Muglenchy

Mugler and Givenchy were exciting. Unapologetic, fun, brave, reckless, glamourous, strong, assured, sexy, and thrilling. 

They're the kind of collections that drew me to fashion in the first place. The women who wear these clothes are the kind you see in a store, or on the sidewalk, or at your school picking up their kids, and you just stare. You want to be that woman.

It could be argued that Givenchy was tacky; you know, leopards, pansies, Betty Page, varsity jackets. But the way it was pulled off was more like pop art instead of kitsch. The animal eared riding hats were incredibly chic, and the double layered velvet, leather, and organza skirts the same. The varsity jacket look is often trite, but these had a different proportion, shorter and less bulbous, done in patent leather. They were paired with something other than boyfriend jeans, so they were actually fresh. The skirts were bold, the varsity jackets were bold, and most people would never put the two together; "That's enough for one look, thanks." It reminds me of something I heard Marc Jacobs say (can't remember where) about his Spring 2010 Louis Vuitton collection, along the lines of "Take the fun pieces in your wardrobe and mix them the way you mix basics; like a button down and blazer with pants."

Mugler wasn't a gimmick or Gaga publicity stunt, it was two people who are such good friends and believe in their art so strongly that they collaborate in both of their worlds. Rico is Nicola Formichetti's muse, but then he shows up in "Born This Way". Gaga walks and does the soundtrack for his Mugler show. Her clothes and his collections draw from a similar aesthetic, but are more like cousins than siblings. 

That kind collaboration and friendship are what I believe ultimately makes Facebook so cool (yeah, I changed my mind. More on that later.), and what makes blogs, magazines, art, and fashion so cool. It's all about how people relate to each other. Riccardo Tisci brings a history to this collection, one of living in a broke town with no father form the age of six and eight sisters. In the new S/S 2011 issue of LOVE, Isaac Lock in his piece on Tisci, Friends Like These, says "Tisci's work is unashamedly social. He doesn't mind talking about the composite of people and things that make his work." Because of the life he puts into his work it connects to other lives like a twisted butterfly effect. When we hear about his actual life and look at his work we learn about how he deals with pain by creating, how he views other people by the clothes he chooses to dress them in, and what his life has taught him about being brave and able to take criticism.

Look 2 from Mugler and look 21 from Givenchy. It's such bad quality because it couldn't fit in my scanner....

Illustration: me