>> Yesterday, just like he did for Fall 2009, Gareth Pugh surprised press and retailers with a film in place of a runway show. Pugh, who collaborated again with Ruth Hogben on the 11-minute film featuring Kristen McMenamy, said that he was searching for a runway alternative because: “With a show, a lot rides on that very small amount of time and the whole thing comes down to image. If a model trips or has a problem with shoes, that is the thing that endures. It is liberating for a designer not to have to worry about a show. You can get the models to be even more expressive and do it all in a more concise way.”
Suzy Menkes notes that "the feeling persists that backing off from a runway show is a cop-out or a sign of weakness." Pugh says he is aware of "the perception . . . that people aren’t willing to accept something else [besides a runway show],” and distributed a lookbook of the clothes at the end of the presentation as “a way not to scare people off."
The lack in ability to see the clothes at the presentation was a complaint from a number of attendees, however. WWD wrote: "The film wasn’t really a presentation of Pugh’s clothes, but a presentation of his presentation . . . The imagery was heavily manipulated, so judgment on the clothes was withheld until the classic runway shots arrived, showing what looked like a great collection with a lot to offer commercially." The Los Angeles Times's Booth Moore Tweeted: "Why do we watch runway shows live? Because you can't see the clothes on film. Sorry Gareth, that didn't cut it." The International Herald Tribune's Jessica Michault Tweeted: "Is it just me or did that Gareth Pugh video look just like the last one he did a year ago?" And the Wall Street Journal's Christina Binkley Tweeted: Gareth pugh is a film. Beyond art house. Can't see much of the clothes, but it's sterile and dark."
Style.com's Tim Blanks didn't seem to mind the format, however: "What Hogben's film highlighted was the fluidity and movement inherent in Pugh's clothing. A runway could never have done that—nor could the lookbook images that were circulated after the screening."
>> And then there were four. Heidi Klum has told Victoria's Secret that after 13 years, she's done being an Angel. "All good things have to come to an end," she explains of the choice. "I will always love Victoria's Secret. It has been an absolutely amazing time." She won't be walking in the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and with only four official Angels left — Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, and Doutzen Kroes — the latter two of which are pregnant and likely not walking — it sounds like the rest of the show's cast will have to pick up the slack. Will a new Angel be named? Come the show's taping on Nov. 10, we'll find out. [
