Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he came in the form of Christian Lacroix this July 2013! I guess if there are marriages that can be made in heaven, this is the supreme match of all time. Diego Della Valle mined gold when he arranged this marriage and even if the couple gets divorced in a month… my, my, my what a legacy there is to see!

If you know anything about the 2 designers, Schiaparelli and Lacroix, it is evident that this excruciatingly beautiful collection is evocative, original, and so beyond the pale that it boggles the mind. The clothes are absolutely over the top and for those ladies, who are true connoisseurs of fashion or just simply affluent fashion aficionados, the doors of Schiaparelli will be broken down and the wait list will be longer than any movie blockbuster of the summer. This is the blockbuster of haute couture and probably of the year… Celebration!

To critique the clothes would be a bit redundant as they speak loudly and clearly about the collaboration. What everyone needs to be reminded of is that this collection is like the secret fantasy of fashionphiles all over the world. The astounding ateliers that assembled these clothes as well as the boundless artistry and imagination of Christian Lacroix will be seen as a few highpoints of the 21st century fashion. They will have their place in fashion history.

For me, it is a reminder of what couture was all about in the days of Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Bohan. This collection couldn’t have come at a better time, especially when the likes of Hedi Slimane think that they can reinvent the esthetic of fashion. One can truly weep and celebrate from the beauty of it! | Jeffrey Felner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pictures via Getty Images