Emilio Pucci Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

What do you do when Fergie and Kate Hudson start wearing your clothes on the runway? Why, serve sex, of course. And how. This new Pucci isn't your grandmother's; it's about youth, sex and all the things that sell more accessories, which is the product line the company wants to grow.

 

The clothes, in the hands of designer Peter Dundas, take the original Pucci only as inspiration. His fall collection opened with a deep purple print gown. What followed were a tailored blue jacket; pants with ostrich feathers, encrusted with baubles; crocodile jackets; bell bottoms; luxe fur coats; sequins, and miniskirts so short they could pass as bathing suits.

 

Consider yourself served.

Bottega Veneta Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

With plenty Little Black Dresses thrown in for good measure, it was all about the male/female dichotomy for the house of Bottega Veneta's Fall collection.

 

Designer Tomas Maier is making significant strides toward ensuring that Bottega Veneta's clothes will no longer be secondary to the accessories by producing a collection wide-reaching enough to draw everyone in, and make this label a destination for dressing from day to night.

The collection started off with a strong black leather pantsuit with a double-breasted jacket before moving into black dresses in asymmetrically draped fluid jersey with structured, almost mannish, shoulders. Other dresses came in crinkly pleated tulle with tulle ribbon details at the shoulders.

 

Just when you thought the palette was going to be all black, blue and dark green, out came romantic pinks and reds. A petal pink gown with a single shoulder strap and a raw-edged ribbon belt was sweet and effortless.

Giorgio Armani Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

Hated the second Armani collection, too- colours were hideous, especially that green and orange, and I hate suede regardless who uses it. And what is with that wet-looking piece of head cloth?? Anywho, here are the few looks I liked.

 

Alexander McQueen Line to Continue

Robert Polet, the president and chief executive of Gucci Group, announced last week that the Alexander McQueen label will continue, in response to questions about its future since the designer’s death.
Gucci Group, which has owned the Alexander McQueen label since December 2000, said a McQueen collection will be shown during Paris Fashion Week in March. The company plans to continue to finance the brand, though it did not release specific plans for the future beyond the fall collection.

“There is an outstanding team at Alexander McQueen, a team that has enormous talent and energy and a passion that Lee was extremely proud of, and so am I,” Mr. Polet has said in a statement.
François-Henri Pinault, the chairman and chief executive of PPR, the parent company of Gucci Group, has been quoted, saying, “This is the best tribute we could offer to Lee.”

 

Mr. McQueen, who was 40, was found dead in his home in London on Feb. 11. An officer of the Westminster Coroner’s Court said during proceedings this week that the cause of death was asphyxia and hanging.

Prada Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

Confession: I didn't like the Prada fall collection. But, really, that's fine. I've had to sift through several of her collections before I actually came to a decision as to my thought of it.
Having done that, my question is- what was she trying to do or say through the presentation of these clothes? We all know nothing is as what it seems for Muiccia. Some say she's shifted the paradigm for what is considered sexy in fashion. But in all honesty, she's been doing that, pioneering her ugly-chic look ever since the 90's.

 

Others have opined she's changed the tone of this fall season, presenting clothes that are aren't overtly sexy or commercial, but still very wearable and practical. To be honest, that is true; like Marc Jacobs a few days before her in New York, she's looked to another era for inspiration, one more clothed.

 

What it seems, to me at least, is that Prada just watched some episodes of Mad Men and voila- inspiration! She's confessed to having never seen the show, but looking at these clothes makes you go, hmmmm...

Not that that is a bad thing- that show seems to be pretty good, with all the awards its been getting. (I too have never seen it.) The important thing is that Prada kept her source in mind, but fused it with the usual elements we've come to expect from her line- frump, and ugly. And no, that isn't a bad thing, either.

Models' hair was pulled-back into 50's bouffant, while the silhouette was angular with skirts cut at an angle at the hip. The broken checks recalled photos of happy wives on cruises in the Caribbean or Mediterranean in an era before the hippie revolution.
The designer also dreamed up a whole new type of sock, a knitted knee sock with a ribbon in grosgrain or chiffon sewn down the shin, which i'm almost sure will spark a hot new trend.

As for sex appeal — this collection had plenty. But in Prada’s world, it’s not about baring all, but covering it up- the first look was a plain black wool dress with long sleeves, high-cut neck and knee-length, A-line skirt ruffled at the hem. It was conservative, almost funereal, except  for the tacky, exaggerated darts at the bust. Some shapes were cast through a seemingly Sixties reference point, such as little jackets, with doubled-up collars, one knit, one fur, and matching skirts cut from thick black and camel ciré, that had the effect of high-gloss vinyl.
Ms. Prada loves to examine our sentimentality about women and beauty, and in some respects this was her most assertive anti-fashion statement in awhile. Something about these clothes felt so outside current fashion and obsessions as to be but a distant squeal from a 60s fondue party. Admittedly, some of the outfits almost dared you to call them ugly, but it's Prada, hun. What did you expect?

Jil Sander Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

Neat jackets, sheer shorts, bodysuits, tailored catsuits (i really didn't like those), and formfitting coats, equipped with flat boots; ladies, and gentlemen, that was Jil Sander's 2010 fall collection in a nutshell.

 

In true Jil Sander style, it was all minimal, and to be frank, surprisingly masculine, too, what with all the suit-oriented looks. Raf Simons is now deeply embedded in the Jil Sander aesthetic, and his interpretation of executive tailoring for the modern woman who can cut it in the boardroom jungle, was dynamic.

Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2010 RTW

I hated the Armani collection especially towards the end, (the cuts were ugly) but there were a few coats that stood out. A few looks, too.