pre-fall 2016 Bits & bites.. Stella, Valentino, Pucci, Valli

Oh Stella... Poor Stella... WTF have you done? Talk about a so called designer in search of a client! This rather astounding presentation smacks of design school and certainly not of a Savile Row trained tailor. It is indeed scary when these so-called marquee designers actually believe they can do anything and call it fashion. In other times a collection like this would be shunned due to the amount of synthetic fabrications used to assemble this absurd mess. The best that can be said is that it is time to examine your body of work and find a proper direction because this one leads to a crash! BTW... Stella McCartney

Pucci... well mission accomplished! Pucci has now become a printed Gucci! How pathetic on many levels that a heritage brand such as this is degraded by showing a collection that is styled and designed for fashion victims. What actually is quite wonderful is that Giorgetti has reimagined the prints quite skillfully but then really screws the pooch when he translates the prints into actual clothes. All it took was 2 seasons to quite literally destroy what was once a highly covetable collection of clothes that began being designed by one of Italy’s most aristocratic gentlemen. Dundas kept the jet set mind set and then all these years later we have another car to add to the clown train.

Valentino... well as is their wont, the dynamic duo of the fabled house has presented another huge collection except that this time, the collections relies far too much on gimmick coupled with technical expertise. From reptilian sleeves to references that range from Frida Kahlo to Pedro Friedberg to surrealist art, to Mexican folkloric, to NYC then to Japanese crane paintings and there you have this explosion of clothes. The only way to really appreciate a collection like this is to literally pick it apart one by one as when shown as it was there is visual overload. To their credit, the collection was colorful to say the least and they retained some of the DNA they have created such as a few more nunnish pieces but hel,l talk about learning the meaning of restraint!! Talk about beating a theme or 2 or 3 to death! The workmanship can never be faulted here but WTF was that?

Giambattista Valli gets it. There is no question that the concept of actually selling clothes remains firmly implanted in his mind with a collection such as this. You know, he presents clothes that people might wear in real life and they are pretty clothes, well designed, well rendered, original clothes for women not victims not trendoids ... women of many ages. The influences range from hippy, to Chanel, to out Gucci’ing Gucci in the best possible scenario and most of the collection speaks to a youthful fashion statement.  No, the collection is not perfect but in many ways Giamba has ascribed to the age old concept that Pre-Fall is meant to sell and not to set the world on fire.