Haider Ackemann ... Spring 2014 ... Paris Collections

Well it is not a happy moment when you realize a designer might have run out of steam or possibly has been influenced too much by what he sees and those around him.  Haider Ackermann blasted onto the fashion map not that long and won over everyone who had the last bit of taste and fashion knowledge.  The impeccable color sense, the mastery at tailoring, draping and layering all rendered at the platinum level.

Apparently Mr. Ackermann and Mr. Elbaz have shared the same piece goods  room and remarkably have chosen “the international lurex festival” as their overriding option for Spring 2014.  Since my reviews do not pay much attention to inspirations and press releases … WTF are you thinking here?

Yes I get it, you found your Capucci moment and yes you definitely took the time to show off your tailoring skills but jeez you veered off course with gratuitous transparency and over the top gratuitous sexy tops and other gimmicks that do not befit your original DNA.

Do you think Cathy or Suzy or Shooting Blanks might know that those fanned out accents will hang straight to the ground once the hand is removed from the pocket or that lurex when mushroom pleated like that is as stiff as a board to the point of almost having a life of its own?? Well, do ya??

The Annie Hall 2014 version looked great in comparison to the rest of the pile but Mr., Ackermann is either trying to forge a new path or he simply pooped out and the answer won’t be known until Fall 2014.  There were a few all black pieces that looked exquisite but somehow out of place in a collection that would have used them as underpinnings in previous forays. 

Once again, we have a designer who is either in transition or might be at a crossroads.  It will be interesting to see how this “fans” out... and yes, pun intended! BTW, do you think he had tulle fit??

Yohji Yamamoto ... Spring 2014 ... Paris Collections

This reviewer cannot pretend to understand or really interpret the codes and DNA of Yohji Yamamoto but this reviewer is very capable of speaking about what has been presented and can discuss on a level that is not really only about fashion.

As I was reminded many many years by a sage buyer, Mr. Yamamoto is above all a master tailor and a brilliant technician.  He also makes one helluva white shirt.  Spring 2014 is a brilliant example of all of the above and more and all you have to do is look at the collection to see it.  If you are unable to examine the clothes just on those levels, then, IMHO get outta Dodge quick!

I cannot even hypothesize or pretend to know the why and wherefore when it comes to the usage of neon brights but I can say the pieces are incredible examples of drama, technique and individual vision for a brand.  If one examines the first 10 exits, one should be able to see that they are literally the basis for the entire presentation and that is a feat not accomplished by most designers no matter what their individual collections might represent. Another aspect or facet of Mr. Yamamoto is his knits which are beautiful and really when extracted from the collection can be classically beautiful.

What importance or gravitas Mr. Yamamoto may have in the fashion continuum is a mystery to me but I can be awed by the sheer exhibition of his great talent and I am just that!

PS I adore the digitized camo prints!

Christian Dior .. Spring 2014 .. Paris Collections

Person to person call to Raf Simons…… Hello Raf… WTF are you drinking or thinking when you produce a collection that looks like that?? Huh?? Wanna explain that to the world?? You have about 3 minutes... so let her rip!

Without reading another review, these eyes and this mind tell me the clothes are fugly and that they bear little to no relation to DNA or House Codes or vocabulary of the fabled revered house.  That is to say unless of course you read and believe the claptrap bull that the PR machine of Dior will pump out as their press release. Without question, Mr. Simons in his own pedantic pretentious way will offer arcane inspirations and draw blurred parallels to what was shown and then try to tie it back to the brand of Dior!  Sad, just horribly sad.

Due to his predecessor, Mr. Galliano, the comparisons are inevitable but Mr. Simons is but a supporting player in comparison to the star power that Galliano possessed and projected. Galliano may not have produced the most commercial of collections but hell this is no more commercial and viable and yet it is way more unattractive and unappealing. 

My eyes tell me that the clothes are labor intensive on the face of it and there is no real reason as they might as well just be produced in any workrooms by any other designer.  With the exception of very few pieces, where is the Dior in them as they are contrived. Over worked, over wrought, ill-conceived and clumsy, just to name a few highlights.

In the final assessment, there can be only one conclusion... okay so I lied… there are a few... 1- he shouldn’t be designing this collection, 2-is that the media hype surrounding Dior and Mr. Simons cannot alter the fact that the clothes are hideous.. 3- That this is nothing more than the emperor’s new clothes... 4- The door that was used to welcome him will be the same door that will be used to excuse him of these duties!

PS ...even the shoes are bad this time out let alone the absurd maquillage .. . Time to smell the coffee boys...did I mention that pleats do not hold in silk and only on synthetic fabric ..so sorry and before I forget .. what’s with shoes dress bag jewelry all in different colors as to be confused with some ADD color chart

Balmain .. Spring 2014 .. Paris Collections

Well, it came as a surprise that Mr. Rousteing changed gears and shifted away from just the highly embellished and beaded to a more frivolous and girly look.  Let’s say that he “borrowed” heavily from the past and in particular Chanel, Franco Moschino and perhaps some Emanuel Ungaro as well.  The last little tidbit seems to have evaded the pundits whose resumes are 20 minutes long and were not yet “born into” fashion when all that went down!

So, with that being, said there loads of quilted pieces, loads of chain jewelry as well as chain used as embellishment, flounced skirts, leather and softer jackets and cardigans.  The new Balmain gal will be wearing a varsity jacket or maybe leather overalls which came in several incarnations.  She will also be wearing denim… but Balmain denim only bears resemblance to the fabric and not the expectation as here the denim is exquisitely beaded and adorned and embellished like none other.  Then there were the cardigans and Vee necks … divine!

Oddly enough with all the change that Mr. Rousteing has introduced to the collection, he has managed to maintain the DNA and integrity of the brand by reinterpreting it and reimagining it which is no easy accomplishment. The embroideries and embellishments are decidedly over the top and even though we have seen their “essence” before, they seem fresh here with all the less is more philosophies that seem to fill runways lately.  Excess can be a good thing … Sexy is not just about short and transparent and to convey it without is no easy task although discretion is not exactly the order of the day here.

Whether or not this collection has legs remains to be seen but this designer surely knows how to manipulate the collection and is not just a Johnny one note!  What needs to be pointed out is the embellishments, treatments and embroideries which are just superb in every way.  The accomplishments of these effects and permutations boggle the mind as well as one can be sure … empty the wallet!

Manish Arora .. Spring 2014 .. Paris Collections

Well here is a welcomed moment in the seemingly never ending line up of homogenized runway shows… clothes created by a  designer who brings a smile to your face.  In a sort of 21^st century version or combination of Franco Moschino, Castelbejac, Cavalli and Sonia Rykiel, Manish Arora has certainly carved a niche for himself with a brand of humor, clothes and technique, much the same as the others did years earlier.

No, he doesn’t fit in to any mold and he may not exactly follow a trend of any kind but he has a perspective and from what one can see, part of that perspective is to have a sense of humor and enjoy what you wear.  In my opinion the clothes might show better if they weren’t piled on print on top of pattern on top of print but with a discerning surgical eye, there are lots of pieces that would certainly appeal to a lot of ladies.

The collection is a riot of color and a cacophony of prints, to say the least, and supplies plenty of attention grabbing pieces but I’m guessing that discretion and blending in are hardly the focus here.  For me, I‘ll take 5 of these collections in comparison to all the high minded inspired collections that only produce unwearable and ill-conceived clothes. These are impulse buys at retail but then again it surely is not the kind of collection that blends in with all the others or might be considered a “destination” resource.