Chanel Haute Couture Fall2010

Scale is everything in life. Big dreams, big hearts, and big, bold statements. Why should fashion be any different? Karl Lagerfeld lives by this dictate and by extension so do his collections for the House of Chanel. The Fall2010 Collection, recently shown at Paris’ Grand Palais, by no means a modest venue, bore out this idea on a truly enormous scale. The set was a circular stage with its main prop a humongous bronze lion with its paw resting on a globe. The “globe” was in fact a pearl that stood at least 15 feet high and appeared to be the portal from which the models emerged. As Mademoiselle Chanel was a Leo, this was an homage to her ferocious talent, spirit and place in the pantheon as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century.

The Collection, which numbered approximately 70 exits, was enormous in its size. Karl may be many things but prolific is at the top of the list. Colors were darker with lots of navy, burgundy, loden and camel. There was very little black and most of the styles were either trimmed in velvet, crystals and Russian sable. He introduced a shoulder more pronounced in it’s roundness and many, many pieces for day and evening were multi-tiered, layered and fell to the knee or a few centimeters below. There was not one evening gown that fell to the floor. Not a single one unless you consider the bride, the final exit on the arm of the ubiquitous Baptiste complete with a lion’s head mask. That paillette and embroidered knee length dress had a panel of embroidered tulle, which fell from the edge of its bolero and trailed along the ground behind. For the Couture to abolish gowns altogether was just one element of this audacious Collection.

The whole presentation had a feral quality within its confines of propriety. The quaint notion of rules have no place on this stage. Lagerfeld has effectively wiped that notion away with a grand swipe of that BIG Kitty's paw. For day, which included suits of crepe, wool boucle and grain de poudre, to embroideries invading tweeds whose collars, cuffs, and hips framed in bands of Russian sable, it was a display of the extraordinary technique of Chanel's petit-mains. The almost subversive attitude of the clothes gave them an immediacy that echoes the times we live in. Granted, we’re talking uber-Luxe, the clothes remain in step, or some steps ahead. Nothing about this Collection felt like pure fantasy. My feeling was more of a dream for this moment, a fashion with heightened expression for a modern woman to wear. Evening was in this similar vein but with the added richness.Glistening paillettes, Sun King embroideries of beautiful blossoms, and layers tulle delicately embroidered or appliquéd with abstractly draped flourishes of contrasting iridescent mousseline adorned abbreviated jackets and dresses. The hair and make-up for the models was deliberately off handed and wild in keeping with the leonine mood. All of the girls wore a slouched high-heeled boot that went from the simple spectator to completely covered in embroidery complimenting the dress she wore.

I won’t pretend this Collection is for everyone. I could have happily done without the boots. Many shapes would challenge a woman of any age or figure type. I will say that the spirit of Coco Chanel with her ferocious energy, vision, and exquisitely original imagination is alive and well in the hands of Lagerfeld. There may have been fewer Couture shows this season than in the recent past, but that's life. I chalk it up to natural selection. These are tough times and not every house is up to such a costly task. It does not mean the Couture is breathing its last breath.As others sleep, Chanel by contrast, is wide and wildly awake.

Jersey Couture! Joie de VEEVRAH............

So I'm sitting here eating my go-to meal: pasta with pesto. Yummy? Used to be but not any more. I've decided I'd rather choke on a bowl of Ramen before I go to this green, awful place again. To help keep it down I decided to turn on the fat screen, I mean the flat screen. This is what happens when you start to have acid reflux looking at couture collections like Valentino. I needed a little comic relief, as I'm fresh out of Maalox. Surfing (body surfing a sea with no waves) the channels landed me on Jersey Couture, one of the new, more heinous reality shows. Tonight's episode was "Operation Fairy Dust" where the store Diane and Co., donates gowns for young women in NYC who are unable to afford a dress for their proms. Having tuned in only once before and so overwhelmed with their gauche, crassness, I swore I'd never look again, let alone write about it. Well this particular episode changed my mind. The cast is a family who run a dress shop specializing in "Gorgeous Gowns" with the matriarch Diane, known as Ma the resident "Boobologist". Her specialty is taking care of the "Girls","Bubbies","Bad Boys","Breassesses"....... Everything uttered by the 2 daughters and Ma is Hyperbolic Histrionics. This episode was no different except for one very major twist.
At the most glamorous (not) dry cleaning shop somewhere in Manha-an, they brought a truckload of gowns to give away to 20 or so girls; all sizes, all races. The dresses tend to be couture knockoffs that hover around $700.00 to $900.00 for the best. These gowns are surprisingly convincing : beading, draping, embroideries, the full freakin' 9 yards. This insane operation has it AWLL.... So in come the girls: cute, short, tall, skinny, full figured, you name it.
One by one that certifiable family of Jersey Crazies dressed each and every girl....beautifully. There has to be a dramatic twist to keep me (I mean US) on the edge of my seat, so in comes a girl that is a size 24 and they don't have anything. Ma ( Diane) utters her trademark line, "Holy Shit" and I said to myself, "You got that right, Ma". "Whatcha gonna do bout this?" Well Ma gets on her Blackberry and calls one of her suppliers to send over whatever he's got in sizes 24 and up.
By the time the commercial brake was done , in comes one of the daughters who ran down the street in her Laboutins to find the goods. She's carrying a big old brown plastic trash bag full of something. The poor girl who is the last to get her dream gown is standing there quietly, patiently waiting. No attitude, just praying. Off to the area behind a mass of hanging dry cleaning (the dressing room) go Ma and Cinderella. Moments later they emerge and this girl reappears as a princess; a beautiful, glamorous, elegant , glowing dream. I actually got choked up.
There's a lot to be said for the generosity of this over the top family. They made every girl's dream a reality. They gave them a sense of their unique beauty, strength, and a huge lift to their self esteem. It doesn't get better than that. On top of that, they did it for free with as much heart and enthusiasm they give to their paying clients. Whenever they succeed with the most difficult task , it's a family cheer or high fives all around. These ladies LOVE their work. These bigger than life Babes love women and it's infectious. They're an example for so many in this very precious business.
" Go Jersey, Go Jersey, Go Jersey, Jersey, Jersey!!!!!

Alexis Mabille Fall2010 Couture: 8 Easy pieces

This collection had something of the Donna method to it. 8 VERY expensive,easy pieces. Imagine an Haute Couture collection designed as a system of mix and match separates and a gown to take you from late afternoon to sunrise. Judging from the 15 exits, morning would be spent either sleeping or mapping out what chic combination would satisfy your day's packed schedule of By Appointment Couture showings at other houses( a necessity if you want more to wear than the same thing again and again) , very late lunches, cocktails, the ubiquitous Gala and the all night exclusive get together in the VIP section of the Boom Boom Room. I know this sounds a bit sharp and I don't want to give the impression of a lack of interest in the method , but it was a bit lite in substance.

Perhaps , the whole idea of pieces that can be taken apart, reshuffled with a skirt, pant or long evening skirt is a clever and economical way to create many different looks. Many of them were beautiful and certainly crafted with rigor and a very light hand. I keep coming back to the question I ask when looking at Mabille's work: Is this Couture? Or is it Demi-Couture? Or at best,Haute Pret-a-Porter? The Smoking was lovely in an ubiquitous way. One moment the satin and lace trimmed lapel jacket is paired with trousers, then with a satin ribbon trimmed mini. A lace over tulle tea length bustier is one moment a froth of a dress then the bustier is popped over the smoking's trousers and one would assume the Smoking jacket would in turn, slide over that. With only 15 exits, this game of Couture bait and switch was not ultimately that exciting. The mysteries were constantly being revealed before each could be resolved. The clothes themselves were quite beautiful. Several pieces were really great: the embroidered black velvet gown at the end, the pick silk crepe bolero with a lavish bow tied at the neck, the frothy, flirty lace over tulle evening dress at the start that felt very retro-Givenchy (the real deal one, not sloppy seconds Tischi). I'm just a bit staid in my view of the components that constitute a Couture collection. The rules which governed who would participate, the type of creation and workmanship that must be included and possibly the number of looks to qualify, all stated by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, seems to have been lost in the shuffle. Well, what the hell, that's life.
So this is an interesting one to really study. It is clearly a hybrid of the old way. It's definitely not an issue of quantity that I question, more a middling quality, though a fine example of workmanship, nevertheless.

Marchesa Resort2011: Thanksgiving in June?

Well, Resort2011 for Marchesa might as well be the trotting of the turkeys. Spain has the running of the bulls, New York has wild turkeys; marauding, unabashed and untamed turkeys. I've always thought Marchesa had the glamor game down. That was probably because I tended to see that collection from the corner of my eye. When I turned to focus, looking straight at it, I was as disturbed by it as I am by the rampaging foul that has come close to out numbering the pilgrims who come to East Hampton and neighboring hamlets to worship. Sounds harsh, I know, but this collection was one gigantic , queeny mess. Nothing about it said Resort other than the program.

From the top, I was reminded that Georgina Chapman is the child bride of Harvey Weinstein, of movie mogul fame, not to mention the savior of Halston and it's Bad Seed little sister, Halston Legacy. The first looks were straight off the back lot. Cleopatra and Mata Hari along with a chorus line of showgirls in costumes parading as chic dresses and gowns. Had those creations been viewed from a safe distance , they'd have exuded the hauteur and command of an Adrian, Edith Head, perhaps a Poiret if the lighting was just so and in concert with a very effective fog machine. Marchesa has been so successful on the red carpet with so many important actresses of late, I was frankly disappointed to see such pedestrian clothes.

The first exit is a turquoise gown suitable for Cleopatra entertaining on the Nile. It approaches suitability for entering the gates of Rome but is a little short on gold. The collar piece is all chunky turquoise stones and other bits of this and that with a draped column that reads more as an afterthought. I almost thought they'd rather have shown Miss Cleo in only a jeweled collar, cuffs, a bad wig and naked. It was the damn censors who insisted they switch the asp for a gown. Another variation on that overwrought theme appears later in white, which was more effective, as the jeweled collar is obscured by a swath of silk chiffon looping through it and concealing the better or worse part of it, depending on your taste. A lovely confection comes after in russet orange layers of satin faced organza. It's one dress along with a few more that look somewhat current. Another was a beautifully draped short printed strapless with only a scattering of jet crystals. It was pure dressmaking beauty with subtlety as its primary detail. A claret silk chiffon gown was also effective with masterful workmanship and a modicum of sparkle; a very chic Mother of the Bride. With headpieces like snoods, it often looked like Harvey gave the team the keys to the Costume archives of RKO and let them loose. There was nothing original and nothing that expressed the idea of subtraction. It was more, more and then just a lot more. Big faux-jeweled cuffs were attached to dresses and gowns on a single sleeve or both. They even managed to get lost in Paris, lassoing in a couple of wildly colored versions of YSL fringe skirted dresses from his Africa collection. Nice homage, but not in Kraft "Vermont"cheddar yellow.

The mood shifted from the antique to the semi modern with crystal pleated lurex chiffon cocktail and evening gowns. They looked like middling quality, poly chiffon, the sort Mary McFadden used with brilliantly tight Marii pleats.(God, I miss Mary. She was the life and death of a party.) This pleating was too large and showed the fabric for what it was; inexpensive, with a lot of beads and twists to camouflage its lack of quality.They've worked this crystal pleating over and over the last few seasons and it's bled into Halston Heritage on SJParker at the Costume Institute Ball and in the sequel of Sex..... It's prom wear at demi-couture prices. Other offerings were restrained and even lovely, like a little one shouldered black jersey dress with one jeweled cuff. The technical know how is in place at the Marchesa studio. It's only channeled towards high voltage looks that have little bearing to real life glamor; only the strain that's epidemic in Hollywood and Cannes.

I remember one night at a screening of a Weinstein film, "The Reader" where he and Georgina were there working the room. I saw her at a distance and could not stop watching her. She wore a metal thread embroidered shrunken matador's cape over a very short beautiful dress. Her legs and body were as sleek as a jaguar. She worked the room(theater) from front to back, side to side like an industry pro. Harvey just stood back like a large toad and let her work. What struck me was not so much their utter lack of chemistry, but her incredible beauty. She was by far the most beautiful woman there, towering over her court and oozing charm. I thought at that moment, "here's a great designer", but too often there are those who are brilliant at making and others at wearing.

That company is a hodgepodge of items, like a Kleinfeld's for "occasion clothes". The Bar Mitzvah mother's go-to outlet or a prom girl or over indulged "sweet 16's" Mecca. The most blatant shortcut was the "Lanvin Pouf", the ubiquitous one-shouldered popover dress that has turned up on way too many runways. When you start to mistake one for the other, it's time to take it from the top.

Brian Reyes Resort2011

There's always a trap for designers that cleave too closely to a given theme or period. They either launch into a world of Waterloos or become trapped in the literal which ends in a Waterloo moment. It's frustrating to watch when they have obvious talent and skill and even more maddening because to do less can say infinitely more. That's what I came away with after looking at this collection. More often than not, program notes can be a case of TMI.

Brian's inspiration for this collection was a young immigrant gamine taking in the New World of Ellis Island. She's still enamored with the way she used to dress but conflicted with the way she must assimilate in her new home. This is a serenade to nostalgia with an upbeat twist. Sort of a folk dance from the old country overlaid on a jazzy new sound. The styling along with several looks seemed to illustrate perfectly this dichotomy. Opaque black hose and laced up, high heeled Granny brogues, always age most any look I can think of. This combination with looks that were great feats of tailoring or paired with fussy sheaths made for a dreary collection.Long, sad colored skirts with fur jackets don't evoke Resort, no matter the climate or locale.

When he loosened up with a very smart black pant suit with cleverly cut sleeves on the jacket or a dress cut in silk with an oil spill print, things looked up. The most appealing exits in the collection was a great little black dress with horizontal, textured stripes and knife pleated skirt looked young, modern and just right. The same could be said for a black strapless gown that was broken in two with a clean, fitted corset and long tailored skirt. That one piece was the most successful marriage of the old world and the new.

He's clearly a talented young designer and one that is fast developing his skills. I look forward to the day that he takes his own lead and not and old one to tell us his own story.

Barbara Tfank Resort2011

This modest offering, only 15 exits, comes from a designer working in Los Angeles. For all intents and purposes it is a very ladylike aesthetic in the vein of Balenciaga by way of Catherine Charles. There will be no earth shifting moments , but I did sense a quiet, astute understanding of what women with a certain appreciation for clothes based on the high art of dressmaking will find compelling. The shapes are strictly of the flattering sort but the volumes of some of the short jackets, evening coats and dresses looked very interesting in the way they evoked images of Balenciaga. Her fabrics which for the most part were stiff and architectural were handled to their greatest advantage. A retro 50's and 60's Givenchy/Audrey mood drifted in and out of the presentation but not in a literal sense. It was more a romantic nod with a contemporary touch. The prints used in some of the dresses and gown reminded me of elegant patterns for wall papers and fabrics for the home from a time that was more discreet and refined. I can't help but think that these clothes are for women are more sophisticated and not just fashionable. These clothes have an aspect that says collectible. They don't look like dresses that date because they skirt the limits of trend. They are iconic. Whether this is your cup of tea or not, it's very refreshing to see a designer that listens to a voice that has been all but hushed by the noise that is so much of fashion today. This type of fashion is so easy for people to dismiss saying that it is more a view to the past and not relevant to today. With this current obsession with "vintage" it makes perfect sense because vintage is another word for skillful design: proportion, cut, exquisite fabrics, and refinement. So many of those elements are why countless designers from Marc Jacobs to John Galliano scour Vintage purveyors in order to recreate those looks and stick their labels in them. More and more people want to make wise investments in clothing that won't outlive their shelf lives in 6 months or less. This is one of those collections and worth a look.

*Chris Benz Resort 2011*

Well, all I can say after looking at Chris Benz's collection is that I couldn't help thinking that Oscar and Carolina could do with a little sojourn at Clinique La Prairie in Clarens-Montreux, Switzerland for their world renowned Embryonic Cell Therapy. In short , the therapy gives one a renewed youth or something that resembles a renewal. Benz also looks like the rightful recipient of the Swarovski Womenswear Award that went to Jason Wu. To take it a step further, Chris Benz is the designer that people are mistaking Jason for. He's wonderful, sophisticated, and very talented with a rich imagination. Does he blaze new trails? Not exactly, but what he weeds, reseeds and fertilizes them so that they appear familiar, only immensely improved. What's even more impressive is that he's a young designer doing the work himself, not relying on over paid stylists or an army of assistants and creative director to do all of the lifting, let alone the heavy.

According to his inspiration the collection was an homage to Carmen Miranda and the ceramic artist Sascha Brastoff. One of the very graphic prints in the collection was attributed to Sascha. That's all fine and good but they were more points of departure for an imagination with little need for direction. His fabrics were very artisanal, looking like one thing but actually an amalgam of fibers to create a whole. Tweeds were really woven strands of silk organza and ribbon. Grass cloth which is a familiar fiber for home furnishing was also printed and cut. Duchesse satin was used for a few cocktail and ball skirt confections. What was so appealing was the balance he found with combining the rich with the humble, particularly a satin ball skirt paired with a fisherman knit cardigan. This sort of aesthetic is not new, but rarely is it pulled off with such unself-conscious panache. I'm curious to watch the arc of his career. He's got the knowledge and taste to really grow and develop his own special voice. Of so many young talents on the scene, his view is very assured and quiet. If Michelle Obama and Ikram were not driving while dozing, Chris would make them both look lots better than they do. Only time will tell. The Obama Bump is neither here nor there . He's perfectly capable of rising to the top on his own merits.