David Koma fall 2018 LFW

There is something about what this young man does that catches my attention more often than not … whether for Mugler or his eponymous brand. Firstly it should be said that the clothes look designed as in not thrift store retreads or relying on whatever the trend of the day is as to appear  au courant. The clothes look modern, young in spirit, beautifully made and presented as grown up clothes. This is not to say that these clothes are a “universal” since unquestionably they are for women who are in better to great shape.

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Obviously you can see a bit of what he does for Mugler in the tailoring and slashing and you can even see a reference to Alaia in silhouette and embellishment but no matter since those are brief interludes within a  full  collection. My only question is how the peacock plume got in there unless that was the commercial aspect of the collection making its statement. The all sequin pieces were a tad iffy not because of the styling so much but the fabric itself certainly didn’t smart of Norell. BUT take a look at the more structured dresses and jackets of course the fringed pieces.

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All in all there is something classy, sexy, maybe even a bit trashy and modern about what  this collection represents. Koma makes his point and surely tell us who his customer is by what he shows. The point is… he can come sit next to me!

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Mugler resort 2017

David Koma is one of the very few designers who has successfully insinuated himself into a heritage brand without eradicating the brand’s history. The man knows how to mine an archive and knows how to massage the DNA of the brand that made its name on tailored, structured sexy pieces for power women of the 80s.

 

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click image to enlarge

Resort is clearly about the undulating hems and bands of color as well as the harsh contrast of black and white or the impact of acidic high octane colors. While Mugler might not be an uber-brand like Gucci or Saint Laurent, David Koma far outshines his colleagues with his consistency as well as his loyalty to the namesake designer. Respect!!

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Armani, Mugler & Lanvin Pre-fall 2016

Lanvin is officially a brand with no designer and no reason. To be blunt, it is just a freakin mess! Alber was such a breath of fresh air when he started and slowly he devolved into just another me too hype grabbing wannabe and that is terribly sad for him and brand. Always believing that where there is smoke there is fire, it has been common knowledge in fashion circles that the brand is and has been for sale but no one wants it and after a collection like this with no real designer... well I say au revoir and do not mistake that for a bientôt! C’est triste! Oui? Save for a few pieces there is not much to talk about but when one uses Rosie Assoulin as a jumping off point...pfffft … it’s  time to call it a day kids!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

Now we come to Mugler by David Koma who has actually and literally reimagined the brand for the 21^st century. Hard as it is to conceive that a new designer has been loyal and cognizant of a brand's heritage but he has successfully accomplished what so few can neither do or comprehend. Whether this is a financial success is not known yet but there is an acceptance by retailers even though there is no ad budget and no excessive hype. The clothes are a lot of Mugler as in Thierry, a touch of Alaia and yes sexy and body conscious. No! These are not clothes for everyone but neither was the brand in its original incarnation and Koma has even managed to add a degree of chic. To my eye, David Koma proves and asserts and that  this is a REIMAGINED  brand and not just  a name/brand slapped on some me too collection of rags!

 

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CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

It saddens me greatly when someone like Giorgio Armani bows or cows to popular trends and styles a collection with some bed headed models and anklets. For someone who has always been flagrantly anti-trend this is not something that befits the designer nor the brand. Yes, there is tailoring BUT no there is no chic here. In fact, there is a wee bit too much of me too in this collection which, in my opinion, will not resonate with the Armani client. Once again, just because you style it this way or adjust hems and use all sorts of trickery, the fact remains that all you do is kid yourself . This is Armani and to do what he has done degrades the brand and truly cheapens it. The only upside was that there was no runway presentation as that would have been the ultimate laughing stock.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE.. if you dare

Mugler by David Koma .. resort 2016

It has been about a year since David Koma has taken the reins of Thierry Mugler now known as Mugler. In this short span of time, he has managed to do what so few of his peers have done or are even capable of and that is... he has created a signature, a look that actually has “brand recognition.” Don’t get me wrong here, yes, there are looks that might be confused for earlier Donatellamommamia pieces or yore but Koma pulls it all together as a collection that is Mugler.

Without dwelling on the DNA of the brand, it is evident to the trained eye, and there aren’t many these days who review, that this particular vocabulary of the Thierry era is present in a reimagined way. As said, Koma respected what was and transforms it into what is and that my friends takes talent, skills and vision.

The clothes retain that edge, not the fashion trend edge, but the edge that results from slick hard lines and great precision whether in dressmaking or tailoring. The now signature of the cut outs with some hardware detail is effective and again becoming a trademark of the collection. This trademark is what allows the clothes to be easily identifiable and has nothing to do with whether you like the collection or not. These are not generic clothes that seeming come from the “citywide communal workrooms” that apparently hatch collections in New York, Paris and Milan.

This season the clothes are more graphic with bold stripings and then there is what I call a scribble print which is apparently engineered to be body conforming. The color range goes the harshest and starkest of black and white played against the ice cream pastels that will no doubt appear again for Spring 2016. Once again the viewer is reminded that Thierry Mugler was indeed an architect of fashion as well as a designer who lived the precision of cut married to the art of fashion infused with sexiness. Koma seems to have a great deal of that esthetic and to his credit he utilizes it in the most appealing and modern way without looking dated or retro. Imagine not having a boat load of blah blah blah to make up for ugly clothes!

In short, to me, David Koma has reinvigorated the brand with a fresh look while retaining so much of the past. Koma has achieved what so many of his peers eschew in exchange for taking the easy way out and ignoring the DNA of a blue blood brand and replacing it with some half assed generic trendoidal vision of fashion and yes of course accompanied with some incoherent meandering treatise fueled by ego and faux intelligentsia yet has nothing to do with the clothes..