Favorite of the Day: Kenzo

One expects the clothes for cooler climes to be more serious, more about function and warmth and utility. As I've said before, I like things to be in their place and of their time, but I was delighted by the prints play that occurred at the Kenzo.

It was cheeky and fun and youthful. 

But with its heavier fabrics and deeper shades, it didn't seem out of place in the narrative of the season.

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Favorite of the Day: Viktor & Rolf

I tend to be turned away by over the top femininity in clothing. Frills in excess and ribbons and bows can make my stomach. I find that some designers turn to all of those extras in a fit of laziness. To distract from clothes that aren't that innovative and aren't that interesting.

But the bows at the Viktor & Rolf show were of a different sort. Oversized and pulled apart. Loud ornament or full garment. The collection followed the rule that rests at the heart of the Viktor & Rolf brand.

Take convention and turn it on its head.

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Favorite of the Day: Nina Ricci

The prominence of The Lady on the runways of every city two season made me giddy, and it was with sadness that I saw her fade away. So it was no surprise that my most recent favorite, Nina Ricci, featured her so heavily. She was of the mid 20th century variety, the type of lady who inhabits the movies that I've been devouring over the past year or so.

She was lovely and sophisticated and quietly sexy.


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Favorite of the Day: Guy Laroche

I expect certain colors at certain times. I guess that makes me a stick in the mud, too conservative for this world in which I have so much interest. I can appreciate an icy pastel or a shocking neon thrown into a fall/winter collection as well as a deep, dark jewel tone in the spring/summer. But I like things in their place. I always have. And I doubt that fact will ever change.

The Guy Laroche collection featured dark, abstract floral prints. But the story was really one of color. Deep magenta. Royal purples. Inky blacks. And my favorite of all, navy.

They were the colors that I look for whenever the weather begins to cool.


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Favorite of the Day: Anthony Vaccarello

It was a small crop of shows that opened fashion week in Paris, and I was surprised to find a favorite among so few options.

The Anthony Vaccarello brand is about sex. Sleek, edgy sex. I can often appreciate the clothes though I'm not always blown away by them. But this season, there was a softening. Airy tops and chunky sweaters were paired with the smallest of leather miniskirts. And I'm always a fan of dichotomies.

There were still legs galore. But then, I've never really had a problem with legs.


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Favorite of the Day: Dolce & Gabbana

I find myself complaining about some of the same things every season. Collections featuring more than 50 looks rank high on the list. After all of the production and hoopla that goes into planning a runway show, I understand wanting everything to last more than eight to twelve minutes, but being able to edit down the number of looks into a cohesive story is something to be lauded. Nothing is worse than a group of dresses that seem to have no home within the larger theme.

The Dolce & Gabbana show is never less than 60 looks, and yet my usual gripes rarely surface. They never try to cram all of the looks into a single narrative. Instead there are several, interlocking stories being told. This season, there were prints that recalled religious frescoes. There were lady-like dresses, suits, and coats in heathered grays. There were stark blacks and demure whites and blood reds.

And when you have that many looks and that many models, you can end your show on this note.

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Favorite of the Day: Jil Sander

When the news first came out that Raf Simons was leaving Jil Sander, my level of indignation was remarkably high. We still didn't know that he was moving on to Christian Dior, and I had been in love with everything he had done at Sander right from the start. Even the news that Jil Sander was returning to the brand that carries her name didn't remove the sour taste from my mouth.

It wasn't until Simons landed safely at Dior that I settled down a bit. I liked Simons' work so much because he did a magnificent job of maintaining the minimalist DNA of the brand while adding a twist of his own. But one really can't beat the original, which has been obvious now that Sander has retaken her place at the helm and was especially apparent at the show on February 23rd.

I'm still raging about Stefano Pilati and YSL, however.


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