There have been so many extraordinary, surprising, and impeccably designed collections coming out of Paris for Spring 2013 that narrowing down all the gushing adulation from forum members to just three collections was quite a chore. But, even with all the good, there’s always the other side of the coin, and there were certainly a few labels that failed to meet our high expectations this season. Here’s a rundown of forum members’ picks for the highs and lows out of Paris thus far.
The Hits: Veronique Branquinho, Gareth Pugh, Lanvin
Veronique Branquinho
“She killed it. It’s extremely provocative...loving the armbands and the warmth in the tones.” [luckyme]
“Thrilled to have her back! My God this is so classy, and elegant, and sensual. Swooning hard over the way she styled it with those gorgeous gold armbands [rad!] and the ladylike, gladiator flats. Great color palette, that shimmery nude is so sexy when offset with the forest green. The fabrics are gorgeous, even the knits are sexy and have great movement. Brilliant!” [HeatherAnne]
“There are no words other than stunning. This woman does it like no one. This is how you do pleating, gold, embellishments, minimalism, eveningwear, slits, tailoring, outerwear, belting... in short, this is how you do a collection. This might just be the best collection of the season, if you ask me.” [StoneSkipper]
Gareth Pugh
“While it isn't my style and I'm usually not a huge fan of Gareth Pugh I'm really admiring this! Great cuts! Great styling as well! Awesome how this is so modern and yet so... beautiful. One of the best collections seen for Spring/Summer 2013 so far!” [RedandNavy]
“What? Gareth can actually do wearable? A quite pleasant, well executed surprise.” [Lena]
“A goth girl's wet dream. Possibly one from the 90s.” [Morphe]
“I want to marry this collection and have lots of babies in it. I think this describes how much I love it and how much I would wear it. I'm really not into red clothing but I would rock those total-red outfits.” [EstefaniaAbaddon]
Read our review and see images of the Gareth Pugh collection.
Lanvin
“Here's the true testament to Alber Elbaz's talent – even when he's doing safe, wearable clothes, he can still dazzle with his embellishing, structuring, and draping and create one of the best collections of the season. Now, isn't that amazing?” [StoneSkipper]
“I could blab on and on about why I love this, but I fear I won't be able to shut up. PERFECTION, end of story.” [HeatherAnne]
“I always seem to love when Alber does something that's a bit aggressive and more streamlined, and this is no exception. I'm not totally sold on the colored pieces towards the end, but everything else is really working for me. Even the jewelry, which is extremely atypical for Lanvin, is working for me. Something about the energy just says ‘speed’...” [Spike413]
“What Alber does is evolution, not revolution, and the differences are subtle – but nonetheless real. I appreciate that he has the confidence to continue to do what's right and appropriate for the house. And I love the color.” [fashionista-ta]
Read our review and see images of the Lanvin collection.
The Misses: Anthony Vaccarello, Alexis Mabille, Balmain
Anthony Vaccarello
“Tacky, tacky, tacky, as usual. This wannabe Azzedine Alaia guy is stuck in his 80s bad body-con aesthetic. Some of the fabrics are nice though, except the really kitsch ones he used in the end of the collection.” [ILoveDiorHomme]
“Is he actually that clueless to think that dresses are his strongest points, when in reality he barely knows how to construct a dress? I mean, look at that closing dress. That can't even be qualified as a monstrosity because it cannot be qualified as a dress. It's fabric slapped onto the model's body, pure and simply. I also detest how he insists on folded skirts and bare midriffs. Those are iffy ideas to begin with, and his poor execution just kills the whole thing…I would like him so much more if he just ditched the sexy try-hard look and started a whole new sporty-utilitarian aesthetic, because that's truly what he's good at.” [StoneSkipper]
“Bleh. He's so terrible. So one note – and it's not even a note anybody really needs to be listening to. He's all smoke and mirrors. It seems like he thinks the more straps and seams and ties he adds to a short little dress the ‘cooler’ it will be.” [dior_couture1245]
Alexis Mabille
“Poor Alexis, he tries way too hard with his clothes and can really show how ugly some dresses can be.” [GERGIN]
“Wow. Very ill fitted and sloppy!” [|PerfectTonight|]
“He just can't get it right, can he?” [StoneSkipper]
Balmain
“All I can think of is MC Hammer.” [arkasha]
“This feels as if 90s Gianni Versace slapped me in the face... Neither liking the excessive ‘power shoulders’ nor the harlequin print.” [Heroin_Chic]
“My grandmother had a chair in her conservatory [that looked just like the rear view of one of those jackets]. That which looks ugly as old ladies garden furniture is best not resuscitated as clothing which, presumably, is intended to be modern. Astounding workmanship but atrocious eye. Way too fussy, chintzy, like an old ladies interior.” [Tentacl Ventricl]
Read our review and see images of the Balmain collection.
Images: IMAXtree
Via: Paris Fashion Week Spring 2013 Hits and Misses: Part 1 (Forum Buzz)