A spring season of spectacle and overt sexiness, designers embraced their craft and gave into their whimsical side; there was something for everyone in a season of contrasts, including the return to dressing women for the multi-faceted way they live their lives today.
by Angela Baidoo
The spring 2023 fashion show season from Paris, Milan, London, and New York will be remembered for the two major events which book-ended both the start and end of the season. One a somber reminder of service and legacy (one that many have acknowledged comes with a problematic link to colonialism), and the other a controversy that went beyond the boundaries of using fashion as a medium for self-expression – namely the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the White Live Matter T-shirts worn during Ye’s (aka Kanye West’s) YZYSZN9 runway show.
These events cast a shadow across a season that was brimming with debuts at Ferragamo and Etro, celebrations with Fendi in New York marking the iconic Baguette bags 25th anniversary, and a punk spirit returning to the runway as designers – old and new – created collections made to disrupt and challenge the status quo (were these clothes made for wearing or exhibiting?).
A welcome return to craft, whether technology-led or traditional, was on display as we saw why (at Bottega Veneta and Coperni) those luxury price tags are justified, as nowhere else will you see a spray-on dress or flannel shirt that has been so worked into you would never know it is actually made of leather.
And lastly, there was a resounding rallying cry to ‘get naked’ as models were sent down runway after runway, wearing less and less; from Poster Girl in London to Ottolinger in Paris, designers were reflecting the times – the world is on fire so why not party – and reflecting the times – women’s bodily autonomy has been challenged to breaking point, so why not take back the one thing they can control?
It all made for a much-needed dose of fun and spectacle – which Gucci ‘doubled’ down on – during a rollercoaster summer season. So, here at The Impression, we present the key talking points of the season that we have dissected and analyzed.
THE ECSTASY OF ESCAPISM
As the world settles into this so-called ‘New Normal,’ where chaos is commonplace, escapism – physically, virtually, and yes, even though fashion – has become a common thread across the big four, and ‘Destination Dressing’ continues its dominance regardless of the season. We are already seeing how designers are peppering their pre-fall and fall collections with options for impromptu getaways, and it’s a shrewd move, as this is the way consumers are shopping today, looking to brands to provide them with options year-round.
Max Mara’s Ian Griffiths swept us out to sea with his revivalist collection inspired by Riviera Style. With volumes dialed all the way up, pants (influenced by Renée Perle’s sailor style) were a key talking point, especially as he chose a natural linen burlap for the fabric. Fast becoming an industry leader in inclusive design, the Ester Manas teams ‘Sunset Body’ collection was a ‘trip’ for the senses as their signature shirred fabric bounced with fervour; we also got a glossy new iteration, as well as thigh-high splits and subversive swimwear. It will be interesting to see how the brand evolves its offer in seasons to come; as much as we saw with Chet Lo in London, the introduction of a broader range of textures may be deemed necessary to avoid editors becoming complacent. Michael Kors brought us a hedonistic homage to lands south of the border, which felt like a siesta in some places, yes it was well executed, but many contemporary brands are emerging that are referencing the master of all-American glamour and challenging him at much lower price points.
A HISTORY LESSON
The body as muse saw many reaching back into the history books, to the 17th and late 18th centuries to be precise. In response to boundaries constantly being overstepped, designers came up with a way to enact a physical ring of protection, and voila, we got both the pannier skirt and crinoline trending. It should come as no surprise as the corset has been popular for some seasons now, so it would seem a natural progression for the trend for contortion to work its way down the body.
Loewe presented possibly the most wearable fit-and-flare dress with more of a shelf-like construction, while over at Dior, the historical shape was restyled for the next generation in ultra-minis and paper-bag waist maxi skirts modernized with matching bralettes. In New York, Monse showed how the style was not just befitting of the female form and opted to dress male models in full-skirted looks with cropped hoodies too.
Although not the strongest show on the Paris calendar, in that there were one too many ideas per outfit (look 9 was a cropped top that was puffed at the hem, affixed with a cape, and had the unnecessary addition of braces), a highlight of Charles de Vilmorin’s outing for Rochas was the tiger-print chiffon pannier skirt.
DARK TIMES CALL FOR DARK MEASURES
You would never guess that what we have just witnessed was a summer season. As dark palettes of cognac, aubergine, and black-on-black were only sporadically punctuated by the colour of the season – neon green dominated. There was also the looming economic climate/climate change crisis which a few brave souls decided to tackle head-on – fashion for going out in style, if you will.
Staring head-on into the abyss, rather than forgoing reality, Balenciaga’s current Creative Director Demna – who has had first-hand experience with war when he fled the 1993 civil war in Georgia at 12 years old – chose to physically manifest the dark times ahead. Collaborating with Spanish artist Santiago Sierra (whose work is renowned for tackling social issues from immigrant poverty to the exploitation of the labourer) for the cavernous mud-filled set – the thawed landscape from Demna’s snow-filled Fall 2022 landscape perhaps – which the designer referenced as a metaphor “for digging for the truth and being down to earth,” or as down to earth as you can be for a luxury brand. As a way to get readied for a dystopian future, there was not much in the way of utilitarian fare, which begs the question as to whether the set was a mere prop rather than a fully explored narrative linked to the collection being shown.
Over in London, the unexpected news of the death of the country’s longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, put a hard stop to proceedings for some, as both Burberry and Raf Simons, due to show on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th of September, respectfully, decided to pull out and reschedule. While the British Fashion Council implored the industry – from the editors to buyers who had made the journey to the city, which in the past had often been skipped in favour of heading straight to Milan – to stay on and support the designers as shows were hastily moved to the day after the State funeral. A highlight of this was Richard Quinn’s collection, which featured no less than 22 opening looks in black as a fitting tribute to the somber mood. Conscious of the fact that this was still to be a collection that would need selling in less than six months, Quinn cleverly ensured many of the looks would translate as a classic LBD or embroidered swing coat sans veil.
CREATIVITY BRINGS FORTH DISRUPTIVE ENERGY
Make no mistake, between the headline-grabbing events and guest appearances (Cher popped up at both Balmain and Rick Owens, as did Janet Jackson at Thom Browne, and Jerry Seinfeld and Jeff Koons at Stella McCartney), there were designers who chose to focus on their craft, and when they did there was a disruptive energy that could be felt reverberating long after they had taken their final bow.
In only his second showing for the Italian fashion house, Matthieu Blazy is proving his metal at Bottega Veneta. Titled “Perverse Banality,” the show was anything but, subverting banality maybe, as a tie-in with 82-year-old Italian designer, artist, and architect Gaetano Pesce set the mood with a trippy hyper-coloured resin floor and show chairs, which elevated the hand-drawn to make each one unique and served to get the show-goers into the right headspace for the soulful craftsmanship which was to follow.
The designer presented Bottega for kicking back, for going back to the office, and for a wedding brunch. Wardrobe dressing that could walk off the runway and into the closet, not one-off gimmicks for clicks. The punk spirit also came alive at Weinsanto (trained at both Y/Project and Jean Paul Gaultier); having studied ballet in a previous life, he brought that performance training out in his show. His muses and models walked – making the inclusion of diverse body shapes seem effortless – a show that cohesively mixed adaptable utility with Y2K layering and a historical nod to the 1800s, no mean feat, which makes Victor a promising young designer to watch.
It goes without saying that Coperni’s Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer pulled a bit of a fashion week coup with their finale look, as Manel Torres of Fabrican Ltd made magic – morphing liquid into solid onto Bella Hadid’s body – with their ‘fabric from a can’ technology (watch the full fashion film here). The model scouts were also working overtime at this year’s Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, as Milanese designers dabbled in a little duplicity. Both Gucci and Sunnei employed 95 sets of twins (68 at Gucci and 27 at Sunnei) between them, walking simultaneously between a wall dividing the audience at Gucci, or appearing from within the crowd in normal garb and then – Clark Kent into Superman-style – via a revolving door reappear in a full Sunnei look. This was showmanship and creativity at its finest.
SEX FOR SALE
As if in preparation for the soaring temperatures we are set to experience in summers going forward, designers have responded by dropping necklines and raising hemlines. In a move to entice and empower, more flesh was on show than has been in recent seasons, which could be trending as women choose to take back control of their bodies in any and every way they can. Brands who executed this particularly well range from Poster Girl, founded by Francesca Capper and Natasha Sommerville; they truly embody their brand and its ‘Sexcore’ overtones, they encourage women to wear their sexuality on their sleeve, and there is plenty of opportunity to do just that in their signature lace knits with circular cut-outs, that was joined this season with latex in a range of pastel tones – sexy and sweet.
Ottolinger mixed in tougher biker elements with deconstructed tailoring and barely-there bikinis, which worked together through a palette of graphic black, white, and cobalt. This brand is for the edgier girl who is an extreme-sports fanatic by day and party girl by night. Nensi Dojaka, a firm favourite on the London calendar since her debut, showed how occasionwear could be modernised; with her familiar multi-ties and cut-outs feeling more organic this season, she kept the sex-appeal going with shimmery surfaces, animal prints, and sheers. Even managed to include a dress that was produced from sustainable fabrics, so sustainability is the New Sexy after all.
FAIRYTALES AND FOIBLES
As a welcome antidote, some designers chose to disappear completely to a land far, far away, tapping into the world of Disney or Lewis Caroll; there were live-action versions of real-life princesses and stages set for a fantasy. Thom Browne’s re-imagining of Cinderella took the top prize for theatrics as he merged elements of the animated classic with high-school varsity; there was an introduction before proceedings performed by Gwendoline Christie, who warned us that Mr. Browne liked to tell long stories and long it was, with extended gaps occurring between each ‘act.’ One front-rower even made the daring decision to make a dash for the exit lest miss their next show. The halting production aside, the spectacle was enough to keep all engaged, and despite the actual collection looking more aligned with a couture show – voluminous opera coats adorned with rosettes and a double-puff hemmed coat with gold embroidery – it was a fine bit of storytelling.
Over in London and Central Saint Martin’s alumnus, Susan Fang’s creations would not have looked out of place in a Hans Christian Andersen fairy-tale, with her confections in tulle that could have floated the models away. Instead, they were precariously balanced atop a leisure pool in London’s Soho. Her use of multi-layers of sheers represented ‘rays of light and hope’ which happened to be most fitting, as the show followed the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. There was also a fun partnership with Crocs that were styled with 3D-printed flowers, which would be the perfect modern accessory for stomping around a wonderland.
CURRENT AFFAIRS AND THEIR NEGATIVE CURRENCY
Toward the tail-end of Paris Fashion Week, a last-minute presentation by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) was shoe-horned into the schedule and attended by a select number of editors and celebrities (and anyone else who could figure out the location, which, judging by the crowds outside was not a hard task, being that it was minutes away from the Arc de Triomphe). Ye has been consistently vocal this past year – with accusations of harassing his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, and threats to quit his partnership with GAP – with many inside and outside the industry choosing to appease or ignore him completely. But what could not be ignored was the very clear and deliberate statement made on the night of the YZY SZN9 show. To the disbelief of showgoers, Ye came out wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt. A phrase identified as hate speech by the Anti-Defamation League and used by White Supremacists as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement. As a graphic T-shirt, it and its message were hard to miss, as following the show, it went viral, along with the celebrities who walked out of the show and a very public bullying row aimed at Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, whose role it is to critique, yet was singled out by Ye with a series of derogatory tweets. Overshadowing the show entirely, Ye’s backing and in-effect promotion of hate speech in the wake of the events of 2020 is not something he will be able to defend or explain away, not when black lives are still being disproportionality harmed, marginalized, and ignored not but two short years on.
A few days later, Adidas announced it was reviewing its contract with the rapper/designer following the backlash, and at this point, you have to wonder if the public, fans, and followers were not pawns in one of Ye’s twisted games to get out of his contract and take back control of his brand. Only time will tell.
I AM WOMAN
A special mention has to go out to the designers who were designing for the way women want to dress today, from The Row’s beautifully curated selection of wear-forever coats, relaxed tailoring, and cocoon silhouettes that moved on the 90s minimalism conversation to Saint Laurent’s rich palette of long-over-long floor sweeping coats and knitted dresses for the moneyed millennial, and Victoria Beckhams well received Paris debut where she presented an accomplished layering of subtle sexiness, updating the classic slip dress with off-kilter fringing and even featuring branded intimates.
The utilitarian theme, which finally recognises a woman’s need for pockets in her everyday comings and goings, seemed like a revelation on the runway, but is in fact, something that has been severely lacking in fashion terms for decades, so the multi-pocketed jackets and skirts at Miu Miu will be a practical addition that will resonate.