I Lied

I know I said I was going to wait until all of the shows were done in Paris to comment but I lied. I cannot wait any longer to comment on at least three things. First let's talk about Ungaro. When the announcement came out heralding Lindsay Lohan as the artistic director I thought it was a joke. As it turns out it should have been. The collection that she and Estrella Archs put on the runway was beyond hideous. I dare say that any clients that Ungaro had went running for the doors in search of a new design house to attach themselves to.

I have never in my life seen such a classless display of - - - I can't even call them garments. The question you were asking yourself as you viewed this collection was "Am I at a runway show or is this a strip club?" To parade models down the runway with heart-shaped pasties was beyond the beyond. Mounir Moufarrige should be ashamed. If he wanted publicity he could have gotten it by hiring someone credible and putting a knock-out collection on the runway.

I am tired of the recent glut of tasteless Hollywood starlets and celebs claiming to have a lock on fashion and a sense of what constitutes style. Lindsay Lohan just proved that she wouldn't know style if it jumped up and bit her on the behind. And by the way, two inches shorter and along with the breasts of the models, with pasties on their nipples, you could have seen each models behind.

The second thing I want to comment on right now is the divergence of the House of Valentino to something that just isn't Valentino at all. There was a lot of dismay at the direction that Alessandra Facchianetti was taking the House and it made her tenure with Valentino very short. However, I will say this. Her collections were wearable. The stuff that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Picioli have sent down the runway for the past two seasons cannot be worn by mature women.

Particularly disappointing is the collection for Spring 2010. It is far too sheer; it is far too short; and it is not hip or avant garde. It is a slap in the face to a man who created a wonderful design house and who truly loved women.

I am not a prude. It isn't that in 90 percent of the collection you could see the models breasts through the sheer fabric, it is that once again that some young designers are seemingly relegating the women with the means to pay for their clothing to a life in flour sacks. I wonder how their fashion sense will evolve as they mature and realize that at 50 or 60, it would be nice to have a Valentino but alas, no one of that age can wear it because the design of the garment makes it impossible to wear foundation garments.

No one remains young and firm forever. Without the help of a great plastic surgeon you are out of luck with this collection if you are over 50. Then again, I don't care how good the plastic surgeon is, if you go in for too much work you will have that decided 'worked on' look. No one wants to look mounted as if they visited the taxidermist. You all know what I mean. One more face lift and your navel will be on your chin.

I know that it will more than likely go into production in a more modest fashion. However, if not being 'Valentino enough' cost Ms. Facchianetti her position, the same end should befall Chiuri and Piocioli.

The third and final thing I will comment on is the commentary from the fashion writers. It is a dis-service to any young, up and coming designer to pan the collection based on one's tiny perception of what fashion is or should be. I would be curious to know how many of these fashion writers have any expertise in fashion other than sitting at fashion shows and shopping at Macy's. I really wonder what qualifies them to pass judgment on people who have actually trained for their careers.

There were accolades given to collections that were so over the top that it was hard to determine if the designer was serious while collections that had an appeal to a wide audience were panned as uninspired. Maybe the fashion writers have decided that inspiration comes from viewing collections that are only for a small segment of the population and then pandering to those few.

I saw nothing wrong with Tim Hamilton's collection. If the fact that it is wearable makes it a bland effort so be it. Alexander McQueen's collection was beyond anything I had seen. I am not sure how to wear it or who would wear it. However, it was not horrid. It was simply not my taste or to the taste of most of the women I know. I will say that I do not recall seeing one woman of color in his show and for that I say 'shame on you Alexander McQueen'.

Starting next week I will go through each collection with a fine tooth comb and opine on what is good and what is bad. As I do this the thing you need to keep in mind is that it is from my point of view. My view is colored by my taste and my likes and dislikes. It doesn't mean that it is correct or that it is the definitive word on what will be a hit for the season. I caution you to take the same thing into consideration when someone who writes for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Bazaar or any other fashion mag issues an opinion.

Everyone has an opinion. It is just that. An opinion.

a la prochaine

Debra