The pieces created for the couture shows, happening now in Paris, will not be for sale at Dior, Chanel, or
Givenchy boutiques. They're certainly not meant to be pieces hanging in
anyone's closet. They don't need to be accessible or consumer-friendly, and they're not meant to drive any business.
Couture is, for me, the point where art and fashion really converge. Don't get me wrong, the ready-to-wear fashion weeks are generally my two favorite weeks of the year -- I sit around on my computer all day long smiling at style.com
slideshows and loving every minute. But couture is different.
Lately, ready-to-wear has become a party where
everyone's invited. If you have a few thousand dollars and a few high-profile friends, you can have your own show, no talent required (
coughcoughCHARLOTTERONSONcough). With couture, you can't be messing around.
Seriously. An Olsen can be a fashion designer these days and make a $100 "perfect t-shirt," but not just anyone can do this:
Honestly.
John
Galliano went all out for Dior's 60
th anniversary, as one would expect. I actually thought the collection was a little all over the place -- sometimes it was Marie Antoinette in the 18
th century, sometimes it was early 1900s My Fair Lady, sometimes it was classic Dior New Look from 1947- the beginning. But though it may not have been totally cohesive, you can't argue with the craftsmanship (and showmanship -- Gisele, Helena Christensen, Naomi
Campbell, Linda
Evangelista, and Amber Valletta all walked in the the show).
This one reminds me of the
oragami-
esque work he did last year- those sleeves are unbelievable.
A lot of the collection was inspired by art, whether literally, like this dress and others that look like they have paint splashes and swirls, or whether they alluded to portraiture, like this:
And really, fashion notwithstanding, you have to love a man who comes out at the end of his show looking like this:
The August issue of Vogue.
Winona and Mr. Jacobs at the CFDA Awards a couple months ago.
I don't hate the bird on this tank. I'd still probably put a cardigan over it, because I'm not crazy about the cut, but it's do-able.
I like the detail on this scarf. I can't figure out the shape, though -- I'd like it if it was a big square, not so much if it was long and narrow.
This is probably the least colorful look in the collection, but it's my favorite. That skirt is adorable.
That coat is serious. And I love those bandage-y ankle straps on the shoes.
This is incredibly glamorous in a classic sexy-black-dress-and-fur-coat kind of way, but the volume of the coat and the textures and cut of the dress make it different. I'd love to see that dress close up -- I think we'd all be blown away.
This dress screams Givenchy to me. All the draping and twisting in the middle, that long pleated section of the skirt -- for me, that's what Tisci is so good at: creating tons of texture in what, from far away, appears to be a simple black dress.
He's obviously very talented, technically. We're just not seeing anything new.
The neckline reiterates that symmetry. He's a genius, I'm telling you.
I think these gloves are amazing. I would love to see them on a red carpet with a really simple black dress (Cate Blanchett, are you reading this?).
This is what i mean about the collection being classically Chanel and so modern it's almost futuristic. It is futuristic, really: the clean, even spare silhouettes, the hoods and headpieces... it breaks my heart, it's so cool.
This is one of my favorite looks in the collection. The headwrap looks sort of 20s-flapper to me, and the bows on the shoulders are perfect. And is she wearing flats!? Seriously, Karl. Stop. No, don't.
Agreed?
This is okay.
