It is a rare feat to strike a perfect balance between fantasy and reality, costume and clothes. When it happens, however, it is a breath of fresh air and confirmation of the power of fashion. Alexander McQueen presented such a show, beloved by all who witnessed it. His inspiration began with a 600-year-old elm tree and from there he created a story of a girl who escapes from the tree and marries a prince. Drawing much on his emotions and personal experiences, McQueen created graceful empire-waisted, ballerina gowns countered with either leather leggings or extreme color. This is one fantasy I'd like to join.
Chado Ralph Rucci
The inspiration for this season was quantum mechanics, the physics of waves. These undulations not only added a sense of cohesion to the collection, but also an exciting contrast to the clean lines. Rucci's collection was greatly admired by Nicole Phelps, WWD, and Suzy Menkes and the reasons are clear.
Lanvin
Suzy Menkes concisely states why Alber Elbaz has made Lanvin so successful: 'Elbaz does not project fashion into the future but nor does he reference the past. He makes clothes seem desirable for the here and now, with the deceptive simplicity that marks a powerful talent.' The fall collection at Lanvin exhibited Elbaz's great skill and ingenuity where he mainly used ribbons of grosgrain to create his little black dresses. Amazing how something so seemingly simple and obvious could be made into remarkable creations of femininity.
Nina RicciOlivier Theyskens at Nina Ricci seemed to break free of his fairytale goth aesthetic and instead found color and exquisite draping for fall. It was only a year ago that Theyskens showed his first collection for Nina Ricci; Rochas, his previous employer, had closed their clothing line. That collection one year ago was beautiful, but--as Sarah Mower points out--was more of a collection for Rochas than a new start for Nina Ricci. Looking at this collection with that in mind, I wonder if Theyskens is a designer that will be exquisite, but exquisitely similar, no matter where he is.
