The Runway Room: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Spring 2011: Fashion Week in Any Which Way

A fun video encompassing the Spring 2011 shows by Gerard Estadella of icanteachyouhowtodoit.

Spring 2011: The Golden Age of Fashion

Most fashion critics and journalists have decided that the latest collections are undoubtedly 70s; however, I see them as being a reflection of the jazz age. In collections from Louis Vuitton and Chanel, the mood generated an age of opulence.

Karl Lagerfeld built a massive garden inside the Grand Palais, emulating a garden straight out of 'The Great Gatsby'. F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece (in my book, no pun-intended) epitomizes the opulence and grandiose happenings of the Jazz Era .

During said era, women began to embrace cosmetics, as they were formally reserved for prostitutes; Chanel's look fully embraced this "feminist movement" with a smokey eye and knack for darkness. Models followed suit at Louis Vuitton.

Marc Jacobs described his latest collection for Vuitton as affluent, a "Paris Is Burning, glamour for the kids". The silhouettes were a fusion full of melancholy as the ankle trimming lengths from the 20s and 30s combined with the Studio 54, party girl from the 70s. The decades fused, yet again at Chanel where 70s platform sandals and ankle skimming frocks trimmed in feathers met to satisfy a perfect juxtaposition.

One could also argue that Chanel was straight out of the club kid era of the 90s and we really could go on for days about the purpose of these collections, but I think it's safe to say that it's all about fun and options. However, the options seem to be from every decade imaginable and simply all over the place.

I suppose it's all a question of taste, which coincidentally was another key player in Jacobs' collection. Marc confessed to Style.com, "Taste is so subjective and I don't believe that there is such thing as good taste and bad taste." He later added, "Taste is an awful word and no one should ever use it."

Photos, Sonny Vandevelde

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fall 2010: Gant Rugger Campaign

I've been obsessed with Gant Rugger's Fall offerings ever since, Jenny and I attended our local Saks for Fashion's Night Out. There was a fantastic reindeer sweater and also a plaid jacket that was of the lightest weight. This video exudes a nostalgic quality that often gets lost amongst the "industry's" attempt to stay cool.