Chanel, YSL: seeing stars

I'll just come right out and say it: I thought Chanel was kind of bad.


From left to right: Cheesy Americana, way too much bad light-wash denim, over the top matchy-matchy tweed. O for 3, so far.

Not everything sucked; there were a few pieces that were certainly pretty. The problem was that of the half-decent looks, nothing seemed new. These three, below, are nice enough, but somehow I feel like I've seen them all before.

Maybe Lagerfeld just burnt himself out by the time he got to Chanel; after all, he's got a lot on his plate with Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld. But for someone who not only helms one of the most iconic fashion houses in the world but is considered himself a fashion icon, I expected much more.

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Stefano Pilati took the same motif as Lagerfeld - stars! - but did it in a totally different way at Yves Saint Laurent. Instead of a juvenile, literal Americana theme, Pilati used stars as a graphic accent to a much more sophisticated collection.





Even when he didn't use stars as a focal point (like in the last two looks), they were present -- as details in the shoes. This is how to work a theme without being over the top. Take notes, Karl.