6 Reasons Why SS2013 Was Awesome

6. What was going on with Rick?

Rick Owens never ceases to amaze me, sometimes in very appalling ways. When he’s not producing the most awesome clothes, he leaves me passionately infuriated. I suppose that has always been the attraction of Rick to me, in that he never leaves me indifferent, because I know deep down inside I will always stick around for his vision.

This particular SS13 collection left me rather conflicted for two reasons. One being the choice of material, and the other being the narrative that I, as an audience, was receiving. If I could sum up the former, it would be cheap-looking, and the latter, subservience, neither of which is how I like my Rick Owens. There was too much sheen and transparency in some of the garments, which made the clothes look less ethereal and more like candy wrappers. Secondly, the entire presentation, from the hair to makeup to the garments and their colour scheme, portrayed obedience, as if they were girls of lowly positions who served the High Priestesses of the previous collections. There is no chaos nor excitement, but instead it has been replaced with a cold sense of orderliness that is expected from subjects of plebeian rank.

To sum it up, despite some redeeming qualities, this Rick collection made it to the list because I feel so strongly against it.

5. Hedi Slimane kerffaffle

4. Gareth Pugh’s brides

So having spent some time looking through Gareth Pugh’s collections, I have come to the conclusion that they resemble bridal gowns, and the veils further reinforced that image. Granted the girls are not just anyone’s brides, they are probably more suited to marrying Count Dracula or some dude aptly named Lord Vladimir Vampir or something (or Countess/Lady if that’s your cup of tea).

I can’t say I am a massive fan of the entire collection as the flared sleeves and corsets were too medieval, but he has shown great finesse in technical constructions such as the shredded dress (which was the highlight of Katie Shillingford’s wedding dress); the stiff, geisha-like collar, and the draped cape-gown hybrid. If I were to sum up the entire collection in two words, it would be Oriental Transylvania. And what’s not to like about that?

3. Rei Kawakubo’s toile vomit

2. Haider Ackermann’s army 

1. Comme des Garcons off the runway 

Before fashion week began I thought that the most popular item we would be seeing on the muster of peacocks was the Givenchy knee-high boots. Boy I couldn’t be more wrong. Who knew that their go-to statement piece would be Comme des Garcon’s felt coats? For the first time I was actually rather happy to scroll through Tommy Ton’s and Phil Oh’s slideshows as the fashion goers were actually embracing the fun side of fashion over the usual ‘classy’ suspects.

Because there’s hardly greater enjoyment than seeing outrageous pieces being worn off the runway, the slew of Comme des Garcons coats paraded all over Paris made the entire season memorable, sending it straight to number one on the list.