Dear Associated Press,

Thanks for telling it like it is:

"AP - Fargo residents came together at churches Sunday and prayed they would be spared the Red River's wrath as water burst a levee and swamped a school, providing a powerful omen for the type of disaster that could strike at any time."

Best,

S

(headline taken from Yahoo! News)

Don't Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?

For Marc Jacobs, his show was "about the good old days in New York when getting dressed up was such a joy."

For Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi of Gianfranco Ferré, it was a confused veneration for their house, a strange memorial for Ferré who passed away last summer.

For Frida Giannini, it was her latest obsession that she chose to pursue in her ever-charming, if not repetitive manner.

For all three, it was the 80's. But let us recall the 80's for a second; we remember the big shoulders, the outrageous colors, the spandex, the over-the-shoulder flash-dance and matching leggings, the fierce Pat Benetar and Cyndi Lauper makeup, and oh god the teased hair. The big shoulders. The huge shoulders.

While I don't believe all three aforementioned designers mean to venerate that period (Ferré), I do notice problems with both Jacobs and Ferré, while am pleasantly surprised at Gucci. For Ferré, it would have been a feat, humorous and completely remarkable; to add a tasteful austerity to the 80's, but really all we get is a confused veneration for the Architect of Fashion that dribbles over into the 80's:

The over-the Shoulder:

The bodysuit with large, pointed shoulders:

Another Big-Shouldered look:

I'd also like to point out the strange mix of materials on the last model. The jacket is velvet, over a silk skirt and suede shoes. Too many materials, too many ideas. The jumpsuit is actually quite strong as a look, but doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the collection. Incoherence and 80's? Time-warp indeed.

Next up Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs might have had a little too much fun in getting dressed up this season; the shapes were exaggerated, the colors were extreme, and none of it truly flattering:

Shiny fabrics with big shoulders:

Huge shoulders (a cross from a dandy's zoot suit and a hoodie. Yuck):

Whoa. While we can see that velvet is obviously going to be huge and apparently youthful next season, we can also see that these clothes really just point to a time period. The separates that make up the collection have no coherence; all exist in a vacuum of cocaine, greed, and two pounds of makeup per model.

And as for Gucci, well, it was nice. For all the Frida Giannini-bashing Sarah Mower does on Style.com (a "populist" designer, her target market being the clubbing teen looking for a sparklier spin on her current outfit. And my favorite quote, the conclusion to the article, actually [making it stick in the reader's mind and Mower sounds truly, madly bitchy]: "Still, Giannini's insistence on hammering it home in all those exhaustive options is one of the things about her commercial style of showing that makes a crowd of critics mentally drum its fingers with impatience."), I can't help but applaud Giannini for carefully and appropriately addressing the 80's.

She had her big shoulders, her Cyndi Lauper makeup, her one-shoulder, and some nice suits that had tastefully padded shoulders:

Oh. Hey David Bowie. Nice to see you.

Ms. Mower can say all she wants about how boring Giannini is. Perhaps I shouldn't even be comparing her to the Ferré and Jacobs houses, but she definitely got this collection right (and should receive credit because it is due). She tastefully updated the 80's while, if you want to remove the makeup, making wearable, interesting separates. Let's not forget about the spectacle of the show; each outfit worked well, the makeup and accessories were flawless and consistent, and the floor was shiny enough to snort cocaine off of.

80's, meet Taste; Taste, this is the 80's. They've never gotten along so well!

Something Wicked this Way Walks

These past few fashion weeks seem to have provided yet another dull color palette indicative of the current economic state. In a word, drab; it seemed to permeate the shows in a way that, well, was boring, unfortunately. Designers, under duress from fallen sales and a further spiraling economy, seemed to create safe, boring garments one after the other

We get it. The economy is bad; you still have to show a collection. You might as well do it well, okay?

There were exceptions, of course. Warriors in wool, leather, and makeup marched down the runway in combat against the economic influence; these models screamed "we're not backing down!"

Though, it was certainly peculiar how every designer who succeeded in marching forward into the future sending out warrior against the economy was almost directly inspired by Ghesquière's Balenciaga; I'm talking about Jil Sander and Rodarte.

As always, Jil Sander with Raf's brilliant focus on both the house's history, and the future of shape, cut, proportion and (thank god!) color, saves day with his thoughtful garments:

Now compare with Balenciaga Fall 2008:

See the resemblance (hint: the little black dress is made of soft crepe wool and is embellished with the same type of curvilinear shapes)? I'm not saying that this influence is a bad thing--don't they say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery?--these designers obviously can recognize a good idea when they see it, and then run. Here, Raf took the rigid structure typical of Balenciaga and expanded it, producing more whimsical shapes in what seems to be a luscious crepe wool.

Rodarte, on the other hand, took from Balenciaga's general bad-assery:

A warrior ready for the apocalypse if I've ever seen one (That fiery-red hair! ...not to mention the thigh-high bad-ass boots).

Compare to Balenciaga Fall 2008 and Spring 2007 (one of the best collections I've ever seen, period):

Fall 2008:

And Spring 2007:

Similar silhouettes, different fabric playbook. All amazing.

What is most important to note about these two designers is that they both are unconcerned with digging their heels into the ground in order to stay afloat (a bad idea, even metaphorically); they are looking to the future, molding the past into the beautiful clothes of tomorrow.

I'd like to point out that they hold the market on these niche clothes (Rodarte more so) because everyone else is playing it so safe; smart and sexy? A wicked combination.