Things to Discuss: Top Collections of Spring 2016

by Ashley Baker

And now, with MiuMiu, it is finished. (And by that, we mean the spring 2016 show season). Time for digestion, reflection, and some good, old-fashioned ranking. Without further procrastination, your Daily‘s picks for the top shows of the season. Any order is strictly subconscious.

PRADA. The gold lipstick, the globular earrings, the stripes, checks, tweeds…it was almost easy to forget that the biggest of the big ideas presented by the divine Ms. Prada was the once-stuffy skirt suit. In her world, anything can be the stuff of magic. And for spring, that meant everything.

CELINÉ. The invincible Phoebe Philo knows intimately what the world’s chicest women want to wear. For spring, that will mean lace-trimmed slipdresses with menswear-y jackets. Now let’s hope your end-of-year bonus will allow you to buy in bulk.

LOUIS VUITTON. In case there was any doubt about which creatives are really ruling Paris, Nicolas Ghesquiere’s tech-savvy punk rockers hacked into the heart of the season. Expect the micro bags (especially the box and duffel) to become a global sensation.

CHANEL. All aboard? Of course. Despite a kitschy concept, the Kaiser delivered oodles of tweedy treats. Did he top 2014’s supermarché? Not exactly, but when your only competition is yourself, it’s OK to have a collection that’s merely solid.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN. Sarah Burton’s stuff of fairytales gave show-goers a tender, romantic approach to fashion that has become a rarity in the hard-hearted marketplace of 2015. If beauty is truth and truth, beauty, Burton has exposed something fundamental about this business—doesn’t everyone want clothes to make them feel just plain gorgeous?

VETEMENTS. A high-concept take on normcore, Vetements’ oversized basics make a powerfully contrarian statement. Now that its head designer Demna Gvasalia is helming Balenciaga, expect even more buzz about the brand.

MARC JACOBS. The show must go on. Jacobs’ theatrical homage to the stage resulted in one of his strongest statements ever—the mark of a designer at the top of his game.

LANVIN. Speaking of showmanship, Alber Elbaz did the showgirl look gloriously, with one of his most varied and buoyant collections in years.

ROCHAS. It’s good to be Alessandro Dell’Acqua. Between the runaway success he’s enjoying with No. 21, and now his magical work for Rochas, he’s the toast of both Milan and Paris. Rochas, in particular, was a “we’ll-take-one-of-each” moment, thanks to some of the most delicious jackets of the season.

DIOR. Those scalloped-hem sweaters and wide striped dresses are destined for “It”-dom. Once again, Raf Simons’s totally original sensibilities will create major commercial payoffs.

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