Critics Balk at Ungaro’s ‘Sexpots,’ Admire Chanel’s Funereal Eveningwear
On the last leg of the fall shows, reviews have been mixed — critics were often at odds in their takes on the same collection. From Ungaro's take-no-prisoners temptresses to Givenchy's "peculiar" panther motif, read what they've loved and despised on the Paris runways thus far.
THE HITS:
Chanel
• "[T]he clothes were resolutely contemporary, more masculine than froufrou Chanel
you sensed Mr. Lagerfeld wanting to give Chanel a younger, street attitude. Not so sure about the spree of black, semi-transparent jumpsuits for evening." [On the Runway/NYT]
• "Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel ignited the autumn 2011 fashion season It was a somber, but perhaps visionary, Chanel show from Mr. Lagerfeld, who seemed to have captured more powerfully than any other designer this turbulent, unsettling fashion moment." [IHT]
• "[O]verall, the mood was almost funereal for evening. Chanel's atelier did wow with some delicate gray leaves on smoky chiffon tops or long delicate lace and fabric flower and feathered columns the opening looks of jackets worn with loose fitting wide pants immediately made for a new Chanel silhouette that will appeal to a younger audience." [Fashion Wire Daily]
• "And a moment it was. While the set unintentionally played to the dark mood still weighing on Paris, its true purpose was a fashion clue: Say au revoir to chichi, ladies!... jackets looked new and savvy [tweed gowns] were equal part audacity and allure." [WWD]
• "Aside from the mesmerizing scenario, the collection's genius lay in Lagerfeld's supernatural prescience about the way a lot of young women want to dress now, mixing the street with enough high fashion fantasy to make the result seem rich and strange." [Style.com]
• "Dramatic in the extreme, it had a serious, post-apocalyptic feel One quilted, rubberised felt boiler suit was a flash of humour in an otherwise uncharacteristically serious show." [Vogue UK]
MIXED:
Stella McCartney
• "[McCartney] is a modern, practical woman who likes her fashion that way too: high style sans fuss, yet with plenty of diversity as suits her moods and needs. If that approach made for a slightly disjoined fall collection, it was one filled with terrific clothes." [WWD]
• "[I]t was interesting for Ms. McCartney, who isn’t known for straying far from her brand comfort zone, to take these sexual identities to such extremes…if I had to choose a winner in her show on Monday, I would pick the skillful-looking vamp. In offering that style, Ms. McCartney came out of herself a little." [NYT]
• "Good for [McCartney] for taking a leap today, but not every look landed on solid ground…[pantsuits] took on proportions that can only be likened to David Byrne in Stop Making Sense mode…[hourglass dresses] more reliably captured the sexy McCartney spirit." [Style.com]
• "The season's play on menswear for girls puts Stella in her element…Stella really wants you to WEAR her clothes - but practical and boyish, and recognisable, as she can be, there were new ideas and some seriously sexy dresses going on too…The accessories were as good as ever." [Vogue UK]
Ungaro
• "The problem for Giles Deacon at Ungaro is painfully obvious. He doesn’t have a female body or personality in mind when he’s designing. Instead, he has abstract notions of Parisian mistresses and decadence…Mr. Deacon creates a cardboard provocativeness, not much better than a London sex shop…There is just not a guiding vision here." [NYT]
• "Deacon’s take on sexy is rigorous and strict, yet done with a couturelike sensibility…these clothes are for take-no-prisoners women who know how to wield a stiletto…Were Deacon’s temptresses tempting? To a large degree, yes, although how that ultralacquered seduction fits into the larger vision at Ungaro remains to be seen. Ditto those exhibitionists-only see-through lace dresses and pants." [WWD]
• "[T]he new Ungaro woman is a tough broad…Reinventing a founder's work isn't the only way to move a heritage brand into the future, but Deacon's sexpot doesn't necessarily look like the way forward either." [Style.com]
• "[T]hese mistresses work hard and accept only the very best…[sheer dresses and trousers] were only for the perfect of body - but they showed it in the very best light. If you haven’t borrowed anybody’s husband yet, these clothes make it tempting to try." [Vogue UK]
Givenchy
• "[I]t’s hard to relate to [Tisci’s] fashion personally, and maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the skill or the patience to focus on fundamental things, like shapes or how to make fabrics work on the body… Mr. Tisci remains on the surface, forcing ideas but not really changing your eye about clothes." [NYT]
• "[I]t felt like a breath of fresh air to attend the latest collection of Givenchy, where sexuality, seduction and suggestiveness were allowed to bloom…There was a marvelous sense of concision about this show…Where before Givenchy shows were more mixed arty affairs, this show sizzled…[a] demandingly clever collection." [Fashion Wire Daily]
• "[Tisci’s] fall lineup felt unexpected, striking and, ultimately, a little peculiar…It intrigued even as it sometimes baffled…Subtract the cats and the dominant message was sleek subversion…[but the panthers, baseball caps, and fuzzy glasses] seemed born out of irony." [WWD]
• "If confidence counts, he's got the gig…The laser focus of it all was impressive. You wound up seduced, even if there's little chance of seeing a real girl in [this] getup…That's the funny thing about Tisci: He's got the vision thing, but it's individual pieces that end up selling." [Style.com]
• "Usually we expect sophisticated gothic from him, infused with romance and S&M in equal measure - it’s a clever recipe and one that he manages to make completely different every time. This time it was more so than ever." [Vogue UK]
Hermès
• "[I]t was a start…Perhaps the collection suffered from too-muchness, a heaviness, and the bottom half of outfits seemed to impart no sense of style or direction…[But ] with some pruning, it could make a difference with its women’s fashion." [NYT]
• "Christophe Lemaire captured the luxe house spirit perfectly…The clothes, meanwhile, were perfectly serene to match — utterly simple and spare….Lemaire managed to bring the focus back to luxury living and beautiful, quality clothes." [WWD]
• "The designer's access to the Hermès ateliers gave his work here a sophisticated polish that was overwhelming in its creamy, styled-to-the-ultra-max-ness…He also managed to impress his own personality on the collection. What was missing, however, was a sense of the effortless, casual luxury. But that's the sort of thing that comes with time." [Style.com]
• "It was a warm, rich collection… It’s luxurious and standalone and Lemaire looks like he’s going to be able to keep it that way." [Vogue UK]
- Comments Add Comment
