Sun everywhere
The boundaries between work, leisure, privacy have become blurred. One can work everywhere, anywhere. A park, a cafe, a library or at home… A road to success shines ahead. Clothing borders, style codes also become more flexible and playful, wearing a shirt like a jacket.
Inspired by the desire for light and of “light-ness”, ISSEY MIYAKE MEN proposes a casual, yet refined shirt, expressing sun streaming and shadows on textured textiles. This variety of shirt reflects.
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Tags: ISSEY MIYAKE, ISSEY MIYAKE SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Mon, July 9 2018 » Fashion Blog
Fri, July 6 2018 » Fashion Blog
The vocabulary according to Virgil Abloh
A liberal definition of terms and explanation of ideas.
# 3%. The exact ratio needed to twist a normative object into something special.
A Accessomorphosis. A portmanteau describing the transformation of an accessory into a garment, effectively evolving its functional form.
After party. A social gathering following a fashion show intended for industry guests but made great by the civilian fans of the brand in question.
B Bags. The ultimate expression of utility. For Spring-Summer 2019, bag designs are derived from the icons of Louis Vuitton and treated with Virgil Abloh’s 3% methodology.
Biography. Born in 1980, Virgil Abloh was raised in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin in 2002 and an MA in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006. Abloh served as creative director for Kanye West until launching his first label, Pyrex Vision, in 2012. The year after, he established Off-White. Virgil Abloh joined Louis Vuitton as Men’s Artistic Director in March 2018.
C Collaboration. A creative partnership between people or brands in which Virgil Abloh has often engaged in the past. Likewise linked to the business of Louis Vuitton for over a century, the Spring-Summer 2019 collection features no collaboration.
Collar. A shirt or jacket component indispensable in the codes of formalwear – a sector native to Louis Vuitton and foreign to its designer – its tips are clipped as a mark-making gesture of irony. “Virgil Abloh was here.”
D Denim. A workingman’s fabric typically elevated in high fashion, this common material relies on its unrefined familiar appeal to trigger the desired emotional connection. Virgil Abloh was raised on 1990s’ washed-out Levi’s jeans, stiff and vintagefound.
Designer. “I don’t call myself a designer, nor do I call myself an imagemaker. I don’t reject the label of either. I am not trying to put myself on a pedestal, nor am I trying to be more, now. I would like to define the title of Artistic Director for a new and different era.” –Virgil Abloh.
Disc Jockey. “I like loud music.” –Virgil Abloh.
Dorothy. A farm girl from the Midwest transported to Oz, a fairy tale land where she experiences things beyond the reach of her imagination. As an outsider, she soon discovers she was taken to Oz for a reason.
E Exposure. An apparatus recognized by designers in the social media age of fashion. Can lead to Artistic Director positions at Louis Vuitton.
F Fandom. A two-way worship between a designer and his clientele, fashion fandom mimics the codependent relationship between performer and supporter, a connection native to music and sports scenes.
G Gloves. Coverings for the hands employed by Virgil Abloh to accentuate the signature accessories of Louis Vuitton, the colors of gloves are purposely matched to the leather goods with which they are paired.
Graphics. A signature facet in the work of Virgil Abloh, graphic ornamentation no longer takes the form of prints but evolves into artisanal insignia, handembroidered, flocked and off the grid. It is hand-placed individually by Virgil Abloh.
H Halo. A circle of light formed around a fashion house and its collections encompassing the complete creative sphere and significance of a designer.
Harnessing. A term denoting a means of safekeeping, and the conversion of a decorative object into useful ornamentation.
I Irony. The philosophy of a new generation. The presence of Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton.
J Jewelry. Objects of decoration often characterized by an all-thatglitters- is-gold understanding of ornamentation, the Spring-Summer 2019 jewelry appears in ceramics or unrarefied metals denoting a contrasting celebration of non-precious materials.
K Kanye West. A mentor and friend to Virgil Abloh.
L Long-windedness. “A blessing and a curse.” –Virgil Abloh.
Louis Vuitton. Parisian purveyor of leather goods founded in 1854. Defined by its Monogram, the House invented logomania. Its brand value retains unparalleled standing across cultures and classes.
Luxury. A label determined by values, codes and qualities, its use and definition were the privilege of few until a new generation conquered its dominion and shifted the paradigm for good.
M Margielaism. A term applied to garments or accessories which reflect the normative fashion religion of a reverent generation of young or younger designers to which Virgil Abloh belongs.
Millennial. A term applied to consumers born between the late 1980s and 1990s, often linked to markets associated with Virgil Abloh, a non-millennial designer with millennial sensibilities.
Model. A person identified by the anatomical, racial and cosmetic features of his appearance. Or, by his artistry, individuality and personality.
Motto. “Good style is always off-putting.” –Virgil Abloh.
N Normcore. The irony of a generation raised on extravagance, and the makedo and mend sensibility of those with access to it.
O Off-White. A greige gradient of white, which alters a component familiar to all. It serves as a blank canvas for perception and interpretation.
Oz. A fantasy land visited by country girl Dorothy in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Upon arrival after a cyclone transports her there, she tells her dog, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
P Palette. Black, white, off-white, and taupe. Ruby shoe red, brick road yellow, tin man metallic, garland green, and rainbow.
Poppy. A ruby red flower, whose exceptionally fragile structure is contrasted by its psychedelic, narcotic properties and hallucinogenic powers.
Production. A metaphor for finding drama in subtlety, the Spring-Summer 2019 audience of threethousand people is formed by the fashion industry and specially invited students. It creates an atmosphere representative of the dual demographic which will be wearing the collection at hand. Set in the gardens framed by the galleries of the Palais-Royal, sand is rendered like a rainbow while selected guests wear corresponding t-shirts, effectively activating the show through attendance.
Psychedelia. Originally a term for art created through means of intoxication, it describes an innocent sense of elation observed in trippy color formations and kaleidoscopic motifs.
R Rainbow. A kaleidoscopic palette evolving from off-white to polychromatic, synchronously forming a holographic archway known to represent dreams. A motif in The Wizard of Oz, which provides construct to the Spring-Summer 2019 collection.
Rationale. The underlying method of the Spring-Summer 2019 collection, looks are generally designed and styled employing the construction of a top layer, a bottom layer, a mid-layer and an outer layer.
Rockford. The Illinois town in which Virgil Abloh grew up, where Midwestern practicality and utilitarian workwear defined the
popular dress sense, effectively creating an unintentional take on anti-fashion.
S Shoes. The wardrobe component most immediately indicative of an era or movement, each shoe design finds its origins in a sports or vintage culture, from 1960s’ Chelsea boots to the golden era of 1980s’ basketball trainers.
Silhouette. “Revert against stiff and formal. Look as comfortable as you
feel.” –Virgil Abloh.
Sock. An unsung everyday necessity first covered in rhinestones by Michael Jackson in 1983, inspiring a generation of kids to elevate normality. As a child, Virgil Abloh became an early appropriator of the glitter sock.
Soundtrack. An inherent musical juxtaposition staged between a psychedelic jazz intro by BADBADNOTGOOD, which crescendos into I Thought About Killing You by Kanye West.
Staple. A twisted piece of metal that holds two elements together. A term for the essential garments and accessories in a wardrobe.
Streetwear. A predictable clothing genre in a renegade designer’s debut collection as part of the fashion establishment, but one whose sportswear properties are undergoing a critical transformation into luxury.
Styling. Once simply the addendum to a designer’s collection, it now serves as a contemporary fashion tool offered by a designer to the public as an initiation of ideas and ultimate self-expression.
Sunglasses. An accessory that gives the impression of a complete look in an instance. For Spring-Summer 2019 sunglasses reference eyewear from the Al Capone era of Chicago – Virgil Abloh’s former stomping grounds – and riff on the 2005 Louis Vuitton collaboration between Pharrell Williams and Nigo.
Sweats. “Fashion can either ignore what’s happening in the real world, or partake in it.” –Virgil Abloh.
T Tailoring. The paradoxical uniform of the business man, its suitcaseafflicted creases have become engrained in the anatomy of the blazer, forever folded for travel.
Taupe. Virgil Abloh’s favorite color since 1980.
Tie-dye. A homespun take on psychedelia, its trippy effects is often used to illustrate a state of euphoria. The DIY dying technique will hold nostalgic value to those educated at the University of Wisconsin, the foremost hippie college of all time.
Timepieces. Functional fusions between jewelry and clocks that effectively create a process of accessomorphosis, timepieces have been turned into true accessories through the employment of ceramic links in double-wrap configurations.
Tribal. A wealth of motifs identifying a designer’s most original origins and generational pride, they serve as the earliest memory of a boy raised by a Ghanaian tailor mother and her traditional West African garb.
U Utility. Once the luxury of workwear, utilitarian elements now provide fashion with equal parts functionality and pleonasm. It is the usefulness of a multipocket gilet, and the irony of wallet situated at the ankle.
Z “If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your time.” –Virgil.
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Tags: LOUIS VUITTON, LOUIS VUITTON BY VIRGIL ABLOH SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Wed, July 4 2018 » Fashion Blog
Dior, by Dior. In his autobiography, Christian Dior reasoned that there are two Diors – the man, and the myth. The latter is the house of Christian Dior, born in 1947; the former, monsieur Dior himself. For his debut collection as artistic director of Dior men, Kim Jones has chosen to interpret the codes of monsieur Dior himself through the language of his couture house. It is a dual tribute – to the reality of Dior, and the fantasy.
Drawing inspiration from Christian Dior’s private life and his creative output, the collection represents a dialogue between these two sides of his personality. Couture has inspired the savoir-faire and informed the choice of materials – notably in a reference to the house of Dior itself, through the use of a toile de jouy chosen for the original boutique at 30 avenue Montaigne, decorated by Victor Grandpierre in 1947. A new Dior emblem, inspired by this heritage, it appears as jacquards and embroideries, on materials as diverse as tulle and soft leather, and executed in feathers.
Translating a quintessentially feminine couture identity into a masculine idiom results in clothes which are softer, with rounded shoulders and eased shapes. A slashed cowl is added to the back of shirts, exposing the nape of the neck. A new Dior jacket, the tailleur oblique, wraps the body in a diagonal line, a subtle reference to the shape of monsieur Dior’s autumn-winter 1950 collection. It is executed in featherweight cashmere and summer mohair, as well as in the British wools beloved of Christian Dior for his own wardrobe and those of his clientele. Combining tradition with modernity, Kim Jones fuses references to haute couture with sportswear, representative of contemporary masculinity.
Floral motifs are a constant. They echo both monsieur Dior’s love of nature, and his “femmes-fleurs”: they are actually drawn from his personal porcelain, the shapes reassembled into contemporary patterns for prints and embroideries. Feather embroideries by lemarié are overlaid with vinyl, an effect that mirrors the glaze of bone china.
Porcelain inspires the color palette, which also echoes monsieur Dior’s edwardian upbringing and love of the eighteenth century: blue, white, the pale pink of his childhood home at granville, and the symbolic Dior gray. A shot of brilliant yellow-gold reflects Jean Cocteau’s definition of Dior as “this agile genius of our times whose magical name contains Dieu (god) and or (gold).”
The summer 2019 collection also references the profoundly personal and intimate – an almost secret history of monsieur Dior. His dog, bobby, who inspired a limited edition of the miss Dior perfume bottle and provided the name for a suit in the autumn-winter 1948 collection, makes a witty recurring motif. The jewelry introduces a new modernist logo derived from the one used for the Dior family’s business ventures in the 1920s; an embroidered cipher comes from the announcement of Christian Dior’s birth in 1905.
The abstract notion of the interior also inspires techniques: a series of jackets seemingly reversed to expose striped linings, and overlays of organza – both silk, and a technical sportswear organza – which allow the insides to be revealed. These, in turn, also transform the clothes into another homage, to couture savoir-faire.
Accessories also draw on the inimitable Dior heritage. The emblematic Dior ‘saddle’ bag is interpreted for the first time for men, offered in cross-body, backpack and belt-bag styles. It is even reappropriated as pockets on ‘archive’ leather jackets. An embroidered version of the toile de jouy features on leathergoods, alongside other Dior codes – the cannage pattern laser cut in leather, the Dior oblique canvas in a new tricolor variation.
Christian Dior stated that his identity as a couturier was actually not one man but many – a composite of people. Kim Jones draws on this same sense of community for his debut: yoon of ambush has created the jewelry, employing Dior emblems such as the neoclassical ‘cd’, flowers and insects; Matthew Williams of 1017 Alyx 9SM has designed a new metal buckle, used on accessories. Stephen jones has created millinery based on original ‘Christian Dior monsieur’ pieces, found in the house’s archives.
In a special commission, the artist Kaws has created the centerpiece of the show décor using his signature character bff covered entirely in roses, as an avatar of Christian Dior himself, clutching a replica of the bobby perfume bottle. Kaws’ designs for bee motifs – a Dior men emblem – punctuate the collection as idiosyncratic embroideries and prints, reflecting monsieur Dior’s own observation: “you can never go wrong if you take nature as an example.”
Here, the inspiration is both the natural world, and the nature of Dior itself. It results in not only a new look, but a new outlook.
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Tags: DIOR, DIOR SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Wed, July 4 2018 » Fashion Blog
Tue, July 3 2018 » Fashion Blog
“For summer 2019, I wanted to go beyond streetwear, to find a new form of sophistication, to place value on design and craftsmanship. I wanted to rediscover a more intimate form of luxury,” Lucas Ossendrijver, the artistic director of menswear at Lanvin, explains.
Elements confront each other in every silhouette of this collection, which showcases a new attitude. “There are contrasts between daytime and evening, colour and black, structure and softness, flatness and volume”, Lucas continues. References and universes combined. Everywhere, the details put forth a look, a movement: on a parka, woven striped satin is applied onto a cotton veil.
A suit with an almost military appearance incorporates the feeling of a tuxedo. A simple strip of fabric sewn between the outside and inside of a bomber jacket inflates the garment and gives it volume: it’s a constant game between full and flat forms. As for the blazers, they disrupt the evening feel: on a model in grain de poudre, an offbeat satin yoke is placed on the shoulder. On another tailcoat, this time the satin appears on the sleeve.
On the same design, the satin hangs towards the front. Underneath a jacket the collar is gathered giving the appearance of a hood. The look is versatile, hybridization reigns: tops are constructed by taking the back of a shirt and the front of a T-shirt in cotton crepe. Due to the craftsmanship of the cut, they can be worn on both sides.
In turn, a mesh fisherman’s waistcoat or a quilted cotton vest lined with satin is placed on top, recalling protective clothing. Once worn, these pieces mix and lines become blurred. Even though an impression of softness is suggested, the silhouette is nevertheless controlled, sophisticated. Poetry contrasts graphic effects, where stripes subtly stand alongside floral prints and metal rose necklaces.
Both colour and material confront one other: wool and velvet; mint green, brown, and blue violet; lavender and bright red. This season, a tattoo artist has imagined prehistoric animal drawings, mystical symbols, where stars and insects form an imaginary encyclopaedia, printed on silk or viscose shirts.
Trainers with vulcanized soles, pieces in velvet or striped canvas, a tuxedo belt designed as a belt bag or hand-painted with flowers… The accessory collection is also complemented by these contrasts. Garments mingle with giant pieces, like huge moving bags draping asymmetrically.
More than ever, the jewellery is talisman-like: bracelets with hammered and varnished finish and necklaces which hide secrets and constellations within metal balls or on the back of reversible medallions.
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Tags: Lanvin, LANVIN SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Tue, July 3 2018 » Fashion Blog
Tue, July 3 2018 » Fashion Blog
Maison Margiela© Copyright 2018
‘Artisanal’ Men’s Collection
Reassessing the future of dressmaking in the men’s wardrobe, Maison Margiela presents its first full Artisanal menswear collection. The show signifies an unrestricted foray onto the territory of haute couture for men in a conversation with a new masculinity in motion. Opening the doors to the deft skills of creative director John Galliano and the 163 rue Saint-Maur ateliers, the presentation is staged as the house works in view. The collection is exclusively bespoke and will inform a men’s ready-to-wear line to be included in a co-ed Spring – Summer 2019 Défilé show in September.
Reflecting on the streetwear culture of the current menswear climate, John Galliano exercises his pyramidical approach to creation through an exploration of new values. It is an appreciation of the current evolution of male dress codes, and the desire to take it to unexplored places of craftsmanship for a young generation. The bias-cut – a technique native to the creative language of John Galliano – transforms traditional bespoke tailoring into a mercurial and hyper-modern take on suit-making. Executed in silks and tweeds, bias-cutting generates a harmonious exchange between fabric and body, expressed in a louche and liberating silhouette for an advancing male dress sense.
The intricacy, techniques and time inherent to haute couture are applied to traditional ideas of male dress in a transcendence of gender-specific uniforms. It is the experimental proposal of a reimagined sexuality, sensuality and individuality for a new mentality. Rooted in authenticity, garments informed by the wardrobes of formalwear and leisure pursuits undergo a process of repurposing. Original kimonos – some from the eighteenth century – are reconditioned into garments for the contemporary wardrobe. Corsetry, cape cuts in outerwear, and hand-embroidery in surface decoration nod at classic couture codes, whereas rubber and leather moulding reflect a less traditional approach to craftsmanship.
The Artisanal show is embedded in expert dressmaking and a new consideration of the tradition of haute couture. Drawing on terminology established in recent Artisanal proposals, notions of relaxed glamour, dressing in haste, appropriating the inappropriate, and dressing in reverse underpin the collection. House techniques such as anonymity of the lining, the memory of, and décortiqué, materialise throughout, honouring and honing the Artisanal identity of Maison Margiela.
‘Through the potential of Artisanal possibilities, conventional dress codes are broken down in a discovery of diverse individualities for a new age of self-expression.’ – Maison Margiela.
Materials
Authentic fabrications known from classic tailoring and haute couture form the foundation for the collection. Satin-back crêpe and tweed serve as canvases for bias-cutting in tailoring, while wool, twill and leather enter into outerwear. Drawing on the bespoke women’s wardrobe, textiles such as boucle, organza, chiffon, silk, jacquard and fine knit amplify the Artisanal volume, alongside the inevitable couture element of plume. They are contrasted by bold materials in the shape of vinyl, rubber, patent leather, and plastic. Original and antique kimonos are recycled and repurposed into new incarnations, bonded to their own lining.
Technique
The technique through which creative director John Galliano has historically expressed himself, bias- cutting is explored in menswear for a languid and dynamic approach to tailoring. Contrary to cutting straight-of-grain, bias-cutting materialises when the material is cut at an angle, allowing the natural elasticity in the fabric to hit the bias. The result is a virile, unparalleled sense of movement and a feeling of non-constriction. Recycled kimonos are deconstructed thread by thread, bonded to their own lining and transformed into new garments. Outerwear is cut like capes, evoking an unmistakable haute couture shape. Outdoor wardrobe staples are shrunken and transformed into shirts. Plume is encased in painted plastic. Hand-embroidery and hand-beading further cement the Artisanal prowess of the collection. Employing recently established house techniques, décortiqué appears when a garment or accessory is reduced to its structural core, while anonymity of the lining signifies the revelation of garment constructions traditionally concealed. The memory of illustrates the impression of a familiar motif in a garment. Dressing in haste is evoked by the gesticular encasing of outfits in fine silk knit tops, and dressing in reverse is the repurposing of garment layers traditionally assigned a certain function.
Palette
Black, white and off-white set the authentic tones for the collection. They come alive alongside red, pink and turquoise, backed up by motifs from kimonos and leopard, as well as vintage and animated prints. Finally, gold and silver serve as a manifestation of the high dressmaking embodied by the Artisanal collection.
Accessories
The techniques of haute couture inform hand-worked jewellery constructed from hand-made materials. Custom designed embroideries are created in a meeting between leisure pursuits and techno. Painstaking beadwork such as ladylike pearl necklaces, also native to haute couture, are embellished with blood drops made of tiny beads and resin paint. A décortiqué hat evokes codes from the hunting wardrobe, while high-shine leather belts with sportswear clasps echo an idea of the staple accessory. Launched last year, the Glam Slam bag appears colour-coded to the collection. Formal men’s shoes, Santiago boots and Tabi boots feature in décortiqué editions. The Artisanal men’s trainer makes its debut, in rubber, hand-embroidery and recycled original kimono fabric.
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Tags: MAISON MARGIELA, MAISON MARGIELA SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Tue, July 3 2018 » Fashion Blog
Mon, July 2 2018 » Fashion Blog
Fendi© Copyright 2018
Taking a walk on FENDI’s dark side, and back. Playfully. Dualism as a trait of the FENDI DNA: FF, after all, is double.
FENDI/FIEND. ROMA/AMOR. Anagramming to make opposites collide. Fiend as little demon, but also as aficionado. Amor as love. Tiny demons and FF-forked snakes, cards and dice multiply over the surfaces, propelled by Nico Vascellari. Menacingly, insouciantly.
A performing, easy wardrobe of streamlined, easy staples: raincoats, blousons, anoraks, tailored pants, shirts, sport shorts, knitted polo shirts. Playing with its double, what looks sturdy becomes light, as perforations and nets are featured predominantly, making air a part of the texture. Playing with opposites, what looks like leather is paper, while leather gains a papery feel.
A trademark FENDI graphic play: stripes running askew on sheer shirts; FF and Pequin taping on waterproof gear; ultrasound hole punches on leather pieces. The graphic dualism of contrasting hues: red with black, white with brown. Total black as a new addition to the FENDI chromatic code, finding lightness in it.
The functionality of accessorizing: the new Peekaboo X-Lite bag, bucket hats, crossbody pouches. The elastic sling back moccasins make their return. Running sandals sport hi-tech cushioned soles, with or without socks, making the walk around Roma easier and faster, delivering plenty of Amor.
Yin and Yang, darkness and light find their balance, in FF territory. Now please enter or exit the tunnel.
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Tags: FENDI, FENDI SS 2019, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2019
Mon, July 2 2018 » Fashion Blog
