My head about exploded last night when I read the news that Emanuel Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige had signed Lindsay Lohan as "artistic advisor." As one friend texted, "That's just so many ways of wrong."The melding of fashion and pop culture is undeniable and valid -- but there are limits. For those of us who actually respect fashion, who believe that to direct and influence one must possess some sense of perspective, history and technique through study and practice, the appointment of a questionable tabloid celebrity whose chief attribute is that she's managed to bankroll an impressive closet -- I'm sorry, that is wrong. I'm all for the fashion muse, whose influence upon a designer has resulted in some of the greatest relationships and collaborations, from Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn to Yves Saint Laurent and Catherine Deneuve to Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppola. But let's be honest -- that's not what this is, not even a little bit. Lohan has no relationship to Estrella Archs, who was named creative director in the same moment Lohan's cushy title was announced. Archs' previous work includes solid stints at Nina Ricci, Prada and with Christian Lacroix while he was at Pucci, so surely she also must be wondering why the bottle-blonde tabloid celeb is needed at the revered French fashion house. Even their publicity photo looks uncomfortable. Muse? No one is amused. (And gosh, what an imaginative outfit to herald her introduction: a gray jacket over -- wait for it -- a black T-shirt.)
Every house at one time or another has struggled with the notion that its customer base is aging right alongside the label; indeed, history is littered with the tales of panicky, youth-driven moves that didn't pan out: Galliano muscling out Hubert de Givenchy and Badgley Mischka choosing the Olsen twins for their ad campaign are two past debacles that spring to mind.
Moufarrige already had proven he possesses zero patience for allowing a designer to settle in and build a following. Since Emanuel Ungaro retired in 2004, three designers -- the insanely gifted Giambattista Valli, as well as Vincent Darre and Peter Dundas -- had been shuttled through the house in as many years. The young, effervescent Esteban Cortazar, named to the post in 2007, is a talented designer who after three short seasons was finding his footing at Ungaro, with his latest F/W collection drawing solid reviews from many. Fashion is going through challenging times, to be sure, but the schizophrenic, revolving-door mood currently driving Ungaro has done nothing to help it build a younger customer base, as women simply aren't given the chance to develop a sense of the label or the heart of its aesthetic.
We've already lost the House of Lacroix because commerce triumphed over art; as Moufarrige clutches desperately for the immediacy of tabloid frenzy over solid talent, we sadly -- and inevitably -- watch Ungaro follow.
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