There were fantastical, comical, unbelievable, magical,
hysterical, certifiable moments ... there were stellar moments that celebrate
as an almost hymnal or devotional to the art and craft of haute of haute
couture… there were moments of headshaking insanity and hilarity … there were moments
of WTF is that and WTF were you thinking… moments of high camp and low taste ... moments of the future and remnants of the
past and to say that there were peaks and valleys would be an understatement …
but alas in very small doses there were moments that you felt the impossible seemed
possible.
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Without question there some astounding moments from the
likes of Giambattista Valli that came in the form of georgette dresses that
were so meticulously and rapturously draped as to recall the past glories of
Madame Grès and there were embarrassments from those who took to borrowing from
less that astonishing ready to wear. There were flights of fancy from
Schiaparelli and crash and burns at Ralph and Russo. There were moments that
made you wonder that if Iris van Herpen looks mainstream and not so
conceptual, what has happened to the collective eye or has the world gone mad? There were
costume epics at Guo Pei, hefty bag drama at A.F. Vandevorst and drag queen
drama at Ronald van der Kemp. There were even moments of chic abandon at Alberta
Ferretti and too many moments of high camp.
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The take away is that there is definitely a blurring of
lines when the astute viewer ponders as to where is the border between haute couture and
ready to wear aside from the made to measure aspect? To me there is a confusion
that sways between pile it on till hell won’t have it and then paring it down
til you yawn at the simplicity. There were clouds of tulle that looked as if
they magically and impossibly floated down a runway and embroideries rich
enough to adorn Elizabethan velvets; Valli provided some exquisite pieces that
have been so sorely lacking during this abbreviated season but bloated and he truly flexed
his fashion muscle by not only sticking to his brand DNA but also expanding the
Valli vocabulary.
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As a whole you really have to wonder where the elegance has
gone and the times that made one slack jawed from what was presented. Have we
become that jaded or has the body of work been “dumbed down?” Where are the
countless times you wondered how in the world could they make this happen? What
kind of vivid and boundless imagination could conjure such glorious moments of
fashion? Can someone explain it besides saying the world has changed and this is
the progression ... I find that to be a cop out rather than reason.
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