Beautiful Truth

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Words usually reel out of my head in verbal diarrhea often resulting in incoherent prose littered with typos and double word errors.  This is just the way it generally operates at Style Bubble HQ otherwise you'd just be staring at a big ol' gaudy banner and not much else.

However, this post seems to be tripping me up a bit as the subject matter is so personal.  It's with hesitation and excitement that I write about this particular designer.  Hesitation because he's a close friend of mine.  Excitement because he's a close friend of mine.  The name Anthony Vaccarello has been floated around here before mainly because of a headdress he gifted me from his graduate collection and because of my first encounter with him all the way back in 2006 when I somehow landed in Texas because of the Arts of Fashion event and he was somehow there too.  With quite a few Eurostar trips to Brussels and Paris, some cheapo Ryanair flights to Hyeres, it's been something of a long distance friendship.  But Anthony is one of the rare few that can take an infinite nattering about fashion without feeling a smidge tired so I'll keep on searching for those ¬£24.50 Eurostar fares with gusto. 

After winning the Grand Prize at Hyeres in 2006, he worked a short stint at Fendi and has now decided to go it alone with his debut collection that I've seen from start to finish.  When I say seen, I really mean countless emails back and forth with mahussive attachments 'work-in-progress' pics, which would clog up the Typepad server if I posted them up here.  There's been worries, struggles, fear and loathing and all of that boo-hoo-ness that comes with designing and creating your own collection all by your lonesome self.  But of course, none of that matters to you guys because it's all down to the finished product.

So here we have it.  Anthony Vaccarello's collection that will be presented at Maria Luisa next week during couture fashion week in Paris (during which I will be there…).  Here comes the hard part.  How to convey how I feel about it without sounding like there is bias towards him as a friend.  The god honest truth? 

What matters to me the most about the designers that I write about is their point of view as opposed to a certain aestetic and the stronger that point of view is, the more I'm attracted to their work.  Anthony's POV is strong to the point of violent.  I didn't even bother asking Anthony the usual drivel of 'What
influenced you?' because I didn't want that to alter my own gut
feeling.  The dresses undress and shield the body all at the same time.  There aren't reams of fabric to hide behind but when sculpted, shaped, pulled taut, let loose and moulded to the body, there's an awesome power that is waiting to be unleashed in these reinforced, blooming black body flowers that snake around the body.

Sexy is a word I've found hard to come to terms with these dresses I can almost touch that S word with the skin seen through the sheer printed pink organza, a black thick strap across the side of the breast, a slit down the shoulder and I only want to touch that word through this complex route.  It isn't easy.  It isn't wishy washy.  It's not a throw-it-on-anyway-anyhow affair.  There are just too many of those easy ways out around and perhaps more so at this point in time and dresses like these serve as a reminder that we don't have to all throw on clothes in a quickfire way and that effort is perfectly acceptable.

Perhaps I've said too much and probably the text is throwaway when faced with the images below.  Oh well.  I'll just keep this post for my own reference then to remind myself of why I continue to seek out the points of views in fashion, the stronger the better and how this is a prime example. 

Susie1
Susie2

Susie3 

Susie4 

Susie5 

Susie13 

Susie8
Susie9
Susie12

Susie10

Jo4

Susie11

Susie6

Susie7

Photographs by Yang Wang

68 comments

  4. Oooh I say EXCITING!!! I absolutely love the sort of ‘sharp’ edges, very sculptural. I wouldn’t want to wear them though, imagine how scratchy! x

  6. Outstanding which is piss poor but I’m actually speechless about dress number 2 which is sheer beauty and construction. At last a breath of fresh air!
    I’m there tomorrow and it’ll be fine!

  8. Wow – refreshingly bold. A feat in construction…he really lets his materials work for him – they aren’t forced.
    Truly beautiful and jarring simultaneously, which is why I love them

  10. “body flowers” you’ve got it spot on there I think…like alien body flowers, I definitely get a sort of sci-fi vibe from them too. They are outrageously fabulous & I have no doubt their creator will make big waves in the fashion industry for years to come cause he’s got major talent!

  11. wow. amazing. sometimes i feel like i see the same sculptural, fashion forward dresses over and over from different designers. these are fantastically unique.

  15. Now this is when art and fashion truly merge! I love the sexy fantasy aesthetic
    of the dresses.
    Great post!

  16. Wow… freaking beautiful. The word “clothing” doesn’t even seem to apply anymore, it just transcends the whole meaning I think…

  17. What beautiful pieces of artwork. These garments will have to be documented in my uni fashion journal.
    Truely Gorgeous.
    Rianna Bethany xxxxxxxxxxxx

  18. 1. OMG these are incredible.
    2. I love what you wrote here, I could feel your heart and your gut (that sounds weird, right?), and then when I saw the images I totally understood why. super rad.

  19. congratulations to your friend. they are completely stunning but more than that they are different and refreshing and that is something that is hard to come by in this day and age. but i really feel like im looking at something original and that is really cool!
    carlotta

  20. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  21. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  22. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  23. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  24. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  25. This is incredible. I think this is the most surprised I’ve been by anything you’ve posted. I think what’s great about these pieces is not that they are sculptural and beautiful (which they most certainly are), but that they’re intellectually challenging as well.

  26. Part of the reason I read this blog over all other fashion blogs is because of your amazing and prolific writing style. You always have something to say, something to add to the pictures that makes them fuller as a result. Whenever I have writer’s block, I always come back to your blog for inspiration, even though I never write about fashion. Which begs the question: do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do about it?
    Also, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this collection. My god. It just blows my mind.

  27. The dresses are spectacular! I love the second one. The last one with the headpiece Wow. He has a great future adhead of him.

  29. amazing. i’ve never seen anything like this. the most original and stunning dresses i’ve ever seen.

  32. Delicious!
    I am going to dream of dress #1 (&3).
    I hope to see you rockin’ one of these dresses, Susie.

  33. his dresses are rather breathtaking and i wish him the best of luck for the future!
    ps. keep on chuggin out that “throwaway text” susie! it’s the whole reason that i love your blog!

  35. dear Susie,
    WOW.
    1) you wrote with a sincerity that is so startling! indeed to present such subjectivity thru objective eyes isnt easy–but “beautiful truth” it is: i think pictures defintiely speak a thousand words.
    2)and how breathtaking those pictures are! i’m not even sure i’ve seen anything like this before, it is completely inventive and refreshing…i’m not even sure my words do justice, but maybe my struggle for articulation is proof enough.
    3)keep blogging, i know i enjoy reading, cheers!
    andrea xoxoxx

  38. Those are truly great. I can appreciate and understand you’re hesitation and concern about posting them since he is a friend, but honestly those are brilliant. Sheer, architechtural, complex yet almost easy. He’s quite talented, I hope he has much success.

  39. Hi Susie, I was just wondering how you would then see this collection with a view to wearing the peices yourself, you’ve said many times that you dont view yourself as sexy (which of course I don’t agree with)would you play up that aspect of the peice or play it down? I was just wondering as I have a (bad) tendancy to group desigers/collections into ones I love to look at and ones I’d love to get my hands on, depending on if they do or don’t fit the way I see myself. But then I guess I’m not nearly as fearless in fashion as you are.
    Oh forgot to say. . . I love the collection, of course you should post about it.

  40. What a lovely collection and I can imagine how hard it is to approach something without being biased.
    I love the sheer material and all that gorgeous texture.

  43. Wow! this guy does amazing things with fabric, Love the concept! Would love to see it on a bag. . .

  44. everything you’ve wrote is very sincere, and it’s truly deserving, just wow, how do you get fabric to move that way! i look forward in you getting a close up of these

  52. When i came across these pictures of Antonys work, i think my heart skipped a beat of excitement. I’m a fashion student myself, but these designs are so organic, delicate and strong at the same time. And the photography makes the designs look even more amazing. The first thing that popped up in my mind when seeing the designs, was the underwater life..
    Give him my compliments please!
    x aNOUk

  53. wow that is some serious fashion.!
    lovely photoshoot it takes out the best of each outfit!
    xx

  54. woweeee
    i hope you give these comments to him
    it’s make his day ! lol
    georgous-ness

  58. How exciting to have been part of the process! I assume since there were tonnes of emails going back and forth that you were able to give your input as well? And how well the collection’s turned out! It is breathtaking and I wish I could see the pieces because as beautiful as the photos are I’m sure the clothes are even more so!

  62. I love all these pieces, I’m speechless. I love the sides, sometimes even famous designers can’t be compared to newer ones. Great job!

  64. My honest first reaction to these, I just opened my mouth and said ; “WOW”

  65. hello susie, ohhhhhhhh i love, you love teamo, is my fave brand on mexicoooo, rafa y roberto are my friends and are the fashion creative designers in teamo, look this please: fashion week mexico and videos 🙂
    http://rarascoincidenciasneoyorquinas.blogspot.com/search/label/TEAMO
    the mexican fashion is the magic mountain hahahha, so funny, so sexxy and dreamer too, love your blog, and please addme in your links, “rest of the world”.
    you have look more names of creative minds of mexico city:
    maria peligro, denise marchebout, egr, julia y reanta, alejandra quesada: your links are in my blog.
    xoxoxo susie, and i love your open point of view
    love
    -karii
    (come to fashion week mexico)

  67. I literally cannot get over how great these are.I keep coming back to look at them,and it has been almost a week since you posted. I can’t wait for him to get the recognition he deserves!

  68. I remember your post of the head-dress from back in the day. To be quite honest with you, those pics still haunt me. Such gorgeousness is imprinted on my mind forever now I think.
    These new pieces are just as artistically, architecturally, geometrically brilliant.

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