Anyway, reviews =] I'm in a kooky mood so I'll review a kooky collection - Jean-Paul Gaultier's Fall/Winter 2006 collection. Here goes (photos from Style.com):
The first outfit shown in a collection on the runway is very important because it creates a first impression and sets the mood for the rest of the collection. Let's see what we can glean from this first one ...
First word I think of - "grungey", in the Gothic, dark-attic-with-old-rundown-Victorian-wallpaper sort of way (and not the Marc Jacobs sloppy kind of way). And that doll proves it (the Victorian thingy, at least). The model looks like a teenage girl who woke up on the wrong side of bed and has got the complexion (and dark, panda-ring eyes) to show it. On the other hand, this is one stylish ghost-chick - her light-grey shirt and knee-length pleated skirt are trimmed in soft ruffles and puffs - they're made of this very light and sheer material that's very, very feminine. The colour gives it the grungey Gothic feel and the ruffles and puffs suggest a sort of antique classiness.
Which means we've got three words to expect from the rest of the collection - "grunge", "Gothic", and "antique". Lessee.
Gothic? Check.
Kooky in a fashionable sort of way. The crocodile skin belt (strictly speaking, a semi-corset) comes across as being a bit Gothic (or perhaps even a sort of dark, female sexuality) while the greenish-brown trench coat and dark dirty green pants further the feeling of grunge.
OMG *heart*. This is one smashin' Evil Queen outfit *AHEM* Let's be serious. We see the corset-belt again, but this time in ... velvet? The trench coat suggests a decadence along with a heavy Victorian Goth feeling ... and the pantyhose hints at a sort of Gothic eroticism.
Yup - Gothic? Check.
Wunderbar. I love the knit halter top - it shows a progression from revealing something to completely opaque - very clever. And that fur-trimmed trench coat continues to push the theme of decadence along. JPG is a genius, gah.
This piece screams "avant-garde". The idea of a human being put in a dog funnel ... it's almost a sort of cynical questioning of the things we do to our pets and how they would feel. On the other hand that's a very chic dog funnel - it's even got detailing around the narrower end. That top Lily Cole is wearing fits perfectly into the themes of decadence and of grunge, and also of the whole antique idea that's very strong in this collection. Hence we can give a "Check" for all three keywords.
I can't say how much I love this outfit. The greenish stains from the bust down, the maroon trimmings at the end of the top, the puff-ended velvet pants ... it's very meticulously done and every single detail fits perfectly into the themes and the mood. Even the little critters the models bring out on to the runway - they suggest something about the whole concept behind the collection.
Gah, JPG is a genius.
Maybe it's the fact that I love Morgane Dubled and hence have a bias for everything she wears, but for some reason something about this outfit is very .... strange. It could be because of the loose clump of threads from the centre of the top and the asymmetrical lines along the front - it suggests a sort of deconstructionism. I think the deconstructing of the top is very very well-done - it's not just some sloppy ripping apart of the threads and the apparel structure but in fact a very carefully designed feature that looks both deconstructed and artistically done at the same time.
Just one last one (have got a nagging headache that won't go away). This is ... beyond-a-million-words-brilliant. The generous use of velvet puts the theme of decadence at its highest and the return of the doll in a much larger size pushes to a high point the idea of Victorian Goth. The pattern on the knit-top is frighteningly intricate and seems to refer to the carvings found on antique furniture. The fact that everything is a rust-brown heavily suggests grunge.
Which means -
Grunge? Check. Gothic? Check. Antique? Check.
Gah, Jean-Paul Gaultier is a genius. Gah.
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