DUNDAS FALL 2018

Well … Peter Dundas tore a page from his past play books and took it a few steps further and yielded a collection that is young, hot, modern and not looking like everything else that’s out there. Is it the end all do all? ... No, but it looks fresh and well designed with a point of view.

click image to enlarge  HIGHLY SUGGESTED

click image to enlarge  HIGHLY SUGGESTED

It would be foolish of me not to mention the references but who cares since many are his own and some are “borrowed” from some of the greats and put to good use. It’s refreshing to see color, prints and nothing oversized and or droopy ... it’s practically all body con and yes its young but not teeny bopper young… it is very euro trashy hot but still sexy as all hell. 

click image to enlarge  HIGHLY SUGGESTED

click image to enlarge  HIGHLY SUGGESTED

Beautiful embroideries, a great color palette and you don’t need an instruction manual to wear them ... a pair of stilettos and some eyelashes and some lips and you are ready to roll. Many moons ago we referred to collections like this as “get lucky quick!”

click image to enlarge  HIGHLY SUGGESTED

I say great start Mr. Dundas … Stay your course... Build your DNA and follow one single path.

Roberto Cavalli Spring 2016

So here it is... Peter Dundas’ first collection for the brand and well... it’s not bad but it’s surely not great. The DNA is there, the spirit is there but the clothes are only so so with few exceptions. The most egregious of its faults is the absolutely ghastly styling from the choice of shoes to how the collection was presented and assembled.

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

Granted it is no easy task to take on a collection like this but hell, the shoes are ugly let alone not compatible to the collection, there should have been a bit more matchy matchy and not so much intentional breaking up... case in point the blue and white zebra! It is not exactly like the brand can’t withstand over the top and visual overload. Speaking of visual overload there were a few gowns that defy engineering let alone dressmaking. But WTF was anyone thinking when they slammed that black leather pouf or shall I say mass on several dresses or outfits.

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

The side draped pant, well maybe it was a sarong type pant, might have worked far better in fabric rather than leather and where was the skirt with that closure? The hi/lo hems were at best iffy given the abrupt way they were used... it wasn’t a gradation of hem rather more like stop and start. The motorcycle jackets and vesst while not exactly new, worked well in the collection but the pairings were not new. What was beautiful was the was the laser cut suede tee shirts.

click on the image to enlarge

click on the image to enlarge

Let’s just say for a first outing, he did fine and leaves lots of room for improvement. In the general scheme of things like what has been shown thus far this season, he gets a gold star even though the so called critics will not agree and would rather laud the talentless instead of pumping up those who possess it.

Pucci ... Margiela .. resort 2016

Let’s speak of “what ifs and whys.” What if you saw these collections and were not told who they belonged to? What if reviewers were not given a press release? Why do brands obliterate rebrandings? Why do designers honestly believe the claptrap that falls out of their mouths?

Let’s follow up with a few more questions here: does anyone honestly believe that even the most skilled and astute of fashion writers could say that “this Pucci” has anything to do with the Dundas or Emilio Pucci of the past? Why is anyone excited about Margiela? Has JG lost his mojo? Does anyone even consider that fashion is actually a business of selling clothes to those who can afford them? The question that begs to be asked is simply “will anyone really buy these clothes?”

With all those questions asked, Pucci is up first here and if this is a reimagining  of the brand then let’s say it has moved right on to nightmare or possibly just a “me too!” To speak of the “genetics” of Emilio Pucci in the same breath and to offer a collection such as this is beyond absurd. My eyes and my powers of  intelligence tell me these are unappealing and possibly just plain ugly generic clothes that have the Emilio Pucci label attached. Someone would need to explain to me why you ( a company) spends years building up the brand which possessed this new sort of Euro trashy rock star sensibility (which is meant to be a compliment) and trade it in for a Gucci 2.0.  If the reason is that the clothes were too sexy and too over the top and they didn’t sell when Dundas held the reins … well, wait and see what happens now when these clothes collect dust on the racks!

As for his capsule collection created by “le pauvre” Galliano... well... what’s to say? What immediately comes to mind is “some things are better left unsaid!”... Or in this case shown! Having never been a fan of Margiela, I would never presume to think I know too much about the history and “genetics” of the brand but I do know when I see silly blah blah blah inspired clothes! Yeah, so there was a barely discernibly long haired boy wearing women’s clothes... so much for gender bending or cross dressing! My conundrum here is simply this... Has John Galliano gotten lost in the myth of the mysterious Margiela and given up his own identity? Why is there no reimagining here and is this just an extension of what was?  Where is Le grand Galliano? You know the one I mean... the one with vision, skills and design prowess? Did Renzo just hire him for brand hype? And if so what a waste! It looks to me as if the talent has been caged and restrained to the point of being who really cares who designed this stuff?

My condolences to Pucci and my wish would be that Galliano unleashes himself in the future!

Valentino.. Emilio Pucci .. pre-fall 2015

Okay mission accomplished: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli signed up Celia Birtwell to do a series of prints for the fabled brand. If you don’t know who that is then Google was made for this purpose. They also employed the talents of a lesser known artist by the name of Giosetta Fioroni. The collaborations resulted in this mammoth collection of clothes that reflect the esthetic of the brand as well as the 2 artists… I think!

Personally, yes it is an amazingly exquisitely rendered collection of clothes, the details and workmanship are above and beyond what can be expected from any ready  to wear collection but the design and styling leaves me flummoxed. Firstly because the clothes are wildly, if not, stratospherically expensive in some cases and then there is this “sissy missy” design stance which leaves me cold. When it is not that prissy look then it is this monastic virginal look that evades me totally. To the designers’ credit, the girls are wearing makeup this season rather than looking like death is imminent but one has to question Bo Derek corn rows!

Some of the prints are indeed incredible and how they have been interpreted into apparel is surely astounding but then there is the odd retro mood which one supposes has to relate to Birtwell’s place in the fashion continuum and with her husband’s (Ossie Clarke) body of work. Are there pretty pieces... absolutely ... are there odd and perhaps ugly pieces ... well my instinct says yes especially when it comes to the Valentino idea of denim.

My perception of the brand is similar to many others and that is the contiguous elements of the collection are what make the brand hum.

Then there is Emilio Pucci or better know just as Pucci. Peter Dundas delivered a fabulous collection of rockem sockem clothes that scream of the Pucci DNA ... both old and new! Prints... check... sexy... check... tailoring... check... leathers … check... beading... check... knits... check... Color … check!!! Well what more can you ask for? This is a collection that might have stood on its own as a full blown seasonal collection rather than just one of those fill in seasons that keep stocks fresh in retail stores. It is very refreshing to see a designer who delivers more than one can expect and there is not doubt that his sales ...oops said it... will reflect accordingly. What is really amazing is that Dundas has really found his footing here after sort of bouncing around in search of his ideal home.