BERLUTI fall 2021

Here’s the thing about Berluti, from the start, it went from somewhat boring business like to slick, chic and excessively rich looking for men who truly appreciated timeless but fashionable clothes. Alessandro Sartori, in my opinion was the one who set the tone and held it tightly but always finding a way for the collection to morph and evolve. Haider’s reign was short and a bit more forgettable, if not a mismatch, but now we have Kris Van Assche who has jolted the collection in a way that is disturbing...at least on first glance!

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The tailoring is there, the fine line between evolution and revolution is there but that seems to happen because of the styling and not the clothes. For instance, look at the shoes, look at the bucket hats, look at the combination of pieces and those fashion nuances such as ankle gripping pants and high-water hems, draping hems and the color palette!

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I see this as a collection of pieces and not a collection to be worn as shown. Despite the blah blah blah, there are some beautiful pieces that retain the original DNA of the brand that can be worn with any of the pieces that came from 9 years of Berluti.

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No, I don’t harbor any illusions that this could ever be a mass appeal brand firstly because of its price and then secondly for all the reasons listed above but it holds my eye and makes me wonder about the direction that Van Assche will take.

KENZO FALL 2021

 “Fashion seems so complicated now. I couldn’t do it.” To Kenzo, fashion had to come from the heart rather than the market department. “Intuition is a banned word at fashion houses these days. It’s as if there’s no space for it.

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And the proof is now laid out before you! Kenzo and his Jungle Jap was one of those collections that brought a smile to your face as well as great classic pieces that would become timeless. Look at it now!

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Yes, those models should be running. Running away from whatever, this is supposed to be as it surely has no signature, no DNA and certainly no reason to own it or want it.

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How sad to take the names that made fashion fashionable and turn them into generic fast fashion looking rags at high fashion prices to be worn who knows where and who knows why.

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I’m finding that the longer I live, the less I understand about what is shown and mortified by what reviewers write all in the quest for an ad dollar or because of the power of the mother company. Fashion has a glorious past which is being erased more and more each season and it saddens me greatly that uneducated people write reviews on fashion who are no more than lackies who regurgitate press releases and make sure not to rock the boat no matter how heinous the collection.

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Rant over!

Raf Simons fall 2021

“The collection is about things I love—things I have always loved, that are always there in every collection, in the processes behind it, and the clothes.”... guess who?

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In other words, the collection is about generic, boring, been there done that clothes ant and make the most jaded fashionphile fight from falling asleep.

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Why on earth he is lauded as a great designer let alone a designer at all is way beyond my scope of comprehension, the only thing I find somewhat appealing about the collection is the palette since I’m not impressed by oversized white shirts, another puffer, sweaters with sleeves down to your knees or some oversized tunic.

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Miuccia, he is all yours the two of you can tell each other how great you are and try to convince the world of that .... as   for me, ...I find you both over rated, over hyped and most of all coma inducing despite all the blah blah blah that surrounds every single collection.

Marni fall 2021

Shooting or printing your look book using a variety of filters cannot hide the truth... it’s a freakin mess ... it's like some kind of costume party for misfits. I want to know what the redeeming qualities are for a collection that looks like this!

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WHY oh WHY is this considered to be fashion?

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PS.. yes, I removed the filters and yes I did notice that you either had Blahnik reissue his high heeled lace up sneaker or you copied then exactly?

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Roberto Cavalli fall 2021

 Reviving a dead name is always much more of a challenge than one might imagine. Fausto Puglisi has done an homage to the collection’s founder and namesake. Of course, when you read the Phelps review you are once again reminded that she has no idea about who she writes about as Mr. Cavalli started out doing printed suede looks at astronomical prices.

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The is a collection which certainly draws heavily on the brand’s DNA perhaps to the point over kill on many levels. Yes, Cavalli made overtly sexy clothes, yes, he used lots of leopard and animal prints but his collections were exciting and this collection lacks that spark even though there are some true winners, but there is a repetition factor to be considered.

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Oh, then there is that other thing that Ms. Phelps seems to know more than Dr. Fauci as to when this pandemic will end which sort of blows her review out of the water and into the sewer. Harsh as that sounds you have to ask yourself where is one wearing these clothes if not some major event and that is not foreseen in the near future anywhere in the world.

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So, from a purely esthetic standpoint, Puglisi did a good job on his freshman outing but what are the odds of its retailability? Granted you can pick it apart for some “hot” pieces but once again can that target audience afford the luxury of the newly reinvented Roberto Cavalli? Designers today must face the reality of the times we are living in and no one has come up with any definitive time lines or happy endings!

PRABAL GURUNG FALL 2021

I can remember it like yesterday when this young man appeared on the scene and I immediately thought well here is the next generation’s Bill Blass. It didn’t take long for Demi Moore to appear in one of delicious creations and I was convinced had the goods to be a 21^st century Blass!

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HOW WRONG COULD I HAVE BEEN!

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A brilliant start tuned out to be this seasonal jumble of clothes, some of which I will say are pretty (not many, but some) and every season it’s just clothes and apparently everything old is new again… from the original Ungaro-esque shirring to the puddling mammoth bell bottoms to bare midriffs and so much more.

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My feeling is that when a middling woman’s designer suddenly turns to menswear to bloat a collection that it is a foreboding of what’s to come and it’s not good! There is no cohesion to the collection and no signature which seems to be the M.O. of almost all designers.

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You have a look and see you tell me ... what, what, where, why and does he know something no one else knows?