Tom has been saying for a while now that a lot was riding on this collection. He held that if Christian sent 20 black puffy-sleeved blouses with peplums and skinny pants down the runway, then Christian wouldn't be taken seriously. Yes, there are plenty of looks here that call to mind his previous Bryant Park collection, but there's enough variation that Tom thinks the Princess did alright for herself.
Lorenzo disagrees, to put it mildly. While he admits that it's different enough from Christian's previous collection, he has exactly the same problem with it that he had with the last one. Namely, that it's far too derivative. This time, instead of seeing a lot of McQueen and Westwood influences, he sees a lot of Lanvin and Nina Ricci influences. To wit:
Lanvin RTW Spring 2008 Collection
Lanvin RTW Fall 2008 Collection
Nina Ricci RTW Fall 2008 Collection
Nina Ricci RTW Fall 2008 Collection
Even Tom admits that's a little close for comfort, especially the Lanvin. But Tom counters with the point that fashion is all about re-appropriating and reinterpreting things that have gone before. Lorenzo counters that reinterpreting is one thing, but looks that came out only one or two seasons ago? That's not reinterpreting; that's ripping off. Not that we think he's doing it deliberately; we just think he still needs to find his voice.
We both agree that Christian is an enormous talent and taken on its own, it's a beautiful collection. What do you guys think?
Watch the video here.
Backstage:
[Photos: Getty Images/Style.com/NYMag.com]
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