Christopher Kane F/W 09.10 London

[karina_zb]

This is great. Wow. I'm in love with his use of transparency and geometric shapes.

 

[anakaye]

It reminds me of so many other collections, yet it doesn't strike me as derivative in the slightest. I like it!

 

[lucy92]

The young designer, Christopher Kane, put it all down to a black marker pen and a few strokes on a white sheet of paper. I’d put it down, to a stroke – or multiple strokes – of, if not quite genius, then most-definitely, inspired graphics.
A hint of the sixties, in the Beatles-inspired, straight-cut cardigan jackets; a touch of Cardin, in the geometric lines – and, then, all 2010 and beyond and all, quite simply, the mark of Kane; straight as a dye and as clean-cut as if it had been drawn with a ruler or else as sinuous as the trail of a snake in the sand.
Kane, the star performer on Topshop's New Generation scheme, opened his autumn/winter 09/10 show on a muted note; simple, collarless or V-neck, cardigan jackets in dour grey, brown and black tweed check, with matching pencil skirts.
Slowly the straight lines of the checks on the tweed morphed into narrow, black velvet ribbons, marking up the sheer fabric of skirts and bodices into squares and stripes, or creating wavy patterns down the front or sides of stretch dresses, accessorised with strappy, suede high heels or crushed velvet flat boots and lace-ups.
The velvet lines, vertical, horizontal and undulating, created a visual geometry lesson, stamped across see-through tulle layers and futuristic mixes of vinyl and organza.
The colour scheme began with black on parchment-cream and then slowly, like sunlight over the horizon, the colour spectrum widened to include shimmering, holographic-like flashes of green, silver, purple and yellow.
Square-cut bodices were all corseted; skirts were straight and thin and above the knee, or else spilling into a froth, by virtue of the velvet being piped along the hemline.
Italian Vogue’s Anna Piaggi and Twiggy were among the lucky front-rowers; Kanye West arrived late, but nevertheless stood to see the show.

(telegraph)

 

[jhaime]

great collection...just...erm, not for fall/winter.. ?

 

[Jamess]

what is so "christopher kane" about this collection?

The mix between complicated/sexy, interesting use of textures and the really sophistocated colour palette (in the velvet dresses), for a start.
I really dont see any argument for a lack of personal style if you try to look beyond seasonal silhouette and colour scheme.

Theres something really powerful in his clothes I think, a mix between modern and kind of arcane. If you ever see his drawings they explain a lot. He seems to have a really rich understanding of fashion aswell, some things he does could almost come across cliche and cold if it werent for a certain technique, fabric choice or styling. I love that some of the models are wearing flat brogues this season.

 

[JuiceMajor]

surprisingly understated...nothing too outrages but still remain interesting. reminded me of early Prada as well. maybe it's the presentation.

 

[JordanB]

I absolutely love it!
Such a come back from last season. The black stripes are very distinct. You will remember that this is a Christopher Kane collection.

 

[classicalbang]

One thing about Christopher Kane's collections is that good or bad, I always react strongly to them.

With this.... I just feel indifferent. It's forgettable. At least I'm going to remember the horrible scalloping overload of S/S 09.

 

[rip_ian curtis]

I love his fall collections much more than ss. They're always chic!

 

[Inaya]

doh.

honey, you know no thread would be complete without it.

 

[Pastry]

two thumbs up!
and two comments:

-lovely shapes and mood, exactly what I'm loving lately...a someone said...early Prada (a familiar reference), and a 90's feeling in general..very serene as well...

-it's interesting how there is all this mention of drawing. When I was looking at one of the ivory transparent dresses with black lines I thought of what the sketch of the dress must have looked like.

anyways..

 

[adorefaith]

goodness what a lovely surprise.. i don't know why but this reminds me of prada.
i love it though..

 

[enVogue]

So very wearable and chic
Great their collection consisted of so many dresses!

 

[larien]

Lovely dresses!

 

[RedAzalie]

holly crap straps everywhere... not very my taste - not only coz of those but also coz of shapes and cuts. No ;/

 

[MUXU]

this collection turned out not how i expected it would be. still lovely but a lot more understated than i thought it would be.
some of the dresses were really lovely cut and the velvet print is beautiful but is hidden under those grey check cashmere sweaters
the way the stripes were used from the velvet is quite lovely too.

 

[bittercain]

it's purely silent power

 

[4n98]

so powerful a colletion.
very feminine...

 

[Salvatore]

Love it, love him! Just perfect!

 

[Zazie]

I needed to take a close look before forming an opinion - I'd admit that I've disliked his collections in the past as more hype than substance, and that I always thought he's a very limited designer. However, he's a very, very smart designer/business person, he knows he has to expand his range beyond frivolous overworked dresses and as tailoring is not his,ahem,strong suit, has partnered with someone else to deliver impeccable tailored pieces to add to the repertoire. His decorative approach has somewhat calmed down to a more timeless, elegant manner, but it is still apparent from some "off" pieces that he remains a design lightweight. He's not in the pantheon with CdG, Chalayan, Martin Margiela, all fashion greats whose collection after collection stun and provoke, almost every ensemble a work of art and wonder - from the simplest piece to the most elaborate artisanal effort. He's not in that league, but has nonetheless proven that he has a good head for fashion, and will likely get far. I respect him for having good judgment and understanding his own strengths and weaknesses, changing and adjusting to meet these challenges.