NOMADIC VAMPIRE BITCH

The A/W ’09 haute couture lines keep crappening in Paris, and after perusing the disconnected Chanel show wherein design house doyenne [sic] Karl Lagerfeld indulged his apparent fascination with tinsel and doilies, this look from Givenchy reminded me 7th grade Home Ec is in the distant past:

(via Jak and Jill blog)
The whole Givenchy show was stunning, but this dramatic, Mad Max goddess frock/romper (fromper?) is the high point, for its beauty and mysterious/vampish nomadic headpiece-and for its apparent inspiration, the Islamic abaya, a loose-fitting black hooded garment worn primarily in Arab countries (and plenty in my Brooklyn neighborhood too). You could also argue the gilded headpiece is a reverse take on the niqab, or somebody’s cartoon-riches idea of the ancient world colliding with some unknown future goddess–the crown the Neverending Story princess wears before she dies. An interesting image from a classic French design house the day before France began its discussions on the burqa ban, after all the controversy about hijab–it’s in the discourse at least, whether the ensemble is some sort of thrice-removed statement or not. And lo! “Harem pants” will apparently survive the harsh winter! Givenchy has them in mesh made of golden thread and silvery, billowy calf-lengths, topped by almost oppressively structured, angular blazers and black turtlenecks. Whether this show was a think piece, a continuation of high fashion’s richie rich “ethnic” (ugh) “borrowing,” or merely respect for the oeuvre of Stephanie Meyer (those glittery gothic fabrics! aHhh), Givenchy was exactly what my currently-cutoff-jeans-wearing heart wants couture lines to be: fantastical, artistic, glamorous, breathtaking, thought-provoking, the runway equivalent of Versailles, etc. I mean it’s a recession but fuck it, since like .00000000000001% of the population will even see these designs in a museum. Even Angelina Jolie has to get it on loan.
Diane Pernet said this was her favorite Givenchy show ever, and she loved every piece, but keep in mind that statement is coming from a woman who wakes up every morning and gets dressed like a 17th century Spanish princess. If you fux with that (duh), watch the full video of the show on her blog.