Dries Van Noten fall 2018

And then there is Dries! ...  and from the first exit you know right away….

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Keep in mind that I am not a diehard fan of the designer but in time I have come to revel in appreciating what this designer brings to the table. First and foremost he designs his collections, they are his, they tell a story to  his clientele, they are extensions and visual reminders of the brand’s DNA is and what the designer holds dear to himself as a fully immersed design professional. 

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As has been said Dries is a fabric guy, he is a lover of textiles, he has a flawless color sense and patterns don’t scare him. His clothes are lush, luxe, simple, ornate, embellished, and even complicated … but most of all they are modern and speak to his client base. Lest I forget they exude a chic that few others can compete with.

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I am more and more exhilarated season after season being able to know that there are still a few designers who are not chasing trends, chasing editorial or being chased after for advertising dollars. Some might say he is as much artist as he is designer but I’d opt for designer as first place. To say it simply he gives fashion a good rap. .. Far better than most of the current crew. 

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If I have one thing to say that I wasn’t crazy about it would be the elongated sleeve lengths but that trespass is so easily forgiven when you see the breadth of a collection like this. There is a reason why this man has an almost cult like following and yet he continually builds upon his business with new clients of every age….  And they all don’t have to be size 00 or 22 years old. 

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Fabulous coats... Fabulous tailoring ... Feminine soft dresses… I can’t find much to say that I really didn’t like other than things that are personally unappealing but then again I am not buying these clothes nor wearing them so my personal issues are not important.

See for yourself... look at it once, twice and even three times and guaranteed you will love more and more with each viewing.

Maison Margiela Fall 2018

Rarely if ever have I dared to write about this collection but there is something about Maison Margiela that struck a nerve this season. Beneath the shock and awe, the clear plastic and the almost overly absurd styling were some incredible coats and jackets, even a dress or 2 and a few pieces of knitwear. There was one piece of “styling” or accessory though that was unbelievably amazing and that was the “boned corset backpack” … you figure it out.

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Most of course will never recall the names of Anne Marie Tatterachi or John Ashpool but those brilliant prescient designers of the time came to mind. I was especially intrigued by what I will call the “sound wave” coats and jackets as well as the trenches; one particularly amazing degradé milles feuilles lace chemise that may have looked somewhat clownish at first glance and then upon closer examination is rather exquisite. There were also some color blocked blazers and coats that captured my attention as it was not color blocking as normally envision it. 

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Maybe I’m fashion feeble or phobic or past the shock value segment or the overly ridiculous styling purposely used to distract from the clothes and only inspire incredulity. For some reason I saw past it all this season. Keep in mind I am not much on backstory or inspiration so I tend to look at clothes literally at face value.

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Need I say that the backless cost, the finale, was sheer and utterly brilliance!

Saint Laurent fall 2018

Someone needs to explain to me what all the fanfare is all about since the clothes look the same each season…

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another black jacket, another pair of black leather or sequin shorts, another pair of “it” boots, another black leather jacket, another cape, another plunging neckline... 

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another see through top, another pair of skinny jeans ,  another chubby, more shoulder pads, another fur trimmed hair length supposed dress, another gold jacket, another beaded jacket, a lot of mondo bizarro floral whatevers with exaggerated shoulders and of crotch length.. This season a hat is new ….  all of it extravagantly expensive and all aimed at the “awesome” set that can’t afford it and the fashion victims most of whom are too long in the tooth to wear the stuff. 

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So in other words... blah blah blah just more of the same just  with some florals added in the same shapes but with kangaroo pockets…. blah blah blah  .. Fawners out in force... Depends sold out   blah blah blah 

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PS.. the florals looked awfully reminiscent of Emanuel Ungaro and the above comments apply to menswear as well …. There were about a half dozen black dresses that looked like they might actually be beautiful .. too bad they were all variations on each other

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Christian Dior women's fall 2018

Mariameatballdior returns to the scene of her last fashion felonious assault… her January runaway runway nightmare. 

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AND... She did not disappoint in the least... so let’s offer a few catchwords here... patchwork as in denim and old quilts, hippie. 60’s, 70’s , Andy Warhol factory tin foil walls, tassels, crochet tops, thrift store retreads, peace symbols. Message tee shirts and sweaters, tons of plaids, tons of transparent, illusion bra tops… how’m I doing …. Sound like quintessential Dior? What about tinted glasses and stacked heel boots?  Any better? Think a bad Talitha Getty and Barbra Streisand in her hippie stage! but now we have a D belt..whooopee!

click image to enlarge .. I dare you !

click image to enlarge .. I dare you !

Mariameatballdior seems to think she is promoting this sort of women’s lib notion when all she showed here were girls who looked like they either fell out of a time machine or had the good sense to alter and dry clean some old thrift store shit. This woman has single handedly just about totally decimated any DNA from what was once known as Christian Dior. All this money… all this time wasted... all these nonsensical irrelevant clothes that look no better than some Project Runway episode… why??

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Once more time I guess it just isn’t about clothes anymore... it is about everything else like scent, handbags, nail polish, lipstick and anything else that might bear the name. My point is that there is nothing here that bolsters the name or glorifies it... apparently the new aspirational customer is 16 and thinks this is “awesome!”

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No doubt the fawners will be out in force and the so called designer will offer some incoherent mumbo jumbo to justify all this garbage that couldn’t even save the GAP from its financial woes. Well now DIOR can offer GAP looks at 10 times the price. Triste … très triste!!!

click image to enlarge .. I dare you !