And bon voyage Christophe

Christophe Decarnin has stepped down or was fired as head designer of Balmain. Initially it was thought he left due to depression but apparently he clashed with his boss over the direction of the brand.

It is thought that stylist Melanie Ward will step in as his replacement so very little will change which is fitting considering the tried and true formula of the brand. Skinny pant + military jacket + torn t-shirt = Balmain.

Fall 2011, his final collection

Maybe he could take over at Cacharel. Or Dior. Oh the options. He should probs take some meds and chill out for a bit though.

So as a tribute to Decarnin's fine work I've done a little retrospective of his sluttiest dresses from all of his collections. And as a little fashion brain teaser I've put in one look that isn't by Decarnin. See if you can spot it.

Me Gusta

Above: Celine. Georjizz

Oh Katie, stop

Above: Comme Des Garcons. There was even some bewb in this show! Above CDG is Viktor & Rolf. 

Above: Soft painterly Cacharel. Above Cacharel is Carven. 

Hola! (that's Spanish for hello)

Well fashion week is coming to an end and on Wednesday I'm taking off to South America for 3 weeks. I don't believe I'll be blogging in that time. I think I'll just be a bloated disgusting tourist experiencing the rich culture of Argentina, eating steak and drinking way too much wine.

Unfortunately I don't have time to riff on all the collections from Paris so far. It's been quite a week. Not an article goes by without someone mentioning Galliano or how orgasmic Haider Ackermann is. I have a feeling he may be the chosen one to helm Dior.
Christophe Decarnin has a major case of the sads and wasn't at Balmain, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the clothes. Same old pants, t-shirt, jacket combo. I actually liked it, the ikat details.

There's also been whispers that Hannah Macgibbon may be out at Chloe. Now that would not surprise me. Some people dig her quietly glamorous clothes but I find them a little too quiet. A little too vacant and neither here nor there.

Phoebe Philo makes my panties ping yet again. I know some of you guys are like fuck minimalism but I just can't help myself. The leather, the chiffon, the rough fabrics, the new doctor's bag. She's so talented and knows exactly what she wants.

 Cedric Charlier at Cacharel just gets better with each season. For fall there was plenty of layering and expert colours. I love this collection very much. Sorely underrated.

Also, Carven, amazeballs.

Waaah, I wanna stay up all night and write reviews.

So what do I think after 4 weeks of New York, London, Milan and Paris?

The Mower review of Balmain

Is she serious? Could her nose be further up his ass?

Maybe that's what fashion wants right now. A refusal to accept reality and grab a hold of anything pompous, outrageous, sparkly.
A bold shoulder does not a signature make.
Fuck, it reads as though he went completely against convention and is giving women a whole new perspective on how to dress. No he fucking didn't. He did what he's been doing since he got there.
Yes, she gave him some barbs but they were minimal and didn't impact on the overall review.
Yes there's a trajectory right now of hot, souped up clothes (Altuzarra's Tom Ford Homage) thanks to Decarnin but it reeks of bullshit.
I'm done.



Oh hello. Don't you do one of these every season?

Oh, you do
And again
And again

BALMAIN SPRING 2010

Christophe Decarnin, head designer of Balmain now for a few seasons has tapped into something other designers seem unable to do: Sexy. Well, it's not cold sexy like Gucci, there's a warmth to the clothes that appeals to people. Have women been yearning for the moment to arrive where they can dress like a slut and justify their look because it cost thousands of dollars? (ps, no one has to ‘justify’ their look, especially to me of all people).
It’s a very interesting change in fashion that Decarnin has set and I can’t for the life of me figure it out. He’s designing provocative, short, sexy, sequined dresses. He’s also designing swollen-shouldered military jackets in denim and it’s selling out. All of it.
There’s also been a recent comparison between Balmain and Balenciaga. Not a comparison of design but of stature. Admittedly, no one is getting as much hype as Balmain and it’s been hyped by customers and not the press. The press are merely reporting on the buzz, the waiting lists for those $2000 jeans and $4000 entry-level tuxedo jackets.
The collections themselves are cool but once they come off the runway and onto real people, well, they look fucking stupid. Only the rich and middle aged can afford these clothes but only the young and emaciated can pull it off. I can't remember where I read it (and I'm kicking myself because it was a fucking great article) but the author was saying something to the effect that some people don’t want to look demure, they want to wear their worth in crystals and sequins.

So for spring from what I've read, Balmain is getting rave reviews for a completely new direction. The 80's references are apparently gone and now we have an urban disco jungle warrior. Sounds like yawn on paper but it's not. The Balmain silhouette was still there (unbuttoned jacket with super-sized shoulders, slouchy top, skinny pants cropped above the ankle and a high-heeled boot), as were military jackets, this time with silver glo-mesh dripping from the shoulders. 80's references gone? Fuck no. Virtually every piece was a colour variation on army surplus green except for the glo-mesh dresses in silver and gold and the leather pieces which came in black. The boots were beautiful and it was nice to see someone design a realistic heel for a change. A top was sequined and layered with glo-mesh to resemble a camouflage scrim, the irony being you won't blend into anything in these clothes