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

Rodarte Spring Summer 2012

The peplums from last summer reappeared as did the midriff cutouts. I think I've mentioned before that it's great to see a designer telling a story that continues where it left off each season. It seems a more realistic view of fashion instead of a radical new look each season.
This time around their skirts curved to expose the leg. Sexy.Apparently Vincent van Gough's Starry Night and Sunflowers were an inspiration. I’m sure there’s some J-Horror, 80’s TV movie, Virgin Suicides that inspired this but I don’t see it. I see Starry Night and Sunflowers. The tiered dresses were a bit blargh but they reinterpreted those swirling clouds from Starry Night in a beautiful blue silk dress with a sheer black net overlay with sequins. Breathtaking (said in the voice of Oprah). Oh and the knitwear was really well done too. Loved. Unfortunately the collection was repetitive and I'm not totally falling in love with the colours but they might grow on me. This is not their strongest season but it was still beautiful and far more interesting than what else has been on show this season.

Rei Kawakubo Interview at WSJ

Can you imagine being able to interview Rei Kawakubo? I'd be like what are your thoughts on nylon taffeta? Then she'd be like あなたは誰ですか then I'd be like umm this is super awkward, just sign my tits and I'll leave. 

The Wall Street Journal have an interview with Rei K (that's my rap name for her. Reezy is also acceptable).
You must read it so click clack it up

HOWEVER the following quote is like what?

I don't feel too excited about fashion today, more fearful that people don't necessarily want or need strong new clothes, that there are not enough of us believing in the same thing, that there is a kind of burnout, that people just want cheap fast clothes and are happy to look like everyone else, that the flame of creation has gone a bit cold, that enthusiasm and passionate anger for change and rattling the status quo is weakening.

I love this woman. She’s a creative genius but gahhhh. You’re sounding old homegirl. This belief from older designers that the younger generation don’t care about fashion is just wrong. People don’t just want cheap fast clothes and who in avant garde hell is happy to look like everyone else?

Babby Rei in Paris 1987. Can you imagine? Like really being there backstage in 87. If I was that model I'd place my hand on Rei's, turn my head, look wistfully into her eyes and whisper goddess. Then security would escort me off the premises. 

It’s an otherwise interesting and very rare interview (her last portrait was done in 2004) but Rei, babes, the flame of creation is not dead. For your perusal, a list of talented young designers who are pushing the boundaries of fashion...

Michael van der Ham. Proving that London is still a hotbed of creativity Ham’s reconstructed outfits can even be attributed to the work of Kawakubo.

A look by Michael van der Ham

Rodarte-From the land of sportswear Rodarte go against the grain and produce collections full of ideas and macabre romance. There is nothing cheap or fast about a Rodarte dress.

Sandra Backlund-Avant garde knitwear designer. This bitch is fucking crazy talented.

Camilla Skovgaard. While Christian Louboutin battles it out with YSL in court over YSL's use of the colour red on the sole of one of their shoes you've got Camilla Skovgaard doing what a shoe designer should be doing: designing outrageously hot shoes.

Rodarte, Medicine Women

I found that when I looked at Rodarte's fall collection as a whole I didn't really like it. Once I broke down the looks however I loved it. So that's what I did with the images above, I separated them into sections focussing on their daywear. They've moved on from their cobweb knits, the J-horror, the dark alleys of Juarez and moved somewhere more delicate and pure. It's very, hmm, rural? It got a bit Dr Quinn Medicine Woman, go chop some firewood and a little I do declare! but as I say, break it down and there's some beautiful daywear. The slim cut high waist pant, the jumpsuit, a robust knit jumper. They're a nice continuation of last season's looks and a great step forward for the Mulleavy sisters proving that ideas needn't be compromised for wearability. 

Let's grind wheat!

Rodarte

When I first saw this collection I hurriedly wrote down some thoughts and was like I’ll expand upon this later and it didn’t fucking happen.
I’m sitting here trying to write something measured and precise but I’m failing and can’t think.

why is this so fucking amazebomb?!

So here’s what I wrote-

Prints everywhere (duh)

V motif

Repetition theme with layering.

I love how their work evolves, they’re not trend driven like so many American designers

Mid-riff and cut-outs. Most overtly sexual work I’ve seen from them, very much in line with Miuccia Prada’s take on sexy.

Does this mean we’ll be seeing Tavi’s midriff soon?

I don’t think I’m perceptive enough to pin-point their inspirations. I saw Mormans, rural life, working the land, but there was so much more than that. (they were inspired by California and the gold rush).

Final looks felt Poiret-esque, maybe she’s a girl who lives in a forest-or is that tooooo themey?

Gone are their ultra-delicate, draped, twisted, ruched, burnt silks and in place was a far stronger Rodarte girl.

ps, the interview I did with Stella McCartney Lingerie head designer Chloe Julian is up at In The Void. You should check it out

Red Is Difficult But Not For Natalie Portman

Is it just me or is red a really hard colour to pull off? I find anything red always brings out the blotchy redness of my skin and I look like a recovering burn victim. Natalie Portman pulls it off though and she looks so happy right? She’s in Venice for the premiere of Black Swan which I toooooootes want to see. Portman wore custom Rodarte and this isn’t the first time. She’s worn dresses by Rodarte several times now. She looks pretty but I love the bald sassy mo behind her giving MAJOR ‘bitch please’ eyes.

In the film she plays Nina, a ballerina! It’s all psychological horror and best of all an erotic thriller!!!!! There’s a sex scene with Mila Kunis which will no doubt be ridiculously funny. So far Portman is getting great reviews. I will post the trailer but I’m sure most of you have seen it already right?






A lot of the costumes in the film were done by design maestros Rodarte and they look beyond stunning. I love it when designers do costumes for film. There are so many that you just never find out about. One of my favourites is Jean Paul Gaultier for The Fifth Element. I watched part of it the other night and it’s soooooo gooooood. There’s this one woman who turns out to be an alien and she’s wearing a clear green pvc miniskirt with I think a fur jacket and boots and she has a shaved head. She then pulls out a machine gun and goes nuts. It’s awesome.

My other favourite would be Yves Saint Laurent for Belle De Jour.



Do you have any favourites or any that you'd recommend? And you can’t say Patricia Field for Sex and The City The Movie 1 & 2. Worst. Costumes. Ever.

Bitch please

TWISTED BEAUTY AT RODARTE

Arresting, beautiful, weird. That’s something to always bear in mind, the Rodarte girl is weird. Cool weird.

What at first appeared pretty and light changed upon closer inspection to something slightly more sinister.

The models looked like the walking dead, ghosts from the mid-70’s endlessly wandering the earth. They looked like something very terrible had happened to them, what that was I don’t know.

The colours were gorgeous. Sand, cream, caramel and dried blood cascaded from the shoulders down to the torso and made way for-wait for it-pants.

If the Mulleavy sisters have done pants in the past, I apologise because I’m certain this is the first time I’ve seen so many pairs on their runway. These were more a cocktail pant and were done in embroidered silk. I dunno, just trying to describe what I see is such a challenge.

They have such a passion and love for what they do and they’re not just making clothes like so many others in New York did this season. This type of work becomes more than fashion and more than clothes.

Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2010 Review

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli replaced Alessandra Facchinetti after she was unceremoniouslydumped because Valentino felt she wasn’t referencing his archive enough. He said “There is an existing archive with thousands of dresses where they (Maria and Pier) can draw and take inspiration from to create a Valentino product that is relevant today. It is a shame that their predecessor didn't feel this need."

So it was a shame she didn’t see a need to tow the ruffled chiffon line. And now after a couple of seasons under their belts Maria and Pier have strayed into conceptual design territory, much like Faccchinetti only less successfully.

After their paint-by-Valentino-numbers spring RTW show it took my eyes a moment to adjust to what I was seeing. The models looked like they’d hitched a ride into Paris on the back of a Balenciaga truck via Burberry Drive, Ungaro Way and Rodarte Ave.

It wasn’t all bad but a lot of it was. Look 25 was pure tack. A red stripper dress with tiers of mini ruffles snaking around it that no doubt took 500 hours to make. It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to see the seamstresses crying while making these outfits.

Look 32’s conception went something like this “omg we should totes do a column dress with multi-coloured tiers of chiffon but let’s do some of the tiers in clashing neon. Squeal!”

Then there was look 33, a hippie cape that looked like Matthew Williamson vomited all over it after a bad acid trip. Seriously you guys, it was hideous.

Pier said of the collection "We think that to keep a future in couture, it's necessary to bring a new customer who wants something cooler.” Though the collection was a mess they should be commended for being brave enough to step out from Valentino’s over-bearing shadow and overstuffed archive but they’ll need to try harder to get that new, young customer they’re after.