Paris Fashion Week: Spring 2013 RTW, part III

Saint Laurent

Needless to say, I suppose, that I was nervously waiting for this show to happen, just like so many people. It's only early in the morning as I sit here writing this. I looked carefully through the collection while a small part of me was still somewhere in the lingering dreams of the night before.

What a marvelous combination: the dreamy haze I'm in and the collection.

Pussybows, super slim trousers and loads of attitude and bohemian spirit. Thank you, yes please. (And I'm not even that big a fan of wide-brim hats, unless they are thrown on with the right kind of styling, that is.)

Oh my. The sort of dramatics I'm very into. The sort of american feel I like. I saw in these looks the sixties, the nineties. Women who really know what they want. Sex, definitely and while I tend to mostly steer away from things sexy (well, at least things so obviously and commercially sexy that keep popping out everywhere), surprise surprise: this was the sort of sexiness that speaks to me. 

I have a feeling I may not be the only one who feels this way, not alone in thinking that this collection will sell nicely. It's commercial. But I felt that nothing was sacrificed in the altar of commercialism. To me this collection also has a point to it, too, something meaningful in it that makes it stand up on it's own.

A tidbit about yours truly: I loved westerns as a kid. Still do. As a fan of Claudia Cardinale in Once Upon a Time in the West I had a smirk on my face as I kept on looking though the show. 

Oh, and those necklaces that strongly resembled spurs? Oh hell yes.

Another thing that delighted me was the absence of the peplum. I'm tired of seeing them everywhere to be honest with you, dear reader. There was not much of a trace of the Orientalism / Japonisme so very strongly present in countless of other shows either and that too pleased me. It was refreshing to see something else for a change.

"asdoinrnqpiubtt fgoiä !!!!!" was the reaction when I saw this particular look. The cape !!!! Oh my goodness.

I saw Mr. Saint Laurent's designs in the kind of elegance that was present in the looks Mr. Slimane sent down the runway. I think Hedi Slimane did a better job with this collection than Raf Simons over at Dior, were we to compare their works from the perspective of how their work suited the images of these two houses. Whether such a comparison is actually relevant or not, well, I don't necessarily think it is. There is so much uptightness in the fashion universe, such unnecessary seriousness. But now I'm wandering away from the actual topic at hand.

I liked the colours in the finale, they felt relevant as parts of the collection. And the westerny witchy vibe, it was done so well. Of course there was (at least to me) something slightly corny in this collection, but I liked that, too. It made the whole thing human.

With so many looks (66), there was bound to be some repetition, but even that didn't bother me as much as it could have done. The accessories were good and fit the mood perfectly.

How will I feel about the collection as a bit more time passes and the dreamy haze dissolves, that remains to see. But right now I'm most definitely charmed.

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Haider Ackermann

I may be repeating myself a bit here, but there's this one certain word that comes to mind when I think about this collection here. The word is structured, beautiful, big fat YES.

Haider Ackermann served my favourite take on the Japonisme. There were no gimmicks there, it was so pleasantly structured and lavish at the same time. A balance well achieved. Then add the impeccable use of colour and prints and one gets what to me is the best collection of Paris Fashion Week (so far).

Pure bliss. Nothing extra, everything has a point. Every line, every detail. The shoes were gorgeous, the belts   were used so well. It all made sense just so loudly. I don't know what to say, in all honesty. Have a look at a few of the finale looks:

It's been a while since I've seen sophistication look this cool.

All photos from www.style.com

There will be at least one more of these thingies where I babble on about collections that have caught my curiosity. Thank you for reading!

Paris Fashion Week: Spring 2013 RTW, part II

Dries Van Noten

There was something in this collection that brought a smile on my face. The colour palette was definitely to my liking. And I do love pretty plaids too. And, well, I tend not to say no to gorgeous florals. Print mixing, yes please. Layering sheer fabrics? Why yes, most certainly.

Still, it wasn't an automatic love-love relationship. Perhaps it was the grunge that almost lost me, though the elements themselves were to my liking.

Oh the joy! The colours are rich and welcoming despite of being dark. The amount of detailing is just right. I wouldn't say no to the shoes, either.

The way Van Noten played with feminine and masculine was upbeat and interesting without being too gimmicky. The feeling of class was always present, the laid-backness didn't take away from it.

Then little by little, the colour palette started to get lighter. And it was beautiful.

One thing that struck my fancy was how richly the florals were used, but in such a manner that it didn't go to the sickly sweet side. In fact, while being quirky and relaxed, this collection was also grown-up in the best possible sense of the word. It made sense, if that makes sense.

It's like an afternoon in the city turning into a summer night's dream and I liked it.

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Gareth Pugh

Hell, I loved it. When a show starts with a look like this

I'm already sold.

I mean, almost too good to be real, even. 

Yet real it was and sold I was, in love as well. From the make-up and hair all the way to the lean lines, hot leather looks and poetic trains to the simple but arresting palette of monochrome with drops of blood red drama splashed into it. Oh Mr Pugh, how you've got me wrapped around your finger!

The variety could have been even wider, though. Maybe. Because as much as a love-interest of mine this collection is, there was still something there, lurking somewhere in the back of my mind that didn't make loving this as natural a feeling as it could have been. Or perhaps, with a start like that the expectations rose higher than was good for them?

But any which way, a thing of wonderful drama and passion this collection is and I would like to wear every single look kthankyouverymuch.

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 Yohji Yamamoto

Even I would like to actually know how long a time has passed since I began to write this particular "review".  It is so hard to come up with words weighty enough to describe the feelings this collection evoked in me. Words relevant enough to describe the poetry that this collection is.

I'm just going to jump into pasting photos, before I get too serious here.

There's all the beauty in deconstruction and minimalism, yes. The man's a genious, yes. But few and far between are the moments when art really moves its' spectator into thinking. That's what this show was about for me. There wasn't anything extra there, nothing glamorous either. Fashion is about glamour, yes, but it's about life as well and life and death and all the thoughts between them this was about. Just... life. Life is what we human know the best. And the least about.

Life is human, war is human.

It was all there. As to whether there were things groundbreaking in the show or not, I'm not sure. Whether that's needed or not I am sure of: no. Does art have to have value as something that's entertaining? I do not think so. What's the definition of the word entertaining in this context? I don't know and do not care to know right now, for I feel it's a whole topic of it's own, worthy of it's own conversation just like this collection here and therefore I shall go on with the pictures.

It was all there.

All photos from www.style.com