Ann Demeulemeester F/W 2021.22 Paris

uplifting collection

just what we need during a global pandemic.

 

The Alaïa re-issues had more to add to the brand's legacy than this...

Kind of weird to get such popular and in-demand models just to shoot this sad excuse of a lookbook. It seriously looks like the end of term lockdown project of an Antwerp fashion departament student.

 

SHE IS BACK SHE IS BACK!!!! Well, sort of? I read that the new owner of the label Claudio Antonioli has a direct line to Ms. Demuelemeester but it is currently being designed by a "ghost" team. Obviously, much of this is recycled from her glory days, though, I hope she gets more involved as the seasons come and she can build off her iconic aesthetic. On a side note, this makes me miss Sebastian very much. I loved old Ann D., but with Meunier now gone, I fear it will become less forward-thinking. Only time will tell!

 

^^ Sebastian completely missed the point of Ann's vision/design and quality has significantly decreased. Unfortunately, I feel this is another label that should have shuttered without the original designer & do not have high hopes that new ownership will revive it. Will continue to buy the archival pieces and Ann's new dishes/silverware.

 

i dont think i could ever tell you the difference between ann d collections. lots of waistcoats...

 

I respect your view but slightly disagree. What would be the point of hiring Sebastian and keeping him around for 10 years if he couldn’t grasp the founders signatures and vision for the house? His elevated, romanticized, and philosophical view for Ann D. differed in presentation for sure, I would say it consisted of a less anti-fashion sentiment and was more keen to narrative and showmanship. His use of color and volume, for example the Fall 2019 collection, differs entirely from the original dark, moody aesthetic of the label. But I believe he already knew this upon taking the job. In an interview with Ssense.com he is quoted as saying, “I can’t continue exactly what Ann did because it belongs in the past, and fashion is in the present,” ( Ssense.com). Again, if he continually missed and fell short of expectations, I am confused as to why he was there for more than a decade when he could have easily been replaced by the former owner BVBA 32.

 

With brands like Ann Demeulemeester it's similarly difficult to ask the matter of succession as in the case of Alaia or eventually Yohji Yamamoto or Rei Kawakubo, should they choose to step down from designing at some point - I wouldn't count Jil Sander or Helmut Lang in here although their heydays were at a similar time, but their businesses were always aimed at a bigger, more diversified direction than Ann Demeulemeester (or Anne Chapelle) ever aimed towards.

A few weeks back, Vogue Runway provided a throwback to an Ann Demeulemeester show from 1997 if I remember correctly - What felt most mesmerizing about this collection was how straightforward and easy it felt compared to anything that had been produced at her house in the past 10 years or so, even in the last few shows that she designed herself. I got the feeling her shoes relied stronger and stronger on even taller boots and longer gloves or theatrical headgears that might have looked awesome as stage wardrobe for PJ Harvey but had little to no answers to her customer's everyday needs. All of this happened about the same time as when Rick Owens delivered one after the other strong collection while basically taking over Ann's clients at the time, similar to how Hedi Slimane's Dior Homme took over Helmut Lang's menswear customers in the early 2000s.