TWO of fashion world’s stars take the catwalk by storm with their wacky visions and billowy imaginations.
Monique Lhuillier, Cebu City’s pride being a native of this southern island, is primarily known as a bridal and red-carpet designer but her spring collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week showed her ability to pull off more relaxed looks, too — even if they’re best suited to a really luxurious resort.
She offered outfits in billowy chiffon, feminine organza and, surprisingly, denim.
A pleated cocktail dress with embroidered Aztec cap sleeves elevated denim to a whole new category. There also was a chambray jacquard cocktail dress with a crisscross pleated halter top that was lovely.
Goddess gowns really ruled this runway, like the red hot one-shoulder number and billowy silk georgette stunner.
On the other hand, for John Ford, who thought character and not attire mattered most in the creation of his canon, would have loved the latest collection from Marc Jacobs.
It was a wacky yet wonderful vision that recalled a Sunday afternoon walk to service in a prairie town.
But the key look in the Spring 2009 show Monday was a series of padded Chinoiserie wrap coats in erratic pattern prints, which enveloped 53 of the world’s best models.
“Cracked, fragmented, broken,” was Jacobs’ own description of the coats, and one that also described the pendants in plastic, copper, fur and wire that looped around many necks.
Jacobs’ penchant for the absurd was evident from the opening look that like many passages was topped by a squashed straw hat.
There are some who say that Jacobs is a brilliant stylist, mingling existing elements into something new, and creating innovative silhouettes and cuts.
However Jacobs’ work is more like hip hop music, based on sampling “found” fundamentals and forging them into something genuinely novel.
