2nd March 2010
Milan 0 – Paris 1
Unbelievable but true, I missed the first day of shows in Paris – stuck in Milan for appointments, scouting brands and checking out showrooms we don’t check often enough.
I can’t tell you how miserable I was – not only because everything I saw was either disappointing (no names, sorry…) or simply a rip-off (how many Rick Owens biker jackets, trainers or knits can an Italian manufacturer copy?, Rick is definitely the biggest style purveyor of this new decade) – but also because two of my dear friends were showing their collections today and I couldn’t be there to support them.
Nicolas Andreas Taralis
Nicolas Andreas Taralis‘s show saw his return to the runway after a couple of showroom-only collections, supported by beautiful but cryptic ads in 032C and Purple, after his brief stint at Cerruti. I was anxious – though probably not as anxious as he was – to know how it went, since people’s expectations of a ‘come back’ are always high; but I know what a perfectionist he is, so I kind of felt that he would know when and how to show again. I was so pissed I wasn’t there when I saw the pictures (1st Paris show on Style.com, bravo!) but so proud! I think it’s actually his best show ever, very concise but extremely consistent, showing both mens and womenswear. It won’t come as a surprise to people who know my personal style, but I loved the collection. Black, black and more black, capes, transparencies, leather, knits and boots, draping that was never droopy (I will shoot on the sight of yet another pair of harem pants), sharp tailoring and an answer to the ubiquitous over-padded shoulder… an incredible Edward Scissorhands technique and finesse.
Nicolas Andreas Taralis
Anthony Vaccarello showed his third collection since winning the Grand Prix at Hyères Festival - we displayed his amazing work in our shop windows last year. I have always believed in him, but in Paris it’s not that easy to grow up in the public eye, as basically not many people care or support you here (he’d have been SO celebrated if he had been based in London – think Charles Anastase or Peter Pilotto, who made the right move…) but I have the feeling that Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 will be his season. He met the fabulous Lou Doillon through his friend and fairy godmother Laetitia Crahay, who fell in love with his intoxicating designs – and bam 8, in an hour Julia Champeau had shot these amazing pictures of the collection.
In relation to Nicolas’s clothes, I can’t express how much his aesthetics relates to mine: sharp tailoring, intricate details and never-seen embellishments. More of these two collections later this week when I get to see them up close… But I have the feeling that their DNA might be an interesting hint of the things yet to come this season, and also the perfect antidote to some other tasteless excesses…
Robin Schulié.
Lou Doillon modelling for Anthony Vacarello