With the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America)
Awards just a day away, I thought I should take some time out and talk about my
two of my favorite nominees.
So were any of you surprised when Alexander Wang was
nominated and that too for two categories (women's wear designer of the year and accessory designer of the year)? I sure as hell wasn’t. Considering
his career graph has been on a constant rise, especially since he was hired to
replace Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, the nomination was just a matter of time.
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| Alexander Wang |
That was one hell of a promotion (obviously not in the literal sense), I
mean at 29, holding the position of creative director at one of the most
legendary fashion houses; that’s some phenomenal achievement. With Anna Wintour
as an ardent supporter and Diane Von Furstenberg as a mentor, it’s a no brainer
that Wang was bound to go places.
I absolutely love Alexander Wang. I think he’s really nailed
the shabby chic look, not to mention he’s really given sportswear a fashionable
twist. If it wasn’t for him, I would have continued to despise bucket bags and
backpacks! Those who know his products well know what I’m talking about. That’s
the thing about new designers; they really bring a fresh approach to designing
with them. By the way, the minute I saw his Pelican bag, I was in love. I
ordered the Pelican clutch in a matter of minutes, literally!
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| Charlize Theron with a black Pelican bag |
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| Nicky Hilton with the classic Diego bucket bag |
But you know what, when I saw his debut collection for
Balenciaga, I have to say I wasn’t in awe. Raf Simons for example, now his
first collection for Dior was jaw dropping and that too couture so you can
imagine the pressure. Not to say I hated Wang for Balenciaga, but I was so used
to the quirks and eccentricity of Ghesquiere’s designs, and for some reason I didn't
feel the shock value.
The dress presented in look 17 was such a simple dress, so
simple that I was shocked by its simplicity. Maybe I sound retarded and maybe
one might think I don’t know fashion, but to me a fashion show is somewhat of a
warped reality. You know the clothes presented on the runway are supposed to
take you to a fantasy land, that dress was banal. I could be totally off, and perhaps I’m not taking into consideration the wearability factor, the fabrics,
stitching etc. however, I can say for sure that the dress didn't entice me one
bit.
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| Alexander Wang for Balenciaga look no. 17 |
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| My favorite look from the Alexander Wang for Balenciaga collection |
But you know what, that might be just me being silly. I just
realized I turned something so positive into negativity!!! Ok no seriously, I
think Wang has so much potential and considering the pressure involved in
joining one of the most important fashion houses in history, it is slightly
unfair to expect the young designer to get it all right at the first go. With
that being said, I wish Alexander Wang all the best and hope he continues to
bring in those awards!
My next favorite was Tim Blanks who received the annual media award from the CFDA and
needless to say he deserves it. You know as an aspiring fashion journalist,
reading Tim’s reviews are crucial. His reviews are so tough to decipher and his
writing skills are beyond brilliant (they put most of us so called writers to
shame!). What truly inspires me about his writing is his ability to see beyond
the clothes, it’s a lot more complex than that. The writing really takes you
into the designer’s head and gives you a deeper understanding as to what
inspired a certain collection. And what I admire even more is that in today’s
world of massive advertising, he like Suzy Menkes is honest in his opinion.
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| Time Blanks in a Prada shirt |
Whilst a lot of journalists are afraid of writing what they
really think in the fear of being banned from the shows by the designers, Tim
Blanks isn’t scared to critique a collection. If someone doesn’t critique it,
how else will designers further challenge themselves or know what is expected
of them each season? It’s easy to rant about how fab a collection is and how
gorgeous the bags were, but can you really sit there and actually understand each
silhouette, deconstruct it mentally and be able to point out what’s not right
about it? Can you imagine the thorough understanding required to actually be
able to critique it? Very few journalists have the ability and the audacity to
do that.
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| My idols; Tim Blanks & Suzy Menkes |
Just like Anna Wintour has the power to make a multi-billion
dollar industry rise and fall at her whim, a review by Tim Blanks can make or
break a collection presented during fashion weeks. “A good review from Tim is
very important” said Raf Simons on a video for the journalist on Style.com. Congratulations
on the award Tim, you inspire us budding journalists with every word you pen
down.
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