Wang vs Wang: Pre-Fall 2010

In this corner: the new darling of downtown fashion, whose front row glistens with fresh-faced starlets and design ingénues – or at least their trendy hangers-on. A developing talent, each season he takes a stronger foothold in the fashion industry. His work is focused and confident, but will he be a survivor?

And in that corner: the fashion heavyweight who needs no introduction. A great New York man once said “You want pasta, you go to Little Italy. You want bridal, you go Wang.” While her dominance of the bridal market for the last 20 years is undeniable, her RTW collections are diverse and fearlessly experimental.

Who will win the War of the Wangs? Find out as we compare their presentations for Pre-Fall 2010. Pre-Fall is often the moment when designers experiment with new ideas. What better platform could their be for examining these two, who are the very definition of avant-garde?


First Look Out
Vera opened with a jacket and knee sock ensemble, evoking a cavalier, private-school badgirl; Alexander showed a belted jacket, coupled with skinny pants which remained a motif throughout the collection.
Vera: 1
Alexander: 0


Blazer

Vera's version went in a tuxedo direction, with peaked lapels; Alexander showed his talent for shifting proportion with this elongated, extreme low-stance interpretation.

Vera: 1

Alexander: 1

Girly

Vera embellished a 1920s silhouette with various textures; Alexander went for sleek, effortless cool by mixing culottes with strapless.
Vera: 1
Alexander: 2

LBD

While both Wang LBDs featured assymetrical draping, Vera's was soft, dynamic and alluring; Alexander's was vampy and assertive.
Vera: 2
Alexander: 2
Coats

A great coat is all about detailing (after cut, of course). I loved the furry pockets on Vera's wool parka and the creative draw-string waist on Alexander's city slicker.

Vera: 3

Alexander: 2

Off the shoulderBlame the 80s revival, shoulders are the new erogenous zone. Vera's interpretation was deconstructed and architectural; Alexander created a look which was both casual and sophisticated.

Vera: 3
Alexander: 3

In the end, I could not choose between a legend and a prodigy, so I put it to you: which Wang holds more space in your heart and closet?

Was I the only one...

... underwhelmed by Alexander McQueen's showing for Spring 2010? I'm used to him breaking through limits of form and redefining construction, while delivering fully developed statements. The collection didn't seem especially innovative, other than the footwear:

I guess it's unfair of me to expect him to outdo himself every time out. Still, it made me miss the theatricality of his past shows, for which he was occasionally chastised. Spring/Summer 1999 literally took my breath away:

NOTE added February 18th, 2008: Alexander McQueen died one week ago today. Some people were surprised that I didn't blog about it immediately, and to be honest, I feel strange writing about it now. I thought about compiling and posting my favourite McQueen pieces, but memorialization feels like a callous exercise to me right now. It's hard to explain the grief over someone whom you never met, yet who profoundly influenced your aesthetic outlook. McQueen's work was more than fashion to me. It was a glimpse at something transcendent, visceral and above all, beautiful. He created the kind of otherworldly beauty that made me wonder and dream. My clumsy words are flat and lifeless against what they deign to describe.

One of my most closely cherished dreams was to one day see a McQueen show live. I think I am mourning the death of that dream and grappling with the fact that there will never be another collection to behold.

I leave my criticisms of his last collection, above, unchanged. My words reflect the fact that I never compared, nor could ever compare, Alexander McQueen to any other designer; I could only compare him to himself. The critique proves that you never appreciate what you have until it's gone. I certainly feel that way, and am sure that history will eclipse my remarks as his last collection becomes edified as his greatest.

I mourn in the most selfish way, in grief for my own loss. I hope that Mr. McQueen has found the peace he sought.