La Parisienne

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March 5, 2013 PARIS By Nicole Phelps Hakaan Yildirim landed on the Paris scene during the Spring 2011 collections. And what a splashy arrival it was. Carine Roitfeld was talking him up, he'd just won the ANDAM Award, and, thanks to creative director Mert Alas, one half of the Mert & Marcus photo team, the cream of that season's model crop walked his runway. Two and a half years later, some things remain unchanged. Alas is still in the picture, which means so are the gorgeous catwalkers. But Yildirim has had his challenges. Last season, his collection was reportedly lost in transit between his atelier in Turkey and Paris, which slowed his momentum. Presumably, his sales, too. The task for Yildirim today, then, was to give himself a jump-start. Souped-up party clothes are as likely to do the trick as anything, especially in a season that's been noteworthy for its sedateness. They're also solidly in the Hakaan repertoire. Working in only black, white, and red, he showed long column gowns with a gothic sensibility, tiny slipdresses that combined matte and shine, and elaborately constructed, peplumed bustier tops worn with sheer trousers or a see-through pencil skirt—plus a couple of leather Perfectos for tossing over it all. Yildirim is a fairly talented dressmaker. The long black gowns with a bit of white peeking out from a single sleeve or the neckline were special. Overall, though, the collection was a real mix, one that lacked a convincing point of view. It wasn't the clincher he needed.

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March 2, 2013 PARIS By Maya Singer Do lobsters feel pain? What happens when we die? Is one polka dot a polka dot, or is it just a circle? These are a few of the philosophical questions raised by Tsumori Chisato's typically eclectic, but unusually chic, new collection. The fact that this collection made heavy use of a lobster motif—part of a larger marine reference—was par for the rather surreal Chisato course. Ditto the fact that the designer decided to elaborate the aquatic stuff with a friendly ghost print, and graphic checks and stripes that looked hand-painted. No, the strange thing here was the sophistication of Chisato's silhouettes. There was something imposing about her capes, and the dresses with long, slender bodices and fanning tails of ruffles or pleats, and a couple of lapel-free coats with patchwork waves of gold. A red peplum top with crystal-embroidered lobsters was really quite natty, as was an ocean blue quilted jacket with lobsters clawing at its oversize buttons. Inevitably, this Tsumori Chisato woman was a bit of an oddball, but she was an oddball with class.

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