Paris on Speed....starting to fade.

The order of go is going to be my good to less than good list. My patience is running low and at this point my generosity of spirit is fading as well. Excuse my curtness if someone gets short shrift but if it doesn't ring true on some important levels I call it as I see it. If I fail to mention some designers whose collections were seminal in their freshness and importance, it's my own short sightedness, and for that I apologize in advance.
Hermes/Jean Paul Gaultier: Clever, classic,collectible, cool and Crocodile ...... All the elements that make Gaultier's Hermes one of the most coveted collections on the planet. I've never seen crocodile handled in such a masterful way. The colors of it from brown to taupe /grey are perfect as are the shapes and paired down details. The skins are allowed to entice with little or no tricks to get in the way. These are MEGA investment pieces delivered to you in such a way that they will never age, never ever be out of date or style. But that's the way the whole collection operates. Gaultier understands the rich heritage of the House and designs in a way that honors that heritage, making almost every single piece instantly collectible. The greys in cashmere, flannel,astrakhan, leather suede, everything are just perfect. The right degree of proportion , be it sleek to fluid is on the mark. His eye and sense of how best to mix leathers with fur with fabric with accessories are the mark of a designer at the height of his creative powers.
Nina Ricci/Olivier Theyskens: Aside from shes which I found disturbing, distracting and dumb, there were many beautiful clothes. This apparently is his swan song at the house and the collection was so assured and compelling. I can't see why it should be his last. It's not broken...there's nothing to fix! For whatever the reason ,it's again one of those pointless unanswerable questions which is the statement of Fashion today. So many fabulously tailored suits , fantastic draped dresses and gowns, all by a very consistent, creative and capable hand. I have not always been a fan but this collection was so great, deserving the praise and attention it garners world wide. There was a 60's feel to some of the mini tunic dresses over tights and turtlenecks and some unfortunate platforms. So sleek slick and seamless. They were looks that were retro on the one hand and a glimpse of the future on the other. So much of this collection was so complete your whole wardrobe is there ...or certainly all the pieces one could need to breathe new life into the things you already have. Why is he leaving?
Givenchy/Riccardo Tisci: Sorry, you lose me on this one. If this collection were under his name and not Givenchy's perhaps it would stand scrutiny. As a collection for Givenchy it doesn't make sense. Forced, fumbling,fatuous and ultimately false , is what I came away with. Cuts that were overwrought. Too much over and over again. Repetition of details and looks and with the exception of a parade of white gowns at the end, boring and banal. I don't see why Theyskens goes and Tisci stays.
Rick Owens: I don't see beauty, or feel that it is a vision of creation for women that is anything more than dark, darkness. Bummer. I know there are acolytes out there who call him God , but this believer is not of that faith.
Gareth Pugh: There is a talent there to provoke and to grip the press and all who crave the new flavor . It still reads Advanced Placement thesis work . I'm not boarding that boat. If it doesn't float in the kiddie pool, how's it going to fare on the open seas?