They're Here: Pre-Fall 2009 Collections
6:17 PM
•
Alexanger Wang,
Balenciaga,
crucifying the fashion industry,
Fashism,
PF 2009,
Presentations
•
0
cmts
I can't help but feel decidedly...undecided about fashion right now, and I could smell the recession-fear in the Pre-Fall 2009 Collections. The designers' varied reactions to the times made for an interesting collage of concepts, one which I felt made it difficult for the observer to deduce what exactly now is. Major magazines' vapid celebrity parade and vulgar, out-of-touch "cheap chic" articles have already shown me that the fashion and fashion marketing industry are grasping at straws; when you force-feed people enough homogeny, eventually they will stop knowing what they want, and you in turn will wonder what to give them. I see a lot of confused pandering that I hope corrects itself before the fall presentations.
My plan was a Pre-Fall 2009 overview post, but my opinions on the collections are so varied that I am going to break everything down into a few posts. In spite of my distaste for the "business" of clothes, I love clothes themselves and I will start off with my picks from two of my immediate favorite designers. Geniuses. I'm also very pleased to see the return of the clean face- I've been ditching my mascara during the day and sticking to Smith's Rosebud Salve on the lips, cheeks and eyelids. It soothes and protects from the currently arctic winds of Allston.
Pre-Fall 2009: Alexander Wang
Alexander Wang's collection for Pre-Fall feels more cerebral than his previous work. These clothes are so simultaneously young and grown-up- see the playful proportions of lingerie fabrics paired with an avuncular jacket and short below left- that it's kind of perverted. I love it. It's hot! Wang's model, Charlotte Hoyer, has a prepubescent Vlada-meets-Toni-Garrn quality and was a great choice for this presentation.
(Above Left) The perfect layering keeps the individual pieces (mesh bike shorts? a midriff-baring brassiere?) from looking ridiculous. Ensembles like this are proof you can wear anything, if you do it right. (Above Right) The young minimalist done properly, and I love the sleeves at hem-length.
(Above Left) This shape is effortless daytime sexy, and the neckline is an ideally shaped deep-V. (Above Right) So awkward! Again, the styling reels odd individual elements into exceptional smart-sloppy. Bonus points for showing midriff (in multiple looks!) without a hint of sluttiness.
Pre-Fall 2009: Balenciaga
Nicolas Ghesquiere (Balenciaga designer) never misses. I really do revere him; I wonder sometimes if I would dare to criticize his work, but fortunately he never forces me to make a decision. He is brilliant, always. Learn him, know him, and love him. The first picture (Below Left) is impeccable. The colors, the details, the proportions, the glasses, the shoes- this is runway and street style, and I tip my hat to the house of Balenciaga once again.
(Above Left) Flawless. (Above Right) I know the controversial drop-crotch trouser begs the "pantload?" question; I find that males particularly abhor this shape, along with the high-waist, pleated mom trousers of winter. I like when "ugly" shapes look smart (Demeulemeester also does a brilliant job with that).
(Above Left) The proportions of this look are very fresh, and the excessive volume of the fur gloves works. For the street, I'd ditch the glasses and wear an equally joke-oversized dark scarf. (Above Right) I would rarely look twice at a party dress that had this moderately-mini hemline and so much covered on top, but the placing of the delicate lace is stunning, and it carries the tougher boots and gloves.
There are more sharp looks to come, as well as some gross miscalculations of style...stay tuned over the next several days for the Pre-Fall 2009 Collections, Continued......
xx The Fashist Dictator
Photos: style.com
(0) Comments