Jason Wu is a cool kid trapped in a would-be couturier’s body – at least that’s what his latest collection seemed to signal. He’s also a ravenous aesthete. He is an artist who is inspired by other artists and is not afraid to acknowledge it.
Googie architecture. Ever heard of it? Probably not. But you’ve definitely seen it. The roadside architecture that defined the diners, hotels and motels of 1950s Americana was the jumping off point for the hotter than ever Proenza Schouler boys.
It wasn’t obvious that Marc Jacobs was working a fetishistic cycle for fall 2011 until he showed his latest for Louis Vuitton right at the end of Paris Fashion Week.
It was the perfect mix of sensuality and ‘haute’ fetishism that should turn any Burton naysayer into a bonafide believer.
Karl Lagerfeld tackled the apocalypse in his latest collection for the venerated house of Chanel. Perhaps it was the Kaiser’s ultimate statement in the power of optimism, or at least the power of beauty over impending doom. In the sun-ridden world of the future, Lagerfeld provides the light.
Fashion’s favorite bad-boy, Riccardo Tisci, bequeathed the Givenchy woman with a ferocious growl to complement the large bite his men served for fall 2011.
Victorian, romantic, ultra-femme – this Christian Dior show was laced in all the signifying qualities that have defined the brand since John Galliano took the helm as Creative Director. But with the famed couturier publicly ousted from the LVMH ranks – what lingers from this exquisite show is, unfortunately, not the clothes, but the disgrace.
This season, the fashion world’s new go-to minimalist, Celiné’s Phoebe Philo, looked to the sporty and streamlined nature of sports cars as inspiration for yet another miraculous outing at the hot-again French house.
Like many designers this season, Christophe Decarnin looked to David Bowie for his fall 2011 outing at Balmain.
Stars, glitter, a little androgyny. Dolce & Gabbana always make a big fashion soiree out of their Milan Fashion Week collections and this one was no different.
Last season it was a severely chic version of Olive Oil. This time – sirens, Mondrian art, Dian Fossey, Amelia Earhart, anthropomorphic serpents – that’s only but a handful of the different facets at play or interpreted from Miuccia Prada’s latest masterpiece collection.
The new reigning prince of downtown chic Alexander Wang did thing a bit differently this season.
Jason Wu might have just outdone himself. Inspired by the legendary photographer Robert Polidori’s three-volume set ‘Parcours Museologique Revisite’ – chronicling the 25 year restoration of Versailles, young designer sent down a collection that was all about sheer opulence.