Alexander Vauthier
is the undisputed rock and roll provocateur of haute couture week. The clothes are...
to say it simply and succinctly... young
and hot! He does what others aspire to... the collection is in your face with
no pretense... it is the house’s DNA to the core… there is no repetition as
seen in so many collections in terms one outfit in skeighty colors ... One
exit, one way, one reaction, one HOT piece after the other... all exquisitely
rendered… all pushing the envelope of what can be considered young couture! And
that would include Lesage stoned waistbands on cut offs! Yeah baby!!
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Guo Pei is all
about spectacle. Maybe it is fairy tales, maybe pure fantasy but it has little
to do with any reality other than story telling. It seems a pity to waste that kind of workmanship on
what appears to be little more than stage costumes which surely carry the
influences of so many designers who came before… case in point “the egg lady”
who you might recognize from St Laurent days of glory.. Nuff said.
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Elie Saab is a
beading wunderkind especially during haute couture. Here we need to really
concentrate as there is such a tsunami of beadwork that the standouts are those
which have the least amounts and make the maximum statement. Apparently he
feels the need to show each style in multiple color ways which bloats the
presentation but blurs the memory of what was shown... one might say it is
overkill and works to his detriment rather than advantage. I believe him to be
a wonderfully talented creative designer who designs but with shows like this
he needs to redefine on how his collection is presented.
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Ulyana Sergeenko
is all about who knows what and why. I guess it is good to have the dough to
produce a show like this and I guess there is a client but talk about girls
gone wild with tulip bra cups and crocheted ruffles to vintage Saint Laurent, she
is all over the place and yet no place in particular.
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Zuhair Murad is
another king of beading. This show while big on spectacle and high voltage
drama and glamour could have used some efficient editing which would have
exponentially increased its impact. The man has something to say about making
an entrance and being noticed... it is just too bad that almost everything is
shown at the same high decibel level and that the “simplest” had almost as much
impact as the more in your face. There are pieces which if dialed down a notch
or 2 or 3 might have been far more spectacular than the OTT versions. The pity
is that there is plenty here but again a redefining and a more focused eye might
have been of great benefit as presently the clothes by and large seem to be
more suited for the stage rather than real life... so to speak.
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