From his Spring/Summer 2007 collection, designer Karl Lagerfeld continues his vision short for his Spring Couture collection. The opening section was a parade of short classic Chanel tweed suits. The focus is on a shorter skirt but the emphasis is the “Dada” color palette of white, black and red. One of the key looks is the white tweed dress with the tweed covered in a red and black criss-cross design. The sleeves and hem of the dress are cut into panels giving the dress a flapper style. Another key look in the opening section is 60’s style white tweed dress. The collar of the dress is wide Mao collar and the dress is detailed with simple stripes of black.

Moving into the second section Lagerfeld kept the looks short and focused on cocktail dresses detailed with feather, layered chiffon and tulle. One of the most unique pieces in this section was a gray silk chiffon dress. The fabric is pleated is very small and tight pleated. The pleating of the fabric made the dress look like it was constructed pipes of thin fabric. The shoulder and the skirt of the dress are made of stiff tubes of silk chiffon. The hem of the sleeve and skirt of the dress is detailed with feathers inserted into the chiffon tubes. The chiffon tubes are tier down by silk satin and band on the sleeve and skirt and detailed with a silk satin bow. The construction of this piece alone is over 100 hours of work. The dress is rather revealing but if you have $25K and want a true one of a kind Chanel dress, this is it. This dress alone is a great platform for Lagerfeld to build off of for the next 20 years.

For the third section Lagerfeld gave the looks more length and we saw more embroidery and beading. The skirts gained more length and the 20’s flapper detailing earlier in the collection came out full force. For evening he continued with a longer silhouette and showed us a series of tulle and chiffon evening gowns encrusted with floral firework beaded designs. The overall look of the evening section is a play on the whole roaring 20’s flapper looks. One of the key looks from this section the black silk chiffon gown with the gold beading covering the bodice and bottom half of the skirt. The bead design is similar to the ice skating scene from “Fantasia”. To finish off the dress, Lagerfeld draped shreds of black chiffon with black ostrich feathers on the shoulders and the middle of the skirt. Another key look from this section is the black and white gown. Lagerfeld took a white chiffon shell and covered it with his new tubes done in black chiffon. The tubes are laid in a group of bias intersections. The skirt of the dress is printed with a black lead print and the black tubes are used for the bows on the front of the dress. The bow and waist is detailed with black ostrich feathers.

The two must have pieces are two dark pieces from the collection. First from the evening section is the black silk chiffon dress with a beaded jellyfish design on the fabric and the sleeves and hem of the dress are finished with a zigzag ruffle. Everything from the ruffles to the collar is trimmed with crystal beading. The other must have piece is the 60’s black wool a-line dress. From the collar, sleeve and the hem of the dress is finished with black and white ostrich feathers. Classic Chanel pieces but certainly a must have in your collection. Lagerfeld continues to give us eye pleasing and fresh design for a brand that has almost been around for a century. This collection is certainly a nod to the modern Chanel woman that Lagerfeld has been crafting since 2000. The overall execution and vision is a stride forward for the House of Chanel. Even though Lagerfeld is far older than his current day couturiers, he has continued to redefine couture and brought couture into the future. Bravo Monsieur Lagerfeld!

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This season Jean Paul Gaultier adorned the models with many version of the “halo”. The religious imagery translated easily into the collection, although Gaultier has always used religion in his collection. The opening section is a focus on a cleaner and more tailored look, he played with the whole bordering androgyny. One of the standout looks in this section is a play on the suit dress. The jacket is crafted with structure in mind, back in 91’ Gaultier showed introduced his self-closing jacket. This jacket is modern twist of that jacket but he gives it a 40’s post war look. This look lead into the second section which he pays respect to the 40’s post war woman with classic two piece looks and dresses. Gaultier shortens the length and gives it a sexy edge. For the evening section Jean Paul unleashed several romantic looks that span many eras and encompasses several iconic images. They range from the sun gods to the goddess of mother earth. One of the key looks in the evening section is a white floor length gown. The gown is covered in texture, from beading to frayed fabric, embroiderey and crocheted trim.

The two inspirational pieces from the collection are two dresses from the second section. First is the Spanish theme cocktail dress. The dress is constructed with the bodice encrusted with a beaded Mexican theme design. The bodice of the dress is beaded with a fruit and floral theme and the skirt is done in two-tone silk chiffon with floral embroidery on bottom of the skirt and the hem trimmed with black lace. The other inspirational piece is the black a-line dress that is completely covered in black beading and crystals. The bottom of the dress is showered with palettes, the religious reference is a cross opening on breast of the dress. In short this collection is classic reference for Gaultier but his execution the key. Sometimes Gaultier goes over the top with his couture collection. This season the gowns and dresses could possibly mistaken for a Prêt-a-Porte collection. Unfortunately you can’t do embroidery and beading at the Prêt-a-Porte prices. Bravo Monsieur Gaultier!

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John Galliano has mastered the art of delivery for House of Christian Dior. This season Galliano abandons his thirst for new and modern and give the Dior client unique and classic Dior couture looks. The inspiration for his Spring couture collection, he looks to Madame Butterfly and the romantic themes in Japanese design. The opening section is a series of colorful looks that embody the classic Dior “New Look” silhouettes. The embroidery and beading is reference to the Japanese them of the collection. One of the best visions or statements from the opening section is the layer detailing, on the skirts or jackets. To key details are the layering of a pocket flap or the sleeve cuff. One of the dramatic and unique looks in the opening section was the swan feather dress. The dressed covered with pale pink and pale blue dyed feathers and the torso is done in a pale pink silk satin embroidered and beaded with a wisteria design. Another strong look from the opening section is one of the “new look” designs. A strapless floor length column dress in a vibrant yellow and embroidered with a lotus flower design. The dress is worn with a oversized evening coat, embroidered with the lotus flower and the hem is layered.

For the second section Galliano mixes Dior’s New Look with the Japanese kimono. One of the most detailed and unique piece in this section is a deep pink china doll dress. The dress is done in a deep pink silk crepe layered and the fabric is draped from one shoulder and layered across the hip. The big treat of this look is the amount of detail on the dress. The embroidered and beaded lotus flowers on the hem of the dress to the silk ribbon appliqué and embroidery on the bodice of the dress. Color is a key to the collection, a lot of pinks, a lot of blues and a lot of soft shades of red.

In the third section twists the Japanese theme with dominatrix and little anime. For the evening section Galliano moved back to the New Look for the gowns. With an emphasis on a lot of layering and a lot of dramatic draping. I was a little stunned by one of the evening gowns. The pink and grey stripe gown is done in the same fabric Alexander McQueen used for his parachute gown for the Vogue “Marie Antoinette” shoot with Kristin Dunst. The inspiration of this season is the heavy overcoat and volume draped skirts. One of the great inspirational pieces from the collection is the classic day dress In a kimono style. The dress skirt is a full shape with a embroidered and beaded floral design. Another inspirational look is one of the black silk taffeta jacket embroidered with a floral design and detailed with tube beading. The bead work is continued onto the skirt in vertical bands around the skirt.

Of coarse Galliano has at least one museum piece in the collection. Fortunately for the French model Morgan Doubled was the model wearing it. A tiered floor length evening gown made up of tiers of layered silk crepe. The color of the dress shifts from blood read around the bodice to jet-black on the bottom of the dress. What really made this gown interesting is how Galliano dropped the layers into three sections, giving the gown the appearance of three lengths. I was saddened by the cookie cutter vision and style that Galliano presented this season. In the end Galliano like his fellow couturiers have forgotten that couture is supposed to impure ready to wear. This season John simply focused on the Dior client who loves the classic Dior look and want to add new or growing collection in their closet.

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Ricardo Tisci’s inspiration for Spring is a visit to Tisci’s seaside hometown and exploring the local folk-lore. The overall look is the deconstruction we saw repeatedly during the 1980’s. The opening section was a little out in left field with his slinky silhouettes covering the models entire body paired with his fountain hats. The opening section was a series of simple pieces, designed with clean lines and the emphasis on draping. There were a few print looks but they really did not compliment the overall look. The prints had a bit of an 80’s Versace reference and look to them. In the second section Tisci give us color, from dark navy to vibrant yellow. All of a sudden the draping and silhouette becomes more feminine and less drastic. One of the standout looks in this section is the gray silk chiffon and organza strapless gown. The top of the gown is done with fans of pleated chiffon while the shorter underskirt is silk organza structured in a diamond waffle design. Then a single layer of silk chiffon draped over and trimmed with three layers of the waffle design in the same chiffon fabric.

The must have piece and possibly a museum piece is the fisherman theme jacket. The chiffon jacket is covered with a pale nude fishnet and then encrusted with composite palettes, beading and fish scale shaped pieces of leather. An interesting piece but very imaginative and heavily detailed! The contrast from the opening looks to the closing section is confusing. The two really do not compliment each other. While I found a lot of the closing pieces very dramatic and inspirational, absent is the felling that this is a Givenchy collection. What is evident is Tisci is really torn on the whole Givenchy style and his personal design is soaked all over the collection.

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The inspiration for his Spring couture collection Murad mixed sexy lingerie crafted with delicate floral printed and embroidered couture fabrics. The opening section is a shift from shades of rose and turquoise to nude and then back to turquoise. One of the standout pieces in the opening section is a mauve silk satin floor length gown. The fabric is printed with a floral design done in gold leaf. The fabric is weaved in and out of band of gold fabric that is tied around the waist. Another great gown in the opening section is another silk satin gown. The fabric is embroidered and detailed with crystal beading. The embroidery coves the entire body of the strapless gown and trimming the cape drape, which drops from the waist.

Murad’s focus this season is on a defined silhouette, its long and fluid. He also gives us another great collection of heavily embroidered and detailed looks. At the close of the collection Murad really focused on some showstoppers. Some of the gowns were very reminiscent of showgirl gowns from Vegas. One of the most dramatic gowns was a sheer nude tulle strapless gown that is heavily encrusted with beading and embroidery. Yes it’s a little over the top and you might as who in their right mind would wear something so decadent. You won’t see it on red carpet but gowns like this are must haves in the Middle East. Overall the whole collection is a nonstop parade of must have gowns for his Middle East clients.

The key pieces from the collection are not the long evening gowns. Rather the short cocktail dresses! Murad only showed 3 cocktail dressing in the whole collection. One of the must have looks is one of the cocktail dresses. The dress is a double layer of pale turquoise tulle. The fabric is draped in two tiers with the tiers intersection with fern leaf embroidery. The skirt and bodice of the dress is detailed with channels of embroidered leafs design with crystal highlights. The waist of the dress is finished with a pale turquoise satin ribbon and bow. The other must have look from the collection is a floor length strapless gown. The bodice of the gown is cinched pale seafoam green silk chiffon and the skirt is column drape of sheer green silk organza. The organza skirt is covered with a velvet embroidery and crystal detailing. The look is finished with a draped cape from waist of pale seafoam green silk chiffon. The opening of the drape is detailed with the velvet floral embroidery. What would have really made this a strong collection if Murad had shown more dresses.

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A classic romantic, Elie Saab is probably one of the most hopeless romantics in couture. The vision for his Spring couture collection is a focus on clean lines created by delicate fabrics, a difficult fete. This inspiration is reminiscent in his last Spring/Summer collection. Unfortunately we saw several of last seasons trends molded into this collection, like ruffles, organ pleated gowns and a lot of lace. One of the strongest statements from the collection are the color blocked and striped chiffon gowns. One of my favorites gowns in the opening section was a pale taupe silk crepe halter-top gown. The gown is layered with wide ruffles of silk crepe from the waist to the floor. The silk crepe is embroidered with a silver thread in channel design on the ruffles and silver floral embroidery and beading on the halter-top.

Saab is well known for his ability to incorporated color into his collection, while keeping to the basic primary colors of collection. Namely giving us white, red and metallic shades through out the collection. Another staple is the black dress and gown. This season Saab showed two show stopping black gowns. First was a black silk chiffon strapless gown. The bodice and the bottom of the gown covered with flowers made from the black silk chiffon and detailed with beading. The waist is finished with a black silk satin sachet. The other gown is a beaded black chiffon gown with the beaded fabric draped over one shoulder, across the bust and dropping under the arm. The gown appears to be hanging from the one shoulder. Gravity is certainly a theme for this gown!

The strongest statement for Saab in this collection is the color blacked and striped gowns. He printed the skirt of the gowns with stripes of black, gray and several pale colors. The first gown is a strapless gown; the bodice of the gown is wrapped horizontally with black chiffon. The bodice has a band of black crystals in single wide stripe. The skirt is double draped pale gray silk chiffon. The chiffon is printed with black and dark gray arch design, like a crescent moon. The look is finished with black taffeta shrug jacket. The second gown is another color-blocked evening gown. The bodice of the gown is done in black silk taffeta, gathered and draped over one shoulder. The skirt is two layers silk chiffon with a pinwheel print of black, pale blue and green. What is really lacking in this collection is vision for the future or future collections. Couture collections are supposed to be built off the idea of inspiring future seasons. In the late 90’s many envisioned or predicted the death of couture. As a result, several designers shifted their couture collections to appeal to a mass market. Saab is certainly a victim to this frame of design and couture is still thriving and become to obtainable. Some complain the spectacle of fashion shows today, others state its due to designers are designing for clients rather than providing inspiration.

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