Catching up with the shows, I think this season, Gautier’s and Tisci’s are amazing, real stand outs.

But in general, this Spring 09 couture season is rather weak. Surely, the standard is still there, extravagant  as usual, and to name a collection as ‘couture’ is protected by law anyway, so ‘weak’ doesn’t mean closing to prêt-à-porter. Enough of blaming the economy, but if you were to compare the state of couture shows these days to let say, 5 years ago, you would probably miss the wow factor as much as me. Not only Galliano doesn’t excite you anymore, the presentations are a lot more modest, there are not enough supermodels (three stumbles already, but you don’t blame the newbies) and everything is just quiet. Maybe it’s because I still can’t get over that Valentino collection.

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.

“Wooden, lifeless, dead on arrival” are some words that Cathy Horyn (see her review) used to described. I couldn’t agree more. The frustrating part is that there are so many other couturiers out there who are so certified. They trained, and worked their guts out to be named as a couturier to show at that prestigious fashion week in Paris. The two accessories designers simply went from making couture bags to couture garments. The translation— painful.

The world is really in a mess right now.

images: style.it