Thursday, June 6, 2013

Balenciaga by Alexander Wang resort 2014




Dearest AW,

Well, you did it again, albeit with a bit less drama than Fall but nonetheless there was drama for resort 2014.  I may not agree with all of it nor can I say I understand or like some of it but there is much to be said for this oeuvre.

Firstly, I want to say that it was very smart of you to utilize the brand’s DNA in ways that are so obvious to some but yet to the more cultivated eye they have been toyed with and massaged … this is a good thing.  It won’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.  This concept might fall on “blind eyes” if the viewer has no knowledge of the man, Balenciaga, but in today’s world of fashion that’s the rule rather than the exception.  Secondly, the rigid adherence to the stark palette is another way in which you obey the house codes which is a definite asset for the collection.  Thirdly, I am sure the powers that be will be besides themselves with the “shoe box” shopping bag you developed for the season as I am sure this will become a truly lust worthy possession and ring registers loudly.  Lastly, there are some great great dresses and some beautiful tailoring but hell, that “caped” dress has been beaten to death already for over a year.

Alex, I am trying to be very kind here instead of my usual harshly critical self but now we move onto what’s not so right here.  That tall crowned bucket hat is odd at best and really didn’t add to the imaginative presentation. Then there are the shoes, in a word… meh! That coil phone cord ankle strap just doesn’t cut it with the starkness of the clothes; made me think of that wristlet plastic coil key chains with the big hook hanging from them … not pretty not necessary; far too dimensional for the ankle but works well in the bracelet and earring departments.  By the way, the shoes alone were not exactly lust worthy but yes there are wearable.






The most puzzling or perplexing issue here was the apparent layered hemlines which at times seem ill conceived and then the overall look might have come off more effectively without that “under layer.” Even though the prints, I am told, were evocative of the master himself, I am still on the fence as to their necessity within the big picture.

So AW, let me sum up here and say kudos to you for delivering the second collection of merit for the brand. Let’s hope the ruts in the road are just blips of the season.  Hopefully you will stay the course and not lose sight and what the name stands for and whose archive will surely provide years’ worth of ammunition for future collections.  One teeny tiny last thing, those of us who have a resume longer than 15 minutes and whose vocabulary does not include fierce will recall a Prada bag of about 30 years which marks a distinct resemblance to your new “it” bag … nuff said!

Love to see when  you are back in NYC, let’s do a coffee and I’d love to hear what you have to say about your colleagues Raf and Hedi who seem to be a bit at sea with their collections  plus I know you have dirt!

Ta ta, see you soon, kiss kiss

Love
Me

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