Oh, there are some spiteful people out there. Over the past few months, I have been asked more and more often about one thing in particular. Why doesn’t Topcoat rip anyone to shreds? Why don’t we call designers out for recycled looks, experiments gone horribly wrong or simply taking the piss out of the consumers with ridiculous outfits?

The answer is quite simple. For one, the job of TCM is to put nothing but the best in front of our readers, mainly from up-and-coming or previously unknown designers. It is a great pleasure to showcase talent like Plaster & Paste, Nicolas K, and Sergio Davila before they have made their debuts on one of fashion’s highest stages under the tents of New York Fashion Week.  

The other reason is that there are plenty of other places to either disparage or find disparaging comments about designers and their latest offerings to the public. There must be at least over a thousand blogs devoted to such scrutiny. And at the end of the day, the consumer will not buy something they cannot see themselves wearing, whatever the occasion.

Here at Topcoat Magazine, we are a virtual lovefest when it comes to fashion and art. That being said however, in this issue, we do take a look for the first time at the fashion missteps of some of fashion’s top designers. However, the criticism is not meant to be solely on the clothing, but on the inability of these designers to understand the economic climate undeniable to just about everyone else. Long established fashion houses and powerhouse labels have fallen victim to the economy, so the carelessness that went into some of the collections struck a stronger chord than usual with us this time around.

Designers are not the only ones taken to task. After his controversial piece in the last issue, Loic Renin slaps the hands of those he feels are skirting their responsibilities to the gay community as a whole. Steven Anendale also questions the logic of keeping the critically panned sitcom Kath & Kim on the air, while Joel Sherman is just mad about machismo—his and others.

But this is not the admonishment issue. There is plenty to praise, including the debut collection of Project Runway’s Christian Siriano, the ascendance of E.Y. Wada, the kookiness of Jeff Koons and the brilliance of Sean Ritchwood. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Join us as we highlight the highs and, for once, the lows.

EJ Jacobs, Editor-In-Chief

A PIECE FROM THE MARC JACOBS FALL 2009 LINE