Fall 2014 .. the Fashion Rx

I don’t see myself as a fashion designer. I see myself as a person in design.

The words of Reed Krakoff resonate in my mind as he amongst so many so called designers who seem to be far more concerned with the blah blah blah rather than the fashion. Simply said, there are too many people in design who fancy themselves designers and not enough fashion designers who live the business of fashion.

 

No matter the season, the year or the location, fashion designers seem to be travelling a route which leads to a destination of  generic fashion. This is not the generic fashion of let’s say a Walmart or JC Penny, but a new classification which is being embraced within the so called designer or top tier of fashion. What seems to be happening is that clothes are being designed in some communal design room that yields clothes which have no distinction. The clothes can bear almost any label and the only thing that sets them apart is their particular blah blah blah, a color, a fabrication and, of course, the label.

 

Whether in Europe or the USA or wherever there is a fashion week, we are experiencing a sameness that will not benefit anyone other than the fast fashion and down market brands. As a reasonably astute observer and participant in this business we call fashion, I would be hard pressed to differentiate between Prada, Proenza Schouler, Chloe, Reed Krakoff, Balenciaga, Alexander Wang and I am pretty sure the latest Ghesquiere vision for Louis Vuitton. Apparently designers seem to think there is safety in numbers and no reason to be individual in their approach.

 

With all this being said, please do not twist the words to think that stepping out from the crowd will solve and ensure notoriety; this is not a sure fire recipe for success. Think of this, instead of showing clothes that seems to be far more than just reminiscent of,  let’s say, Rick Owens (men’s or women’s)… why not harken back to great design as well as some sort of vision or trend. Fashion has never been about sameness or going with the flow; it has been a constantly evolving business which today  seems to be stagnating with “people in design” a rather than fashion designers.

 

Having seen many pre-fall women’s collections and many men’s fall collections, it became blatantly apparent that the business is broken and no one wants to fix it because the so call called media or fashion cognoscenti no longer reward originality and only applaud “designerless” looks and collections. Not everyone who spends money for top shelf fashion wants to fit in; not everyone wants the same shapeless (in women’s) and snug fitting (in men’s) silhouettes. Retailers complain that business stinks, inventories at clearance time are on the rise and the growing importance of outlet stores filled with mark downs is evidence that something needs to be fixed.

 

Creativity seems to be at an all-time low, with few exceptions, and what needs  to be remembered is that the true greats of fashion design were not super stars because they fit a mold, they were pioneers and free thinkers who had a vision based on their idealization of beauty and what women wanted..okay and men too. Today we seemingly only have clothes that are to appeal to size 2 robotic faceless women who for fall will wear anonymous shapeless and oversized clothes or pre-pubescent boys dressed up in oddly tight fitting suits or slovenly layered oversized garments.

Pre-Fall 2014 ..pt.1 .. an overview

Rather than try to assess the collections for the never ending season we call pre fall, a novel approach might be to have a more overall summary type of examination of the collections being shown now through March... as I said the never ending season.

 

Today’s overview includes Gucci, Proenza Schouler, Calvin Klein, Akris, Alexander Wang, Belstaff, Altuzarra and Reed Krakoff. One would think that with designers such as these, you could come up with a stellar collection but alas that assumption is like all other assumptions... just that! A fallacious thought process.

 

What is apparent here is that these collections are a bit of this and a bit of that and a lot of not much to talk about unless you want to discuss who or what they borrowed from and why or who would buy these clothes. The issue at hand here is that the season is supposed to be about selling clothes and the more basic parts of each collection but what is so severely absent as there is not any single personal signature attached to any one collection.

 

Here goes … Gucci is wildly reminiscent of Hedi Slimaine’s take on Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein shows us how to look like the Birkenstock, earth mother for 2014, Altazurra does Chloe, Celine and Phoebe and whomever, Proenza Schouler looks like Ghesquiere’s Balenciaga, Alexander Wang shows another collection for the mystery customer, Belstaff is still searching for an identity other than motorcycle leathers, Reed Krakoff shows us odd parings, odd proportions and clunky shoes and the shining star is Akris who displays clothes for women; women who are chic, woman who are stylish, women who want fabulously made timeless clothes and women who appreciate the meaning of modern.

 

All you need do is look at the slide show and hopefully you can draw the same conclusions. The thing that must not be overlooked here is that there ARE clothes that ARE wearable and appealing; you would just have a hard time pairing a look with a designer. The collections have become more generic than anything else and the designers seem to be searching for an antidote to lackluster business.

Opinions?? Let me know …..

Zoe..Krakoff..Schouler resort 2014

Dear group,

I will address each of you at some point separately but there are a few generalities that can be shared amongst yourselves like WTF are you thinking with these collections?  I, for one, really don’t have enough imagination to even think of what’s on your collective minds.

First let’s tackle the Rache!  I finally had an epiphany about this so called collection and that was... it should be hanging next to Jessica Simpson in whatever department that may be and in whatever store would have it.  The RZ collection is hardly worthy of anything that even remotely approaches a designer department.  I am done on that; there aint nothing worth wasting my breath on here.

Now, Reed baby, I know you are trying desperately hard to build yourself into a designer brand and distance yourself from Coach beginnings but hell, WTF are you thinking here?  The collection looks like it was designed by Jenna Lyons for Jenna Lyons, slumped shoulders and all.  I know you want everyone to think about all the luxe techniques and materials except there is this one overriding issue that needs to be addressed... the clothes are butt ugly!

Now the boys of the moment, Proenza Schouler, what’s with you two?  Every season you change your design ethic and direction.  Every season you can’t decide which other designer you want to “inspire” you... what’s with that? Your clients are in love with you not your product as there is really nothing distinctive about your product no matter what he CFDA may think.  You guys have no DNA, no look, no signature...you have a name.  I wonder how long AR will put up with this before he throws your collective asses out the door and hires a designer(s) whose clothes sell …just using your name which I would be willing to bet he owns!

So, kids, sorry to be so brutal about it but c’mon … think about what you are doing and the way you are expressing yourselves.  There needs to be some integrity which all of you seem to be void of but … really now.  And no, I really don’t want to even have a coffee with any of you until something is resolved here.

Until then... I remain

Me