Pre-fall 2014.. Antonio Berardi, Vionnet, Nina Ricci

Let it be said now that there is a love hate thing going on between me and these collections. Well, not really hate but my disposition towards these collections is rather erratic due to their inconsistencies in design and philosophy. This season however there is a lot to love from each no matter what the so called DNA might be or whatever they supposedly stand for, there are clothes to be worn by women of style.

Although Antonio Berardi seemed to be stuck on his Balenciaga references, there were some beautiful clothes that one might even imagine a female human being wearing and looking like a human being rather than some fashion freak. In today’s world that is saying something. There was evidence here that this designer designed with imagination and not just regurgitation.

Vionnet is one those resurrected collections that must be looked upon as a brand with no historical DNA other than the name. This season apparently someone did some homework and came up with the pleating idea and it yielded some pretty clothes. Despite the pepto pink, some of which was even pretty, there was something to sink your teeth into here. As I said I was liking what I saw this season and just wish they could find an identity which would contain some of the original DNA as well as some of the reimagined brand. The palette was most appealing while the styling left a lot to be desired.

Nina Ricci, the long revered and historically lady like jolie femme collection has certainly morphed over the years. In its present incarnation, Nina Ricci is young sophisticated and somewhat chic in a very off handed way. What is most distracting is the choice of styling which lends itself to a just laid look. The dishabille factor does nothing to enhance the clothes and in some instances takes the viewer’s imagination on a rather erotic journey of this young woman collecting her clothes in the morning all ready for he walk of shame. For me, it is a collection that must be cherry picked and offers a retailer a real opportunity to build a new breed of “designer” customer.

Lanvin pre-fall 2014 by Alber Elbaz

Alber Elbaz was responsible for the reincarnation of the once sleepy brand. His beginning collections were fabulously chic and wonderfully slick, sexy and sophisticated but slowly the clothes veered away from the way it all began and took on a decidedly artisan/Prada look. This developmental shift left me quite chilled toward the collection as in my mind the collection “went bad.”

Pre-fall is exactly what has been said over and over and that is …  this is a greatest hits season which is meant to sell and not linger on the racks of designer departments around the world. There are plenty of familiar Elbaz touches and that means there is plenty to love EXCEPT why is there this intentional motivation to make ugly the new beautiful. The styling is atrocious. Many of the shoes are divine except those blocky satin platform pumps which look like some sort of prosthetic device rather than a fashion moment. The chop chop wigs were better off left on a drawing board or some beauty school.

The collection is one that needs to be taken apart and seen as what it is ... which is for the most part pretty damned good. Again, the visual assault does nothing to enhance the clothes but the clothes can speak for themselves once extricated from the “look” and hopefully will beckon his ladies back to the cash registers. It is refreshing to see so many of those overdone and over wrought artisanal touches disappear and make way for the clothes that made Lanvin and Elbaz inextricably linked for at least this era in fashion.

The sexiness has returned ... the chic of it has returned albeit a bit louche... and most of all it is reassuring to see Lanvin take its place a resource for beautifully designed 21st century clothes for modern women who “get it!”

P.S. take note  that when AE was good he,  was very good and when he was bad ... he was verrrrrrrrrrrry bad!

Pre-fall 2014 .. Jean Paul Gaultier .. Givenchy

As previously stated over the course of time, pre-fall is notorious for being a lot of greatest hits as the season needs to have a long shelf life and has to be long on appeal to that particular customer. Gaultier does not disappoint on any level if the collection is based on those parameters.

It is pure Gaultier all the way, from bomber/varsity jackets to trenches to bras to tailoring to wrap waists to loose drapey pants and tops. Every base is covered, every time of day is spoken for and yet the collection doesn’t appear to be boring in the least.

Some designers do manage to stay on top of their game even if they rehash their past and look to the future.

Now we talk about Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci and here we have another kind of situation all together. One gets the impression that Tisci has taken some very basic shapes and ideas and embellished them to the point of absurdity. Then there is the situation where he has taken some basic salable shapes and done them in ultra-flashy expensive fabrication and paired odd accessories which more than obviously might be confused with Miuccia, “I don’t want to make women pretty,” Prada!  Apparently the heavy handedness is deliberate to deliver the end result.

What else would explain those hideous clown shoes which add nothing but ridiculousness and shock value to the otherwise ordinary pieces? My only guess is that it will give the so called media mavens a reason to show these silly clothes and then wax poetic about how modern and fabulous they are …. NOT!

One would like to say there is a DNA present but one would be hard-pressed to find it other than shock em and screw em! Yes, Tisci has created a new alien DNA for the brand and has turned a sleepy brand in a big name but at what cost? There is not one iota of what was once a revered and tastefully chic brand.

The take away is quickly becoming why revitalize these old brands if they don’t retain any of the founder’s original DNA other than in this mumbo jumbo crap they call inspiration!

Lace & Love ... A Christmas Story... LOYD / FORD

As is the wont of the fashion cycle, we  view and review collections which are shown about 4-6 months ahead of the time that they will appear in stores. For a change of pace and given that we are in full holiday mode, I thought it would be a great time to suggest what you might be wearing in the next few days or maybe introduce you to an explosive newly conceived brand.

The theme of this grouping is the concept of lace and love; it is the modus operandi for the successful brand of LOYD/FORD, formerly known as Uniform Union. As you will see, the clothes are for the world class consumer who doesn’t have any desire to look like everyone else. That would be most evident as she would be shopping at Maxfield in Los Angeles or Montaigne Market in Paris or in a variety of retailers scattered around the globe that specialize in the most revered designer brands catering to the most fashionable and discerning clientele.

Without  further ado and more verbiage. Please take the time to meet, love and embrace the creations of Seven Loyd and Franck Ford…. And look for them this March in Paris for the debut of Fall 2014 (check the website for location)

Instagram... loydfordus

OR

www.facebook.com/pages/Loyd-Ford

OR

http://www.loydford.com

OR

http://vimeo.com/82154088

William Justin William .. director … Zack Helminiak … producer … Apparat … music
****Photography by  Jens Ingvarsson and William Justin Williams *****

Dsquared² PRE FALL 2014

Well, the Catens don’t disappoint… at least when it comes to the visual aspects of their collection for Dsquared². The imagery of the collection is just beautiful; it is the clothes that seem to fall short, pun intended, but that is not exactly a shock...

 

As is their wont, the twins always go for the shock value leaving the salability factor nowhere to be found. The most obvious traits or characteristics of the collection are the very literal references and influences to the 60s and70s and the unmistakable presence of of Cardin, Carnaby Street, Courreges, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. You might also want to think Two for the Road and How to Steal a Million!!

 

The ubiquitous “custodian helmet” or Bobby hat might be confused with an equestrian helmet but the image is clearly swinging London. The brevity of the skirts to stratospheric height or lengths as it were is almost obscene if not laughable. One might call the skirts measurement as hair length. The general tone of the collection is more contemporary rather than designer which brings me to it attribution which could be Milly or Lisa Perry. One might guess that the runway presentation in March will be a full on Biba inspired fantasy complete with Beatles music and maybe some retired rocker’s appearance on the runway.

 

On the plus side, the finish of the clothes looks beautiful but again the physical dimensions of the clothes appear to be almost unwearable as jackets and dresses are of almost identical lengths and we are not talking elongated jackets. Colors are appealing and as usual the clothes are accessorized to death but one can never escape the feeling that these boys create a tableau rather  than a collection leaving one with the thoughts of who buys this stuff and why?

 

You might also want to process this … the collection as a whole has a somewhat “cartoonish” quality about it …n’est ce pas?

Rachel Zoe pre-fall 2014

WORD!! Listen Rachel, it  has come to my attention that you just presented another collection … well a new group of supposedly seasonal clothes that represent the newest season .. Pre-Fall 2014. Now, here’s the rub doll… WTF are you thinking?

 

Everybody knows that eventually you would lose a lot of traction if you stuck to your guns and kept producing Zoebot clothes and alas, your future has been cast. When the critics, including myself, dismiss you as tired and hackneyed, well honey, it is time to either find someone new to reference or get yourself a new designer or really .. Just get out of Dodge!

 

Facts are facts and the biggest factor here is that no one needs these yawn worthy clothes and am guessing no one wants them either. If the past is proof, then the future is looking grim unless you call telemarketing your lifelong goal. This all brings to mind that one’s 15 minutes is almost expired and has probably lasted 15 minutes longer than it should have. It’ s ok doll, stay home, make babies., pray you don’t trip over your pants or fall off your passé platforms and keep playing dress up with  your clients but the is part of the fashion  business will be no less without you.

 

It is an inexcusable offense these days to open a collection with an almost identical replica of a Chanel jacket and think it is okay. Even more reprehensible, is believing that this is part of “your look!” No…. it is part of Chanel’s look, not yours and those full legged puddling pants are over no matter what anyone tells you… they remind me of the 70s when everyone’s pants were shredded at the heel from being caught under the heels of their shoes. Enough with the peasant blouses, low slung pants, jumsuits and the second skin leggings, this is old or very Kardashian or very Mob Wives. There’s not an original thought in the lot! Jeez.. forgot to mention jumpers and don't mean sweaters or those willing to commit suicide...

So, missy, one might be wise and finish this part of your so called fashion life and close up shop and move on to Kohl’s and target, if they would have you, or face the ultimate disgrace of having ALL your remaining accounts dump your sorry ass collection rather than mark is down one last time.