I have been posting irregularly, but I have a good excuse (really I do). I am in the fashion journalism graduate program at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the only school in the country that shows both seasons at New York Fashion Week.
If anyone would have told me a year ago that I would be headed back to the classroom I would have said, “NO WAY.” But YES WAY, I have started a new passage in my sartorial life and I am excited about what lies ahead. I am taking two classes this summer, one of which is Fashion 616: Dynamics of Fashion, and already I have learned a few things I did not know before like there are only 10 Haute Couture designers; Anne Valérie Hash, Armani Privé, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Elie Saab, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, and Versace. As much as I love fashion, it had escaped me that anyone couldn’t just create and present a couture line, it’s actually a process.
Our first discussion in fashion class was about the Haute Couture designer that we admire and what about their recent collection was interesting. Here’s what I had to say:
A designer’s collection should tell a story, engage the viewer, provoke thought and encourage curiosity. This is why I appreciate the works of ready-to-wear designer Ralph Lauren and haute couture designer Karl Lagerfeld.
I am intrigued by Lagerfeld’s creative capacity to perfect perfection as he so eloquently did for the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2008 Collection. He knows how to cleverly meld frivolity with rebellion, as he achieved with the Fendi Spring 2008 Collection, when the Great Wall of China served as the runway for the show.
For Chanel’s spring 2008 haute couture collection, Lagerfeld payed homage to the classic Chanel jacket. He paired the tailored jacket with whimsical skirts embellished with pleats, ruffles or cut in a sarong-like draping.
I love how the collection was presented. There’s an air of fairytale to the collection with cocktail dresses fit for a princess and headbands that resemble tiaras. And, while other lines paraded statuesque models in stilettos, he unabashedly presented his models in ballerina-esque flats. I believe this lent a girlish ambiance to an otherwise very womanly and sophisticated line. This is yet another example of Lagerfeld’s rebellion.
Although the collection is bland in color (mostly neutrals), rich textures like tweed and satin combined with fanciful details like jeweled brooches and tiers of ruffles, added depth to the collection.
Chicly Yours,
The Chic Spy
Brilliant!