Street artist Banksy once said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” There’s no shortage of disturbing art in the world, but what I find really peculiar is the abundance of disturbingly weird fashion in the last few seasons. 

Giles SS 2014. Twitter, @Fashion_Strikes.

It’s gone beyond avant-garde. Avant-garde is imaginative, exciting, and yes, weird—but wearable. Some of these new collections are so experimental in nature that there are only two people in the world adventurous enough to wear them, Tavi Gevinson and Nicki Minaj.

Many define fashion as wearable art. I agree that fashion should absolutely be artistic, and by extension, sometimes weird. Fashion, along with other art forms, has the responsibility to be a commentator and critic on the world around it through creative expression. But in my opinion, the most artistic and experimental of those expressions should be reserved for the couture shows; ready-to-wear should be, above all, clothes that really are ready to wear.

Here’s a celebration of some of the season’s best “weird” collections that successfully push the limits of artistic yet wearable fashion—and a few flops that are nowhere near ready-to-wear. 

Prada SS 2014. Instagram, @Prada.

1. Prada

Paillettes. Ribbed legwarmers. Pop Art portraits done in sequins and fur. Under anyone else’s guidance this collection would have been a hot mess, but by showing restraint in silhouette, Miuccia Prada created clothes that, while daring, have definite real world potential on some red carpet darling.

Marc Jacobs SS 2014. Twitter, @rchiarellajewel.

2. Marc Jacobs

MJ described the inspiration behind his fashion show setup as “a weird frat party, Burning Man, shores-of-Gotham City sort of beach scene.” What? That confusion translated to the actual clothes, which overshot wearability via an abundance of matador jackets, tassels, and hibiscus-print Victorian gowns. The collection’s lack of cohesion and a clear narrative, along with its impractical (and dare I say, kind of ugly) clothes, made it a loser in my book.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2014. Twitter, @Warung_Blogger.

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs

Thankfully, Jacobs redeemed himself in his diffusion line. He limited his signature kookiness mostly to the styling (hello, hair collars?) and trashy-cool fabrics, and in doing so created a collection of inherently wearable separates and dresses for the cool kid with a sense of irony.

DSquared2 SS 2014. Twitter, @IAMFASHION.

4. Dsquared² 

This was a frustrating one. The whole collection had a cool, kitschy fifties-sixties-tiki-lounge vibe, but it fluctuated between elegant feminine silhouettes and strange, oversexed swimsuit-strapless-dress hybrids in unpleasant materials. The draping reminded me of diapers, which creates an uncomfortable boobs-baby dichotomy that I can’t imagine any woman wanting to buy into.  

Giles SS 2014. Twitter, @Fashion_Strikes.

5. Giles 

The beauty of Giles Deacon’s newest work is that while it carries a strong message, it translates that message into very wearable content. There’s a lovely narrative of nostalgia and girlhood woven throughout the collection, but each piece is on its own stylish and commercially viable. Standouts include a slip dress printed with a picture of Kate Moss and a champagne-colored gown with lip appliqués.

Bottom line, what makes "weird" fashion acceptable and accessible is the skill with which the designer translates their artistic vision into a wearable fashion statement. This usually means showing restraint in limiting the "weirdness" to only a few aspects of the clothes. Weirdness absolutely has a place in fashion, but only in ready-to-wear to the extent that it doesn't obscure wearability.

Reach Staff Reporter Gigi Gastevich here.