F'09: RTW New York - Day Two

ADAM - Dear Charlotte Ronson,

Please make any future excursions into the world of plaid more like the above. Thank you.

This is a pretty bold show - big colors, lots of metallics and beading, and very youth-oriented ensembles.

Sometimes its sense of daring isn't successful...

but I think that even when it's a mess, it's kind of a successful one.

Lush:

ADAM makes me wonder if somebody made some kind of mistake like I did in the last post where they published something and it was all in caps and they didn't know how to fix it. I mean "ADAM?" Why not just, "Adam?" Or even, "adam?" It's a DAM curious name.

I spy "realistic faux-fur jackets" in the style.com review and I'm getting excited. Is somebody finally taking notice of me? Of the universe of people who appreciate the aesthetics but not the actual practice of furs and skins? (See last post)

But then? I get to the show itself. And this is the ONLY (count it: ONE) fur-ish jacket:

Is it an eyesore or is it kind of cool and weird and interesting? I can't decide, but I'm pretty let-down that it was the only thing thrown to animal-lovers. Regarding the rest of the show,
I agree with you. LOVE that plaid coat at the top!
Status: Between a "B" and a "B+"

Lacoste - Jesus, this is a long one. I often find myself completely charmed by Lacoste, and this season is no different. I'll hear none of your derisive comments about them, Lush - I love the Princess Leia-wear

I love the Annie Hall-wear

And I love all the sportswear variations in between!

I didn't love all the jumpsuits, and the final parade of monochromatic outfits left me cold, but I'm still drinking Lacoste's Kool Aid. Also, all of the male models are really cute. Except for this guy.

Does nothin' for me!


Lush:
Okay so I know you know I'm not generally a fan of Lacoste. Let me explain why. When I was a little younger, attending my public small-town midwest high school, these shirts exploded for the "prep" circle. They were really a status symbol, if you had parents with any money whatsoever you'd get them to buy you a pink alligator embroidered polo and you'd wear it at least once a week. That memory tends to make me shudder a little- it's not fashion if its lemming-wear. BUT Let me also tell you, my grandpa is a pretty respectable guy of French lineage who speaks French and Latin as well as English. I regard him highly. I DO cherish memories of him wherein he's wearing one of several Lacoste polos he owns, mostly older, weightier ones in classy forest green or sky blue. So I have a love-hate thing going for Lacoste, okay?

I'm excited whenever a show allows me to add looks to my "Les Hommes" pool since it's such a short lookbook. I usually have to like the clothes AND the model to pass it into that book. And the colors of this show were quite agreeable with me.

Status: Not raving, but Approved.

Ohne Titel - Largely uninspiring. The overwhelming majority of the collection is black, and the runway is like, radiating white light, which made even the most basic elements of construction on the clothes indiscernible, for me anyway. Truthfully, I don't think I would have been particularly impressed by them even if I could see them. The final gray pieces fare a lot better - paritally because they're actually visible, but I thought the detailing on them was pretty impressive.

Lush:
Ohne Titel needs to remember the first rule of the runway: it's really about showing the clothing. So many times designers get caught up in stylings and schemes and shenanigans that distract from their hard work. I understand that, when done well, a kooky idea or elaborate set can elevate the whole collection to another level. But it must be well planned and executed.
On this one that brightness effect is awful because it makes my eyes feel like I'm losing the ability to focus them.

I see style.com also panned this show, but for the reason that it was uninspired. It's rather sad when I'm more interested in the audience than the show. I mean, really, who was wearing these shoes??

Status: Fail


Elise Øverland - Ihhh. Lots of metallics and really bizarre silhouettes...a lot of it's really short, which: fall? Not so much for me. There's a tag on GFY called "The Evils of Satin," which I think was made for this show.

Lush:
Those fug girls are so clever. Evils of Satin? heh.
" A soft little blazer in what looked like purple lamé was in fact a spray-painted lambskin" Quelle Horreur! It also says some other stuff about sushi and shimmer, but..I'm still choked up on the phrase "spray-painted lambskin." Like, what? My fur and skins rant was a slippery slope. I'm going to have to shut my lips about it after this, it's just too much to handle. But you will all know what I think.
Status: I hope I never run into one of these outfits at a party. Not that I run among the elite and rich, but if I did, well, I'll keep a red cocktail at hand just in case. (FOR SPLASHING ON TO THEM.)

Ruffian - Ouch. Not good. It starts out a lot like Alexis Mabille's fall couture show, and gradually morphs into just...a tasteless mess of gorp. Weird sheer stuff and like, old-lady lingerie lace with tapered pants. I did not find anything aesthetically pleasing in this.


Lush:
How fun is the word "gorp," AcidQ? SO fun. Gorp gorp gorp.
So, let's notice the body suit-tight-thingees they're wearing under their clothes. These are complete arm, leg, and torso encasing nylons. I'd like to think I could like that...and sometimes just the arms or just the legs do look cool. But other times, well:

Imagine if Sessilee Lopez ever has to go to the bathroom with that on. Not. Happening. Btw, I really like Sessilee, don't you?
ALSO OMG look at the sHOES of the audience member on the left side!!! THOSE SHOES WERE AT OHNE TITEL LIKE I SHOWED YA! WHOSE ARE THEY? They're obviously somebody important enough to sit front row. MYSTERIOUS!!!
But yeah, I don't know, some of these clothes aren't so bad. Like say this girl walks into your party:


Instant attention, right? Like, wouldn't Roisin Murphy wear that? I think she would, and we'd like it.

Status: Better than you thought.

Koi Suwannagate -

'Nuff said, I think. Also, does this...

...remind you of this?

In kind of a rip-offy way?

Lush: Yeah that is definitely rip-offy but everybody is gonna rip off that show since it was one of fashion's pinnacles.
Status: U G L Y you ain't got no alibi you ugly.

Threeasfour - This is another "no" for me, dawg. But when Liza's at the Palace... makes its Las Vegas transfer, she should probably give these Threeasfour people a ring.

Lush:
"At Threeasfour's presentation-cum-performance piece at Greene Naftali Gallery, models pruned bonsai trees perched on oblique pedestals to the atmospheric sounds of the Icelandic singer Kría Brekkan."
Okay, please give it up for that concept. To be quite sure, this is a weird as hell show. But let's examine this:

Let's think of it more as a dream-image. Maybe she is a spirit guide gone amiss? In any case, let's just let her be. Okay so there's nothing "ready to wear" about any of these clothes. But come on, they're fun to look at. They're like statues in the garden of mystic learning. They won't tell you any answers but they'll whisper and scream and generally make you feel bizarre to guide you on your journey.
Status: If you could only open the door of your mind I think you'd see this a little differently.

United Bamboo -

United Bamboo Employee 1: ...Hmm.

United Bamboo Employee 1: *wince*
United Bamboo Employee 2: What's the matter?
UBE1: That is a lot of tweed.
UBE2: Is that bad? It's for fall.
UBE1: No, no, I know; it's just kind dated. That first one looks like something Jan Brady would wear during her junior year at Smith.
UBE2: Jan Brady is my style icon.
UBE1: ...Oh. I see. Well, let me put it this way: you should be trying something a little more...fashion-forward.
UBE2: Hmm. What if we did this?

UBE1: *recoils in fear* Ahh! I think you....Jesus Christ. I would tell you to find a happy medium, but I'm horrified by the idea of what that might be.
UBE2: I'm reading you loud and clear, boss!

UBE1: *saws off own nose*

Lush: That background set is a garish '50's christmas tree aflame. As for the rest, I think you've summed it right up.

VPL - This show is all fucking over the place. It's fairly long, and about a third of it play with volume in an interesting way, another third has seemingly no concern for fit or structure, and the rest is like, swimsuits and beach wear. Also, stuff like this:

No sir, I didn't like it.

Lush:
VPL stands for Visible Panty Line. Let's not forget that. And so I think they're less "swimsuits" and more "onesies." Again, how you gonna use the ladies' room? Status: Not in this or any other lifetime.

Vena Cava - Have you ever heard of that art installation called The Dinner Party, that's a big triangular table with a bunch of different place settings representing various historical women? That's kind of what the set up is for this Vena Cava show, except instead of place settings representing women, it has a mixed bag of suppositions on fashion of the future. Some have a lot of sequins, some have fussy construction, some are vaguely reminiscent of the 1920s...I don't know. It's intermittently successful.

Lush:
I'd never heard of that art piece so I looked it up. It sounds amazing - next time i'm in Brooklyn I definitely want to check it out.
So I actually did like this collection- even though I didn't lookbook any of it. It was refreshing and not hideous. I agree that "intermittently successful" is a perfect descriptor.

Karen Walker - I can't quite suss out just who is the woman Karen Walker is designing for this time round. Is she a high class grad student?

Is she hipster scum?

Is she a party girl sophisticate?

Or is she an elderly eccentric?

Suffice it to say, I couldn't really find a definite through-line in this collection, apart from well-defined shoulders. As a collection, it is enjoyable enough, but not particularly memorable.

Lush:
I like to think on different days of the week one woman can be all those things! After all, the designer herself admitted the theme was "she's Cracked." And I don't think that's even the nouveau "cracked" as in "cracked out." I think it just means fragmented. Which is a really cool and interesting motif for a fashion line in my opinion.
Alone this print
is waaaaay too over the top, but imagine it on a mid-length skirt with a layered blue tank and red form-fitting sweater? A long brown coat unbuttoned over that? It's really neat. Some booties? Yeah. And who wouldn't love this:


I really really like what that's saying. It's in the Moschino vein.
Status: I found this show clever and topical.

Alexander Wang - I give up. It's mostly an exploration of black (and fall's ubiquitous gray tweed, of course) manifested through PVC jackets and Lycra bike shorts. Shredded tights and a particularly awkwardly-placed bolero jacket also make cameos.

Those should give you a good general indication of the show. I did enjoy some of the black cocktail dresses that appeared near the end of the show, but then this shit happened:

And I was like, "I'm out."

Lush:
Siiiiiigh times infinity. This is meant to appeal to twenty-somethings, AcidQ. That's US. Maybe they mean twenty-something bored rich children who don't have to live in the reality of office life. Like, maybe we have bedroom and weekend lives too, but I wouldn't be wearing any of this stuff for either of those cases.

S'09: Couture Valentino

Valentino

PARIS, January 28, 2009

By Sarah Mower

Following the not entirely elegant dismissal of Alessandra Facchinetti after two short seasons and the promotion of the accessory team as her replacements, the house of Valentino needs to regain its sense of equilibrium. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli had backup on their first outing as haute couturiers. The retired Valentino Garavani and his entourage descended into the arena (a grand domed lecture theater in the Sorbonne) to endorse the debut, taking their ringside seats amid the kind of applause that might have once been accorded to a Roman emperor.

It is rather sad that Valentino was not able to thwart this problem pre-retirement. But I found a lot of the new clothes to be classic Valentino:?
Love it! And, true to form, most of the clothes are totally wearable just like V would have made them. They're couture because of how they are made and the material that composes them.

See? Righteous.
There is one Valentino-esque thing I find lacking: sexism. I don't know what it was about the old orange man but his clothes always evoked a tinge of a cringe in me. It had something to do with a certain tone he used to cast, something about a way women were supposed to look, had to look in order to be feminine? I'm not sure quite how to explain it but I don't find that element here.

Yeah, I think I get what you're talking about...and I think that element is called youth.

Because this?

Was not exactly the most youthful Valentino show I've ever seen. That said, I thought this show was fine. Beautiful bead work, but overall it was a little simple for my taste I think. I realize that this is a transition period for Chez Valentino (and as much as I didn't like their most recent Spring RTW collection, I'm kind of sad about Alessandra Facchinetti getting the boot, seeing as I did quite like her last couture show) and I hope these new people find their footing soon...but as is, I'm not super thrilled.

Still, if no one wears this to the Oscars

I will!
STATUS: Sounds like you liked it a little more than I did, but overall a good showing.

S'09: Couture E - G

Elie Saab's is pretty, and employs a lot of fine detailing and interesting techniques. My only real issue is with the styling.

I mean, damn can't a girl get some chap stick? For the most part, haggardly was the word on faces. I understand the desire to keep it toned down and nude since the clothes are muted in color, but Elie kind of took it a little too far.

Can't a girl get some chap stick for REALS. Y'know, as the years go by, my good will towards Elie Saab has transformed into apathy, and with this show, antipathy. Halle Berry's Oscar dress isn't going to live in our hearts forever, Elie, and it would be nice if you would do something more than just evening wear some time. You know? I don't necessarily mean that every designer should be working out a specific concept whenever they have a showing, but I do think that never having any concept or reference point beyond "Gowns!" makes the designer's work much less memorable. In the future, this is how reminiscent conversations about Elie Saab will go:
Person 1: Hey, remember that one Elie Saab collection?
Person 2: Which one?
Person 1: You know, the one with...the gowns.
Person 2: ...

And, I mean, it goes without saying that there are a lot of gorgeous dresses this time around:

But, beautiful as all this is, I'm not exactly wowed. It's not just a coincidence that the dominant color motif here is beige.
STATUS: Lovely stuff but, as usual, not exactly one for the ages.

Jean Paul Gaultier is brilliant. Check this out:

C'est supercool, non? And the hair is pretty bangin' too! There's a fan-like look on Chanel Iman you're going to ADORE. And, let yourself gander at this:
So much for the eye to see! I loved Chanel for different reasons, but this is probably best of couture when you consider it as a whole, complete package. It's quite rare for me to truly adore a show that lacks color, but in this case the effect is marvelous and appropriate.
Thus, it has been written.You are definitely right - this is couture at its best, from concept through execution. As reference points, you can't really go wrong with the 80s and Spirographs.

But that doesn't really even begin to describe everything that's going on here. Oh, the places you'll go!

I usually am not a fan of lots of sheer fabric, but JPG is fuckin' working it here. Brava.
STATUS: Totally agree, this is pretty genius - I much prefer this exploration of geometry in fashion to his previous one.


Givenchy was not the best nor the worst. Again, we see this weird makeup choice: now turned a whiter shade of pale and resembling death almost. Death isn't becoming in this show:
If the look or tone or motif had anything to do with Día de los Muertos, perhaps I'd understand. But it really doesn't.

As far as clothes are concerned, you'll find some marvelous, diaphanous materials, some fabulous cowl-veils, and gorgeously delicate embellishments.

I could NOT agree with you more about Givenchy's undead make up; it made looking at the deet shots kind of a trying experience. I have not been a tremendous Givenchy fan of late; I am not smelling what Ricardo Tisci is cooking. This collection is so much lighter (in tone and in the garments themselves - diaphonous is a good word for it) than his previous ones, though, and I feel like we might be able to take some steps toward reconciliating. I didn't love everything about this show...

...but I finally feel like I might be starting to understand the language that Tisci is speaking.

STATUS: This show expresses Tisci's X factor to me in a way I was previously unaware of.