
This was the most cohesive and complete collection to date. It was also the epitome of the omnipresent word luxury which played out in his silhouettes, color and fabrics. There were Indian references seen in the beautifully draped, silky, icy silver and petal pink skirts mimicking mini dhotis. The draped skirts met a jacket–dress hybrid, a structured shoulder-padded tuxedo-jacket combined with draping, luxurious silk-satin on the sides, belted with golden obi-faced sashes and black lace bandeaud. The dissected jackets and his puff-sleeve, long, bare-v-neck silk jackets were reminiscent of Yves Saint Laurent.
His touch of menswear, this time, was constructed with an even more feminine touch. There were tops worn with the tulip flowing skirts that were like a second skin of sequins. They sparkled and shined snuggly around the body. Ghesquiere paired a strong and structured but still luxurious top with a softer and more feminine bottom. He made the contrasting materials and designs work.
The drapery stole the show. It was so luxurious and alluring that he managed to sneak it into every dress, skirt, and even pant. Ghesquiere revisited the Balenciaga archives and brought back the 60’s soft shoulder and dramatic pleating and draping, making it relevant and elegant in today. The dresses and skirts were as delicate as fresh tulips. The drapery was mostly ruched to one side and created an asymmetrical hemline.
There was a fabulous burnout velvet dress in an hourglass silhouette with puff sleeves, similar to his printed jackets, with and a skinny peplum manifested with a skinny belt. Although there was mostly black, a dash of decadent frosty silvers and pastel pink, there were some sharply tailored short dresses with princess waistlines in a animalistic, marbleized and primitive underdones; both cool color combinations of black, white and green or cobalt blue and then warmer tones in reds and oranges.
My favorite garment will definitely make the buyers ever-shrinking edits. Nicholas created a draped pant that looked like a harem pant in silk where the pleating was so soft and beautiful around the thighs, it looked like a skirt over pants when it fact it was just one garment. These soft and low slung harem pants are a must. The layers drapery is not only luxurious but luscious, it is a highly stylized piece that can be worn with anything you already own and make the outfit look glamorous no matter what it’s paired with. There were also some slim trousers and even they had some fluidity.
Ghesquiere also played with leather either in his obi sashes and belts or lining of his velvet coats. The shoes were just as appealing and detailed as the carefully constructed clothing. There were platform sandals with bandanna-like bowties around the ankles and fabulous platform booties that looked like drops of paint had fallen on them.
This collection was what fashion is all about-luxury, quality, novelty, and a delicious decadent dose of drapery.
2 Responses
zoe on 07-03-2009 at 10:57 am
Sarah- I Love this article. You are spot on with your commentary of this collection!
Gail Gregg on 07-03-2009 at 12:18 pm
hi, sarah! i’m in death valley, ca — and i can report that they don’t wear clothes like this here…love you — g