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By Marcellous L. Jones
September/October 2008
Paris, France – Fall has finally arrived and with it, comes the arduous business of predicting who will be the most influential designers of the season. Over the summer break, we have literally been bombarded by our readers including prominent fashion stylists preparing for this month’s Emmy Awards. All are impatient to read what we found at the Fall Winter 2008/09 haute couture collections in Paris as well as the men’s Spring/Summer 2009 collections from both Milan and Paris. And as promised in my July-August editorial, I have taken off my gloves and am pointing fingers. That said, here we go…
In haute couture my attentions are turned towards the red carpet crowd: Stéphane Roland, Christophe Josse, Elie Saab, Georges Chakra and Zuhair Murad.
Stéphane Roland is red hot at the moment. He is rapidly establishing his brand in its own right. His new fall collection is filled with many ingenious cuts and near architectural stacking. This collection is nothing more than a display of the overtly stated ambitions of Roland.
Christophe Josse has made tremendous strides of his own with his collection. Also recently established in his couture house, the more introverted Josse presented a beautiful collection that is rich in refinement. He took us by surprise with at least two gowns which are red carpet-ready. This is a strategic turn for the normally reserved and at times overly shy Josse.
Elie Saab provided another great moment in haute couture. Filled with over the top glamour, and flash, Saab did what we knew he would, but that is the problem. Haute couture is not simply about perfection of technique. It is also supposed to be a laboratory where new ideas in fashion are born. Unfortunately, this new and sumptuous collection offered little in terms of surprises. Saab will have to innovate more if he wishes to keep...
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