hussein chalayan, paris, a/w 2009

it's kind of unbelievable the amount of talent that comes out of central saint martins. it's freakish. hussein chalayan is just one of the many fantastic london-based designers to grace the paris runways this season, and his choice of brightly colored molded breastplates atop body conscious, neutral-colored dresses is a prime example of his indispensable creativity. a little reminiscent of lady gaga circa the tampon string picture, no? i don't mean to compare great design to a great tragedy, but sometimes an inane pop culture reference is the best kind of reference!

the collection speaks for itself, and you can see the rest here as proof!

francesco scongnamiglio, milan, a/w 2009

as a fairly new designer, francesco scongnamiglio is a sight for sore eyes. i love the way he utilizes tried-and-true, traditional fabrics - organza, crepe, satin - and reworks them into modern masterpieces. the architectural nature of his clothing reminds me of fellow Italian (turned Parisian) designer giambattista valli (csm graduate, of course), and the elegance is derivative of the elusive lanvin. but scongnamiglio's design direction is what's so important about this collection: on-trend for today, but on track for tomorrow. sorry for the melodrama, but i love this collection enough to sacrifice my self-respect! i'm especially loving the elizabethan-inspired collars and the divine use of that camel-tan color (which has the tendency to look dated).

ps: look at the boots on the second-to-last image - now that's how you do embellishment right!



absorb the rest here.

louise goldin, london, a/w 2009

if i haven't made this clear on my various networking profiles, i will repeat myself and say that i love louise goldin. from her debut collection in spring 2007 to the present, she has constantly impressed me with her utilization of knitwear as a garment for all seasons. her exoskeletal creations have garnered a bit of press recently (rightfully so), being featured on british websites like topshop.com and recieving their much-coveted new generation funding. as a CSM graduate, nothing suprises me about her rapid succession towards fashion reverence. as for goldin's a/w collection, i was a bit disappointed by her limited use of color (actually, i think she used black exclusively), since she typically chooses tasteful and refreshing hues for her clothing, but in the words of karl lagerfeld in his recent interview in harper's bazaar, "black is the best color!" (more on that nauseating interview later).



view the rest here.

"I want to push knitwear to a future vision."
- louise goldin

julien macdonald, london, a/w 2009

i'm a huge supporter of knits and wovens, and anybody who can successfully combine the two materials is the star of my liquid dreams. julien macdonald's fall collection is the perfect example of luxury knitwear. i see visible resemblances from balmain's spring 2009 collection and the fall collection of CSM branchild simone shailes. what i love most about this collection, though, is his ability to make a gown look chic, slimming and modern. so many gowns these days are incredibly over the top (i sometimes think marchesa falls under this category). these full-length dresses with the sexy slit down the front-side are perfection. i just realized that some of his pieces have an almost optical illusionistic effect. excellent.



view the rest of the collection here.

christopher kane, london, a/w 2009

mr. kane's design sensibility always errs on the side of the fantastic, whimsical (and at times questionably unwearable) end of the spectrum. i can't help but think he played it safe this season (compare this to, say, 3 seasons ago; remember that fabulous snakeskin?) i don't think his accounting for taste ended when he put down the shredded chiffon, though. the went-a-little-crazy-with-the-organza-hem-tape look fared well in the storm of hideous plaid and dowdy wool materials. oh, wait. is that plaid and wool i see in the first 10 looks? my, my. one can't have it all. but these dresses are beyond fantastic. i saw similarities between this collection and one of his fellow Central Saint Martins graduates, kinga malisz (who graduated in 2008, with a fabulous M.A. show under her belt), but i think kane edited himself to a more communicable degree.



view the rest here.