Is Paris Afraid Of Failure?

As I begin my post/rant I think it would be beneficial (fun too) to watch this video. It talks about Paris's new generation of designers. The video is an extract from a programme that I watched over at Style Bubble. You're welcome to check out the entire thing. (This clip is the fourth one down)

As far as I'm aware Paris doesn't have any sponsorship programmes so the designers are almost set to fail from the start unless they are able to finance it themselves. London has Fashion East and Fashion Fringe; also the press are keen to see who the next trendsetter will be. Basically: there's no snobbery towards the unknown.

This program confirmed that indeed Paris has some amazing talent. If monetary funds were available for them to fall back on, I believe even more would surface to smell the fashion world. Amongst the brilliant names mentioned, it was Alexandre Vauthier that really caught my eye. He has a talent, that is clear from only a few images of his collection. And yet , still, no help.

Is Paris afraid of failure? The city has status and the designers have power. The reviews overall are always positive. No one would dare say a bad word against Chanel or Gaultier. The new designers, sometimes, get a time slot to attempt success but the fashion crowd (power players) don't bother showing up. I think it is the fear that someone attempts a creation that's outside Paris's high standards. In the future, I hope Paris takes a chance on the talent that is holed up in apartments trying to get exposure.

P.S. Ironically as I write this post I am also watching Rihanna perform on Jonathan Ross wearing Alexandre Vauthier and I remember that she's sporting his dress in the video for Russian Roulette. Maybe whilst the fashion crowd ignore the talent, the celebrities can use their powers of advertising to promote the new (true? as in non-commercial, slightly wilder) talent.

I'll Meet You At The Barn

Wow..this was certainly unexpected. Who knew that Karl Lagerfeld had a thing for barns? It's actually quite exciting, not him having a thing for barns, but as a concept which Lagerfeld executed amazingly par the shoes. Lily Allen perfomed! You may recall that her video for 'It's Not Fair' was also set in a barn-type of studio so perhaps her and Lagerfeld got together and decided it would oh-so-ironic to share the concept although it could be a fluke, you decide!
Ok, so the shoes. The first part of the collection featured milk-maid clog type of things which was so out of sync with the brand's image my eyes didn't know where to look. On the bright side, just about every look was pure Chanel but cuter. Yes, the word cute is exactly what is needed to describe it as it is paired back Chanel, one that has let it's hair down and rolled about in the hay.
The gowns were of a relaxed glamour that create effortless lines around the body with sheerness to express the naughtier attitude of the Chanel girl this season. The hemlines were flirtaciously thigh-skimming whilst the ivory colours kept it day-light friendly. As always we didn't see a whole lot of colour variation but the man tried with some red outfits aswell as some denim and a small bunch of floral prints -injected as youthful touches.
Another season and another hit (the shoes improved as the show went on) all thanks to Karl's ever evolving vision that doesn't compromise on heritage. The clothes seemed much more 'girl' than 'woman', arguably the main client of the brand, still he should not worry since most women want youthfully tastefull clothes.

Recycled Material

Let me open with this statement: I wasn't offended by what I saw. OK, now that I broke out the positive let me dwell on something else: bloody boho. Why is it that every single spring somebody just HAS to produce something boho-inspired...Tired, my eyes, so tired. Having seen Isabel Marants a/w show something convinced me to like the clothes and look forward to the fresh ideas on the runway. Instead we have Kate Moss's casual looks (which I love on Kate Moss) shows to us on the runway. There was a fur coat(!), raggedy looking striped skirt, neon pink dresses (!!!) and strange denimy-trousers. Some items are nice like the odd blazer or t-shirt dress and I am kind of loving the skinny scarves however everything else is just painfully mediocre.
Anyone with me?