From ignoring the scene to paying attention, it was Phillip Lim’s S/S08 that got me into the current American fashion again. I normally skip checking them online, especially I do not really agree CFDA/Vogue US’s way of promoting all and any newcomers whom, some of them I consider plain and ‘not there yet’ to deserve it. The organization supports rather blindly, it’s more or less like giving them their 15-minutes of fame without really screening. There is one caught my eyes lately though. Asked by my friend from New York and talking to editors, we all like Alexander Wang.

Wang has a style, a L.A./ NYC style that could transcend far and beyond- worldwide. He created a relax, nonchalant Manolo-heeled global look that girls want to look exactly that. I logged onto his website and watched the show, the whole vibe pops with the music. It later made me wonder if it’s due to the atmosphere which from time to time can fool people, plus this is a very well-styled show; so, I googled his clothes and checked them up-close at online shops- there is something there. I told myself to forget about the name and judge the bare garment. Of course, black jacket is a black jacket, a blouse is a blouse, per se. But what’s in front of me with normal hair & makeup and no music, remains stylish; Wang’s work has that ‘je ne sais quoi’. Indeed, he’s no Alexander McQueen, but he’s rawness and mood is so right in time, it’s the style that caught me and ‘style’ worth more than anything these days. To me, his and The Row’s are doing something on international level from their pairs of American eyes. They didn’t just give you the cliche American sportswear casuals, there is something European about them, which I like.

Across the atlantic pond though, someone disappointed me. I liked his work normally, but not keen on his F/W08. I remember Christophe Decarnin at Balmain did something very Parisian from very early on. She’s Paris’ long lost rock chick since Stella McCartney at Chloé. But, where is that girl now? She’s gone to the States…?! The way Decarnin repeats the same old patterns over and over again gets on my nerves. And I’m not impressed with his use on Americana imspiration for two seasons in a row. Okay, he’s doing the Kate Moss bad girl things here, even the Giuseppe Zanotti designed fringed top booties are Moss’s. But where is the ‘design’? Don’t know if it’s because the supports from Vogue Paris came too easily, I don’t think he’s the kind of person who’d let fame get to his head, he’s too old for that. He’s becoming a stylist more than a designer slowly. I hope for his groundbreaking ideas in the seasons to come.