Victoria Beckham Spring Summer 2013 Review

Victoria Beckham is out to prove she can design and run a successful brand. She’s doing that by presenting immaculately tailored clothes and this season is no exception. For spring Beckham introduced separates with silk shirts that were giving me 90’s Tom Ford Gucci flashbacks. Things started out causally with a series of loose fitting blouse/shirt/pant combos then moved on to more structured territory with sharply layered skirts and a beautifully cut boyfriend jacket in vermilion that skimmed the thigh. Beckham then showed her signature body hugging dresses, this time with sexy bra straps on show. All the shoes were flats. There was a derby shoe and a gladiator style. The outer-wear touches and the graphic cut on the final dress shows Beckham is slowly becoming more confident with her design skills. In previous collections all she ever talked about was the construction of her dresses and the thoughtfulness that went in to them which on its own is something to be admired but now that she’s got those solid foundations in place she’s giving herself room to start playing with design. Overall a strong collection.  

Tom Ford SS 2012 Review

I’ve been looking at Ford’s latest collection for spring 2012 and I’m struggling to come up with a conclusion about it. It’s difficult because Ford’s positioning of his brand is unusual and confusing. On a retail level the Tom Ford brand is just like all the other luxury brands with advertising in magazines, stores in major capital cities and entry-level luxury items such as fragrance and sunglasses (I say entry-level but $500 for sunglasses is hardly a discreet purchase). But on a fashion level it’s confusing. Ford is yet to present a typical runway show with press, photographers, critics, journalists etc, just like all other brands normally do at fashion week. Instead Ford has held intimate presentations to a hand-full of tippy top fashion people with no photography allowed. Several months later Ford releases a look book to the public. His spring show look book was just published on Vogue.com, two months after the spring shows. When he did this whole secret show thing for his debut he definitely created buzz. It was exciting to read reviews by critics and frustrating not being able to see any of the clothes. But three seasons in and for me the thrill has worn off.
Once fashion month is over I feel exhausted by all the collections I’ve seen because there are way too many people showing at fashion week so when Ford’s collection pops up on Vogue.com I’m a little underwhelmed by it all. It’s weird, it’s like Ford is more than happy for me to buy one of his Private Blend fragrances and porn star aviators but the clothes are to be kept away from me which makes me feel like a peasant (which I totally am). He’s treading two luxury environments and getting mixed results. It’s masstige and super-exclusive fashion. At fashion week you’ve got a media circus all seeing the same shows and from that you get these runaway ‘it’ items that can get huge press coverage or brand buzz such as those YSL pumps with the gold armour plates. Ford isn’t getting that.
 Ford’s spring collection is a reminder of what Tom Ford did well 10 years ago at Gucci and YSL which doesn’t bode well because it makes him look out of touch. He has said himself that he isn’t following trends which is evident in the off-trend peasant tops and bow-ankled sandals. There was too much going on with many looks that were teeming with tassels, fringing, ruching, ruffles, bows, and gold hardware. This detail explosion is tiring as your eyes have nowhere to rest. Overall it was too fussy and too flashy. There were still elements there that make me like Tom Ford’s work but if you’re looking for trends and direction you won’t find it here.

GET INSPIRED

Boot by Jil Sander. Bag by Alexander McQueen. Would you just look at that little skull nesting in fur! So cute. 

Long flowy coaty shit is best for next fall or if you're like me and live in the Southern hemisphere it's best for right now. From top left: Theyskens Theory, Antonio Berardi, Gucci, Gareth Pugh, Alexander Wang, Doo Ri. 

Camilla Skovgaard. I diiiie

Creepy 40's flesh boot by Prada. Weiiiird. And glittery, suede bootie from Miu Miu. Coooool.

Mary Katrantzou's Porcelain Babes

London fashion week is done and dusted. I'm gonna try and bang out a few more posts this evening. Milan has already begun with Gucci. Frida Giannini has predictably done the 70's yet again. It's nice I guess but it's like c'mon gurl get creative.

They say lightning never strikes twice but Mary Katrantzou has done it again for fall. This time the Home & Garden magazine interiors have gone from her spring collection and things are decidedly more bourgeois this time around. The structure and printing techniques are still there but wisely Katrantzou has added some flowing bias cut maxi dresses to show that not everything she designs has to be a flat billboard for photoshop printing wizardry.
My favourite piece is the curved corset with a print of a porcelain dish in the centre. It actually looks like the model stomach is a mini-oven and you could just reach in there and take the dish out.

LOOKING BACK: TOM FORD FOR GUCCI (AND A LITTLE FRIDA GIANNINI)

So we're winding down towards the end of a decade, the noughties. Over the next few weeks I'll post some bits and pieces from the last ten years that have stuck in my head. Some will be fun, some pretty, some probably horrendous.
So first up is ad campaigns from Tom Ford's Gucci from the last ten years with a few from Frida Giannini. It's not in any order, some years I can't even pick out, they may even be 90's! I really should try & put them in order so you can see the changes in trends, models, photography styles but I can't be bothered if I'm being truthful.