Mugler. I can't stand the stiff suits, the heavyness, the shoulder pads. UGH
The 80's in general is an overrated decade by fashion insiders. It was HIDEOUS. At the very moment when fashion should had communicated with the streets, it went back to Dior levels of stiffiness and ladylike bs.
I have such a Love/Hate relationship with the 80’s!
It was an era of terrible personal style for the most part and a lot of hideous things were shown but it was also an era of excess and creativity like no other. It was an era where HF really flourished because all the voices managed to be heard at the same time. The eco-system of fashion changed! The re-introduction of the Japanese through a new way of thinking fashion and a lot of new voices!
And 3 of my favorite designers of all time delivered masterpieces in the 80’s (Azzedine, Gianni and Karl). Obviously, Azzedine became mainstream in the 80s but Gianni! He delivered!!
And it’s weird, I have always preferred the joyful and creative naïveté of the 80’s to the very manufactured early 90’s one. We saw a lot of 80’s designers crumbled when the party was over after the Guf War.
And for a longtime, I hated Mugler and Montana too…Because they were a bit the opposite of Azzedine and Gianni. For me, the woman wasn’t always the main character in their fashion. But they are geniuses! An outstanding body of work!
Leave Hedi and John alone.
Hedi has much legitimate artistic sensibility in his Deco collection as John ever was. Having real artistic credibility is hard to find.
Hedi is an esthète more than a designer to me in a way.
He can never be overrated because he revolutionized menswear and the way men dresses but also because of his influence in the business of fashion, in the most down to earth way….
Hedi has an artistic sensibility similar of an Art Director rather than a fashion designer.
I have always found hypocrite how the French fashion scene treated Tom Ford as opposed to Hedi. They are more of the same tbh. The only difference is that, at some point, Tom had to « prove » that he wasn’t « just a stylist » as a lot of people would say. And I think the last 4 years of his career sealed that badge of honor for him.
Hedi never had to prove himself. He had Jean Jacques Picard and Pierre Bergé as supporters..
Jean Touitou is maybe the only person I can remember who had a different POV regarding his work.
And I love Hedi, don’t get me wrong but the value of his work is esthetic rather than creative.
John Galliano however is a genius too. It’s one thing to be skilled, it’s another thing to be imaginative and frivolous about it. Only the greats have that.
And to touch on Jacquemus, is he even rated? He reminds me so much of Alexander Wang a little bit. So celebrated and supported because of his energy, his look, his aesthetic but at some point, he has to prove himself.
The test for Alexander Wang was Balenciaga. He failed!
Jacquemus now has to prove himself because his last hits are almost 5/6 years old. And I feel like people don’t buy amazing settings no more…
