A little distance goes’ a long way.

St Laurent fall 2013: what's new

Prada fall 2013: irreverant cool

Givenchy fall 2013: ecclectic and chic

Following Hedi Slimane’s pastiche of a collection for St Laurent the other day, and the pasting I gave it (along with sooo many others) I thought a comparison was due to illustrate just how different it could have been, if he wasn’t simply mining his own backyard for inspiration.

As I had suggested, it wasn’t the influence that was the problem; there were definite Grunge references in Dries van Noten’s collection the season before and used to great effect. It was not a Grunge collection however, and interestingly, I would suggest, neither was Slimane’s; this was simply a simulacrum.

Second time round the block fashion revivals are nothing new, and neither are the forms they seem to take, dependent as the are on some shared understanding of visual troupes. Clichés abound; ‘Punk’ becomes studded leather jackets, ‘Doc’ Martins and a Mohican haircut, tartan and safety pins. In much the same way Hedi recycled a completely generic Grunge ‘code’ while completely missing any of the subtleties (and realities?) of the grunge proper. Grunge may linger in the popular imagination  with reference to baby-doll dresses, plaid, oversized cardis and big boots, but really, this is only part of the story that neglects so much. Hedi- you have been inspired with what Grunge has become- not it’s reality. “California-grunge?”- an oxymoron that could only exist in the 21^st century.

To show the potential channelling the true spirit of the late 80’s/ early 90’s scene, other designers did it so much better, some quite obviously, but also, some more subtlety.

For me the Prada collection was full of such subtle but interesting touchstones. Sure there were some very haute references, notably 1940’s and 50’s silhouettes, and fabrications that were far from povera. But it’s all in the styling and attitude. Nonchalance, edginess, quirkiness. Tough but introspective. Confident but doubtful. Juxtapositions that encapsulate the ennui of the last decade of the 20^th century.  models louche with fur stoles fallen from their shoulders, recalled the days when such items were found in abundance in thrift stores the world over. Luxury but not worn overtly. The use of layers; dresses over cardigans or other knitwear creating and feminine / masculine tension that had so much more appeal than the overt stomping at St Laurent. Fabrics and textures mixed irreverently (but orchestrated with such care), frequently in the same garment. Skirts look made of two fabrics but on closer inspection seem a clever textile manipulation of one, incorporating conflicting embellishments that led to interesting asymmetry. Natural  coloured fur coats, teamed with coloured leather had a  bold  brashness that wasn’t simple aggressive. As always, Prada delivered wit, wisdom and insight with another collection that  continued to break conventions and assumptions.

Likewise at Givenchy, where although perhaps more obvious, Riccardo Tisci presented a collection that equally managed to capture a spirit, mood and attitude, without resorting to cliché. While St Laurent looked like a parody, Givenchy looked like a proper, contemporary interpretation of the quite strength and rebellion Grunge represented; it wasn’t the clothes per se, but how you wear them. At Givenchy we are confronted with the sly humour that Grunge could embody; an irony that plays out as mischievousness where at St Laurent it is mere seriousness. Tisci presents Disney, but cut up and collaged, as prints for ‘sweatshirts’ of chiffon, other of which are exquisitely embroidered; a tale from the street to the atelier. Again fur is to the fore; 2-tone and worn over a gypsy/ Spanish styled dress. Forget the obvious baby-doll-Courtney Love mimicry- here was the spirit of mix and match, couture and vernacular, a breaking of codes and disruption of assumptions. St Laurent looked like paper doll cut-outs by comparison. Plaid, floral and paisley- together and to brilliant effect through garments that were expertly cut and executed in a manner appropriate to the market.

Labels like Prada and Givenchy (and many, many others) represent those that provide the direction for which the high streets will follow. Slimane’s St Laurent, unfortunately, looks like it’s following the High St.

Givenchy fall 2013: louche lux

Givenchy fall 2013: irony and insig