Marni Fall 2012 Review

Marni is one of my favourite brands. I mean, I don't wear it because I'm a guy (not that that would really stop me) and I'm poor. Poor people don't get Marni. They get Savers and Roger David

But if I were a rich girl I would bathe in Marni. I would look like a bookish art freak who is actually a massive slut but keeps it on the dl because I'm classy?

For quite a number of seasons Consuelo Castiglioni has been doing-for loss of a better word-kooky proportions. I can't quite explain it but there was always something not quite right about say the cut of a top or the way a dress moved. The end result was always identifiable clothes but I think the road she took to get there was never linear. See! I don't know what the hell I'm saying.
The fall 2012 collection seems more grounded and has a serious tone to it. It's not Gareth Pugh but it's more mature with the strange prints-a Marni signature-only appearing on a handful of looks allowing colour, shape, and texture to step up to the plate. The opening look was strong, a sort of cape-coat-dress in red and white with gold capped platforms. There were mushy knits, leather jackets that looked like they were moulded from plasticine, big squashy pockets, fur, military touches and giant fur collars. It didn't all work. Some of the modular lines on a couple of dresses could have been cut because the Vidal Sassoon bobs and white tights referenced the 60's just fine on their own.

Lanvin Fall 2012 Review

Alber Elbaz celebrated 10 years at Lanvin with his fall 2012 collection. And in typical Elbaz/Lanvin style he celebrated women-and excess. The collection opened with a series of startlingly-hued dresses in daffodil, raspberry, and grape. That grape look was extraordinary in the way it was moulded to the model's body. The collection was a reinterpretation of Alber's modern-day codes for Lanvin: fur, epic jewels, gloves, a big sleeve, and moody colour. It seems Alber has no intention of going elsewhere so it'll be interesting to see if he continues in this same trajectory or he'll follow the 'if it aint broke' school of thought.

Christian Dior Fall 2012 Review

Fashion is a business and just because Dior is without a star designer doesn't mean they close up shop until they find one. The show must go on and it's disappointing to see Dior put into this strange design limbo where it is quite obvious that the current head designer Bill Gaytten has been instructed to design pretty, clean, saleable clothes. On the other hand, the clothes were so mind-numbingly boring that they're acting like a palate cleanser for the brand because the memory of John Galliano is something the executives at Dior are intent on erasing. So what better way to do that than have lovely belted tunics over pleated silk skirts? It was a fashion sedative. Hopefully by the end of fashion week Dior will have announced their new designer because collections like this don't belong on a runway in Paris.  

Stefano Pilati out at Yves Saint Laurent

Above: Stefano Pilati reacting to the news that he's been let go. I'm kidding, but seriously dude, why the long face?

Stefano Pilati's contract at YSL has not been renewed. Major sads. The fall 2012 collection will be his last and his successor will be named after the show. Rumoured to take over is Hedi Slimane. Pilati has been head designer at YSL since spring 2005. In that time he's raised the profile of the brand which has finally broken even after years of debt. Below are some of my favourite looks over the years.

Above: Spring 2005. A strong debut sets the tulip/bubble skirt trend.

Above: Fall 2005. Mariacarla Boscono in a cropped le smoking. This collection set off the trend for platform shoes.  

Above: Spring 2006

 Above: Fall 2008 featured Pilati's best cut pants that were full at the waist and cropped above the ankle. If you watch the show on Youtube a lot of the clothes in this collection appear to float around the body.

Above: Spring 2008 had wide-shouldered looks and brilliant use of colour.

Acne Fall 2012 Review

So far Jonny Johansson's fall collection for Acne has been one of the highlights of fashion month. In some ways his remarkable use of colour, texture and silhouette reminds me of Prada because there's love put into the clothes but they also have an air of severity and look uncompromisingly cool.

Coats were wide, cropped, pillowy and brightly coloured while pants were low with built-in girdles elongating the silhouette. The fabric textures were incredible in their range from spongy to pilled to shiny and slick. Cinching was in play too with wide Bakelite-look belts, the aforementioned girdles and chin-scraping neck pieces. In what feels like only a couple of seasons Acne has gone from just another denim brand to directional fashion house. Weird right?

Altuzarra Fall 2012 Review

My opinion on Joseph Altuzarra tends to waver somewhere between awful and point of interest. I've not forgotten his dubious spring 2011 show that featured tribal snakeskin appliqué nor his penchant for liberally borrowing from his design idol Tom Ford.
However with less than ten shows under his belt his latest collection is his most accomplished. He showed military coats, cargo pants, French-style skirts and jackets, and Asian influenced trimmings such as coins and pom-poms appeared throughout. It all sounds like a lot to juggle into one collection but there was restraint and a sense of reality to most of the pieces. He delved-rather unsuccessfully-back into velvet with a pair of flared trousers and a bottle green jacket that somehow managed to add about 20kg to the model thanks to the way it was cut to pull away from the body. Though I enjoyed most of this collection I still got whiffs of other designers work, most notably Nicolas Ghesquiere's fall 2007 collection for Balenciaga.

Prabal Gurung Fall 2012 Review

After Prabal Gurung's last spring collection-digital prints and Japanese rope bondage-I was starting to perk up my ears at his work. Unfortunately his fall collection had me lost. Not for words (I have plenty of those) but just like, where is this collection going? Some people are seeing Givenchy references with the hats, the frills and the gown that closed the show. Whether or not he mimicked Givenchy intentionally or not is irrelevant because the show was shit. It started out strong with the first 5 looks all in black but then turned into a drag queens interpretation of Donatella Versace at a fetish club. It was all vampy cut-outs and sheer fabrics. But then the collection turned again with coats that had abstract lumpy fabrics thrown in. It was a pained experiment in texture that was totally not needed. Gurung continued his interest in digital prints from last season but this time around it felt tired and didn't look as though a lot of thought had gone into them.
There were also a few stand out pieces of what-the-fuckery that are worth mentioning, even if it's just for the lulz: The dress jacket with opalescent sleeves. Like, what is air? Those fucking frilled dresses and that sexy gold disco dress. Bitch please, you couldn't even get into a roller disco in that.

On a positive note, I'm not sure if this is a new collaboration but the sunglasses were made by Linda Farrow.

Doo Ri Fall 2012 Review

Doo Ri Chung's fall 2012 collection was aggressive but also very alluring. The opening look, cream pants with a silk waistband, and a draped top wrapped around the neck, with knit sleeves looked effortless and on paper it sounds overwhelming but it worked. This criss-crossing motif was peppered throughout the collection of mostly black daywear in jersey and leather. Some of the knitwear looks were more successful than others due to the fact that draped chunky knits are almost impossible to flatter even the most ano of models. There were also a few pieces that had very detailed lattice-like details which the collection could have done without because it looked fussy. I think the the collection was bold, inspired take on American sportswear.

Needs It

Chanel PVC mum jeans. All in one sentence. All in one glorious garment. Can you fucking believe what you're looking at? It's like Cinderella's glass slipper or some shit. That's if Cinderella were a single mum working nights at an upscale VIP cocktail bar in Tampa. 

Balenciaga pre-fall. Those shoes. That leather. The fucking hair!

Margiela Persian rug boots. To rub over my naked body.

And this dude. Rolled in sugar. On a stick.

Givenchy Men's Fall 2012 Review

The men's shows have come to an end and pre-fall collections are STILL trickling in and couture week is just around the corner. I don't normally review men's shows because I don't keep as close an eye on them as I do the women's shows. This probably explains why I dress so awfully.

The main take away from the men's shows would have to be the suit which I find odd because so few men wear suits seriously or in a way that designers would like them to. Everybody blew their load over Prada's take on power dressing and Givenchy's steady evolution of dark aggressive sexuality. What interests me most about Givenchy is that Riccardo Tisci has founded a look that is all his own and people want to buy it which I think is extraordinary for a luxury menswear brand. I find with most men's collections I see things here and there that I like but they don't equate to any brand or designer identity. You could show me a Gucci jacket and one by Hermes and I would fail to see any distinction. But with Givenchy there's the digital prints, the star motif traced from shoulder to shoulder, or the loose sportswear shapes.  It may not be the most innovative or the most radical clothing but the collections are selling out and I think it's thanks to the casual, sports elements he adds. If Tisci has found a winning formula-and he clearly has-why are so many other designers heralding the return of the suit?