After months of rumors flying and hype building, Kanye West finally presented his very first fashion collection to a star-studded crowd at Paris Fashion Week.
Expectations for the show were high, with fashion elite sitting in the audience (Carine Rotifeld, Stefano Tonchi, Anna Wintour) and the media waiting with bated breath for the overly ambitious hip hop star to take an entertaining fashion pratfall.
But the reviews are in and for now, it looks like Kanye has avoided the worst of celebrity fashion embarrassments (à la Lindsay Lohan at Emanuel Ungaro, circa October 2009).
Style.com wrote, "What Kanye West is trying to achieve is unprecedented... tonight's show suggests that conquering his new medium is a work in progress."
Women's Wear Daily concurred: "It had the earnest veneer of a beginner, which was sort of endearing."
Fashionista generously allowed that "of the 23 looks showed, there were a few that I think might work for a certain customer."
West, who designed the line with the help of London-based designer Katie Eary, seemed pleased with the reception, hugging fashion friends backstage. And he realized the deck was stacked against him from the start, telling the New York Times:
"The biggest conversation I had was about the whole idea of a celebrity-designer or a rapper-designer. That was the biggest hurdle when you are trying to get people to work with you."
So did he overcome the hurdle? Check out the Kanye West Spring 2012 collection, both front row and runway shots, below!
