Kanye West Fall 2012 Runway Show Review PFW

After an over-ambitious rookie appearance last season, Kanye West is back at it again with another collection for Paris Fashion Week.  This collection has begun an aesthetic that can be identified with Kanye; an aesthetic that seems to have the theme of "bondage" surrounding it.   The contrasts in height and depth of fabrics and cuts are evident across both collections; however, in this collection, West used fabrics that are more appropriate for the season.  Using black as the universal palette was certainly on trend, and his contrasts with colored furs and gold accents brought relevance to his collection.  The textures used in the collection were definitely a highlight; most noted with the shearling coat, and multi-fur jacket. The hem of the skirts, for the sake of constructive criticism, were not as finished as they should have been.  In fact, the fit and finish of all the skirts in the collection seemed to lack a certain level of luxury that Kanye lives and raps by.  The outerwear was the definite win with Kanye's collection; a perfect styling addition to West's sophomore debut in Paris (cue #WTT).

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 photos: style.com

What You Learn from Kanye's Tweets

Kanye West has been rather vocal recently on twitter; no surprise that Kanye West is vocal, but we haven't seen this much twitter action from him in quite some time.  It surprised me when I looked on my timeline and saw the crowned Kanye head laying sideways, making comments about his clothing line, and the fake twitter handle that was created in his Dw Kanye West namesake (which you will soon see that is not the real name of his collection).  I wondered how he would feel after his debut at Paris Fashion Week, when he may not have received the reaction he wanted; I was waiting for a verse in a song to be about those who didn't like it.  However, it seems that Kanye has a more gentle approach when it comes to receiving the criticism of those in the fashion industry.  Could it be possible that Kanye West has a level of respect for fashion that transcends music?  Its no secret that my review of the focused on a need of focus, but I took his tweets as a short lesson into where his mind is when it comes to truly being in the fashion industry. 

Kanye west started his enlightenment with  saying "I appreciate everyone's support for my clothing line but I wanted to clarify a few things..."


Here are seven things that I either learned, or think that you should know about Kanye's fashion journey, in nor particular order:

1.  The collection is not called Dw Kanye West.  The collection is simply called Kanye West, but his design company is called DONDA.  The word "design" seems to be more about set production than fashion, but you can email him to reach out.

2. Kanye has no agency representing him.  Perhaps his love for Cara Lewis is the reason.

3. He used tour money to back his collection.  No investors. #WTT was clearly made for Spring 2013.

4. Kanye has been working on a collection for 8 years.  We all remember Pastelle.. didn't work.  BAPE collaboration.  Didn't work. 

5.  The four words "Imma let you finish" and the #kanyeshrug messed up more than his likability - it also ended his LA office to do fashion work.

6.  If you were under contract with Louis Vuitton for 2 years, and you go and intern with Fendi and Guiseppe Zanotti undercover, don't expect LV to give you another opportunity.

7. Kanye West is hiring.

Q-Tips: How To Wear Givenchy Like Kanye West

This is how Givenchy styled Rob Evans for the Fall 2011 Campaign Ad.  Powerful, relentless, and, for the lack of better words, fierce. 

The full Givenchy Fall 2011 collection by Ricardo Tisci was very aggressive and Gothic in nature, introducing rottweilers throughout the collection.  You can tell that there was a certain man in mind with these designs; a confident, arrogant man with money to spend and style to capture.  It's no question that Kanye exemplifies this Givenchy man, and it was no surprise that he would wear Givenchy from beginning to end during the Watch the Throne Tour.

After the Kanye West reveal of the leather pants, kilt and rottweiler tops, its only a matter of time that people will start wanted to try this trend. Givenchy is amazing, but it definitely artistic in nature, and works well with those who have a true sense of fashion. There's nothing classic or traditional about it, so there are some rules you need to follow in order to wear the Givenchy Rottweiler like Kanye West. In order to show you HOW to wear it, I will give you rules on HOW NOT to wear it.

1. Don't mispronounce Givenchy. Jee-von-shee... Got it?


2. Don't blow your entire check, or dig yourself into more debt buying this shirt. The black button down rottweiler shirt retails for just under $1000. Just for the shirt.  Imagine how much the jacket and shorts cost. 

3. Don't eat that last doughnut! - The collection looks much better on slimmer guys, because it pairs with slim fit pants, and/or leather tights. Would you really want to see a man in size XL tights?

4.  Don't wear with denim - Unless it is black denim in a slim or skinny fit.  This look will not match well with blue denim, no matter how dark the wash. You really should be executing the look with shorts and tights, but for those of you not ready to go all the way there, stay with a slim fit pair of black pants. 

5. Don't overdress the look - The collection was styled with sneakers, so going with black loafers may take away from its urban aesthetic.  This is why Kanye's Nike Air Yeezys worked so well with the look.  Basic black sneakers with white soles (think Gourmet, or Clae) will also create a complete look.

Experience: Watch the Throne Concert

Seeing both Jay Z and Kanye perform on separate occasions, I had been anticipating the day that both tour together in a full set.  Though I was excited to get the Watch the Throne album, the reason I really heard about the album was because of the tour.  There was no mistake on whether the chicken or the egg came first.  The tour was both for me.  The energy that I knew would come from this tour was all I needed; they could have sang their entire catalog and chanted whatever the people from Occupy Wall Street are chanting, and I would have been just as excited.

Kanye West Spring 2012 Collection Review

Kanye West has finally shown his new women's collection, Dw by Kanye West at Paris Fashion Week, and with mixed emotions, it is unclear of whether or not is as met the expectations.  The answer of this question depends on your actual expectation of whether or not you thought his attempt would be successful, or another cliche celebrity line that lacks the execution and craftsmanship of a true designer collection. I have to say that, well he has the artistic talent to do well in fashion, this collection leaned more to the side of a celebrity collection, with many "almost" attempts that were too close to the aesthetics of the brands he raps about.

The bandage dresses with cut outs were almost Herve Leger; the sequins jacket was almost Balmain and Celine - Lots of almost Mugler, Rick Owens, Alexander Wang...

The fur and heavy fabrics were more appropriate for a Fall collection, and although colors have become seamless through seasons, fabric choices have not.  The fabrics also appear to be very expensive, which helps keep the looks away from a "cheap" description.  The overall finish of the looks were unkept; not sure if the aesthetic was supposed to be ill-fitting, but it didn't translate well on runway photos.  The zipper shorts are hot and on trend, and will be a strong push into market for Dw.

He was sucessful in having Chanel Iman in the show, who's second look (the finale look), was definitely the best look, and a positive way to end the show.  The top appeared heavy, but the overall look was wearable and something unique for the collection.

I still love Kanye West... I think we all do in some small way.  I largely love him for his music, and his contribution to making high fashion cool in the hip hop community.  Kanye helped us tremendously with making fashion and the love of fashion masculine and I remain grateful for that.  However, though I write, breathe, and rock fashion all day; I will NOT be a designer.  He is an artist that can draw, paint, and produce, so he may be able to continue with this and improve. Maybe he will have a better take on menswear, since he can add his own preference into the collection.  His shoe collections have been amazing, so perhaps sticking to that will be his best option.  The fact is, Kanye has alot of money and alot of talent, so this certainly won't be the last collection, especially once he reads other reviews that aren't afraid to give a little tough love. I am quite sure Kanye is going to make a song, and 8 bars of it will about all of us fashion critics who didn't 100% love the collection, but at least I can say that I will have a song written about me. 

Kanye West Spring 2012 Collection at Paris Fashion Week

Pastelle.  Air Yeezy.  Louis Vuitton.  Now, Kanye West has taken on a full collection that will debut during Paris Fashion Week.  Kanye's Spring 2012 Collection, in collaboration with menswear designer Katie Eary, will debut after John Paul Gautier on October 1.  The collection is being kept very private, but the design aesthetic of Katie Eary may shed some light on what to expect with Kanye's collection.  Photos below are from Eary's Spring 2012 Collection.