Guram Gvasalia does nothing small. Front row today at his first Vetements show in almost two years were Tyga, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Julia Fox, the rapper Tommy Cash in a giant inflatable ring costume, Antoine Arnault, and Cher, the latter two of whom were on hand to their better halves, Natalia Vodianova and Alexander Edwards, walking the catwalk.
The collection itself was 90 looks long, the vast majority of which were oversized. In Vetements’ Spring 2024 collection, certain pieces were reviewed 16 times, a job so big that the factory initially denied Gvasalia’s request, but he didn’t take no for an answer at the time and showed little restraint tonight.
Vodianova and Edwards’ opening suits were tailored with what appeared to be a padded tube through the shoulder seams and under the lapel collar, adding vertical inches to the silhouettes. On T-shirts and hoodies, the tube extended into the sleeves, like half a hula hoop, said a seatmate, although I was thinking of swimming armbands. The filled pipes formed almost complete circles on a few ditches. The pants were also oversized. Jeans extended via split seams into long trains, a clever, yet complicated idea to wear that I’ve never seen executed before, and the hems of clothes were so heavy that models gathered their skirts in their hands to imagine a making its way down the catwalk – a less compelling look. Evening dresses were cut from clingy jersey, but Gvasalia might have rid Swarovski of its crystals. The teddy bear coats were a lift from Jean Charles de Castelbajac.
Vetements has been around for ten years now and was launched by Guram Gvasalia and his older brother Demna with the aim of perfecting the basic clothing for everyday life. (Demna subsequently left the brand after taking on the role of creative director at Balenciaga). Scanning the photos of their first Fall 2014 collection, you’re reminded of how much their ideas have penetrated the mainstream over the past decade and defined the look of contemporary fashion. But there wasn’t much groundbreaking here in the show’s commitment to excess.
In an interview in the New York Times last summer, Gvasalia took aim at his brother, and apparently he’s still dealing with some family drama – otherwise he wants us to think he is. A giant T-shirt emblazoned across the chest read “Not Mom’s Favorite,” and an equally oversized hoodie was printed with a phrase from South Park, “you are a towel,” which is not a veiled reference to Balenciaga’s oft-meme towel skirt. Gvasalia sent three more crystal jersey dresses, the last one on Marcia Cross Desperate housewives glory for the grand finale.
