Read on for the highs and lows of London’s Fall 2011 Fashion Week according to the Fashion Spot forums.
The Hits: Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders
THE HITS:
“On the whole I loved it. I do think it has lost some of the poetry of the older shows. But the coats are consistently a knock out.” [Master Wood]
“Such a magnificent collection, with so many great points… Each look makes an incredible statement…I love the freshness of the opening coats with those bright colors. But I have to say that the white section was definitely the highlight of the show… Finally, I have to give [Burberry] a special credit for the fabrics. The use of fur was absolutely stunning, and even more so when mixed with wool.” [Wolkfolk]
“I felt my heart stop when I saw some of the pieces, they were so beautiful. And all the white is fantastic!” [sobriquet87]
“I have never seen a more perfect procession of impeccable coats. Seriously, how can any woman or man choose just one? The tweed coat with patent details held together with a two-tone leather belt and topped with a flourish of black fur will keep me up at night. Although I still contend that Burberry Prorsum remains one beat late with its ready-to-wear collections, when Christopher Bailey puts out stuff as good as he has for the past three seasons, the stuff seems to endure in a way that makes trend seem quite irrelevant… I’m not sure how he’s doing it, but I hope he keeps it up. He’s definitely on a roll.” [mikeijames]
“I want it all…seriously. The video was gorgeous…so much detail in the back of the coats…they move so beautifully… the graphic quality, with the contrast trim and buttons, etc. make it so, so striking!…how lovely this is… sure to be knocked off left and right!… and the ‘toggle’ belt… that is THE belt of the decade!” [softgrey]
Read our review and see images from the Burberry Prorsum collection.
“I love it! It looks fresh, new, unusual, everything you expect from a great young designer like Christopher!” [xPedro]
“[Christopher Kane] is so incredibly talented. I don’t think there’s one collection of his that I haven’t liked. Kane has quickly become one of my most anticipated and usually one of my favorite collections of the season.” [dior_couture1245]
“This is beyond. It’s so refreshing and unusually quirky, yet sexy. Christopher Kane is one of the few designers that keep evolving and improving. This is the best collection so far this season.” [Ives927]
Read our review and see images from the Christopher Kane collection.
“This is really beautiful. The quirky, unexpected color combos work here, in part because the prints unite seemingly disparate colors. Both the day and evening looks are very strong, just as the solid and printed pieces are all nice… Really, it is all quite lovely.” [Not Plain Jane]
“I absolutely adore this collection. The colors are divine and work so well together. As for the menswear, I love how [Saunders] uses the same prints and colors as for the women’s. It’s truly androgynous in a way that it looks just as good on both genders, and it doesn’t look unisex at all. Very desirable.” [whatkatjadid]
“As a man, I’m helplessly drawn to those gorgeous cardigans in the rich colors for which we all love Jonathan Saunders, but I find myself even more impressed that despite that fruity punch of color, the mood of this entire collection still had an eye for the Fall. While I could ramble on forever about the genius of Jonathan Saunders’ color mixing, some of the best pieces in this collection went without. From the great jackets at the beginning to the sheer pieces midway to the outstanding metallic inserts at the end, this collection showed off not only his prowess with the palette but his expert hand with cut.” [mikeijames]
Read our review and see images from the Jonathan Saunders collection.
The Misses: Richard Nicoll, Temperley London, Mary Katrantzou
THE MISSES:
“That puce color is dreadful, and most of these shapes do nothing to flatter a woman’s figure.” [lucy92]
“I was a bit disappointed in this collection, not as strong as Spring/Summer for me.” [hautechild]
“Not crazy about this at all. Definitely not his best work, and those paneled drapes are too close to what A.F. Vandevorst did last season.” [Scott]
“One can always find great jackets at Richard Nicoll, but I must say that his exploration into waistlessness did not come off in a way he intended. Perhaps now that he’s freed from the Cerrutti job, he can concentrate again on his actual vision for how women should dress today.” [mikeijames]
“Who is this [collection] aimed at? [Temperley] always tries to make it edgy and sort of rebellious YSL masculine with a lot of black and hard leather accessories and details. But it always feels overdone on the design of the small details and the overall look tends to be forgotten, therefore often incohesive. Because of the over-embellishment, instead of it feeling masculine edgy, it has more of a drag-queen vibe to it that I find with a lot of her clothes… It’s too chunk to be feminine and too feminine to be masculine, it makes me feel ill.” [Crying Diamonds]
“This collection seems all over the place… at the end I had a very 30s silhouette feel but then after revisiting [the collection] it’s like a hodge-podge of everything… [Temperley] should have edited much more carefully.” [ultramarine]
“I think the general aesthetic of what [Temperley] does always has a very English countryside sort of vibe, and I feel like this collection is perhaps an extension of that (30s English countryside girl takes London, perhaps?) Alice will always be the English Monique Lhuillier/Vera Wang to me, though; an exceptional bridal designer that does average ready to wear. Problem is, I think she fashions herself as more of a ready to wear designer that does bridal…” [KhatoicKharma]
Read our review and see images of the Temperley of London collection.
“Very interesting, but aside from the shoes there’s nothing close to wearable in this.” [FakeFlower]
“[I] am bored already with Mary Katrantzou, she needs to come up with something new…and some outfits are terribly unflattering. [csmboy]
“I feel [this collection is] a bit redundant. I’ve seen those shapes before…I’ve seen those prints before. I mean, the Pierre Cardin/Cristobal Balenciaga geometric structures have been done to death in the last couple years and… Basso & Brooke pretty much revolutionized scarf prints…Personally, I’ve yet to be wowed by her work.” [Scott]
“It may be a bit premature to tag someone with the ‘one trick pony’ label, but this is essentially the same concept as last season. That’s all well and good if you’re doing something such as, say, minimalism; minimalism is wearable and bankable. If you’re going to go for spectacle, however, shouldn’t there be a different spectacle each season?” [KhatoicKharma]
Photos: Vincenzo Grillo, IMAXtree
