SHOW REVIEW: V vs V, VERSACE AND VETEMENTS

August’s edition of British Vogue sees editor-in-chief, Alex Shulman, commenting on modern fashion and the buzz surrounding it: ‘There is more chatter currently surrounding fashion than at almost any other stage in my memory’. She continues by highlighting key topics of conversation including the impact of the digital age, the ‘musical chairs’ of creative directors, and the structure of the fashion calendar. However, what Shulman does not mention is the ongoing war between expression and commercialism. Instagram has brought about a new age of creative direction, where designers such as Olivier Rousteing and Jeremy Scott boast their celebrity allegiance and utilise social media for the purpose of boosting sales. Fashion houses are reliant on commercialism, but when designers are producing clothes purely to sell them can it still be labelled as art? There is a difference between those who create art to please others and those who create art to please no one but themselves - one is an artist one is not. 

When Vetements were invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show this season, there was speculation over whether or not Demna Gvasalia would be moulding his style to fit the polished expectations of couture. However, from the first look he sent down the catwalk it was apparent that this was not the case. Whilst I was slightly disheartened not to have been blessed with a glittering, evening-wear style Vetements, I was glad that Demna had not succumbed to designing for the pleasure of others. Through oversized suit jackets and Juicy Couture one-pieces, Gvasalia marked his territory and proved that a brand need not alter itself in order to appeal to consumers. Nothing about the collection leaned toward stereotypical haute couture, yet as with all things Vetements, I believe it will sell very quickly. 

Looking at the clothes themselves, over-sized minimalism and waist-high boots seem to be what people are remembering. And for good reason, the Manolo Blahnik X Vetements boots were marched down the catwalk in colours ranging from emerald green to hot pink and were paired deliciously with ankle-length gowns that were sheer enough to reveal a charming amount of nipple. Aside from this look, few stood out as innovative since Vetements have already given us four very similar collections. Demna may have remained loyal to the brand’s image, but could it be argued that a deliberate lack of eccentricity resulted in an overall plain collection? 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Donatella Versace indulged us in extravagance. Metallic pastels meant garments glowed as they moved down the catwalk, whilst waves of texture made our senses lustful. Bar some stray strips of extra material, Donatella produced a collection I can say that I like - a rare thing since I don’t often get along with Versace’s (arguably) outdated seductiveness. Donatella herself told style.com that she had wanted to avoid being ‘super-sexy’, resulting in a modernised Versace that will be heading straight to the red carpet. 

Nevertheless, this red carpet allure may be a hole in Donatella’s carefully crafted plan. An almost flawless execution, could it be that Versace has become a fashion house designing to sell? Purposefully sculpting red-carpet-ready gowns so to survive as a business rather than an art outlet? 

Whilst Donatella may have won in relation to expectations of Haute Couture, it is Demna who won in not yielding to the pressure of commercialism. Haute Couture is changing, and whether Vetements be invited back or not, they have made a very valid point: art for the satisfaction of others is not art. 

Versace: Haute Couture a/w 16, pictures taken from style.com.

Vetements: Haute Couture a/w 16, pictures taken from style.com.

IS VETEMENTS 'UNCOOL' NOW ?

Vetements, a French fashion house founded by brothers - Demna and Guram Gvasalia – launched its first collection a mere 24 months ago. Two years and four seasons later the label has become known worldwide as one of the most current and exciting retailers of the moment. How is it they’ve so quickly achieved global recognition, and for that matter, respect enough that gained them an invitation to show at this July’s haute couture week?

As of yesterday, Vetements is the most recent brand to have been invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to produce a collection worthy of couture week and thus the highest scrutiny. Could this be a response to the wave of bloggers that posed the bi-annual question ‘is haute couture dead?’, or perhaps an attempt to modernise and evolve the structure of today's couture? Either way, clothes as edgy and raw as the ones produced by Demna Gvasalia certainly juxtapose the usual ideals of the polished-to-perfection, Elie Saab style couture that we’re used to.

It seems possible to me that the allure of Vetements originates from the house's creative director, Demna Gvasalia - also the current creative director of Balenciaga. During an interview with The Telegraph, Gvasalia emitted an almost rockstar attitude toward the industry with a nonchalance that becomes increasingly respected in today's society, rather than what may be typically known as arrogance. When asked by interviewer, Kate Finnigan, 'what is [Gvasalia] trying to say with Vetements?', the frivolity of his reply only added to his sense of cool: '"Not really much" he shrugs' ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/demna-gvasalia-on-race-that-dhl-t-shirt-and-why-he-wouldnt-pay-f/ ). 

This carefree nonchalance so clearly seen throughout his collections may work for ready-to-wear, but will the same be said for haute couture aw16, a season reliant on precision and care? Perhaps. Since although Vetements takes pride in its imprecision, Gvasalia was able to prove his intricacy skills with his debut collection for Balenciaga last season. He evidenced that Demna Gvasalia is not only capable of oversized rockstar, but of oversized elegance too. Industry critics raved about the success of the show and in Sarah Mower's, style.com, review she implied Balenciaga would be 'every woman's new label'. 

When a fashion house is as eagerly anticipated and sought after as Vetements, there is no doubt that the public seek out opportunity to poke holes in such success. Whilst many questioned the legality of the now infamous ‘DHL’ logo t-shirt, one mistake was harder to justify: for the two years that Vetements have been producing clothes, only once in their history have they cast a model of non-white origin. The debut collection for Balenciaga may have been a hit with critics, yet it caused controversy by reenforcing stereotypes and failing to show any kind of diversity on the catwalk. When questioned about the issue during Kate Finnigan's interview, the creative director attempted to warrant his decisions with allusions to Donald Trump and his own Georgian background 'where [race] is not even an issue'. A statement that seems to have only puzzled us further. 

But legal matters and catwalk diversity are not the company's only troubles. It is often the case that when something classed 'cool', becomes popular in society it loses its respected title: resulting in the most talked about clothes of the year being labelled with the dreaded 'mainstream' tag. It's ironic that if everyone is wearing it, it's no longer considered fashionable. Similar to when you find an edgy musician with only 6000 twitter followers but before you know it they've had three number 1s and are a judge on The Voice. 

This week, Lorde decided via Twitter that 'Vetements is uncool now'. We can assume this was a response to the brand's apparent lack of diversity, however, Lorde could've have been saying what we've been thinking: that with the more people becoming aware of Vetements, the more it loses its cool and gains a whole new audience. 

- IVD