Saying that Hedi Slimane is lazy, as wrote Cathy Horyn, is a simple bah. A guy who redesigns everything from the logo to the showroom furnitures in his boutiques of Saint Laurent, doesn’t seem to be lazy at all. Hedi Slimane did a huge revolution at Saint Laurent and in fashion world, that seemed to be very peaceful comparing AW13 with the grunge/punk/Roc &Roll collection. And in reality, Slimane didn’t do this for more controversy- no, it’s all simply his aesthetics. When the designer of SL is not at work, he isn’t kissing Pinault’s ass for money but hangs out with friends/musicians in LA! So there is nothing that is done for more money. Well it is, but it’s not enforcing. People will still buy this kind of Yves Saint Laurent. So, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane wins the second place in AW13 ranking of best collections!
Collection
HC: Viktor & Rolf AW13
Viktor & Rolf wasn’t present on the Haute Couture calendar for about 13 years and the label have changed a bit into a more commercial subject than couture. But, this summer,Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren made a decision: They staged their comeback in honor of their label’s twentieth anniversary—”there’s no better way to celebrate,” Rolf said, adding that it was also an effort to “divide our wearable side and our conceptual side.”
Very high concept it was. The presentation was more like a art performance than a show. On a Zen garden platform with few black blocks on it remaining rocks, both designer came out and… Started to meditate! It lasted for about five minutes, and then the models appeared. The looks weren’t very detailed- but their forms were a sculpture by it’s own. All twenty wore the same black fabric, a technical silk that had the spongy look of neoprene, and flat ropy sandals. The first look out, a shirtdress, had strange, deflated volumes above the knees in front and below them in back. And now the performance started- Snoeren situated the first model on a block, reforming the dress in his own patent. The next model sat down next to the first one. Horsting was doing his job in this performance. And at the end, the model in a huge cape stood in the middle of the girls, covering them all, forming a black stone! Fantastic! This looked so relaxed, ZEN, that I felt in love with this collection. About the project’s genesis, Viktor said, “We’ve been running around for so long, we thought, let’s enjoy where we are. Our current state of mind is mindfulness”
HC: Untitled Couture AW13
There is no word that really can express the Maison Martin Margiela Haute Couture collection for AW13. It’s as always untitled, I would say, taken from laboratory and still not checked. There is such big splendour of styles, fabrics in one collection, that it’s strange it all works out together, even if it not. Latex trousers reminding of jeans and a white vinyl top with a classical Margiela veil opened the show, without music, special decorations and colours. It’s not a show, but a presentation of art. This is the first time when Margiela team work with Swarovski, to create jewellery and even… Boots! The heels of these amazing boots had a Swarovski crystal outgrow that looked fascinating. Just as the unique horse nail “finger” space in Maison Martin Margiela shoes!
The collection based a lot on embroidery inspired with Asian flowers. Mostly, all looks had something of flowers- veils, vests, skirts… There was a visible hand work on everything, even on scares that were held by few models. What I enjoyed most in the collection was mixing denim and art, that’s rare in couture. The look were a model wears casual pair of jeans, marble face veil and a flower embroidered vest is my favourite. It is very different and just untitled!
If talking of more art than couture that’s still classified as fashion, Iris Van Herpen is located definitely in this uncertain spot. “Beyond Wildness” was the title of her 11 looks collection. But, each look was steeped into the nature- it was a deep forest dress, with the spirit of Japan and the surface of a wild wood or branches as light as cobwebs as strange nature inspired decoration.
Working with artist Jolan van der Wiel, who created the magnetically grown surfaces (sounds amusing) and many other artists, Van Herpen created a collection that is really out of that world. But the designer still has to think over all her ideas, before creating the scientific collections with it’s clear message. Photos of the backstage and collection are taken from T Magazine!
HC: Ulyana Sergeenko AW13
Ulyana Sergeenko third Haute Couture show was a third disappointment. Sorry, but for me she is not a designer, but a wife of a rich guy in Russia that decided one day to be a fashion designer. This is kind of sad because some people think that Ulyana in reality is an ultra talented designer… This season was a plunder in Sergeenko’s Grandma wardrobe- with ugly, velvet, black dresses, fur coats and flower embroideries that looks totally the same as last winter. It’s all a mirror view of the designer style- everybody seems to know from street style pics, that Sergeenko loves all these ball gowns and everything that looks uncomfortable and purely expensive.
Well, there were FEW looks I enjoyed, but it felt deja vu to me- the fur cape with flower embroideries on top is beautiful, but it’s a copy of Haute Couture AW12. There is nothing new in this collection, I would say there is even less than it was in past. And these gorsets… They look so bad! The clothes are like if a old grammy from Russian village would put on her old dresses made from same fabrics but sold cheaper in the past, and then went to Paris, saying that it’s a new trend.
Men’s: SLIMane. Saint Laurent SS14
The Enfant Terrible of French Fashion did it again just as he usually does- Hedi Slimane made me and all others, first of all excited, then scared, shocked and amazed in elusive way. Even, if his collections have a straight meaning, they are elusive. Hedi takes on his shows the ugliest in the world models, then put California garage band rock and roll music possibly recorded day before the show and some kind of Johnny Cash/rich boy from Las Vegas clothes. By the way, he doesn’t give a f***. I can’t say that I would wear any of these clothes (but love the shoes!) but I can’t say that don’t like the collection! It is totally different from other menswear, full of minimalism and prints. It’s as cool as AW13 womenswear for SL.
Cool biker jackets, leopard prints, gold, ties and suits. All in a very rock and roll edition, but in a more exclusive and “casino boy” look. Of course everything is extremely slim, that I personally hate (I love loose clothes) but thats totally other topic. For sure Slimane wasn’t at all in Paris while creating the collection. Los Angeles, hometown of the designer? California? It’s more about American coolness than European elegance. For this I respect Hedi Slimane as fashion designer!
Design & Culture by Ed 