A Cykic Review "Au Revoir Paris"

Paris Fashion Week may have wrapped up yesterday, but I'm not quite done reminiscing about my favored collections. By no means do only four looks cut it from the entire designer's assemblage, but I felt it important to see my most adored ensembles. I mean this is "Cykic Obsessions".

While nothing truly hatched on the runway, the embroidered Fabergé egg motifs incubated during Balmain's presentation. A couture approach took center stage with the use of thousands of pearls and crystals. This being designer Olivier Rousteing's second show for Balmain, proved that youth and effortless style are leading the way for this 26 year-old. 

Disagree all you want, although I know I'm right, Isabel Marant nails it season every season. For fall, Marant kept her consistent Parisian vibe, but paired it with savvy cowgirl flair.  Being originally from Texas and despising cowboy boots, this one collection will have me coming back for more. Western wear is usually exceptionally tacky, but a lá Marant there was a southern ease I'm willing to sink my teeth into.

While Alber Elbaz always gives me reason to want one look after the next, his tenth year at Lanvin had me roaring more! more! more! The beautiful body enhancing contours, elements of glitz, and doses of darkness gave me the chills of the best kind. Not the anxiety ridden ones, but chills that leave you energized and evoke euphoria. Lets just say Lanvin gets me high.

Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton elates a certain beauty that no other designer can emulate. By no means was this one of the more wearable collections that could easily be seen at an awards show or charity gala, but it was craftsmanship at a superior level. Burton simply summed up her collection to fashion journalist Tim Blanks in three measures, "A beautiful future, positivity, and optimism". Burton also acknowledged that she pushed herself more this season. Truth be told, she picked the perfect words and created a breathtaking show.

I think it's fair to say that while Rochas is no question a Parisian brand, it brings a certain New York City sensation. Designer Marco Zanini told Style.com's Nicole Phelps that the collection has, "a certain disregard for quiet good taste." While it may seem as-if Zanini is claiming disdain upon his own work, I read it as the woman who wear his clothing don't care about the latest goods, she'll model whatever she pleases, whether tasteful or not.

"The Stella woman is about balance," Stella McCartney told Style.com. Merging day and night, night and day, you can easily tell that any woman would want to mirror the "Stella" persona. The vivid pigments and graphic tailoring shot my anxiety to a high knowing that I would have to wait a whole six months until I can plaster these ensembles to my body. I guess the waiting will be worth my while, given this is a definite Cykic Obsession.

Au Revoir Paris in addition to Fashion Week.  Can't wait for fall campaigns, superb outerwear, elevating booties and carefree knits. But don't expect any subdued criticism, just because the collections have ended for the season doesn't mean I don't have anything to say.

"Style is never safe and neither are my opinions."

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "Print On, Print On, Print"

As Paris fashion week comes to an end, it closed in the tradition of showing the final knockouts that industry insiders get revved up for. The finale consisted of Louis Vuitton, Elie Saab and Miu Miu. While LV and Saab have definite appeal,  I always look forward to Miu Miu's collection. And once again I was satisfied by the eclectic array of ensembles. One by one the Miu Miu rainbow took center stage with printed pantsuits, shift dresses with mirrored embroideries, clashing patterns that took over blouses, scarves and wide ties, and python platform loafers and boots. While I would wear about 75% of the looks,  it felt like an extension of Prada fall 2012. By by no means is this a bad thing, but I would have liked some differentiation.  Miuccia Prada manages to separate her brands every season so what was different about this one?

A very loyal fan I am to Miu Miu

But...

I question the corresponding collection.

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "Optimal Utilization of Color"

Phoebe Philo never does anything half-assed. Doubling down to a presentation and soon to give birth, Philo stuck to her sophisticated, streamlined edge and gave it an enchanting pop of color.  Maybe it was the baby blues, but this felt very experimental in terms of pigment, and of course worked remarkably. Brightly colored fur tends to have a cheap factor, but when done right, it's stunning and essential for the upcoming season.  Leather elements came in all the right places, a sleeve here, a collar there, a panel here and wrap belt there, it was undeniably well-balanced. I've come to find that outerwear is a definite strength of the brands (well along with everything else), but the coats have a distinct effortless quality. Don't even get me started on those gold metallic slight wedge, minor heel combobulation.

Three days left of Paris, who knows what to come...

But, Celine is my #1 for this season.

No Question.  

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "A Tilda Swinton Modus Operandi"

Nicole Phelps of Style.com said it best, "The waisted silhouettes that were the results of all that draping were the best he's ever done—a spot-on mixture of the sublime and the salable, and he's got the most sophisticated color sense of anyone in Paris." He, being Haider Ackermann, gives a pop of a color a unique finesse, fabrications a raw abstraction, and silhouettes a flawless execution. Look by look I was floored by the stunning features of collection. 

Thank you Haider Ackermann for continuing to push the envelope.

While the rest of the industry stays consistent and at times blasé, you impress piece by piece, detail by detail.

Now that I have continuously praised your creations...

Can I have one?

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "Asian, Parisien Lux"

I don't know where to begin. Dries Van Noten literally had me falling slide by slide.  The plethora of prints on the surface of silk coats, dresses blouses and skirts had my eyes wandering from one ensemble to the next. While Dries delved into the Asian vaults from the Victoria and Albert Museum, he gathered inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean costumes and reinterpreted them digitally. Masculine tailoring contrasted with bright colors made for a beautiful collection. The balance of luxury and utility is apparent in Dries Van Noten's work.

I'm eating up this Asian, Parisien lux.

I adore.

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "Thank God for London's Katrantzou"

This is what I'm talking about. Mary Katrantzou kept her vision true to her design aesthetic, but brought in new motifs, fabrications and silhouettes. She delved into pants and knits while still staying genuine to her signature ornate dresses. Katrantzou found inspiration in household items using clothes hangers and rotary dials in her prints. Genius, I know. She took it one step further collaborating with embroidery house Lesage resulting in surreal creations, such as hundreds of yellow eraser-tipped pencils sewn onto a tulip-shaped skirt of a silk dress. The girl can do no wrong.


I expect Anna Dello Russo to purchase a majority of the collection and style it straight off the runway since she can't seem to put her designer ensembles together effortlessly.
*Cykic

A Cykic Review "London's Half-Assed Novelties"

Christopher Kane always manages to make wearable ensembles with interesting fabrications. As always, I'd love to own most of these pieces, but Kane didn't construct anything new. He stuck with the same silhouette and similar iridescent textiles from last season. It's always a bit of a bummer when you're not wowed by one of your favorite designers.

Erdem effortlessly and consistently puts the ever so popular floral print into his workings. For fall 2012 he again used the monogamous blossoms. Like, Christopher Kane there was nothing fresh in terms of design structure.  Again, I'd gladly take a majority of pieces from this slightly equivalent collection from last season, but I won't be burning a hole in my pocket, which is a good and bad thing.

Listen closely Mr. Pilotto, I'm always a lover of your tie-dye, splatter paint compositions, but why would you use an almost identical color palette from spring? The puffer coats were a new addition, but still the collection in it's entirety is an almost carbon copy of last seasons designs. It's wonderful to have a specialty and to be well known by your niche, but you've got to give us something regenerated.

You three can do better, I know it. I'm sure Christopher Kane, Erdem, and Peter Pilotto's pieces will have their heydey in fall fashion spreads, but the corresponding collections won't have a steady run. 

I speak the truth out of pure love.

*Cykic

A Cykic Review "Love at First Sight"

I have no words. Okay that's a lie, I always have something to say. Proenza Schouler had me tearing up, literally. The red textured woven leather, the wide (what looked to be a textured linen) legged pants, the embroidered brocade, gold hints of metallic, navy quilted fencing coats, sea foam green silk letter-men jackets with baby hummingbirds, and brown pony hair clutches...need I say more? I was sensing a Nicolas Ghesquiére vibe, but it was still very much the Proenza girl that every season I want to be.

*Cykic