Lanvin .. Mugler.. Moschino .. pre-fall 2015

Alber, Alber Alber... what has happened? Yes the rumors that the company is for sale and the conversation of how bad the quality should not get in the way of designing collections. What has happened to the wildly chic sex infused clothes of Lanvin days gone by? Some will say there is a louche quality to the collection but this reviewer prefers to say “Quel Mess!” True the styling is not helping but the clothes are now a Celine. Chloe, The Row and Eileen Fischer all rolled into one or shall I say folded and mangled? Say what you will, this viewer sees a lot of unflattering clothes that re far afield from where Monsieur Elbaz had started and that aint good.

David Koma has done what hasn’t been done since the namesake designer left the building and that is he has captured the essence of the brand and shown the world what a 21^st century Thierry Mugler collection should look like. The collection is tailored, sharp, occasionally harsh, body conscious, bold and sexually charged. Is it over the top ... no way! It is a commercial but not boring rendition of Thierry Mugler. No question that there is a “kissing cousin” sort of attitude as in Versace, Vaccarello or maybe even a bit of Vauthier but yet it still stands on its own. Love it?? Not really, but it much more than just like!

Okay time for Jeremy Scott and how he sees Moschino for pre fall 2105. Apparently amidst all the so called humor and referencing that goes on here, there are wearable clothes here  just as there were when Franco was still designing. Mr. Scott has wisely toned down the kitsch factor but still allowed it to seep in albeit with much less frequency and a lot less head shaking. There are so many very obvious Moschino sight gags but at least they remain humorous and not a horribly bad joke. It is possible that Mr. Scott is hitting his stride but then again that can change in the blink of an eye as we well know but for now this is a collection aimed at the Moschino girls of the 21^st century.