It kills me to see people (not you of course...
) posting that this collection reminds them of Rodarte, when in fact Rodarte copied Balenciaga's work and silhouette for seasons now. All of the trends since that pivotal "android" collection have hit it *big* on many runways and high streets, triggering sales in the millions for many copiers, from the paneled android leggings and vests one finds on blogs to studs a "La Jetee" Antonin Tron that everyone gushed over. I don't think it is necessary for everyone to remember, nor for every collection from a designer to be trail-blazing, but it is so *sad* when everyone FORGETS...
Looking at that year of Balenciaga again, 2006/7, looking at all the collections, including Rodarte's, and it is clear which had been the most influential designer this decade.
So he didn't send a new "look" this time, a superficial fun new image but he went back to his modern, graphic urban roots. Superficially, they remind me of Hussein Chalayan, but I don't look at a "theme" anymore, eg. "Futurist", "Warrior Princess", "Marie Antoinette", "Belle de Jour" etc., I hate themes, that's for facile collections when the designer cannot find the imagination to send something that defies easy categorization, so I'm not disappointed because there's no new theme, and I didn't like the "android" collection because it was "Android" themed, but because of the amazing work and construction and a new direction...However, this time, he sent out not a new theme but new "WORK", the hoodies are not only patch-worked, they are also constructed with a technique that made the hoodies retain a structural round-curvilinear shape, the skirts are not the facile millefeuilles you'd see from Christopher Kane, but careful and painstaking layering that is amazing because also they have to deliver and retain the final "kilt" shape. It takes a lot of exhaustive pattern-experimenting to achieve that. And the pixelated, shimmering "porcupine" skirt, that to me is an extreme "haut-couture" technique that puts all these big houses to shame - no one ever bothered with such experimentation and beauty beyond sewing elaborate beads and pailletes. NG pushes the boundaries beyond what everyone else has thought about, not in the most obvious, instant gratification way you can snap and twitter about, but he ultimately delivers jaw-dropping effects.
This wasn't so apparent to me for his "flou" collections, though they were lovely, so I was half-hearted about them in my past posts. He also hit a low point with me for the Kaisik Wong affair, but everyone came down much harder on him than they did on Rodarte...
Of course most at TFS do not agree with me this time, but again, I am defending NG not because I like being a contrarian (or saw the reviews by Horyn, Menkes, etc.) but because I truly believe in this collection in the way I described. I hope I can get you excited enough to take a second look at the work he did this time, and to reconsider these new techniques.
And very Balenciaga which I like, I hate when designers stray from their signature styles
