Your Favourite Designer, and why?

[Baizilla]

^ Great choices you two..

 

[Mathewthew]

Alexander McQueen.......
I think he's a genius.....his innovation...
his shows is died for....his couture technique...
Everthing!!!!!~I love him

and there is a long list besides McQueen

 

[tricotineacetat]

I updated my list and these are my favourite designers right at the moment (in no particular direction

Narciso Rodriguez for keeping a perfect balance between intricate construction and craft with simplicity and effortless chic... almost all of his clothes make sense and can be worn to any ocassion, I guess his are probably the best dresses a woman can have, they follow from daytime to evening without ever looking too dressy or too formal. I especially love how the backs of his clothes are just as much - or even more - detailed than the front.

Nicolas Andreas Taralis for his approach of mixing the sartorial, sometimes experimental tailoring with grounded staple pieces like an easy jersey top or a great pair of pants/jeans. I think especially now that Helmut Lang is no more in business himself, there's a desperate need for someone to do profound staple pieces like Helmut or Jil did them... Nicolas' are beautifully executed but are different in that they cater a younger client that has probably never really experienced wearing a beautifully made "menswear" jacket or a pair of flat front pants (I definitely see a return towards dress pants and his are the best I have found).

Sophia Kokosalaki for her recognizable craft, it's remarkable how identifiable her clothes are, without doubt the draping and pleating which I think she does best in the industry... I absolutely loved her gold lamé dresses this winter but basically everything since A/W 2003. I also like how she balances the haute craft with a streetwise, rock edge... I think that's what makes her clothes really contemporary and modern, the mix of old craft (think Fortuny, Grès, Vionnet) and pop/rock culture.

Jens Laugesen for having found a way to melt his conceptual approach with an easy wearability... his S/S 2006 and F/W 2006 collections had both been strong and convincing. He would have been my personal first choice at either Jil Sander or Helmut Lang as a suitable replacement for these heavyweights. Let's hope that he is building up his authority steadily as a (London) highlight, he definitely deserves it.

Bruno Pieters, because of his awesomely refined clothing and attention to detail, I am curious to see how he will translate his vision in menswear but guess that I will be a happy client in the future personally...!

Olivier Theyskens, for his unique poetic qualities... I am normally not a big fan of a designer doing too much of storytelling with the clothing (although Olivier is doing it only very subtly) but you simply cannot do much else than fall in love with his clothes, his are without doubt the best and most finely executed clothes that money can currently buy, each fabric, each hand-dyed colour a sensation in itself without even taking into account the intricate cutting. I love how he brought in a relaxed, effortless allure to Rochas without losing the couture spirit of the house. These are definitely clothes that deserve being labeled as Haute Couture even though they are actually ready to wear.

 

[stucciman]

I am a big fan of Hedi Slimane.

Hedi is creative. He has been changing the whole menswear industry.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Christian Lacroix - because he is an absolute artist. His creations are like candy, I want to eat them. He is the master of color and the way he uses them in his clothes...oh my gawd I want to swoon. He's not like Balenciaga or Lanvin who focus on the cut of the clothes. He's more of a fantasy designer. He deserves to go down as a legend.

 

[thehouseofdis]

Ann Demeulemeester for her palette, textiles, and cuts. She manages to give her clothes a modern and worn romantic feel without having her clothes come off as dirty. I also love her consistency and singular vision.

I love Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, and Maison Martin Margiela for their ingenuity and fantastic ideas.

Raf Simons is one of the best tailors working today with amazing cuts and very modern textiles that come off as classic and edgy simultaneously.

Other designers I like would be:

Veronique Branquinho
Rick Owens
Dries van Noten
Carol Christian Poell
Yohji Yamamoto
Julius
Boris Bidjan Saberi

 

[mikeijames]

nicolas ghesquiere honestly can do no wrong. even when he's at his most predictable, he's head and shoulders above the rest of the world of fashion. tom ford stands as my favorite designer of all time because he knows how to create something covetable (and yes, saleable), fashionable, and trendy, while inserting something completely new and different. i'm always partial to the chirstopher kanes, christopher decarnins, peter dundas, and alexander wangs of the world because they know how to design for a rock chic/party girl/super fashionista while staying wholly outside of trend. finally, we must all bow to the karl lagerfelds, jean paul gaultiers, john gallianos, miuccia pradas, marc jacobs, and raf simons of the world who turn out multiple lines for multiple brands with absolute mastery. finally, fashion just wouldn't be fashion without the fun brands like proenza schouler, stella mccartney, dsquared, and others who just have fun with fashion but have a specific enough vision to stay profitable and relevant.

 

[Squizree]

Donatella Versace - She had the ability to pick up the pieces and reinvent Versace into something more modern and original while maintaining Versace's signature sexy and feminine shapes. The Versace woman is raw power.

Tom Ford - The man who acquired the ever elusive formula that balanced fashion and business. He was and artist and a businessman. He did things with passion, seriousness and had an excellent sense of business. The results were legendary.

Alexander McQueen - Not afraid of anyone, he continues to push the boundaries of the sane. His collections tell stories of romance, society and revenge.

Alber Elbaz - His vision of a woman is so specific and so focussed. He has a very clear image of what a woman should be and communicates this message sooo efficiently in his collections. Genius.

 

[luckyme]

off the top of my head, rather impulsively...

dries van noten, simply put, he knows how to dress a women without being pretentious but still very sexy...a word i hate to use, but often feel when i wear his garments.

the comme des garcons family for their ingenuity and pattern making that blow all else out of the water.

ann demeulemeester for wrapping me up season after season in various configurations. oh, and her shoes are beyond thunderdome amazing.

least i forget to mention yohji, who adds a feminine twisted elegance to my masculine id...

all of these designers clothes live in my closet year after year and make me feel like i have a natural instinct about what to wear and look good, with them, it comes together easily because they mingle and mesh in my brain, but most of all...they arent just clothes they reveal my spirit.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Copying and pasting from my favourite designers list on the profile:

Cristobal Balenciaga
Whenever I see the incredibly modern shapes of his clothes I just crave him, and to think that he was really pushing the boundaries while Dior was just recycling old ideas; I often think he's under-appreciatd.

Francesco Scognamiglio
Just such a unique view on beauty that often slopes into ugliness. Along with Giambattista Valli, Scognamiglio taught me that ugliness is just a different view on beauty, hence: ugliness is gorgeous to me.

Bruno Pieters
The architectual perfection that the majority of my personality adores.

Giambattista Valli
Still the holder of the Crying Diamonds' Favourite Collection Award - A/W 08 still sends a shiver. Though his collections are toned down these days, he still continues his wonderful Balenciaga-esque shape experimentation with Moncler Gamme Rouge.

Hussein Chalayan
I was almost in tears at the finale of the 2000 show, but as well as table-dresses, ice-dresses and electronic dresses he creates incredibly wearable and covetable clothes.

Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein
His take on minimalism always gets me, along with his gorgeous experimentation with fabrics.

Nicholas Ghesquire for Balenciaga
I love robotics but robotics represent modern and new - Ghesquire re-invents himself, he knows when he's been on a single track too long.

Albert Kreimler for Akris
Wearable clothing in gorgeous simplicity and utter luxury with couture-like finishing

 

[TianSoFine]

I love Chanel, it is the definition of feminine elegance.

 

[neonsprinkles]

Rodarte- Raw and industrial elegance.
Dior - New Look has never lost its charm, the couture's never fail to impress
Chanel - Black and white, never boring never dull.

 

[thehouseofdis]

I love Chanel when it was relevant in the 1930s and 40s.

 

[MarionasMuse]

Christian Dior-because he is the best designer ever.Sophistication,Luxury and Glamour.
John Galliano-because he is just a genius in many aspects and ways.I love and admire him and his work.He`s absolutely talanted.
John Galliano for Dior - a flawless combination.(a masterpiece)

 

[mackos]

Alber Elbaz - my number one. Never boring and practically always making me melt. Such a love for women and passion for his work. Sixth sense, perhaps?

Nicolas Ghesquière - remixing Cristóbal's heritage in such a modern and cool way. Sometimes really surprises me but I end up loving all of his works every time.

Miuccia Prada - totally irreplaceable in the fashion world. Woman designing for women in such a wonderfully subversive and ironic way. What I love about her is putting female clients in the clothes that no heterosexual male would find attractive nor would like to see his wife in (and vice versa with Prada guys and their hypothetical girlfriends). And that's the reason they love it so much.

Marc Jacobs - always makes me fall for him, his designs and I just can't not love every single thing he does, not to mention he's so incredibly attractive (same with Ghesquière. Both taken, yes, but still).

Antonio Marras - I can hardly think of a disappointing collection designed by him. Adore everything he does both for Kenzo and for his own brand.

Karl Lagerfeld - well, Karl is just... Karl.

John Galliano - I have been loving, adoring and going crazy over his designs until the feral S/S 08. I hope the people at Christian Dior will let him spread the wings again some day.

I also have a very soft spot for the designers from the golden age of couture - Cristóbal Balenciaga, Jeanne Lanvin, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

God I can't believe I missed Krystof Strozyna off my list - just an uncompromising designer with gorgeously creative designs.