Lanvin Resort 2012

Is there any other designer of female clothes who has their finger on the pulse of fashion more than Alber Elbaz? The man is a GOD of design, a real stalwart who ably gives us that perfect mix of art and commercialism. I can't find any other word to use other than "exquisite" to describe these pieces.
I especially loved the use of plissé on some of the pieces, and how opulent it made them look. Speaking of opulence, the chokers, chains, beads, and pendants that decorated each neckline were a thing to behold; this is a house known equally for its accessories as its clothes, after all.
Also on display were a few pieces of Elbaz' cutesy new children's line, and I can just imagine the cost of those. No worries, as i'm sure discerning fashionista mothers out there will shell the bucks out for that.

Best Spring 2011 RTW Collections!

It's a new year, and even here in Jamaica, we're all looking forward to putting these colder months behind us. What better way to look forward to Spring 2011, than to actually review the collections presented in New York, London, Milan and Paris for that specific season. Designers turned out their stuff for some unusually strong collections rich on colour and bold prints. As with any kind of top 10 list, it was hard to choose, but it had to be done. So here they are, the ten best collections for Spring 2011, in my most humble opinion, of course.

10. Chanel

I'm a huge fan of Karl Lagerfeld, but sometimes, especially for Chanel, his vision is sometimes bogged down by too much... stuff... Sure, this collection really was no different than most of the others aesthetically, but when you strip down each individual look, there were so many wearable, stand-out pieces, you would be hard-pressed to say this collection didn't work. Last season he gave us fur everything, this season he gave us practical everything.

9. Mary Katrantzou

To say I love Mary Katrantzou is an under-statement; I love even more, what she does with prints. For her first stand-alone collection, though, the designer kicked things up a notch, delivering a dazzling, artful, ornate collection that touched on Hussein Chalayan's functionality and Balenciaga's silhouettes.

8. Alexander McQueen

Ethereal, even vampiric, and altogether beautiful, Sarah Burton, now head of the Alexander McQueen label, continues to push the house in a direction it needs to be following the untimely death of its designer. While anyone could hardly make an argument of McQueen's clothes as being anything but state-of-the-art, it can be said that the label sometimes isn't very soft. Not so in the worthy hands of Burton.

7. Proenza Schouler

My fashion-forward friends supposedly view me as some type of heretic whenever I say this, but i'm not a fan of Proenza Schouler. I find their design aesthetic a little too safe and plain to warrant all the hype from the Vogue crowd. But call me shocked when I saw this collection, an indisputably pretty display of truly feminine pieces. It was very First Lady-like, not too edgy, but it hit all the right notes with its muted palettes, abundance of ruffles and emphasis on legginess.

6. Celine

You must be doing something right to get name-checked by the likes of Kanye West, and indeed, Phoebe Philo, designer for Celine, is. With her under-stated minimalism, she's spear-headed a movement in fashion that is all about sharply-edited, non-fussy, stand-out pieces. This collection was no different with its whites, tans and beiges, but Philo knew when to inject the exact amount of colour, resulting in pieces with plenty of pizazz and oomph.

5. Gucci

I'm still pretty surprised how much I loved this collection. But what's not to love about louche jump-suits, and glam crochet? It was a glamorous, provocative collection, with designer Frida Giannini riffing on Guy Bourdin, but forgive me if I detect more than a whiff of classic YSL.

4. Lanvin

At this point in the career of Alber Elbaz, the man can literally do no wrong. His collections for the house of Lanvin, probably the premiere house for sophisticated female fashion right now, are clear, intelligent and oh-so-beautiful. There were gorgeous pleating, lavish colours, the usually-elegant accessories all done with a precise sense of execution.

3. Rodarte

Seems to me the Mulleavy sisters didn't go too far for inspiration for their collection for Rodarte, if one were to go by all the wood-like fabrics used through-out. It was a beautiful collection; my jaw dropped several times, and i'm not even that big a fan of the label. What it proved, though, more than anything else, is that these two ladies are more than capable of stepping outside of their comfort zone (their usual quirky dishevelment) and deliver, truly deliver to a mass audience.

2. Dries Van Noten

Painterly. That's the first word that came to mind when I first saw this collection from Dries Van Noten. I was so impressed by the relaxed feel through-out that at first I didn't even realize how well-made the pieces are. But even more so than the clothes themselves, is how subdued and dream-like everything is thanks, in large part, to the hues and palettes chosen. With Chinese ceramics apparently being the reference point, the whole thing came across more as a display of art and less of a display of mere clothes.

1. Haider Ackermann

Emphasizing evening wear by wear of silk pajamas, the Spring 2011 RTW collection from Haider Ackermann was sensual and divine. With samurai elements thrown in for good measure, neckline plunged, pelvic areas went missing, tuxedos were backless, and everything was accented by bleeding reds, electric blues, or gothic black. It was a daring collection, not one for the casual fashion follower, but one that managed to be very soft and alluring right through-out. Sure, some of the pieces may have seemed a bit studied, but Ackermann deserves to be praised for unwavering vision. Absolutely delightful!

The Best Spring/Summer 2010 RTW Collections

As we prepare for the fall collections next month, and sift through pre-fall, let's look back at September and October of '09. Here are my choices for the top ten best collections of last season. 

10. Balmain

There's a reason Balmain is your favourite celebrity's favourite label. Christophe Decarnin's padded, over-priced shoulders is now a phenomenon, but thankfully, for his S/S 2010 RTW collection, he gave us much more than trends. Goddesses in huge-shouldered, metal-epauletted military tailcoats, dominated his runway; their T-shirts tattered, bullet belts slung around artfully destroyed, stained, and holed jeans.

 9. Viktor&Rolf

It surprised, even annoyed me a bit how some of these so-called authorities on fashion were quick to pan Viktor&Rolf's collection. When has a runway show (emphasis on show) been about accessibility? With that said, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren's collection succeeded. The use of mountains of tulle was ingenious to say the least, and the shoes were quite gorgeous. I'm waiting feverishly to see how this will all transfer to retail.

8. Versace

What has gotten into Donatella Versace lately? With each new collection, the clothes have just been getting better and better! With vivid pastels, geometric prints, baroque curlicues and slinky chain mail, it was all very commercial, but no one should complain when it's this tastefully done.

7. Karl Lagerfeld

In a dying industry, sometimes going back to basics is necessary. And that's exactly what Karl Lagerfeld did with his RTW collection for S/S 2010. The black and white motif reflected the designer's own personal style, but it was the use of couture fabrics that proved the collection's pedigree. And those dresses at the end with overlapping silver filigree? Gorgeous!

 

 6. Burberry Prorsum

 

With the trench coat as his canvas, Christopher Bailey reshaped and remade the staple over and over again with one not-so-simple technique- ruching. In a collection that could have killed itself from repetition, it is testament to Bailey's talent as a designer how very seamlessly everything came together.

5. Givenchy

 

Remember when Riccardo Tisci's shows weren't given the seal of approval? My how times have changed. Every editor and fashion industry insider worth their salt now claw their ways to attend his shows. But really, nothing has changed about his approach to design.

His collections continue to fuse religious, couture and cultural influences. If that sounds like nonsense on paper, look at how beautifully the clothes turned out: the graphic jackets; tiny kilts; attenuated drop-crotch harem pants; cool, multi-layered, modernized tutus; and draped, wrapped, and swathed tulle dresses. I suspect Tisci is somewhere having the last laugh.

4. Lanvin

Decadent. Sumptuous. Regal. Fitting words to describe Alber Elbaz' drape-tastic S/S 2010 collection for Lanvin. Opulent fabrics in a candy-store array of pink, salmon, peach, and vermilion was paired with a dash of extraordinary fine leather and a buildup of encrusted gold sequins and jewelry.

3. Balenciaga

 

In a collection that seemed as much informed by as designed for the streets, Nicolas Ghesquière collaged  elements of recycled fabrics and natural-looking hemp weaves, into tribalistic clothes completely ready for the concrete jungle.

2. Gareth Pugh

 

Has Gareth Pugh started to lighten up? No. He's started to tone down. Garnering some of the best reviews of his very short design career, Pugh's usual elements were still there- black and white, dark androgyny- but the collection also proved how meticulous he is with experimenting with fabrics, micro-pleating, weaving and slashing crepe and chiffon. Pugh has talent, there's no doubt about that, but this was the first time anyone could call his creations beautiful.

1. Alexander McQueen

What a hubbub this collection caused! Kanye West blogged about it. Lady GaGa caused the live stream to feed what with debuting her new song at the time, "Bad Romance", at the show, before she wore some of the fashion in the accompanying music video. Even Daphne Guinness was photographed in the 12-inch shoes. But all that aside, McQueen's vision of Darwin was the singularly most brilliant stroke on the runway last season for its creative execution alone. The clothes, though, speak for themselves- sea-reptile prints, nipped waists, belled silhouettes, I don't even know how to describe the fabrics themselves. All I can say is each dress was a work of computer-generated art crossbred with McQueen's couture signature. And that's a compliment if ever I gave one.