fashion month digest (late, late, yeah i know)

i admit that i was really, really bored by all the fashion weeks this year. even though it should be exciting that every collection is now posted online within the hour of the live presentation, very few runways merited a worldwide audience. if i was asked to name a particular designer whose line i coveted come autumn availability, i would be hard-pressed. (you lie! chris benz and dries van noten!) past seasons have been so much richer; even spring, which usually i find dull and saccharine. still, here are some looks that stood out:

ann demeulemeester

antonio berardi

antonio marras

brood

burberry prorsum

chris benz

chris benz

clements ribiero

dolce & gabbana

dries van noten

dries van noten

givenchy

julien macdonald

marchesa

proenza schouler

rodarte

thimister

yohji yamamoto

to be a little more balanced, a little less cheeky, these are all runways of exceptional quality and rarified beauty. i watched only a few videos, and  therefore saw very little in motion. i did not attend a studio presentation, where editors are allowed to examine the dresses with their fingertips.

runway is hardly ever what is available to magazines, A-list actresses, or retailers. these shows are about concept, stagecraft, and (more often than not) cookie-cutter european models. pret-a-porter has been tweaked for mass accessibility and crystalized towards accessory sales... not to mention trotted through blogs and magazines, made more familiar by saturation.

also, some of the looks that i chose to include here were the least representational of their collections. that dolce & gabbana dress was simpler than anything else they produced this season. burberry prorsum was mad mod, but the only dress i liked was this one. (and for the same reasons as the D&G frock -- slim sleeves to the wrist! and blue besides.)

my plan was to draw and paint the outfits that i liked most, but i got lazy...and i lost my conviction. i would wear any and all of these pieces if they showed up in my store, and i'd mix the opulent jackets with skinny cords and wear my most pilly cardigan with the lace skirts. the thimister cloud formation (you wanna call it a sweater?) with denim shorts and gray thigh-highs. i pretty much would want the chris benz outfits as they were shown -- and this was a presentation rife with implausible drama.

as a hypothetical buyer, i guess you could say i was looking at legs for fall. i'm feeling good about my own. being in the south means i get to wear shorts or sheer skirts with tights. i'm looking at skimmed waits, but nothing body-con. long sleeves when applicable. handmade elements whenever available. an easy white pantsuit. draping (as ever). more than a little eccentricity and romance, always.