La Mode et La Mort.

I know I said I would ruminate on various aspects of this seasons collections like how Marni, in a sad attempt to become ultra-relevant rather than stick to its own unique construction and ideas, regurgitated literally every trend from last season, or how Comme Des Garcons (and even Prada--what a dud! Oh and Margiela... and Vivienne Westwood [all my favorites have betrayed me! Dont talk to be about Balenciaga; I'm still in mourning]) might have strayed away from "clothes" per se, and instead sent... things down the runway.

I am not going to do those things. They speak for themselves and, let's face it, are a lot less relevant than what is ACTUALLY happening in the world; while art is a great form of escapism, I just cannot ethically justify turning away from the world's current state (it needs help, and I am Super-Man--or a Saint. Whichever).

That said, I would like to name the best collections from Fall 2009:

1. Junya Watanabe--Again, with fabric, he is one of the most impressive sculptors I have ever seen. Also I would have never thought that I could be convinced that Denim on the runway was a good idea. So impressive.

2. Marc Jacobs--For all the Marc Jacobs-bashing I do on this blog, I was infinitely impressed with this collection. The "house of mirrors," the construction and reflective-and-shiny-but-surprisingly-not-gaudy nature of the clothes were amazing and weighty eye-candy (also, anyone who can re-invent the stiletto is impressive).

3. Jil Sander--See below, this collection was amazing.

4. Gianfranco Ferre--This might have been a more pleasant surprise than the Jacobs. I had never really cared to look at a Ferre collection before and our chance-encounter proved quite fruitful; this collection displayed such a flair for a rigidly constructed garment, interesting silhouettes, attention-commanding fabrics, and great shoes.

5. John Galliano--The heavy-attitudes felt by the fashion world in the face of recession necessitated a joke; fashion people need to be able to laugh again (in the face of massive layoffs). Galliano showed one of the most interesting and hilarious spectacles of fashion I've ever seen: a tour of Europe through hat-culture (not to mention the clothes, which were also great).

Check these collections out; it's nice to window-shop (get it? Window, as in internet? Ha!).

Adventures in Retail: RE-Recession

Today at the luxury boutique I work at (we're talking $1000+--and I mean +--evening bags that you'll wear three times in your life), these people came in for a repair. Then we got to talking while this man's wife was looking at a sale bag.

[Upon his wife (in a Burberry pattern hat AND scarf with a huge mink coat) coming up to him with a clutch] Man in Gucci embossed loafers: Hm. I just won a thousand dollars.
Female co-worker: Oh? Did you win the lottery?
Man: No. I told my friend where we were going and that no woman could walk out of the store without buying a purse. When he saw how expensive they were he said I was crazy and bet me a thousand dollars that we would walk out empty-handed. And now she's buying a purse. [editor's note: Yeah. Never mind the 90% of the population who can't afford, much less justify a $2400 SALE clutch.]
Co-worker: Oh. Ha. Yeah. Funny.
Man: Did you know that 95% of people who win the lottery spend it all within 5 years?
Me: I find it hard to believe that you could spend even 30 million in 5 years that recklessly.
Man: No. It's true. People with little money who suddenly come into it just don't know how to keep it.
Us: ...k...
Man: Yeah. And I don't know what this "recession" business is about. We're here just for 4 days but already the restaurants are all packed. People are spending. I don't know what everyone's griping about.
Me: ... umm. Where did you go?
Man: We just went to David Burke [Editor's note: David Burke and Donnatella is a restaurant on the Upper East Side that features a twenty-one dollar PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY], We had to wait for a table. And then we saw "The Heights" and it was packed [Editor's note: :In the Heights" is a popular musical that plays to sold-out audiences... pretty much habitually].
Us: ...Oh. Okay.
Man: Seriously. Where is this recession? It's not even real.

If I ever hear a person who can afford to spend $2400 on a clutch for his wife explain to me that there is no such thing as the economy, I swear. I am going to kill him/her.

And I'm choosing to disregard that he bet a thousand dollars on whether his wife would spend his money.

...So about Raskolnikov's Extraordinary Man Theory...