Fendi fall 2022

KUDOS to you KIM JONES! And Fendi

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They set the bar high on the opening day of Milan and sent out a polished and well thought out collection that ignored all the dross that we have seen in New York and especially from London. This was a collection for real grown-ups who understand fashion and wasn’t to look slick, clean and wearing clothes that equate to their price tags. Kindly note that none of what we saw needed an instruction manual for how get into these clothes or why they exist

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.Truth be told, no, I didn’t understand the mousseline separates which to my eye resembled bed clothes but once the tailoring made its appearances all that was quickly forgotten. Jones offered superbly finished and fitted tailoring with nary a droopy sloppy pant in sight nor a sloping oversized shoulder. Whether or not women will flock to wear and own... well that is up for grabs but what a refreshing moment to actually see a collection of this caliber presented in the way it was. I love that he used gloves, I love that every exit had a handbag and not a single logo on a garment!

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Would I say that there were some outside influences that we have seen in times gone by ... well ... yes, but it doesn’t matter when it is reiterated with such painstaking attention to detail and actually looking new. Even the palette was easy on the eyes; Jones truly outdid himself and will certainly now truly be recognized as a very talented designer of great import and not just of hype! 

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PS... kindly note that there is no black in this collection nor one evening gown which speaks to me that this designer is not only talented but quite savvy!

Fendi couture spring 2022

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the biggest issue for Kim Jones now is that he is starting to build the DNA of Fendi as a clothing brand and since it has not been solidified yet and so my judgment will be more restrained than I might normally offer for a collection like this.

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First what struck me early on is that the clothes re most certainly a bit or maybe a lot of molto Signora.” Moving on, it passed through my mind that if it wasn’t overtly matronly, that this is what Valentino might look like if executed with the brands original Valentino DNA. Then I wondered how much input he had from the Fendi sisters and how much weight those opinions carried as there is a dichotomy in this collection between the old and the new. So how many cooks were in the kitchen so to speak.

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I think the “sculptural” print of art prints were meant to echo the famous Sheila Metzner photos for the Fendi scent, but it wasn’t fully expanded upon and then got lost with undecipherable prints. I think it was a mistake to offer such a dark collection since it was a bit difficult to see and also it is spring. The choice of fabrications was sort of odd as they didn’t all drape fluidly and in some cases as in the tulle or dark chiffon, they looked skimpy and others heavy handed.

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I did like the caftans and some of the more trend driven pieces as well and even some of the more mother of the bride pieces, but I think he will eventually have to take a stand and figure out who is the Fendi woman.

DIOR MENS FALL 2022

Well... I by no means hated this collection since I actually found it refreshing in its closer to the body silhouettes and relaxed but not sloppy looks... let’s call is purposefully slouchy. I do think that this collection would have greatly benefitted from a more mature casting and “precise” styling.

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I absolutely liked the contour zippers and the more severe shapes and even the femininization of many classic looks which made them what fashion shows are meant to be! I easily could have lived without the heavily embellished floral tops and Jones “ode to the lily of the valley” even though I get it. The asymmetrical pant is something that appeals to me even if it’s nothing new and been done before. The palette was soothing and allowed the clothes to ...get ready... speak for themselves; there was no need to explain what we saw. This was one of most commercial collections to have come along this season.

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I salute Jones for only showing his puffers in signature Dior “caning” pattern and not channel quilted ones which have flooded the runways of almost all men’s show thus far. Jones even got his denim in there but instead of blue it was grey and not in the least bit offensive or out of place to the eye.

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Simply said, this collection was a standout noteworthy collection even presented exactly as it was. There was a point of view with none of the gimmickry we have been exposed to in almost every other collection. This is when buyers show their mettle and dissect a collection to present to their clients either exactly as shown or by cherry picking pieces and reassembling the pieces to suit their needs.

Fendi spring 2022

When Karl was designing  Fendi, I always thought of  it as Karl’s toy and Karl’s way of sort of doing the Fendi’s a favor by coupling his talents and fantasies  with their expertise. Hence, I rarely took it seriously and really always considered the ready to wear as filler for their stores.

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Kim Jones, apparently, has been given free hand to create a look for the brand and maybe couture wasn’t the best way to start but what it did was tease you about what was to come. He is trying to create a repeat customer who will come to Fendi for what they offer besides leathers and furs. Unfortunately, it’s a bit on molto signora side

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This collection definitely showed off what the Fendis are known for and now to coordinate with a ready to wear collection. IMHO, a more succinct collection might have helped but what I did especially like is that he told color stories within the collection...keep in mind I’m not speaking of the pieces but of concept of the color stories.

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As a collection it certainly won’t set the world of fashion on its ear since there is really nothing very new here ... a few pieces here and there are noteworthy and even they are not exactly earth shattering. I don’t quite understand shearling for spring or   fur for that matter but then again Karl created that formula and so it continues. This go round, Jones at least made use of handbags, shoes, boot and an exceeding weak logo belt.

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I’m not so sure the world is ready for uptight tailoring, all that satin creating a very sort of tight ass look! Time will tell

FENDI couture fall 2021

Now that the collective so called fashion media has used up all their depends and talked around the collection but instead spoke about Kim’s blah blah blah, let’s now talk turkey and yeah well it was pretty much a turkey fest or if I was to be kind it was bunch of very formal gowns, most of which bordered on the molto signora side except for the obvious ones and a few that were beautiful, I guess by accident.

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The fact is that no woman ever said I must own that Fendi dress, sweater, skirt, pant or any piece of clothing but you did hear them say I gotta have that baguette, that bag, that luggage, that fur or that logo canvas that started the logo craze almost 50 years ago. So, my question is why would you have an “it” designer create, no less, a couture collection of basically generic looking, been there done that clothes that say nothing about the brand.

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It’s one more time much ado about nothing ... look closely. You can see stitch work at the hems, clumsy heavy-handed draping at the necklines and waists and lots of oh well another long dress for the mother of the bride. Who’s kidding who here, Fendi is all about fur, leather, handbags, luggage and small leather goods never about any type of wearing apparel. Its only allure when it came to apparel was when Karl designed it and that was weighted far more by Karl’s name than by the Fendi brand! People forget that Karl saw the impossible and made it possible.

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Dior spring 2022 men's

All the kerfuffle in the men’s world about Kim and Virgil, Virgil and Kim about how greatly talented they are ...well... you be the judge and you decide if what they show befits their labels and exhibits any sort of talent other than turning out ridiculous, ludicrous, unwearable, wildly expensive clothes.

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Yes, Kim did do some beautiful things at Vuitton but as for Virgil, in these politically correct times, well... you get the idea because this past collection is an embarrassment to the brand but as has been said over and over ... Dior sells scent and cosmetics and Vuitton sells handbags and wallets.

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This Dior collection comes off as the logorama collection yet still comes off better than Vuitton which is totally cartoonish and DR Seuss, but Dior also has now stated that “the hip hop community is no longer dictated to by fashion, they’ve shifted the paradigm, claimed their rightful influence on the industry, and got behind the wheel.” So apparently that’s the Dior market and   same goes for Vuitton and think about the reality of him saying who the target audience is. Plus, according Kim, if one is logical the brand doesn’t need a designer just an entertainer who will direct the design rooms.

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Wanna be sustainable and all that... don’t spend zillions on shows like this and fill your stores with clothes you’ll have to ship somewhere to burn.

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Jimmy Jazz stores beware your competition is coming after you!

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Perhaps when reality sets in and truth is actually spoken about collections like this   then maybe fashion will slowly work its way back into a business of buying and selling clothes and not staging circus performances.

Fendi fall 2021

 Here ‘s what you learn in 54 exits:  the news is in the furs but that’s really old news but there was ONE sublime LBD and the rest is surely nothing to write home about.

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Fendi, long known for its handbags, furs and logo don’t need Kim Jones to design bland mediocre clothes that act as filler and a cast of extras for the star attractions mentioned above.

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When Karl designed this, well, it reminded me of those Judy Garland /Mickey Rooney movies where they say “oh let’s put on a show!”  Karl and the brand together had the star power and  clout but Karl understood that the furs and bags were the main attraction so he could let loose and design whatever he wanted as   long as it was a show highlighting the craftsmanship and artistry of the fur and leather ateliers... which they did.

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I won’t say it’s a yawn but I can say that as far as the clothes it’s pretty much a so what! Even the furs lack that shock and awe that glorified the spectacle of the furs. Once again, it’s a good thing that this is a brand doesn’t depend on clothes to sustain itself.

Dior men’s 2019 fall

To be honest I had to read a review not so much for opinion but for explanation of what I saw. Firstly, the conveyor belt was in a way genius but in a way startling in that one might take it as a reference to clothes churned out in vast numbers as in mass production just because they are clothes… maybe it’s a bit of METROPLOIS.

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Tailoring is key here but what really shook me is that the show in my opinion was so over styled that you really couldn’t see what was right in from of you from the “sleeves that encased the hems of the pants to the “name tags” that read Dior like a worker in a department store!

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The over the elbow S&M gloves threw me as did the “gilets” and the zipped kangaroo pockets slapped on the front of other pieces. The satins looked less than riche considering their formidable prices but I have to say the scarf/sash thing is wonderful even though I have this nightmare of how it will look hanging on a rail in a store. Yes I loved the animal prints even the furs… but I just can’t shake that I wish I could see this collection without all the bells and whistles or possibly it is the bells and whistles that make it stand out in the crows of sameness

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I was oohing and fawning over that first collection Jones did for Dior and now I am at odds as to what I think with this collection as a whole. The animal print “slickers and coats stand out in my mind as does the, I think, guipure lace bomber and the jacquard tone on tone animal print shirtings. As for the so called collaboration it is who cares for me and I can’t see what it added to the collection!

DIOR HOMME 2019

Kim Jones on his freshman outing has reminded us that the name Dior demands clothing that equate to the brand. Yes, I have purposely left out the clunkers for the wannabe thugs and the hip hop set as well as those who need to be the latest and greatest fashion victim of any brand.

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So as a sort of palette cleanser to the fate of pre fall for women I present to you the slick chic razor sharp tailoring of Dior Homme. I am not inferring that Kris van Assche was a bad designer or didn’t do the house justice but at the end he sort of fell under the spell of mamamiamaria meatball and out went the low key minimal fashion that he had instilled in connection with the brand.

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 Oh to be 30 years younger and rich enough to be able to own and wear these exquisite pieces. These are fashion for men of a certain sensibility not hedgies and not stock brokers but slicked out hot men who need to show they are cut from a different cloth than bankers and politicians; clothes filled with nuance and subtleties and bold silhouettes.

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 There are the clothes targeted for a discerning fashionphile and not the clothes of fashion victims until you find the pieces I omitted from my presentation. Jones is at his best with the almst Savil Row tailored pieces what just push that envelope far enough to be called designed and not just hum drum clothes or clothes that double for Halloween costumes or retreads found from a local thrift shop.

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 If I was forced to make  some sort of comparison I might go so far as to say there is a nod to McQueen’s menswear.

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