The Tamesis
Before her show, Sarah Burton told me, “I wanted it to feel very personal; each woman is herself and each silhouette is her own character.” Burton found her groove this season, setting aside brand codes and designing instead from intuition. No wonder so many of us think her Givenchy is exactly what we want right now. Mona Tougaard’s embroidered floral evening gown was the talk of the weekend, but it was the pantsuit that really caught my eye. ——Nicole Phelps
Without a doubt, Prada is the pinnacle of my season. The concept is brilliant, the execution is flawless, and it’s gloriously modern. Feminist, rude, etc. are all Miuccia’s characteristics. One can’t help but think of Miuccia’s friend and fashion partner Manuela Pavesi; I’m sure she would agree. The whole event had the spirit of those early “ugly chic” Prada shows she helped shape: provocative, perverse, irresistible.
On revisiting, these clothes reveal their true magic. Look up close and you’ll appreciate the maddening craftsmanship required to create that “peeling,” old, scraped wall effect: a kind of pure Prada luxury decay—an oxymoron if ever there was one.
My personal favorite was look 37: a black velvet petticoat whose surface was carefully polished to give a glimpse of what lay beneath: an authentic 1920s floral dress in lightweight chiffon that floated like an elegant ghost of the past. Heaven. I’d be happy to make room for it in my closet, as long as I suspect the price won’t be comparable to the mortgage on a one-bedroom apartment. ——Tiziana Cardini
