Cathy Horyn

Givenchy

>> Cathy Horyn Really Isn't a Fan of Riccardo Tisci —It's no secret Cathy Horyn doesn't love Riccardo Tisci's work at Givenchy — last October of his Fall 2009 collection, she wrote: "I’m beginning to wonder if [Tisci] has any ideas at least that are original."  Of his couture collection in January, it was: "not so wild, frankly, about the lumps & bumps at Givenchy."  And over the weekend, she found his Spring 2010 men's collection "just plain tedious": "To me, the Givenchy collection .
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>> Cathy Horyn Really Isn't a Fan of Riccardo Tisci —It's no secret Cathy Horyn doesn't love Riccardo Tisci's work at Givenchy — last October of his Fall 2009 collection, she wrote: "I’m beginning to wonder if [Tisci] has any ideas at least that are original."  Of his couture collection in January, it was: "not so wild, frankly, about the lumps & bumps at Givenchy."  And over the weekend, she found his Spring 2010 men's collection "just plain tedious": "To me, the Givenchy collection . . . smacks of the work of a stylist, rather than the specific vision of a designer. The collection has a cadged look of picking things up from here and yonder, notably Comme des Garcons. This method just betrays insecurity — the insecurity of a designer who doesn’t have a meaningful, real vision."  But if you're a fan of his vision, The Cut has a video of Tisci going over his Spring 2009 couture collection. [On the Runway, On the Runway]

Phoebe Philo's First Celine Collection Well-Received All Around
Celine

Phoebe Philo's First Celine Collection Well-Received All Around

>> Phoebe Philo introduced her first collection at Celine — for Cruise 2010 — yesterday, and it was all secrecy: no pictures were allowed at the preview.  Philo, dressed in olive fatigues, a black leather jacket and a putty silk blouse, Cathy Horyn reports, chatted with guests in the large raw space where her designs were being on racks with informal modeling: "It was a smart way to introduce the collection — the isolated debut rather than the big Paris blowout."Style.com deemed the collection "spot-on" yesterday, and today, more outlets have had a chance to weigh in.  From Vogue: "Was it any good?
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>> Phoebe Philo introduced her first collection at Celine — for Cruise 2010 — yesterday, and it was all secrecy: no pictures were allowed at the preview.  Philo, dressed in olive fatigues, a black leather jacket and a putty silk blouse, Cathy Horyn reports, chatted with guests in the large raw space where her designs were being on racks with informal modeling: "It was a smart way to introduce the collection — the isolated debut rather than the big Paris blowout."

Style.com deemed the collection "spot-on" yesterday, and today, more outlets have had a chance to weigh in.  From Vogue: "Was it any good? Oh, yeah, and then some . . . It’s what Philo did so well at Chloé — a look that’s just cool, plain and simple, and which every girl is going to go crazy for."  WWD was less forthcoming with an opinion, but still seemed to approve: "Gone are the girly frills and eyelets in favor of a smart, far more austere and grown-up look rooted in classics."

Ad campaigns, Balenciaga comparisons »

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Quote Of The Day: Cathy Horyn On Innovation In Fashion

I mean only that it took radio roughly 40 years to reach 50 million people, while it took the Internet just 4 years to reach the same number of people.
by coutorture I mean only that it took radio roughly 40 years to reach 50 million people, while it took the Internet just 4 years to reach the same number of people. This is the dynamic that fashion must embrace in the coming years in order to be truly creative and relevant. It’s great to talk about “slow fashion” and the value of handcraft in informing our imagination. These qualities will still be important, as Paris is, but imagine the other system of thought that revolts and finally breaks free of the old world.
edun

>> THE ZEITGEIST —Cathy Horyn just posted an insightful state of the union-type speech that she made a few nights ago, focusing on fashion and some of the economic challenges facing the industry.  Among the highlights: "'Green fashion' will become more and more important, and young consumers in particular will expect to see innovation and experimentation in this area .
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>> THE ZEITGEIST —Cathy Horyn just posted an insightful state of the union-type speech that she made a few nights ago, focusing on fashion and some of the economic challenges facing the industry.  Among the highlights: "'Green fashion' will become more and more important, and young consumers in particular will expect to see innovation and experimentation in this area . . . I am somewhat surprised that a big luxury group has not had the foresight to create a separate eco-brand of high-quality garments, with a casual yet sophisticated aesthetic. We’ve seen a number of niche labels, but not one that draws on the brand power and advertising reach of a luxury group." Perhaps that is precisely what LVMH has in mind for new investment Edun? [On the Runway]

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Quote Of The Day: Cathy Horyn Compliments The Acne Paper

The appeal of Acne Paper is the unfettered blend of the new and the nostalgic, except it doesn’t feel like nostalgia in this context.
by coutorture The appeal of Acne Paper is the unfettered blend of the new and the nostalgic, except it doesn’t feel like nostalgia in this context. Maybe it just feels free.
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Quote Of The Day: Cathy Horyn Criticizes The Model As Muse Exhibition

Ultimately, in this attractive-looking exhibition, you don’t learn enough about the modeling experience as it played out in the late 20th century really to care... By the time you reach the last rooms of “The Model as Muse,” in the ’80s and ’90s, you might as well be flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine, so random and arbitrary are the conclusions...What goes unaddressed is the change from film to digital photography, and how that affected sittings and the dynamics of the photographer-model relationship.
by coutorture Ultimately, in this attractive-looking exhibition, you don’t learn enough about the modeling experience as it played out in the late 20th century really to care... By the time you reach the last rooms of “The Model as Muse,” in the ’80s and ’90s, you might as well be flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine, so random and arbitrary are the conclusions...What goes unaddressed is the change from film to digital photography, and how that affected sittings and the dynamics of the photographer-model relationship. It’s the sort of elemental question the curators should have asked. Instead they seem guilty of the grossest fashion sin: wanting to hang out with the models.
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Quote Of The Day: Cathy Horyn And The Retail Scene

I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised that stores are starting to put spring clothes on sale, since nobody’s shopping... In a number of stores, as we were taking iPhone pictures of the clothes we liked, sales people rushed over and warned us that pictures were not permitted.
by coutorture I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised that stores are starting to put spring clothes on sale, since nobody’s shopping... In a number of stores, as we were taking iPhone pictures of the clothes we liked, sales people rushed over and warned us that pictures were not permitted. I guess they didn’t have anything else to do. Besides, what could they be protecting? The store was empty. Did they think we were industrial spies—that we’d email the pictures to a factory in China? It’s too late for that.
Chanel

>> THE ZEITGEIST —Alexandra Shulman recently said that she looks to the recession to bring forward new design talent — last time around we got Alexander McQueen and John Galliano — and today, Cathy Horyn asserted that "the recession could turn out to make designers better designers.  Fashion houses, anticipating reduced orders, cut out the theatrics as they sought to appeal to a relatively new demand in luxury fashion: value.  By the end of the shows, retailers were praising the level of craft and fabric research — and complaining when it was obscured, as at Chanel, by French-maid ruffles.
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>> THE ZEITGEIST —Alexandra Shulman recently said that she looks to the recession to bring forward new design talent — last time around we got Alexander McQueen and John Galliano — and today, Cathy Horyn asserted that "the recession could turn out to make designers better designers.  Fashion houses, anticipating reduced orders, cut out the theatrics as they sought to appeal to a relatively new demand in luxury fashion: value.  By the end of the shows, retailers were praising the level of craft and fabric research — and complaining when it was obscured, as at Chanel, by French-maid ruffles. Out of necessity, a lot of designers put on smaller shows. It meant that they couldn’t flub a seam." [NY Times]
*image: source

Lanvin

Quote Of The Day: Cathy Horyn Reflects On Fall 2009

Retailers seemed almost surprised that designers had managed to cram so much style into classics like the coatdress without overdoing it.
by coutorture Retailers seemed almost surprised that designers had managed to cram so much style into classics like the coatdress without overdoing it. As Mr. Frasch said, “It’s fashion, but it’s not going to be going out of fashion.” Julie Gilhart, the fashion director at Barneys New York, brought up the Lanvin sheath with the twist, which will cost about $2,300. “It’s the kind of dress you can wear, then put away in your closet for 10 years. When you bring it back out, people will say, ‘What is that?’ And you can say, ‘Yeah, it’s a 10-year-old Lanvin.’ ”
A Hint of Azzedine Alaia Fall 2009
azzedine alaia

A Hint of Azzedine Alaia Fall 2009

>> Despite the prevailing '80s mood of the season, at his private show today, Azzedine Alaia only looked forward: "I don't believe in looking back — I don't want to revisit the 1980s."
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>> Despite the prevailing '80s mood of the season, at his private show today, Azzedine Alaia only looked forward: "I don't believe in looking back — I don't want to revisit the 1980s." Both Suzy Menkes and Cathy Horyn were present for the unveiling, the former describing:

"Signature knits and leathers, woven into bouncy skirts that might have open-work decoration or intricate embellishment. Cut-out feather effects were hand-painted with streaks of white, while white cotton blouses also freshened up the tough side of black leather.  Coats cinched at the waist and small leather jackets, whether in classy crocodile or pony skin treated to look like miniature leopard spots. The same pattern appeared on the knitted dress, form-fitting but kicking out at the hem."

And then there was velvet »