Tom Ford fall 2021.

So, this is what we had to wait 9 extra days for because oh Tom poor Tom was just filled with anguish and anxiety over HIS pandemic life let alone the rest of the world. I’d unabashedly say it was not worth the wait for puffers, oversized pea coats, street wear taken to the limit as in street corner wear, micro minis disco dresses, boxer shorts, bleached jeans a few tailored rigid blazers that no one will want and huge shoulder duster earrings that all the influencers will want with the hot pink shoes.

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That about covers it, so moving right along... there is always next season when he can prove once more what’s all the fuss about?

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PS. I do so hope Tom recovers with the hlp  of his monstrously huge staff of designers and household help and that they  too are less on edge now that HIS collection is finished

Marni fall 2021

Shooting or printing your look book using a variety of filters cannot hide the truth... it’s a freakin mess ... it's like some kind of costume party for misfits. I want to know what the redeeming qualities are for a collection that looks like this!

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WHY oh WHY is this considered to be fashion?

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PS.. yes, I removed the filters and yes I did notice that you either had Blahnik reissue his high heeled lace up sneaker or you copied then exactly?

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Giorgio Armani fall 2021

Here is a designer who has stuck to his guns since the brand’s inception and it certainly hasn’t hurt him as he is regarded as one of greatest designers of an age! So, he continues on his well paved path with great élan but has delivered a collection that differs in overall tone from previous collections.

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There is something more at ease in this collection, something intangibly there present yet one can’t quite put their finger on it. The tailoring is there, albeit not as rigidly as usual but there is this softness to a good deal of the collection whether in jackets, tops, pants or skirts. One might say the that this season there is something soothing about the clothes.

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Again, this is not a designer who chases trend but he has this cult like following akin to drinking the “kool aid” of the season but the clothes are actually and always beautifully rendered bearing” no false prophet.”

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What struck me was that Armani chose black ... and lots of it to invade this collection which is not a common occurrence for him but no one uses black silk velvet to its fullest advantage and as lushly as he does. The blues are soothing, there is nothing that is jumping out at you, nothing of the jaw dropping variety but just exquisite clothes that can be seen as outfits or separates which again is not a usual happenstance with this brand.

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In a way he stands alone, he has no equal and he never ever strays from his brands DNA and he is never really shopping for a new customer each season which I’m sure he gets whether intentionally or not. So, no clothes to set the world on fire and no clothes for the media wet their panties about but fashion in its purest and most glorious sense presented in a way that shows us trends, trickery and gimmickry are not the answer to taking the spotlight for one season... he perseveres, he remains and he wins each and every time!

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ETRO fall 2021

Well, this season instead of trying to “keep up with the Jonses,” Etro has intentionally decidedly and most of all forcefully shown us that you can take the DNA of a heritage brand and transcend seasonal trickery to create timeless, exquisite pieces that speak to the times and yet will never be looked at as dated .... whoa!

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The clothes speak to the times we live in; they are relaxed, easy to understand and speak   very softly to the brand’s reputation as a pinnacle in the luxury market. Don’t look for beads and shiny sequins and feathers and elaborate sleeved evening wear but instead look at clothes to be worn by women of all ages provided they have the means to afford them.

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No, they are not the clothes to set the world aflame but they are the clothes that speak to a sort of chic sprezzatura that so few collections ever get close to. They are clothes to be worn not ogled. In these precarious times, the luxury customer is searching for clothes to wear whether to visit a friend, take a walk in the city or if you’re lucky enough to sit in a restaurant that is probably less than half full at all times but still enjoying any evening out.

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Let’s just say brava to ETRO for putting their DNA to use in a way that doesn’t prostitute the brand or dilute it in any way

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Prada fall 2021

Snippets from the 2 oracles of fashion:

Ease is the flip side of elegance and here I thought it’s constricted!

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Ease and movement were very important to us! I   hence “clutch” coats and stoles and multiple layers of clothes!... and oh yes ... the “wookie” coats!

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“optimism is mounting.” That’s a different take than she and Simons had a month ago in a similar situation following their fall 2021 men’s show (la Phelps). “optimism is mounting.” We don’t feel it’s right, now, to be too exuberant,” Simons said .... I say we feel more hopeful but there are still people dying every day and countries that are far behind in curbing this pandemic...........exuberant................. not by a long shot especially considering the body count!

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 Now....  clothes, yawn, onesies as a layering base more snooze worthy suits, and yes that big boxy yellow coat was it... there is really nothing to hate but then again there is hardly anything that will cause you to drop to your knees and scream hallelujah.... unless of course you’re a fan of silver dollar sized pearl buttons.... so, it’s more talk about the emperor’s new clothes but now as a duet.

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Let’s just say it looked better than usual less tricked out and more mournful and marmish in its own way and yes, a very long way from celebratory,

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To be rather coarse about it ... now they just jerk each other off and scream how fabulous each one of them is .... about themselves but not each other!

Fendi fall 2021

 Here ‘s what you learn in 54 exits:  the news is in the furs but that’s really old news but there was ONE sublime LBD and the rest is surely nothing to write home about.

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Fendi, long known for its handbags, furs and logo don’t need Kim Jones to design bland mediocre clothes that act as filler and a cast of extras for the star attractions mentioned above.

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When Karl designed this, well, it reminded me of those Judy Garland /Mickey Rooney movies where they say “oh let’s put on a show!”  Karl and the brand together had the star power and  clout but Karl understood that the furs and bags were the main attraction so he could let loose and design whatever he wanted as   long as it was a show highlighting the craftsmanship and artistry of the fur and leather ateliers... which they did.

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I won’t say it’s a yawn but I can say that as far as the clothes it’s pretty much a so what! Even the furs lack that shock and awe that glorified the spectacle of the furs. Once again, it’s a good thing that this is a brand doesn’t depend on clothes to sustain itself.

Simone Rocha fall 2021

 YES! I know she has a following but what I want to know is why? In 25 years or more of doing trunk shows and selling on the retail floor I never crossed paths with any woman, of any size, who wanted to look heavier or bigger than she actually was! Other than maybe that kewpie doll lipped sometimes editor at Vogue.

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To me these are clothes that swallow the wearer as well as I just need to know what makes these clothes appealing to anyone. I shake my head trying to come up with some sort of logical, reasonable answer to a simple question which is why do you want to look like this?

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Someone out there must have a reason for me or an explanation beyond craftsmanship or originality!!

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I want to know what that is... talk to me.

Roberto Cavalli fall 2021

 Reviving a dead name is always much more of a challenge than one might imagine. Fausto Puglisi has done an homage to the collection’s founder and namesake. Of course, when you read the Phelps review you are once again reminded that she has no idea about who she writes about as Mr. Cavalli started out doing printed suede looks at astronomical prices.

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The is a collection which certainly draws heavily on the brand’s DNA perhaps to the point over kill on many levels. Yes, Cavalli made overtly sexy clothes, yes, he used lots of leopard and animal prints but his collections were exciting and this collection lacks that spark even though there are some true winners, but there is a repetition factor to be considered.

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Oh, then there is that other thing that Ms. Phelps seems to know more than Dr. Fauci as to when this pandemic will end which sort of blows her review out of the water and into the sewer. Harsh as that sounds you have to ask yourself where is one wearing these clothes if not some major event and that is not foreseen in the near future anywhere in the world.

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So, from a purely esthetic standpoint, Puglisi did a good job on his freshman outing but what are the odds of its retailability? Granted you can pick it apart for some “hot” pieces but once again can that target audience afford the luxury of the newly reinvented Roberto Cavalli? Designers today must face the reality of the times we are living in and no one has come up with any definitive time lines or happy endings!

Matty Bovan fall 2021

They said it couldn’t be done!!

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London starts off by making NYFW look like a love letter to Balenciaga!

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God save the Queen!

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Proenza Schouler fall 2021

“Unbelievably, McCollough and Hernandez are a year shy of their 20th anniversary; it was 2002 when Barneys bought their Parsons graduate collection.”

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Even more unbelievably is that first that they are still in business, second is that they have never developed a look, a signature, a style that can be identified with them and lastly that they are still hyped and praised for collections that shop for a new client each and every season and have no reason for being

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 “a spongy knit dress with an askew head hole or a top with a swooping asymmetrical hem. The former snaked around the body, while the latter had a buoyant sculptural volume.”

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The above quote is written by a so-called fashion maven who apparently can’t find the words to describe the absolute fantasy that this is yet one more collection with no point of view and no raison d’être. It is indeed the emperor’s new clothes. How can a critic talk around the clothes let alone outright lie about what is in plain sight?

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Every business model they have attempted has failed, people have lost stellar reputations and their jobs because of them and lastly their last great cheerleader has finally gotten canned, hopefully for all the pandering she has effused about them and so many others while far more original and talented designers get unnoticed and actually sell clothes season after season. It is sort of a very fitting finale to whatever season this was as this collection reflects something that once existed in one of the major fashion capitals of the world. If this is the best of what we have then we should throw in the towel and just call it a day.

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It is far more difficult to lie than tell the truth! PS a few parting thoughts ... what season is this with furry slippers that don’t fit, straw bags, white sandals, fur trim and slip dresses? As far as Kamala’s step-daughter is just one more PR trick /distraction from the clothes themselves!