I am so SO out of touch buuuutttt London Fashion week has started and New York has just finished, so I have to rid myself of the OAP that escaped this week and start getting back into the fashion obsessed teen state of mind, I can just hear you cry out in joy. This has taken me ages hence the absence in blogging.
So a late summery on what I thought was the best of New York fashion week.
As most of you know New York fashion week really started with a tragic blow at the loss of possibly one of the greatest designers, Lee Alexander Mcqueen, personally I feel his death really set a mood for the week, but the shows had to go on and I sure am glad they did, because New York turned out somepretty magical shows.
Alexander Wang.
As a MAJOR fan (capitals deffinately needed) it is hard for me to look at any collection of his and fault it, considering I am determined to marry him I probably shouldn't try to fault the man, right? After what he did for SS 2010 it was hard to imagine how he could come up with any more creative genius, and although I don't feel he topped his last collection he still came out with what I think was an amazing collection. I thought it was great to see him work with so many materials - I will just but in here with an example of THIGH HIGH CORDROY LEG WARMERS - and menipulate such steriotyped outfits like a pinn striped suit into what I can only describe as sexy daywear, there was such a variety in this collection and so many different insparations, weather they where all clearly conveyed is something you could argue, but looking at the collection there felt a real buzz, something I think Alexander Wang does so well through pure youthfulness. He really put his iconic NY stamp on it, using Wall street as one of his main insparations, I think he conveyed this well, his use of suit material cut to three quater lengths or made oversised put a totally different and modern feel on the traditional, I also loved to see his dresses which although he beleives "Fashion is about what you wear on your days off" I think would work well as evening wear. Alexander Wang was also one of the front runners when it came to technology, streaming live in times square - what I would of done to be in times square!!!!! - something no other designer I believe has done before.
Calvin Klien
Although I have never really been a fan of Calvin Klien, finding it often too clinical - although I never mind a pair of CK underwear - but I am so SO ubeleivably happy to say how much I loved this collection. It was clean cut and pure, the lack of colour was made up by the perfect tailoring, every peice was cut to perfection, and when watching the show you are honeslty just mesmarised by the movement of the material on the models bodies and the relflection of the light on some of the more elabotrate shiny pieces, it was like menswear on women giving it that kind of awkward uncomfortable baggy look, which I know sounds bad but just looked so perfect on this plain white or black material, it was almost militerial how much precision there was in this collection, it was like architecture in clothes. Francisco Costa KILLED IT it was wondeful to see.
Herve Leger by Max Azria
Herve Leger made me want to become a jogger, or go to the Sahara and become camouflaged in a sandstorm or just wear dresses that make buildings look architectualy simple, yeaahhh. For a label that often produces more subtle gracefull collections, this was a change, it was more shocking and aggresssive, with more bondage than normal, the black was harsh with striking red lips on a nuetral face, it was good, and the more nuetral colours felt almost like a sandstorm, the mix of different beiges, I think they are probably pieces you needed to see close up and really take in the detail, but I liked the change on something that is so well known.
Marc Jacobs
Often it is Marc by Marc that I swoon over, but this year Marc Jacobs was my idea of a perfect AW collection, it was also my idea of how my perfect English teacher would dress, I was gasping with very piece. Marc Jacobs really looked back into the archive this year and went back to some really original pieces. Every peice and all the detail was just breathtaking. It felt very 50's picturesque ancle length skirts and cute buttoned boots or should I say it was. It was like a walking Lula magazine. The colours were nuetral but at least they were there, it seems to be very easy in winter to forget colour exists and you end up with so many black and gray collections, but not Marc Jacobs, he sees the colour in the world you see, or at least I like to think so. By the end of the collection there were some amazing evening wear peices, floor length velvet dead peasant peices, they where like walking art. I also loved the music choice with the classic over the rainbow from the wizard of oz, as he said himself 'I wanted it to feel like there was no placce like home' He did this perfectly.
I just thought I'd point out again my love for the details and accesories, so nude and so tinted, I just luurrvvee them, it makes round plastic framed glasses just so cool when you put a slight tint in them doesn't it?
Proenza Schouler
On first look there was sense of dissapointment as I sighed at the sight of another preppy collection with pleated skirts checkered shirts, much like there pre fall - although I have to admit I loved that - but I still had hope, you have to be good to pull off the overly used prep school look but as we all know Proenza Schouler are good, on closer inspection I noticed the detail and pure tease behind the whole collection, the thigh highs that went RIGHT to the hem line but then when the models walked you could see a quick flash of skin, and the mesh neck lines, that gave the idea of possible cleavage without showing any, the whole collection was a sexual school girl connotation, which I mean who's complaining? I loved the furs, they made the fur amazing, just plain long sleeved unshaped fur, there was also at the end a few dresses, although they weren't the highlight of the collection by far they where beautiful all in a kind of king fosher green with meshed neck lines and triangle cut out mid rifs, it was like a good girl gone bad but kind of has to stay good for school collection using layers and a simple pallete of prep school colour. IT WAS SO GOOD.
Rad Hourani
All black, all unisex and all zips, these are the rules Rad Hourani designs by, not only does it seem to work in magical ways to create what I think is a top class - if I do say so myself - collection, it is pure simplicity, leathery layers, triangular coats and all black, is the potion for briliance, this is the first collection for fashion week the Canadian designer has done and I am very much looking foreward to his next if it is anything like this - which it might well be as he will be using the same insparations board - just the detail of layering that has gone into this and the use of zips and material, I also love how it has all gone into the top, but for trousers although maybe not simple it is all very similar, either tights leggings or amazingly cut leather pants. He hasn't given much to talk about, it is all said in the clothes everything is just said in the clothes.
Rodarte
Rodarte was amazing. I was actually speechless, it was emotional and eye opening to look at, the whole idea around the collection was Mexican border towns, and women in these towns, and the vunrebility of women, it was just so perfectly thought out and conveyed in the designs, the beauty but also the fragility of the women was shown so well in the clothes, but also the determination, I know to some this might sound rediculous, the idea that 35 dresses could mean so much, I mean fashion is stupid right? But seriously looking at this you really understand how people can express themselves or their views through fashion just like art. But I was totally blown away by rodarte it was also so beautiful and colourful, which is always lovely to see in AW. The clothes were amazing and almost dream like in quality, they looked as if they where tangled together using so many different materials, the clothes looked safe with loads of layers shielding the models, honeslty it was such a n emotional rolercoaster to watch. And then all of a sudden it turned FUTURISTIC, when the lights turned off and all the models came out under uv light to show the clothes lit to an eary blue which took me by surprise. The shoes where also amazing designed by Nicholas Kirkwood, the heel was made to look like melting wax, I know AMAZING.
The Row
I highly anticipated this show, I just love to see what celebrities can create 'all on their own' but The Row was different, I was actually interested to see what the Olsens and their team would produce, I was intreaged to see what the collection was like, and I am not dissapointed but also not impressed, although I think the clothes themselves would stand as a good collection - they had a good use of materials, the tailoring was great, the wearability of all the clothes was there without mking them look at all 'average' - there was just this canny feeling that the designs where tailor made as something for either of the Olsen duo to wear, and although yes I think as a designer you do have an input when it comes to your personal taste and your designs, I just think there was possibly too much of a personal input, there is no way you could of ignored the new york bohemian look that the Olsens sport alldayeveryday in the collection, and while looking at the collection all I could think is how they would deffinately be wearing that and that oh and that, you get my point, but as I have said, I still thought the collection itself was great.
More will come. From London to Paris and beyond.
Luella.
