Since the Paris Couture Spring shows of 2010 left me yearning for a little more over-the top fashion to satiate my need for the absurdly creative, I thought I would cruise through the Ready to Wear shows of Milan, London and Paris.
I didn't just pick out any old ensemble that looked weird. There is a method to this madness. I thought "what would my attention seeking alter-ego wear if I had one?" (Lady Ber Ber? Amber Fierce?) If I didn't mind people gawking as I walked down the street, which shows would I turn to for fun fashion?
Jean Paul Gaultier- As Style.com writer Nicole Phelps puts it, "Underwear has become a dominant theme this season, and you couldn't expect Jean Paul Gaultier to just ignore it. Not when he practically invented the concept with his partner in crime, Madonna."
I am not pregnant, nor do I plan to be. I'm pretty sure my alter ego feels the same way. However, the model, Jordan Dunn is actually with child. Gaultier most likely made this cone bra variation for her. I would venture to say that he is not entering maternity wear, though he is doing a collaboration with Target. Hmm.
John Galliano took inspiration from took inspiration from silent era starlets, but his pieces are by no means quiet. Who else can take a simple white gown and turn it into a gold encrusted lace masterpiece?
Marc Jacobs is now so established in his career that he can basically send anything down the runway and people will still climb over top of each other to get in the door to see his shows. I think that is what happened here. I imagine the scenario and conversation during the creation of this look went like this:
Designer: Mr Jacobs, we still need one more look for the Louis Vuitton show.
Marc, who was designing for his own namesake line and it's teen counterpart, Marc by Marc Jacobs, looked up and saw the cleaning lady taking out the garbage.
Marc to Designer: Uh, Um, I don't give a f*ck, just put her in a trash bag.
The designer, having worked with Marc for many years thought, well, he is a genius.
Designer to Marc: What about shoes?
Marc: Make something like an Ugg Boot with hair growing out of the toes.
While Im not sure that even my alter-go would have the gall to sport a trash bag and Fug boots with a mustache, I will laugh the first time I see someone other than Lady Gaga wearing this Louis Vuitton signature. My assumption that Marc is f*cking with us all will be confirmed. That's why this look made my list.
Those 10 inch armadillo shoes have been all over the internet since five minutes after the McQueen show in October. Some Guinness heiress and Gaga wore them. But, we didn't hear much about the actual garments. Though the clothes of this season were no match for the tailored bird-hounds-tooth hybrid collection he showed last fall, this detail and shape of this metallic human-animal hybrid dress is pretty damn impressive.
Yes, I know these looks from Moschino Cheap and Chic are relatively tame compared to the others. And yes, the first shirt is reminiscent of Bjork's infamous Oscar Awards swan dress. Make no mistake though, its a duck and this is a romper.
As for the plain white shirt, I absolutely love that the collar is a giant version of your everyday button down oxford. What can I say, I have this thing with replicas of ordinary items built on a large scale. Remember Yohji Yamamoto's giant hat?
Welcome to the weird and wild world of Viktor and Rolf. As again told to Style.com writer Nicole Phelps, the duo says of their collection "With the credit crunch and everybody cutting back, we decided to cut tulle ball gown." Oh you crazy, awesome guys!
I love the way these dresses play with illusion and it was hard for me to choose my favorite. From the short dress which resembles a dust mop, to voluminous gowns that look as if they were hacked with hedge clippers, there is no denying that you want to look. Scratch that. Stare.
And the shoes are pretty sweet too.
