Fashion Weeks in the Time of COVID 19 FBS C19 Issue 11: 17.07.20!
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Fashion Weeks in the Time of COVID 19 FBS C19 Issue 11: 17.07.20! Alexis Mabille There has always been a dichotomy between men’s wear and women’s wear. It is simply that fantasy and flamboyance is not a natural partner with the clothing that men wear. Sportswear, leisurewear, streetwear, and formalwear all serve a specific functionality within a man’s life. Clothes do the same for women but the packaging and narrative of, even a blazer, can be more inventive, and imaginative. Whatever the arguments may be about gender, men predominantly take a practical and facts-based approach to what they wear, women can be more impulsive in clothing purchases and be swayed by fashion, and it’s seasonal packaging. Today with gender blurring it should be that this is diminishing or open for discussion, you’d think? Well in terms of presenting the two collections during the last few days it’s clear that a sparkling narrative and a brilliant film is appropriate to showing women’s couture and a nicely styled Lookbook is the key option for men. There’s also surprisingly little womenswear or gender-neutral clothing featured during the menswear days. Tradition wins over new ideas? The other surprise is that edgy and off the wall/blue sky thinking/ outside the box isn’t where it’s at. The key to most of the offerings was clarity of presenting the clothes and communicating the pieces to the people sitting at home. How many designers and their teams dealt with the current situation was fascinating. Some used their time slot during the schedule as merely a holding post for later developments, some badly misjudged the current ‘climate’ of casting, mood and ideas. Some opted out completely, no doubt hoping to learn from others mistakes, or to simply follow, but the ideas were fabulously disparate just as it should be, and choices made were personal and appropriate to the maison’s ethos. What seemed true was to have a strong firm approach and not be wish washy, and above all to communicate. Sitting at home, alone, watching the screen; either you grab your audience and it’s worked, or they’ve moved on to the next thing. It’s a hard cruel world fashion, and lockdown certainly hasn’t weakened its bite. I think it’s very important to remember that most fashion professionals were watching in isolation, not on a big screen with their team around them. This is why communication and clarity and the ability to inspire and inform has become so important. As a great example are the post couture show short films made by backstage and atelier supreme Logic Prigent for Chanel, of which more later. Both seasons, as a final observation, to be honest are about selling. The desire for beautiful things from a Rolex watch to Berluti shoes to a Dior skirt has not been smothered by the COVID 19 pandemic. Dreams and aspirations for luxury have not died, but perhaps more people are dreaming, more people are thinking about investing in their clothing, and buy better buy less certainly applies to both couture and the designer menswear price bracket. So, if you haven’t explored the presentations and the pieces offered online, here are some pointers, some jumping off points to inspire and engage your imagination and observations to make you think. Womenswear this week, menswear to follow. So, we first come to the preshow show. This was not on the official schedule, in fact I originally heard about it from a friend who works in PR in Paris. Tony Glenville Fashion Commentator Balmain: Olivier Rostaing showed archive pieces of Balmain, live from on a boat on the Seine the evening before the couture officially kicked off. With singer Yseult in flying panels of white Balmain and models and dancers whooping it up it was certainly in keeping with Rostaings, TikTok, and social media love affair as a means of communication. Paris Haute Couture July 6th to 8th July 2020: Schiaparelli: Daniel Roseberry the designer for the house was caught in New York and unable to get back to Paris, and therefore engage with the house ateliers. The film showed him walking to a park bench and creating the collection in drawing form. The atmosphere of regret and isolation from the work he loves, the ideas pouring out of him in brilliant sketches, and right now no opportunity to work with his team. A great opener, but no real clothes. ‘Collection Imaginaire’ Ulyana Seergenko: Introduced with the heritage of Russian embroidery and the development of this craft through from an original simplistic peasant version, then through to a sophisticated couture interpretation. The wonderful imagery of the village and the tradition and the heritage; Krestetskaya Stitich with over one hundred and fifty years of history. Taken to the Moscow couture ateliers and shown in intense closeup the work and minutiae of the craft. The mood of the clothes themselves was very much the power dressing of 1940’s Hollywood. Strong shoulders and the restrained drape and softness characteristic of that time. The film was black and white and colour and was very well paced and communicated well to the viewer. Iris Van Herpen: A single (very) beautiful white dress with minuscule black caviar beading in an abstract design) dress shot on the Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houton. Very lovely, rather slow, but also, considering Iris Van Herpen is usually so experimental, most people I spoke to were hoping for a more innovative approach. ‘Transmotion’ Maurizio Galante: The first film of the week to make one really sit up and take notice. The legendary Yves Saint Laurent model Amalia Vaitelli descending and twisting and twirling, again and again down a dark spiral staircase in a series of Galante pieces. Mesmerising in its dark chiaroscuro, since Galante pieces are made of many complex repetitions, things swayed and undulated and bounced, and glittered. This was couture; film, casting, narrative and moods, all in total and perfect harmony. ‘A Promise’ Dior: A worrying series of decisions and miscalculations by the house need to be analysed. Firstly, the close up of the petite mains working in the ateliers on the miniature versions of couture were delightful. However, Théâtre de la Mode which was the inspiration was launched in 1945/46 in Paris before the house of Dior existed. Also, the idea of presenting Dior as having to surmount post war shortages and demonstrate the revival of craft, the original raison d’être for the enterprise, seems mismatched. Next the entire team, film maker, location, etc, were based in and around Rome. Dior is a French couture house. The theme of mythical sirens, nymphs and Narcissus must have seemed like a great idea, but this escapist fantasy was oddly out of kilter with today; to ancient, to like a Roman Epic of the 1960’s with Sophia Loren. The final problem was the casting, in spite of actually issuing a press release communicating about Maria Grazia Chiuri and her support for BLM and cultural diversity, the entire cast was white Caucasian. The clothes slipped down the list of things to observe about the film, it were actually very lovely, very much a continuation of the designer’s vision of Dior. There were however two more mysteries to this film. Firstly, mention was made of tailoring in the end credits and we had seen none, plus in the press release Surrealist women were mentioned as muses for the season, again not a trace in anything shown. Some images posted by Dior subsequently did hint at traces of these elements, but how either chimes with the nymph’s film is impossible to fathom. ‘Le Mythe Dior’ Maison Rabih Kayrouz: A single dress but linking the original sketch in Beirut to the atelier in Paris. Showing all the stages of development and the precision of the construction. There is also a ‘making of’ film in black and white to add to these moments. For those of us who know and love the designers work, the links and the final shots of a single model twisting and spinning in the Paris atelier were sweet reminders of times past, and a promise for the future. The goldfish coloured grosgrain ribbon dress was a tour de force. ‘320/38’ is a reference to the two addresses in Beirut and Paris. Ralph & Russo: Tamara Ralph spoke of her ideas and the craft of couture, and models wearing sumptuous pieces was fine; but in the second part of the film it was revealed that the Maison had also created an avatar. This confused the issue a bit and in the end the film fell a little flat because it lacked focus; designer talking, illustration work, the textiles, models parading and the avatar morphing. The first part of the film, indeed half of it, was about the workrooms, and the fittings and then the models for a photo shoot. Tacking the avatar on was actually probably superfluous? Watch what happens anyway and you decide. Azzaro Couture: The debut season for Olivier Theyskens as the new designer. He revealed several pieces paying homage to the signatures of the house. This was defiantly amongst those whose film had a hint of MTV. Indeed, with Azzaro’s glamorous heritage this actually seemed totally appropriate. Performer Sylvie Kreusch was the star of the film. The was a touch of Jean Paul Goude and a nod to disco divas in the film, and nightclubbing and centre stage chanteuses shone. The clothes shimmered and sparkled, the details were all perfectly placed, and we saw enough to whet our appetites for a full show.