Gareth Pugh a ‘No Show’ at Paris Fashion Week
by The Fashion Cult
Rick Owens protege Gareth Pugh has made incredible strides in distinguishing himself in the fashion community. He may not have the commercial success of Alexander Wang, for example, but among emerging designers he definitely sets the avant garde pace. Pugh was one of the first to do the fashion film, which is quickly heading toward being as mundane as having a Facebook page. The Ruth Hogben film was created for his Fall 2009 collection, which was also staged as a runway presentation. This season, however Pugh is setting a new standard by forgoing the catwalk altogether. According to Women’s Wear Daily, when press and buyers arrived for his Wednesday showing in Paris this week, they were surprised by the absence of the runway and the presence of a giant screen.
Though the film seems like a decent way to streamline the task of showing a new collection, I wonder if it can ever really replace the visceral experience of seeing clothing moving on a real body right in front of you. These are textiles we’re talking about, after all. Pugh’s film is beautifully made, striking to look at, and evokes real emotion that will, no doubt, be inextricably tied to the garments. But in the end stills of veteran supermodel Kristen McMenamy and a male model looking as though they were walking the runway were taken anway. And good thing! Otherwise I might have missed how utterly amazing are the women’s trousers!
photos via WWD.com
Watch the video here courtesy of SHOWstudio.com, where you can also buy a limited edition scarf from the collection right now.
Tags: fashion film, gareth pugh, paris, Spring, video
[…] PARIS 1. Jean Paul Gaultier: The designer is known for liking diversity on his runways. This year The Gossip singer opened and closed the show, representing a full figure amongst a line up of models of varied sizes. 2. The Row: The last minute cancellation of the New York runway show (reportedly due to sample delays) was a shock, but the Olsen-lead label bounced back in fine form. Though they had to downscale to a presentation, it was in Paris. 3. Ungaro: Still tainted by the Lindsay Lohan debacle the legacy house has quite a lot ground to make up. This first collection since hiring designer Giles Deacon was a vast improvement from the last few seasons, and as an added bonus, the presentation included Vogue Japan fashion director Anna Dello Russo! 4. McQueen: The shocking death by suicide of Alexander McQueen just might be the biggest fashion story of the year. So imagine the enormous pressure on Sarah Burton, who showed her first collection as the new head of the label. 5. Hermes: For years Jean Paul Gaultier has designed the ultra luxe Hermes, which seemed to be the foil to his at-times wacky eponymous line. This was his collection after seven years with the brand. 6. Gareth Pugh: A protege of Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh is one of the foremost designers of the edgy, avant garde set. He surprised buyers and editors this year by foregoing a runway show in favor of a video. See it here. […]