Thursday, July 29, 2010

Slavery to technique?

Iris Van Herpen S/S 2011 courtesy of Pleatfarm.com
I wanted to add this image because I feel that it's very evocative of the route that many young designers are currently taking. It shows a clear mastery of technical skill and an almost slavish devotion to technique itself. The piece is awe-inspiring to say the least; however, in my opinion the extreme amount of fabric manipulation renders it clinical and overtly calculated. I feel that such extreme fabric torture allows very little room for the audience to create their own sense of fantasy. That's not to say that Ms. Van Herpen isn't a designer of liberated imagination, but my own beliefs in what makes for exciting fashion leaves me feeling that such a garment is more sterile than moving.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Comme des Garçons Spring 2011...black, white, and blood red








If you haven't had a chance to check out the Comme des Garçons menswear 2011 show, I can't jump up and down saying, "oh god! You simply must check it out!" I just pulled a few pictures off on-line to give you an idea of the feel. Rei Kawakubo did this macabre, yet humorous, one-note salute to the skull print. In fact she called the collection "the skull of life." She did the skull motif prints with an exaggerated twist. At first glance with a lot of the looks you would think that they were all just simple prints. However, some of them were more a trompe l'oile using the skulls as cut-outs and not actually flat prints. I LOVE the black skull blazer and also the innovative use of a printed sock with the shoes. In one the pictures included here, there is a model that has on a printed sock and black shoes that tricks the eye (brilliant Rei!) into making you think it is a spectator high-rise shoe. And please, if you ever want to catch my attention, put a man in a man-skirt or man-dress. I'm half Irish so of course I have a few kilts and love wearing them. In fact, many a time walking on the streets of New York going to a meeting or something, you can catch me wearing a man-skirt. Personally I find it to be very masculine and needless to say, edgy and curious. Wearing clothing like that really shows one's enthusiasm and love of all things fashion. Fashion pieces should be lived, not hung in the back of the closet. If you love it wear it!

The show as a whole had absolutely no colors besides black, white, and "blood red," which I don't mind. I thought it was interesting, and a lot of fashion reporters would probably agree, that it drew a close parallels to Alexander McQueen's frequent use of the skull theme for its morbid romanticism. Archetypal Rei Kawakubo. A tip of the hat to you.