Perry Ellis Era

The 90’s. Aah. The free spirit. And grunge. These are the keywords that really make me think about this amazing era of creativity, defiance and a kind of “I don’t give a F word” attitude. Perry Ellis from 1994 is the perfect example. It was the collection that got Marc Jacobs fired from this American fashion house, which is currently slowly dying and becoming a forgotten brand. It was the show, idea, that made his career. With Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love in the newspapers and their music dominating both the radio and MTV, a 29-year-old Jacobs sent flannel shirts, printed granny dresses, Dr. Martens and knitted beanies down the runway. “Grunge is ghastly,” Suzy Menkes declared later in her fashion show report, and Jacobs indeed lost his job, but this was one show that the critics and the Perry Ellis company definitely got wrong. In other words, to those who think Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent is innovative – as you, he is not.