Andrew Gn pre-fall 2013

Can we talk? Can we talk about impeccably made and designed clothes?  Can we talk about a modern ageless collection?

There are some designers who can and some who can’t and then there are those designers who do and those who don’t.  Andrew Gn can and does execute precise, exacting and clean lined highly coveted  clothes on a very regular basis.  This particular collection is restrained in the fact that Mr. Gn has been known to get carried away with his embellishments, but for pre-fall 2013 it is just about as perfect as it can get.  His color sense is very “democratic” without ever being dull, the proportions are beautiful albeit a bit short and each season he demonstrates his design chops by designing clothes that are true to his DNA.

Rather than blather on and on, you need to look at the blouses which are breathtaking in their detail and delicacy, the inventive sleeve treatments and designs, the “minimal” monotone embellishments, the razor sharp tailoring and the impeccable “make” of these clothes.  The silhouettes are trim and reasonably forgiving although I do wish he had selected a different shaped pant to use throughout.  Two favorite design nuances were the shirt tail sleeve and the georgette cascade hippie sleeve which couldn’t possibly look any less hippie!  A few favorite pieces are the leather hemmed black cocktail dress, the leather lapelled smoking, the lace pieces and the caftanesque shape he uses for his gowns.

 

The take away here is that Mr. Gn delivers a product that is as close to haute couture as you can get.  His ladies are loyal, fashionable and deep pocketed.  The collections are reflective of his clients and an extreme talent.  It’s a pity that the media appreciates only those who can afford to spread around their advertising dollars and not those who are genuinely talented and have earned their job titles … designer

Alexander McQueen pre-fall 2013

The spin here is that the mood boards reflected the church and nuns and robe etc.; in other words ecclesiastical vestments.  Rather than this churchy theme, I see a more medieval tilt to the collection which certainly engenders a type of romanticism if you discount chain mail and crusades.  I read that the mood boards also included a photo of Audrey Hepburn in a habit which I found so profoundly amazing as she was the one person the last Mr. McQueen was able to channel during his time at Givenchy.

Okay, now that the blah blah blah is done, gets say that this Pre-Fall collection is about as commercial as Sarah Burton gets when designing McQueen.  Yes, the references are there for the church steeped styles (tunics, robes, tabards, capes, poet sleeves & patterning) but I really just prefer to say that the collection looks very McQueen.  From the high waisted pants to the fitted tops and full skirts to all the drama, albeit a considerably dialed down version, yet all the telltale signs of a McQueen collection are there.

One has to admire the restraint when a designer who usually knows no limits and yet can design a beautiful collection that is relatively free of the insane craftsmanship that has become a hallmark of this brand.  By all standards this would be considered almost Spartan by comparison  to past collections but if you recall, weeks ago, I said the real purpose of pre-fall is to SELL and this would fit that bill to a tee.

Valentino pre-fall 2013

I fully understand that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli have re-imagined what Valentino is to look like for the 21^st century but do they have to show it this way?  The ghost like wan faces of these waifs who appear to be other worldly and ashen do not add any luster to these clothes.

Yes, the clothes have the spirit of Valentino but they sure do lack the sparkle, drama and pizzazz that its namesake designer imbued into every collection.  The clothes come off very 2 dimensional, flat and almost lifeless which is very unfortunate as I continually read how this design duo is trying to use more couture techniques with each collection. 

I realize I just said they have the spirit of Valentino but hell, what exactly are they thinking to show patent leather dresses which if styled a bit differently might turn up on the pages of a fetish magazine.  How does one show all white on these unmade up stiff as a board models?  How can almost every single piece of this huge collection look so straight up and down?  Ms. Chiuri and Mr. Piccioli need to visit the archive and study how not to make a ruffle look like it is erect.  The femininity that was once integral to the Valentino collections has been swapped for an almost genderless kind of appeal with an emphasis on the matronly with that below the knee length.  Can I also mention the appearance that the clothes all look high waisted and using fur does not make a collection look rich!

Well all I can say is that certain critics refer to these as resuscitating the eponymous collection when all I can think presently is “get the paddles and stand back!”

All of this being said, I do need to say that there are some pretty clothes here …  if you can stay awake to see them. It is also time to ditch those sissy missy looks and recall what lush and extravagant mean in terms of this collection.

Emilio Pucci .... pre-fall 2013

There is a conundrum present in this pre fall 2013 collection by Peter Dundas and that would be... is this really pre-fall or wear it now?  Upon further examination, one might also be asking if he wants to change the idea of who the Pucci client is as the overt sexiness of past seasons is absent in a great majority.  If you consider “hair length” hemlines sexy, then it’s still here but if you are looking for seductively sexy, then move on.

There is also a seismic shift to a much more daytime oriented look as well as much more relaxed feel to the real evening looks and I am not referring to the Mia farrow minis,  they are cute but Lisa Perry has been doing them for years.  I wish I could ask him why he is so fascinated with his version of a Chanel jacket or maybe his version of a bed jacket which seems to appear in quantity during the course of the collection.  The jackets apparently solve a multitude of problems as well as answer a multitude of needs.

My take away is that, in general, designers are opting to show clothes which have a larger degree of wearability rather than “look at me” clothes.  After so many seasons of throwing caution to the wind and showing all these editorial clothes that one needs to invent reasons for buying and wearing; now everyone actually wants to SELL clothes that women can wear and keep for more than one wearing.  This new train of thought has certainly permeated many collections for pre-fall and rightfully so.  There has to be a reason for women to spend thousands of dollars on clothes rather than spend it on a piece of jewelry, a fabulous handbag or some cosmetic procedure.

With all this being said, the end result is that many designers and brands are doing a 180 and not all of them can cut it once they are forced to turn out collections that retain the original DNA and branch out from square one.  Very simply put, if you have turned out get lucky quick dresses for about 5 years, can you suddenly turn out dresses that  go to lunch and cocktails?..... THINK ABOUT IT!

Jean Paul Gaultier pre fall 2013

Essentially there are no surprises here except for the fact that the Gaultier collection for PreFall 2013 is especially chic and polished.  Mr. Gaultier has turned up the volume for this collection by using the same slick and sharp quotient that he employs when showing his Haute Couture.

The stark palette and slick clean lines are what made his Couture so incredibly beautiful from day one.  All of this being said, the collection is pure 100% JPG from beginning to end.  He plays his greatest hits but seems to have sharpened the edge which surely comes off as highly salable and high on the list of esthetically beautiful.

One must never forget that Monsieur is above all a tailor and with this collection he more than proves that he has honed this skill to an art form.  The molded jackets which might even call into play the [padding he so playfully has used in the past.  The coats are exquisite and the vocabulary that is JPG is liberally sprinkled throughout the collection… take note he the ½ and ½’s, motorcycle jackets, and rakish tailleurs.

Mr. Gaultier borrows from his couture by making grand use of his soft drapy side as well his dressmaking abilities which always come off as simply and elegantly raffine, something that is not always associated with the bad boy of Paris.  Whether it is the side draped pants, the simple poncho or the amazingly sleek gowns the softer side of JPG bares itself to great affect.