Chanel fall 2022

On the plus side, to her credit, Virginie did not board the trend train that started in New York and continues to this day and beyond. BUT girl what were you thinking here? This looks like the farm girls got dressed to go to church or some ho-down somewhere!

Karl (too bad for VV that she will ALWAYS be compared with him) always had his share of clunkers in every show but NEVER a show full of them. This iteration makes all the models look thick and burly and the clothes leave so much to be desired that the photos say more than the words I can offer. Lurex tights and leg warmers, rubber mucking boots and by God the thick and tweeds and buffalo checks.

Yet, the film conveys a whole different message of girls doing a very bad rendition of the twist, the swim and the frug which would suggest we are supposed to think 60s... well, what did I miss?  I didn’t see any swinging sixties, the fantasy of the Vreeland years or the youth quake unless you think “8 maids a milking” are youthful after they mucked out the barn wearing their rubber boots and tweeds.

To say that this was sadly one of her most ill-conceived collections would be like saying the Pacific Ocean is a puddle! I just can’t fathom that with everything that has come before you and all the years you supposedly spent next to Karl that this comes to your mind as being the Chanel you know!

PS... was I so distracted by the unappealing clothes surely less than fabulous styling that I didn’t exactly see a collection brimming with accessories? BTW, it’s the 65th anniversary of the sling back cap toe pump and yet we got rubber boots!

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Akris fall 2022

I will openly admit that I am an Akris fan and that Albert Kriemler delivers almost every season year after year and while the brand and designer may not get the hype of far fewer deserving brands, he remains at the top of his craft as a designer.

The collection is precise as always with special attention paid to clean lines, subtle details, appealing colorations and of course fabrication; Kriemler always has an inspiration but his inspirations are not justifications as much as actual jumping off points for all the aforementioned qualities that are part of an Akris collection...

This is not an influencer/Instagrammer collection as it doesn’t scream and it isn’t meant to attract the klieg light sort of attention of that are catnip for that audience. The dirty words of wearable, timeless, ageless and minimal come to mind as reasons why that generation will bypass the unrivaled quality and design prowess of Akris.

It doesn’t take a very trained eye to see the impeccable finishing nor the actual thought process that goes into a collection such as this.... yes, it actually makes sense in terms of presentation and design.

If you are looking for fluff and bells and whistles or design  gimmickry then there is nothing for you to see here!

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Schiaparelli fall 2022

It is indisputable that Daniel Rosenberry is fluent in the vocabulary of the brand and of its eponymous designer. It is unassailable that he is a savvy designer who moved beyond the immense over the top elements of the Haute Couture and left them behind and brought the attention back to the clothes themselves. Gone are the sculptural accoutrements and welcome to sculptural clothes.

This collection is the essence of Schiaparelli in its architecture, whimsy and design. There are showpieces which can still be wearable if taken apart and paired wisely. Yes, there is exaggeration but then again what would the brand be without it. Elsa in her own way was an attention whore of sorts and she created that persona with her clothes not by transforming herself.

What is fascinating to me is that Valentino showed in “shocking” and Rosenberry countered by showing in black and white....  chew on that for a moment. There is artistry in Schiaparelli that beckons awe and leaves many other designers in the dust despite their hype.

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Balenciaga fall 2022 women's

 OOH, AAAH  HOOO- HAH!

WHO CARES? LABEL AND MEDIA WHORES UNITE!

Valentino fall 2022

Where to start? ... Well, there was lots and lots and lots of pink to the point of Pepto pink overload! Why on earth would you show pink clothes against a pink background as it does, as one might assume, make it quite difficult to actually see the clothes. Watching the live feed, it suddenly dawned on me where in my day the crowds gathered to see the designer, to get into the show or just feel the energy and pulse of fashion. Not the case here as apparently the crowds gathered outside was to see their favorite influencers/Instagrammers decked out in the literally the latest Valentino!

How many 20 somethings do you suppose can afford 4- and 5-digit price tags which brings me to the point of I cannot imagine the 100s of thousands of dollars spent on giving clothing to these young people as a reward for attending the show. PPP has officially recast the brand as one that is supposed to appeal to millennials and not ladies of a certain age or social standing.

Let’s speak to the styling ... hair, patent leather shoes, makeup ... duh... greasy haired boys don’t wear $5000 tops and as demonstrated on the runway, most girls of any age can barely walk in 3-inch heels let alone 3-inch platforms with 5-inch heels which made for many uneasy and cautious moments. There was no effort to glamorize the models and using cheap ass waterfall earrings didn’t help much and apparently there is a big push in the handbag area.

YES! I do have a few positive things to say that mixed into the seemingly endless parade of dross, there were some pieces that I think will sell and are pretty universal but let it be said... there was nothing new here in terms of design unless you count that egregious bra top or the sequin coverall shown at the start of the show. If anything, the bell skirted pieces seemed somewhat out of place as did Mona Bismarck opera coats and that curvilinear neckline which isn’t new!

Let’s face it, I’m no fan of his but this collection, take away so many bells and whistles, there are some commercially viable styles that will retail to HIS Valentino customer and maybe even to some of the old guard.

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Lutz Huelle fall 2022

If anyone had told me 5 years ago that would write I LOVE LUTZ, I’d have said ... Have you lost your mind? Well, times change, people change and collections evolve and this season is living proof that Lutz Huelle has not only grown up but evolved and yet held onto its own original vocabulary and DNA.

Yes, the denim in there, white shirts, the bombers are there and the innate quirkiness is there but it is somewhat disguised by the fact that you do have to look a little harder to see it and find it. I’m loving that ruffled scarf, that sort of poncho cum gilet, the coat with one front on the bias one on the straight, a simple raincoat, a divine any time-of-day short opera coat, the beloved denim jackets and jeans and some great easy dresses!

I don’t want to say that the collection has matured as I feel that gives the wrong vibe but maybe what can be said is that the collection is more polished, more soigné and that dreaded of all words.... more commercial! Lutz has said that even in this pandemic era, his business has grown and with a collection like this I do believe that was only the start of an even more pronounced growth spurt!

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Alexandre Vauthier fall 2022

Well, here is a rarity if there ever was one at this juncture in the fashion cycle.... ready to wear that is a continuation of a couture collection. It was the common practice moons ago that couture was the tease of what was to come in the nearby future for the ready to wear collection and Vauthier has done just that !... BRAVO!

The segue to this collection is as smooth and slick as the clothes. He is already a red-carpet favorite, a master tailor and designer that does not fall victim to trend. He is his own man... an independent in a sea of wannabes. It seems that every season I want to see more and more but this season I can now say he is truly coming into his own as a master of footwear... especially luxury boots and statement making stilettos. They complement his clothes yet stand alone as unique entities.

The clothes are unabashedly sexy without being vulgar... imagine that ... he hits the right notes with the right silhouettes and fabrications without a trace of gimmickry. He actually celebrates his women!

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