AUTUMN MISTS

October 1st feels like the perfect day to take a peek at Gareth Pugh's new collection. Even though it's meant for spring, everything about it--the subtle grey shades, the enveloping yet sinister shapes--gives it his trademark Gothic/graveyard/ghoul-queen air. Naturally, I love it! Finally, a designer who took an already pretty great but heavily played-out idea (bandage dressing) and did something new, interesting and yet beautifully wearable with it. Unlike Pugh's earlier, more sci-fi creations, these dresses and sweeping cloak-jackets have a slightly more gentle, feminine feel, just right for the new season. Beautiful! What poison apple do I have to eat to get my hands on one of these?!

I didn't post any of the menswear pieces (although, if Style.com is to believed, it's all womenswear but modeled by some [okay pretty hot] guys), mainly because there was too much good stuff in this show to post it all. The fencing/armor-looking jackets--like this one:



--were particularly good, if obvious Rick Owens-alikes. Speaking of whom... can't wait for his show! Goths in Paris, you make lovin' fun.

Oh, and... the less said of the new Rochas collection, the better. Clearly, the bottom line does have to come first in the business of fashion, but it's disheartening to see this label go from Theyskens' (totally non-commercial) genius to Marco Zanini's trite paean to colonialism...

(pics from Style.com and ASVOF)