Alexandre Vauthier haute couture fall 2020

So, here’s the deal... I tip my hat to Monsieur because he is fully aware that who knows where and if anyone will ever wear these clothes but as he says... he must dream, he must design!

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He is unquestionably one of the warriors of fashion who will do what he must to survive in these trying times.

His clothes are an acquired taste, a favorite of red-carpet celebrities and performers and most of all to his devoted clientele. After all, these are not supermarket clothes but they are the clothes of fairy tale fashion and showing the amazing feats of the fabled ateliers of Paris.

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He proves himself to be first and foremost a tailor and then he shines as a god of the sexiest dresses since the days of Emanuel Ungaro. This season he shines … quite literally with his gold bullion embroidery from Lesage and his mushroom pleated lame with horsehair curving hems and edges, it's hard not to think of 40s glamour with his use of plumage from Lemarie and one very obvious nod to Pierre Cardin.

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These are the clothes that make you stand up and take  notice and I say BRAVO to  him for having them photographed in a way that might possibly be the only  places they are actually worn  but they are fabulously decadent, sexy  and for the most part over the top so why not be distracted from the ills of our times with couture that many dream of and fantasize about.

Chanel haute couture 2020 fall

It’s a bit jarring for me to say that this might be Madame Viard’s best outing yet… maybe because it’s that there are not 70 exits, maybe it’s because there is no grandiosity of set and maybe it’s just that there are a lot of beautiful clothes in a  finely  edited  collection … some of which border on exquisite. In order to fully appreciate the clothes, one must  view the short  film (www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2020-couture/chanel ) and the entire collection as it allows you to see the COLOR!

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Chanel signatures abound and if my memory serves me right, there are some of KL’s greatest hits in there but as a whole, it’s pure Chanel for the women who eat and breathe Chanel. My only criticisms would be the styling and the abundance of taffeta and chiffon dresses but some were quite wonderful others rather pedestrian.

 

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Bottom line is simply that Virginie most definitely put her best foot forward with this collection under the most difficult and trying circumstances of today’s world and certainly the most trying times for those of us in fashion. No gimmicks, no tricks... just clothes and artistry of the Chanel ateliers.

Schiaparelli haute couture fall 2020

Daniel Roseberry has given us a gift… he has provided us with the fullest emotion of the couture and that is fantasy. Couture is not for the usual consumer but only for those who can afford and lust for the most exquisitely executed clothes made to measure!

 

The film (on vogue.com)  is the designer sketching the collection and the images shown are the sketches which cause the viewer to the only dream of what might be or might have been if the collection was actually made.

He infuses the DNA of the eponymous brand with great skill and élan….  Something so many other designers should take note of… heritage brands have their own vocabulary as you will see.

The format of the review is a bit changed but my sentiments and reviews never ignore what fashion is about and what it was built on! 

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