fashionologie

Chanel's Spring 2009 Couture Paper Party Causes Model Fall

fashionologie — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:18:33 PST

>> Karl Lagerfeld recently proclaimed "bling is over. I call it 'the new modesty.'" His Chanel couture collection was certainly pared down compared to seasons past, from the smaller venue to the colorless palette and egalitarian inspiration: paper. Appearances may be deceiving, however; Karl still has no financial constraints at Chanel: "We have no budget, we do what we want and throwing money out the window brings money back in through the front door. The bottom line is that I don’t deal with the bottom line."

The couture collection is still, in his words, "for the very rich" - "not for the nouveau riche." And as for the change of venue from the usual imposing Grand Palais to a smaller former bank near the house's headquarters - the switch was only made because the Palais was unavailable, not for budgetary reasons. They must be doing something right - girls are already falling all over the clothes; literally, in the case of Alexandra Tomlinson, who took a tumble on the Chanel runway.
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Roland Mouret, Still Sticking To What He Knows

fashionologie — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:04:50 PDT

>> Amongst significantly less hubbub — no Net-a-Porter selling his clothes right off the runway this time — Roland Mouret debuted his second collection yesterday under his new RM by Roland Mouret moniker. The new set of dresses are definitely cut from the Mouret cloth — sheaths tailored with precision, oragami shapes — but for a man who's been using the same silhouettes since 2005, it's time to grow the aesthetic, not stand still in time.

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Alessandra Facchinetti Tries Her Hand at Valentino Couture for Fall 2008

fashionologie — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:22:06 PDT

>> Alessandra Facchinetti's first couture collection at Valentino represents a nerve-racking, generational hand-off, but Giorgio Armani was there in the front row to lend support and represent the old guard.

The collection had the palpable feel of a different designer, as it should — more structure and pared-down tailoring, with most of the detail left to the back of the garments, and more subdued colors than the pastels Valentino had been playing with. However, Alessandra did stay true to the three most guiding parts of the Valentino aesthetic: femininity, ruffles, and of course, Valentino red. In fact, that same Valentino red painted the final look of the collection — a stunning chiffon number.

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Riccardo Tisci Readies For a Vacation with Givenchy Fall 2008 Couture

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:38:55 PDT

>> Riccardo Tisci is taking a trip to Peru in August, and his anticipation birthed the Incan prints and alpaca blanket stripes that pepper his latest couture collection for Givenchy.

Highlighter shades of fuchsia and violet provided shocking punctuation amongst Tisci's usual color palette of neutrals. The emerging trends of knee-length leggings, transparency, and lace were all present along with the signature Tisci for Givenchy leather jackets and oversized hats. But I have to say, amongst all the draped jersey and deconstructed shapes, the two standout looks were similar pale, choppily-fringed minidresses.

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Christian Lacroix Bugs Out for Fall 2008 Couture

fashionologie — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:38:14 PDT

>> Usually Christian Lacroix's designs are a little too overwrought to speak to me, but something about this set sits just right.

Maybe the scarlet backdrop is to blame, setting off all the intricate detailing with its vivid hue: the peekaboo lace sleeves, the bell-shaped cocktail dresses, the gossamer tufts; or maybe I've just gone buggy for Lacroix's insect-inspired fantasy world. If so, I'm not the only one: the attendees showered the designer with carnations at the end of the show.

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John Galliano Plays Peekaboo with Fall 2008 Dior Couture

fashionologie — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:42:03 PDT

>> Transparency is still the word, in John Galliano's mind. The beanie-sporting designer had Lisa Fonssagrives, wife to Irving Penn and oft-credited as the first supermodel, in mind when producing his typical voluminous dresses, but with layers of light chiffon, rather than the heavier, stiffer fabrics Christian Dior couture has boasted in recent seasons.

Frequent collaborator Stephen Jones, meanwhile, looked to Eduardo Garcia Benito, famous for his '20s Vogue cover illustrations of women in cloches, when creating the accompanying skull cap-cum-cloches.

Peplums were aplenty and Galliano couldn't help himself, sneaking a little leopard print into the bunch. But the unifying thought with this collection seems to be: What will we see on newfound Dior client Carla Bruni-Sarkozy first?
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