The Harbingers of Design… Steven Oo

The Harbingers of Design… Steven Oo

This series spotlights global innovators who are original, known, lesser known and some perchance even already highly regarded and respected within their areas of expertise.  The common thread is style and fashion; whether it takes its form in interiors, apparel, accessories, retail, photography or any of the related professions that surround fashion and style.  Please note that some of my “cast members” have chosen to follow a path than includes utilizing the “tools” of the past thereby rendering a new and modern vision for today’s climate of fashion and style. These “createurs” are at the vanguard of design and style … in my opinion, of course

Today in the blistering heat of New York City this writer was reminded that true, original and astounding talent lives!!!  Years ago Steven Oo came to my attention very soon after his graduation from the Academy of Art University in san Francisco and he has never left my sight… and with good reason.  There is a word that comes to mind, and it is a word that is not tossed around lightly on my pages and that word is BRILLIANT!

This is all about talent meeting technology in the most creative way possible.  This is about vision and believing that there are no limits and that everything can be done.  The proof is here and even in oven like heat, one cannot resist in touching and fondling the most precious of cashmere which has taken the form of knitwear that we have not yet seen in this millennium… or for that matter in the last one either!  In very plain simple terms... these is not Granny’s knit one, purl 2 and drop a stitch!!!

Have a look and let me know what you think!!!!

P.S. you might  want to conjure the spirits of John Ashpool and Laura Biagiotti

Alexis Mabille & Zuhair Murad resort 2014

Holiday/Resort, as it was once called, is a season that allows some designers to test the waters as well as show off their multifaceted designing skills.  Traditionally, the season was aimed at those women who traveled and needed clothes to wear on their vacations and also for clothes that might be worn for those special holiday occasions.  All that has changed, especially for the European market that never really treated the season as necessary to their businesses; now Resort has taken on a full-fledged moniker as a season on the fashion calendar and for some designers has become a more wear it now focus.

Alexis Mabille showed a playful side to his world with his first ever resort collection.  Mr. Mabille also showed, almost simultaneously his Fall Haute Couture collection and the difference is more in tone than in DNA.  He has always shown his playful or more relaxed side in his past Spring collections by using some cottons but the effect was sort of missed due to the general direction of these collections.  By that I mean to say that Mr. Mabille tends to focus on dressier clothes, more formal, rather than  just a cotton dress or cotton pant look, none of which is a negative.  With this collection he focuses on the more daytime aspects and still infuses the Mabille vocabulary with each look.  Looks of note are the flounced cut away rain coat and the quite simple little navy bow dress which is just perfection.  My big criticism is the head gear which did nothing to enhance the collection. Nevertheless as they say in French...felicitations!

Zuhair Murad strikes a decidedly different tone with his resort collection as opposed to his spectacle of Haute Couture.  What strikes me most is that he  and Elie Saab have similar ideas or paths  on how to differentiate their ready to wear collections from their Haute Couture and by that I mean that it is just not about petit mains versus ready to wear manufacture.  Mr. Murad injects the Resort collection with what he considers to be day looks and cocktails dresses as well as evening pieces.  All of it is impeccably made and all of it retains the DNA that has become Mr. Murad’s stock in trade and that would be glamour... in varying degrees.  Overall, this is all pretty damned tasty looking and more commercial that the Haute Couture but do not confuse my choice of words to mean dull, boring or common.  The clothes are … perhaps one might say… more discreet rather than overt!  The other thing that strikes me is the enhanced color palette which is very very appealing and suits the clothes quite well. 

So …  Now it is your turn to have a look and decide what you think about these collections.  It is sad that mainstream fashion media tends to overlook beautiful clothes rather than report or opine on them!

Haute Bouillabaisse...Haute couture Fall 2013

Within this minute and very specific area of fashion lies many who might be overlooked or some who might not really have a clear concept of what haute couture really means or exactly what makes it emblematic of being the epitome of fashion design and manufacture.  Today is about a mixture of all different calibers of design … so maybe it should be the Couture Stew or Haute Bouillabaisse!

Viktor and Rolfe certainly know what it means or takes to produce in the ways of the Haute Couture as they practice so much of it within their regular ready to wear collections.  Twice a year they usually take the mechanics of the couture and bring it to dizzying heights but such was not the case this season.  For fall 2013 apparently, they opted to pay homage to Rei K and Yohji Y and yet still impart their flawless workmanship but in the most discreet of ways.  One looks to them for the fantasy that is always part and parcel of the Haute Couture, so this season’s decidedly Zen like mode is something of a shock.

Elie Saab is a pro when it comes to showing off his talents especially during the week of Haute Couture.  He is all about beaded and embroidered and unapologetically so.  So, the collection comes as nothing short of business as usual at the House of Saab.  Don’t misread this as unattractive or not exciting, it is just that this is what he does and he does it with few competitors or deviation.  The clothes are decadently opulent, luxe, riche and well designed for the ladies of Saab!

Vionnet … depending on how you look at it, this collection might rank right up there with the desecration of the YSL name.  As far as can be seen, there was absolutely not one good reason to make a fuss over 12 ill-conceived garments that bear no DNA or resemblance of the namesake designer.  To add insult to injury, the garments are poorly executed ala Project Runway which holds no fascination in the world of Haute Couture!  One more reimagining gone awry!

Alexandre Vaulthier is a fixture of the Haute Couture and yet he is not the run of the mill designer who adheres to classically designed clothes.  The collections are edgy, modern and possibly over the top to some viewers.  One must assume that the customer is there or else why go through the expense of it.  In my estimation this season the collection “out Balmains Balmain” and that might be saying something!  The clothes are dangerously sexy and sit on the border of trashy but no matter; these clothes are the result of a well thought out collection that has limited appeal, even within the already limited world of Haute Couture!

 
Giambattista Valli delivers collection after collection that speaks to his ladies… of any age.  The clothes are wildly feminine as well as frilly, flowery and girly … not one of those said in a pejorative way.  The clothes speak in the vocabulary of the brand and no one can argue that.  He clearly reveres and utilizes the petit mains that make the Haute Couture a land of endless possibility for any designer who is fluent in that dialect of fashion speak!  It is clear that Mr. Valli is a linguist…if you catch my drift

UNIFORM UNION born 2012

The design team of Seven Loy and Franck Ford have successfully engineered and navigated first, a clubwear collection in Europe followed by a highly successful contemporary brand and now UNIFORM UNION since 2012. 

These designers have focused their concerted and considerable talents to achieve what can only be deemed as an innovative and “couture-like” collection. Uniform Union is the rare marriage of ready to wear combined with some of the most revered practices and respected elements of genuine couture.

 

Simply said, this translates to up to 40 hours of hand sewing on select pieces.  Loy and Ford feel that it would be disrespectful to say they make couture garments despite the amount of hand work; their thinking being that rather than boast of it, they would prefer to remain discreet about their manufacture process and be respected for their impeccable product.

 

Their sensibilities lie with those of European fashion but with a decidedly distinctive American esthetic in order to yield an unrivaled and exceptional piece of fashion that is MADE IN AMERICA.

 

 Uniform Union delivers exactly what their customers demand of them … perfection: we deliver …. Hardcore, yet, elegant and classic fashion! 

In their own words: We work like tailors for a Queen and her kingdom except our Queen is every woman and the kingdom is our growing network of luxury retailers who sell our collection.

Yulia Yanina Haute Couture fall 2013

Apparently, when designing a collection, the first thing that must be established is a theme that will carry throughout the collection.  To me, the theme must not be present in every single piece but just present enough to encapsulate one large seasonal presentation.

My impressions of Yulia Yanina are these starting with the “leaf” motif or theme has been carried out to such an extent that it became overwhelming.  It seemed that 99% of the pieces incorporated this design element which is a bit overkill, and yes this zealous adherence to the theme showed remarkable design abilities and yet it hindered the overall effect of the collection.

As has been previously stated by me in the past, the use of the ethnic headgear also can be taken as a bit too Russian for most. The cloche like hat combined with the very  unflattering below the knee length gave the collection a sort of 40’s look, and once again as in most cases, the length is not flattering.

 

Ms. Yanina used the tulle/soufflé embellishments last season in her ready to wear with great skill and this season, while still used in  many evening pieces, the look  was decidedly naked and not in the best of taste.  Knowing that these clothes do not come cheaply, one has to wonder why spend all that money to look that cheap?

 

As in any Haute Couture shows, the viewer/critic are always focused on the art and craft that inhabits the world of this particular corner of fashion.  While most of the pieces appeared to have been impeccably constructed there were a few that appeared to woefully in need of help.  My question is very simply this... why show them if they do not live up to the standards that you have set for the collection or why don’t you have them redone until they are 100%?

 

 

In the end I believe that there should have been some fabulous pieces that did not directly and so rigidly make use of the leaf motif and certainly some of the blatantly sexy/shocking evening pieces could have been eliminated.  Every collection requires an editor and certainly Ms. Yanina would have benefitted from one this season

Zuhair Murad.. fall 2013 Haute Couture ...

To say that the Fall Haute couture collection is flashy is like saying Bill Gates has a few bucks!  Moving on from that point, Mr. Murad’s clothes are not for he shy and retiring types but for those who demand attention … some in a good way and well … some, not!

The clothes demand a body that is close to perfect, but then again, being Haute couture, these clothes can be made to fit any body type, the question is “How will they look?”  At any rate, these clothes are red carpet worthy, stage ready and starring role ready!  There is little wonder that for years now he has been creating a stage wardrobe for J Lo

The interesting thing about Mr. Murad’s work is that within the flash of it all, there are beautiful dresses and suits of great delicacy as well as pieces that might find their way into almost any lady’s wardrobe, provided she has the means and she MUST like beads!  The simpler pieces, and I said SIMPLER, not SIMPLE, are quite feminine and far more discreet than many of the gowns and certainly more than the cat suits which J Lo seems to prefer.

Apparently, there was a secret memo passed around when designers were preparing their collections and that was to ponder the theme of coral branches which appeared in both couture and resort collections.  Mr. Murad seems to have taken it a step further to include tree branches and turned it into a major sub theme for  beading and embroidery and just about any way you can imagine;  Again, some, more successfully than others in their particular renderings.

What was most distracting from he overall presentation were the pieces that were supposed to look futuristic but came off as being very 80s rather than very 21^st century.  There was no need to broaden the scope of the collection with style like that.  Then,  we need to discuss the shoulder pads… aye or nay?

The take away here , is that these clothes are not for the faint of heart and reside more on the side of “look at me” than they do on the side of discreet luxury.  Between him and Mr. Saab, they can keep the beaders of the world busy for decades to come!  Raf will be sending a note scolding them about their old world ways……… meh!  This is what makes haute couture such an adventure!