Fashion can indeed be considered art - in fact I'm a strong proponent of that thought. But the idea of clothing, is that it is meant to be worn. So, as much as we expect and encourage designers to take as much creative license as possible in clothing to proffer that which is decorative (and new), it has to be somewhat functional as well.
Now unless the human body has mutated, or we've found new settings and spaces in which these ungainly, unfinished pieces can fully serve physical, environmental and social needs then V&R have succeeded. But I'm not convinced. In my opinion the Hussein Chalayan decorative and design arts to applied arts transformations were more adept and believable - in a word, successful - attempts. I really love V&R but seriously, a certain desperation - or as the French say, premier degré - was exposed in this outing.
It's a fine delicate line, fashion & art. And there's a crudeness here that makes it more one than the other. But I do believe it's a duality that can indeed be struck. It just needs the right mind.