A UNIFORM WAY OF LIFE - VOGUE JAPAN JUNE 2015

"A UNIFORM WAY OF LIFE"

VOGUE JAPAN JUNE 2015

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VOGUE JAPÓN JUNIO 2015

AMANDA WELLSH (IMG)

KATLIN AAS (IMG)

PHOTOGRAPHER / FOTÓGRAFO EMMA SUMMERTON

ALEAH MORGAN (IMG), RAGNHILD JEVNE (IMG), ZURI TIBBY (IMG), SISSI HOU (IMG), KRISTINA PETROSIUTE (IMG)

ANTONIA VASYLCHENKO (IMG)

ALINA ILIE (IMG)

BALENCIAGA FALL 2015 RTW

AAMITO LAGUM (VIVA)

BALENCIAGA FALL 2015

"The society women, the aristocrats, the regal women." Alexander Wang said he started working on his new Balenciaga collection by thinking about Cristóbal's original clientele.

Not only them, but also the customers today, and how they want their opulence served up with a little subversion.

ANNA EWERS (WOMEN)

To set the tone, the show began with a performance by Lady Gaga, who stalked down the runway, hands on waist and hips a-swinging, a pair of photographers catching the whole thing on tape.

LEXI BOLING (FORD)

Wang's shapes were straight out of the archives: a cocoon coat, rounded jackets with stand-up collars, bubble skirts—all of it decorated to the hilt with paste jewelry, like the ladies would've done back in the day, only with the real stuff.

In most cases, the fabrics remained quite couture, like nubby tweeds, windowpane checks. It was the details that gave the clothes the edge Wang was talking about: Metal staples lined the diagonal seams of skirts, black leather belts stood in for proper collars, and tiny razor blades were sutured together to create the fitted shirt of the finale dress.

MOLLY BAIR (ELITE)

ISSA LISH (PREMIUM)

For every fur collar there was another one made from wire rings linked together. Many of the looks, cocktail dresses included, were paired with flat boots.

Nicolas Ghesquière did his own archival collection at Balenciaga almost a decade ago. It's not fair to endlessly compare Wang to Ghesquière, but coming second in this revival story, it's not a fate he'll soon escape. 

LIV PEARSON

Anyway, choosing to go in this direction for Fall indicates it's a fate he's accepted. But tonight Wang's version of the story fell short. The risk of choosing stuffy old icons as a jumping-off point is that you may not manage to knock all the stuffing out. 

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The hobble skirts proved pretty tricky for a few of the models, and a sense of heaviness pervaded. Mary Blume, a Balenciaga biographer, remarked that Balenciaga's silhouettes were "made for a living, moving, avid body." The one here that fit that bill best was a strapless peplum bustier, its neckline trimmed in mink, accompanied by cigarette pants with staples up the sides. 

EDIE CAMPBELL (VIVA)

MICA ARGANARAZ (VIVA)

KATLIN ASS (IMG)

HANNE GABY ODIELE (IMG)

GRACE BOL (OUI)

VANESSA MOODY (WOMEN)

ANNIKA KRIJT (ELITE)

PHOTOS COURTESY STYLE.COM

ANTHONY VACCARELLO F/W 2015 RTW

ANTHONY VACCARELLO FALL 2015 RTW

Anthony Vaccarello and Donatella Versace made it official in January. After collaborating on the Spring '15 capsule collection for Versus, Vaccarello got the creative director gig at the label full-time. 

Donatella was sitting in the front row at his own show tonight, and he stopped by for a hug and a kiss when he came out for his bow. Vaccarello arrived on the scene four years ago, a young Belgian with a vision much sharper and more developed than that of other newcomers his age.

As he learns to split his time and talents between his eponymous collection and Versus, which is no easy feat, the challenge will be maintaining the brands' separate yet complementary identities, which is an even harder one.

On the runway tonight, there were moments when they inched too closely together. As the show progressed, though, Vaccarello found his groove. He reported backstage that he'd been spending a lot of time in the U.S. over the last couple of months, and its symbols have seeped into his subconscious.

The stars on the flag; the cowboy's brown suede, fringe, and bolo tie; the bald eagle—all of them got the designer's no-holds-barred treatment. In some states, the heavy-metal tube fringing that trimmed minidresses and skirts would qualify as a deadly weapon, but the stars, which could've been clichéd, were cleverly handled.

Their sharp angles were wedged into the thigh-high asymmetric hemlines Vaccarello is known for, or picked out in heavy-duty studs, suede, and sheer insets along a sexy one-shoulder neckline. Have you ever seen a star-shaped grommet before? We haven't, and come to think of it, their peekaboo possibilities will probably be illegal in certain states, too. All-American or not, party girls will love these clothes.

COURTESY STYLE.COM