Since I can’t afford to subscribe to WWD I, instead, invest in its twice annual WWD Collections overview. Here are my thoughts on WWD’s top ten Spring 2009 Collections.
Chanel: I loved the Karl Lagerfeld chose to show this collection against the backdrop of number 31 Rue Cambon. I actually log into Fashion Week Daily just to watch that show. It’s as tweedy as ever, but with a more inspiring edge. I always feel like I’m traveling in a time capsule whenever I watch or flip through images of any season of this show. It’s classy elegance from the 30s and 40s revisited while only slightly tweaked with a touch, here and there, of the season’s trends to keep things current. Absolutely deserving of this recognition.
Dolce & Gabbana: A little heavy for me, but overall enjoyable. Maybe one of the more fall-ish feeling of the spring collections, but the colors and prints keep it lighthearted enough for spring frolicking. I’m not a super big Dolce & Gabbana fan, but I can appreciate good work.
Dries Van Noten: The geometric prints worked super well in the wrap dresses and in bright colors and with bulbous-Burberry like necklaces. I like that this same idea in everything translates just different enough to keep the line fresh and attractive. Just quirky enough, but without the kitsch, to work.
Giorgio Armani: A stunning display that tells us metallics are here to stay for at least another season. I admire that not all of the models are in “death-defying heels,” as one WWD article so bluntly described the dangerous kickers models donned this season; instead, Armani had many of the models in jeweled flats. His large international success needs something that translates over any border and this one does the trick.
Jil Sander: I don’t know that this collection was enough of a standout to make my personal top ten, but the tailoring is good as are the incorporations of fringe and one-button wonders. I like that the makeup is very fresh so that the clothes can stand on their own, however I find this collection a little bland and dark for spring (but maybe this was Raf’s way of foreshadowing the economic crisis).
Koi Suwannagate: I like the whimsy and the ease that this collection carries itself with. Definitely spring, definitely uplifting and definitely makes a statement for this newbie. I don’t really have much to say, but I like it.
Lanvin: You really can’t criticize Lanvin. From twists on a trench dress to the safari/boy scout trend, Albert Ebaz picks up this spring collection where fall left off. He adds a pop of color where it’s needed, but never goes too far. Among my favorites, the jeweled strapless champagne party dress.
Louis Vitton: The shoes. Oh, the shoes. They caught my attention before anything else in this collection, and I think that’s what Jacobs wanted based on the way Madge models in the ad. Strappy, jeweled, and colored, oh my! The clothes are great too from they eye-popping colors, feathery-fringe dress and rumpled mini-dress to the consistently chunky bangles with matching necklaces and earrings.
Marc Jacobs: My daddy says, looking over my shoulder, “those are nice, I could go with those,” indicating that anything else thus far hasn’t done anything for him. Not that this little anecdote changes any of my opinions, but it is certainly the type of blunt statement that can be associated with Marc Jacobs. I may loathe his ads (not the negative space, just the artistry of the images), but I love his garments. Each of the individual pieces that make up one look can be spectacular and stand outs even in other ensembles.
Rodarte: The twosome knows how to drape – anything. From chains to chiffon, the pair creates gowns and party dresses and even things I can’t possibly describe by effortlessly draping until it all molds together into one cohesive piece. It’s a little S&M, a little Grecian drapery and a lot “tough-chic.”
