Laying a Foundation
PARIS--Swarmed by aggressive cameramen, air-kissing editors and stern bodyguards for her famous Beatle father, Stella McCartney was flush with the rush that comes from finishing a hugely important project--her second Paris show under her own name.
McCartney had suffered slings and arrows for her raunchy spring debut for the Gucci Group conglomerate. Was she more relaxed this time around?
“No!” McCartney exclaimed backstage after the well-received show that included Giorgio Armani as a guest. “Of course not! My God, no!” She knew that on the fashion industry’s clock, no matter how many hours or years you’ve logged learning the trade as an assistant or designer for another label, the act of starting over turns the credibility timer instantly back to zero.
Though few first collections are stellar, by their second or third season, many designers are expected to have lost their jitters and steadied their course. Still, the week’s freshman and sophomore efforts were mixed. “Patience,” said Gucci Group Chief Executive Domenico De Sole before McCartney’s show. “Once you have the talent in house, the results will come.” Easy for him to say.
McCartney’s fall collection was vastly improved, if only for her confident emphasis on building a wardrobe, not just a splashy image. Using many of Armani’s stony grays, McCartney’s flirtatious belles let poufy shirtsleeves froth from under boat-neck sweaters, and silky bombers or nubby cardigans tamed the draft on airy chiffon dresses.
Fellow Brit Alexander McQueen’s second namesake collection, also for the Gucci Group, was gorgeous, romantic and elegant--couture-quality craftsmanship in clothes that were at once edgy and refined.
A newly slim and well-dressed McQueen wowed his audience. “The show was nothing short of spectacular,” said Peter Rizzo, president of Bergdorf Goodman. “He’s gone through so many changes in his life--physical changes, business changes and a change from a company that was less than supportive to a wonderful relationship with De Sole. It aided his creativity.”
McQueen certainly set an imaginative scene. Six wolves paced in cages inside the forbidding Conciergerie, an arched medieval fortress where Marie Antoinette was held before she met the guillotine. As shrill music and prefab howls played (scaring the wolves), McQueen’s first group showed he’s still fashion’s favorite bad boy. Leather harnesses and holsters cinched perfectly tailored skirts, soft chiffon dresses and sharp jackets like a chic exoskeleton. A prolific flow of well-executed ideas followed: sweeping leather trench coats, cape-sleeved shearling jackets, micro bombers, shrunken leather jackets with a schoolgirl pleated skirt, fur capes and more clothes sure to inspire some real wolf whistles.
The second outing for Julien MacDonald at Givenchy was a hard-edged rewind of the ‘80s with an emphasis on aggressive matching leather outfits.
Two former assistants adeptly moved their brands forward. Giambattista Valli improved from a lackluster spring debut at Emanuel Ungaro. For fall, Valli distilled the house’s legendary signatures into an appealing, less-fussy Ungaro. The ethnic flourishes are still there in embroidered trims, fringe accents and flowing shapes. And quirky tiger-print furs made the collection fun.
Phoebe Philo stepped into McCartney’s shoes at Chloe last season. Then and now, she eerily showed how closely the two must have worked. For fall, she showed a slim, zip-ankle motocross pant, and a penchant for the same kinds of pretty jackets (hers embroidered velvets), sexy pants (tight-fitting flares) and revealing tops (super-sheer blouses) that McCartney often did.
Working in a similar aesthetic, Parisian Laetitia Hecht, who gave up her own label to relaunch Guy Laroche, has a promising future. She artfully executed romantic hourglass gowns, tweed Victorian riding coats and leather corsets or pants with floaty chiffon for a strong debut that has the right punch for future Grammy nominees.
Alber Elbaz, who once revitalized Guy Laroche, went on to design Yves Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear, then spent a season at Krizia Top, resurfaced at the languishing Lanvin. The every-hair-in-place uptown woman will appreciate his precisely tailored princess coats, proper wide-leg pant suits and bevy of matching accessories--elbow gloves, fox stoles and knee-high spats for boots. However, dense fabrics, and sometimes-awkward details stiffened the collection’s flow.
Other debuts were less promising at old brands Jacques Fath and Scherrer. Neither the British Lizzy Disney’s work at Fath nor Indian designer Ritu Beri’s collection for Scherrer had zing.
The metamorphosis of the Issey Miyake line by Naoki Takizawa was as unappetizing as watching flies swarm. The clothes, and the pretentious presentation featuring a sticky runway, were inspired by insects and the gluey filaments they spin for a chrysalis or web. Takizawa sometimes artfully wound fabric strips into jeans, coats, fitted jackets and more, like a couture-trained spider, but the gimmicks, including pod-shaped accessories, overwhelmed his craft. Warning to newcomers: Before getting too arty, get the bugs out.
