Let’s start with Chanel, shall we? Why? Because it was on a plane that’s why.
Yes, the show today was on a plane. Only Karl could think of a way to top the banquet tables laden with fruit and candles and Chanel trains of Pre-Fall. Yes, he put this show on a plane. Of course, not just any plane (it should be mentioned that the plane did not actually fly, nor where there bags of peanuts pretzels passed around), but a Chanel plane, which took five days to construct. Whoever can take longer to put up a fashion show set deserves an award.
The setting turned out to be perfect for the clothes, which seemed to have been infused with some 1960’s PanAm stewardessness. A little boxy and a little mod, with sculptural necklines and weirdly amazing pockets on dresses with elongated proportions. Well, the shorter, day dresses were like that. The longer ones, and the more ornate cocktail dresses were quintessential Chanel, all in shades of blue, 150, to be exact. (I wonder what this means for the next nail colors? Will they be blue?) Here there was more beading, more shine, more sheer, more glam, and more pockets. The glamour of Haute Couture was there will full force, and still with innovative necklines and interesting shapes. The jewels, however, seem to have fallen from the dresses and onto the models legs. A product of gravity, perhaps? How cheeky.
ok, moving on from The Kaiser…
If anyone has embraced the neon/acid/chartreuse green thing more than Armani did with this couture collection, please let me know. Not that it’s bad, I actually am loving this color. There were a lot of suits, both with skits, egg-shaped, and trousers, slim, and of course the dresses everyone loves to wear on the red carpet (how fortunate that the Oscar nominations were just released, right before the show, as it seems from Jessica Chastain’s phone call.) Mr. Armani’s inspiration was ‘metamorphosis’- (think Kafka) which seems appropriate given all the iridescents and greens. More confusing were the spirally head things… His show also went through a process, a metamorphosis so to speak, of it’s own- from shiny suits to some bug looking creation to some reptiles showing up to feed on the bugs (that part is made up, by me.) Interesting clothing, though a little hit-and-miss, and some nice Oscar dresses, don’t you think, Jessica?
Looks a little Balmain, no?
Oh look, more croc.
Wait…is this the part where the models turn into bugs? Taking the inspiration a little far, aren’t we?
The reptiles have arrived to eat the bugs
Oh, don’t we just all love Givenchy? Riccardo Tisci can do no wrong, really, especially in his couture, which always has some of the most exquisite pieces from all the couture shows. This season, he went a bit darker, much darker, in fact. But the non-whiteness of the clothes didn’t make them any less beautiful. I fact, it was sort of refreshing to see him do something so dark for Couture. His inspiration came from two 1920’s films, making it clear where the art-deconess of it all came from. Though neither films were related to bugs, his models, with their giant nose adornments, almost looked like them. Maybe he and Giorgio conferenced on colors inspirations. A bit should be said about the crocodile (seriously, everyone is lovin this shit right now) which was, for a long and clingy dress, cut into the individual scales, numbered, belched, dyed, and resewn one by one onto a tulle body stocking. While Karl was busy erecting his plane with his free 350 hours, Tisci was busy making one of the most beautiful dresses he’s ever made (until next season, at least). I’ll be honest and say I don’t understand the basketballs, but maybe that came from one of his movies. Let’s all run and watch them now, then maybe we can understand too.
Now, there are some things to be said about the not-as-big-name-couturies…
A ‘younger’ couturier (he debuted in 2009), his collection was quite the mix of crisp tailoring and draping. A little Calvin Klein, a little Halston, a little fur, fringe, and shine. While not totally cohesive, his clothing was beautiful and clean, and I do hope someone decides to take a risk on the red carpet and wear that shiny sequined-y tux like suit. Or, at the very least, one of those gold collars, which cover up the décolletage quite nicely (how excellent for preventing sunburns).
ooh..shiny!
Karl, are you missing a piece?
During the winter, you will be freezing, but at least your shoulders will be toasty. Or, during the summer, you will be nice and cool, save for your shoulders.
Sculptured pieces rocked the runway at Iris van Herpen, a dutch designer known for creating costumes for Lady Gaga and interning at Alexander McQueen, and it shows. Her techy dresses are made on photoshop, then with the help of an arhictect, and probably there is some other magic in their as well. The result is dresses that indeed look like pieces of architecture rather than dress, which are definitely cool, and, unless you are Gaga, definitely unwearable. But those shoes would be great ice picks for those who want to stay fashionable and still be able to walk in the snow.
Shiny. Bug. Armani. Kafka. What? Just listing associations here.
This is wear your old cassette tapes go.
While everyone else was focusing on how the could all do green, Stephane Rolland was focused on red, white, black, and..oh, and green, he did green too. An interesting choice in a collection with red, but it somehow worked, through sculptural dresses with sculptural sculptures coming off of them. There was little embellishment or bedazzling, refreshing, for couture, save for the case of a white dress with orange and red flames coming up from the bottom- no one can say the sparkle wasn’t beautiful in that dress.
Twenty Three 