the collection
There are two things I notice when I look at the collection together. The first is that it is really very well conceived as a whole. It starts with crisp whites with gold accents --a classic for resort wear -- and if it is white linen it would be a good choice for the safari idea. Then he does something surprising but not too jarring which is to put in a group of jewel tones. These establish the tropical setting. Then we return to the gold and white adding animal prints for his safari theme.I now understand why Tim always felt that, despite its problems, in the end the collection came together in its way. I think it demonstrates that Michael can put together a complete working collection. In a way it is the most complete wardrobe compared to the others.
It sounds great, doesn't it? The problem is that it It falls apart at the level of taste.
Which brings me to my second observation. The clothes look like they are from the Victoria's Secret catalogue.
Fun fact: the color of the green dress is called "jungle."Look at all the positions from which they're asserting their empowerment.
This comes from a well-meaning place, I swear. He is young. He will learn. But basically I think the sensibility of the collection is just immature. I know he wanted his collection to reflect an assertion of a strong woman. Isn't that sweet? Problem is, he didn't seem to know what that might look like. He said some stuff about urban safari and asserting herself and searching for herself and being modern and whatever. But he's actually created a look for the woman on the prowl.
It is a common mistake.
first row : #1-4
I don't have anything much to say about this other than to confess that I never buy white pants or skirts because it is a law of nature that within 24 hours I will spill coffee on it. I like the second look above. The other looks might be okay if you got rid of all the sparkles. But some people like that sort of thing. Some people also like to wear sweaters festooned with sequins at the holidays.second row : #5-8
First of all. That first model is only a size six at most. And she is tall. Six is not a large size. Especially for a tall women. But that dress makes her look like friggin' cow!! The problem is not the model. It is the dress. This is unfortunate because I really like the fabric.
The best look in the collection is this second dress:
I want this dress and the breasts that go with it.After this the collection starts to plummet. The next two looks introduce the Really Shiny Fabric. The glare affects everything: it is all seen through a sheen of sleaze. The pink outfit looks like the kind of thing that is worn by the drunk girl outside the club after it has closed. The one whose friends left without her while she was making out in the parking lot. By now she has lost the belt and the shorts are stuck to her thong or maybe she's lost that too. Anyway, just compare that outfit to the look Nazri wore for the icon challenge:
Oh, Michael. What happened??!!We have now reached the point where I have to start talking about Pam-Mutha-Fuckin-Grier, or PMFG. I think it is fair to say that PMFG is one of Michael's main muses.
And for good reason. There are 70s fashion icons that have stood the test of time and Pam Grier is one of them. Cher: of course. Farrah: not so much. Anyhoo, I can understand why Pam Grier would be a fashion icon seeing as she's da bomb and what not. I will discuss this a bit more below but right now I'll just point out that I noticed Michael repeating something I decided to call "the foxy brown neckline":
A fondness for the seventies look has possessed a large portion of the fashion world. I don't really understand why other than the possibility that people just ran out of ideas.third row : #9-12
There is just no excuse for that first bathing suit. That is a lapse in taste of truly monstrous proportions. The white bathing suit is something Beyoncé might wear --
-- if you added a few rhinestones. But even Beyoncé might find the gold lamé too flashy. Maybe Li'l Kim.Oh and there are two animal print dresses in this last group and neither of them interest me very much (too shiny, too swinger) even though these are the items that make the statement about this "strong woman" being on a safari. (I'm going to talk more about this whole safari thing after I review about Uli's collection .)
For the record: I count 5 foxy brown necklines in the collection.
Laura had 5 plunging v-necks in her collection. Yet no one noticed that Michael used the same neckline 5 times in his. I'm just saying.pmfg & hip hop pop stars
A few comments on why this collection may have gotten a little too trashy. Or, I'm entitled to my wrong opinions. Actually isn't really about Michael. It is more about how my mind has wandered into why everyone is so fascinated with the fashions of the seventies and hip hop / pop starlets.
1. I'm not saying anything against PMFG. By all means she should stay as the brightest star in Michael Knight's constellation. I'm just saying that, although Shaft is a rollicking good time, let's not get carried away: it is not the African American Citizen Kane and while there are far too few of them in film, there may be a few African American women who are da bomb who do not come from the films of Quentin Tarrantino / blaxploitation, i.e., it might be possible to be an iconic black woman and not pack heat.
Ya think?2. What do I know from hip hop. The last time I knew anything it was called rap and it had something to do with fighting the power and not so much with the benjamins. So I'm a total fogey. However, I recently had a revelation when I saw Dave Chappelle's Block Party (a great concert film -- perhaps the best -- don't get me started) but I suspect that when people talk about hip hop that is not what they are referring to -- at least in spirit.
Anyway, regarding this little epiphany. Epiphanette. Really it is just a statement of the obvious but I'm going to point it out because Project Runway does show how the fashion world dresses the Entertainment Tonight / Weekly world of celebrities and pop stars. They may make good mannequins / customers but in terms of being muses for a fashion designer they are just not worth the stretch jersey that is barely covering them. Especially when you compare them to someone like Lauryn Hill. Have you forgotten? She is gorgeous. Gor-geous. And she has . . . what is that thing called? Oh yeah.
A brain.Given that Josephine Baker is a fashion icon associated with the exotic, what if Michael had looked at her for additional inspiration?
For more information on Josephine Baker check out my previous postings:
This might have brought another dimension into the collection, and perhaps pulled Michael away from the sleaze into a more elegant fashion idiom.
I'm talking about her gowns not her banana skirt, of course.
I hate to be a buzzkill but when you look some of the images it does beg the question of how far stereotypes of black women's sexuality progressed from Josephine Baker to Pam Grier.
6 comments:
You've done a great job dissecting Michael's collection. I hadn't even noticed that he had so many PMFG necklines. Once you mentioned it, it became so obvious!
Thanks for such thoughtful and well-informed reviews of the runway colelctions. You would make a gret teacher! I hope the designers learn something from you.
i love the idea of looking to earlier influences for his muse, but what i thought i was seeing in his collection (and not previously, oddly) was that same quasi-power that happened/happens in women's movements, it seems.
a woman's power is not defined by how hot she is. okay, maybe to a guy, but, i mean, getting guys to do things for you is different from having the strength and knowledge and will and bravery to get yourself in a place where you do it yourself.
after the first big waves of feminism, women "claimed" their sexuality, which often meant they started looking and acting like their guys had wanted all along.
and just do michael did with his collection. you're right, he's just too young to understand that hooker-like displays have really nothing to do with powerful women, unless it's just power over him he's referring to.
Great blog! But about the green dress ... size six is huge in the modeling world. She is definitely a plus-size model and that dress is designed for a normal model shape.
I thought the orange shiny dress looked fabulous on the model with the gorgeous black skin. She was PMFG. Only problem. How many woman have such gorgeous black skin.
The long white dress with strings and belt is actually quite nice, as well as the white shorts outfit.
Michael's collection was just too flash for the ladies of PR. They might trash Elie Saab's gold show as well.
Thanks for the comments. This was the review that I felt least qualified to evaluate because I'm not sure what Michael really wanted to accomplish and, to be fair, it may not be to my taste. But at least I try to make that clear. And some of this is just for fun anyway. Good points about the size 6 model (and that model is considerably smaller than Marilyn Monroe!). I do appreciate the comment about the orange dress and the model's skin tone. Indeed there are very few women who can wear that color (on this continent) and it is so beautiful when you do see it. I still don't like the outfit but you point is well taken: what do I know from flash? Keep in mind : I really did know a thing or two about what Jeffrey was trying to do and I raked that boy over the coals!!!
Post a Comment