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!