Olivier Theyskens - Designer

[brandon J pierre]

Such an amazing designer one of my favorites

 

[Reggie63]

Speaking of the clothes - I don't think this dress belonged to any of Olivier's previous patchwork-themed collections. I asked him regarding more details on this dress and the brief answer he gave was that the patchworking technique was 'quite different' from the ones he did before.

I love how he quietly kept refining a skill he taught himself, even when there was no formal collection shown to the public - This adds a degree of texture to his patchwork that is almost fur-like in appearance.

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This dress is absolutely sublime. He just keeps pushing the boundaries of his craft.

I know that we all wish him to be the head of a big brand but I feel like the way the industry has grown is really not conducive to what his craft deserves. He'll succumb to MBA and shareholder demands, and we will find a lot of ways to b*tch about his output. His work really is true luxury - access is exclusive not just because of price, but because of edit, education, consideration, taste and refinement. Not only does the creator have to embody all these, but also his consumer. Clients with just money really won't get it and won't go for it.

I just wish he has enough clients who resonate with his work to keep him creating such beauty. Even though I will never wear his work since I am a man, we need his vision of beauty to exist in this increasingly ugly world.

 

[Kanzai]

You're probably tired of hearing this, me too lol but I really want him to design for Giorgio Armani ( main line). His talent and hard work deserve more recognition, especially at a house whose founder had always maintained respect and support for talent, for designers seeking beauty in simplicity and respect for the wearer (I mean, he loves Rick Owens so Theyskens definitely wouldn’t be a problem). Theyskens could learn menswear, that wouldn’t be an issue. It would be a challenge, sure, but isn’t that what a real designer should take on to be better? I'm manifesting this because what I like about Theyskens and talent like Haider Ackermann is that they’re not pure couturiers, not perfectionist craftsmen living in a bubble and designing for one specific kind of person or lifestyle à la Azzedine Alaia. Olivier’s always pushing himself, always challenging what he can do, even if it might make people think he’s lowering his own standards. He’s very much like the Antwerp Six designers or Yohji – they’re never too serious, not obsessed with perfection.

 

[tricotineacetat]

You're probably tired of hearing this, me too lol but I really want him to design for Giorgio Armani ( main line). His talent and hard work deserve more recognition, especially at a house whose founder had always maintained respect and support for talent, for designers seeking beauty in simplicity and respect for the wearer (I mean, he loves Rick Owens so Theyskens definitely wouldn’t be a problem). Theyskens could learn menswear, that wouldn’t be an issue. It would be a challenge, sure, but isn’t that what a real designer should take on to be better? I'm manifesting this because what I like about Theyskens and talent like Haider Ackermann is that they’re not pure couturiers, not perfectionist craftsmen living in a bubble and designing for one specific kind of person or lifestyle à la Azzedine Alaia. Olivier’s always pushing himself, always challenging what he can do, even if it might make people think he’s lowering his own standards. He’s very much like the Antwerp Six designers or Yohji – they’re never too serious, not obsessed with perfection.

As much as I respect and adore him as a designer, I‘ve got to admit I really don't like the way he cuts and proportions more masculine-inspired blazers or outerwear - You can always tell there‘s a touch of womenswear in the cut. Rochas was different because his jackets there felt like a hybrid between a Cristobal Balenciaga tailleur and a cardigan-style Chanel jacket - Regrettably he never returned to that, ever since!

 

[Kanzai]

^ I think bad proportion designs has become inevitable in fashion over the past half decade, especially with those oversized menswear-inspired blazers. That white jacket with the mandarin/stand collar paired with the mermaid dress from the S/S 2023 collection is exactly the kind of cut I like from him: very Rochas, but with a touch less femininity. I just hope he sticks to that.

 

[Lola701]

I know that we all wish him to be the head of a big brand but I feel like the way the industry has grown is really not conducive to what his craft deserves. He'll succumb to MBA and shareholder demands,

I don’t…
Probably because everything you described is essentially the majority of his career at this point. Rochas, Nina Ricci, Theory, Azzaro…It was all you described. And it has done nothing particularly good for him ( except maybe money).

In some ways, we kind of always have to look at his work from 20 or 15 years ago to have an idea of what he could do today when in reality, he is not the same man he was.

That’s maybe why his return a few years ago didn’t fullfield a lot of people. His career in the public eye is very much always stopped by those huge gaps in between unexpected projects.

But maybe joy for him as a designer resides elsewhere…

 

[Squizree]

There's a fluidity to his work that I rarely see from anyone else. It's what's made me love him right from the beginning.

I still think his destiny is to spearhead a LaCroix revival.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I don’t…
Probably because everything you described is essentially the majority of his career at this point. Rochas, Nina Ricci, Theory, Azzaro…It was all you described. And it has done nothing particularly good for him ( except maybe money).

In some ways, we kind of always have to look at his work from 20 or 15 years ago to have an idea of what he could do today when in reality, he is not the same man he was.

That’s maybe why his return a few years ago didn’t fullfield a lot of people. His career in the public eye is very much always stopped by those huge gaps in between unexpected projects.

But maybe joy for him as a designer resides elsewhere…

I think he was pretty content to helm a brand the size of Rochas, at a time when storied couture names resurrected as niche brands were a common sight on the Paris scene. Needless to say, that was a different fashion industry, incomparable to the circumstances it is faced with right now.

A lot of independent businesses were viped off the scene during Covid including Olivier’s. The brand was showing promise, picked up by the right retail partners again but an incident like that made it uncertain to continue.

Much like with Galliano, people kept asking for the grandeur of his Rochas and Ricci shows, something that was difficult to pull off on a tight budget. I did not love everything he put out during this time, yet what he created still had the assured hand of a major talent with personality, which I respect.

I personally believe the fact that he did this couture trilogy on his very own terms - with a concept that was true to his artistic vision, yet believable for an independent designer in economically difficult times - Reassured that he still had the magic touch. More so, it brought us back something that had gotten scarce over the past years - The work of a designer with a true artist's touch.

I’m happy there are people like him or Patrick Stewart of Standing Ground who show us this kind of fashion!

(Perhaps our very own @Caffeine should consider to purchase something unique from him?)

 

[Caffeine]

You are too kind my friend. I don't have the lifestyle now...we donate money but don't go to the balls. This is the sad state of my life
To add: I wear aprons, not the miumiu kind, on weekends to cook for the family

 

[tricotineacetat]

You are too kind my friend. I don't have the lifestyle now...we donate money but don't go to the balls. This is the sad state of my life
To add: I wear aprons, not the miumiu kind, on weekends to cook for the family

Haha, fair enough - I find that all the more sympathetic!

But you know, I wouldn't find it hard to imagine the patchwork technique seen in that last dress applied to a more easy to apply form - Say, a shift dress or a skirt.

 

[PDFSD]

i think he is the type that is so poetic with his work and he is so in love with the actual dress making process that he is also good at it sure.....i loved his ninna richi and rochas even was epic still cool stuff till today his last stuff of 2022 patch dress was as good could have been a dark cool tom ford ......... but he is so fluid in his style that unless he honed it and stayed constant for years doing his own brand ala Rick Owens i feel now he wont ever build a brand of sustainable size.

the new project will be closed in 2 years it just has that vibe again sorry .... its just not clicking with the times

also he should do it under his own name clean direct concept not this tortured photo series and i hate the name ..... also launch more close to the actual date when clothes will come out etc ....ist not like Phoebe who had a full army waiting for here buts still is working hard to build the brand so let alone him super niche cult name coming back for the 6th time.

its frustration when i see the new project its not 1998 any more .