Manny King John
This season while catching up on the Fall 2014 collections, I found myself inordinately bored with all the neutral colors, luxury tweeds, and wool fabrics of the suited and booted designs alike. Usually, I’m excited to write a synopsis of what’s going on in the fashion world but this season there were some very relevant highs but a vast amount of lows. Keeping in mind, it could be the effects of this over-extended winter season setting a mood, and making the task of looking at more cold weather pieces monotonous at best… Still, I found myself waiting for something to warm me up and jump out at me. Needless to say it did. Steaming hot, and bold, Anthony Vaccarello’s Fall 2014 collection immediately raised the bar and wiped out my dreary winter woes. Vaccarello credits famed American Fashion and Beauty Illustrator Tony Viramontes as his core inspiration. Most popular in Europe and during the 1970’s, Viramontes’ graphic illustrations were renderings of garments artistic expression, which happens to be the ingredient Vaccarello captured with his collection. The ingredient that successfully thawed the frigid emptiness of the season and left a lasting impression.
Undeniably Hot Hardware
If you’ve been watching the trends you are probably tired of animal print and camoflouge (as I am), but somehow it lives on in many high end and main stream collections. While I’ve been waiting for the animal craze to breathe it’s last breath, Anthony Vaccarello gave it life again – with undeniably, innovative and sculptured metal leopard grommets. He took the soon to be relic trend, recreated it, and brought it to us in a bold new way in the form of applique hardware. Aside from the hardware, Vaccarello’s silhouettes spoke of the retro inspired illustrations of Viramontes’ art without getting predictable. In fact the influences of sculpture and expression melded well with Vaccarello’s unique vision of sexiness.
Balance and Beauty
The collection had an array of silhouettes, ranging from cool pleated looks finished with grand shearling coats, to sexy barely there mini dresses that raised the temperature an octave. While turtleneck dickies warmed the ladies to a T, and finished off all the combinations successfully. Vaccarello’s subtle leopard burnout inserts made us wild (in a good way) and brought a well rounded cohesiveness to the collection. Vaccarello finished his lengthy pieces with signature high slits, this time giving you the option to bare if you dare with off-center button closures leisurely drawing your eyes up the length of the leg to the waistline. You get the idea, subtle and hot, balancing retro androgyny with modernistic beauty and sex appeal.
The Color of Expression
While the colors red and black appears on many runways, it really never gets old. These colors always signify and emanate a bold, daring, passionate and fiery emotion. Always. We expect to see more of it in luxury and mainstream brands. Don’t think so? Try to imagine this collection in any other palette and the impression it leaves would not be as memorable. Surely Vaccarello knew this at the onset, just as we knew his collection was a hit as soon as we laid eyes on it!
