AW02

While searching 2002 in fashion, I found the first runway collection by Rick Owens. The mood of Owens’ presentation was somber—a dark, raw space and a sound track of Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop—but the clothes were gently sexy and even cozy. Not one for color (despite his indigenous climate), Owens worked in grays, chalky white, black and taupe. Long clinging dresses were paired with fuzzy ankle-length sweater coats, while soft, baggy corduroy pants looked great with the distressed leather jackets the designer is known for.But all those greys and forms reminded me of something- the latest Haider Ackermann collection for women. His AW14 was totally like the description of Rick’s in 2002, but a bit more romantic and soft. I love both of these, and I can’t say that Haider copied Rick- rather, he was inspored by him and his first dark fashion moment.

And… it’s… Thursday… The 26 looks that Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière showed here today at the Gagosian Gallery will be more scrutinized than Enron’s balance sheet. That’s because Ghesquière has become one of fashion’s magnate designers, able to change the look of a season with one outfit. Moving his Fall show to New York from Paris added a significant jolt to fashion week, increased by the fact that getting one of the 200 tickets was well-nigh impossible.The all-black opening was tough-girl chic: variations on the motorcycle jacket, with exaggerated knit collars and worn with skintight pants or tight, flippy skirts. He showed soft, oversized sweaters and jackets, and a small group of colorful knee-length collage dresses apparently influenced by Cubist paintings. Ghesquière helped usher in fashion’s current love of artisan craft, and the dramatic, shaggy ivory coats that closed the show could double as soft sculpture.