#NYFW Fall ’16- The Celebrity Designer

Fashion Week is here again, and the spectacle has begun, from Burberry’s announcement to skip the seasonal calendar, more or less, to Tom Ford over the thing all together and Kanye’s tomfoolery, it is gearing up to be another one of those seasons that will have us all exhausted by the end of it. If we aren’t already exhausted that is.

Let’s start with the most exhaustive of all, Kanye West and his Yeezy presentation. What was this a record release party or a fashion show? I didn’t get it at all. It seemed like a concert gone out of hand, no head, or tail or middle even. What were we supposed to look at and how? The clothes, lets start with that and end with it because that is all we are here for- I haven’t listened to a Kanye West record since Late Registration and I don’t think I will. Every snippet of his I have listened to since then has been bullshit. And bullshit is exactly what his collections have been since the debut. No imagination, no reason a collection of really bland and really ugly clothes. The models were hoisted up on high podium so we didn’t get to see the clothes up close, which should have been what we were there for. At some point Naomi Campbell made a cameo in the ridiculousness and quickly left, but the other models stood there for too long a time whilst Kanye played his album to the packed out arena. The clothes, which were mostly an afterthought, was a smash of Yeezy seasons 1&2 same old shit, bland basic colours on depressed looking models who look like they’d rather not be there. Spandex body suits and leotards, moth eaten sweaters, boring, boring, bloody boring.

Here’s the thing about Kanye West and his overly inflated ego; he is constantly seeking approval from fashion people who do not give a damn about him and his over priced, under imagined clothes no matter how much noise he makes about his “genius” or lack thereof but he makes the most noise. He sets way too much store by opinions of others he cannot be taken seriously. And for the first time ever, I don’t agree with one of my idols, Cathy Horyn when she says Kanye has won everything because nobody is in a fight with Kanye West except Kanye West trying to prove he can out Kanye, Kanye. He can keep fighting and making an arse of himself and we’ll just keep pointing and laughing because he is as stupid as he hopes he isn’t, but knows for certain he is.

Rihanna is not here for the critics, or the press. She is here for her millions of fans, the Navy. Unlike Kanye, she is not trying to please anybody, she sways to the beat of her own drum and the world either gets in line behind that or they get lost. It is one of the things I admire the most about her; she is true to herself, seeks no approval and is confident enough in her stance to know she is above the approval of the media. She is not looking for applause from the critics either, if she did that she wouldn’t wear half the things she did. Whilst I’m not a fan of her debut collection for Puma, sporty street style has never been my cup of tea, it is to true Rihanna style; every look wildly different. Maxi jersey dresses, off shoulder jackets, all-in-ones, furs and hoods, slouchy, baggy, street, a lot of attitude and gartered jogging pants on a male model. Ok. No look was in relation to the other which is very much how she looks from one red carpet or paparazzi shot to another, a true chameleon of style her look is as unpredictable as the British weather in the summer. It is what you make of it.

Whether we like it or not celebrity designers are here to stay, some bring talent others bring noise that covers up their lack of talent. Their stay is determined by the volume of noise and in some cases some roars are louder and last a minute but talent will out. Meanwhile the fashion industry finds itself at odds with it, don’t know what to do or how to react instead they shrug and go along with the shiniest new thing, the it-girl, or the loudest noise maker. Confused.