I know Posting here has been seriously irregular, like almost a month since my last post, and for this whole month I have managed only a pathetic 3 blogs, but I have so SO much to blog about, just no time to do it i. I have been having loads of important exams recently and deadlines to meet, so I do have a slightly valid excuse. My Education LOL jk. Even so, I feel no less bad for the lack of posting I have been doing.
No surprise as to what this post may be about. The finale of the four fashion capitals fall/winter 2010 collections, Which where held in Paris. Unsurprisingly Paris was constantly bringing out the best of fashion throughout the week, so this is the biggest post I have done - it took me about 26 hours in total + a liddle bit of procrastination. Being the home to some of the most successful and talented designers, Paris fashion week always impresses. But it sometimes catches you off guard as to actually how talented and creative some people are.
A.F Vandevorst
A.F Vandervost was another label designer doing military, personally I am finding military is overdone and always too Sargent Pepper, but just occasionally some designers take military and turn it into a strong collection, they take a different look at it, make it less artsy and hippie but more about the actual uniform. As you can guess I felt that A.F did this perfectly, they didn't take the typical military look and edit it, they kept it militerial, strong and powerful . Although slightly repetitive it was beautifully crafted, with metal bolts holding the structured jacket's together, the clothes made the models look powerful, the colours only complemented the collection, using minimal block colours of beige, orange, plum and the black numbers, ending with actual chalk on some of the pieces. All being well and fun, by the end of the collection, the design duo send out a piece with chalk stuck on, yes humorous, but also possibly signifying bullets, bringing home the whole idea of the collection, being war, leaving it on a slightly more sombre note, for people to think about.
Balenciaga
"I was working on something domestic. Casual things mixed with classic. And a kind of rigidity," Said Nicolas Ghesquière. My original opinion was recycling and fashion thinking fore ward but both could work for me. With a mix of geometry, collage and mighty manipulation of materials, no wonder Balenciaga was one of the most blogged about shows this season, the whole collection showed the creativity some people have, and how inspirations are communicated, and put fore ward through design. It had so many quirks and details, making things every household may have into something beautiful, something you may double take on, where normally you would see it without thinking anything of it.
For me the collection showed the idea of using normality and making it something magical, cliched I know, but that is exactly what Nicolas Ghesquière managed.
Yeah I know freaky collage with loads of coloured eyebrows, but they where as amazing as the dirty purple hair of Proenza Schouler S/S.
The shoes where like miniature buildings, made ecologically, using recycled materials, on the feet of avid cyclists who live lives of chique ecological vegan ism.
Balmain
Decarnin's inspiration for Balmain, was none other then from Balmain itself - a past menswear collection to be exact - possibly also among his inspiration was 17th century Louis the XIV, and all things gold?
Balmain killed it, and the Balmain women, was one that would take you out on a wild night that you could never forget. She is sexual powerful and glamorous, covered in gold, tight leather, tassels and fur, everything about the Balmain collection, showed a type of women who wasn't scared to get out there and use her curves, spindly legs and flowing hair to keep all the men dribbling at her feet, it was power in a different sense. So many designers have been doing collections to empower the modern day business women, but this was a collection with a slightly sleazy undertone. The collection was full of beautifully tailored jackets and trousers, and high slit dresses that worked with all the best bits of a women's body.
Celine
With a lot of the A/W collections it was hard to see past S/S as there where so many unforgettable collections. Celine was one of these, Pheobe Philo's return to fashion was triumphant and a complete success, and Celine's S/S collection was amazing, and so hard to forget. But although she maybe didn't triumph to create one as groundbreaking as before - helped by the fact it was her first collection back - she did create another solid beautiful collection. I have found that with both of her latest collections, she has produced clothes, that would empower the women wearing them, I feel the clothes she creates are subtly androgynous, but work so well on women's bodies, I don't think they take away from the women wearing them, but add a sense of masculinity in the shoulders and unshaped waists, that shouts out, power and the modern working women. It seems her break from fashion has inspired her return, creating clothes you believe most women would want to wear, that are sophisticated, comfortable and empowering.
Chloé
Chloé was Chloé, it was beautiful and beige, with high waisted wide leg trousers, and comfortable men's over coats. For me there is often a feeling after seeing the first five all beige pieces, that Chloé doesn't stretch much further then that, but low and behold like S/S with their denim piece it seems MacGibbonChloé isn't just beautiful beige high waisted wide leg trousers.
I also have a colour obsession for beige, and a respect for natural beauty, which is everything Chloé produces.
Comme des Garçon
Rei Kawakubo is one designer who doesn't conform to the norms of the fashion industry, it seems this collection is no exception, with pillow like padding on shoulders, hips, backs an bodices all bodily areas the fashion industry tries to avoid, are enhanced and made unavoidable, weather it is a statement or just her breaking boundaries to just design exactly how she wants, she has created a women out of the ordinary. Her account for the collection was 'inside decoration' I see more tumuristic growths made to look beautiful, and coiling materials almost like intestines between the models legs but that is something wonderful about fashion, each collection can have different meanings for each person. One issue with fashion I find, is the repetitive use of things, weather they are inspirations, materials or models themselves but I often feel people sometimes don't even try to create something different, this is where my respect for Kawakubo heightens, not because she chooses her inspirations differently, or her materials but because what she creates with them is just so different to the norm, so far away from it in fact that there is nothing repetitive about it.
John Galliano
"A traveler searching for a new world, lead by the magnetism of her heart, as strong and as fine as the needle in a compass" In the words of Galliano himself, this collection was something extravagant, romantic and beautiful, loosely based around the Afghani court immigrating to Europe, the collection has a beautiful mix of eastern, western, history and modern, the beauty of the show was shown in the inspiration and story behind it, but it was the clothes which where more interesting. Behind all the elaborate layers, hats and makeup Gallinao had created a collection full of beautiful wearable clothes, something you see rarely in the dream like shows of Galliano, that capture every corner of the onlookers imagination. But wonderful Arab trousers paired with fitted well tailored jackets where the ingredients for this collections success, past all of the elaborates of this collection there was a sense that you could wear every piece of it, a prospect that makes my heart skip a beat and my pockets burn.
Gareth Pugh
The dark side of Avatar, but still the least alien collection I have seen from Gareth Pugh. His collection this season, showed a more glamorous dark Hollywood side to his capabilities as a designer, the beauty that came with the collection was mysterious and abstract and slightly shaded. Not known for his colour it wasn't a surprise to see blacks and greys the only shades, but somehow this never seems to dampen the collection. There was still a harshness in his leather and the corners of his striped arrows, but there was a softer more feminine approach too, softening it all with the knitwear and draping coats, there was also a feeling of distortion I felt, starting the collection off with flashing strobe lights and architectural leathers, continuing with layered dresses and arrows everywhere, also the change from a smokey eye to a shadowed for head all slightly distorting but intriguing all the same. It was nice to see another more wearable feminine and glamorous side to Gareth Pugh.
Hussien Chalayan
The idea of basing a collection on the American road trip, and designing his clothes in stages according to where in America you have arrived is an idea, I find inspiring, fascinating and genius. This all was made better by really being able to see the transition, from New York, with the models in over sized tailored jackets, paired with trainers, and then going through to Dallas with more traditional sharp tailored look, and then right through to New Mexico and Las Vegas, with flamboyant coloured ruffles, or floor length sequin dresses, the whole collection was transition a journey that you could follow and feel connected to. It was so wonderful with some really beautiful pieces, I love his large camel coats, his desert poncho paired with grey socks and traditional loafers, and his grey tracksuit paired with a Mexican style ruffled scarf, all of it worked beautifully together. I absolutely loved it, this was definitely a highlight of this season, not just for the clothes, although undeniably beautiful, but because I love a story, something you can associate with and see how other people interpret it, from Hussien himself, to the stylists, to the make up and other fashion enthusiasts.
Junya Watanabe
Another take on military which I loved, it was modern and ugly, like war is. There was a massive emphasis on the size of the skirts, there were pleats, flares and bursting amounts of mesh to push out everything below the waist, which gave the feeling of an almost Edwardian style dress with petticoats paired with working boots. But I felt the main idea was war, there was khaki, combat and military style hats, all combined with the drawn, pale and almost unattractive faces and hair of the models in the show, I felt slightly put off by the whole thing, there was an intense feeling of war for me, which I found uncomfortable and saddening, so many people use this look as inspiration but many don't use the idea of war to make the impact but more the uniform. although this may not be actually what he wanted to put across, that's what I picked up on, especially growing up in a society which has always been involved in some kind of war. I thought it was a wonderful collection, full of meaning, and beautiful clothes, layered folded cropped cut and tailored into a beautiful collection.
Miu Miu
Miu Miu was another label that had a killer S/S collection to live up to. And although there wasn't the same feeling of groundbreakingness that there was with the last, and her most recent Prada collection, there was still an admiration for the collection and Innocent love for it. Unlike in her latest Prada collection which had every emphasis on the bust, this was Innocent young and soft, it reminded me on first glance of the felt playing kits I used to have when I was little. It was floppy bows, rounded petite shoulders, and square toed shoes, with moderate length skirts and even more moderate neck lines.
It felt like Lolita before Humbert came along, the stages just before a teenager becomes sexually aware, and is still being influenced of how to dress by her traditional mother.
Stella Mcartney
Stella Mcartney, was once a designer I ignored, not because I felt she had no talent, but because I was ignorant, and felt she had an easy step into fashion, honestly it was just jealousy, but more and more, I am respecting her as a designer, although not bold or political or powerful, her designs are nice, and that is what this collection was, nice, it was simplistic, beautifully tailored, and made special using tiny details like the collar, or shape around the waist, she also used beautiful materials, like the leather dress and jacket. Nothing was too embellished, it was all fresh and A/W appropriate.
Vanessa Bruno
I loveeedd this collection, although not the most publicised and raved about , I absolutely loved it. All of it was like dirty winter bohemianism, I thought the stylist did such a beautiful job, creating the women for this catwalk, the clothes where beautiful, but the thigh high socks cute fisherman hats and layers upon layers where what made the collection, that much more exciting. It was such a graceful collection, but it still felt kind of rugged and exciting. The layers kept it true to the clothes having been designed for winter, and the colours where very natural and autumnal.
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood, being a hero and inspiration, never seems to disappoint, but it saddened me slightly, how amazing this collection was, and how beautiful it was, compared to her show in London, don't get me wrong I thought her London show was wonderful too, but being the queen of British fashion, and managing to actually stay a British label - something so many have not managed, Galliano, Mcqueen, Chalayan to name a few - I felt slightly disheartened, feeling she had maybe saved the best for Paris. Pointless moaning out of the way, I thought the collection was stunning. I always feel her clothes are almost like a protest, they are always so powerful, and often have a strong meaning behind them weather intended or not. Just looking at the clothes, you can see how inspired she is by everything, and how she can manipulate ideas and materials into one. So many patterns so many materials, and only one women could draw with felt tip on her models faces.
Yohji Yamamoto
For Yohji Yamamoto, the collection was dark, minimal and over sized. He kept the colour to blues blacks greys and the occasional white, putting emphasis on the details. A continuing trend seemed to be the pleats, over sized dungarees, and shirts lengthened and turned into dresses, the collection was simple and felt almost emotionless with the bright lighting on the bleak clothing, although I found the collection slightly sombre and depressing, I still thought it was beautiful and darkly charming, and reminded me of a dark side to Alice in wonderland or dark Little red riding hood, there was a definite sense of eerie beauty throughout the collection. Never mind bankruptcy and the closure of his shops including his New York store, Yohji still manages another beautiful collection.
Luella
