Image of the Day

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Front and back views of the Givenchy haute couture collection, shot by Willy Vanderperre.


[via On The Runway]

Make It Work Etc.

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A lot of people say that Haute Couture is a relic of the past, but the inspiration, the references, the search for something new – in addition to the more surface-level beauty of the colors, the shapes, and the culture itself – keeps me interested in coverage of the shows every season.

Givenchy Spring 2010 Haute Couture, by Riccardo Tisci.

That being said, compared with some past seasons, the Spring 2010 shows last week seemed a bit lackluster (Cathy Horyn asked, "How many couture collections really proposed a new style, or showed you something that was the result of amazing techniques?").

Jean Paul Gaultier. Some nice details.

I thought the return of former Balenciaga designer Josephus Thimister was the most interesting thing that came out of it, but I'll do a separate post about that. For now, here are some of the things that caught my eye in the main shows. (And yes, this is clearly Emily's territory on the blog... but since she is buried in schoolwork, I thought I would attempt to pinch-hit. I mean, hey, I bought my mom a subscription to Vogue when I was 8. Let's do this.)

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld. The hair reminds me of the sorority girls in Animal House ("That boy is a p-i-g PIG"). On the surface it seems...I keep thinking of a young Pat Nixon or something, not that I have any idea what she looked like. The details are impressive though – one outfit had something like 13,000 satin flowers on it – and combined with those crazy road warrior accessories the contrast is interesting. "I don’t want vintage...and in a way I am vintage," Lagerfeld was quoted as saying. "Like a box of macaroons projected into cyberspace," said Suzy Menkes.

Christian Dior, by John Galliano. A little bit expected – it doesn't feel very relevant to me. I say that as a fan, and I guarantee that if you got close to these pieces your mind would be blown, but from afar I didn't find this collection very exciting. I would like to see Gaultier and Galliano do shows that are totally out of their own heads some time, as opposed to such heavily referential collections every season. I am a sucker for red and for riding gear, however. What.

Armani Privé Spring 2010 Haute Couture, by Giorgio Armani. The way the light hits that blue dress is cool. Otherwise...it was an Armani show.

Valentino – the first collection by Valentino protégés Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. A little boring overall but the lightness and layering of the fabric is beautiful. Maybe this is because I'm a dude but I don't like the little bows – I understand that you sometimes have to do things to tie a look together (imagine that middle look without a bow – it would need something) but I might prefer a knot. Those fabric roses that Tom Ford did at Gucci – something more modern. I don't get the instinct to do a jacket like that one on the left, and then along comes a little bow.

So there you have it. Some day Emily will be done with school and coherent fashion coverage will return to the PS. As always, we thoroughly recommend Cathy Horyn's coverage of the shows (and she's Twitting now too, if you're into that kind of thing).

More images at Fashionologie.

Dream a Little Dream

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As promised, some additional highlights from the Fall 2009 Couture shows last week in Paris. I love the couture collections – it is all so utterly unattainable that it makes it much easier to simply enjoy the work for its own sake. Click to enlarge for a closer look at some of the jaw-dropping details.

Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld demonstrates why he deserves his crown.

Givenchy.

Elie Saab.
So pretty I can't quite bring myself to care whether he bit Karl.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Valentino. I completely disagree with Cathy Horyn on this one –
I'd love to stand next to anyone wearing one of these creations.

Christian Lacroix. Very likely the last couture show from Lacroix,
whose house declared bankruptcy this spring,
and a true community effort:
seamstresses, embroiderers and milliners donated their time;
Ines de la Fressange and Bruno Frisoni of Roger Vivier and
Diego della Valle contributed shoes;
and the models walked for 50 euros each.

In an Instant

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A recent post by a former Visionaire crony of mine, the decidedly NSFW JD Ferguson, reminded me of Schohaja – a somewhat mysterious photographer who used to send our photo editor big boxes of Polaroids shot backstage at the Paris couture shows each season. Photos from each individual show would arrive rubber-banded together and I used to love going through them and choosing my favorites to put in the magazine or on the website. Here are a few:

Above and top: Givenchy

Christian Lacroix

Armani Privé

Valentino

There's something great about the imperfection of the shots, contrasting as it does with the absolute precision of couture. The unpredictable color and distortions of the Polaroids convey the specter of all the work that went into making a garment and putting the show together, culminating in this one fleeting moment.

John Galliano for Dior

Chanel

Armani Privé

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Visit vmagazine.com and search for "Schohaja" for more couture images, and schohaja.com to view her other work.