Anthony Vaccarello (Q2684)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Anthony Vaccarello is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Anthony Vaccarello |
Anthony Vaccarello is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Anthony Vaccarellohas been the subject of rumors in Paris that name him as the designer in line to inheritSaint Laurent, shouldHedi Slimaneleave the Kering brand, as has been whispered about for months. Before his show today, Vaccarello played down the rumors, and there was “no comment” from his reps, but inevitably a frisson of energy was added to his Maison de la Radio show space. It wasn’t just the presence of the newly platinum-again Lucky Blue in the front row.Vaccarello landed on the Paris scene five years ago now, with his leggy sensibility fully formed. If there’s been a knock on him in the time since, it’s that his clothes are too single-mindedly sexy, but it hasn’t much hurt his trajectory.Donatella Versaceput him in the driver’s seat atVersus Versacea year ago. And now there are the Saint Laurent headlines.In the absence of firm statements, it’s tempting to look for clues to Vaccarello’s state of mind in his new clothes. Fall did find him stretching a bit. It will remain the leggiest collection of the week (save for at least one brand we can think of that tends to crib liberally from him), but there was news to be found: in the colorful crystal flower embroideries, in the Claude Montana–ish rounded shoulders of the tailoring (the ’80s are rematerializing everywhere this season), and in Vaccarello’s excellent fur-lined outerwear.The designer explored corsetry details, only he shifted the perspective, cinching the hip area rather than the waist. The effect was especially cool on hoodie dresses, one in a substantial black leather and another layered underneath a cropped bomber, which counted as two of the most compelling looks in the show. He also gave tooled leather a go, cutting it into fitted jackets and minis with flames shooting up the front, which had the unfortunate whiff of Western costumes. It wasn’t perfect, but Vaccarello should feel pleased with himself and this collection, no matter what his future holds.
1 March 2016
For a Spring season, there’s been remarkably little heat on the runway. It’s been one more or less sexless show after another, then along comesAnthony Vaccarello. The Belgian-Italian designer, as his fans and his detractors like to say, never met a slit he didn’t like, and in typical fashion this show was full of them. But there were also other things happening, new things that made this outing feel like Vaccarello’s most diverse to date. Take, for instance, the T-shirt and tank dresses printed with a closeup of his friend and museAnja Rubik’s face. As they approached, it became clear that the dresses weren’t printed at all, but rather embellished with gradient clusters of studs depicting photographer Collier Schorr’s portrait of the unmistakable model. Just think of the Instagram possibilities.Also novel: Tattoo prints on crisp white cotton button-downs. Vaccarello has a distinct point of view, and, until now, there hasn’t been much room in it for such decorative motifs. But now that he’s up and running atVersus Versace—he took his first solo bow there a week and a half ago—he’s clearly set his mind to expanding the world of AV. To that end, he made a big push into denim, the entry-level price-point item that can really goose a brand’s bottom line. High-waisted styles, one accessorized with a denim belt that grazed the rib cage, will be about as forgiving as his hip-high slits, but there were loose-fitting boyfriend jeans in the mix that will appeal to a broader swath of body types.Vaccarello also put his first bags on the runway. The gold detailing on a pair of cross-body styles echoed the hardware that accented this collection’s strong military-influenced tailoring and its drapey jersey numbers.Binx Walton, fashion’s tomboy du jour, looked terrific in the one-shoulder, asymmetric-skirt bathing suit dress. Best in show, however, goes toEdie Campbell’s fitted officer’s jacket and sexy black jeans.
29 September 2015
Anthony Vaccarello and Donatella Versace made it official in January. After collaborating on the Spring '15 capsule collection for Versus, Vaccarello got the creative director gig at the label full-time. Donatella was sitting in the front row at his own show tonight, and he stopped by for a hug and a kiss when he came out for his bow. Vaccarello arrived on the scene four years ago, a young Belgian with a vision much sharper and more developed than that of other newcomers his age. As he learns to split his time and talents between his eponymous collection and Versus, which is no easy feat, the challenge will be maintaining the brands' separate yet complementary identities, which is an even harder one.On the runway tonight, there were moments when they inched too closely together. As the show progressed, though, Vaccarello found his groove. He reported backstage that he'd been spending a lot of time in the U.S. over the last couple of months, and its symbols have seeped into his subconscious. The stars on the flag; the cowboy's brown suede, fringe, and bolo tie; the bald eagle—all of them got the designer's no-holds-barred treatment. In some states, the heavy-metal tube fringing that trimmed minidresses and skirts would qualify as a deadly weapon, but the stars, which could've been clichéd, were cleverly handled. Their sharp angles were wedged into the thigh-high asymmetric hemlines Vaccarello is known for, or picked out in heavy-duty studs, suede, and sheer insets along a sexy one-shoulder neckline. Have you ever seen a star-shaped grommet before? We haven't, and come to think of it, their peekaboo possibilities will probably be illegal in certain states, too. All-American or not, party girls will love these clothes.
3 March 2015
Anthony Vaccarello took his second bow of the season tonight. In New York he'd walked down the Versus runway with Donatella Versace, trailed by models wearing the label's most spot-on collection since it was revived five years ago. The experience with Donatella must have had an effect on him. Vaccarello's team for his own label is four people. Versace's? Let's just say it's a lot bigger. So it's no wonder Vaccarello was in innovation mode today, thinking about his own brand, and branding. The first look out was a logo sweatshirt, stamped with his name and the season, worn with one of his signature diagonally sliced miniskirts and a shrunken leather jacket. A somewhat banal beginning, but one that Vaccarello made up for later with the cool, graphic manipulations of both his name and the word "Spring."The world of ships and sailors was Vaccarello's jumping-off point. His seafaring references ran from the obvious to the less so—a brass anchor planted on the chest of a neatly cut sleeveless jacket; button-down shirts unbuttoned to the navel, conjuring visions of swashbuckling pirates. Vaccarello also had some sharp-looking denim, tailored in his typical take-no-prisoners way—note the on-theme portholes. But the real news was in the dresses and separates emblazoned with block letters created, he explained, by laser-cutting plastic film and heat-transferring it onto fabric. They twisted around the torso or the hips (occasionally and unfortunately exposing the models' undies) like a sail wraps around a mast. Vaccarello hinted that the block letters were inspired partly by France's many protests and partly by the artist Richard Prince. There was also the Versace factor: Those were his first-ever prints, bold and unmistakable. Donatella would approve.
23 September 2014
Tony Viramontes' name is coming up with increasing frequency in fashion circles these days. An exhibition at 10 Corso Como in Milan can do that for an artist. Anthony Vaccarello said he didn't see that show, but he's the latest designer to key into the 1980s illustrator's expressive, graphic work. Viramontes' drawings influenced the sculptural patent red ruffle that curved down the front of a strapless black cocktail number and the inverted triangle cutout on the midriff of a one-shouldered minidress. Vaccarello credited the metal leopard grommets he appliquéd on leather separates to Viramontes, too.More loosely, Viramontes' eighties heyday was reflected in the show's silhouette: the pronounced shoulders, the bum-grazing minis, pants with pleats (a first for Vaccarello). But if the clothes glanced backward, they didn't look retro. The turtleneck dickeys paired with even the sexiest of looks added a cool, modernizing touch.Besides, Vaccarello's signatures are strong. The asymmetric hems on miniskirts and the hip-high slits on longer ones made this collection look identifiably his own. It was easily his most well-rounded so far, with a new emphasis on tailoring and outerwear. Vaccarello has been criticized in the past for his too-specific point of view. Let's face it, hip-bone-baring dresses are for the very few. But take another look at the shearling jackets and coats he opened this show with: They'll appeal to a lot of different women, 6-foot-tall super-babes and otherwise.
24 February 2014
The man who made Anja Rubik's hip bone a worldwide fetish is back at it again for Spring. "Girls are their most beautiful during their holidays," Anthony Vaccarello explained backstage. "I wanted to try to bring swim to the city." Vaccarello's method was to cut dresses and miniskirts with a triangular-shaped hem in the front that he connected to the back of the garment with narrow horizontal bands. If there's a way to show off more upper thigh—outside of just sending the models out in bathing suits—no one else has come up with it. The work was clever and well-done. Cabochon-shaped brass buttons accented the bands, which elevated the collection; the dresses had the disciplined precision of military uniforms, a feeling that was heightened when Vaccarello did them in combinations of white, red, and black.You'll have to be mighty disciplined to wear them, of course. "Model hot," as the parlance goes. Vaccarello likes what he likes, which is more than you can say for plenty of other young designers, but he's making clothes for a very small minority. That's why his tie-dyed denim was a promising development. It looked as cool on a pair of slouchy boyfriend jeans (accessorized with a red belt and matching shoes made in collaboration with Stella Luna) as it did on one of those sexy, high-waisted minis with the cutouts on the side. Yes, the Vaccarello woman is the life of the party, but even in fashion, however much we hate to admit it, parties come to an end. To evolve, the designer will need to keep thinking beyond cocktail hour.
23 September 2013
"It's a big change for me," Anthony Vaccarello said backstage, "there's nothing fitted." Nothing fitted? The Belgian Vaccarello has built his reputation so far on super-revealing, more-bare-than-there party frocks. He's always included a few tailored pieces in his lineups, but until now it's been Karlie Kloss' six-pack or Anja Rubik's hip bone that have landed him headlines. He hasn't gone respectable on us—not with Karmen and Isabeli rocking evening dresses inset with embroideries of silver discs that made it clear they weren't wearing underwear. Still, you will notice a new emphasis on outerwear, leather separates, and knits. If that sounds hopelessly dreary—like he's been listening too closely to the department stores—it wasn't.Vaccarello kept coats interesting by inserting chain-link embroideries at the cuffs, or using silver spikes instead of toggle closures, hardware that reappeared on sandals and boots. He's never worked with leather before, but you wouldn't guess he was a beginner. A blouson dress with a dropped waist, rounded shoulders, popped collar, and pushed-up sleeves looked killer. For gals who like things a little more body-con, he showed a button-up top tucked into a tiny mini with an asymmetric hem paneled in those silver discs. The ribbed angora crews and turtlenecks softened the tough-chic vibe of other hardware-strewn leather minis. The key to the new feeling of the collection was probably the double-crepe he used for many of the looks, those finale dresses included. "When you wear it, you feel comfortable," he said. Comfortable and sexy at the same time? It's a combination that could really take Vaccarello places.
25 February 2013
Type in "Anja Rubik + hip" on Google's image search and up pop 88,000 pictures of the Polish model in the leg-baring white Anthony Vaccarello gown she wore to last May's Met Ball. 88,000! In a very short time Vaccarello has developed a big reputation for tiny clothes—sexy and fearlessly body-baring. Rubik opened and closed his Spring show today, and her finale look was very nearly as revealing as the dresses that put him on the fashion map a year ago. This time, her gown was billowy up top instead of clinging, but that famous hip bone still drove the photographers to distraction. We heard catcalls.Vaccarello's main idea for Spring, he explained backstage, was to mimic the way a woman's clothes might cling to her legs and hips if she went into the ocean fully dressed then walked out again. Above the waist the shapes were boxy; below it, shirred lamé clung to the models' backsides, with the wrapped silhouettes splitting in the middle, directing all eyes to the upper inner thighs. One black dress made it look like the model had been shipwrecked and came up for air wearing just her heels and an old sail draped from a cord above her bust. It was all too much. Or maybe we should make that too little.But if his vision for evening remains as provocative and niche as ever, Vaccarello is also expanding his daywear offerings. Silk camp shirts with matte silver buttons were paired with satin shorts or pants, and he cut a pantsuit from holographic animal print. Those looks won't garner him tens of thousands of Google hits, but they are the kind of things that a solid business is built on.
24 September 2012
Anthony Vaccarello's Spring collection catapulted him to fashion fame. Karlie Kloss rocking a peekaboo gown that's more bathing suit than dress will do that to a guy.For a follow-up, the Belgian newcomer decided to put his focus on tailoring. "I wanted something more masculine, more strong," he said of his navy satin suiting pieces with their military vibe. For the record, Kloss chose his collection as her runway re-entry after sitting out New York, London, and Milan—and the buttoned-up shirt, blouson jacket, and high-waisted pants she wore prove that he's not a one-trick kind of designer. Suits have gone mostly missing on the Fall runways, which gives Vaccarello an edge, but even if we'd seen lots of them this season, the sleek two-piecers that followed KK down the catwalk would be worthy of shout-outs.The task he set up for himself for evening—marrying that tailoring with 1950's lingerie shapes—was more difficult. To start with, his daring jumpsuits and dresses absolutely demand supermodel-caliber physiques. But even if you've been blessed in the bod department, their elaborate construction and cutouts make it tough to get the fit right. A too-tight hem meant a miniskirt rose scandalously high on its model's thighs, and on some pieces, fabric bunched and puckered where it should've been smooth.Still, his clothes are sexy as all get-out and modern-looking, too. The right magazines will want to shoot them, and the best celebrities will ask to borrow them. Couple those facts with the more commercial but still connected tailoring and we'd say Vaccarello is on his way to building himself a brand.
27 February 2012
Backstage, Anthony Vaccarello was marveling: "All the models called up, asking to be in the show," he said. When Anja Rubik asks, no isn't an answer. Vaccarello won this year's ANDAM prize, and he used the award money to fund his Spring collection. It was a much bigger production than Fall's, but the Belgian designer's MO hasn't budged an inch. He established it last season: tight, body-conscious, short, and black, with more cutouts than there are covered-up parts on some of the dresses.For Spring, Vaccarello found his muse in Herb Ritts' early-nineties glory days. Picture Cindy Crawford cavorting in a maillot on the beach in Malibu and you'll get the idea. It was racy, in both the sporty and the suggestive meanings of the word. Dresses were so abbreviated and body-baring, they could have almost doubled as bathing suits. Even the long gowns, in a stretch black jersey and a black-on-whitefils coupe, were cut asymmetrically, so one leg was covered up and the other was cut as high as the hip. Karlie Kloss had the crowd agog in hers.Vaccarello's dresses will make startling images in magazines, but sad as it is to admit, we aren't all Karlie Klosses. Vaccarello made plays for more commercial pieces—the navy trench with the slight sheen that opened the show; the T-shirts that played sheer against opaque, worn with Bermuda shorts; a pair of jumpsuits. He'll have to keep pushing himself in this direction to make a go at the retail level. Still, cling was the thing at this show. For fashion followers, there's nothing sexier than a designer with a strong vision.
26 September 2011
After winning the Festival d'Hyères prize, Anthony Vaccarello was recruited by Karl Lagerfeld to Fendi. Two years later, he launched his own collection, which has been quickly snapped up by Colette in Paris, Kirna Zabête in New York, and Maxfield in L.A. "It's always black, always sexy," the designer said backstage of his look. Vaccarello's super-short dresses for Fall (his third season) are an interplay of opaque and sheer. The front panel might be sculptural felt and the sides draped knit made from a metallic thread. Or the felt panels might be suspended geometrically from a metal bar at the neck to create bold cutouts on the chest. Vaccarello said he was inspired by Mondrian and the contemporary artist Pierre Soulages, but the girls buying these dresses couldn't give a fig about highfalutin references. What makes them desirable is their edgy sex appeal.For the woman who likes to show a little less than her entire leg, the designer added a pair of below-the-knee knit dresses as clingy as hosiery. The long-sleeved version looked particularly right for the season. A jumpsuit was also more discreet, but it still had plenty of cool factor. But perhaps most impressive were the fitted, vaguely military coats. With their matte snaps and scalpel-sharp lines, they signal the arrival of an exciting Paris talent.
28 February 2011