Fashion Shows in a World of Angst
The drama, the deliciousness, the trends, the PIECES and the 'what were they thinking!?' of the Fall 2024 collections.
It’s hard to rectify the beauty, joy and excitement of fashion week with a world on fire. Maybe it’s that BBC World News is the only station in English while I’m traveling for work but I could feel the unease in the air. By the time these clothes come out in the fall, it seems as if we could be living in a totally different world. Everything feels out of control: the news, the weather, jacket shoulders. Half of the world’s population is voting this year and things are looking…extreme. How are designers coping with producing for this slightly terrifying unknown future? And does it matter that designer clothes have gotten so expensive that window shopping on Avenue Montaigne isn’t even that fun anymore!?
This is not meant to totally turn you off the subject, heck that’s why we are here! But just to give you the lens through which the designers are designing and we consume the trends. A lot of the fashion felt anxiety-ridden this season. And it was actually fascinating to see who was able to turn that into something magical. After all, the seasonal collections are the pilot light for billions of dollars in marketing, sales and spinoffs each season. And dollars (or Euros, or Yuans) aside they’re the fuel for furthering our own exploration and evolution of personal style!
Much of the debate among my peers this season was about just how expensive fashion has gotten. How it’s no longer exciting to plot purchases while traveling. Which, as a consumer can make the idea of fashion shows either more of a spectator sport (inspiration only!) or frustrating (I can’t afford any of it, so why bother!?) I for one, love dissecting the shows to find styling inspiration and potentially pieces worth saving up for but given that so much of it now is out of reach for just about everyone, does wearability in the shows actually matter? Should we be commending designers that give us something we can understand (commercial as the snobs call it…no shade, I do it too!) or should we be praising designers who give us shock value?
My text chats about Balenciaga gave more praise to the show for it’s set design and shock value than the clothes themselves. At what point is a designer intellectualizing gimmicks vs. just giving us a gimmick? I do not have the patience for an eBay x Balenciaga four-figure track jacket. Though I was pleased to see some nods to the designer’s earlier days for the house. A turquoise dress that will lay beautifully IRL (sans ripped pantyhose) and a woolly plaid skirt that was giving me Season 1 Demna. Demna, Balenciaga’s designer is surely one of the greats of our time - his first collection for the brand is one of the most important fashion collections…maybe ever? (Try to fight me on that! :)) But at the end of the day it has to come back to the clothes, season after season, and this season I just am not sure who wants another merch collab?
I had intense feelings when looking at Miu Miu. The proportions were all off, intentionally. Shrunken coats with messy collars peeking out. Extremely cropped denim jackets. Similar looks shown on extremely different body types. The reviews said Mrs. Prada was inspired by the evolution of a woman’s relationship with clothes from girlhood to womanhood. And the more times I look at it, the more I respect that she sees how the clothing changes with the wearer - her age, body type, personality. It all matters beyond the mannequin! Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.
But maybe it’s because I watched Zone of Interest on the plane, or that I am still processing her backstage interviews from the Prada show the week before, where she seemed to be at a point of reflection - focusing on emotion over intellect and women’s history with fashion. (Prada felt heavily influenced by the 1950s style of her formative years.) While the Prada show felt strong, Miu Miu felt a bit sinister. I saw frantic dressing. And fur coats that maybe didn’t belong to the wearer… Since we know Mrs. Prada is heavily immersed in world news, it can only be assumed that she is as anxious as the rest of us…or that she is still thinking about Zone of Interest as well!
But there was also A LOT to love in that collection, proof that anxiety presents itself in a myriad of ways. There were styling tips for things we probably already have like a prim wool coat, a string of pearls, pjs and a simple sweater. But it also still served us pieces to reach for. I keep coming back to this neon green dress with pink flowers. Is it sporty? 90s? Futuristic? Thrifted? Conservative? Outrageous? She is crave-worthy. Weird, and special. And the pointed Mary Janes…will I end up splurging on these or the Bally!? (Micro trend alert!)
And then there was the anxiety of delivering for powerhouse companies that have very strong identities - many brands have welcomed new creative directors in the past couple of years/seasons and with those big jobs comes big pressure to produce sure hits. This was done fantastically well at Tom Ford giving us the Tom Ford woman that the Tom Ford woman should be. Sharp, Sexy, Secure. The newish designer Peter Hawkings gave the fans what they didn’t know they needed! I thought it was a stellar show. There is a real customer for those beautifully made clothes.
This identity proved harder to execute at Italian brands like Gucci and Versace. There are great pieces in the collections, but perhaps it’s hard to digest a collection of stand alone good tailoring when we’ve been served out-of-this-world creativity by the brands in the past. While I would HAPPILY wear the black or yellow bar jacket and little bamboo bag from the Gucci show, the collection as a whole felt anxious to me too! The strapless, floor length gown made from heavy wool had me scratching my head. Maybe I would have just skimmed by it had it not been for all the reviews quoting the designer’s focus on “real clothes”.
But speaking of real clothes, the collection that called me back to Milan Fashion Week after four seasons away: Bally! What. An. ACE! The designer Simone Bellotti, in his second season for the brand, crushed it with “Give it to me now!” coats in soft oversized shapes that will look great with our everyday garb. The must-have boat shoe from spring, turned into a boot, and whimsically studded accessories (literal mini cowbells) that paid homage to the brand’s Swiss roots felt fun and spluge-worthy and not gimmicky at all. It was so exciting to see things that felt unique but still totally put-on-able. This collection has me saving my pennies for a fall splurge, and isn’t that the point at the end of the day!?
More real clothes were on display at Chloe. A debut collection for Chemena Kamali, who had worked behind the scenes at the brand during two different stints in her career, brought back the sexy, confident Chloe woman who we imagine her to be. I recently went to the Chloe exhibition at the Jewish Museum in NYC and it was SO thorough and fantastic, that I’m excited to see what Kamali pulls from the archive next. No anxiety on display here even if there weren’t really any new ideas. It was an extremely nostalgic collection, which might be why we all loved it so much? Nothing like a little familiarity when you’re stressed out, no?
Even though I wouldn’t have considered myself a “Chloe girl”, watching the videos of those gals strutting like they owned the place, chiffon flouncing, boots stomping, I found myself…wanting to be her!? That is powerful! The whole thing was like a warm embrace from a friend who moved abroad and you haven’t seen IRL in 12 years. And now you’re grown up and your lives are so different, but in the end you are the same people and don’t need to recap the last decade that when you finally reunite.
See, it wasn’t all doom and gloom, especially in Paris.
Loewe gave us a feast for the eyes. A humorous look at aristocracy (nostalgia abounds this season!) A jacket with tails. Old fashioned wallpaper florals reconfigured into voluminous pants. But at the end of the day, it all felt new, with just enough weirdness. I can’t wait to try on those buckle shirts and floral dresses! They’re GOOD clothes.
And can we talk about Undercover!? Kicking myself that I rushed to the airport after The Row instead of taking a later flight to see this collection IRL. As Nicole Phelps said for Vogue “Sometimes a show just hits.” He was exploring the sacredness of the everyday, according to Vogue.com. I didn’t get my hands on the actual show notes but Phelps’s review also just hit. The preciousness of the everyday. The idea of living fully in your life and being HAPPY with that life is a practice for all of us and something very easy to forget when we are immersed in the world of luxury goods and consumption. A fascinating starting point for a collection that felt so layered and full and interesting. Denim cut and patched with ribbed knitwear. A mashup of blanket coats and blazers in single pieces. Some sparkle. Real clothes. But not any way like you have ever imagined them. What’s interesting to me about these clothes, is that the joy screaming from this collection comes from the designer’s exploration of inner peace. It’s like he’s saying aspiration is killing our spirit. Not no? But I still want these clothes. :) :) :)
No anxiety on display at the Row, either. These clothes were fun, even in their formality. The enormous shapes, which have become a brand signature felt extremely dressed in a way that didn’t feel so much like armor but playful and dressy for gussing up’s sake. And after all of the insanely intricate textured tunics with feather trim and a gorgeous Miyake style pleated coat floated past, the finale look was a brilliant return to the everyday. A cashmere sweater, wool pants, sneakers and a big Margaux tote. Since I still have a bit of swan fever, my take on this is one of what a swan of today might actually wear. The life of the original swans is no longer the ultimate goal for women (at least any women I know). Are there still women with “means” who perfect every detail? You bet. But today’s swans know it’s not cool to be a lady who lunches. The women we obsess over now are leaning into a life where they calls the shots. The Olsens are a prime example of that. Guarded, obsessed with the details (there were $40 pencils on our seat for note taking!), HARD working. This “casual” finale look (the finale is traditionally saved for the most formal looks) is a humorous IYKYK. A private club hiding in plain sight.
And speaking of swans, you know what else was great? Chanel! The funny thing is, Chanel is kind of hard to digest on the runway. It’s A LOT. But it looks so fun on all the guests AT the show. It works on the “clients”, the editors, the it girls. Even as they raise their prices to laughable levels, we all still look great as and want to be “Chanel” girls. Designer Virginie Viard gave us the hits. Lots to work with this season. All around.
Well, now that I’ve gotten all that out of my system, I think I’m in much more joyful place to give you all the goods. THE TRENDS, IDEAS AND PIECES WE WILL CARE ABOUT next fall. The idea of a cohesive trend report seems archaic to me now. There are so many designers and ideas and house codes. So below, some looks and ideas I’m still thinking about. In no particular order.
If there is one thing we can take away from Fall 2024, it’s that designers know we will still buy a coat, no matter what the world is throwing at us. I am not going to actually count but it sure felt like half of the thousands of looks that walked the runways this past month were outerwear. There were almost too many too choose from. The Macs at Hermes. OMG. The Miyake-style pleated full body wrap at The Row. We want to be her! The duffles at Altuzarra. The big blankets at Chloe. The tweedy cocoons at Bottega Veneta. Jil Sander basically only showed coats! Maybe they’ve all been reading 5 Things and realize we are just going to buy our sweaters at Uniqlo and invest in a stellar statement piece come winter. LOL!
Coats for us all
And some other clothes :)
The Black Suit
Gussying up but playing it cool
Easy Riders
Tablecloths. But make them clothes. In THE BEST WAY.
This is starting to spiral. So I think we should call it quits til this stuff hits stores and we see what feels right. Yes? I’ll leave you with this awesome coat that I bought for my trip and arrived too late. It’s looking like she’ll still be a winner next season. Whew.
Until next week!
Yours TRULY,
Becky
What does it say about me that the main thing I took away from this is that I need a $40 pencil 😂
without sounding like a complete debbie downer, it's ironic that designers want to sell us outerwear and coats as the world continues to warm. as much as i adore all the beautiful things and the creativity that goes into it, capitalism is the cause of climate change. what happened to the designers who were bucking the unsustainable pace of constant production? should we really be thinking about the new coat we are going to buy for next winter (if it even comes) before we've placed a toe over the spring equinox?