Fashion Highlights

Big in 09

Part of the Group Writing Project: 2009 in Review. From the DailyBlogTips website

1. H&M + High Profile designers collaborations. Getting a glimpse of some of the most luxurious and glamorous brands in  the world was the perfect gift that makes us love H&M year after year. H&M Collaborations



2. Lindsay Lohan. Her debut at Ungaro + all her scandals certainly got us very entertained. Check her collection Lindsay Lohan For Ungaro (SS2010)
3. Kate Moss. Just for being Kate Moss, one of the biggest fashion icons. More Kate Moss



4. Cate Blanchett. Turned 40 and still the most stylish and talented actress in the world. My favorite person and fashion icon on earth. More Cate Blanchett
5. Lady Gaga. This fashion savvy and die-hard fan knows how to make a real statement and proves that you can naver go too far for the sake of fashion. Just look at her paparazzi and Bad Romance videos. AMAZING!!!! Or what about all the buzz in the Alexander McQueen SS2010 show? More Lady Gaga and the Aleaxander McQueen SS2010.
6. Male SuperModels. Baptiste Giabiconi, Tyson Ballou, Noah Mills, David Gandy, Jamie Dornan, Kerry Degman, among others became part of a phenomenon that generated a huge buzz this year and got us saying “Male Super Models are here to stay” becoming a fashion-Power-Force. More Male SuperModels
7. Vogue. Amazing covers, editorials, books… Best fashion magazine ever. This is the fashion bible. Vogue Covers 2009
8. Gucci. The best brand of 2009- Or the one that best represents me and always want to wear – . With Frida Giannini as the creative director, Gucci has become one of my favorite brands, with a luxurious and unique style that has me aching for more. Gucci Collections.
9. Zac Efron. My favorite – and one of the fews – male fashion icon. Everybody loves Zac Efron, he is not just a pretty face, he is super charming, talented and most important has and incredible sense of style. More of Zac Efron’s amazing style.
10. Britney Spears. I am obssesed with her – I am a Die-hard fan – , so seeing her get back at the top of the game is the best thing that could ever happen. 
11. Balenciaga. The best collection for SS2010 was created by the amazing Nicolas Ghesquière. He is just a genious. Season after season he delights us with the most incredible, stylish and amazing collections we could ever wish for. Balenciaga: Spring/Summer 2010 & Fall/Winter 2009-10
12. Phoebe Philo. She is finally Back, and looking better than ever. With one of the most anticipated comebacks of the season, she gives us the Philo girl – Now Celine girl – we were aching for so long. Here is her collection for Celine SS2010
13. Fashion In Film. Following Anna Wintour for the september issue, or getting a glimpse of Valentino’s fabulous life is priceless.
14. Christian Lacroix and Veronique Branquinho. Filed for Bankruptcy.
15. LV+Madonna. The most amazing fashion collaboration in a long time. Madonna was the face of Louis Vuitton for the entire year. Louis Vuitton: Spring/Summer 2009 & Fall/Winter 2009-10
    
16. Academy Awards. One of the biggest events of the year that is always an important fashion reference. All the trends and styles seen there become a must. Academy Awards 2009.
17. Gossip Girl. The Most stylish show on Tv since Sex & The City. I love it, and the fashion is insane.
    
18. Kate Winslet. Finally won an Oscar – besides two Golden Globes, SAG Awards and many others – for her powerful performance on “The Reader”
19. Supermodels. They always Make headlines and are amazing. The World’s Top Earning Models
20. Michelle Obama. We can not talk about fashion without mentioning one of the most influential people in the industry.

Charlotte Gainsbourg; image courtesy of loudersoft.com

A little while ago, my friend Alex forwarded me a press release from a rep at Atlantic Records for Charlotte Gainsbourg’s new album IRM. As a fan, he had wondered if I had considered writing about her, an interest apparently motivated by reading an earlier post I did on Scarlett Johansson. When we saw each other at a mutual friend’s dissertation proposal party, we talked a bit more about it, wherein he basically outlined an entry’s worth of critical inquiry.

1. Like Johansson, Gainsbourg works almost exclusively with men, whether they be film directors like Michel Gondry and Todd Haynes or music producers like Nigel Godrich. Thus, she often occupies something of a muse position for male creative types, perhaps further enforcing masculinist notions of auteurism. Gainsbourg’s previous work with Air and Jarvis Cocker from Pulp and her recent collaborations with Beck on her new album further illustrate the point.

Beck and Gainsbourg at work; image courtesy of pitchforkmedia.com

1A. Gainsbourg has occupied this role for some time, as her father is beloved French yé-yé chanteur Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she sang the controversial “Lemon Incest” in 1984 when she was about 13.

1B. Before casting Charlotte as an artistic man’s (or father’s) plaything, I’d point out that her mother British actress-model-artist Jane Birkin, who was pretty liberated in her views on gender, sexuality, and monogamy. However, she may also be cast in something of a muse position. Like her daughter, she’s also worked with Serge and Beck. And like her daughter, who will be representing bestie Nicolas Ghesquière as the spokeswoman for Balenciaga’s new fragrance next February, Birkin inspired numerous fashion trends and clothiers (why yes, she is the namesake for the famous and expensive over-sized Hermès tote.)

Gainsbourg with husband Yvan Ittal, wearing Balenciaga to the Metropolitan Costume Ball; image courtesy of style.com

Unlike her daughter, Birkin also had a predilection for posing nude on camera, sometimes while in the act of coitus, perhaps with multiple partners. I’ll leave you to Google. I’ll also leave you to speculate if her daughter is relatively modest about her sexuality as a result of having such . . . “open” parents.

2. Thinking about our friend Annie’s post on Rachel McAdams, Gainsbourg is something of a thinking man’s pin-up, a cultural figure already saddled with normative ideals around race, class, gender, and sexuality. Given that she was recently featured with her half-sister Lou Doillon as the archtype for ”thin” in Vogue’s size issue, I’d add body type to the list of norms she represents. 

3. Gainsbourg doesn’t sing so much as talk in her songs. She intimates her way through songs in a breathy, sensual monotone, perhaps made more exotic by her British lilt or her occasional dalliances with French.

So, I’ll bring myself into the discussion. I like Gainsbourg but am probably too casual about her work be considered a fan. I’ve listened to 5:55 and IRM a bit, and have seen some of her more recent movies, in which she is often my favorite aspect. While I haven’t seen Antichrist (or any other Lars Von Trier movies) and am nervous about just how wanting it seems to be of a psychoanalytic or auteurist read, her turn as a mother rendered destructive by the death of her son has peaked my curiosity.

That poster is so NSFW; image courtesy of iwatchstuff.com

In addition, I thought her emotionally mature performance as Clair, Robbie Clark’s long-suffering ex-wife in I’m Not There deserved an Oscar nomination. I also liked her cover of “Just Like a Woman.”

I also liked her quiet, discreet turn as Stéphanie, the protagonist’s disinterested object of affection in Science of Sleep, a movie I otherwise hated. This is perhaps in part because the majority of filmgoers at the screening I attended found Gael García Bernal’s Stéphane to be charming, whereas I found him infuriatingly petulant and wanted to smack him with his own disasterology calendar. But I quite liked her. The only parts of her performance that felt disingenuous were when she wears an uncharacteristically skimpy sweater dress to Stéphane’s calendar launch party (which I’m pretty sure was a figment of the protagonist’s puerile imagination) and at the end, when she’s cries about how Stéphane won’t leave her alone. He’s not worth your tears, girl.

Oh, and I enjoy her vocal cameo in Madonna’s “What It Feels Like For a Girl.” Her confrontational monologue about male gender-bending comes from The Cement Garden, a 1993 film adaptation of Ian McEwen’s 1978 novel that was directed by her uncle Andrew Birkin.  

But let’s go back to her voice and problematize the idea of whether or not it’s okay for Gainsbourg to talk through her songs. Pitchfork’s Marc Hogan was really critical of 5:55 particularly for this reason, arguing that her vocal style suggests that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’d counter with two things.

For one, is making such a display of singing really necessary? Phrasing and expressiveness are just as important as vocal range for singers, if not more so to those with more limitations. And isn’t talking through songs how Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Patti Smith developed mythic rock poet status? 

Bob Dylan and Patti Smith; image courtesy of brooklynvegan.com

For another, um, you could easily make the same argument for any of Gainsbourg’s male collaborators’ work. Something tells me that Jarvis Cocker, Beck, and Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel of Air were probably all influenced by her father’s barely-sung approach to documenting his own erotic misadventures. I only hope they were just as interested working with Charlotte Gainsbourg as they were working with Serge Gainsbourg’s daughter.

That said, it might be easy to overemphasize or project notions of what French sensuality might be onto Gainsbourg and her songs (something her character in I’m Not There bristles at during her first date with her future ex-husband, as well as something Air have gotten a lot of critical mileage on from certain online publications with hipster cache until recently). While her second album was adorned with breathy vocals, acoustic instrumentation, and sumptuous production that may have lent itself well to such an essentialist reading, the lyrics to songs like “The Operation” and “Little Monsters” document both the wonder and terror of bodies and childhood, suggesting what might have drawn Von Trier to cast her in Antichrist. Her new album, which was inspired by working on her latest movie, gives way to more lyrical abstraction, while at the same time emphasizing a harder sound.

In short, Gainsbourg may make male-appointed bedroom music. But that isn’t all that’s going on, if you give a closer listen.

I had the pleasure of attending the “Housing Works Fashion For Action 2009″ sample sale and auction event yesterday night in New York City. The Fall benefit and sample sale featured to die for auction packages, and unbeatable designer finds. The event, which is co-chaired by fab designer Derek Lam, is a four-day charitable fashion event, silent auction, and sample sale, that raises funds for Housing Works’ lifesaving services for homeless and low-income New Yorker’s living with HIV/AIDS:

These Balmain boots were on sale for $975!!

Packages auctioned include tickets to the “Essence Music Festival 2010” and a three-night-stay in a hotel in New Orleans, tickets to the Oscar de la Renta, BCBG MAXAZRIA, Tracy Reese, and Rebecca Taylor shows during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring 2010 in New York City, and two tickets to the Broadway show, backstage passes to meet the cast and a private theater tour with John Stamos two tickets to the Broadway show, backstage passes to meet the cast and a private theater tour with John Stamos, just to name a few.

As for the sample sale, my FAVORITE part by the way, over 150 top designers donated more than $1 million of merchandise, which was sold at 50%-70% off at retail price. Participating designers and brands include Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Christian Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, DVF, Fendi, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Lanvin, Paul Smith, Theory, and Yves Saint Laurent, just to name a few. And with my mentor , Shakara, being as FABULOUS and generous as she is, she decided to cop me a pair of the silver Balenciaga ankle booties from the Fall 2008 collection:

Designed by Pierre Hardy for his friend and designer Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, for the Fall 2008 collection. With the futuristic feel and sharp attention to detail, it’s no doubt that it garnered a mass following from some of today’s most respected trend setters. Sarah Jessica Parker being one of the biggest fans:

From Sarah Jessica, to Ciara, to Heidi Klum, to Victoria Beckham, and even to BET’s Rocsi Diaz, this shoe has had it’s fair share of red carpet and TV appearances. But originally retailing at $960, I got (well my mentor got) a sweet, mind-blowing deal, snatching up the last pair in my size for $150!! Who’s your daddy?

Overall, it was an amazing, successful event, and besides my brand new, fab pair of Balenciaga’s, the atmosphere was great! Can’t wait until next time!

Pictures: Jeniece Isley/InTheirCloset.com/Zimbio

www.balenciaga.com  

Related posts:   

Balenciaga: Fall-Winter 2009/2010 

Antwerp: Fashion, Shopping & Café 

Casba, Tokyo nights: meeting Reiko and MAX 

City Guides Paris, Antwerp & Tokyo: Destinations 

Photos: nymag.com / Lay out: Mademoiselle Le K

www.balenciaga.com  

Autres articles: 

Balenciaga: Automne-Hiver 2009/2010 

Anvers: 100% Mode, Shopping et Café 

Tokyo, la nuit: la Casba, rencontre avec Reiko et MAX 

City Guides Paris, Anvers & Tokyo: Destinations 

Source photos: nymag.com / Maquette: Mademoiselle Le K

With halloween coming up (and me getting my alice gear together) I thought it’d be fun to post some pictures of Alice all decked out in high fashion! Here’s a delicious spread from Vogue’s December 2003 issue with photos by Annie Leibovitz.

helmut lang

Yves Saint Laurent (Tom Ford as the Rabbit)

Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga

Dior Haute Couture (John Galliano as the Queen)

Rochas (Olivier Theyskens as Alice author Lewis Carroll)

Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs as the caterpillar)

Chanel Haute Couture (Karl Lagerfeld in Chrome Hearts)

Jean Paul Gautier (Jean Paul Gautier as the Cheshire Cat)

Viktor and Rolf (Viktor and Rolf as Tweedledee & Tweedledum)

Christian Lacroix

Atelier Versace (Donatella Versace and Rupert Everett)

]]> http://springgrace.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/this-is-balenciaga/ Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:09:10 +0000 springgrace http://springgrace.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/this-is-balenciaga/

Cristobal Balenciaga founded his first fashion house in San Sebastian, Spain in 1918. His reputation quickly grew and he made the move to Paris in 1937.  The Balenciaga flagship  continues to reside in its original location at 10 Avenue George V.

In his heyday, Cristobal Balenciaga was considered to be “the Courturier to the Courturiers” and his influence on the fashion world is indisputable. He was responsible for the slimming of dresses in the 1950s when the full Christian Dior dress was de rigueur. In addition, he popularized the tunic dress, the empire waist and the cocoon coat. A few of his most famous proteges include Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Hubert de Givenchy.

It was Balenciaga’s desire to recreate the female silhouette that is the lingering thread in the modern-day designs from the house now under the creative directorship of Nicolas Ghesquiere. The designs continue to push the boundaries of the avant- guard while maintaining wearability and elegance. Some seasons have been heavy on the futuristic vision while other seasons have felt just right.

As I’ve said before, I love the “in between” seasons and this year Balenciaga is no exception.

Here are a few of my favorites from the 2009 Pre- Fall Collection.

And from the Resort 2010 Collection

Op www.style.com zijn alle major fashionshows met de lente/zomermode van 2010  te bekijken.  The must see fashion show van dit seizoen is toch wel Balenciaga…want waar de meeste designers zich aan het cocktailjurkjes en ondergoed-boven thema hebben gehouden (yep met de kerst wordt het toch even uitkijken met de chocoladekransjes) heeft Nicolas Ghesquière besloten het toch even ietsje anders te doen met wat mij betreft een fab resultaat !!

Hedi Slimane +  Martin Margiela + Nicolas Ghesquière + Hussein Chalayan + Vivienne Westwood = SUPER FRESH!

http://bloodisthenewblack.com

Em pleno Século XXI, acho que já foram feitas tantas coisas na moda que é difícil revolucionar algo ou inventar uma “nova roda”. O futuro está nos tecidos tecnológicos – as verdadeiras “novas inovações” (sic) do mundo da moda, segundo especialistas. Outro elemento da roupa – que podem até ser referências de modas passadas – mas que dão uma cara nova, é o volume.

Na pós, tivemos poucos estudos de volumetria (dizem as más línguas que uma das professoras deveria ter dado isso em sua matéria, mas não deu). Mas, graças a bons mestres como a Mariana Rocha e a Renata Zaganin que, mesmo não tendo este assunto na ementa, nos deram uma pequena noção.

Talvez, o mais difícil da criação esteja em sair da “atmosfera” em torno das formas do corpo e extrapolá-la, brincar com o tecido, explorar seu caimento em volumes que desafiam os pobre-coitados que terão que planificar (criar os moldes em papel, desses que vem em revistas – para os leigos), e até mesmo a gravidade.

Acredito que um dos mestres desta experimentação da forma foi Cristobal Balenciaga, o couturier criador da maison que teve algumas de suas criações revisitadas pelo atual diretor de criação da marca, Nicolas Ghesquière. Ele criava volumes nas peças inusitados para a época, mas, ao mesmo tempo, sem perder o ar clássico, aristocrático. (fotos abaixo, peças do estilista do acervo do MET):

Pois agora, além de estar com mania de cores, reparo muito nas propostas que os estilistas atuais pensam para o volume das coleções – o “shape” predominante e o trabalho de formas. Como esta última temporada foi rica em drapeados diversos, tive trabalho em olhar tudo. A maioria dos desfiles eu só dei aquela olhada básica, mas por enquanto, dos que eu vi mais de uma vez, compartilho com vocês meu gosto pelo sempre ótimo Alber Elbaz na Lanvin e Rei Kawakubo na Comme des Garçons (fotos Style):

               O “panejamento” lindo da Lanvin

          Rei Kawakubo é reconhecida por sua experimentação e seus estudos de forma são uma característica. Nesta coleção, achei até bem comportada, o patch de tecidos é até mais “usável” (se é que uma criação do nível dela precisa levar esse emblema) do que o que ela costuma fazer. Mas reparem que ainda assim, é um volume que vai além do nosso, das nossas partes do corpo.

Não poderia falar de volumes nesta última semana de moda se não comentar Viktor & Rolf. Loucura né? Fiquei pensando como as partes de tule cortadas no meio ficavam em pé, incrível mesmo! Coleção ilusionista, né?

Balenciaga, this season, could not have moved further away from the pish posh Parisian in draped sophistication of FW09. This SS2010, Nicolas Ghesquière presented a little tech-meets-mod-meets-motorcycle rock with sporty hooded vests, a-symmetrical tanks, and all-over-graphic patterned slim pants.

Balenciaga

Fall/Winter 2009-10

I love Balenciaga… It is no secret that I am obsessed with Nicolas Ghesquière, he is just fantastic, season after season he keeps surprising us on the catwalk and off course on the magazines. With Jennifer Connelly as his muse again, he shows us and smart, feminine and beautiful collection full of draping, color, romanticism, egyptian and ancient cultures references, and an incredible materials experimentation.

The photography is by Steven Meisel, who tried to reflect the truly Parisian aura of the collection created by Nicolas Ghesquiere. Luxury unites with Ghesquiere’s usual experimentation in a collection that’s essentially more commercial, but as exquisite as ever.

Paris still being the headmistress, no doubt! So from the different collections we could see until today in the city of light we must pay attention to those who has delighted all the audience. Never seen prints, never seen shows and the most important an amazing Riccardo Tisci who seems unstoppable in his Givenchy art.
Here the pictures and some of the best videos.

GIVENCHY

The importance of black and white in Tisci’s style is one of the things we can feel at the show, besides he works very good with the psychedelic prints.

VIKTOR & ROLF

The fantasy and the magic were present through V&R work. All those volumes and cuts could transport us to another dimension, I swear god. And what about the magnificient show of Roisin Murphy…

BALENCIAGA

Nicolas Ghesquière has always worked in a different way, always following his original ideas his steps. That’s the reason why he’s always surprising everybody, you will never be bored watching his collection or in his shop at Avenue George V. Always not crowded shows, french elegance and the presence of women in all his garments.

GARETH PUGH

The strenght comes with him and his pure lines which actually allow us to make out his prompt collaboration with Dior homme. Let’s pray god!

Maravileeeandro! Futurista, desconstruido, cheio de grafismos, jeans e couro, + couro, releitura das botas de motorcycle, arquitetura, pregas, coletes, regatas, tecidos nobres com recortes em contraste de cores fortes e tecidos, saias extremamente recortadas, vestidos curtos e tmbm recortados, indigo, blue jeans, vermelho, azul, preto, branco, amarelo. Tudo isso no desfile báfo de Nicolas Ghesquière para a Belenciaga, uma obra prima comentada em todos os cantos do planete. Chorei!

Clap Clap Clap Ghesquiére! Vc me fez chorar!

These clothes. I NEED them. I have an innate, carnal need for this collection. I want every look, and I want it now.

Balenciaga: I am your love slave.

It is no secret to you all that I am obsessed with Balenciaga, aka Nicolas Ghesquière, the man behind the label. I admit: I am groupie and I am proud of it. Nicolas turns out the unexpected in a surprisingly chic, fresh way. Yeah. He’s pretty much amazing.

The spring 2010 RTW collection he put forth for Balenciaga yesterday during Paris Fashion Week was no exception. Backstage, the designer says, “I wanted something urban and graphic…collages of natural and synthetic materials, almost like toys.”

 YES YES YES AND YES.

Um, okay. WHEN AND HOW am I obtaining this?!

The construction. The perfectly placed sheer panels of fabric. The HOODED LEATHER VESTS. The pleated minis made modern. The random flashes of color.

I’ll play with his toys ANYTIME. This show, for me, was a veritable treasure chest of goodies.

I mean, it just kills me.

Nicolas (is up there with Chloë): I love you. Will you be my fwend?

STRAIGHT OUTTA LILLE: the man behind the magic.

No segundo dia de Paris Fashion Week foram apresentadas as coleções de duas grifes bastante festejadas e sempre esperadas: a Balmain, de Christophe Decarnin e a Balenciaga, de Nicolas Ghesquière.

Começando o dia de desfiles em Paris, Nicolas Ghesquière, para o verão 2010 da Balenciaga, pensou em propostas diferentes dos drapeados que encheram a passarela da grife no inverno 2009 e que influenciaram muitas outras marcas na temporada atual. O olhar de Ghesquière desta vez parece estar centrado a uma proposta que busca valorizar o orgânico. A silhueta dos looks da grife permanece inalterada. Calças skinny super apertadas, cabelo repartido ao meio e os coletes, tão caros à Balenciaga. Mas onde estariam as diferenças observadas nesta coleção? Basta observar para ver que elas se encontram nos detalhes da construção das roupas. Looks feitos à mão mostraram a capacidade reinventiva de Ghesquière ao conceber uma espécie de patchwork em um vestido feito com materiais como o couro, a seda e o cetim. As novidades desta coleção também estão nos looks envelopados de alguns vestidos e saias, bem como os calçados usados pelas modelos, a febre do momento: bota sandália feita de couro e lã com amarrações de fios metálicos.

Abaixo, um pouco do que se viu na passarela da Balenciaga:

A Balmain que se consagrou com os looks militares de suas jaquetas e os seus jeans manchados, contiua levando adiante esta proposta para o verão 2010, contudo os ares militaristas de outrora não são mais os mesmos nas mulheres da grife. Isso pode ser explicado pelos looks desfilados hoje: tudo very sexy (igual a antes), comprimentos diminuídos, roupas coladas e decotes, muitos decotes. Os ombros evidentes também continuam fortes (como antes). Mais uma vez vale perguntar onde estaria então o diferencial desta coleção? Está nos esfarrapados, nos rasgados, nas camisetas regatas com mega decotes cavados até a altura do umbigo e vestidos que insistem em deixar o corpo da mulher à mostra. Outra permanência nos looks da Balmain na coleção atual são os metalizados (fortalecendo o very sexy dos looks da marca), presentes não apenas no prateado mas também no dourado que foi visto em algumas saias e vestidos.

Um pouco de todas essas idéias que a grife desfilou hoje estão nas imagens abaixo:

Fotos: Reprodução

Sporty futurism was a dominant theme in Balenciaga’s spring 2010 collection. While it’s hard to believe that skin tight leather biker pants are “appropriate” for spring, I can’t deny that the overall collection was full of beautifully constructed clothing that was not about looking back, but about looking forward. There were a few 1960’s references, such as the short pleated skirts, and the mod dresses, but overall Nicolas Ghesquière’s designs seemed better suited for a boba fett than, say, Jackie Kennedy.

Boba Fett

I think it’s safe to say that I have always been impressed by Nicolas Ghesquière’s collections. His designs are so avant garde and really set a standard for where the fashion industry should be headed.

Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Spring/Summer 2010

As always Nicolas Ghesquière keeps on surprising us, and made it very clear why is one of the best designers of our times… He is just amazing and is definitely on my top 5 of best fashion designers. Forgetting about that egyptian romantic draping and shiny satin of last season, Ghesquière gave us a Hardcore Balenciaga Girl who loves to wear leather, zips and hoods and orange and black make-up… she’s ever so slightly intimidating.

This was quite optimistic and apocalyptic with a lot of craftiness in it. As always Nicolas takes so many references but somehow makes it work very well, perfectly to be honest and fair. This collections was very futuristic, it was an “Optimistic Apocalypses” if that makes any sense… And if that is how the future looks, I want to be in it already. All I have to say is perfection, WOW!!! Bravo Mr. Ghesquière, I don’t know how but you nailed it again. Bravo, bravo, bravo. One of the best. This is fashion Ladies And Gentlemen.

Balenciaga verão 2010

Como disse no post anterior, uma imagem forte, quando se forma, é sempre imutável. Pense na Balenciaga que, quando aconteceu sua retomada com o estilista Nicolas Ghesquière, em algumas coleções o francês teve a audácia de literalmente copiar modelos de antigas coleções do próprio Cristóbal (falou-se muito na época nos “arquivos” que estavam sendo pesquisados). Mas também com muito cuidado ele insere sua visão de streetwear (como aconteceu na fantástica coleção de inverno 2007 e agora no verão 2010), mas nunca deixando a imagem que temos de Balenciaga de lado: arquitetura e exclusividade. Mesmo sua streetwear daquele inverno, da qual se mitificou que ele inventou a moda dos lenços palestinos, era caríssima, para muito poucos.

Balmain verão 2010

Mas e a Balmain? Acho que ela coloca outro ponto importante para pensarmos na imagem. É interessante essa febre de interesse pela marca. Como disse, acho que são roupas de puta de luxo, tanto que visualmente a coleção anterior a essa desfilada em Paris tinha peças muito semelhantes (dadas às devidas proporções) às expostas há anos na Ropahara, famosa loja para meninas de programa na rua Augusta. Pois bem, o que a imagem da Balmain de hoje reflete na Balmain do passado? Temos que lembrar que a Balmain das décadas de 40, 50 e 60 era literalmente uma grife para mulheres sofisticadas, com um certo decoro, o máximo de sexy encontrava-se nos vestidos tomara-que-caia (sempre bem acompanhados, nas grandes festas, de requintados casacos e sua marca registra – a estola – que seriam prontamente retirados na entrada e dariam um certo efeito) mas sem os arroubos quase eróticos como as peças que vemos nas criações de Christophe Decarnin.

Katherine Hepburn de Balmain

Basta olhar com atenção a foto acima com a atriz Katherine Hepburn para entendermos que o sexy não estava profundamente enraizado na Balmain de ontem como o é na de hoje. Também é clara e lógica a escolha de Oscar de la Renta com seus vestidos de festa para desenhar durante um período os modelos da marca depois da retirada de Pierre Balmain.
Podemos pensar que talvez a Balmain seja uma marca que sua imagem é colar-se à época que vive. No conservadorismo dos anos 50, a marca tinha as estolas para cobrir seus tomara-que-caia, no periguete final dos anos 2000, a marca vende sexo.

Balmain verão 2010

Mas apesar de imutável, a imagem não é perpétua, ela pode ser esquecida, morrer na memória coletiva que a consolidou ou ainda, depois de um longo período [a questão temporal é importantíssima] ressurgir outra. É mais por esse caminho que acredito que a imagem hoje da Balmain é outra, a Balmain antiga morreu, só restou a carcaça, isto é, o nome.

à esquerda Balmain e à direita Balenciaga, diferentes imagens

Umm, hello. Whoopsy-daisy I’m late again. I uh, got run over by a bus? Let’s catch up.

Balenciaga

Rather than bask in the glow of last season’s drastically different and fantastically pervasive collection, Nicolas Ghesquiere returned to what he knows best this Spring: futuristically-inclined streetwear. But it was no rehash. Rather than the more tired concepts he had been showing when he last worked under this theme, the look was quite forward this season. The fabrics had the modern edge he’s known for, the hooded vests will be ubiquitous in the magazine editorial world come next Spring, and the bodycon silhouette has never seemed so refined. Somehow Ghesquiere manages to repeat the same aesthetic without it becoming tiring. This season certainly keeps that tradition going. Full Show Here.

Balmain

Christophe Decarnin has had a whirlwind experience with Balmain. The overstated sexiness and modern edge he’s brought to the house has become so quickly adapted into the fashion lexicon that it even feels like an overnight success in the fashion world perspective. Inevitably, however, his success seemed to come to a screeching halt around last season, with a collection that felt so redundant and excessive that Decarnin’s once cult followers were now ready to throw in the towel. Personally, I was expecting either a major overhaul or a timely demise from this season, but neither one was the case. Instead, Decarnin made up for the failure of last season, by returning to the precise constructions and military motifs that fueled the success of his past collections. Though it was enough to welcome him back for now, the collection seriously lacks in foresight. The most consistently innovative minds in any field all have one thing in common: they’re always a step ahead. And, honestly, this incarnation of Balmain doesn’t have much longer if this is what we continue to see. Full Show Here.

Bruno Pieters

You know when you’re looking at something so magnificently simple that it seems as if all more complex things in its category are purely extraneous? Of course you don’t, you’re still drunk on Balenciaga. But the feeling I described in confusing detail is real, darlings, and it happened at Bruno Pieters. Using a pallet of beige, white, and black, Pieters draped the simplest of fabrics into truly special things. So if ever you’re tired of the admittedly stressful dynamics of styling yourself, remember this collection. Maybe it’ll pull you out of a wardrobe rut? Full Show Here.

Rick Owens

Rick Owens is an acquired taste. He exists in a realm entirely of his own, outside of trends and classical rules. (Of course, it’s ironic that he’s inspired legions of copycats) If anything, he’s most definable by his alacrity to create new and unseen shapes, normally using materials that are not that foreign to us.  This season was a testament to that tendency, with all the shapes seeming wholly inorganic and in defiance of gravity. Ultimately, the collection may not attract as many onlookers as usual, but pieces like the update on his signature leather jacket (which he managed to sneak in) give us reason to believe that Owens will sell just fine, and his customers will look better for it. Full Show Here.

Nina Ricci

After the long drawn-out and heavily publicized departure of Olivier Theyskens last season, Nina Ricca was ready to turn a page with new creative direction Peter Copping. Copping was just as eager to turn that page, offering a collection so drastically different from Theyskens’ work that it’s a bit of a shock. Not that the clothing itself is shocking, in fact what’s so surprising about it is it’s plainness. Maybe Copping took the Nina Ricci execs’ pleas for sellable collections too seriously, because there was nary a bit of strong vision on display. For now, however, it was a good start. Copping was right on board with the return of ruffles, and the romantic outlook carried to the muted pieces. Somewhere right now, Oliver Theyskens is balking and guffawing. We’ll still take him back, by the way. Full Show Here.

Christian Dior

Is John Galliano asleep at the wheel? His offering for Spring is dull, dull, dull. The hair and makeup referenced, surprise surprise, Old Hollywood. And the clothes proved to be just as banal. Surely they’ll fit right in with the Dior woman’s closet, but there’s something to be said for standing out. Galliano, usually an inspired advocate for that cause, was as uninspired as he’s ever been, barely even bothering to put together a look for his famous runway bow. What’s wrong Johnny, are you still bummed about Oliver leaving Nina Ricci? Full Show Here.

Isabel Marant

Last season, Isabel Marant designed a quietly impeccable collection that seemed intent in filling closets with wearable pieces adorned with subtle twists. The promise that the Fall collection offered was present in the Spring equivalent to a degree, but the show was more disappointing than reassuring. Marant seemed to know so clearly what the daily uniform entailed, but somehow it eluded her for Spring. But the number of successes in the collection keep things interesting. Maybe Fall is more her thing. Full Show Here.

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood must go to therapy, because she’s very in touch with herself. The queen of oddity was having a quotidian moment with upswept hair punctuated with bursts of color and Kabuki makeup. The clothes were also unsurprising from her, a little sea of taffeta here, a message tee-cum-swimsuit-cum-wedding dress there. As always, however, the buyers’ focus is on the less out-there pieces. Westwood makes a number of practical pieces that balance all the crazy. Full Show Here.

Lanvin

Forgoing the vampy ’40s he drew upon last season, Alber Elbaz presented a much more youthful aesthetic at his Spring show for Lanvin that seemed to borrow more from the ’80s than anything else. What grounded this influence, as always in Elbaz’s work, was a keen sense of modernity. Possibly more than anyone else, he knows what women want. There is a sense, in all of his collections, that each piece, despite the extreme silhouettes and sense of fantasy, is entirely practical. We know his customer, we’ve seen his customer. And there’s nothing in this collection that they wouldn’t wear. Another fantastic show. Full Show Here.

Maison Martin Margiela

Remember when Margiela was exciting and cool? Yeah, hold on to that memory, because it’s only becoming more distant after what we’re to believe was the man of mystery’s departure. Coincidentally, whoever is responsible for the current designs seems to be holding on to memories as well. The only remotely redeeming factor about these latest collections is the sense of tribute it pays to the real Margiela’s innovation, most of which occurred so long ago that it’s somewhat funny that it’s still being shown. Full Show Here.

Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto is all about reinvention, and that’s just what he did to the classics in his Spring show. His unique capability to recreate things we’ve seen thousands of times before in a way that makes them fresh is not to be undervalued. The collections are always done with a hip hand, but not in the way that only 20-year-olds can dream of pulling it off. Thanks for letting the big girls play, Yohji! Full Show Here.

Many apologies for the all-around lateness and many thanks for your patience! I’ll be back ASAP with Junya Watanabe, Haider Ackermann, Viktor & Rolf, Sophia Kokosalaki, Ann Demeulemeester, Comme Des Garcons, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Loewe. Wait, what?