Oscar de la Renta resort 2020

After viewing this collection , for some reason, I became very  nostalgic;  times when  collections were not so much themed  but told a color  story or a fabric story or a pattern  story and then of  course you  could always rely on a nautical theme and in Oscar’s case his use of broderie anglaisefor resort. 

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What I find fascinating about Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia is that somehow they have retained the essence of Oscar… maybe not the look but the feel of the clothes.  They have a chic, they have a polish but I just can’t ever get past that calf length that I find so unattractive on anyone and almost offensive to my eye. Even though I miss those cha cha/rumba dresses, the body fitted torsos, the polka dots, the ruffles and the slickness that were all so Oscar, this new incarnation serves his name well. They do him justice, they give him his props.

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I categorically cannot say the collection is flawless but it is damn good especially when holding it up against the competition on an international stage. Yes, there were a few too many goddess gowns and yes the chain thing may have been a tad over done as well was a certain stiffness in some pieces but there is enough to see and appreciate and for the client to love. 

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GUCCI RESORT 2020

And here you have just what money can buy!! It can buy you a show at the Met! It can buy you a book and it can buy you Halloween costumes for a lifetime. This is the gold standard for emperor’s new clothes!

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“I feel the need for freedom, at times I feel like I’m suffocating, and I need to launch messages through fashion.”  This is just Mental masturbation by a designer who has the temerity to say it aloud. In which of any of his collections has he even shown a hint of restraint or being stifled.. he has had free reign since day one!

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Message received... you don’t have a clue what the  fuck you’re doing and as for freedom you have had more than your fair share to create the consecutive abominations that you have turned out season after season. The cash might be rolling in but history will call you a fashion freak who used hype and shock to build a reputation with over the top overloaded, poorly designed and ill-conceived clothes so I’m not sure what he is suffocating in except his  own bullshit.

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He is yet one more who thinks he is among the intelligensia of fashion and then you look at this pile and say WTF was he thinking and yes this resort … on MARS!

You wanna love it... go right ahead….Gucci and Kering have proven that money talks because on their own merit these clothes are garbage.

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Rant over!

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PS where is Rollerina?? She would have been dressed for several lifetimes from this collection… just add wand and skates!

Giorgio Armani resort 2020

Before I carry on about the beauty of the clothes let me express my reservations about the collection. I question the extremely somber color palette that he chose and was disappointed when he took a segue into color where the collection felt weakest. In total honesty this didn’t exactly look very resort like to me.

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There is something about what this man that does makes his clothes look weightless which is pretty astounding when you see what’s out there in terms of collections. I was intrigued with the sudden use of a camouflage cum leopard print pattern that he used with great ease in one segment. The jackets throughout were of every shape and silhouette from molded to the body to the boxy and slouchy as were the pant shapes. 

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One particular look that stood out was a sheer blouse in blue with a sort of knotted neckline under a darker blue more fitted jacket shown with pants and red belt… for me this was quintessential Armani.

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As a whole, evening wear was a bust save for a select few pieces and the ill-conceived lipstick colors were as out of place as was that matronly aqua especially in lace. The good thing about him is he shows you so much that it would be exceedingly difficult to call the collection unattractive. There are some stellar moments and yes of course there are some standout boo boos to boot.

 

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The again I’m a fan and yes of course some will say boring and others will say  he’s a dead brand or who cares but alas all these years later he is a  billionaire where so many of his supposed colleagues are merely hired help.

Valentino resort 2020

Pierpaolo Piccioli apparently believes that resort or holiday getaways include a trip to the bamboo jungle, the tropical rainforest or to hell perhaps!  I mean wtf was that? Apparently he has never been to the tropics or even to Sardinia!

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Getaway clothes have often formed the basis of Resort collections because they arrive in stores so close to the winter holidays. Piccioli was more interested in aligning elegance and the everyday. “Pre-collections have to be about a wardrobe,”…. VOGUE.COM  …. I say EVERYDAY where?

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What I see here is a combination of some old Bill Gibb and references made to Jane Forth, Talitha Getty Saint Laurent, Rape of the Lock and red riding hood dressed in black; Boots and high crowned broad brimmed fedoras for lack of a different description not to mention boots of sandals round off these confused looks. I'm thinking a machete might have been a perfect accessory!

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The colors were pretty... but alas after all the blah blah blah these clothes could be designed by anyone at any price. They are generic, boring and almost pointless. Maybe be he was providing a manual of what to look for at your current thrift shop of choice. Then of course the denim which is just so important as much so as puddling pants trimmed in ostrich... almost like Jean Harlow on steroids!

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Just a bunch of stuff thrown together… poor signor Garavani to see his name bastardized and cheapened in such a way!