Mr. Mickey was very excited for the Costume National show on Wednesday. It somehow feels like now is the right time for the classic Costume look of sleek, slick and sexy -- don't you think? Anyhoo, if Mr. Mickey was hoping for a full blown sexy & slick revival, he was in for a “sari, wrong number!” The show was full of mini saris and despite the fact that Indian themes are all over the place in Paris, Mr. Mickey didn't know what to make of this sartorial journey to the subcontinent. In fact, the entire show seemed to be actively NOT sexy. Is this a new look for the brand's 21st birthday (being celebrated with a book from Assouline) or is it just a temporary fancy? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile at Christian Lacroix, things were inspired by 1940s and 1950s era photographs by iconic lenswoman Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Mr. Mickey is sorry but he LOVES him some Christian Lacroix. He's just genius at making gorgeous, beautifully-made, young, elegant dresses. Soooo chic and soooo fun. Let's hope that a revival is in the works and that the charming and humble Frenchman returns to the superstar status he enjoyed when he first exploded onto the scene in the 1980s with his hysteria-inducing poufs, first at the House of Patou and then at his own house. Mr. Mickey was glued to CNN's “Style With Elsa Klensch” in those days, and any true follower or fashion who was coherent in those days remembers the adoration and scorn that those poufs created. “Revolutionary!” some cried, while others groaned, “Ludicrous!” Another round of declaring couture dead because of its outrageous prices and disconnectedness to the real world ensued. Those arguments still go on and Lacroix still feels fresh and fabulous to us.
Costume National, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy
Recently, Mr. Mickey was talking with a group of very, very sophisticated fashion people about Givenchy. “Why don't they just do Audrey?” one asked, referring to Hubert de Givenchy's legendary muse Audrey Hepburn. The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn has made no secret of her lack of fondness for the label's direction. Through all this “you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't” criticism, comes Mr. Mickey's voice from the fashion front telling you that the Givenchy show was kinda fabulous. No it's not MM's look. The only piece of black clothing Mr. Mickey has is a ladies sequined bracelet-length blazer. But MM is not just about what he likes and can appreciate other points of view, and what felt obvious at the Givenchy show on Wednesday was that designer Riccardo Tisci has a real point of view. This stuff was dark with a capital DARK, people! Can you close your eyes and visualize runway legend Kristen McMenamy with long crazy gray hair and an equally intense gaze decked out in a black warrior ensemble with a high-fashion fanny pack? Brilliant! These girls are strong and mysterious -- and we don't mean mysterious in a warm and cuddly way. These bitches can fuck you up if you're not careful. The clothes were black or they were white. There was a lot of stuff going on -- multi-tiered asymmetrical pleats on skirts were particularly fresh-looking.
And how about this front row? The Duke of Lugo (son-in-law of the King of Spain who happens to work for LVMH parent company of Givenchy) next to Kanye West next to Courtney Love next to Mario Testino next to Emmanuel Beart next to a super cute young girl whom we're hoping is her daughter!!! And could Roman Polanski be the father? We're too jet lagged to do the research right now but it was hard to watch the action on the runway with such a lineup right in front of our starfucker eyes!!!!
Hussein Chalayan is the type of designer that makes Mr. Mickey think of the classic film Educating Rita. A super working class hairdresser takes night school classes to learn about great literature and is ask how one might overcome staging difficulties inherent in a production of Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Her aswer: “Do it on the radio.” Well, Hussein's showstopping numbers always involve moving parts, laser shows and other kinetic hijinks, all of which are lost in the still photographs that are almost always used to document a fashion show. So in Educating Rita style, he called Nick Knight and made a short film called "Readings," which featured scrumptious crystals from, where else, Swarovski. The most exciting moments of the film are, of course, the dazzling light show with laser beams projecting out of crystal covered jackets. This is a very flashy-trashy way to describe something that's actually quite intellectual and serious -- but remember which blog you're at kids! You can see the film at www.showstudio.com/movie. Show Studio is Knight's broadcasting company.
The star-studded front row at the Givenchy show
More star-studdedness
Scene from the Christian Lacroix runway
Photos before the jump from Style.com; photos after the jump by Mickey Boardman
