Really quite a boring season, nothing in New York worked for me (but then it never really does) London was strong but lacking a certain Mr Pugh, but collections from Luella, Giles, and Nathan Jenden were standouts, Milan was pretty unoriginal, and Paris was just a let down. I have to say it's been the first time in many seasons a Galliano show has impressed me and sent that sadly absent chill down my spine, and I enjoyed McQueen, more the theme than the show. The dresses at the end of the Balenciaga show were probably the best things to come out of the month. Roll on Autumn/Winter 2009/2010, god that's scary!
^I thought Milan was the most disppointing week, personally, except for Jil Sander (Raf Simon's best) and Marni. New York doesn't really count cause it's never been that exciting anyway. And many of my fav shows were in Paris (no suprise there)
i was sooo dissapointed this season. it seems as if everyone, especially in paris and milan, were going for the easy and boring route. New York was actually really great this season and at first it made me think that the rest of the other seasons were going to be great but they weren't. London and New York were my faves and milan and paris were just dissapointments. just boring and easy and "nice" . But yeah i'll defitenaly remember all the amazing shoes during this season. You know most of the shoes were soooo interesting and gorgeous were the RTW was alright but somewhat grorgeous you know. I also think the economic crisis has somewhat to do with this. Most women spend money on the shoes than the RTW so makes me think on why designers went the easy route and just did nice clothes and what they usually do you know but for the shoes it was WOW!
Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear: Get ready, it's a very long post. (Divided in two because of its ridiculous length!)
I can't say that spring 2009 is going to be a very exciting season. Throughout the shows, I was waiting for that great moment to surface, the Dior Homme of fall '06 or the Marc Jacobs of spring '07 or the Balenciaga of most every season. I never got to experience that moment, but I suppose there were some great developments in a few designers, and some pleasant surprises along the way, so the season wasn't a complete loss.
I was happy to see that several designers took the worsening US economy into account when styling the collections. While a few labels are above any economical concerns, many designers took the season as a chance to cool off for six months from fashion revelations and put some time into refining their signatures and creating classics for cost-conscience customers.
Lanvin is a perfect example. Rather than go off on a new direction, Elbaz chose to send out a collection that was perfectly Lanvin, and completely seasonless. The clothes were positively beautiful, my favorites being the floral embroidered pieces toward the end and the matching shoes. I thought the leopard pattern was cute and the two looks it was featured in were two of my favorites, but it looked out of place amongst the rest of the collection. My only real problem with the show was the last exit, it seemed like a replica of a Vuitton look from spring '08.
Lagerfeld's Chanel had its best season in years. Returning to classic tweed suits and a restrained palette left the impression of Coco's designs being only tweaked into modern looks. The 31 Rue Cambon backdrop was the showstopper, however. The entire idea of going back to basics was encapsulated in the facade. And the menswear! Whether it's a credit to Lagerfeld for being so brilliant or a demerit to other menswear designers, I have to say that these looks were among my favorites for men this season.
I hate to say it, but the Caten twins seemed to have finally delivered a decent collection. By focusing on their strengths in tailoring, Dsquared was able to avoid the standard garishly themed nonsense.
Yves Saint Laurent wasn't near as directional as it has been in the past, but what was there was still strong, elegant, and intelligent, which of course is the perfect combination for the YSL woman. I loved the dhoti shorts and the color palette was divine. A major problem for Pilati has been making sexy clothes, but I believe a lot of the pieces had some punch behind them, especially the semi-sheer dresses. The V necklines too, were successes.
Givenchy didn't seem to have the same aesthetic as seasons' past, which is a shame, because I loved what Tisci was doing. The chaps were awful and put a bad taste in my mouth for the show as a whole. However, many of the pieces were lovely, including the trio of mustard yellow exits and the last ten looks.
I'm beginning to wonder if John Galliano is even relevant anymore, whether at Dior or his own label. His work at Dior is simply rehashing couture, which isn't too bad of an idea, but since the couture collection has been going downhill, his ready-to-wear is being forced to go the same direction. At Galliano, I'd like to say he's doing a better job, but unfortunately I'm not feeling it. Where's the frivolity and the mischievous John from years ago? All I can see this season is wacky hair to distract from a collection that's clearly uninspired.
Hussein Chalayan was a disappointment. I'm not sure what his fans expect of him, but I didn't get anything from the collection. Usually the finale dresses are enough for the collection to ride on, but even here, the semi-interesting sculpted accoutrements couldn't hold up such mediocrity.
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"It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned." -Oscar Wilde
Fachinetti's Valentino was exquisite. Her color palette was feminine, those floral prints seemed perfect for the house, and I personally loved the embroidery on the shoulders of the jackets. I can't see why any executives would have a problem with her work, because it is what Valentino should be today. I was never a big fan of Valentino himself, but all the name means to me is red dresses, red carpets, and Hollywood glamour. Wouldn't it be nice if the house could add something (or someone, namely Fachinetti) with a little more vision into the mix.
Marc Jacobs seemed to hit the ball out of the park with his namesake collection, and I have to agree with a lot of the reviewers. Not much more to say than wonderful clothes and wonderful styling. Jacobs' work at Louis Vuitton, however, was pretty, and I think most seasons I'd be happy with it, but somehow it didn't seem right this time. Not on the pulse. It skewed young, and it doesn't fit in with the tone of other collections.
I didn't think Chloé was all that bad. Yes, the scalloping was bad. It was actually really bad. But there were some easy, feminine clothes that are passable in Hannah MacGibbon's Chloé. I'm not very familiar with Phoebe Philo's work at the house, but I know the keywords then were pretty similar.
For once, Christopher Kane was able to pull off something better than I thought possible. The scallops I hated at Chloé were done exponentially better by Kane, and while it was ridiculous that every single item had to have them, a few of the cocktail dresses were exceptional.
Nina Ricci seemed to have the same problems as Chloé and Kane. Theyskens apparently really likes the short-in-front, long-in-back look. But did he need to show nearly every model with that same silhouette? In some dresses, particularly a liberty print number, it was ethereal, but after seeing it dozens of times, it gets rather repetitive.
A few collections were downright beautiful, but I don't have much to say after that, as it has all been said before by now.
Rodarte had dresses with the most amazing craftsmanship, but in the end we've seen them all before.
Alberta Ferretti's Grecian goddess meets Paul Poiret meets old Hollywood glamour was dazzling and perfect for the red carpet; I can't seem to get a particular floor length fringed dress out of my mind.
Ann Demeulemeester showed some wonderful clothes, but what struck me most was the choice in colors. For a woman who has so much experience with black and white, it strikes me as strange that she can consistently pick out the freshest colors, like this season's coral and sand.
I didn't connect with Jil Sander as much as I thought I would after seeing that amazing fringe, but the whole show was beautiful and a real success for Simons.
I actually liked Prada immediately this season. An older, more conservative client was refreshing to see from the house with more quirks than good ideas.
Balenciaga was incredible. I was disappointed when I heard that the finale dresses were all colorless, but the whole aura of the collection blew me away.
My relationship with Fendi this season got off to a rocky start after seeing the hair that can only be described as 'unique.' After sleeping on it for more than a few nights, I was able to see such an interesting silhouette with the full skirted dresses over the pencil skirts. as he did at Chanel with the two tone tights, Lagerfeld was able to channel the transparency trend in a new way.
At Karl Lagerfeld, I was pleasantly surprised by such a relevant collection. Every look is just the right blend of wearable and futuristic. And that purse with Karl's mug is aweome, as are the shirt cuff bracelets and those intriguing belts.
Burberry Prorsum was surprising as well. After hating it as recently as this year's resort collection, I have to say that Bailey's ideas look kind of perfect for the Burberry customer. The dip dyes, the bucket hats, and the check logo all work together quite harmoniously.
Thakoon's prints were the hightlight of my New York fashion week. I think I would reupholster my living room and car if the company should ever go into interior design.
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"It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned." -Oscar Wilde
Ann Demeulemeester
Anne Valerie Hash
Dries Van Noten
Junya Watanabe
Limi Feu
Marni
Yigal Azrouel
I actually do think MJ had a fab show, I think he was energized this season and it showed. call me a grunge girl at heart but I thought his f/w 06 was my favorite.
helena, I totally agree undercover in a different color would have been on my list.
Best: Prada(!), Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, Antonio Marras, Chanel
I also liked Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana, Karl Lagerfeld and Sonia Rykiel (for the whole show!)
Worst: Chloé! Gucci, as always with Frida and Christian Dior, to what I'm getting used to.
Nina Ricci was very disappointing either, plus have mixed feelings about Lanvin, it was quite nice, but definitley not something groundbreaking what I've expected. Oh, and are Ungaro people going to fire Esteban Cortazar?
__________________ Waists are never emphasised enough - Carine Roitfeld
. But yeah i'll defitenaly remember all the amazing shoes during this season. You know most of the shoes were soooo interesting and gorgeous were the RTW was alright but somewhat grorgeous you know. I also think the economic crisis has somewhat to do with this. Most women spend money on the shoes than the RTW so makes me think on why designers went the easy route and just did nice clothes and what they usually do you know but for the shoes it was WOW!
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