Marc Jacobs spring 2020

I have long ago given up trying to understand what all the noise is about when it comes to Marc but on first glance this was more of the same but on second glance I came away with a very different sense of what I saw.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

If you can possibly strip away all the antics and all the distractions that come along with a Marc Jacobs extravaganza you might see a lot of wearable salable clothes. Then again without all the accessories and visual onslaught and purposeful incongruity you might think the clothes are very ho hum. The references are rife... everything  from Chanel to Thom Browne to Norrell to My Name is  Barbra album cover to  Hedi YSL to Pier Paolo to Le Petit Prince   and who knows what else from the past and present  but as said, there seems to be more wearable clothes this season that in many of the past seasons.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Unquestionably he is out there to make a statement with his productions but it’s what is for sale  that counts without all the peripheral ambient noise and this season I believe there will be much much  more than usual. Forget the little lotta reference and the silliness of it all and look at the clothes!

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Michael Kors Collection spring 2020

I really don’t know what to make of this assortment. Kors was originally heralded as the great all American designer who made clothes for all women... chic, simple, understated. .. Well sort of a poor man’s Ralph Lauren, in a matter of speaking, but not shabby at all and now look at it... What is this??

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

The initial impression is a little YSL, Jean Louis Scherrer and Ungaro meets Talbots and Brooks Brothers meets the armed forces, meets, Mandee shops meets J.Crew ……. I don’t get it.  It’s like throwing everything up against the wall to see what sticks.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

What happened to clean all American women’s clothes?  You know the clothes women lust for because they can wear them and they don’t light up like a billboard; now it is all ruffles and shirring and formfitting and lots of shoulder treatments and Judy Garland blazers with heels and let’s not forget onesies!

 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Honestly I do believe this is a case of why did they fix what wasn’t broken and now you have the supposed answer... The moral to the story is do what you do best and stick to it or you might find yourself in dangerous territory.

Proenza Schouler SPRING 2020

For over 15 years I have been in this conundrum as to why these two designers have been hyped to death and still have yet to develop a signature look or something that is inextricably links their brand to their oeuvre. Yes, Jack McCollough  Lazaro Hernandez  were the it boys who were “blessed” by  Anna  but that blessing seems to be a bit of  a curse if you consider her history of who she has anointed  as “it”  boys… they either get fired, evaporate or just quit.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

So, one more time for Spring 2020 the joy boys have presented a pile of clothes that exhibit more tricky cuts and a lot of who cares. There is no thread of a continuum in the collection just clothes …. More and more clothes. Every season they seem to be shopping for a new customer!

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

They have tried Paris, they have been through several backers and consultants and even were misguided enough to open a shop on Madison Avenue and yet they persist. So here is my question…. WHY?

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

What exactly is their contribution to the world of fashion other than some more blah blah blah?  

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Oscar de la Renta spring 2020

Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim seem to do have the ability to do what so few others have done this season and that is to create a collection… not a pile of clothes but a collection and furthering the point is that they retain the DNA of the brand in the freshest of ways while holding onto the elements that were pure Oscar. It had occurred to me just recently that Oscar was a big fan of broderie anglaise especially for spring... Lo and behold there it is and so deftly handled for a new generation

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

Unquestionably I tip my hat to them as they have infused their own DNA into this brand such as fringe, prints, tassels along with caftans. The clothes possess a multiple appeal as well as offer a multiple of silhouettes and treatments and a delicious palette. They go  from slick to draped, to simple, to embellished, to short, to long, to pants, to dressy, to casual, to day wear, and they never skip a beat. It all works so beautifully, maybe it’s not quite as seamless as Oscar but hell I’ll take this over 97% of what has been shown so far. They can all scream Tom  Ford and all that other hyped  junk that is so been there done that  but this is fresh and so appealing without trying too hard to get there …  and oh yeah  it is DESIGNED!

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

The photos tell the story far better than my words so you be the judge and you decide what’s been better that marched down a runway in the last week or so. Remember these are rich lady clothes to make rich ladies looks rich, polished and stylish hence they are priced accordingly.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge