Vogue's Top 10 F/W 16 Collections (And Yours)

[HeatherAnne]

Thoughts? I see very few of my top 10 shows in there.

The Top 10 Collections of Fall 2016

by Nicole Phelps

Disruption? 2016 isn’t the year of disruption. In fashion, at least, it’s the year of confusion. New York is advocating for see-now-buy-now collections. Milan and Paris have come out strongly against them. And meanwhile, the consumer-facing runway show of the future is already here—thank you very much, Kanye West.

One thing we can be clear on: the season’s best shows. The consensus vote at Vogue.com for spot number one goes to Demna Gvasalia’s coolly confident Balenciaga debut. Gvasalia merged Cristóbal’s couture shapes with his own streetwise sensibility and came up with the hero outfit of the season: a red parka slouching off the shoulders of a crystal-strewn turtleneck worn with stirrup pants and strass-covered pumps. There were many more instantly desirable pieces. The pressure is officially on at Dior, which is still creative director–less at season’s end, and Lanvin, which today named Bouchra Jarrar as its new artistic director of women’s collections.

When we were tallying up our Top 10 list, we noticed that half of it was women designers: Rodarte’s Mulleavy sisters in New York by way of L.A.; Simone Rocha and Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton in London; and in Milan, Miuccia Prada. Koché’s Christelle Kocher didn’t quite make the cut, but we can’t stop thinking about her electric Paris show.

Find our complete coverage of the season here. Now, in chronological order, Vogue.com’s Top 10 shows of Fall ’16.

1. Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s Rodarte label just turned 10, but it remains an independent passion project, one that they pour their California heritage, offbeat obsessions, and sisterly devotion into each season. No wonder it’s one of the most emotionally resonant shows on the calendar. Their spangly lace patchworked dresses for Fall are future heirlooms.

2. Marc Jacobs
Last season’s red, white, and blue ode to Americana was replaced by something more gothic in shades of black and white. This was another one of Marc Jacobs’s famous 180s, one that felt well attuned to the prevailing dark national mood, but nonetheless energized a crowd made weary by New York show overload and the unrelenting see-now-buy-now discussion. Jacobs’s dramatic, labored-over clothes will make glorious photo shoots. Piece by piece, there were gorgeous treasures.

3. Simone Rocha
A newborn baby could’ve distracted Simone Rocha from the task of making her Fall collection; on the contrary, it energized her. Chalk it up to mother love. There was pink, lilac, gold, and red, but it wasn’t all sweetness and light. She ended with a series of sparkly neo-Victorian frocks, close inspection of which revealed they were disintegrating.

4. Erdem
No one channeled the 1930s mood coursing through the collections as convincingly as Erdem Moralioglu, who dreamed up a Hollywood back-lot audition and a cast of aspiring actresses wearing his special dresses. There were patchworks of delicate lace, shimmering fils coupe floral motifs, and metallic sequins that looked like poured silver. The starring role? A long-sleeved sheath dripping in gold tinsel.

5. Alexander McQueen
In a season when not much attention was paid to eveningwear, designer Sarah Burton’s ravishing creations for Alexander McQueen were in a class entirely their own. This glittering column and matching cape were so exquisite, so Old Hollywood glamorous, the only question was: Why didn’t Best Actress nominee Cate Blanchett wear them to the Academy Awards? We’ll keep our fingers crossed for next year.

6. Prada
Miuccia Prada conjured a chic vagabond for Fall, cloaked in layers of mannish tweeds, womanly gilded silks, and talismans she’s picked up on her journeys. Boiled down to its essence, though, this was a show about a statement coat (fur sleeves are always a plus) and decorated tights. Fall is going to be a big season for hosiery.

7. Marni
Like the look of Fall’s dramatic sleeves? Want to give the season’s cape silhouette a twirl? Consuelo Castiglioni is your woman. The Marni founder put dramatic, rounded proportions at the center of her glamorous collection, side by side with bold print and intense beadwork on menswear plaids of all things. Her velvety blue and white jacquard could go down as the most gorgeous fabric of the season.

8. Loewe
The word Jonathan Anderson used to describe the well-layered and enthusiastically accessorized look of his Loewe show was curated. Going on the ecstatic response backstage at his UNESCO headquarters location, you can bet there will be plenty of front row types curating Loewe collections of their own next season. We loved the unironic, almost dancerly silhouette.

9. Balenciaga
Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga debut was the most anticipated show of the season. Could the buzzy Vetements cofounder with his up-from-the-streets aesthetic take on the couture heritage of Cristóbal? Gvasalia can and he did, turning out a collection that dipped into the archives but retained his cool, modern sensibility. Prepare to see a lot of his shrugged-from-the-shoulders red puffer jackets this time next year.

10. Louis Vuitton
Two years into his Louis Vuitton tenure, Nicolas Ghesquière merged sportif references, sensual slip dressing, and a soupçon of his great tailoring into a lineup with tons of real-world potential. A monogram bag modeled on plastic shopping sacks and sturdy combat booties summed up its chic, street-ready vibes.

vogue.com

 

[TheoG]

A lot of uninspiring collections this season but there were some great shows.

(List in Alphabetical)

3.1. Phillip Lim
Koché
Loewe
Louis Vuitton
Nina Ricci
Paco Rabanne
Prada
Rag & Bone
Sacai
Sies Marjan

 

[Scotty]

Vogue is a joke. Balenciaga, Rodarte & McQueen, really?

Anyway,

Prada
Marni
Louis Vuitton
Dries
Paco Rabanne
Mugler
Hermès (Compared to others it was good)

I don't really have anymore

 

[donyan]

I hate to say this but this list for me is axactly the opposite, excluding Prada and Balenciaga and to a certain extent Louis Vuitton. I have mostly agreed with Vogue in the past, this list makes no sense at all.

 

[donyan]

my top
-Comme des garçons
-Yohji Yamamoto
both more relevant now than they've been for a while
-Prada
beautiful, desirable clothes and always true to herself
-Balenciaga
effortlessly cool, it's what Vetements promised to be before it turned into logo-ed, overpriced sweatshirts and an over- abundance of Margiela-isms
-Lacoste
perfect sportswear
-Hood by Air
loved the show, if only there was more of it in the shops
-Lutz
he's been doing the same things for years but it's never felt as fresh as this season
-Marni
simply beautiful as always
-Dries
while not my favourite this season he's the one I actually buy and wear, and this season will be no exception

 

[HeatherAnne]

I'd go with:

Lemaire
Yohji Yamamoto
Nina Ricci
Christopher Kane
Delpozo
Marc Jacobs
Billy Reid Men's show which had womenswear incorporated.


...7 is all I can muster.

 

[Pricciao]

The fact is menswear was much more thrilling. As it should be. Since in the other thread we discussed how underwhelming womenswear month is, my top list is full of menswear brands.

Top 10:
Thom Browne mens & womens
Prada mens
Charles Jeffrey
Mihara Yasuhiro
Alexander McQueen mens
Comme de Garcons mens
Marques ' Almeida
XIMONLEE
Louis Vuitton mens
Vivienne Westwood womens

Plus:
John Alexander Skelton of CSM
Sacai womens
Christopher Kane womens
Louis Vuitton womens
Simone Rocha

 

[Sensation]

1. Loewe
2. Salvatore Ferragamo
3. Marni
4. Prada
5. Alexander McQueen
6. Marc Jacobs
7. Calvin Klein
8. Proenza Schouler
9. Boss
10. Vera Wang

 

[Fiercification]

The fact is menswear was much more thrilling. As it should be.

That's a good point, F/W menswear had a lot more to offer this season IMO.

For me:

Prada Menswear
Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus
Dries Van Noten Menswear
.......

Prada (probably somewhat inferior to menswear, but still this is my favourite collection from her in yonks and this is the mood I'd like to see fashion move in).
Sacai (beyond as usual; I hope Chitose will surpass her cult-fave status)
Louis Vuitton (probably NG's best since his debut and whilst not perfect, it was intriguingly chic)
Jil Sander
Christopher Kane
Lemaire
Marc Jacobs (because even when he disappoints, he still produces something 10x more covetable than the young guard).

My problem with this fashion week has been the ongoing pretension from brands like Vetements and HBA that have just permeated fashion beyond saturation point. There's nothing ironic or intriguing about what those brands are doing; it's just a bit sad, drab and flat to me! Shame because this week comes a full decade after one of the best of all time to me; F/W 2006!

 

[sore]

they've gotta be kidding me with this list. RODARTE?

My personal favorites in no particular order:

Balenciaga
Delpozo
Dries van Noten
Prada
Marni
Haider Ackermann
Sies Marjan
Yohji Yamamoto

Haven't really had a chance to look into Louis Vuitton yet.

 

[vetements]

loewe, saint laurent, hermes, sonia rykiel, dior should be in the top ten for sure.

 

[chloesaab]

Yohji Yamamoto
Haider Ackermann
Louis Vuitton
Prada
Marni
Elie Saab
Loewe

 

[Cosmic Voices]

New York
Marc Jacobs

London
None

Milan
Prada
Marni
Gucci (to an extent)

Paris
Loewe
Louis Vuitton
Haider Ackermann
Dries Van Noten

 

[Emmanuelle]

I'd say ...

Off-White
Jil Sander
Dior
Marni
Marc Jacobs
Gucci
Tracy Reese
Christopher Kane
Lemaire

 

[GreyVetiver]

In no particular order:

Haider Ackermann
Loewe
Louis Vuitton
Proenza Schouler
Dries Van Noten
Prada
Marc Jacobs
Maison Margiela
Bottega Veneta (Not a fan of the cast though!)
Boss Women

I also want to take this opportunity to say I absolutely hate Balmain.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Hood By Air
Marc Jacobs
Delpozo
Calvin Klein
Gucci
Prada
Marni
Balenciaga
Louis Vuitton
Miu Miu

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Prada (probably somewhat inferior to menswear, but still this is my favourite collection from her in yonks and this is the mood I'd like to see fashion move in).

How was it inferior to the menswear? If anything I thought they were equal.

 

[ThatGuyPaul]

Rodarte

steventai
Faustine Steinmetz
Simone Rocha
Mary Katranztou

Marni
Rick Owens

Junya Watanabe
Haider Ackermann
Comme des Garçons

Honourable Mentions: 3.1 Philip Lim, Thom Browne, Danielle Romeril, Christopher Kane, Prada, Tod's, Koché, Louis Vuitton

 

[ThatGuyPaul]

General consensus: Marni, Loewe and Prada seem to be everyone's favourite so far.

 

[ogepma]

While the season may have been a little mundane there were some major stand outs for me!

1. Marni: the undisputed champion of the season for me!
2. Loewe
3. Prada
4. Delpozo
5. Louis Vuitton
6. Balenciaga
7. Gucci
8. Junya Watanabe
9. Miu Miu
10. Givenchy
11. Christopher Kane
12. Marc Jacobs
13. Salvatore Ferragamo

Honrable Mentions: Proenza Schouler, Calvin Klein Collection, JW Anderson, Maison Martin Margiela, Saint Laurent (Biggest surprise for me)

The most over hyped: Vetements; I still don't get it

Worst one: Balmain; a highly disgusting piece of crap of a collection. The whole thing should be burnt, and the ashes too.

and for Menswear,
1. Ermenegildo Zegna
2. Prada
3. Louis Vuitton
4. Comme Des Garcons
5. Raf Simons
6. Dior Homme