Womenswear month Autumn-Winter ‘20 was one for the history books, but not for obvious reasons. Since it’s 2020 and reality is but a cracked, ghastly mirror of fiction, the autumn shows will be mostly remembered by a pandemic virus raging through our cities and newsfeeds. A season doused by show and after-party cancellations (Gucci Cruise, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani), surgical face masks becoming status symbols (we all deserve to be cancelled) and, somehow, a dystopian church service. Naomi Campbell’s prescient airplane routine, rinse, repeat. There were a few highlights, however, like lambent beacons in a fog of bacteria. Seeing supermodel and The Most podcast guest Hannelore Knuts carry her son Angelo at Marine Serre. Richard Quinn ramping his brand up to new heights. Dark Dries and Demonic Demna. Sensual Y/Project and thriving JW Anderson. Also, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons launched a brand new model for creative partnership. Let’s dig in. But first, wash your hands and never touch your face again.
Richard Quinn
If both 80s glamour-pusses and BDSM dominatrices collided on your vision board, you wouldn’t be too far removed from Richard Quinn AW20. The recently-minted celebrity darling – never forget Cardi B fully covered in flowers in front of the Eiffel tower – has shot to the fore of London’s watch list and his signature blend of serious (spikes and latex) versus optimism (runway models smiling!) seems to gel with many today. It’s all terribly too much and of course, there are Margiela parallels to be drawn via the crystal-beaded face masks – but let’s face it, Margiela has and always will inspire most living designers. Echoes of OG Yves Saint Laurent, Balmain beading and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s va-va-voom Valentino are also hard to stave off. Nonetheless, the unrepentant dedication to dissipation of a young fashion designer like Quinn is something to applaud – mainly for the future potential in sight. And in a post-McQueen world (it’s been one decade already), London will always have extra room for extravagance. Now I’m sad and thinking of McQueen again, no one talk to me!
The self-titled ‘twisted aesthetic language’ of Belgian fashion power Glenn Martens (see you all at the March 11 live-on-stage MVSC conversation between Martens & KNOTORYUS’ own Dominique Nzeyimana) was on full display for AW20. Like vines of ivy, clothes wrapped through each other and knitwear was ruched and buttoned into a frenzied state. The bold Canada Goose collab coats blended with signature translucent gowns, somehow effortlessly coherently. Through triangular cutouts, tulip-shaped denim or plummeting trouser cuts, Martens also created a sort of neo-Edwardian vestimentary iliac furrow (the V-shaped indentation visible along the hips of muscular men – eg. D’Angelo’s entire “How Does It Feel” video). Decisions and incisions like these are what make Y/Project sexy in an entirely new definition of the concept. Also, don’t get me started on the black velvet Queen of the Night finale look, for I do not have the words.
For his AW20 collection, Dirk Van Saene honed in on the key factors that make him a collector’s designer: exquisite cuts and fabrics. The Antwerp Six legend’s Paris showroom was populated by his standout hand-painted mannequins (I identify deeply with Miss Carpet Beater), who displayed a collection of opulent tartans, vibrant pops of colour (tangerine and green, a sight to be seen) interspersed with autumnal florals and stately black ensembles. A discerning buyer’s delight.
If I were a (full-time) Twitter stan, I’d instruct AW20 Prada to ‘run me over in a rusty pickup truck’. Why? Because that’s what you say when something looks attractive and powerful in these times of late-stage capitalism. Continuing on the menswear theme of boxy Secession shapes, this collection merged all the unfussiness of signature Prada with the modern Milan elegance that Miuccia has made the house’s staple ever since taking the reins in 1978 (!). Of course, the Raf Simons co-creative director announcement overshadowed the show itself but the clothes will undoubtedly be end-of-an-era successful when they hit the stores. “As times change, so should creativity – the synergy of this partnership is far-reaching. It is a reaction to the era in which we live – an epoch with fresh possibilities, permitting a different point of view and approach to established methodologies”, the statement read when the ‘Prafda’ coupling was announced. Pair that with Jean Paul Gaultier’s recent pivot to ‘collab couture’ and so many upcoming names carving out their own lanes and you’ve got yourself an industry fully hitting the refresh button (slowly, on Internet Explorer, perhaps).
Love or loathe Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent, one thing is undeniable: give the man a budget and he’ll show out. The spotlight-dotted runway was an instant Instagram bombshell (the value of which has long overshadowed the actual clothes on display). We know the décor got tens across the board. But what about the fashion? I feel like Vaccarello went on a ‘Pose’ binge before this show. The mood at the house Yves built was very much ‘80s Rive Gauche rich lady trips and falls through a manhole into a Marais sex shop’. Ruffled prairie dresses, but cut from latex. Tartan blazers and gold button earrings. Matchstick glossy leggings. Abundance, Elektra. Octavia St. Laurent. These YSL-BDSM vibes were not shocking insomuch as Vaccarello’s pivot to colour. The rich ochre, Yves Klein blue, magenta, fuchsia, deep crimson and emerald green were a stark contrast to the LBD-heavy collections of before. This confident showing follows shortly on the stiletto heels of the news that the Belgian designer and Saint Laurent CEO Francesca Bellettini have taken the house from 500 million to a 2.05 billion euro brand in mere seasons, placing it second after Gucci for Kering. Backed up by the numbers, we can only hope Vaccarello has even further to go.
We’ve arrived at Peak Jonathan Anderson. Yet somehow he manages to still surprise, as my feed was in shambles when this show happened. The words ‘new elegance’ and ‘get this man to a major house’ were spread around like… like a… like a viru-… They were said a lot. And you could easily see why: these are garments that speak volumes, quite literally. They are not small; they are grandiloquent but also challenging to understand, glossolalic almost. They are the “Bonjour, j’I’ve arrived” of clothing. Strands of tinsel as refined as Mongolian lamb fur? Since the days of Jon Snow have I not seen such brilliant shoulder coverings. Excellence!
Dark Dries is my perhaps my favourite Dries and after the riotous joy of that SS20 Christian Lacroix collab, we venture into the night. As is custom, there is lot coming together all at once. Styled by Nancy Rohde, there were multiple looks layering crimson feathers with psychedelic florals and muted 90s plaid on top of snakeskin platforms. This is no mere pile-on, it’s the continued dedication by the designer for these clothes – above anything else – to be worn and for consumers to pick out what they like best. The pallid and dramatic Serge Lutens/Kees Van Dongen-inspired faces were painted by master Inge Grognard and the Billie Eilishian roots were created by Sam McKnight (which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be dyed feathers tacked down with hairspray). Can you spell intrigue?
‘Look at me’, a gossamer-thin white T-shirt at the latest Haider Ackermann show implored. Little need for explicit instructions, however, because it was hard to look away from the vampiric gaze (and hairstyling) of this collection. Any of the wealthy undead will have plenty of wardrobe options to consider all autumn 2020: a frosty chic ran throughout this line-up, but not from a lack of warmth or passion. On the contrary, these clothes must have been considered over and over, mulled over and finally cut to perfection. From slinky, velvet bomber jackets to the sharp geometric lapels Haider Ackermann is adored for. A gift to be treasured, surely.
Having once sat quite closely in front of Olivier Theyskens, I can attest to the lustre of his perennial grace in real life. That anecdotal information is neither here nor there regarding his AW20 collection, but sometimes one has to work in one’s humble-brags more bluntly than usual. Before picking up the baton at Azzaro couture as creative director, the famed Belgian designer showed a collection of true Theyskens essentials. Hemlines pogoed from mini-length to floor-sweeping, with colours limited to the dark romantic blacks and neutrals the raven-tressed designer is best known for. You can clock a Theyskens original not by logo or print, but look for his signature hook-and-eye fastenings and you’ll know. Gothic leathers, sensuous silks: Theyskens is reminding the people of his classics before he unveils a new layer of himself this July.
I, for one, welcome my Balenciaga-clad overlords. Are you seeing this? Close sources (okay, you’ve got me, it’s Dominique) inform me Demna Gvasalia is a lovely, warm person in real life. Which makes the AW20 show he put on for Balenciaga even more brain-tingling. We are now used to seeing models of a wide human variety on the Balenciaga runways (commendable) but seldom did they look so… unapproachable. Literally, they have Airpods in and spikes protruding from their shoulders and torsos. Dark ministers and high priestesses, red-and-dead-eyed. Daywear and eveningwear melded throughout, sometimes body-con and often in signature oversized volumes. Minding your business, splashing through the din and darkness in your leather thigh-highs and sculpted blazer. That’s the motto for the tail end of this year. Oh, and inexplicably, full football gear with a lunchbox clutch. Demna Gvasalia is presenting his first Balenciaga couture in July (if the Four Horsemen don’t spoil the fun first) and there’s just no curtailing his zeal: “In spite of all that’s going on in fashion and the world, I still love this. I suppose until the day I die, this is what I am passionate about. I love making clothes”, the Tbilisi-via-Antwerp designer told Vogue.
Daniel Lee is leading the vanguard of millennial creative directors at major houses. Like his peers Daniel Roseberry (Schiaparelli), Bruno Sialelli (Lanvin) and Francesco Risso (Marni), he has the unenviable task of rejuvenating a storied name without the advantage of decades in the game or huge name recognition. Brand owner Kering’s gamble paid off in spades, though, as I doubt Lee has leftover cupboard space for any more hype or accolades. That kind of instant success can cause you to falter or avoid risks, and fall into the trap of thinly veiled repetition. Again, no worries so far: Bottega’s AW20 did not just give you even bigger pouch bags or even larger padded cassette bags. Lee took it to new directions (maxi fringe, deconstructed woven leather, ribbed knits and ruched sequins). Somewhere, on a disinfected beach chair, François Pinault is smiling at an iPad Pro spreadsheet.
Welcome to Marine Serre’s ‘Mind Melange Motor’. For one of the young stars of contemporary French design (honed in Brussels, naturally), the news cycle could not have been more ‘on brand’, so to speak. The anti-pollution masks (a staple Marine Serre design, but obviously even more appropriate for the moment), the fact that 50% of her business consists of upcycled designs, the sci-fi optimism: this is Marine’s world. These models, in her self-titled ‘Futurewear’, have their eyes on tomorrow, no matter how bleak today gets. Just seeing Hannelore Knuts carry son Angelo on her shoulders made for a poignant statement that will live on beyond the life cycle of some of these clothes. Until they are ultimately reused, for the next gen.
‘Rethinking pictoriality’ was the angle Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh came at their AW20 collection for Nina Ricci with. Creating from a ‘poetic Dutch haze’, the plentifully talented pair took their cues from fauvist painter Kees Van Dongen. A French-Dutch artist, quite representative of the combined DNA of the designers and the maison they took over just about a year ago. Botter and Herrebrugh streamlined the AW20 season offering through the codes they established in 2019: rich use of colour, pinsharp tailoring and gender-neutral shapes cut in the lushest of fabrics - topped with signature cloche hats and original make-up by Inge Grognard. The designer duo behind the beloved BOTTER label are hitting their Nina Ricci stride. Recent research shows it takes time for a new creative director to make an impact: according to Vogue Business, it can take up to five seasons for a new designer’s collection to sell through. Looking at the new Nina Ricci, I prefer to step back each new show and wait a beat for the general picture to fill in. Exciting!
We love a debut and Kenneth Ize made a splash upon entering the PFW schedule. I mean, who books Naomi Campbell, Adwoa Aboah and Imaan Hammam for their first major show ever? Legends in the making only. The Austrian-Nigerian designer put forth a tight collection replete with joyful iterations of the multi-colour striped asoke fabric (hand-woven in Ilorin, Nigeria) and sumptuous jacquard knits (made in Austria). For this LVMH Prize 2019 finalist, the world stage came naturally, as the collection felt highly precious yet completely wearable on the daily.
Read the KNOTORYUS Best Of AW20 Menswear here.
