Altuzarra PFW spring 2018

Apparently I am too stupid not to be able to decode the significance of this collection. For me it has taught me not to expect and hence never be disappointed and that Altuzarra is very capable of designing Proenza Schouler. 

click image to enlarge

If this is one of our best home grown talents then I say “Houston, we have a problem!”

click image to enlarge

Someone more well versed will have to explain the merits of this odd collection which ranged from fishnet dresses to the latest incarnation of the Swedish army officers coat. It’s a 4 season collection and yet with no real direction other than just one more designers trying to chase a trend... whatever that might be. 

click image to enlarge

I can openly admit that things are getting mighty depressing on the fashion front!

click image to enlarge

Haider Ackermann PFW spring 2018

What is most striking here is the razor sharp precise silhouettes. It is an exercise in tailoring and a study in color as well as fabrication. The tailoring is the star and even the softer pieces have an indiscernible edge to them... there is no flou here!

click image to enlarge

If you are paying attention there is a very limited amount of body con styles but Ackermann chose to expand the limited vocabulary by offering color variations which either softened or hardened the shapes. The clothes are minimal without being boring and yet luxe without being embellished or decorous. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

In many ways this is the antithesis of how he started with those exquisitely lush wrapped waists and bodies in the most sumptuous of fabrications. In essence this is lean and mean Haider. I see echoes of Mugler present and possibly a much sharpened harsher version of possibly Jil Sander or Armani but with a smidgeon of Cardin thrown in. 

click image to enlarge

Without question he is a designer’s designer with an appeal to those who have a more rarefied view of fashion especially in today’s climate of designer fashion.

Les horreurs PFW spring 2018

let the clothes speak for themselves .... 

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

click image to enlarge.. if you dare

 

Alexandre Vauthier PFW spring 2018

First thing that came to mind when going through the images is that there is something very Helmut Newton about the them and then you realize there is this under current of raw, maybe perverse, louche sexiness that oozes from these clothes. They are unquestionably razor sharp and almost erotically charged whether in their most overt moments or completely covered up. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Yes, these are the clothes of rock stars and models but a long time ago I was told,  by a (female) mentor of mine,  that women who can afford  to buy these clothes want to get laid.. or as we used to call them get lucky quick clothes. This is not the least bit derogatory as there is this hyper sexualized vibe that one might have gotten years ago from collections by Emanuel Ungaro or Thierry Mugler. You can almost see and feel the ghosts of fashion past here . .. think YSL, Ungaro, Mugler and even Gaultier. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

What is so amazing is that the collection makes it statement in about 1/3 of the pieces by comparison to his colleagues who seem to feel the necessity to drone on and on to make their point. Vauthier does it in short order and with no fat to trim ... pardon the metaphor. In my estimation, this is a skill that he has honed it with great élan. It is most of all to be admired when fashion weeks seem to go on endlessly and most designers opt for more is better when it comes to pieces shown.

Balmain PFW spring 2018

Here’s the thing. I honestly believe that Rousteing is talented. This collection was so unedited and yet it flowed cohesively. Rarely can this collection ever be referred to as chic but this go round it was swung from chic to Fredericks of Hollywood to a porno Cruella de Ville/dominatrix. In some respects he has become the Coogi of beaded tops. The manufacturers of horsehair must be ecstatic. Imagine what it might have been if there was a decisive point of view rather than every sample that was produced no matter good or bad, repetitive or not had not been included.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

What boggles my mind is the sheer number of exits and why the more is better attitude seems to pervade whether in design or presentation. It is not as if these clothes need anything more than a white room and even then 95% of the clothes would be considered over the top. To have a literal platoon of models walking the runway in those “Chanel” boots seems pointless. If anything he takes away from spectators appreciating his talents. Yes it’s potent and he is enforcing his so called vision but how much of that is just plain hubris and ego.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

One can’t help but think what he would or could do at Saint Laurent and maybe even Dior! Aside from the astronomical costs involved of producing a show of this magnitude …   imagine the prices at retail let alone the audience this might appeal to. Sometimes it is best to restrain oneself and not completely let go to the point of throwing everything against the wall and thinking it all stuck!

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

For me he is one to watch. This show offers a glimpse into more of his talents when it comes to fabrication and showmanship as well as what he is capable of in terms of looks. The collection needs to be dissected/edited and put back together for commercial or merchant purposes which I know won’t happen since they buy or review only as they see it... good or bad. Sad that the retail community and the media will only see what’s in front of them exactly as it is presented but then again the alternative might require knowledge and intelligence...

click image to enlarge