Monday, February 16, 2009

disappointment tastes bitter

I'll expound upon this later, but I just wanted to ask: who else was disappointed by Alexander Wang's collection? (My hand is raised, very high, and might possibly be waving frantically.)

I saw it last night on style.com and couldn't have been more bored. There were a handful of looks - and literally, five - that were worth their weight in fabric. I know he's considered a demigod in the blogosphere with only a handful of bloggers brave enough to question his "brilliance" (ahem, luxirare), but honestly, is he really all that great?

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Like these looks. They're all so bland. An oversized sweater, an oversized white oxford, and leather jackets with leather leggings. All of these looks can be replicated (if wanted) at a fraction of the price it would cost to buy an Alexander Wang label. And in these economic hardships, can you really call any of them investment pieces?

With that said, I'm not going to deny that he does have the ability to create some really nice things. I thought the blazer that's linked in chains by the shoulders was quite clever, and the sequin dress with emphasized shoulders is beautiful. And the bralette with a cropped jacket paired with high waisted pants with grommets (or safety pins?) is nice, albeit a bit reminiscent of his pre-spring collection.

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But it wasn't enough to render THIS collection into any type of masterpiece. Maybe he got complascent after winning the CFDA award. Maybe he was just straight up tired and used up all his good ideas. I don't think that a designer should feel obliged to make consistent hit collections. Nobody's able to operate like that. I just hate when people make something into something that it's not. Yes, Alexander Wang has had some great collections (Fall '08 being one of the best I've ever seen), but his Spring '09 is no godsend.

credits: style.com

13 comments:

  1. Hmm - I was never a big fan of alexander wang and personally never understood the fascination, but to each their own because I know most people probably wouldn't agree with some of my choices either. But, I do have to say that I was definitely underwhelmed. I was like huh? And I think the silence of posting about this recent collection on the blogosphere is a huge echo as to how many people don't really like this collection either. I know during Spring 2009 there were like 500 hundred posts that very day on hwo brilliant the collection was.

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  2. Personally, I look to Wang for DIY inspiration, but nothing else. I've seen DIYs for almost every notable article of clothing from almost all of his recent collections, but I'd have to agree with you that there's no point in actually investing in anything AW - there are plenty of lower-budget stores (American Apparel, H&M, Zara, etc.) that have more flattering versions of his designs.

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  3. i think he is talented but yes I do question all of the hype surrounding him. God knows I own a ton of his clothes-- I don't know if I will buy it anymore.
    Agreed with you on this collection, I expected more.

    Thanks for the link.

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  4. I totally agree with Farren, I never readdy got what all the hullaballo about Alexander Wang was about... the sparkly dress in the last picture is kinda sweet though. I dig it!

    ~F

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  5. I totally agree with you. I mean, a designer can't be perfect, but I think this collection was a bit bland - or basically just more of the same. Hopefully he'll be more inspired for next season!

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  6. yes EBAY. hahah howd u know? They don't sell real monkey fur anymore, its illegal to use monkey fur, but I bought a plain monkey fur jacket and then just took it apart and made them into strips. Expensive but totally worth it. I'm really not getting this obsession with A wang and i FEEL like I have every right to say this because like I OWN SO MUCH alex wang but really I don't get why people think he is a god. He's not BALMAIN! whatever, we're smart everyone can fuck it.
    Anyway, the dress i ordered from ELUXURY that yOU TOLD ME ABOUT is coming march 3..did you order it too?!

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  7. I would wear his clothes (though not the way he styles it), but there really isn't anything spectacular about it... You could find it in your closet or at a thrift store. Again, I think it's all about the styling and his it girl and how everyone else hypes him up. My favorite thing about his collection was the space ship looking silver cuff. When I first saw it a week ago I LOVED it, but when I found out it was by him, I kinda didn't love it because there seems to be so much jumping on the bandwagon with his items. And I agree about your comment on Threeasfour, their shit is awesome, I looove how they play with fabrics. Their swirly fire print for spring 09 was amazing.

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  8. I've been a crazy AW fan, but that's mainly because I'm not in general so very up-to-date on these designers. Buy anyway, I can't say that those first looks you showed are in any way spectacular, indeed.

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  9. I personally think Alexander Wang is a great stylist but a mediocre designer. He does strike gold designing from time to time like THAT see through dress, but his greatest strength is the way he styles his pieces.

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  10. I think he was lucky enough to be part of a zeitgeist. I actually kind of resent him for helping to popularise dressing like a punk for preppy bloggers everywhere. I mean, holy shit, if you're going to try to pretend to be 'ard, at least tone down the tooth-bleaching a notch and maybe skip a session on the tanning bed.

    (You're an anglophile? You're in luck, then. I speak like a gruff Mary Poppins and I like beer with ev-er-y-thing)

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  11. you know i love me some alexander wang (almost wrote i love wang. ha, too easy.) but i am about to vomit all over the 80s/early 90s influence everywhere. frankly, i'm bored by everyone this season!

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  12. I think I actually got turned off by AW once the blogosphere went completely ape shit over anything with his name on it. I mean honestly how many "STUD YOUR BAG/JEANS/ANYTHING THAT MOVES DIYs" do we need.
    I liked the layering of textures for some of the looks, but thats about it.

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  13. I usually look forward to Wang's shows. I'm usually never impressed by the individual pieces, but I love how his shows are styled.

    Anyways, I do agree with you. This show was mediocre at best. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks so.

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