A Man for One Season

Christian Lacroix poufed his way to notoriety in the late 1980's with his exuberant and over the top confections.

His legacy is inextricably entwined with that time, fairly or not.

His use of pattern on pattern, an overscale costume aesthetic, and, for that era, unique color combinations, marked him not so much as a visionary, but more as a ring leader and agent provocateur of the "more is more" trend that encapsulated those times.

Beloved of the billionaires' wives of those heady days, the Susan Gutfreunds and Gayfried Steinbergs, who were breathlessly followed by Vogue and WWD, the backlash inevitably occurred, sweeping all before it, like a
tsunami of schadenfreude.  The early 90's had arrived, and the mighty, and their minions, fell.

Did Christian Lacroix get that memo?

Apparently not.

Lacroix never wavered. He designed his brand of haute couture until the end of 2010, hanging on, designing away, while minimalism took it's shot, and other established designers prospered in a constantly shifting retail environment.

His take on the trends?  Let them dress in silks and satins for day AND night while others wear Calvin Klein pantsuits! You know - business as usual.

Lacroix, in all his excess and creativity, foreshadowed later designers, forging a path for the McQueens, Gallianos, Theyskens et al, establishing himself as a courageous and insouciant visionary, a torch bearer for the artisanal.

I would call him the Diana Vreeland of the haute couture, in a category all his own.

An original - period.

He will be vindicated.  It's just a matter of time.

Herewith, some of his iconic designs.

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The Black and The White

Back in the early 90's, when minimalism became the mantra of every designer on the planet (except Christian Lacroix), as a backlash to the wacky excesses of the over -the- top 80's, the editor of Italian Vogue was featured in American Vogue with her wardrobe on display.

The photos of her walk-in closet told the whole story.

Were there acres of colorful couture and shelves loaded with Birkin bags and hundreds of pairs of expensive shoes?

Hardly!

On a top rack, for as far as the eye could see, were crisp, white long-sleeved shirts.

On the bottom rack, for as far as the eye could see, were black pants and long black skirts.

Period.

Shoes?  Black boots - laceup.

That was all she wore, every day, and per her, all she would ever need from that point forward.  She had moved on, in a big way.

Reverse excess as it were.  Not fewer clothes. No. Just no embellishment and no color. Otherwise, as would befit an editor with access to every designer in the world, she went for the new new thing and committed herself to
it.  She made the decision to keep it simple, but keep the luxury in her life, in fabrication and construction rather than obvious status signals. Black was the new black and so was white. And she had a ton of both.

In other words, a uniform, to wear every day, forever.

Until the next new thing. Every fashionista's dream: up to the minute and no limit in sight!

I was so jealous.

Since those heady and simple days twenty years ago, the entire industry has thankfully, and dramatically, moved on, incorporating minimalism, maximalism, high and low into what has now become generally available and accessible to anyone who cares to enter the fashion game.

You can now, theoretically, have it all too.

So choose your fashion to reflect your taste,

As the dictum now goes: "STYLE:  1.  KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  2.  DRESS ACCORDINGLY."

That's all you will ever need to know.

The resources available to you have never been greater.

Have fun and look amazing, editor or not!

It's a brand new day!

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Kaleidoscopic Vision

Mary Katrantzou is from Greece.

Does this give her an edge in the creativity department?

Utilizing her technical expertise and vision on several levels - design, digital print, construction - she brings fashion into a new millennium, never mind a new century!

In her collections, Mary sees potential design value in what has previously been considered mundane, even ordinary, and elevates these inspirations through her intensive digital process to a new level of heretofore unthought of wearablilty. Typewriter chic,  lampshade details, matching boots, all elaborately and masterfully detailed.

And did we say beautiful?  Beautiful!! Talk about elevation!

Every decision she makes design-wise is informed by her unique and acute awareness of the patterns and potential only really seen by her.  She sees her surroundings from a completely different angle.

It's just a twist of the kaleidoscope to her.

For us, a revelation.

For her, just another day's amazing creativity brought to bear on a number 2 pencil!

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Who's Your Daddy??

Do you know Thom Browne?

Does ANYONE know Thom Browne?

Thom Browne has an agenda/collection checklist that goes something like this:

1. subversive - check

2. perverse - check

3. attention-grabbing at all costs (coffins!) - check

4. lobster-claw mitts to the floor (where appropriate) - check

5. linebacker chic - both men AND women - check

6. androgyny - check

Just your typical Thom Browne throw-down.

OK, Thom - we get it.  Just don't put us in a headlock!!

In the reviews of these collections from the fashion press, there is an effort to compartmentalize, to demystify, to make sense of the motivations and REAL meaning of the collection, the intentions of the designer - what was he really trying to say? Intriguing to say the least.

Well, subtexts and interpretations and influences there may be, but let's focus on the most important question: 

What about the beautiful, couture-level clothing?

And, if we are going to have a contest as to which designer has the claim to being most outrageous, I can think of several other candidates.  Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Marc Jacobs come to mind.

Frankly, why are we surprised at Thom's output and viewpoint?  What would you expect of the love child of Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali??  Just saying.

Having viewed his womenswear collections of the past several seasons on YouTube, I KNOW I'm right!

The updated high Thirties aesthetic a la Gerald and Sara Murphy and Pat O'Brian at Notre Dame, the craftsmanship details and deliberate exaggeration of his clothing, combine to present an impressively dynamic originality, which I would not only wear, but would collect.

An amazing talent!  And here is the test: can you wait until his next collection/performance?

I'm afraid I can't!!

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Ethnic Treasure

On my European trip after graduating from college, I had the classic "Europe on $5.00 a Day" itinerary all mapped out, with my sister and college roommate.

Luxembourg Airlines, Eurailpass, and enough money for three months of travel down to the minute of the return flight, 1970 prices to be sure!

Everything went according to schedule until we decided to go to Ibiza. The money and the plans got a bit curtailed after that, but that is another story!

After a boat trip from Barcelona to Ibiza, with the attendant meeting on board of various student types on their way to Kathmandu and ashrams in India - and invitations to accompany said types - we landed in Ibiza ready for some fun in the Mediterranean sun.

Who should we meet literally one step off the boat, but a group of Dutch guys, who steered us to great housing right off the ocean, and in close proximity to all the fun? We had a great time, of course, but we didn't meet Mick Jagger.

We then went back by car to Geneva after two weeks on Ibiza with one of the Dutch boys who had a car.

Fast forward to three weeks later, in Amsterdam, where, walking down a back street by a canal, we encountered the same group of guys!

We were amazed, but what was more amazing was the shop we happened to be standing near as we were chatting.

Bell over the door, I chanced inside, as I had seen some lovely items (that might be souvenir-worthy) in their multi-paned 17th century Vermeer-like window. Charmed, I was sure.

I in fact found something that I have loved to this day; a set of Russian dolls in their ethnic costumes, painted, and adorned with tissue headdresses.

About 4" tall each, there were four. I parted with the equivalent of a dollar for these beautiful dolls.

These many years later, I was so reminded of that moment when I found the Kenzo Spring/Summer Collection of 2011 online.

The over the top references, explosion of color and headdress, layer upon layer of patterns and fabrics, everything represented and worn simultaneously, from Ecuadorean hats to three foot headdresses to Azerbaijan national costumes and wraps and capes and five skirts - just the splendor of the full collection on view took me back to that day on that canal, and to a very carefree time in my life.

And a few years later, after that trip, I married a Dutchman.  Life is so interesting, isn't it?

See more at our Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/rarewonderblog/kenzo/

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The Eye of the Beholder

Given the nature of fashion and the apparency of newness that must be served every season, the burden is on designers to create something memorable that will move the game in a different direction.

That's a lot of pressure.

While some designers have figured out their message long since and know their niche and their customer
intimately - Ralph, Oscar, Armani, to name  just a few - there are others who respond aggressively to the idea of creating something "new" and proceed accordingly.

Let's take Marc Jacobs, as one high-profile example.

Responsible for not only Louis Vuitton but for his namesake collections, he has rocked a boat or two in his time,
and the new season is no exception.

While definitely getting the memo that stripes and graphics were the thing for the Spring of 2013 in one collection,
he hearkened back to his now infamous grunge collection from the early 90's in his Resort 2013 collection, putting 20ish years between that moment and 2013.

Either you liked it then, or you didn't.

Same this time around, but prettier and a little more accessible, because the eye has now become accustomed to dissonance as well as to harmony, thanks to Dries Van Noten, Kenzo and others who have been mining this territory for many years.

Having said that, there is definitely shock value in runway shows, that is then followed up, hopefully, in actual sales, and mad copying by the fast fashion houses, to cash in on the trend.

If the runway is a precursor, the effect has been duly created.

People have noticed.

Let the trickle down begin!!

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