Populating the LOEWE Men’s Spring Summer 2020 show space inside the auditorium of the Maison de l’UNESCO, nine works by the London- based artist Hilary Lloyd are shown on monitors mounted on vertical chrome columns and trolleys. Spanning almost a decade (2008-17), the works examine aspects of the natural and built worlds, often capturing off the-cuff or staged moments from the artist’s everyday experience.
The shifting character of Lloyd’s gaze —fixed, fluid or fractured— combines with an emphasis on the physical apparatus of the installation to imbue her work with sculptural presence and subliminal eroticism. From near-static works such as Shirt and Plant to the looping repetition or disco-style strobing of Easter Bunny and Jewellery, Lloyd’s works resist classical notions of duration whilst imposing a formalised, architectural frame.
In dialogue with Lloyd’s work, the collection invokes otherworldly perspectives of the day-to-day through a dream-like filter. Long and pure, the silhouette revolves around harmonious ensembles of texture and line disrupted, at times, by the tension of new volumes. Affirming LOEWE’s dedication to global craft, the house signature oro ‘cashmere’ suede mingles with locally-woven textiles in tunic and caftan shapes with split placket and buckled yoke details. From Bangladesh: hand-embroidered red and white cotton; from Burkina Faso: hand-dyed and woven indigo cloth; and from Japan: ultrafine blue linen denim and punched cotton gauze.
Complementing nautical archetypes from sailor’s shirts to washed silk dungarees, monochrome short suits in layers of poplin and voile meet airy knits and tanks in chevron or vertical stripes. Technical satin appears in accents on dry wool tuxedos or as an unlined raglan trench coat, as the new LOEWE tailoring returns with a relaxed two-button peaked lapel blazer. Moon disc pendants are worn like totems, and organza lilies sprout marabou feathers as earrings and a brooch.
Expanding on the season’s nomadic mood, thatched moccasins, suede link sandals and boat shoes evoke outdoor summer pursuits, as lace-up boots in espadrille stripes channel LOEWE’s Spanish roots. The geometric Berlingo shoulder bag is introduced in a large size in suede, toile and calfskin. The iconic Puzzle bag is revisited in a deconstructed silhouette in supple smooth calf leather, and a new Shopper Backpack in soft napa calf leather references LOEWE’s leather savoir-faire.
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Tags: LOEWE, LOEWE SS 2020, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Mon, June 24 2019 » Fashion Blog
Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE is created with the intent to liberate the way men dress. The clothes are developed based on designer Issey Miyake’s research on pleating since 1988. Not only are they designed for practical use, they also convey a sense of beauty and ease in their form. HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE is made for people of all ages and origins and for any occasion. It sets out to brighten up everyday life as it inspires people to express their originality in a creative way.
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Tags: HOMME PLISSE' ISSEY MIYAKE SS 2020, ISSEY MIYAKE, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
A collection that captures the focal point of Acne Studios – experimentation and archetypes, combined and contrasted. “Acne Studios has always been a place of experimentation, on which we have built solid foundations. It made me think of a student at art school, using its traditions to push somewhere new,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios.
What guides the eye and how we see has long fascinated artists and photographers, the way they use effects to suggest details, and what can or can’t be seen. This exploration of our visual field is at the heart of Acne Studios men’s for spring/summer 2020, as if the project of an art student. The resulting pieces, with details that appear and disappear, are worn as a student would put them together: with irreverence.
Every piece connects with the original spirit of Acne Studios – indeed, Acne stands for “Ambition to Create Novel Expressions”. This sense of experimentation is found in new fabric developments; inquisitive design; unexpected combinations and a playfulness with which the pieces are put together.
A transparent acetate coat has jacquard lining beneath, sometimes obscured, sometimes visible. Acetate lapels of a tailored jacket warp the light, while acetate ties cause a blur. A denim jacket in opaque wrinkled nylon has classic topstitch detailing only down the centre of the body, all details fading away to leave an open seam at the cuff.
Cotton nylon knit striped sweaters are a new fabric development with purposefully irregular pleating, as if long-stored then found. Woven coats and shorts have patches of yarn cut away to reveal the structure beneath. Shirts run throughout, from archetypal cuts to oversized granddad collar shirts with added functional pockets, and floral shirts that hang loose on the body.
Questions of visibility are everywhere: check pants are created from wide woven strips of fabric, revealing glimpses of flesh beneath. Buckles of coats are see-through casts, the memory of the original buckle left within them. The Manhattan sneaker evolves to a new lightweight performance style, with transparent sides and overdyed. Leather sandals are oversized, providing contrast.
Student satchels are trimmed with contrast colours, or turned into clutches and cross-body bags. Sunglasses have double lenses, as if a visual echo. Chain jewellery is created from pin heads, held by cable ties. Knitted bracelets and cuffs have threads that hang down trace over the hand.
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Tags: ACNE STUDIOS, ACNE STUDIOS 2020, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
Picture a garden filled with just one type of flower, a sunrise without sunshine, or a skyline suddenly missing its age-old spire. Familiarity can programme the mind to take the most epic things for granted. For the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2020 collection, men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh lionises the instinctive, the habitual and the natural.
Flowers, a staple element in fashion, are observed as a naturally occurring metaphor for diversity. In bloom, they are as beautiful on a micro level as they are on a macro level. Too often relegated to trivial motifs, flowers are wonders of nature: multi-faceted, free in expression, movement, and metamorphosis.
They are the rising stars of horticulture, an equally ordinary but highly therapeutic activity, reflective of natural harmony and peace of mind. In the cityscape, flowers blend into a horizon of unsung heroes: the magnificent buildings, bridges and pavements to which we grow accustomed and partially blind.
Seen in new light, or wrapped in different packaging, they emerge in newfound splendour. On Place Dauphine, a routine stroll across Pont Neuf from the Louis Vuitton studios, the postcard scenery of Paris sets the frame for the show. The mundanity of everyday café life, walks across the Seine, crêpe stands, and tree-lined square ambience harmonises with the typical idea of boyhood bliss: a bouncy castle, ice cream, balloons, and kite-flying.
The show is surrounded by the remarkable Parisian architecture we couldn’t live without. Through the stages of boyhood, young men’s encounter with clothes and fashion is yet to be influenced by societal programming. Our exploration of dress codes is still liberated of those codes; of social norms, gender conventions, and cultural conduct.
As we get older, we intuitively adapt to the familiarity of our surroundings. In a digital age oversaturated with views and visual data, stopping to smell the roses de-programmes the mind and makes new space for freedom of thought.
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Tags: LOUIS VUITTON, Louis Vuitton BY VIRGIL ABLOH SS 2020, LOUIS VUITTON SS 2020, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
Y/PROJECT PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION
Under the nave of the church L’Oratoire du Louvre, Glenn Martens pushes one step further Y/PROJECT’s ethos of deconstruction as a mean of individual expression. The soundtrack itself channels the designer’s ironic take on fashion, mixing the habanera rhythm of George Bizet’s opera Carmen with its Muppet Show parody.
Once again this season, Martens is blurring the perception we may have of clothing by creating impossible objects with an infinity feel, as if the pieces were never- ending. Asymmetry and disproportion run through the collection and distort the traditional silhouette: jackets, coats, polos or blazer dresses assemble front panels of different sizes, one escaping from the classic symmetric pattern and going up the neck. The asymmetric high-waisted fold over pants or pop-up pants, now symbols of this deconstructive design philosophy, are continued this season.
What seems like the real structure is always twisted and creates drapé or 3-D effects. The lining pops out of the blazers and becomes a buttonhole, revealing the garment construction and creating new volumes. The kimono sleeves and double shoulders modify usual proportions by drawing new, bigger contours.
The Y/PROJECT design ethos turns what may look so familiar at first sight into something unexpected. A pocket becomes a sleeve, a collar opens up and turns into a shoulder pad, a classic bomber jacket can be worn upside down. Jackets, whether Barbour, track or bomber, disrupt perception, making it almost impossible to figure out where these garments start and where they end, to distinguish the top from the bottom, or understand how they should be properly worn, mainly because there’s not one right way to wear these pieces.
Martens’ prolific creativity comes to life in a show irrigated by liquefied inspirations, where eclectic references are blended together: the silky flared trousers could be medieval or coming straight out of the 70s, the traditional Polish hand-painted pants stand alongside heavy heeled boots, inventing a new aesthetic language. The showstoppers this season are certainly the bodycon tulle suits looking like drawings walking down the runway, with piping and stitching details outlining the anatomy.
Y/PROJECT’s accessories line is getting elevated every season: the now iconic accordion bag is developed in new color ways and fabric, with a transparent peek- a-boo version which promised to be a summer hit. Two new men’s bags, a weekend one and a more day-to-day version, complete the line and add an extra level of chic.
Unveiled for the first time at Pitti Uomo, the men boots are now proposed with higher heels, buckles and metal tips. The women’s signature spiral sandals are brought back with a new design, as well as the oversize boots. The cut-out mules are embellished with China-like paintings. Two new shoe forms are introduced: platform laced sandals and square-toed heeled boots. While still bold, the jewelry is evolving into a sleeker and more wearable version. A new Y-shaped ear cuff is meant to be an it-accessory.
More than ever, the SS20 collection puts on the runway thought-provoking silhouettes. With versatility at its core, Y/PROJECT celebrates the expression of individuality.
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Tags: SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020, Y/PROJECT, Y/PROJECT HOMME, Y/PROJECT SS 2020
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
The Off-White Men’s Spring Summer 2020 collection has been christened “PLASTIC,” a metaphor for the mass produced material and the double meaning it has taken in modern society. The show itself at Le Carreau du Temple on Wednesday morning was an ironic play on the material.
Key looks defining the collection include sublime plastic raingear meshed with various washes of denim, a snow-white longline coat layered upon matching tee and trousers sprayed with vivid graffiti strokes and alien Pointman figure, marled knits and soft, colorful suiting with pops of tie-dye – shown by models floating through fields of poppy flowers in shades of white.
The color scheme of soft yet vibrant hues of blue, red and yellows and undertones of white and grey celebrated the collection’s beautiful variability. As is typical to the brand, the SS20 collection’s custom graffiti prints were created in collaboration with New York artist Futura, whom Virgil Abloh spoke very highly of moments before the show. “Lenny McGurr”.
Virgil Abloh explained: “in his lifetime, and in the culture that we come from which is a segment of hip-hop and graffiti, [his work] started out being seen as a form of vandalism, not art… but as well as painting on the side of subway trains he was part of the scene and showed with Basquiat and Keith Haring… he was on what was once thought of as the fringe… but now, through time we can see that the beauty of Basquiat is also the beauty of Lenny, Futura.”
Off-White x Nike Dunk Low’s unveiled on the runway, which were also a collaboration with Futura Laboratories. The collection and collaboration with Futura is a celebration of counterculture and acknowledging sustainability – continuing Off-White’s ideal in embracing the now in an sophisticated, innovative manner.
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Tags: OFF-WHITE, OFF-WHITE C/O VIRGIL ABLOH, OFF-WHITE SS 2020, SPRING SUMMER MEN 2020
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
