The First Compare and Contrast

Well, there appear to be a couple of themes for Spring 2011. Some are resonating with me and some are not. For example, there seems to be an overall return to the late 70's early 80's. That is okay. What is not okay is the seeming penchant some of the collections have for the Stepford Wife look. You can only take so many ruffles before you start looking as if a cream puff factory exploded in your closet. One of the other inspirations for some designers seemed to be travel to foreign destinations.

This can be seen in the collections by Jean Paul Gaultier for Hermes and Carolina Herrera. Hermes captioned the look as western. In reality, the look took me straight to Argentina where the Gauchos roam. It wasn't so much the clothes as the chief accessory. That hat!!! If I were 5 inches taller I would definitely get that hat. However, the brim is too wide for someone as short as I am. But let me find one with a narrower brim and we are in business.

Ms. Herrera (again the epitome of style and grace) had Korean garments as her theme. Having never been to Korea, I was not sure what she had in mind. When I saw the chief accessory (again a hat) I was transported to the Andes. While I could not see the garments on a coffee grower or someone leading tourists on a guided tour using burros, that hat definitely was an item they would have. Also, Ms. Herrera used a plethora of models that represented the world. I like that about her. She does not seem to have a quota on what type of model she will use.

And speaking of types of models - - - my hat is off to Mr. Gaultier. For his collection (Jean Paul Gaultier) he used models of all sizes. He gets it. Every woman wants to be beautiful. Every woman wants to believe that she can find a designer garment that will fit and make her feel special. So on his runway you saw everything from size 0 to 24. While some of you in the fashion world were disgusted it is clearly time to get over yourselves. Size 0 is not the norm. Besides, only a dog wants a bone.

Now to the Stepford Wife collections. I found Andrew Gn's collection almost cloyingly sweet. I haven't seen that may ruffles and that much lace in a long time. Even the maxi dress look of them was far too reminiscent of women under the spell of some drug or replaced by some android if they did not comply.

Chanel was also a bit too sweet for my taste. Mr. Lagerfeld gave you monochromatic and of course the signature lace. I guess I am getting a bit tired of the starkness of his sets and the chilling effect that they have. I guess I want a more dynamic set like the one that used the carousel a few seasons ago. It had life and movement. That is something the last couple of collections seem to be missing for me.

And then there was Valentino. While the look may be more modern and intended to capture the 35 and under set, you have lost the 35 and over. Women over 40 don't want puffed sleeves and cut little dresses. We want to look elegant and polished. We are not trying to be our daughters and nieces. We are not trying to be our mothers. Maybe some of you can speak with Mr. Gaultier and figure out that fashion has to run the gamut and include everyone.

So start checking out the collections. We want your comments. We are not the final word on fashion. We are just one word on fashion.

Next time - - - I may have to do an exclusive on Haider Ackerman. He is beyond sick.

a la prochaine

Debra