[Quick mid-week CTR post]

Couture Week, as always, sneaks up on me.

Ricardo Tisci's work as Givenchy's Artistic Director is mind-blowing. His couture collection (shown on Tuesday) was like a white-out Mulan-meets Paris Brainstorm. It's fantasy. A warrior queen wearing chiffon.
The East has played a huge part in many designer's collections recently, although usually in the form of Japan. I adore Japanese culture and costume, however it is extremely refreshing to see a designer look to Ancient China for inspiration.
The way Tisci's work is presented makes it so accessible, the images of his collections posted on style.com are not the mid-step runway shots you'll see from nearly every other designer, they are simple front and back photos, allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the design. Am a BIG FAN of Tisci.

[More on Couture Week soon]

Milan....

GIORGIO ARMANI.

Giorgio's vision of a Navy-Blue Lawrence of Arabia fantasy world was incredible. His was, By far, one of the best shows in Milan this season, as ever. Pointed flats in every style, Mary Jane, Ballerina, T-Bar... These are beautiful shoes, and paired with an ankle-grazing hemline in navy silk... the whole concept was inspired. This show reaffirmed my faith in G.A.

Versus, what is Versus? Versus is a label run by both Donnatella Versace and Christopher Kane.

It sounds like the weirdest combination in the world, like if Lady Gaga was to do a single with Seasick Steve, but somehow it just works. CK's designs are near enough asexual, they don't care about being sexy, it's all about being cool. DV is all about the allure, if her designs aren't sexual nothing is, and that's cool! that's who she is and we love her for it. Now imagine the best of their creative qualities combined, or, to be put more eloquently; splatted together like two handfuls of paint in a giant CLAP!

These shoes, for me are the height of wearable crazy, as individual pieces they are insane; provoking retorts like I couldn't wear those, well you're wrong! they're perfect! top-left and top-right are probably my favourites out of the lot, but that bag as well! they're just too cool. If I see them (in the flesh) I may lick, be warned.

 

I love Design-duos. They just work. I mean, Fendi and Lagerfeld, the Mulleavy Sisters (see last post)... Two visions as one? it just plain works. There's real definition in couple's collections, most likely because of the fact that they can both reel eachother in and at the same time expand and develop eachother's imaginations to a point of perfection. I dunno, maybe? I just adore the weird way that whole collection is on the very knife-edge of being garish and yet it's refined like nuthin else. It's 'Clueless' but this time directed by Tarantino.

Passengers on the 'Fuck these shoes blog'-train are reminded that the next stop PARIS! shall be the end of the line (for this mini-series on SS 2011 shoes). ETA in a bizzle. (did I just put bizzle? forgive me it's 2:00AM) Nighty night y'alls.

What kind of Blog is this???

Aren't shoes in the title? shouldn't there be some shoes somewhere??? Truth is I've been aching to do a post about the shoes I can't wait to see when I'm celeb-spotting next London Fashion Week. Let's do this in 3 easy steps: (1) New York (2) Milan (3) Paris. (And if you're lucky we'll do London too)

NEW YORK!

I'm so in love with Rodarte's spring collection, the wood prints and the bone-china blues... it's so romantic, yet the shapes and silhouettes were so awesomely futuristic...

Those carved wedges are like totem poles with china plates attached, I just love them, and then the platforms with the Parquet print straps.... I love these. They're so refined-ly crazy, you just get them they don't make sense but they work.
Rodarte is always a sight to behold, even if you don't see yourself in the clothes, there's a level of craftmanship in there that is so recogniseable; it sets them apart from any other design house. Sisters Kate and Laura are, in my mind the western answer to designers like Rei Kawabuko and Issey Miyake. Their work is about fashion it isn't provocative or at all about sexuality; it's just about fantasy. Everyone else has said this before me, I know, but I really foresee their house becoming something really huge; even bigger than now. They aren't a label, they're a whole 'nuther world.

Also a favourite, Proenza Schouler. Jack and Lazaro are incredible (not to mention they sound like comic-book heroes.)

I go crazy for any fresh take on the classic stiletto pump, and even though Proenza's curved 'Hitchcock' creation isn't as novel a concept as the Mulleavy's totem-wedges, they're so m-f-ing cool you can't help but ache for them. I'm not even going to try and condense my immense love for those strappy boot-sandals into words so just look at them...

This season they did a wacked-out psychadelic vision of classic parisian chic. The P.Schouler Girl has officially morphed into a colour-saturated Upper-East Side Charlotte York. There was tweed, there was sequins and fine-knits, juxtaposed by S&M fastenings and neon lace. I adore this entire collection, it's such a fresh take on the age-old concepts of chic. The execution here is just plain perfect. My favourite NY collection this season. Next week, Milan!

P.S. Two posts in a day! dedication huh?

Thoughts on Spring Colourism

It's strange, as soon as I choose to forever eschew any colour in my wardrobe, the powers that be decide that the upcoming season should feature a colour palette akin to a primary school art class' poster paint collection. Not that I disagree with it, after a season of camel hues and black lace it's so refreshing to finally have a 'match-your-skirt-to-your-brightest-lipgloss' trend. Raf's latest collection for Jil Sander is so BAM! in your face with the bright pink and orange Techno-Garbardine skirts and the Plain White Tees it's enough to make a devout Fashion Victim O.D.

It's cool, all of my friends will look like colour-saturated cartoons from tokyo and I'll be the cerebral goth character. But even more importantly is the fact that Glam-Rock is coming back harder than a beer can to the face of a bad lollapalooza act (inneresting reference there, huh?) I love Glam Rock, Gaga's many Bowie-inspired looks never fail to inspire, And any fans of 'The Mighty Boosh' out there (Helloooooo!) will note the wardrobe of Noel Fielding; Sequin Catsuits, Silver Tranny Boots, feather boas all off-setted by his masculinity. Had I stalled in choosing my 'Monochromatic Mantra' I would've become a veritable Noel-Clone.

Glam Rock is all I can say about Ms Prada's latest Miu Miu collection, that and that it was INSANE cool. How does that woman do it? every season Bam, Bam, Bam Miu Miu is the designer you want to wear. Her clothes practically hold ELLE together, and this season with its metallic leather and applique stars all adorned in Hot Pink and Orange...

Her batik, african/jamaican baroque Prada collection. No words. Just plain perfect.

Miuccia Prada is, I don't know exactly what, genius just doesn't seem to fit; she's more than that... she's sumthin else.

[All runway shots courtesy of Style.com]