Gucci
There's a crisp purposefulness to everything Frida Giannini does that makes
her collections highly satisfying to the Gucci group, and ultimately
frustrating to fashion aficionados.
What she has shown herself capable of producing time after time since she took
over as head designer in 2004 are sharply tailored clothes that tap into
prevailing moods and sell by the Bentley boot-load (the accessories do, at
any rate). For Spring 2009, those trends have been honed into slim trouser
suits of scaled-down masculine jackets and skinny, turned-up trousers that
paid faint homage to combat pants, worn with that Gucci classic, the
unbuttoned-to-the-fourth-rib silk shirt and a selection of expensive-looking
accessories - slouchy snakeskin shoulder bags and some multi-ankle-strap
bondage shoes. This is solid, commercial Gucci fare - and it's that
predictability that mars Gucci's shows for those who remember its days as an
agenda-setter.
For night, the slender silhouette morphed into a series of voluminous wafty
oblongs that occasionally looked magnificent as they fluttered down the
catwalk, but more often brought to mind Elizabeth Taylor on one of her fat
days. Surely this isn't what the sexy Muscovite or Belgravia babe - Gucci's
core customer - wants to wear, even when she's yachting round the Aegean?
Lean over the deck railings too far and those trailing sleeves could take
out a few dolphins.
If you're looking for a chic, shiny, trimmed khaki miniskirt suit, or a
beautifully tailored jacket in purple or forget-me-not blue, or a bag that
looks achingly expensive, Gucci's your Mecca. Just don't expect any
surprises. LA
MaxMara
Coming up with innovative statements to please the fashion pack when your
stock in trade is classic, conservative tailoring is no easy task. Certainly
it's something that MaxMara struggles with. There is an overwhelming
incongruity between the grey silk jumpsuits or shirt-waisters seen on
yesterday's catwalk and the pretty floral dresses or cashmere knits that you
know will appear on the department store floor come next spring.
Still, points for trying. Next season's trends were all present and correct:
single-colour blocking, Grecian tunics with twisted back draping and shots
of electric blue and canary yellow, not forgetting a nod to florals via
slim-fit, patterned trouser suits. And perhaps in a bid to appeal to the
fashion-daring contingent of their fanbase, the megabrand also managed a
play on sportier tailoring, with elasticated back details that cinched in
the waist, and by combining wool and sheer fabric panels in a suit jacket.
Less convincing were sequined gingham (yes, really) skirt suits, and what was
up with those high-heeled clogs? Far better to stick to clean, fluid lines
and forgo the froufrou - which, let's face it, no woman looking for that
perfect camel jacket or Audrey Hepburn-esque cocktail dress is really
interested in. CA
Dolce e Gabbana
If the it-bag is truly over, no one's told Dolce e Gabbana, where
jewel-smothered clutches reigned supreme. What else does one wear with a
slouchy pyjama trouser suit?
This was a show that wanted it several different ways - and mostly got it.
First there was the “day” wear: silky wrap jackets with white piping and
wide trousers. The designers called them pigiama barocco, whatever that
means. Did they even have polka-dot pyjamas in the 17th century? And if so,
were they worn with jewelled wedged sandals? The effect was less barocco and
more Wallis Simpson doing dress-down casual on a yacht, and thus 50 times
more glamorous than the average naked human can cope with.
Next came the cocktail wear - exaggerated tulip shapes in cloque silk (a kind
of puckered brocade), and jackets with huge sleeves cut into circles or
funnels, some of which grazed the tips of the models' ears.
Finally there were full-blown, semi-sheer ballgowns in palest grey. Corseted,
crinolined, a flower stall's worth of cream silk camellias bobbing across
the skirts... if Jennifer Lopez, who was sitting in the front row, ever gets
to play Florence Nightingale, these frocks will surely get a starring role.
This is a long way from Dolce's most recent librarian collection, with its
swishing calf-length tweed skirts and brogues - and much more successful.
Meanwhile the colours - raspberry, burgundy, navy and pale pink - sang, and
the finish was extremely luxurious. Someone must be doing well out there.
And here are their clothes. LA
Behind-the-scenes gossip
- Reflecting real life as most of the world knows it has never been the
Italian shows' strong point. And in public the luxury houses are in total
denial about the economy: masses of sequins and status metalwork have been
clanking down the catwalks. Sobriety? What sobriety?
Away from the catwalks, though, it's another story, with wistful journalists noting
a precipitous decline in the quantity and quality of canapés on offer at
shows. There's also a new reticence among normally hospitable Italian PRs to
take hacks out to dinner.Drinks are now the order of the day and even then,
noted one (hungry) American glossy magazine editor, “everyone disappears
to the bathroom when the bill arrives”.
- Maybe it's because Gwyneth Paltrow has just filmed her cookery series for
PBS in the US (apparently Chris Martin gave her cooking lessons with top
chef Mario Bartali shortly after they married, and now she's sharing her expertise),
but the one exception to belt-tightening is Tod's, where a dinner, with
actual food and not just alcohol, was served in her honour. This was
preceded by a preview of the five-minute Tod's commercial she shot in Rome
with Dennis Hopper last summer. A lavish exercise in marketing, the ad - or “short”
as the fashion industry has taken to calling these ventures - will be shown
on the Tod's website and in cinemas and may well mark the first time an
Oscar-winning actress's co-star has been a bag.
- Spurred on by their sickly currency and innate can-do spirit, some American editors,
mindful of the need to put on a glamorous front, have negotiated extremely
favourable room rates at The Ritz for the Paris leg of the shows, next week,
only to discover that The Ritz has put the price of a club sandwich up to €80.
Freedom Fries all round?
