Saturday night during Paris Fashion Week, Kanye West followed in the illustrious footsteps of celebs-turned-designers Lindsay Lohan, the Olsen Twins, and Victoria Beckham by debuting his first fashion collection. West's dramatic womenswear line for Spring/Summer 2012 featured luxurious materials, streamlined silhouettes, and an abundance of zippers and bare skin. Not surprisingly, it polarized critics. Was Kanye's extravagant runway show promising, or a "painful" sign that the hip hop impresario should stick to music?
This would have been impressive without Kanye's ego: For a debut collection it was "quite good," says Jess Cartner-Morley at Britain's Guardian. Indeed, it reminded me of Stella McCartney's early work. Too bad it was unveiled with so much pomp and ego in a stately library transformed into an ultraviolet light box. Such an immodest presentation puts Kanye on the same level as fashion's seasoned veterans, and his gaping necklines and imperfect fits just don't compare. "If Kanye is serious about fashion, he needs to dial the circus down a little."
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