Fashion Gods and Fashion Loosers

Me,My Self and I have spent hours of watching Project Runway lately as I usually have nothing else to do during the summer.Watching the show made me realise that the new generation lucks of really good designers,or at least America's new generation does (haven't watched the australian version yet).Why am I saying this?Most of the contestants have a good knowledge of how to sew perfectly and fit the clothes obviously,but what they can't really do is make outfits that are runway material.The problem seems to be different every time:the outfit doesn't have the right volume,the dress is way too boring,not enough drama on the runway,the colours are wrong,the presentation sucks,etc...The thing is that in order to become a great fashion designer or a stylist,you need that something,the little feeling that tells you what's right and what's wrong,when to continue and when to stop.The main differences in fashion that a designer should recognise in my opinion are the following:
Interesting colours and tacky colours
This always depends on the fabric and the tone.For a exemple take a look at this outfit made by Christian V. Siriano .

This is a pretty outfit and certainly runway material,but imagine what would have happened if the skirt was made of another far more shiny fabric or if the top was also shiny and full of ruffles...In this case,the right selection of a texture that matches the colours gave something more than a satisfying result.
Now,just look at this.

This is a dress made by someone who thinks he/she is a fashion designer.To those who will say "Cute dress" I reply "NO,this is all wrong!".The choice of desingn,tones and texture makes the dress look cheap and tacky.So think before you match!
Artistic and costume-like
There is a big difference between impressive clothes and halloween costumes.Though these differences are not easy to tell since they can be only seen on actual creations,I have to say that the main problems here are usually the execution of the outfit and the the concept used.If are inspired by elizabethan clothing and you make an elizabethan gown,you simply have failed.If you create a slutty dress with a few elizabethan ruffles, then you are also wrong.A designer is ought to know what to keep and what to remove.             

 

This is an elizabethan inspired gown by Alexander McQueen.

This is a beautifully crafted elizabethan costume.

And this is a mistake (sorry FoxGlove but you did upload the photo on the internet).

Haute Couture and prom gowns

Sometimes,amateur fashion designers seem to be confused around this topic.A prom gown or a bride's maid dress is oftenly called an haute couture creation but the truth is that it takes much more for a dress to be characterised as such,rather than a few hand-stitched parts.An houte couture dress must be elegant but not boring,otherwise not only it not suitable to be presented on the runway but also it does't say anything about the person wearing it.Texture and pattern selection is important here,too.A design can be very interesting but the choice of a cheap-looking colour or an unsuitable material can really ruin it.The same happens with good materials and not-well-thought designs.When it comes to evening gowns the strategy of "the simplier,the better" is the best to follow,unless the designer is 100% confident about making huge impressive ruffles that could work with the specific fabric and the rest of the design without looking prom-ish.

See?

This is a pretty dress by Zuhair Murad.The dress is full of ruffles but it's working perfectly with this fabric.The same dress would not be so good if it was made with polyester.Zuhair Murad is normaly a gown maker,yet most of his creations are very elegant and artistic,especially for wearable evening gowns.Therefore,they work when represented on the runway.

Many also suggest  the "go for the draping" strategy which usually gives impressive results.In my opinion though,try to avoid drapind and ruffles conbined very oftenly because we've seen it before and it gets boring.

Elegant draped gowns by Elie Saab.

And last but not least,there is group of people (I am so one of them) who would say "make it interesting by using intense prints".The truth is that not everyone wants to look like cinderella in pink...

Printed gown by Dior.

In general please do us a favour and avoid this:

 And remember that a good dress lies on the details.

The matching accessories and the right ones.

There isn't much to say here,simply stop being predictable.Try what's best for each season and mix them all together,create something unique but with harmony by mixing defferent colours,types of texture and volumes.Spend more time on designing accessories and make them eye-catching.An unexpected detail on a black shoe is really the best!A matchy-match-match look is not what a designer should always be looking for,unless we are talking about one colour total looks which never loose their value as eccentric yet elegant choices.

See,gorgeous!

That's it.Hope you liked it...DoctorWhat