As always, Prada wins! It's like somehow they manage to find the best photoshop-pers to work on their lookbook. And they never disappoint.
P.S. Part 2 is coming up soon. I feel bad if the photo spam lags your computer.
Hussein Chalayan had said that the inspiration for his Fall collection was a road-trip through America. Even if it wasn't stated explicitly, it was clear from the beginning that Hussein was bringing his girls on an adventure, from the the headlights in the background to the car engine being fired to the weather reports heard at the start of the show.
The journey started from New York. Oversized suits and tailored coats brought to mind the Big Apple and Wall Street, but even still, I felt that Hussein Chalayan wasn't taking this idea too seriously when he sewed on two huge pockets that looked more like mittens and paired them with trainers, hoodies and something that resembled toy firemen helmets (I guess?). And this kinda reminded me of Yohji, both his clothes and the person itself. And that third look from the left, yes, that would be the one that Yohji would wear most.
The next destination was marked clearly by the "Mirage" sunglasses (which were so bad, they were almost good), which would then be revisited again in the later part of the show. But having said that, I wouldn't have know where the models were going, if it weren't for the right-in-your-face(literally) wordings. Except for the glitter sleeves and the pageant-like sashes, the clothes would have immediately brought to mind the sci-fi collections that Hussein Chalayan had done in the past. The fabrics (which reminded me of Spring 2010) did look to have enveloped the whole body, continuing past the neckline, engulfing the head. This definitely brought to mind aliens and cyborgs. Could it be that the mirage Hussein had envisioned was somewhat related to outer-space, especially since the prints did look like nebulas and galaxies. Or could I be reading too much into stuff? After-all, a mirage is never really what it seems.
From left, Fall '10 Sci-fi, Comparison of Fall 2010 and Spring 2010
And we had a tiny stop-over at Texas...
The bright pink and red crocheted jackets immediately brought to mind New Mexico. And the rosettes-like-ruffles covering just a half the top of the body was kinda epic. It was as though there was a garden growing on the back of her leather jacket, and the overgrowth crept down the front of her chest. Or they could have been loads of left-over party strings, the one that comes out of a spray can(which shouldn't be the case since it would be less epic then.)
Shearling jackets with matching shearling covered binoculars, camel coats, big desert-sun hats and the cropped leather capes. The desert, Utah, probably. But considering that it was a fall-winter show, wouldn't the desert theme be a little ironic. This being said, this was however my favourite part of the whole collection, especially the huge cuddly binoculars. The irony of the desert and winter, made the concept of mirages, specifically the confusing emotion that such events brought about, more endearing.
Las Vegas, fuzzy shiny glittery prints. And the return of the Mirage.
Honestly, I didn't really like the collection at first. But like a mirage, the more you look at it, the more captivated one gets. And like a mirage, you won't get it when you first see it, but once I saw past it, the answer was clear. It was a beautiful collection and one of my favourite coming out of Paris.
The beauty of a Comme des Garcons show is its mystery. Rei Kawakubo called this collection, "Inside Decoration", referring to the extreme padding used in the clothes. It was definitely very reminiscent of her Lumps and Bumps collection, which till today remains one of my favourite collection from Rei. Not just because of its unusual beauty, but the thought behind it is strangely intriguing. Rei Kawakubo has never ever explicitly explain her collections, and not because I think it is because of her shy nature, but I think it is because it is not necessary. The beauty of Rei's work is that you'd have to think it through to be able to see the clothes clearly.
The Lumps and Bumps collection, as Cathy Horyn has put it, was that the growth of fabric on the garments suggested our relative attachment to objects like cellphones and fanny packs. I've seen many explanations for Inside Decoration, but I have to say that the one I liked the best was Cathy Horyn's. I quote "Since the feminist movement, designers have rushed to praise and suit the strong woman. If you literally stuffed yourself on the language of self-empowerment, would it actually produce a bloated, powerless figure?" (I have many thoughts about this collection and I apologize if it may appear rambly. I have a serious case of word diarrhoea and I'm usually a very rambly person.)
The padding that Rei Kawakubo has done does seem to take the shape of human organs and muscles. Could it be that Rei was exploring the shape of humans today, specifically the size issue of models? What Rei had done was to contradict what the entire (or close to the entire) fashion industry is doing. Instead of sending size zero models down the runway, this collection seemed to avoid the curves of the body and in fact has nothing to do with the outside skin that designers have been concerned about, but more on the inner organs, beneath what one sees. Was this her response to the size issue? Maybe she was trying to show something that couldn't be seen on the surface? Or maybe she was challenging the notions of the human body shape (similar to Lumps and Bumps)? The endless possibilities of thoughts associated with Comme collections are what makes it so intriguing, and I shall not even attempt to pick the right explanation. (Anyways, I don't think there's any correct explanation for any of Rei's work.)
I would not attempt to describe any of the looks simply because every one of them is amazingly hard to describe and also Rei is God (and we are not able to find an explanation nor an apt description for what God does). But having said that I especially loved the last white padded dresses that were almost dream-state like.
Inside Decoration, as with Wonderland and Lumps and Bumps, (You see, I'm already on a name basis with my favourite Comme collections) was a thought made into clothes and it was one of the moments that made beauty seem so ordinary but Rei's beauty, seems oh-so perfect. Very perfect.
And if you hadn't notice, the background of the collages above is that of the Lumps and Bumps collections. Terribly amazing.
Marni
POP Spring 2010, I see your true colours shining through.
Marni was a huge total mess this season, in a good way. There were so many similarities to so many shows, the first half had references to Prada in the 90's, the prints were somewhat similar to Comme des Garcons Spring '08, the last few looks immediately made me think of the Louis Vuitton Spring '10 show and the colors used were very Dries Fall '09. But having said that, this was in no way a copy of any of the shows. Consuelo Castiglioni had infused her own way of thinking into these clothes, which made it seem very Marni, yet somewhat different from what she had previously done. The clothes were more awkward and weird than usual, and there was that retro vibe that make them seem so disconnected with the 21st century.The show was just so weird, it was good.
THE COLOURS. The peaches, the dusty pink, turquoise green, they were strikingly beautiful. As for Marni, it is always about the prints, but this time round it was all about the perfect mix of colours. There was something about the pairing of a turquoise skirt with a brown sweater, the use of peach with dirty yellow, the mixing of oxblood red and a dusty pink on the sweater with a turquoise green skirt, a pink vest with pink feathers attached to its hem worn with long brown shorts, that added a touch of odd and awkward beauty to the otherwise simple clothes. The prints of somewhat abstract faces, were inspired by British painter, Gary Hume, but even then so, they were very much colours than geometric shapes and patterns. As with Marni and Marc Jacobs, fashion houses are going back to the very basis of luxury, simplicity. Reducing the clothes to just the fit and the colours, it was very sensual, light and freakishly good.
Missoni
POP Fall '09 It's no coincidence that both are styled by Vanessa Reid.
I love the direction Missoni is going this past few seasons. It is definitely not easy working with knits and wavy zig-zags for almost every thing they do, but Angela Missoni and Vanessa Reid has proven that they are able to raise the level of their work every time they put on a show. There was a certain free spiritedness and tribal inspiration in this collection, seen in the giant slouchy ponchos and coats that seemed to resemble rugs wrapped over the body and pieced together by a safety pin. In a good way, of course. Having say that, the Missoni we saw was a little different. It was sexy, kind of. I loved the way the knits slung off the shoulders, exposing the skin and bras. I loved the mish-mash of colours (oh colours, what have you done to me), the greys, red and pinks, the blue,oranges and white, the green, blue and red. Sublime. It is definitely not easy working with knits every time, but I don't think there's any brand elsewhere that can take something so grand-mumsy and make it so young and free-spirited and completely exhilarating every season.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga was a disappointment this season. Even though this collection was no doubt very Nicolas Ghesquiere-y; futuristic, sci-fi street-wear, I felt that it wasn't any exciting nor was it groundbreaking in terms of the ideas and concept. I have no idea why but ever since Spring 2009, the collection has gotten less and less exciting. Fall '09 and Spring '10 were still in the 'beautiful Ghesquiere' range but for Fall '10, it just plummeted down to 'Urgh, Ghesquiere trying too hard'. I do appreciate Nicolas's constant use of new materials and couture techniques, but this collection just felt that it was a lost-and-found collection from Spring, Honestly, it was just Spring '10 done in couture techniques. The only looks I liked were the dresses and the belted jersey tops in mismatching colours, and the sweaters with 'mesh' covering on the front, those were technical works of a genius. The shoes were amazing too, with heels that looked like minerals, but Balenciaga always makes good shoes, so that would always be a staple in any of Nicolas's show.
The rest, I could not comprehend. I guess we expected more coming from a great designer like Ghesquiere who constantly pushes the boundaries but this collection was just pushed the wrong way on the opposite spectrum. The last looks (magazines-newspapers prints) were just bordering on tacky and cheap-looking despite the amazing couture shapes (that I would have to applaud). The prints were weird...but they were not Marni-weird, it was just ugly weird. This collection just felt that Nicolas was trying too hard to outdo himself and in terms of keeping his reputation as a futurstic haute couturier. Hmmm.....
Erdem
I loved this collection a lot. I loved the mixes of colours and prints that seem to resemble tainted glass windows in an old chapel, prints that resemble bubbles of a lava lamp, the slightly awkward bird appliques, against the sombre colours of the dresses. I loved the clean and simple silhouettes of the dresses, it was all very well put together. I often feel that London Fashion Week doesn't really deserve the attention it should receive, and that many designers like Erdem are underrated. Someone really needs to give this man the recognition for what he has done.
Dries Van Noten
I've always admired Dries Van Noten collections on how he can put glamour into the most relaxed form possible. It was the slouchiest grey sweatshirt over a sparkly skirt, or it was the simplicity of a pant-suit made with a careless sense of chic. Even the more intricate and precious lace and beading on a dress, was given a dose of Dries's relaxed glamour with army green sleeves. One of my favourite looks, was the pairing of the baggiest and casual sweatshirt and a long purple printed skirt. It was the new formal way of dressing and I loved it.
I can't stop myself falling in love with all the sweat-shirting in the show, it was done so right in the most perfect slouchy manner. I guess it was exactly what I want to wear when I'm having a lazy day (which means every day for these few months).
A Dries show is never easy to describe with words. I guess the best compliment I can make is that Dries did one of the very few shows that I loved everything right from the beginning to the end.
P.S. FashionGoneRogue has gotten into a technical funk this few weeks so finding editorials for the last few shows was pretty hard. Urgh.
Comme des Garcons Homme Fall 2010/11
This collection is just so good. Firstly, if you thinking you're seeing another collection about armor, strength, and anything associated with the military, think again. Rei Kawakubo is one of the smartest designers out there and probably one of the few that has ever lived, and yes, she completely redefines the notion of armor in clothes in this collection. Secondly, if you're thinking you're seeing another collection with plain old tailored suits, I think you're blind.
Clothes as a protective armor, the implementation of this thought to clothes has been done by many designers and I can dare say that Miuccia Prada and Rei Kawakubo are the only two designers that can reinvent this idea and make it completely theirs. From the first few looks, the jackets and trousers were padded at places coinciding with important organs of the human body that laid beneath them. The heart, the elbows and the knees, though I seriously doubt the last two were vital organs of the body. Buckles were seen on vests under the tailored jackets; something like bulletproof vests to be more specific. That was really smart, I thought. Shorts were layered over pants, eskimo-like headgear (by the ah-mazing Stephen Jones), a big fur jacket, the sombre colours; the idea of protection was seen throughout the whole collection. The last part of the show, was a slight trip back to reality though, classic tailored suits were shown but then again, this was only applicable for the upper half of the body. As with Rei Kawakubo, nothing is complete without her whimsical twist, either the neon coloured shoes (they're so bad that they're good), or the baggy trousers.
Fashion as protection, come to think of it, that's what I really need right now. To protect against the cynical comments of others against fashion, to protect against the criticisms one may get when they say 'I'm doing fashion', to protect us from the harshness of this world. (All I want to do is get the huge bearish-fur jacket and wrap myself in it.) Rei Kawakubo is definitely no ordinary designer, she's a thinker's designer.
Alexander McQueen Fall 2010
Prints, prints, prints. On the wall, on the floor, on the clothes. Can Alexander McQueen live without prints, after all you only need to see his women's spring collections to see that he loves the coming together of different colours and patterns on his clothes. McQueen may well be a master of prints. This time round, the prints were of skeleton mosaics and others suggested exhumed bones and skulls, ink in water, burning feathers. The colours weren't as bright as previous prints employed by McQueen for his other collections. Dark, dusty and never beyond the color spectrum of brown, I had to remind myself that this was Fall (and you know how designers don't exactly use much colours for fall). However if one breaks all the prints down and see right past them, it isn't hard to realise Alexander McQueen is a master of tailoring. While the conventional tailored-to-perfection suit formed a bulk of the collection, Alexander McQueen also showed an exquisite tweed jumper with his signature skull motif, the addition of fur to the sides, wool woven suits and amazingly constructed jackets. The classic suiting was the best I've seen all week, and on top of that it wasn't exactly a very classic suit with all the prints going on.
To think that you would see skull motifs on a classic tailored suit, while still preserving the integrity of tailoring, it is no doubt a feat that only McQueen could pull off.
Missoni and Mission are after all made up of the same letters. Well, this time Missoni is on a mission, ready to set out to conquer the world of knits and warm cuddly scarfs. Angela Missoni is after all the queen of scarves and stripes. This season we saw the same familiar knits that Missoni is famous for, complete with their signature vivid patching and stripey goodness. What came as a surprise for many was the introduction of lush fur, a first for Missoni.
The styling as usual was amazing; the awesome striped scarves draped around the necks of the model, against the patchwork cardigans and lush fur coats. If I had one of those long stripey, patchwork-y goodness, no doubt you would see me in it, a la the looks from the Missoni Fall 09 RTW show (not in Singapore of course, I would probably die of a heatstroke), wrapped around my entire head, with the long ends flowing down. If only I could get Singapore to snow......
