#cengizabazoglu

(images via intermoda)

your jaw is gaping.  so you should probably close it first.  okay.  now, while i'm aware that there were some, ahem, blingy moments during the a/w 2012 adl by cengiz abazoglu (Чингиза Абазоолу) show at moscow fashion week, i actually think that once we peel off the gold heart medallions (and some of the dresses that featured similarly-shaped--and quite loud--cut-outs), the glitter panties, and a few other choice moments, we're actually left with rather a lot of good, classic fashion.  yes, really, it's in there.  you just have to look beyond the styling.  and really, it was unfortunate that the show felt a lot like what would happen if a 13-year old with a passion for inexpensive costume jewelry purchased at the flea market and trimmed up with findings from a local sanrio was allowed to style her mum for work.  true, the mum's impeccable separates would be there--mostly.  but some harm could still be done. 

okay, i'm being a bit harsh.  i'll try to retract my lash a bit so we can actually get on with some productive discussion.  what i really meant to say was that but for the styling (and of course certain choice looks), i actually found that there were a good number of smart, intriguing, professional womenswear pieces that would suit quite a lot of girls and make a nice assortment of sharp basics in many a woman's wardrobe.  i liked the rainbow array of classic colours, and the draping, pleats, ruffles, and little details featured on most of the garments were very charming, casting some unexpected (and usually asymmetrical) detail over what would otherwise be a pretty classic piece.  these design details were thus refreshing as the styling was not--to me, at least. 

but probably we ought get into specifics here.  my star way reported that the collection was titled '1950,' and was, of course, inspired by the same decade.  "Elegant and bold woman of the '50s cannot fail to fascinate. I joined the romanticism of that era with the modern 2000s," (trans.) they quoted the designer as saying.  meanwhile, the russian site fashionista went a little more in-depth on the subject, commenting that (trans.) "(i)n this postwar period, the women, after all the hardships, remembered again that they were born to love and keenly competed for male attention. Thus the image of the fashionable 50's was formed--a sexy, feminine, tremulous, starry-eyed woman, deliciously embodied on-screen by film stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Grace Kelly."

and yeah, we can probably chuckle at the ham-fisted comment about being "born to love" and the 'competing for male attention' business.  goodness knows there was more to it than that, then as now, and at least we can say mr. abazoglu's collection seemed to get that, even if the critics didn't--it certainly cast a confident, sexy, and intelligent look (okay, we're talking about always sans the heart motifs, of course) and for that i was glad.  after all, how often does one hear a woman proclaiming, 'i dress for other women,' despite what some dudes would have us believe?  but i digress, and anyway, adensya had a better quote from the designer (trans.): "I was touched by the elegance and daring beauties of that era. Therefore, working on the collection of '1950'...I have tried to reflect the romanticism of the past to the future of fashion."  that sounds a lot better, non?

anyway, mr. abazoglu worked mainly with high-fashion materials like fur, leather, chiffon, wool, and silk, while the palette--which was backed by neutrals like black, gray, and camel--included most of the colours in a basic box of crayons: cobalt blue, cherry red, grassy green, and purple.  the malena-m livejournal blog pointed out that range accessories included black leather gloves (in short, medium, and elbow-lengths), strands of seed pearls, big black shades, gold rings and bracelets, fanciful fur stoles, the heart-shaped pendants, belts, and classic black pumps.   and cosmopolitan noted that the emphasis was on the natural waistline, with (trans.) "different options for dresses - knee-length or to the floor, close-fitting, tight - and capri pants, cropped jackets, and bell skirts."

interestingly enough (to me, at least), most of the reviews i read seemed to come in at pretty much the same consensus: the clothes were good, it was just the accessories (and in particular, those bloody hearts) that didn't work.  in fact, both news i model and the russian site intermoda called these motifs (trans.) "repetitive".  but we probably shouldn't linger on that subject any more, as i would like to turn our attention back to the clothes.  frankly, save for a few nipped-waist, a-line frocks (as on masha kirsanova, fourth from above), i'm not completely convinced that the fifties theme was so clear; to be sure, even ms. kirsanova's lovely, short red-and-black struck me as more contemporary club-goer than retro diner-goer.  similarly, the slim pencil shapes on many of the skirts, dresses, and coats (some of which could double for dresses) had a smart, of-the-moment air rather than a vintage one. 

yet i don't actually have a complaint on that score.  quite the opposite, i was really pleased with the array of garments mr. abazoglu brought us for fall, and the splash of colour-wheel brights felt festive and welcome in a season so many have been relying on dark, dark shades.  sure, those lurid evening gowns cracked open through the middle and paired with glittery panties felt much too much like what we'd see at a vicky's secret show (which was a shame, because the cuts would have been divine, had they been sewn up the center front), but the tailored slacks, the silken shirts with tucks (as the tomato version at top), and almost all the pieces with asymmetrical, draped details were all desirable, flattering, and offering a long and assorted life in one's wardrobe.  things really can't get too much better than that.  so i suppose it does still leave us wondering: if he could get so many of these factors right, on the other ends, how did he manage to go so wrong? (see additional images at ria moda)