Thakoon Spring Summer 2013 Review

Above: Beautiful, imaginative, striking. Below: No!!! Stop it. This is not fashion.

Thakoon Panichgul’s spring summer show was perplexing. It opened with a dreamy white strapless dress that had a print of a golden birdcage matched perfectly with the cut of the dress. The cage had birds, butterflies and flowers bursting from it. The first four looks featured this print on tops, jackets, and skirts but the rest of the collection looked like it had been designed by someone else and was derivative of so many designers.

 Instead of seeing originality I saw a pick n mix of popular looks from other designers such as the criss cross wrap top with midriff peekaboo. While not revolutionary, Prada did the same thing three years ago as well as Proenza Schouler last season. Same goes for the oversize pailettes on skirts (Prada, Christopher Kane, Stella McCartney). While a lot of these looks were pretty and will most likely sell I don’t feel that ¾ of this show is the work of a strong designer because I don’t see an independent voice. But based on those first four looks I don’t think Thakoon will be going out business any time soon. 

Below: Vibes from other designers. Clockwise from left: Christopher Kane, Prada, Prada, Balenciaga

Burberry Prorsum Spring Summer 2012 Review

 Above: Gettin some Marc Jacobs vibez. That skirt/shirt combo centre is flawless

 Above: The centre coat is giving me 90's memories of sack tops worn by bogans. It would usually have a Jim Beam print on the front. Stay classy 90's. 

Above from left: The below the knee skirt with buttons and pleats oh my!, centre: Giving me mass Proenza vibez but it's less tricky. Right: That shrunken jacket is parfait. I want one. I want ten.

Coincidentally, Burberry Prorsum looked like a culmination of ideas from some of the New York collections. I was seeing Proenza Schouler (the colours, the stripes, Rodarte (that cutaway skirt) and Marc Jacobs (poufy prom dress shapes).

It was an easily digestible trend: Tribal. I'm sure there was a specific artist or whatever that inspired Bailey but at the end of the day the consumer doesn't see that, they just see tribal. Thank god he let go of the studded, spiky jacket thing he did for far too long in seasons past.

Sorry if these London reviews are short and scarce. I think I'll try and do a condensed overview of what I liked eg. those Teva sports sandals at Christopher Kane. Deying/creying.

BRING ON MILAN

Proenza Schouler Spring Summer 2012 Review

Proenza Schouler I like Proenza Schouler but I’m not gonna gush. I hate reading blog posts where people are like OMG dying! Perfection! I need this bag from Alexander Wang! Clearly some bloggers are just joking and are trying to say how much they love something in a short and punchy way. I do it myself. Sometimes I’m serious but other times I’m making fun of myself and other mindless bloggers. And I’m also making fun of fashion as well. If you look back at some of my posts you’d think I was having a mild stroke the way I write about the cut of a sleeve or a particular shade of blue. Sometimes I just need to calm my tits. What gets to me the most is bloggers who give constant praise to designers because they falsely believe it’s going to help their ‘career’ and maybe get them front row at fashion week nestled between Sally Singer and Edward Enninful. FUCK YOU. I’m aware this rant is aimless so I think I’ll stop. And ragging on other bloggers when I’m equally absurd? Way harsh Tai.

 Not doing what every other designer is doing doesn’t make your collection a hit but it does make you smart if you play your cards right. Let’s say you consult a fashion forecaster and they tell you for spring 2012 it’s all about pastels, peplums, white and colour blocking. You can take those cues and reinterpret them. Fashion critics and buyers can be all oh yes, very on trend, our customer will respond enthusiastically to those prints. You’ll get moderate to luke-warm but still positive reviews and Bergdorfs will buy 15 of the lemon pant and 10 of the sleeveless blouse with the cat print (Victoria Beckham you sly dog). So everyone wins, people buy clothes, designers get money. The hamster keeps running in it’s wheel.

OR

You can take that forecast advice and make a calculated judgement about what not to design and just how far you’ll push those trends. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez fall into the smart category. What I saw on the runway... A sickly looking Daffodil (I think) print. I’m not sure why I find this print unappealing. There was brown, a miniature zebra print, some sporty elements like jacket toggles, geometric printed fabric that recalled woven Pacific Island mats, structured jackets with inserts of maybe tweed. There was what appeared to be a woodblock print of a totem pole or tiki (though I don’t think it’s a tiki. Aren’t they Hawaiian?) on a brief jacket and that geometric print on a jumper in brown, yellow and black. The camera bag. This is going to be a hot item and whether or not it actually contains a camera doesn’t matter. But can you imagine if they did a collab with Leica? OMG dying! Re- mortgaging my house! Txt it.
The use of eel skin was smart as it complimented the island theme with it’s imperfections. There was definitely a story there and but they used restraint unlike Donna Karan and Michael Kors who both had tribal elements in their collections. In other words it didn’t drive the collection, it merely assisted. The story could’ve been something stupid like it’s about a girl who washes ashore a small island with an active volcano and she uses the materials of the land to make some smart, directional clothes. She builds a 2 bedroom villa and opens an exclusive shopping strip that revitalises the waterfront. I think Donna Karan and Michael Kors can both be thankful that PS have given legs to this ‘tribal’ trend so you can expect a Vogue spread with Sessilee Lopez coming your way soon. Two dresses with a sunny flower print echoed a beach sarong with their twisted fronts that then swooped up past their hips, elongating the body. Okay now I’m gushing. The more I look at this collection the more I love it. Proenza 4EVA! Creying. Ovaries. Call me and we’ll make a Proenza/No Trends sandwich.

The Row spring summer 2012 Review

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have been quietly working away at their label The Row for a few seasons now. They've managed to weather the judgement and the eye-rolling from when they first debuted five years ago. The judgement being that actors can't design clothes is somewhat fairly deserved. If you've ever seen a Jennifer Lopez collection then you'll know what I mean.
For spring 2012 the girls have become more adventurous. With their previous collections they were building up a wardrobe of 'perfect' items. The perfect t-shirt, the perfect pea coat. You can only do this for so long until you run out of staples and then you're making the perfect low rise hipster flare or the perfect spats.
With a Japanese theme they worked through wide leg trousers, obi belts, then on to not so subtle Chinese qipao inspired tops and a minimalist 90's feel with layering.
Though the collection is beautiful and a bold step into real design the Celine influence is overwhelming whether they realise it or not. The tassel scarf, the white, the wide leg pants and the Japanese influence.

Celine spring summer 2011. 

From the Jennifer Lopez collection. Not pictured: Your dignity.

Pendleton Schouler. No wait, that's not right.

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have been on a winning streak for the past few seasons with their label Proenza Schouler. Last season it was tweed and experimental guipure lace but for fall they've taken a less frenetic approach and created something that feels more genuine than their previous collections.

Abstract Native American blanket prints appeared throughout the collection and a folding motif gave a relaxed feel to dresses and skirts. The show closed with dresses that had what looked like velvet squares bonded to silk chiffon. I wasn't crazy about those pieces but they added another textural element to the collection.

If you loved this collection but can't afford the hefty price tag I suggest you take a look at Pendleton to add some native American prints to your wardrobe.

Above: The Pendleton Dopp bag. A very reasonable $44

Esteban Cortazar x Exito

Esteban Cortazar has linked up with Colombian retail giant Exito and designed a capsule collection.
Estaban was last designing for Emanuel Ungaro but left amid reports he was forced to team up with Lindsay Lohan who would ‘consult’ for the brand, whatever that means. Cortazar quit and Estrella Archs tag-teamed with Lohan and that’s how pasties were, like invented.
The collection looks great but is derivative of Alexander Wang (the sweats, the hoodies, the tanks), Proenza Schouler (the high-waisted skirts) and even a bit of Helmut Lang.
I know that A Wang didn’t pioneer the tank top and PS the high-waisted skirt but Wang in particular really ‘owns’ these looks wouldn’t you say?
I never liked what he did at Ungaro and this is such a great departure from that and much more reflective of his 26 years of age.

Btw, where did Hanne Gaby Odiele come by such a giant forehead? I feel like we’re related.

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK IS OVER

My head is still spinning from all the collections I've seen this past week but there's barely time to breathe. London is already kicking and screaming.
I had a quick look on the official LFW website and I think I saw Bora Aksu has already shown so I've gotta look at that.
I saw Jeremy Scott is on the schedule too. Apparently he's going to be showing this collection in New Zealand for fashion week and none other than Vivienne Westwood's muse, Pamela Anderson will be there.

I think the Spring shows were the strongest I've seen in New York lately. The last two seasons were blaaah.

My faves for New York were Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Karen Walker.

Worst collections? That's tough and most would be for different reasons but off the top of my head Peter Som (but maybe I just don't get his vision), Narciso Rodriguez, Halston (just let the man rest in peace) and Ralph Lauren.

ps, here's a pic of my fave shoe of the season. It's Calvin Klein. It kinda reminds me of this hideous orthopaedic shoe my maths teacher used to wear. You know, the ones you buy from the pharmacy. I love them.

PROENZA SCHOULER SPRING 2010

The Spring 2010 collection from Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler seemed fuss-free, more straight-forward and less precious than their past collections. Perhaps getting socked in the face by Keifer Sutherland forced the boys to toughen up. The collection opened with a black double breasted coat with a raised shoulder. It had a look that suggested it’d been thrown on after being rescued in a ball at the back of some dark closet. This was paired with a sports jacket skirt slung around the waist.

There was a sportiness to the collection but some pieces looked like they were picked up at Nike, the running pants with rounded inserts were no exception. There was a chic tank dress with a flappy insert tracing across the body and some grungy tie-dye long sleeve t-shirts looked great. I saw a bit of Balenciaga in those tops. It’s probably incidental but the tops and the high-shine fabrics recalled the work of Nicolas Ghesquiere. I thought maybe they were inspired by beetles with their reflective, high shine wings. It turns out scuba diving and tropical fish were the inspirations.

The shoes were amazing, accented with hot pink and yellow. They’re building a fast reputation for must-have accessories which is always an important step for a growing brand such as PS.