High fashion has been taking an image-beating in recent years. Couture clients like Nan Kempner are dying and not being replaced with "fresh blood". The spectacle (and discipline) of haute couture collections has taken a serious fall in the public eye, as even the most serious of fashionistas have lowered their sartorial standards. Fashion plates that would never even think to shop for gear at department stores that weren't in some way associated with Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Barney's or Neiman Marcus are stealthily finding their way into doors without these monikers. The novelty of fashion design stalwarts like Karl Lagerfeld, Proenza Schouler, Isaac Mizrahi, Fiorucci, Stella McCartney, Libertine and Yohji Yamamoto stepping off of their fashion high horses to offer their designs at places like Target, H&M, and Adidas has become commonplace; and this fall, more "downscale" offerings include top names such as Vera Wang at Kohl's, Devi Kroell at Target and Roberto Cavalli at H&M. What's a fashion snob to do, when buying off the rack seems de riguer, and flocking to couture shows are being made de mode?
I'll tell you what you do. You thank GOD that Lagerfeld and Galliano are STILL the fierce fashion queens that they are, and that they have come to save haute couture by raising the ante for couture fashion shows!!!
First, Karl Lagerfeld began the latest trend in runway excess in May when Chanel brought two Challenger 601 jets to Santa Monica airport, transforming a hangar into a futuristic terminal lounge for an over-the-top fashion show for 600 guests...
Then Galliano decided to throw his hat into the contest by holding Dior's 60th anniversary haute couture show Monday night- in the majestic Orangerie of Versailles! Picture it: the longest runway in history. A procession of the world's fiercest veteran models (do the names Naomi, Linda, Shalom, and Irina ring any bells?) wearing one-of-a-kind, decadent gowns. An A-list front row that included Charlize Theron, Kate Hudson, Harvey Weinstein, Sofia Coppola and Juliette Binoche. An after-party for 1,000 that transformed the gardens into a disco with roving musicians, tents with chandeliers and gigantic pans of paella.
Galliano gave new meaning to the term "artsy", with a breathtaking collection inspired by painters, illustrators and photographers. Complete extravagance!!!
Just when you thought the deal was sealed, Mr. Valentino steps in with a three-day couture event in Rome that kicked off Saturday with a party amid the ruins of the Imperial Forums! WHAT???!!!
Fueling what some feel is Mr. Valentino's retirement, a host of his peers were in attendance (among them were Monseiur Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Diane von Furstenberg and Giorgio Armani). But it wasn't a retrospective; Valentino was definitely not going into the night quietly...
Although there were a few of his signature red couture dresses, his palette stayed within the black and off-white spectrum, with a couple of purple dresses and some really lovely pink pieces thrown in as a surprise...
And now for the Grande Dame...In the fall, the house of Fendi will host a runway show to top them all, with models strutting down the f*(U)C*^NG Great Wall of China!!!!
Fashion insiders have been asking: what's next, Louis Vuitton on the moon?
Chanel Iman sporting Jean Paul Gaultier trapezing off the Eiffel Tower? (Shown here at the Gaultier Fall 2007 couture show)
Coco Rocha in Christian LaCroix ramping through the dirt at Stonehenge? (Shown here also at the Gaultier Fall 2007 couture show)
Where will it all end? Maybe with Armani Prive or Alexander McQueen having their couture shows at a Target department store parking lot, who knows...
Questions for the Fashion Zeitgeist- the Fall 2007 Couture Edition...
1- at 5'9, under 110 pounds and with a name like Chanel Iman, did this girl have a choice to do anything BUT be a model?
2- Wasn't Ricardo Tisci's couture collection for Givenchy BEAUTIFUL!!!??
Catch u on the runway, kids!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment