BCBG has come a long, long way since it’s humble inception in the early 90’s and I fondly remember back in the day, about 7th grade to be exact, that when it first hit the states it was the label to get your hands on, especially since it was so elusive at the time.
While that may not be the case anymore, you have to think that if BCBG has done anything, it has completely eclipsed major department store powerhouses of yesterday like Liz Claiborne & Jones of New York with it’s easy-on-the-wallet, quick-on-the trend approach to contemporary sportswear. It may have started out as a label that was rife with runway derivations without any apologies or dilutions, but I think that is actually a great benefit for the label since it is left untarnished by cumbersome house signatures many other labels are always burdened with.
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This leaves the company with one strong, focused goal, that being smart, functional clothing at friendly prices, that feel right for the mood of the times. Today, BCBG has been re-imagined for a younger girl on-the-go while newer, older brother Max Azria is for a more sophisticated clientele.
BCBG’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection opened with a palette cleansing white t-shirt dress (always a smart option) and moved on to offer the younger girls of the world some very short, and I mean short, body-con bandage dresses that were tweaked with abstract prints, contrasting piping, Grecian ruching & draping and an overall familiar scuba feel. I say familiar because even to this day, anytime I see scuba my mind always wanders to the genius of Nicholas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga. There wasn’t a single separate in sight, instead the focus here was the quintessential party dress and BCBG made sure that every party girl out there has plenty of options that she can wear with the ease the house is known for.
If anything, I have to admit that some of the chiffon layering tricks were a little tricky and gimmicky and will ultimately shorten the lifespan of said garment. That being said, these clothes were all about fun, smart fun in a very studied yet uncomplicated, cool manner. Sometimes you don’t always need a new proposition and there’s nothing wrong with knowing what works and sticking to it and Max & Lubov Azria used this to their full advantage. – Naveed Hussain
Photos, this page only, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York
Published on September 12, 2009
