Charles Anastase
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
LONDON, February 21, 2009
By Tim Blanks
Someone had fun writing Charles Anastase's show notes. "The gutter of romanticism"? "Defiled refinery"? A wordy way to convey the manner in which the high-waisted, tiered, full-skirted, fairy-tale silhouette Anastase has made his own was, this time, tattered and spattered. One reference point for the collection was "the spirit of Kurt Cobain." The ghost of grunge did seem to hover over the mixing and matching of pieces that could have been harvested from a charity shop: a pink angora coat over a rugby-striped dress, say, or a leopard-print bed jacket over a flaring black skirt, or a tiny plaid jacket worn with over-dyed purple denims. The styling and the shoes—a towering combat-platform boot—fit with the idea. But Anastase was mortified that anyone would read something so literal into his designs."This isn't retro, it's autobiography," he insisted. "It's the clothes we were wearing when I was an adolescent." Yes, they were from a charity shop, but Anastase and friends would customize them, hand-painting them and adding found bits and pieces till they were unrecognizable. The same notion animated a patchworked velvet skirt and all the items in the collection that were painted or scribbled on, like the "dementia" blouse. It wasn't hard to imagine the precocious teen Anastase working his neighborhood's last nerve with such provocations. The problem is, they still look kind of adolescent. Footnote: Anastase debuted some menswear, including a black leather jacket with "Malia Obama" writ large across its back. He said that was his way of expressing his positive feelings about America's new president.
/
/
/
see all designers ›

Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear
#
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
N
|
O
|
P
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
Y
|
Z
|
-
#
3.1 Phillip Lim -
A
-
B
-
C
-
D
-
E
Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
F
Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio -
G
Gap Gareth Pugh Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Black G-Star Gucci -
H
Haider Ackermann Halston Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria House of Holland Hussein Chalayan Hutson -
I
Iceberg Io Ipse Idem Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
J
-
K
Kai Kühne Karen Walker Karl Lagerfeld Katy Rodriguez Kenzo Kinder Aggugini Koi Suwannagate Kris Van Assche -
L
L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin Lela Rose Libertine Limi Feu Loewe Louise Goldin Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luella Luisa Beccaria Lutz & Patmos Lyn Devon -
M
-
N
Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Nathan Jenden Nicole Miller Nina Ricci -
O
Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Ossie Clark -
P
Paul Smith Women Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Phi Philosophy Pollini Ports 1961 Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
R
-
S
Salvatore Ferragamo Shipley & Halmos Sinha-Stanic Sonia Rykiel Sophia Kokosalaki Sophie Theallet Stærk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows -
T
Tao Temperley London Thakoon Threeasfour Tibi Todd Lynn Tommy Hilfiger Topshop Unique Tory Burch Tracy Reese Trovata TSE Tuleh Twenty8Twelve -
U
Undercover United Bamboo -
V
-
W
William Rast Wunderkind -
Y
Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
Z
Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo







