Stragglers

How has pre-fall rolled around so quickly? Sorry, not just rolled around, but already almost over? I'm still working through Spring/Summer! I really do think we need to de-clutter the fashion schedule, if only so I have enough time to make my mind up about things. And so, as a final adieu to posts on Spring/Summer 2013, these are those last scraggly looks, those wonderful looks that come from collections that, as a whole, I did not deem worth writing about. Or that didn't quite fit into the reviews I wrote at the time.

First here are two looks from Chloé, which I usually yawn at, but the genius of an eruption of baby pink chiffon in the direction of your face cannot be denied. In fact, since this look specifically was dissed by a few critics, my fervor for it has grown.

I want to wear these stripes, but I also want them on my couch and on my curtains and on my sheets and everywhere. 

It's a cliche, but 'as sharp as a knife' really does seem to apply to this Lanvin look! Or the sure-to-be-future-cliché, as sharp as Karlie Kloss' hip bone. Who, by the way, would look great in this. Here it fits Julia Nobis so well it looks painted on, and is simply a pleasure to look at.

Well my love for this Altuzarra collection is well documented, but unfortunately one of my favourite looks from it didn't quite fit into my review. The detailing is a bit like the glitter detailing in Spring 2013 Dior. In both cases, this tiny element makes the whole look.

I love to hate Alexander Wang to some degree, and because of that I love it even more when he wins me over in spite of a personal grudge. Although it's funny, the reasons that most other people dislike him - "he ripped of those shoes!" "his ideas aren't new!" - don't bother me. It's comparable to critics of Daft Punk or Kanye West who say they have no ideas of their own, or are even plagiarists, after discovering the extent of their sampling. This kind of sampling and re-purposing is a rare skill in itself, and while you may think that West just stole that 20 second riff, he's actually transformed it, given it a completely different, second life. And that's how I think of Alexander Wang, a very savvy fashion version of Daft Punk. Having said all of that, I dug this ripped-off, unoriginal, whatever, ensemble!

Now that I'm looking at these looks all together, I can see that they're actually all quite similar. Hem length, heels, plunging necklines, monochrome, and general attitude are all aligned (that maverick, the explosion of pink, sits a part a bit more of course).

Runway images from vogue.com

Border detailing from, respectively, Soane Britain; Katie Ridder; Coralie Bickford-Smith; Hokusai and Ari Marcopoulos

Things That Were Disappointing

I'm getting the feeling that there's been a little too much... positivity around here lately. One wants to be careful with how much positiveness one dishes out, before you know it you could be happy about everything all the time and where is the fun in that? So here are the things of the SS'12 shows that were disappointing.

Rodarte

Please don't misunderstand me on this one. Rodarte wasn't bad, it was just disappointing. For an average designer, an average collection is good! But for amazing designers, an average collection is a huge disappointment. So that goes for every collection I talk about here - I just expected so much more.
In my post about Proenza Schouler I talked about how the collection was good because they interpreted their inspiration subtly and ingeniously. Here Rodarte, IMO, took their inspiration way too literally. Starry Night and Vase with Twelve Sunflowers printed on fifties prom dresses? Really? They could have done so much more with Van Gogh. I guess they did try to abstract things and just look at Van Gogh colours, but I think they just outright failed to find the right colours. And what did Nicole Phelps say? Something about gift stores and Starry Night mousepads. Mmmm verging a little too much on kitsch in a bad way.

One free pass, Rodarte, you have until AW'12...

Meadham Kirchoff

I was disappointed because it was too literal too? I guess that's a strange thing to say because Meadham Kirchoff's genius is taking more abstract ideas and making them literal. Maybe girlishness wasn't abstract enough this time around. Or you know what, maybe I JUST DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY IT LOOKED (you can see my Art History study and analytical skills are serving me well here)
I have to admit I like it a little bit more the more I look at it, but I still dub it a disappointment.

Marni

Ugh go away bright colour. You and your simplicity have no place at Marni.

Lanvin/Yves Saint Laurent

What is wrong with everyone?? Can't they see this is all really ugly?? WHAT THE HELL PEOPLE

Ok I've calmed down a bit. The problem with Lanvin is that all the models looked uncomfortable, and I would hazard a guess that the proportions in those clothes would make a normal person's body look terrible - they look terrible enough on the models. I know fashion isn't about always about beauty, but Lanvin has a responsibility in making women look good!
And Yves Saint Laurent could have been good, I wouldn't know because I just can't see past the colour combinations.

Totally hilarious anecdote: I was watching The September Issue with my mum, and when Stefano Pilati
comes on and Anna Wintour asks how he is and he's all "ehhh not that great actually, no?" (you don't do that outside of France man, outside of France you are "good thank you" at all times), my mum was all "I do not like this man he's whiny and a sycophant". So now whenever I see an Yves Saint Laurent collection all I can think is "a whiny sycophant created this" - kills it a little bit.

Hey but do you like how this post is not really that negative. It's actually kind of nice "I have too much faith in you designers"

photos from vogue.com