****

12 The Global Edition of The New York Times

Friday, October 3, 2008 Fashion

STELLA MCCARTNEY GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

Photographs by Chris Moore/Karl Prouse

Reviving the V&R’s cyber show; McCartney mojo

pagoda
From Page 11
the finale. That fitted with the surface
of a dress that simulated broken glass.
Yet the clothes themselves were
calm and charming. There were short,
even sexy, dresses or a tunic and pants
he pagoda heel that the designer that had a pattern of the crushed cars,
T Bruno Frisoni has revived from
Roger Vivier’s archive was a smart way
that could equally be taken as just a col-
orful print. The collision of what
of passing a message: that geometry is seemed a clairvoyant vision of society
the height of fashion and that women with pretty, simple clothes was Chalay-
don’t have to choose between super- an at his best.
high and flat shoes, though a new cut-
away flattie was a stylish take on Vivi-
er’s famous ‘‘Belle de Jour’’ pump. V&R: Cyber show
Ines de la Fressange, speaking for the In their shows, Viktor & Rolf have
accessory house, insisted that being produced wondrous conceptual effects
bold is essential for survival in tough from blue screen projections to the
times. But Frisoni is prepared to use all dollhouse theme of an exhibition at
kinds of materials, from the finest London’s Barbican Gallery. So the idea
leathers to newly fashionable plastic. that the forward-thinking duo would
That was used for not only sculpted show their collection online Thursday
bangles, but also for woven clutch bags morning at viktor-rolf.com inspired
created in the style of child-like scou- excitement and anticipation.
bidou, plaiting with plastic strips, or What a missed opportunity! Apart
the colorful woven café chairs that from a pixelation pattern on a T-shirt
once were all the rage. — Suzy Menkes and eye-popping geometric patterns
that could have been a television in
meltdown, there was nothing to sug-
gest that the design duo had developed
the collection for cyberspace: no zoom-
ing in on accessories or details like the
ever-present rosettes. There were no
avatars created for the show; no voice
over from Viktor & Rolf to explain the
collection’s concept — just the model
Shalom Harlow strutting their stuff. It
proved that there is no substitute for a
live show, especially one from such
strong performers.
Stella McCartney: Hot bod
Stella McCartney finally got her
fashion mojo working, after a period
when her inspiration seemed to be on
maternity leave.
The result was a robust show with a
sexy energy — but also with kids in
mind, from the vibrant backdrop
painted for the show by McCartney’s
artist friends Jake and Dinos Chapman;
to a box of Caran d’Ache crayons on
each seat; to McCartney herself jug-
gling her three children in her arms
backstage.
‘‘We are all body conscious,’’ pro-
claimed McCartney, which is just as
well if she planned to wear some of her
creations, like overalls plunging to the
navel at the front, with just a wisp of se-
quined chiffon to keep modesty in place;
or a cowl neck swinging low at the back.
But mostly the show had the sporty
modern look that the one-time model
Twiggy wore front row, a proud mom
come to see her daughter Carly Lawson’s
work as part of the show’s design team.
Many of the outfits, such as brief
shorts or flesh-colored dresses with
enlarged lacy cut-outs, seemed saucy.
But McCartney’s collaboration with
Adidas has taught her how to present a
bared body as if it were in the gym,
rather than the boudoir. Vacation
clothes were the most facile, with their
palm leaf prints in graphic black and
white. But McCartney, reflecting her
own image, caught a vibe for a genera-
tion of women on the move.
Valli: Alta Moda
Somewhere under the layers of rigid
ruffles, the slender dresses and the po-
etic images of faded flowers, Gia m-
battista Valli had a story to tell. But
the designer’s fantasy of Roman cou-
ture, in the days before la Dolce Vita
had ruptured the prim precision of the
1950s, fit uneasily with a front row that
had a concentration of more pretty
young would-be clients than any other
show in Paris.
Why should these jeunes filles en
fleur be represented by a persistent
photo print of dried hydrangeas? What
was the connection between the
slender thighs under sweet mini skirts
on the bleachers and these sculpted
dresses on the runway, where chicken
feather layers of tulle would have stood
guard over each thong?
The image of couture’s glory days
dies hard, even among the younger de-
signers. And when it came to the bridal
princess gowns that closed the show, it
may still be a young woman’s fantasy.
But however lovely and technically ac-
complished were the hydrangea balls at
the hips or the big flat bows worked in-
to a dress, the show looked too much
like a résumé for someone who wants
to take over a couture house.
Valli, who is a darling of a new up-
scale fashion generation, has to bring
his women down from their pedestals
of platform, needle-heeled shoes — a nd
make clothes to resonate in the cyber-
space world.
Suzy Menkes is fashion editor at the
International Herald Tribune.

Happy
birthday
From Page 11
ations on signature Rykiel themes. The
packed audience responded by pulling
roses from the table decorations and
turning the runway into a carpet of
f lowers.
But the crowning moment of the
evening came when designers, includ-
ing Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Jean
Paul Gaultier and Olivier Theyskens of
Nina Ricci, watched their fashion inter-
pretations being presented to Sonia
Ryk iel.
From surreal lips printed on a skirt
from Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, through
a striped and be-hatted outfit by Mi-
chael Kors, to the Rodarte sisters’
sweater dress embroidered ‘‘Oba ma,’’
three outfits stood out for their wit:
fringes of Rykiel red hair from Castel-
bajac and from Martin Margiela, while
Gaultier’s finale of a sweater dress be-
ing knitted on the body brought the
house down.
‘‘I have so many memories,’’ sa id
Nathalie Rykiel. ‘‘But the most impor-
tant thing for me tonight is the gift I am
giving my mother. The fact that all
these designers have done this shows
how much they love and respect her.’’
LOEW E
Growing
clothes
esolving, with the touch of moss-
R soft suede or a textured reptilian
material, how to grow clothes out of ac-
cessories, Stuart Vevers’s mini fashion
collection for Loewe mirrored the
bags and shoes.
Pencil skirts, sailor pants and a uni-
form feel to brass buttons was the de-
signer’s way of translating a polka dot
bag into clothing.
If the collection seemed to have too
much obvious luxury for these tough
times and a hint of Prada in a shoe with
a lingerie frill at the heel, Vevers still
has a fine touch with accessories. And
his graphic approach made sense,
either as a python bag or as a geometric
striped shirt.
— Suzy Menkes
Ode to outdoors
By Jessica Michault
he designer Albert Kriemler took his collection
T out for a walk in the fresh air, and as the models
strolled among the leafy green trees and down a
pristine white catwalk, the A k ris show felt like
an ode to the outdoors.
There was a lightness and breathable energy to the
collection, mostly thanks to the abundant use of netting
on fluid ensembles. That same netting also highlighted
the more architectural aspects of the clothing. Strips of it
were inserted down the back of a jacket for a powerful
graphic effect. Bands at the hem, a trend this season, gave
simple skirts and coats a bit of texture and interest. But it
was the pleated dresses, with floating silk georgette
climbing up the transparent netting neckline in a stair-
case effect, that best combined the airy ease of the show
with its structural underpinnings.
There were a number of classic Akris looks, rendered
in a neutral palette for the summer, which will keep buy-
ers very happy. But the show really caught air with its fi-
nal group of long gowns, their folds covered in an ab-
stract garden print of greens, pinks, blues and yellows
that gave the clothing an effortless modern edge.
K riemler’s only stumble was a series of open-weave
net pieces that he scattered throughout the collection —
as a dress to start the show, as a straight white skirt or
even a voluminous coat. Instead of looking airy, they ap-
peared bulky, and were more reminiscent of garden fur-
niture than fashion.
The 3-D effect
he Costume National show was all
T crinkle and construction. The founda-
tion of the collection was the same as it
ever was, fitted pieces with a dark rock ’n’
roll heart, but this time the designer Ennio
Capasa decided to add a bit of volume to
his sculpted style.
The 3-D effect was achieved by adding
flaps of fabric at the shoulder or folds of
cloth across pant legs. Then there was the
choice to wrinkle up the fabric (think
brown paper bag) to give more subtle lay-
ers of texture to the pieces. And by shading
in the pleats of skirts, dresses or jackets,
Capasa found another way to add a faux
depth to his designs.
The industrial palette of white, gray and
black worked well with the designer’s ar-
chitectural inspirations. And does it really
matter that some of his strongest pieces,
those constructed from a stormy sky print,
bring to mind a certain marble pattern
used to great effect in menswear this sea-
son?
The problem with this collection was
combining all the strong individual ele-
ments. By having shading and padding and
creases together in one outfit, the result COSTU ME
was not only messy, it was muddled.
AKR IS — Jessica Michault NATIONA L