Marni AW 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 AW 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.

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, along with trimmings such as coins and pom-poms. 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 slender 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 in comparison to the draped looks. I think the the collection was a bold, inspired take on expertly crafted American sportswear.