Winners and losers

When it comes to fashion, the small collections shown between the big ones, Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, are a more accurate window as to what's really going on inside the designers' businesses; it's less of a circus, and the clothes have a longer window to sell. Unlike the extravagant nonsense that assaults the senses during Fashion Week (no matter which one), these clothes are meant to be worn. For me, that means they're better.

Everyone seems to show midseason collections in New York, though for all I know the same collections are shown in Paris and Shanghai. One of the best, I thought, was from Céline, which last year hired Phoebe Philo out of retirement. I'm too young to remember her glory days at Chloé but it doesn't matter. The clothes are polished and sporty, not weighed down by their luxuriousness, yet unapologetically posh. They seem simple and modern, the perfect thing for wealthy women today.



I was also struck by Givenchy's collection. The designer, Riccardo Tisci, is unpredictable and sometimes a mess; his work smacks of immaturity, as if a thousand hasty ideas had bubbled to the surface without reflection. I get the feeling that he isn't very good at self-criticism and needs someone to tell him no. But this time, he came out on an even keel with a sharp, elegant collection. It's nothing groundbreaking, but when it's done this well there's nothing wrong with a little recycling.


Strangely enough, Tisci switched places with another rather famous designer, Nicolas Ghesquière of Balenciaga, who fell flat on his face (usually it's the other way around). I always suspected there was some kind of dark secret at the bottom of Balenciaga's success, and this collection might be a clue. In addition to being a staple among thin, robot-like professionals, Balenciaga may be the label of choice for those who wish to swaddle their figures under grotesquely shaped coats and garishly printed trousers.

So as not to scar your eyes too much, I've chosen a picture of one of the more manageable looks - I can certainly imagine this ensemble, very Balenciaga in its proportions, clanking down the halls of power.


(All photographs from Style.com)