Roll On September

The September issues are rolling in. Lady Gaga channels Kristen Mcmenamy for British Vanity Fair (I think) and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley goes rockabilly for Love.

Viktor & Rolf's Balancing Act

Above: How did a dress turn into the coat below? Cray²

To be truly appreciated, you needed to be at the Viktor & Rolf show. I like so many others was not fortunate enough to be invited to such an illustrious event so it was with much confusion that I viewed thir collection in image form. At first I had no idea what was going on with V&R on stage until I went to their charming website and viewed a video of the show.

Kristen Mcmenamy precariously wobbled out to the centre of the stage followed by V&R.

A near-naked model then came out and stood opposite Mcmenamy while V&R removed a layer of clothing from Mcmenamy. They zipped, pulled, ruffed and adjusted what was essentially a pup tent into a jaunty, belted fur coat. This was probably my favourite look from the whole collection.

So this undressing and redressing continued until Mcmenamy was nearly naked until fully dressed models came out and V&R undressed them and put the clothes back on to Mcmenamy, reversing the whole thing. It sounds confusing and you need to watch the video because it’s not as confusing as I make it out to be. Unfortunately most of the clothes were a little uninspired and I think V&R have struggled for many seasons now with the demand to create something that’s commercially viable and to follow their surrealist hearts. It’s sad but the work they were doing 10 years ago was far more interesting than what we see now but unfortunately art and hype doesn’t always keep a business running, just ask Miguel Androver.

Well done old chap!

Costa Cracks the Whip at Calvin Klein

Francisco Costa, head designer of Calvin Klein presented a strict, almost clinical collection for fall. I think his work is becoming so unrelenting that it lacks warmth and humanity. Perhaps he’s adhering to minimalism too much or only sees it in a certain way.

Jackets were cut in a way that suggested the body was still there under fluid, cocooning shapes.

Big sleeves had darts running up the cuff, gathering them and adding the slightest touch of femininity.

As noted by Nymag.com the collection featured three models who were much older than the rest: Stella Tennant, 40, Kristen McMenamy, 43 and Kirsty Hume, 33.

It’s suggested that they are more representative of the type of person to pull off these clothes: a woman, not a 17 year old teenager. I think this is an accurate point because the younger models looked like they were drowning in some of the coats.

It really was a beautiful collection and the clothes will get that human touch when worn by real women who want to look chic and fucking amazing.