Balenciaga fall 2018

So the thing is here that there is no trace or even pretense of what was once associated with this name and brand... it might as well be called Peppy La Pew Paris. 

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It is all referenced from every designer (mostly McQueen and Ungaro)  from Paris for the last 50 years ,,, all except of course Balenciaga because why bother with him .. It’s just his name on the label but I’m sure the faux intellect Rooskie will find some thread to erroneously justify it.

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So after the so called molded hard line body con pieces come the Vetements retreads to seal the deal as yawning who cares who dresses like this and the chest beating of Demna.. I am the greatest….. Con.   

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So in the end, no news here except that maybe there are some wearable pieces from the borrowed segment and the rest of more of the same shit that has been pawned off as fashion.  I am fond of the shirt that looks like a prison convict’s number printed across the chest …. 

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Press releases on the ready... fawners to the left… fashion victims to the right... Keep on moving... Nothing to see here

Givenchy fall 2018

Clare Waight Keller has presented a cavalcade of fur coats and leather pieces for those who do not embrace PETA. The furs have a distinctly retro feel as well as a sort of classic elegance from times gone by when owning a fur was a symbol of “having arrived.” If there is an issue with at hand, it is … what was under those coats?

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Okay BIG ISSUE… footwear and styling... WTF was that? Shorty swashbuckling pirate boots/ not to mention of course what women who spend this kind of dough on clothes do not carry an oversized leather bag when wearing a cocktail dress? I can’t imagine the tone of the collection had it been styled in a more classically  stylish mood rather than one that is supposedly of the moment… sic trendy and ungainly!

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The bright spots came toward the end with the fringed pieces, the ultra-simple Norellish sheaths and several short very vintage YSL cocktail dresses. There were some tailored pieces that smarted of Le Grand Hubert but certainly not enough to call this collection referenced to the master. While on the subject of issues... WTF was that one butterscotch colored dress which surely would have made a greater impact in a more palatable color … not to mention the dress and the color only appeared one time. 

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In the end this is more than mediocre with a few high spots which occurred sporadically throughout but a far cry from fabulous despite what I am almost certainly expecting from the keen eyes of the fawners who recite chapter and verse from their press releases.

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As my ex-coworkers in China used to say... try better next time missy!

Lutz Huelle Fall 2018

It’s not often that I would review a collection of anyone I know... Even if I have never met them... But after watching and  observing Lutz Huelle for a few years now, I felt that the time has come and I need to review his collection for fall 2018. Having been “raised” in the school of more classical fashion and being a decade’s long veteran of the fashion wars, a review of  Huelle’s work  is a new adventure for me … but the time is right. 

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Yes I see the signatures of the denim jackets and all the riffs but what I don’t recall ever seeing is this level of sophistication that is present in this collection. At lack of a better word, the collection has matured, evolved and no longer looks like it is only for the trendsters. With no insult meant at all, I see a bit of Dries in here.

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Beautiful coats, elegant fabrics, sophisticated combinations and still the DNA of the brand is quite present. The outerwear is rather terrific as are his choices of the more classical shapes that he might use as underpinnings. I adored the red fingertip jacket the pleated padded shoulders, the riffs on the nylon bombers and of course the denim asymmetries. Also of special note was the camel  and grey colored collage coats with metallic quilting and the brocade pants … very slick, very urbane and has a very modern take on chic. There was also one zip front coat which was simple at first glance and then exquisitely detailed with intricate seeming and darts upon closer examination… it is important to keep in mind that clothes such as Huelle’s are deceptively simple.

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At any rate it was a great surprise and pleasure to be able to finally write and actually “verbalize” my observations after such a long time of being a spectator. I look forward to watching this collection in its continuing evolution more as I think this might be a turning point for Lutz Huelle.

Andrew Gn fall 2018

Apparently after a sabbatical of sorts, Mr. Gn has returned to the kind of clothes that he is known for and bears his signature brand of style. 

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The dresses are precise, laser sharp, couture like embroideries (for the most part) and have no age. If there are any negatives to be  found they would be the styling which certainly takes away from the  beauty of the clothes, the last group of these sort of engorged florals which are less than graceful and a bit cartoonish and those over exaggerated almost aeronautical shoulders that were employed on some pieces. 

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The one time it seemed to work best was on a black coatdress with something that resembled more of a capelet rather than a shoulder treatment. The Saint Laurent ruffles of the Hedi and Anthony eras seem oddly out of place on clothes that are far more sophisticated than those produced by the aforementioned brand. NOTE: in that last group there is an exquisitely embellished black jacket/ blouse that certainly could pass as couture.

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It is refreshing to see clothes like this... like them or not... Even I have to question who wears clothes like this and where do they wear them to…. But I would rather just focus on the esthetics here and say these are beautifully rendered clothes in the tradition of high fashion that truly represent fashion as designed by a single designer.

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I somehow get this gnawing feeling that the little army cap cum fez is a nod to YSL.