Okay here’s a concept for the great minds of fashion to ponder… A collection that is minimal, seductive, chic, and doesn’t look like Jil Sander as it seems that she is the sine qua non of what is minimal and what all others copy to achieve- the minimalist Nirvana they aspire to! No need to think any longer.

Bill Gaytten has achieved something that most are incapable of doing and don’t even have a clue on how to approach or wrap their heads around an original idea. I fell in love with Mr. Gaytten when he had a brief moment as head designer at Dior after the hasty departure of John Galliano. The two worked side by side at Dior as well as at the eponymous John Galliano collection, but it is in the absence of Mr. Galliano that Mr. Gaytten has flourished and earned a personal great respect of mine. This Autumn|Winter 2013 collection proves what I have always said… and will continue to say… DESIGNERS DESIGN! And one not needs to look any further than right here with this collection.

Do I think this is the greatest collection ever? No. Do I think everyone will agree with me? No, but I want to make it clear that collections like this are achievements and testaments to talent. I am not a fan of neither John Galliano nor his term at Dior and I was never a fan of the eponymous collection, BUT I am a fan of Mr. Gaytten and his aesthetic and obviously his great talents that he bestows on us as being part of the world of fashion. I’ll backtrack a second to say that I was always a fan of the extreme talent that Galliano had for creating the theater of fashion and for the seemingly impossible feats that he achieved while designing at Dior. So, I am absolutely not diminishing the talents of Mr. Galliano.

Back to my thoughts, the collection is one of sheer simplicity without looking like two slabs of fabric sewn together that conjure awe and reverence; this is the unimaginable concept of being simply seductive, simply lean, and designed with the greatest of attention to detail. It’s also a collection that doesn’t trend along with every other designer out there and yet as much as I carry on about Mr. Gaytten, he has taken the DNA of the brand and morphed it into a new and more languid result. Minimal and not necessarily hard-edged! I am duly impressed and I absolutely tip my hat to you… Monsieur Gaytten! | Jeffrey Felner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pictures courtesy Dominique Maître