Yeezus Walks a Runway: Can Kanye Cut It As a Fashion Designer ?

After his baby daughter North West cried at his fashion show, Kanye West's designs themselves were met with a collective ‘meh’ at New York Fashion Week. He needs to sharpen up his act.

Kanye West wants to be a fashion designer. And he wants it really badly. But the reviews are in on his most recent collection and the result is…meh.

While it’s undeniable that Kanye has a steller sense of style and influence in the fashion world, the verdict is still out on whether he has what it takes to add Fashion Designer to his overflowing creative resume.

The musician has had a hand in the fashion world for over a decade now. He has collaborated with brands ranging from Nike to Louis Vuitton—mostly on footwear—and held fashion internships at design houses like Fendi.

But, in 2011, he presented his first full, eponymous collection of womenswear at Paris Fashion Week to pretty awful reviews. Fashion critic Cathy Horyn cut him down to size in The New York Times, writing, “What Mr. West needs is a tailor so the clothes will fit.”

So all eyes were watching to see what he would come up with for his very first show at New York Fashion Week: his debut collaboration with Adidas. The result was a line that relied heavily on earth tones and inspiration from other designers. Many of the models were clothed in nude body stockings that highlighted his sportswear pieces in blacks, tans, greys, greens, and whites. Plus, lots and lots of camo.

The footwear was expansive, ranging from the much-hyped Yeezy 750 Boost sneakers and white high-top platform snow boots to a variety of sleek, if somewhat nondescript women’s boots. Plus, one lone model wearing no shoes at all. Fashionista editor in chief Lauren Inuvik summed it up nicely, writing “[The clothes] were urban, cool, athletic—but in their drab colors and conventional shapes (sweatshirts, parkas, drop-waist pants, cargo vests), indistinctive and unremarkable.”