couture week: alexandre vauthier
(images via wwd)
okay, so in case i’d forgotten one of the stark realities of couture week, i was to quickly here re-learn it: not all couturiers are created equal, at least in the eyes of the press, and whatever we may think about the talents of one, there are a handful that get basically all the pomp, love, and press, and the rest simply have to pick up the pieces.
and honestly, it appears not even to matter if you’re heidi klum’s go-to designer, which has seemed something of the case of late for alexandre vauthier, the ‘oh-so-sexaaay-times’ designer that has clad the lovely model in many of her recent public appearances, as well as creating some steamy couture creations we’ve goggled over the last handful of seasons (see s/s 2011 hc, a/w 2011 hc, s/s 2012 hc, a/w 2012 hc).
interestingly, though, for his latest haute couture presentation (for the s/s 2013 season), in some respects, i’d argue that mr. vauthier turned things down a measure. to be sure, there was still plenty of heat in the slit-up-to-there creations, sheer materials, and bondage-feeling neck braces, but thanks to a palette of mostly black and navy and some smart (and relatively neutral) tuxedos and suits, it felt to me that the designer was trying his hand at some more daily-life-style prospects.
however, i’d also like to note that there were a good handful of occasions during which i kind of hand to ask myself ‘are we looking at an anthony vaccarello collection?” after all the cut-outs, the slits, and the darker palette all felt hand-picked from that very of-the-moment designer’s oeuvre. or maybe he just had more in common with mr. vauthier than i’ve tended to realize when the latter designer was casting his clothes in pastels and whites, as he has had occasion to do these last several seasons.
hmm. i suppose it’s worth reflecting on at some point and drawing out some of the comparisons. but of course, mr. vauthier’s work is for the more cost-is-no-issue among us, and maybe there’s something a little easier to be said in suggesting his customers can simply spend their days lounging about looking like bond girls or something, without much of a care as to when they might need to wear, like, a business suit. but then again, apparently they do, as that was something (and the best of it, i’d say) that he wanted to address for the upcoming spring.
anyway, there wasn’t a lot of criticism on the board—or any, really, as you can tell from my above rant—so we were lucky to hear at least from wwd, which offered that “(t)he show opened with an elegant and tasteful lineup of clean-cut tuxedos and lightly draped satin catsuits, which had sleek glamour written all over them. After a short interlude of skimpy yet intriguing mink tops with bare backs on straight-cut trousers, Alexandre Vauthier lost restraint.”
“The languid evening gowns and cut-out minidresses — exposing what not even robust stadium and biker leather jackets could conceal — were neither functional nor worthy of a lady, and caused some queasiness among the attendees. A little less nudity and a little more fabric would have better celebrated the female body,” they concluded, and i must say that’s all fair enough, though i frankly have to wonder if they’ll be calling the same thing chez vaccarello (and pucci and balmain) in a couple of months?
(check out a quick flash of catwalk video here)
