We saw, heard and read that Christian Dior SA terminated Galliano from his post as Dior's creative director. Then, last week at a board meeting of the John Galliano company, his employment was officially terminated. Christian Dior SA owns 91 percent of the Galliano house and there has been some interest in buying the business. And now on May 12, Galliano is going to stand trial on a charge of public insult at the High Court in Paris. The question that everyone is asking lately is, can Galliano come back and claim his place in the fashion world? It is a very good question because it is an unpredictable one.
I think the fashion world wants him back on a certain level. A yearning for his creative genious is still present. Business wise I am not sure if retailers would carry his clothes and want to be linked with someone who invoked Hitler. Some pulled his clothes off the racks and others are waiting to see what happes to Galliano.
But from my observation, the people in the fashion industry have short term memories. For exmple, Naomi Campbell was convicted of assault and did time doing community service only to come out of a garage runway style wearing a Dolce and Gabbana dress and ending up in W magazine. And then there is Kate Moss for doing coke and from that resulting in her loosing ad campaigns only to start her own line and modeling for Fendi and Topshop and most recently ending up on the cover of British Harper's Bazzar looking amazing. All I can say about this is, let's see what happens with Galliano.
John Galliano
When someone hits rock bottom the only way is up. And if one realizes and admits, in that moment, that they are powerless, then the process of healing begins and a re-alignment to a wonderful universal power that has always excisted within is being re-established. When this happens there is something magnificent that takes over that completely brings a clarity and persists in the healing in the individual, and when it is in the hands of this great universal power, everything shifts and is restored and recovered into it's true nature and authenticity.
Who knows what Galliano felt when he lost everything. Maybe a mixture of regret, remorse, loss, sorrow, depression and so on. I would not even want to feel what he must have felt, because I have been there and I am sure some of you have been there one way or another. And believe me, it is certainly no picnic.
As Galliano continues to heal and makes his ammends to those he has harmed and continue to practice the principles of recovery then maybe there is a place reserved for him to be part of the fashion world again.
According to WWD there is a list called
"Steps to John Galliano's Potential Redemption".
The folowing steps on this list are: Clinic Stay. Apology. Charitable contribution to Jewish cause or organizations. Brilliant work to display his talent and contribution to the fashion industry. Time.
I could not put my finger why Bouchra Jarrar reminded me of Chanel. Not that she looks like Chanel and nothing compares to Chanel, but Jarrar has got something to offer and it sure is not braids and tweeds like Chanel. I realized it is because Jarrar's collection was simple, elegant, beautiful, minimal and most importantly, wearable.
Bouchra Jarrar
After studying fashion in Paris, Bouchra Jarrar designed jewellery for Jean Paul Gaultier, followed by working at Balenciaga as the studio director and as the right hand man of Nicolas Ghesquiere for 10 years. Her marvelous voice of fashion is expressed through her designs. She has shown only three Couture collections and has created a buzz that is ongoing today in the fashion world.
Bouchra Jarrar's Spring Haute Couture 2011 collection was based on her love for asymmetry. The precision cut and tailoring produced high quality clothes that made a statement. The piping along the edges of some garments and around the slashes were absolutely sublime.The piping seems to be a signature of Jarrar's. Any piece in this collection is highly worth while to have in a wardrobe because of its haute minimalism and its timeless design and style. Bouchra Jarrar strongly demonstrated that Haute Couture is not only about extravagant designing and fantasy, but that it is also about creating high quality wearable garments that are timeless and that emphasizes high fashion at its best. Not bad for a hometown girl from Paris.
I think that Stéphane Rolland needs more press attention because his clothes are truly amazing and are something to offer to Haute Couture. I also wondered why nobody ever considered picking his designs for red carpet events. What a statement they make! How glorious they look! What elegance they display! Yes, I am gushing and being a bit dramatic. And...I mean it....
Stéphane Rolland studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Balenciaga recognized his talent and hired him when he was 20 to work on the menswear collection. One year later he was promoted to Creative Director. At 24, he started his own prêt-à-porter line and it sold in 80 boutiques and department stores worldwide. Later, Stéphane Rolland wanted to try something new and it was Haute Couture. He happened to find a place which was Jean-Louis Scherrer Haute Couture and felt right at home. After being at the helm at Jean-Louis Scherrer Haute Couture for 10 years, Stéphane Rolland opened his Couture House on July 2nd, 2007 with his first show under his own name.
Stéphane Rolland
His Spring Couture Collection 2011 is a burst of high fashion radiation that flowed from his creative mind into the world. The collection had a modern, minimal opulence that demonstrated his captivating imagination.
I was tickled by all of the amazing silhouettes that displayed the perfect artistry that were emphasized by the knowledge and mastery of the hands of couture and construction. There were beautiful necklines and dramatic shoulders. Extravagant gowns with dramatic tails and billowy, flowing sensual gowns, glided down the runway, commanding attention. The color palette is warm with orange and mustard with a splash of brown. Draping and pleating were some of the signatures for this spring as well as gold being the thread throughout the collection. You will see some of this gold especially in the white group and black group of dresses. And of course the right touch of embroidery and beading punctuated the designs with perfection. Wait until you see the jumpsuit for the finale. It made quite a spectacular statement.
Check out this splendor of Haute Couture and let it take your breath away.
I know. I know.......
You are probably thinking why I am writing about the Spring Haute Couture Collections right now. I just could not resist. I know it is old news for some, but why not indulge in the world of Couture as Spring unfolds in front of us? The leaves and flowers are blooming like crazy and I am sure that people have already begun to wear their couture. I figured, why not have fun and enjoy writing about the Haute Couture Collections of 2011? Besides, since I started this blog in April, just weeks after the couture shows, I did not have the chance to write about them and have fun doing it! I hope you all have an itch to want to escape into the world of Haute Couture just for the time being.
Alexis Mabille
The first Haute Couture Collection I wanted to write about is that of Alexis Mabille.
His concept this spring season is all about mirror images. Each outfit that was made in white had its reflection made in different fabrics and colors. Mabille is a wonderful young designer who created a collection that had a subtle psychological story to tell through his simple and elegant designs. In this case, the light and the dark, or shall I say the colorful.
One thing for sure is that we all have a light and dark, and yes, a colorful side to ourselves. The trick is to embrace all of it and to love all of it. And in this collection there is so much to embrace. The elegant dresses are cut and draped with obvious precision. The lace, the bows, the fine embroidery and beading were details to add special touches to the designs. Even though the designs looked beautifully simple, I know that there is no doubt that there was a lot of technical thought and effort used to create this charming collection.
Take a look.
Whenever there is an attempt to revive a label that has been asleep for decades I get weary because the label either goes out of business after a couple of seasons or it simply does not pan out. However, in the past there have been some successes such as Chanel, Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Lanvin to name a few.
The first Carven store just opened on rue Saint Suplice in Saint Germaine de Prés.
Photo by Jean Ettiene
Madame Carven Mallet opened her House in 1945. While not letting the conventions of fashion and design at that time influence her, she designed with great freedom. Her spontaneous creative expression is apparent and simply luxe. Her designs were easily perfect and accessible for the daily woman in Paris and around the world at that time.
One of Carven's first designs
After being asleep for many years, the House of Carven woke up and is wide awake and alive, carrying beautiful, modern clothes that are created by Guillaume Henry. After working for Givenchy and Paula Ka, Henry became the creative director and oversees all creative aspects of the House. He breathed new life into Carven and after two years, the label has been pricking up the ears of the fashion world and the momentum of attention is increasing rapidly as it continues to reestablish itself as a luxury brand.
Guillaume Henry
The Fall 2011 collection was a wonderful mixture of every technique in tailoring and dressmaking. What Henry did with every fabric and technique was to create a party of innovative and strong, elegant and contemporary designs for anyone who is a connoisseur of fashion, to own in their private archives. The workmanship and the genious of the hands that constructed these designs will be truly appreciated by the eyes and bodies of any woman around the world.
Carven is a name of luxury that is lucky to have a wonderful designer like Guillaume Henry at the creative helm. I trust that his vision is appreciated and that everyone is looking forward to seeing more of Carven.
Madame Grès, Couture at Work is a retrospective that is entirely devoted to this mythic couture label.
It is planned by Paris-based fashion museum Museé Galliera's new director, Olivier Saillard. It is running until July 24th at Museé Bourdelle.
80 creations, mainly Museé Galliera's vast private collection, spanning the 55 year long career of Grès, is being exhibited along with pieces on loan by collectors such as Azzedine Alaïa and US Vogue's Hamish Bowles.
Germaine Krebs, aka Madame Grès, was a trained sculptor and worked rarely with patterns and constructed designs directly on the body. According to Saillard, who views the designer as the pioneer of sophisticated minimalism, Madame Grès essentially reworked the same dress pursuing her ideal of the seamless garment economy of line and volume. Grès was amazing with colors from neutrals to yellow, bluebell, raspberry, brown and coral. Her heyday was in the Thirties, Forties and Fifties. There was a come back in the Seventies with Yves Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake who among advocates of her work. Among her label's fans were Marlene Dietrich, the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Paloma Picasso.
While great designers such as Balenciaga and Pierre Balmain used padding and undergarments, Grès' designs were supple, light and unstructured. Saillard says that she liked her models not to wear any underwear because she wanted the clothes to be in contact with the skin.
What is missing from the exhibition is information about Grès herself. She was extremely private and that is how she liked it. She was a workaholic who preferred her clothing to do the talking. Saillard learned that she drove in a Jaguar with mink lined seats and she often sat on a piece of jersey to protect the fur.
She named her best selling fragrance after herself baptizing it Cabochard, which translates as stubborn. Saillard said that when she was heartbroken, she sawed her marital bed in two after being deserted by her husband, Serge Anatolievitch, known as Grès, after whom her company was named. Grès was an anagram of Anatolievitch's first name, dropping
the "e".
The firm was liquidated in 1987, before it was acquired by Japanese textile importer Yagi Tsusho Ltd, which still owns the brand today.
Grès died in obscurity in 1993 in a retirement home near Toulon, France a few days before her 90th birthday. Her death was made public only a year after the event. The last dress she ever made, a Japanese style floral gown that features in the Musée Bourdelle show, was commissioned by de Givenchy in 1989.
One of the designers who is incredibly energetic, dynamic and who thinks out of the box is Jamie Pesavento. He designs for his own line called Pesavento Couture.
Jamie's creative passion is playful and explosive, producing edgy elegance that is generous as it flows endlessly through him in an effortless way. The massive amount of ideas pour out of Jamie and splashes onto the canvas of the fashion world.
Nothing holds back this creative power that Jamie possesses and expresses. He never has any doubt in his own creativity and his vast knowledge of and experience in design is quite inspiring, alive and colorful which is attractive to any woman who desires to display their magnificent beautiful splendor in their own unique way.
I invite all of you to have a look at what Jamie has to offer. He is brilliant and a genius in his craft.
The earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan was a demonstration of how strong the forces of nature is. What was left over after this event was chaos and destruction. What happens in these situations after a disaster is that everyone comes together and give each other support one way or another and the new beginning of a new chapter in Life begins. Beauty is born from these kinds of situations and Japan will recover and become even more beautiful. In the meantime I asked myself, what is it that creates the beauty after these situations? And the answer that came up for me is Love.
Fashion week in New York, London, Milan and Paris was fantastic this season. A lot of designers have stepped up and thought out of the box and created collections that displayed new looks and silhouettes that were beautifully executed and that are leading fashion into a new direction.
New York pushed through with colors, textures, and shapes that carried a craftsmanship that is getting more interesting and more talked about each season. London continues to show with some restraint that is done brilliantly with their British style. On the other hand, their explosive creative British spirit expressed a flair of colorful fun. Milan is always so seductive with sophistication mixed with sexiness and this season it rose to the occasion tastefully. And Paris as pretty and elegant and creative as can be stretched the comfort zone even more so, increasing the fashion standards even higher.
But it was in Paris where a tsunami hit. The kind that was more energetic. The kind that makes everyone accept change and then move forward. And this was that incident of John Galliano and his journey.
His actions which were small ones yet so immensely big and strong, created a ripple effect that affected the entire fashion world if not the entire planet. His action was the earthquake and the earthquake created the tsunami. And people are still processing it.
The result of this was devastating. There was damage everywhere. A creative job was wiped away. An entire house was shaken up to its foundation, so to speak, and it immediately had to do whatever it took to survive and move forward to create a new beginning. And all those involved in the fashion world was sad and devastated because a creative, talented genius was practically washed away and swallowed into the waves of the unknown.
So some questions I asked myself were, what is the beauty that will emerge from all this? Is there support in everyone's recovery? What beauty is being created following these aftershocks and the floods of this energetic tsunami? The one answer to all of these questions that keeps popping in my mind is Love.
Love is always present and is always straightening out everything that is broken. Love forgives and melts away all resentment, rebellion, and rejection. Love renovates and restores everything.
Right now the beauty is already showing up in many ways. Galliano went to Arizona for his recovery, the house of Dior any day now is going to announce who the new creative director is, and the man who was allegedly verbally abused by Galliano insisted that he doesn't deserve to have his career "destroyed" over this incident. And who knows what the result of the trial will be when the time comes. Love is just going to do what it always does. It makes everything beautiful because Love is in everything.
Right now the fashion world is evolving beautifully. This "tsunami" has caused some more changes to happen not as much on the outside but most importantly on the inside. It is an opportunity for all of us to look inside of ourselves and to see where our Love is and what is holding it back from expressing itself more fully to make us even more beautiful than we are to ourselves and to each other.
Yes. Fashion week in general was interestingly superb and beautiful. All these new ideas and concepts that were designed all have the ingredient of love. And look at what Love has done through all these designers in all these cities! Each city expressed their talents individually in their own beautiful way that is leading the fashion world into the teens of this new millennium. How fortunate are we to witness all of this and be part of this one way or another. How exciting is that? All I know is that Love is doing amazing things all the time!!
When fashion week is over, the expansion of the huge buzzy and busy creative energy begins contracting or getting smaller in a good way because buyers, advertisers, editors, stylists and clients are all going back to look at every collection that was presented for Fall and come up with visions for stories for the season. Today was the last day to see what there is. What can they take with them?
The collection at Tilbot Runhoff showed a dressy collection that had dressy ensembles, dresses and gowns. Black, white, grey and a tiny bit of red were the colors. The Gowns of graphic designs made an impression. Elie Saab was an elegant collection presented in ivory, black, purple and red. Beautiful suits and dresses were done with simplicity and ease with a touch of polish. The gowns were stunning and some of them looked as if they were dipped in beads. A lovely collection by Saab. However, I think he held back a little. Maybe there was nothing wrong with that in an understated way because he did beautiful work.
At Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs offered a wonderful lineup of unique silhouettes of ample cut designs with exaggerated sleeves. They were done in many ways that the collection did not look monotone. A delight seeing the many variations of this vision was on everyone's faces. The french maid dresses were sexy and elegant and sauntered down the runway with demure seduction. There were printed dresses as well as dresses with big buttons in the center front. The suits were so innovative and done in a quite wonderful tactful way with inspiring fabric manipulation and textures. Fabulous skirts and tops that were cinched in the waist with wide belts showed off the body.
Yes, this collection demanded the attention from everyone. And everyone paid attention. By the way, the Louis Vuitton bags and accessories are to die or to live for!
Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2011
The amazing 1940's inspired collection that Miuccia Prada designed for Miu Miu set the tone with the astonishing designs that radiated a clear crisp sense of confidence and glamour. Pieces with exaggerated square or rounded shoulders reminded me of some suits that Joan Crawford wore in 'Mildred Pierce'. Some of the ensembles looked like suits that Hollywood stars wore in the 40's. Dresses were hugging the body elegantly and gave an air of sophisticated class and style. This collection looked mature and there is something for everybody. No doubt about that. By the way, I loved hearing Kate Bush singing in the background during the show.
The final days of Paris Fashion Week are here. Wonderful ideas were exposed to the world for everyone to see and it is not over yet. For today's presentation continued to expose even more wonderful ideas.
There is something for anyone who loves beautiful ensembles for cocktail or evening. The collection from Collette Dinnigan offers such a variety of prettiness and elegance. There is a variety that goes from classic evening suits to dresses to beautiful gowns. There were some dresses with black taffeta motifs overlaid on sheer fabric and some were of embellished laced with jet beading. One cannot resist getting at least one outfit from this collection. Or maybe two or three....
The collection of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac served up a line of sportswear that was cleverly mixed with trendy wools, tweeds, and leathers mixed with a variety of prints, plaids, detailed motifs and interesting color combinations. This season the collection has wearability power for sure..
When Maria Graza Chiuri and Pierre Paolo Piccioli took over the designing helm at Valentino, they faced a lot of hard core critiques from the fashion world. And I got to say that this collection will give them high praises for building a beautiful line up of clothes that will tickle the fancy of every woman at every age. A very Valentino looking collection with the ease of modern, contemporary influence looked fresh, classic and youthful that anyone of any age would want to wear. The suits and dresses were a pure lady like luxe, great trenches of leather, and fantastic evening wear. What a wonderful job! What a wonderful vision!
Valentino Fall/Winter 2011
Sarah Burton created 'The Ice Queen and her Court' in black, white and lavender and it is so Alexander McQueen. So many creative combinations of hand loomed silk, wools, tweeds. Beautiful velvets with studs, ample skirts of a honeycombed shapes and the marvelous, exquisite evening gowns. Could the rumor be fulfilled that Kate Middleton may be wearing a McQueen wedding dress? Who knows? I do have to say though, that this collection was brilliant and beautiful.
Alexander McQueen
Fall/Winter 2011
Chanel was dominated by menswear. A great deal of masculinity was exhibited with so much Chanel that is more powerful than the dominance. Mostly black, white and gray was present and there were a spot of colored jackets such as a red and a green one. There were Chanel suits mixed with jean like leggings, jumpsuits in thick tweeds and there were some sparkle as well. A tough collection only to have Chanel to dominate it with that Leo pride.
One more day of exposure of ideas are left. Soon we will see some of these ideas exposed even more so all over the world.
Creative expression is always here no matter how much time goes by. When we are surrounded by it and are open to it then somehow our hearts beat with excitement. And these collections did just that.
A collection to get some pretty basic pieces and separates with the touch of pretty and good quality came from Giambattista Valle. She designed some dresses that are appealing and that for sure would be sold in a split second. Red and yellow were the bright colors that were splashed into the garments to add some flavor to the canvas of her designs. There were some pretty floral prints, ruffles swooping on the hip lines of some skirts and a play with shapes. The show started simple and ended with simple extravagance.
For Chloe, this Fall collection is probably the last one that Hanna MacGibson designed because her contract is up. She does the 70's well and it shows. This time with some cute jumpers, chiffon dresses and shirts, and great comfortable pants and skirts. Snakeskin prints were a trend throughout the collection and bright colors were thrown in to give a smile to the fashion crowd.
At Emanuel Ungaro, Giles Deacon created a collection that provoked a seduction and a sexiness that is sophisticated and had an air of couture. There were some leather biker jackets partnered with some soft sexy mini dresses, sexy mini sheaths, transparent lace that added a seductive quality to the collection. Deacon wrote in the show notes, “Mr. Ungaro always said he dressed the mistresses, not the wives. I decided to do the same.” And you know what? It worked! Stella McCartney is going to do well with her collection. The ample cut dresses, pants, jackets, and coats had a nice spin to them. The sleeves were wide and interesting. This part of the collection had an ease and comfort. The other half of the collection was more fitted and had a great sense of class and a touch of sexy elegance. There were some gold pieces, peplums that added some quirk, and the very sexy dresses of see through dots had panels that curved on the body. The Stella McCartney clients will be pleased.
The expectations at Yves Saint Laurent were met. And Stephano Pilati did just that. Wonderful tailoring and a very smart way of playing with some YSL ideas from the past. There was a hint of the mod 60's and soft liquid garments that billowed as they moved. This is a true YSL collection and it is perfection.
So just be open and take in the creative expression of these collections. You will see which of them make your heart beat and put a smile on your face. Perhaps all of them will.
Paris has done a great job so far in presenting fantastic collections with pride. And this pride is something that Paris has always had for a long time and it showed. In a beautiful way.
Phoebe Philo's designs for Celine demonstrated a warm, modern appeal that the rest of the world will be attracted to. She injected some fresh new ideas in some classic shapes. The coats and jackets are well tailored and streamlined. Turtle necks under sweaters with big bold stripes were perfect and some suits and dresses were impeccable. Beautiful modern pleated blouses and wonderful flared skirts were some great additions. Philo is doing a fantastic job at Celine and is truly appreciated.
At Akris the collection was a simple painting of autumn. The colors were the reds, sepia, yellows and even the autumn sky was captured in the blues. A perfect picture of fashion made with suedes, wools, satins, cashmere, vicuna with a touch of tailoring. The prints on the dresses of autumn trees amplified the imagination of the fall season. A perfect fall presentation. Thank you.
At Givenchy the collection was pretty and had a thread of alluring sophistication. Mostly in black, there were some violet flowers, gold detailing around jackets. some transparent tops and skirts which had some of the violet flowers on them This collection made me think that it was a little peculiar. I feel that without the cat hats, maybe the collection would have looked a little more polished. Hermes went through a lot lately. And this collection designed by Christophe Lemaire gave a beautiful light hearted, luxe feeling to the house. A beautiful combination of coats and plush turtlenecks, Hermes prints of dream catchers on blouses and dresses, and a look that reminded me of the outer wear that I would see in the Gazette du Bon Ton and the illustrations in Vogues of the 1920's. Hermes should beam in pride with this collection. What luxury and what a collection!!!
A collection that triggered people here for beautiful and fantastic is that of John Galliano. It reminded everyone of Dior because of the style and inspiration of this collection. Tweed and wools looked so soft as jackets for some suits, a coat with a fur collar that frames the face, 1930's looking dresses that are cut on the bias that is a technique Galliano uses. It reminded me of the society women and Hollywood stars from the 1930's for sure. A beautiful collection that had people wonder what is in the future for Galliano. The answer is: we don't know.
Jean Paul Gaultier has a wonderful imagination and his designs sweeps us up into his world of fashion that makes us either laugh or smile or both in the end. For this season he showed a collection that had a mature playful feeling only to add the humor he embodies to make us smile at the clever pattern, construction and style that he so often plays with. Gaultier called this collection "la beourgoise sans age".
The tailoring on his suits that come with pants or skirts are done and the result always comes out crisp and sharp. The tweeds and wools that they are made of always make me slowly inspect the way they are made. Wonderful cardigans and turtle necks made a look that I am sure some women would enjoy. Blouses with different prints were beautiful and lady like. There were jumpsuits that were perfect for evening and a lot of trenches that were made of a mix of fabrics.
Definitely a collection for any woman of any age. I even think that my own mother who swoons over any amazing collection would want to wear Gaultier.
Jean Paul Gaultier
Fall/Winter 2011
Here is a designer that everybody has been keeping an eye on. One of the reason is because his name keeps coming up to be the new creative director at Dior. It could be a possibility. We'll see.
And on that note Haider Ackermann has presented a fine collection full of sophistication and modern luxury that is tasteful and well rounded. A lot of elongated shapes and silhouettes walked down the runway displaying the wonderful exhibition of fantastic colors, coats, straps, some draped, liquid, tailored and beaded ensembles and pieces, that were completed with a touch of perfect craftsmanship. The line up was pretty diverse and it never had anyone look away because it definitely commanded the attention of everyone. If there was a thought of ease and breathing space with a touch of luxe and sophistication in Ackermann's mind then this is the result of his thoughts. And what magnificent thoughts there were in this collection! Bravo!
A group of designers who have the years of experience and the staying power, have shown collections stamped with their own signature looks and influences that they are known for to the fashion world, including some new looks that will increase the staying power they already have. Junya Watanabe's looks were tough chic with plenty of leather and zippers, showing the biker look that is tough and to soften the toughness are the draped tops, sweaters, skirts and dresses. The pops of fall colors and some leopard print was added to give a sense of lightness as well. Thanks, Junya. Tsumori Chisato was a playful collection mixed with color blocking, appliques, prints and sequins and beading and a touch of feathers. the Caftan Shaped dresses were quite chic. A collection worth viewing.
A line that was as sophisticated as can be was Martin Grant. Wonderful tailoring. Beautiful neutral, black, white and some red were some chosen and utilised well. The bold graphic dresses were simple, modern and romantic.
A beautiful collection that started in ivory with art nuveau flower prints to black with the same prints from Caharel looked like a modern fairy tale of clothes. Some colors were pastel as well and gave a nice smooth touch and there were some pieces that were beautifully layered. A pretty fairy tale indeed.
I loved what Azzaro has to offer. These designed were cut and made perfectly for the body. Sophistication and simplicity was present and for a lack of better words, sexy and elegant. Actually seductive is a better word. Wonderful cocktail dresses made with beautiful details and fabrics did not steer this collection wrong.
Comme des Garcons by Rei Kawakubo always amazes me how the clothes are put together. There were colorful prints that were mixed with black, jackets that tie like aprons, deconstruction on some dresses, mixture of fake snakeskin with wool. The show ended with some gold pieces that were a perfect expression of Kawalubo
According to Rolf Snoeren, they wanted to create and army that battles for beauty. Viktor Horsting said "to show our passion for fashion, we are ready for the battle.” This is why, if you were wondering, the model's faces were painted in red because they are the warriors of this army. The Viktor & Rolf collection had a sophisticated medieval influence. The pinwheels, scaling and pleating formed the armour on some pieces. Black and ivory and a passionate red were the main colors. There were silver dresses with pleated details that came out toward the end that looked like a display armour that was kind of fascinating to see. This collection was done with that true Victor & Rolf signature.
While great designers such as Balenciaga and Pierre Balmain used padding and undergarments, Grès' designs were supple, light and unstructured. Saillard says that she liked her models not to wear any underwear because she wanted the clothes to be in contact with the skin.
What is missing from the exhibition is information about Grès herself. She was extremely private and that is how she liked it. She was a workaholic who preferred her clothing to do the talking. Saillard learned that she drove in a Jaguar with mink lined seats and she often sat on a piece of jersey to protect the fur.
But it was in Paris where a tsunami hit. The kind that was more energetic. The kind that makes everyone accept change and then move forward. And this was that incident of John Galliano and his journey.
