Monday, February 28, 2022

Italian items fall 2022

 While cruising through what seemed like endless images of fashion ... Italian style ... I came across these items which I found interesting and valid as pieces but not as collections...  see what you think ...




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Sunday, February 27, 2022

Giorgio Armani fall women’s 2022

Even Mr. Armani has been bitten by the trend bug, BUT only I a very minor way, sort of like dipping one toe into it. This was not your run of the mill Armani runway cavalcade of suits, coats and jackets of every kind; this was a collection of softer yet closer to the body silhouettes that still speak to the DNA of the brand but perhaps one might say in a different dialect! As a colleague said to me  .. he stepped out of his comfort zone a bit in this collection... and with few to no missteps.

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Indeed, the color to own is rich and luxurious purple in assorted intensities and varying shades of grey.  It is not often that Armani collections can be described as an itemy  but  this season his “lower halves” are rarely that important to the total look. Most of pants are full/relaxed as are the dresses. Wisely, he paid only obligatory attention to standard evening wear keeping it to a minimum but here the pants became the focus. I think I’d be safe to say that any dyed in the wool Armani client can have what’s new and mix it with her Armani of times gone by and no one would be the wiser.

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As a whole it is an extremely nuanced collection that shows us why he is   a master tailor with a bit more contemporary fare than usually his wont. I could never say I hated but I sure did like it ... not love but like... a lot .... especially given what his colleagues have put forth this season. He, as usual stands alone in his dedication and loyalty to the brand’s DNA no matter its permutation.

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One last thing is that the viewer needs to take note that even the accessories have been dialed down!

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Saturday, February 26, 2022

Bottega Veneta fall 2022

I must say that Matthieu Blazy has reframed his vision for the brand so that it no longer looks like comic strip characters and cartoonish accessories. Don’t get the wrong idea, this is a long way away from the “when your own initials are enough” days and Laura Montaldo. There are whispers of Tomas Maier in the collection BUT Blazy has most certainly taken the assertive stand that Bottega Veneta is brand focused on leather and in particular its use of their intrecciato technique. I’d say the collection is now skewed toward grown-ups of an undetermined age but with needs for both the classic and trend.

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I do think there was a lot of repetition, a lot of filler and not a totally clear message in terms of silhouette. The thick platforms, the Wookie shoe and the overused over the knee boot should have been replaced by some fabulous shoes for both men and women. One of my biggest pet peeves, no matter the brand, is that a when you show evening clothes, why on earth do you show them with leather daytime bags when you have already used metallic leathers which would have been far better the pieces in presenting a total look. Plus, way back when, Bottega did the most exquisite low key woven satin minaudieres at a time when the only competition was Judith Leiber and hers were far more complex.

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I’m not sure what the two shirt tail pieces were in terms of shirt? Dress? Tunic? And why just 2 of very similar fabrication? Another difficult moment occurs when leather dresses are either not properly fitted or using the incorrect grade/weight of leather which causes them to gap.

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With all of the nonsense that I found to be I guess that I found fault with,  I’d much rather see the collection looking like this than the cartoonish collections designed by his predecessor!

Friday, February 25, 2022

Versace women’s fall 2022

Where to start? Yes, there is tailoring, yes, there is color, and then it all just goes awry into forced sexiness. Skintight tube skirts and dresses, that “boned” midriff detail and that U shaped vest or whatever it is that seems to appear far too many times in far too many iterations. Lest I forget those club foot stilettos, the ghoulish makeup and the barely their lengths of so many pieces.

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Looking at these images several times I came realize that the underpinnings killed many of the outfits as well as the proportions of so many more. No need for more puffers, no need of oversized boyfriend jackets/coats, no need for endless latex leggings on so many but what is needed is an editor’s pencil and more adherence to brand’s original DNA and not the DNA forged by La Signora; the difference being hers is blatant bordering on tasteless while Gianni’s was seductive and polished.

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Sad that there are still tee shirts with verbiage on them STILL, sad that there are entire logo pieces STILL and sadder not to realize that now was the time to dial it down a notch or two as things have changed, people have changed and life has changed but apparently not chez Versace. Apparently, streetwear lives on at via Gesu! She managed to import so many of the ill-conceived looks of London and New York and brought them the Milan runway.

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Just have a look at the way she looks and suddenly there appears the answers to many if not all of my questions!

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Thursday, February 24, 2022

Prada fall 2022

 Yawn! Talk about repetitious! Talk about unexciting... but good for them they will sell a jillion of those wife beaters and I’m sure more than their share of handbags and shoes... well the clothes... not so much. 

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Take away those web like paneled/banded skirts and dresses and you’re left with leather that looked thick and cheap, hairy or feathered armband coats, Annie Hall boyfriend blazers, some LBDs that look like they may have been made from bonded fabrics or of odd proportions and of course fingertip sleeved and massaged bombers! God bless bombers, they are the supposed fashion pieces ... AGAIN! Lest I forget the ode to Dior and the new look suit which looked like they weighed 50 pounds!

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I don’t even want to read what the so-called pundits or the designers will have to say but I would like to say... I mean a film that is 40 minutes long and slightly more than half of it is people posing in their Prada as they arrive ... HUBRIS!!!! You know so many if not all of them were given those pieces and it is a freakin fashion show not a Hollywood premiere.

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Credit where credit is due is that the models were perfectly coiffed and made up, it’s just too bad that the clothes didn’t live up to the look of the models

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Alberta Ferretti fall 2022

Well, two collections in one day that signal that the Italians understand fashion... unlike 96% of designers in London and New York! Let me qualify and say they understand that this is a business and not an Instagram moment for likes ... this collection, in more than a few instances, contains covetable pieces that women can easily wear for years to come. I recently had a conversation with a colleague and asked where are the sarong skirts of the 80s and the wonderful dresses that were emblematic of that era? Well, I got my answer today ... they live in repertoire of Italian designers who are smart enough to know these are the clothes that will attract women of multiple generations.

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Ferretti’s only deficit, to me, was the puddling droopy pants and a few too many evening gowns but again, easily forgiven when you look at this collection as a whole... great coats, dresses, pants, scarves, total looks, pieces, basic and flamboyant but infinitely wearable. Gee doesn’t sound like anything I might have written for any designer in New York or London save for Michael Kors.

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I’m in love with the steely greys... the palette is dark but not dreary with hits of royal, camel, and various shades of purple and of course black. Chic but not over or under designed and pieces to be mixed and matched with the shop in the back of your closet that has been dormant for two years or more. This is a sensational comeback, I a way, for the brand which, in my opinion has been lost at sea for several seasons. The timing is perfect!

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Fendi fall 2022

KUDOS to you KIM JONES! And Fendi

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They set the bar high on the opening day of Milan and sent out a polished and well thought out collection that ignored all the dross that we have seen in New York and especially from London. This was a collection for real grown-ups who understand fashion and wasn’t to look slick, clean and wearing clothes that equate to their price tags. Kindly note that none of what we saw needed an instruction manual for how get into these clothes or why they exist

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Truth be told, no, I didn’t understand the mousseline separates which to my eye resembled bed clothes but once the tailoring made its appearances all that was quickly forgotten. Jones offered superbly finished and fitted tailoring with nary a droopy sloppy pant in sight nor a sloping oversized shoulder. Whether or not women will flock to wear and own... well that is up for grabs but what a refreshing moment to actually see a collection of this caliber presented in the way it was. I love that he used gloves, I love that every exit had a handbag and not a single logo on a garment!

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Would I say that there were some outside influences that we have seen in times gone by ... well ... yes, but it doesn’t matter when it is reiterated with such painstaking attention to detail and actually looking new. Even the palette was easy on the eyes; Jones truly outdid himself and will certainly now truly be recognized as a very talented designer of great import and not just of hype! 

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PS... kindly note that there is no black in this collection nor one evening gown which speaks to me that this designer is not only talented but quite savvy!

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Simone Rocha fall 2022

Here’s the deal... NO! I don’t get it ... ever... each season I shake my head and wonder who and why anyone would want to look like this and yet I know she has a cult like following. What also struck me this season is that the clothes used to stand out from all others as being the exception but these days it’s more the norm as far as what’s presented by so many.

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It's very 19th century mixed with Miss Kitty, a few of the Japanese mixed with Von Beirendonck and Jeremy Scott. Where is anyone going in these clothes since the days of horse drawn carriages are long gone. Imagine getting into a Mini Cooper in one of these get ups ... you’d suffocate!

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I mean these clothes are like caricatures... I honestly don’t know what else to say here but it’s certainly not often that I can’t express myself ... in a positive or negative way.

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I leave it you then

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Norma Kamali fall 2022

 There is something to be said for sticking to your guns. Kamali massages her DNA and hits every trend... according to the media pundits, and yet none of it is trashy seedy or full of smashed down tits, circuitous knotting, midriff cuts outs and OMG not a single plus size model in sight!!!

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Consistency pays off as well as being way ahead of your time since none of this is really all that new for her but she hits the mark. This is how a well thought out collection is brought to fruition. BULLSEYE!

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The images tell the story far better than I could ever hope to do so ... you be the judge!

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Michael Kors fall 2022

The only thing that comes to mind here is simply ... do what you do best and he did!! The clothes are quintessential Kors ... slick, urbane, clean, soigné, appealing with no gimmicks, no tricks and no tits out and proud! Calculated simplicity!!!

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Not only were the clothes wonderful but so was the staging, the styling and the presentation. The collection is long on outerwear from clutch coats to ponchos to monk’s robes and blazers. Shown in color groupings, one couldn’t help but think ... this is the way it should be done and was done; no slap dash send out another girl, doesn’t matter what color day or evening just get her out... this took planning and thought which is something the young’uns need to learn.

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These are clothes that inspire lust and aspiration, and they don’t need to be shown on plus size models to know they can be worn in a wide variety of sizes.

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The head of PR at Michael Kors once took me to breakfast because I had written a harsh review and when I finally asked her to come clean about what the purpose of the breakfast was ...she admitted it and my reply was ... when he does what he does best then my review will reflect that!  The reviews of late speak for themselves ... I was true to my word.

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Bravo Mr. Kors for giving some gravitas to NYFW! There is too much political correctness and not enough honest to goodness fashion out there