Critics Love Thakoon’s Cross-Cultural Mash-Up, Embrace Posen’s Retro Glamour
Though it may be a tough sell commercially, the critics swooned over Thakoon's daring spring collection, replete with cowboy hats and Indian saris. Similarly, most lauded Derek Lam's easy American sportswear — with the exception of Cathy Horyn, who called the collection "stiff." After a short-lived jaunt to Paris, they welcomed back Zac Posen and his retro-glam gowns (though some found the silhouettes a bit too retro). Meanwhile, they found pieces to lust after and lose in the rag & bone show. Read the full round-up below.
THE HITS:
Thakoon
• “[T]his was no multicultural plea
You sense how transitional everything is — culture, beliefs — and how difficult that idea is to impart in a fashion show. That’s possibly why Mr. Panichgul’s recent collections have been so engaging.” [NYT]
• “The cross-cultural exchange produced a super-vibrant collection It was fearless — good on Panichgul for really going for it — but also camp Amid the kitsch, though, was the kind of thing this designer has always done very well — namely, the special little dress.” [Style.com]
• “Thakoon certainly found an aggressively confident, albeit strikingly unusual, visual approach … By embracing the unexpected and bizarre, Panichgul presented a playfully opulent collection, which housed many ideas … [his play on trends was] daring and exciting, even if it may make for a challenging commercial endeavour.” [Vogue UK]
• “[A] hybrid of glitzy brights befitting a beauty pageant, mussed up with the twang of a cowgirl’s swagger … All that glitters may not be gold, but Thakoon certainly understood the importance of this precious metal in his collection.” [Fashion Week Daily]
• “[T]wo disparate worlds collided in a magical way … Panichgul has proved himself something of an ace when it comes to melding two hyper-specific oddball references with deep cultural roots … [his] controlled eye made the most traditional elements modern.” [WWD]
Derek Lam
• “This collection, in any case, felt a bit too strategic, with stiff results…The collection’s strong elements were its texture … But, though Mr. Lam is usually good at his kind of nostalgia, this time his references to Neutra modernism and Rat Pack crooners put everything under a strange weight.” [NYT]
• “This didn't look like some retro throwback collection. On the contrary, in trademark Lam fashion, it was brimming with timeless sportswear … There were plenty of hardworking pieces too … [the engineered prints were] very on-trend with a resort-ready vibe.” [Style.com]
• “[I]t was evident we were in for a winning collection exuding easy, and infinitely wearable, glamour … The print-on-print action hit all-new heights of leveled eccentricity.” [Vogue UK]
• “Pitch-perfect marigold and cherry were less cheerful and more sophisticated … patterns, sheers, and leather shifts had a dose of edge while remaining unshakably tasteful … this is the collection to pre-order in practically its entirety.” [Fashion Week Daily]
• “[S]nappy sportswear with crisp, minimalist polish and a distinctly American look … [Engineered prints] were energetic and on trend, yet Lam’s plainer things looked far fresher by comparison … Textured knits were a perky highlight.” [WWD]
MIXED:
Carolina Herrera
• “Carolina Herrera covered all the season’s bases … [She] showed a more relaxed attitude, especially with a long version of the bird print, crisp cotton dresses with a collaged front panel, pegged trousers, and asymmetrical pleating that was sometimes a stitched illusion.” [NYT]
• “There were lots more options here with that kind of pared-back and easy feel … [the geometric prints] popped nicely … [the Art Deco motif] was a perfect fit … That wasn't the case with random, constructivist-style trims on skirts and dresses, however … When it comes to evening, Herrera's ambitions can sometimes get the better of her, and there were a couple instances of that here ... [it was] a case of attempting too much at one time.” [Style.com]
• “This was Herrera at her most chic, and au courant, doling out the flamboyance her ladies demand but, in the spirit of Bauhaus, with deliberate control … Herrera worked in plenty of her staples … but she delivered surprises as well.” [WWD]
Zac Posen
• “[The ball gowns were] each a perfect gem in those misty shapes and hues you associate with Beaton or MGM movies. Of course, that kind of glamour is dated … and it would have helped if Mr. Posen had shown a few simple day looks. [Still], the show was fun to watch.” [NYT]
• “He neither overplayed nor tempered his creative instincts today … [the gowns reminded some] of the designer's early-aughts glory days … Some of his jackets read a bit too Old Hollywood, and a couple of the gowns were too hobbling, but young Hollywood will be charmed by a lot of what was on display here.” [Style.com]
• “[A] a heavy-hitting collection that upped the ante on opulence … Posen was all about nighttime glamour … Adding to the elegance factor were made-with-love detailing from corset bodices to sweeping trains.” [Fashion Week Daily]
• “[T]here was still plenty of the old Posen grandeur in his spring lineup … To his credit, Posen toned down the mega drama that has at times stood between his runway and reality, and most of his dresses appealing to ladies who like to work the glam side of evening.” [WWD]
• “[T]he designer returned home to knock everyone’s socks off … Mr. Posen’s gorgeous designs seemed destined for the opera or other fab galas—silks, embroidery, tons of frothy tulle sliced in at the waist and down at the neck, making even the models look curvy.” [WSJ]
rag & bone
• “[This collection] was remarkably free in its use of texture and shape … The soft feminine parts shone through.” [NYT]
• “‘Editorial,’ but also street … [Densely layered looks] were too tricky. No one wants to work that hard to get dressed in the morning, do they? And the plastic fabric of a pencil skirt seemed unlikely to lure many customers. But the opposite was true of much of the rest.” [Style.com]
• “For work, the designers remained faithful to the brand's core of traditional suiting … [bandeau tops and bikini bottoms] injected an unexpected, but welcomed, sensuality … [grandma cardigans and patchwork pieces] only weighed down an otherwise friendly, contemporary showing.” [Vogue UK]
• “Aggressive techno-surfer-babe about sums it up … Marcus Wainwright and David Neville have been on a roll for a while now … The lineup was, as always, styled to an It-girl T.” [WWD]
- Comments Add Comment
