Paris Fashion Week 2021 Spring Summer 2022 with Simpsons, Batman and Cone Bra. Review by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE.
Who brought the Simpsons to Paris Fashion Week?
This fashion week in Paris had a lots of “surprises”. And it is hard to say in what sense. I planned to write a Best of Paris Fashion Week 2021 review, but it came out like the WORST OF PARIS FASHION WEEK 2021.
Finally we had physical events, presentations, meetings. But this fashion week left an aftertaste of “dust”, something decadent, and non-existent. All luxury fashion houses tried to work on the scandals, and “amuse” their guests by presenting something “extraordinary”, or great treasures from the very long past.
The Simpsons presented by Balenciaga, a premiere of an episode in the presence of many stars and CEO of Kering François-Henri Pinault, according to several media outlets and mostly the bloggers, had the most loud buzz. He also said that this is original concept of Balenciaga. Does it really? And who brought the Simpsons to Paris Fashion week?
Surely you don’t think that Simpsons Balenciaga concept presented for Spring Summer 2022 was original. Balenciaga only used this concept, they didn’t create it. Harper’s Bazaar in 2009 did.
Strangely enough luxury brands like Gucci and Balenciaga are all about the “recycling”. They recycle the ideas and concepts of other companies, and mostly reuse the ideas and pieces from the past. This season Gucci didn’t show any collection during Milan Fashion Week 2021. The brand presented a concept Gucci Vault – online concept store, almost the same like Bottega Veneta, but with vintage Gucci pieces and t-shirts from some emerging designers instead.
Hands up! Harper’s Bazaar in 2009 brought the Simpsons family into fashion with very creative concept “The Simpsons Go to Paris with Linda Evangelista” (illustrations by Julius Preite, producer Laura Brown). Bart’s favorite supermodel, Linda Evangelista, takes the family for a French fashion folly. The story was published in October 2009 — featuring Fall-Winter 2009-2010 looks from Chanel, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier and Lanvin.
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| The Simpsons for Louis Vuitton by Harper’s Bazaar 2009 |
“LOUIS VUITTON. Family style. The Simpsons finally make the front row clad in custom Louis Vuitton, as Marc Jacobs waves to his number-one fans.“
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| The Simpsons for Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier by Harper’s Bazaar 2009 |
“CHANEL. Karl Lagerfeld and his eager student, Homer, get the skinny on the ladies, in Chanel couture.”
In 2012 aleXsandro Palombo created wonderful series of the Marge Simpson as a fashion icon “Marge Simpson Iconic Dresses”. Multimedia Contemporary Pop artist and Activist, pioneer of social art, diversity, ethics and human rights, illustrator aleXsandro Palombo drew funny and elegant Marge Simpson in the most iconic characters and in the most iconic dresses.
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| Marge Simpson Iconic Dresses – AleXsandro Palombo – Recreating a Coco Chanel pose |
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| Marge Simpson Iconic Dresses – AleXsandro Palombo – Thierry Mugler dress from 1995 |
Marge Simpson was wearing or repeated posses: Madonna’s famous Jean Paul Gaultier bustier; Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian dress 1965; Richard Avedon’s famous 1957 photograph of Carmen dell’Orefice; Kate Moss’s Playboy pose, shot by Mert and Marcus; Coco Chanel’s famous tweed suits; Bjork’s swan-adorned Oscars dress from 2001; Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast In Tiffany’s Givenchy dress; Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, photo by Pierre-Louise Pierson 1863; Versace dress famous by Elizabeth Hurley; Thierry Mugler dress from 1995; Pink Chanel suit worn by Jackie Kennedy 1963; Mary Quant look in famous mini skirt; Marilyn Monroe “Some Like It Hot” pose in white dress; Issa dress for Duchess of Cambridge;Gwyneth Paltrow in pink Ralph Lauren dress Oscars 1998; Grace Jones in Azzedine-Alaia dress; Dovima with Elephants, Dior, photo by Richard Avedon 1955; Catherine Walker dress for Princess Diana; Bar Suit from Christian Dior collection 1947; Andre Couregges in Sixties Paris; Julia Roberts in vintage Valentino at Oscars 2000; Victoria Beckham wears her own dress New York in 2013; Paco Rabanne iconic dress.
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| Balenciaga Spring Summer 2022 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
So when Balenciaga in September 2021 came with The Simpsons concept it was “old”, ego-scratching concept proposed to The Simpsons producers by François-Henri Pinault and Demna Gvasalia, designer of Balenciaga. They produced under specific guideless an episode about Balenciaga. Although the way they presented France, French culture (cliché related to France) and the collection itself was more like “Ready-to-Fart” collection than anything else.
And Balenciaga invited the stars to watch it. The stars who attended The Simpsons Balenciaga premiere: Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Anna Wintour, Cardi B, Isabelle Huppert, Lewis Hamilton, Elliot Page, and many others.
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| Balenciaga Simpsons Spring Summer 2022 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
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| Balenciaga Simpsons Spring Summer 2022 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
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| Balenciaga Simpsons Spring Summer 2022 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
Schiaparelli with one “L” and Cone Bra from Texas
Another overused, very dusty concept recycled by Daniel Roseberry, designer from Texas for Haute Couture house Schiaparelli, during Paris Fashion Week for Spring Summer 2022 season. Couple of years ago this designer assumed the position of creative director of this fabulous French luxury house. At first he didn’t get it. He didn’t get it at all. He put himself on runway playing piano. In 2020 he finally understood “what this house is all about”. Somehow from surrealism creative concept it came down just to the reproduction of the body parts: eyes, nose, breasts, belly.
Daniel Roseberry used all his talent, Lesage house (embroideries), and other French artisans to burst the market with his collections, and show what he is capable of. We are not deceived! I can tell you that! 2020 year started so wonderfully great for the house and for Daniel Roseberry. And the Schiaparelli ready-to-wear line came alone.
This Paris Fashion Week Schiaparelli didn’t do the show or presentation, Daniel Roseberry just sent the lookbook to the couple of media. Although the dramatic transformation from surrealism and elegance of Haute Couture French house to vulgarity of underground Los Angeles or Las Vegas pole dance bars became visible to all. It all started from the Daniel Roseberry‘s choice of his muse – Cardi B, a rap singer. There’s a VERY thick line between extravagant and vulgar. Well… not thick – chunky… very chunky…
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| Cardi B – muse of Daniel Roseberry, designer for Schiaparelli |
I don’t even want to analyze that. Is that a childhood sexual fantasies of Daniel Roseberry about vulgar sexually explicit subject matter known in porn, or his teenager dreams to do the Las Vegas costumes for low pole dance bars? Anyway all of this came alive this season from Schiaparelli house.
And what about the Bullet Bra or Cone Bra? This is very old concept from 1950s Daniel Roseberry strangely enough decided to produce for this Ready-to-Wear Spring Summer 2022 season. It is “of course” not a plagiarism. But it is almost, and very questionable. Jean Paul Gaultier brought this bra back to fashion – he created spectacular outfits for Madonna in 1990s. The creations of Jean Paul Gaultier are so spectacular that they became The Wonder for Las Vegas and Los Angeles stage costume designers.
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| Bullet Bra or Cone Bra 1950s – fashion history |
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| Jean Paul Gaultier for Madonna 1990 |
This fabulous Madonna performance and extravagant look created everlasting trend, recreated in the movies, cosplay costumes, you name it, until today. But every time it was associated with Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna. Working jean denim fabric, and use it to transform underwear into outwear was one of his primary innovations in fashion history, and the one trend Jean Paul Gaultier known for even to people who are not interested in fashion at all.
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| Dolly Parton concert by Ron Davis in 1992, and Stephanie Faracy in Madonna costume in Hocus Pocus, 1993 |
Why Daniel Roseberry suddenly decided to reinvent the innovation of Jean Paul Gaultier for Madonna from 1990s?
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| Jean Paul Gaultier for Madonna 1990 vs Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli RTW Spring Summer 2022 |
There were also umbrella-hats and other innovations from 1990s reproduced by Daniel Roseberry for Spring Summer 2022 season. Should I start the whispering “plagiarism” already, or wait a little?
This whole Schiaparelli Haute Couture house story is extremely sad even more, after being dipped into thick mousse of vulgarity, amputated and sold by body parts by Texan Roseberry.
What exactly Haute Couture French house means to Daniel Roseberry? Did he really found profound meaning of surrealism, or any spark of the spiritual artistic value? Yo….. He probably only found the body parts – the eyes, years, breasts, belly, fingers and toes. They cut, dipped into gold, and sold out.
Daniel Roseberry kind of skipped this Paris Fashion Week. He was so busy preparing Schiaparelli store opening in New York. He proudly announced and happily dined to celebrate the first Schiaparelli American store opening at Bergdorf Goodman. Bergdorf Goodman and Schiaparelli share a rich history together, which began 90 years ago when Bergdorf Goodman welcomed Elsa Schiaparelli’s couture collections for the first time.
Daniel Roseberry painted the tablecloth himself in the boardroom the afternoon before the dinner, adding the name of the Haute Couture house SCHIAPARELLY largely…… and it adds to the story…
Daniel Roseberry forgot how to spell the name of the house he works for, and wrote Schiaparelli with one “L”.
Body parts…. sexually explicit subject matter … body parts…. is this the new meaning of Schiaparelli (with one “L”) French Haute Couture house interpreted from Texas?
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| Schiaparelli first store at Bergdorf Goodman, Daniel Roseberry painted the tablecloth himself for the dinner |
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| Schiaparelli first store at Bergdorf Goodman, Daniel Roseberry painted the tablecloth himself for the dinner |
What else can you see apart from the Simpsons and Cone Bras at Paris Fashion Week
You can see the Lanvin Batman. And there is another shocking story to tell. Lanvin decided to go over the rails and brought to the runway Batman for its Spring Summer 2022 season. Just out of the blue, not related in any way to the French luxury house or its founder Jeanne Lanvin concept. Why Batman? Because…. and that would be the complete answer.
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| Lanvin Batman Spring Summer 2022 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
The God is in the details… well… probably not this time. Did you notice that these Lanvin Batman bags very much resemble the concept introduced by Louis Vuitton recently with menswear collection?
The same concept from Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring Summer 2021 collection
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| Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 vs Lanvin Batman Spring Summer 2022 |
What do you think you see on the background of Lanvin Batman bag? This is not a logo of Lanvin – this is Gotham city! So Lanvin today decided to appropriate the comic book drawing of Gotham city as its new logo?
So many questions and there are no right answers. I can only guess Lanvin takes the same highway to hell as Nina Ricci. This wonderful house in 2021 lost its “heart” – the store on avenue Montaigne, the store Nina Ricci owned for more than 50 years. No more shows, no more elegance and grace, no history. Disappearance of this wonderful French fashion house, as disappearance of Sonia Rykiel fashion house, is another drama of this Paris Fashion Week.
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| Nina Ricci 39 avenue Montaigne Paris – Nina Ricci Spring Summer 2022 |
From Batman to Balmain or How wonder boy Olivier Rousteing tried to “overwrite” the reality, and bring public attention to his Balmain Festival and Balmain fashion show that no one was interested in.
Since July 2021 Olivier Rousteing, designer for Balmain, known counterfeit designer, announced that he is preparing something big, something amazing, something absolutely gigantic – Balmain Festival, Balmain Fashion show and launch series produced by him “Fracture”.
He waited millions and millions to see, to come and to swell with the tears and adoration… but during this Paris fashion week 2021, as well as any other, no one was interested in it. His series got only 1,490 followers, so he had to remove its instagram account and stop communication. “The Biggest music festival”, as Olivier Rousteing announced it, attended maybe 50 people.
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| What Olivier Rousteing thinks Balmain Festival V02 is, and What Balmain Festival V02 really is |
For Balmain fashion show everybody was invited. And when I said everybody – I meant everybody, people from the street were caught by his assistants and literally pulled into the hall to see the show. No one really posted anything on Instagram, not about the Festival, and not about the show. Olivier Rousteing paid to the different media to “overwrite” the reality. Ones again he distributed the press-releases announcing that he had a success like Beyoncé. No matter what media shamelessly published this press-release the reality remains the same. NO ONE IS INTERESTED!!!
Paris Fashion Week 2021 for Spring Summer 2022 season – the Worst of
Do you want me to say that there was a happy ending to this fashion week? Do you want me to say that the French Luxury Brands are very very “sick”, and ceasing to exist? Oh…. after all of this I still have a HOPE. Not for these brands of course. Stupidity is incurable. But for the others who might look at these stories and try to rectify the mistakes they did or about to do, blindly following other luxury brands.
Many general managers of luxury brands today don’t understand that the luxury brand is not only about its logo or monogram, it’s about creative heritage, style and impeccable recognizable style, quality and extraordinary design and craft. Creative heritage made the luxury brand famous and loved, nothing else. Losing this it’s like losing a massive chunk of a culture destroyed by barbarians, or simply a spine, or meaning of life. They are acting as barbarians themselves, they are savagely cruel, exceedingly brutal to the identity and symbolism of the luxury brand they manage. Their management is simply primitive, and reduced to the use of its assets like logo or monogram for example on anything which could be sold, including caps, or wax and jean. But here we are.
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| Paris Fashion Week 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE |
