status: No Fireworks, Yet...It will ABC (Always Be Chanel)

*Chloe has a new creative head, so it might be worth checking out just for that. I thought it was just okay, but it ends stronger than it begins.
Wow I felt like they had just gotten a new one...there's always this argument about who Chloe "is" and "should be" but if this revolving door shit continues they're going to fall apart. And that would be a shame because they've done some marvelous work. Immediately I see scallops. Not attractive.I have fucking scallops on the curio in my living room. It is FURNITURE.

Are we human? Or are we horses?

I am so sorry, God.
Now I'm highing fast to dawn to get to that aforementioned better latter portion. It's ...taking quite a while to arrive.
Do you remember just how many scallops there were in the Chloe show, AcidQueen? And do you remember just how few of them were attractive?
Status: I enjoyed NOTHING.

*Dior is just okay. It hurts me too.
Status: it was worth the chortle for this.
*Collette Dinnigan is cute.
The dresses have nice fluid lines and good material. I'd wear a lot of these clothes, and I'd even have them dry-cleaned. They're worth it.

I like the hair, too- it's pretty much my look of the past few months: straight but not neat. This show has been a good refresher to cleanse my palette-- some of these past shows have left quite a nasty taste in my mouth.
Status: It'll do nicely.


*Dries Van Noten isn't bad.
There's a little old-style hollywood glamour here with some shades and head wraps...and you can't go wrong with classic. They made it very modern though with the geometric prints and blingity jewelery. Yet some of this stuff....just too slumpy, man. And, like, saggy. I feel like its trying to be post-modern or something but I'm just not getting the right connection. Something seems off...not sure how to describe it. It's interesting though. My eyes feel sated from looking at it, and I'm sure we'll be seeing some of these pieces appearing on the sartorialist.
Status: Agreed. ("isn't bad")

*Hussein Chalayan's is really cool. Crazy prints and shapes.
OOOh yes, I do like this. The frozen motion and the car theme done untackily is a very nice thing. It's pristine and polished yet still space-case-y. And I adore that.
Status: Agreed.

*Jasmine Di Milo has created an ode to frizzy haired women everywhere. It was cute and commercial looking; I only got halfway through before I decided to move on, but it might be worth a glance. It's a pretty short one.
I thought the cobweb queen was noteworthy.

*Check out this shoe from Jean Paul Gaultier!

Cute, huh?
AcidQueen I, ....I just don't think they're cute. I'm sorry. I want to be excited about that shoe but I just cannot be. Perhaps I am truly a withered hag. The collection starts off with a bunch of gowns that open up to reveal that they are actually just wrapped up leotards, but on style you only see them post-leotard reveal. I have a feeling I would have liked them more wrapped up. But after that there are a lot of really lovely pieces. And a lot of random shit. Worth checkin'!
Yes it deserved me to like it. And I hope it burns in Hell! No, I don't. But I didn't add much to my lookbooks. A few hither and thither, but you're right - I wish they showed the gowns pre- and post-openage.
*John Galliano's solo show is pretty ridick, and fairly uneven, but I liked it and would recommend it over the Dior one. Well you BETTER recommend it over the Dior one or why in the hell am I being sent to look at it? Dior was pretty damn pathetic.

Hats are really fun when they're done like this.
They can also be books.
I imagine Moll Flanders did her hair like this.
I thought the shoes were neat with their optical illusiony feel but they did kind of set off weird---some of their jewel and/or acid bubble color tones scrapped against the pastels and softy pepto-bismal clothing.
Status: While more gimmick-based and accessory-carried, the clothes were not bad.

*Junya Watanabe's had a lot of really cute looks; I think most of my favorite pieces would look best as separates, but a delight nonetheless! Kind of a more French what-I-was-hoping-from-DVF. Not into faded, whiskered denim for skirts...and the prints? I am not a feelin' the color scheme. I quit looking at this field-mouse-hairball halfway through.
Status: Truly drudful.
(ETA: Granted, my opinion of this show was waned. But

Come


ON!

COOL PRINTS! That is all.)
*Holy fuckballs.

!

Are you drinking that in? With a 24-karat sippy straw hells yeah I am. And it's a bag! All that fabulousness and more at Karl Lagerfeld's solo show - it is definitely one of the best of the season. Some of the best detail shots too.

*claps hands then clasps them* I do so hope you're true!


Gosh style is so right that Karl dressed all these models how he would dress himself were he female.

I've spake nary a word on bijoux, but check this. Its like a nice lacy scrolly arm tattoo you don't have to wear on your skin forever. Well done, Unk. I also love the only color he included was airforce blue which is such the perfect neutral it looked excellent.
Status: I want that bag so hard. SO hard.

*I fuckin' LOVED Lanvin.
CHOMP. Listen to the sound. CHOMP. Do you hear that? CHOMP.

That can only be the sound of me devouring every minute of this back-to-basics quality tailored approach to r-t-w. I am so diggin' it. I'm wearing this or this to work tomorrow: sexy but not trampity.

God I wish my sweaters enveloped me more sexily like that.
Status: Agreed.


*Loewe is weird because it's not a runway show, it's just alternating pictures of Hye Park and Chanel Iman in the outfits; like 1/3 of it is kind of bad, but the rest is superchic.
Immediately: this.
Anybody who claims not to want to look like that is delusional. Its like the ultimate Lucille Bluth.

And, wow. Do you see that shoe?It is absolutely twirling twirling toward freedom.

Yow! Fuck Lanvin, I'm wearin THAT to work.

And this after all, is the icing on the cake.
Status: Superchic is it.



* So, Louis Vuitton...I had high hopes, because I absolutely love the first look (i find it pretty splendid also- the bag!? mm), but it didn't live up to my expectations. There's a fair amount of cute things in it, and overall I liked it better than both solo collections, but a lot of it is ugly. Still, the things that are ugly are ugly in a kind of appropriate and acceptable way.

Yeah I see what you mean about acceptable ugly. There's quite a bit of fabric, color, fit, and accesories that will translate to workaday wearable items, but the styling and the sometimes grotesque layering causes some friction for the eye when scanning these looks.

I imagine this as quite attractive and less macaroni-ish in the streets of a big city.

An alternate name for this show could have been leggy leggy blonde.
Status: Agreed.

*What

the

fuck

?

I don't even know what to say. Sometimes with fashion, we just look. And we say, nothing. We just take it in.

*Martin Grant's pretty fabulous.
Oh, yeah. This is a superbly constructed garment. He puts on a good show to entice somebody who doesn't, say necessarily "get" fashion. Sort of lure them in you know, like "hey! these clothes could walk right off the runway! yet they're not...like the clothes I wear. why is that?" and hopefully that becomes a spring board. Not that I know anybody who could use that kind of intro to the fash world, still, it stands as it is.
Status: a type of quotidienne fabulous.


*Miu Miu's fucking awesome - the theme is like, Roman mosaics, and a lot of the dresses have prints of mosaic art that's been graffitied and it's really cool; (roman mosaics rock pretty hard) it also includes what is possibly my favorite shoe ever:
Blam. I hope trendspotters pick up on this show, promptly rip it off and deliver lookalike shoes and accesories swiftly to my nearest Marshall's. It's no-nonsense. It knows it is sexy. But it doesn't rub your face in it. Some more variations on this would have been nice.
Status: Agreed.


*Rue du Mail begins with the oddest skirt in history - it's like a a high-waisted mini with a tuxedo detail...that opens up into a set of tan hotpants?

I don't know. The rest was fairly fug.
Yeah based on that misguided erotic cutaway I'm not going to look at the rest. Never liked Rue de Mail all that much anyhow.


*Sonia Rykiel is absolutely insane and I love it. First of all, it is 108 looks long. All of the models have frizzy long Rickie Lee Jones hair WITH berets to match. There are insane panels of sheerness mixed with sequins and balanced with insane explosions of feathers. Only 1/3 of it is cute. At a certain point, it starts alternating between really gorgeous ruched satin dresses and like, unitards with showgirl feathered headdresses. And then this happens:
Irina Lazareanu is stumbling down the runway like a drunken innkeeper who puts on a Marlene Deitrich record and performs for her empty lobby, while her husband minds the bar and cries quietly. This is perfection. And then suddenly it's like all the models are on the runway in bowler and top hats - with a hint of sparkle, no less - and a parade of seriously fabulous dresses. And then it ends with a bunch of other random shit. There is a moment at the end that will BLOW you away. You'll know it when you see it.
I used to have something against Sonia. I'll never know what. Whenever a designer lets a model turn on a 8,000 watt smile like this right from this beginning of her show, I can't dislike it.


Whoa girl, keep your love on lockdown please. For the sake of everyone. How much fun must this show have been? Insane amounts. It is so awesome how Sonia's birthday present was tons of her-inspired looks from other designers. LOVE IT. Holy jesus. Holy Krishna. Holy holy holy!
Status: SUITE!

*Sophia Kokosalaki is cute.
I don't recall ever looking at anything of hers prior to this. Apparently it was "leather in London" but she's "upgraded to python in Paris." I'm promised subtle Egyptian allusions...this as you know, quite appeals to me.
I do see the references, but I must insist this is a collection for older women. Not that there's anything wrong with being old and musty and rich. I have quite loved the color palate - champagne and sand and a black that reminds me of vipers with a splash here and there of bluebird blue. My only other complaint is that much of it appears to be ill-fitted. But that's actually okay when you consider most of the (older) women purchasing these down the line won't be the toothpick size the models are. How weird that considering that, Sophia couldn't just "upgrade" to larger models. But, thus is the fashion industry.
Status: Agreed.


*I thought Stella McCartney was ih. There were a few appealing dresses, but I wasn't really taken with most of it.
I decided to save myself some time and look at the shots not as a slideshow but just on that page where its the complete collection and all the looks are small -I just pulled up the ones that looked interesting. Done this way it isn't so bad, but I understand how it would be if you had to plow through it shot by shot. I'm digging this lookin a butterface kind of way. Seriously wat is going on with that head there? Just too severe. Pretend it's my head and I have my hair up in a non-severe pony and I'm wearing dark eyeshadow.

I love the conch theme though. Its very cool. Check it here on Jourdan Dunn: it's cool as a cut-out too but for the nip-slippage.
Status: mostly ih, but diggin' the conch.


*Viktor & Rolf is like half this...

...and half this

with some cute dresses in between. It's also ridiculously short, so it's certainly worth a peek for that reason.
I always a little bit roll my eyes at Viktor and Rolf. It can't be helped. My new-found appreciation for Tilda Swinton does lend them a touch of creditability since she is/was their muse. Loooooook at our little alien. Anyhow, fast forward to current-day V & R.
It's not that I like most of the clothes. I just have to lookbook some of them because well, I must look at them again. These are things that deserve to be looked at.
Ask for conch eh, Lush? You shall receive. That's not the kind of conch I wanted. But it certainly is an eyeful.
Status: Oh V& R. I just don't know about you two.


*Vivienne Westwood also has a Paris show, and though it was definitely not as wearable as the Red Label, it was still pretty fabulous; I found it insane in a way that was still fashionable and aesthetically pleasing. And it ends with a series of bedsheet gowns like this:

And this:

Like, the fuck? Love it!
I mean if we have to make bedsheet gowns, I think that those will do just fine. And actually when I imagine how much I love sleep, it should only be natural that the idea of being able to roll up and out of your bed, and have your sheets fly into a beautiul arrangement around your naked body would appeal to me. Considering that, I do wish the styling was more literal- ie "bed head" hair, post sex makeup, juknow. The whole nine yardage.
And looking at the rest of the show, I do actually quite appreciate the "found-material," the "DIY," the "improv," the "Flowers in the Attic-y" tone of it all.
(Don't know why I quoted those words, too late now to fix that.)
What a wonderful idea that we can all, like Amy Adams' character in Enchanted, just find fabric around the house and fashion our wardrobe from it magically. Except that in Vivienne's world, it's more real. It's not as perfect and saccharine and tailored ---and I like that about this show. Let's not even maintain the pretense we haven't stood in front of a mirror post-shower and attempted to drape a towel around our bodies into a flattering dress shape. We have all done this. I actually just did it last night. Now only if we could get the material to stay that way. Oh fashionable bed spirits, please alight on my queen-size tonight!
Status: Agreed.
*So, Wunderkin. It's mostly strange. The final gowns are hideous. But, perhaps against my better judgment, I still kind of loved it. Especially for the designer, whose name

is Wolfgang Joop.
Have you ever heard a more perfect dog name? I think not. Also, I want to name my daughter Vivienne. Like the girls or the Westwood. Anyhow Wunderkind is really a pretentious thing to name your label but...
in spite of everything I, too liked this collection. There's some cute prints in dere, yo! Ugly clodhopper shoes ahoy but what can you do.
Status: Agreed.


*So I'm generally not that into Yohji Yamomoto, me neither but I think this collection was one of the all-around chicest of the bunch this season. I especially love the shoes. And this:
And this:

Love.
Wow man, I want to make a pin that is that hand shape and wear it around. I'm going to try to look into that.

Wait so you love tennis shoes? I guess they're cute in a keds-y way.
And this is a really inspired pattern, loves it. Though its more fall/winter than spring I'll let it slide this time. All in all it is pretty chic.
Status: Agreed.

*YSL started off much stronger than it ended, but it's worth seeing.
Second look: pretty cool. Twenty-seventh? Not so much. It looks like a serial killer sewn-up mouth. And peek-a-boo bras under blazers are OLD FUCKING hat especially when they're nothing special to look at.
I do like this fabric.

Why on earth would you showcase this as your last look? Nobody can say. It sure fizzles. Status: You're spot on about this one.