Mon, February 3 2020 » Fashion Blog
HERMÈS FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
Radical. Pure lines form ample shapes and generous proportions. In counterpoint, warm fabrics create a topography of sensuality and depth. The designs assert their graphic power. The garment’s lining — its functional double sidedness — comes fully to light, almost hypnotically, with a flick of the wrist. From a chromatic field in chiaro-oscuro — backlit peat, clay, ebony, sepia, and hazelnut — a luminous winter springs forth. Nighttime with shades of brown and black.
COLOURS
Camel, off-white, rope, hazelnut, peat, chocolate, ebony, tuscany, vanilla, linden tree, clay, steel, flannel, coal, charcoal, black.
LINES AND FABRICS
Parkas with removable hood and sweatshirts in technical calfskin, reversible in Toilovent. Parkas and blousons with Rêve hypnotique ribbing in rubberized lambskin, reversible in printed Toilovent, zipped windbreakers in rubberized lambskin, reversible in cashmere broadcloth. Straight coats, straight blousons with high collar, zipped windbreakers and trousers in deerskin. Sweatshirts and blousons with high collar in reversible babylamb. Bomber blousons, belted coats and parkas with knitted collar in merino.
Zipped overshirts, zipped sweatshirts with hood, blousons with ribbing and jogging pants in Toile-Ice. Straight and double-breasted coats in two-ply water-repellent cashmere, facing in calfskin or silk. Double-breasted coats in whipcord or two-ply water-repellent cashmere, double front in satin. Parkas and sweatshirts with hood in reversible Toilovent, printed with Rêve hypnotique. Raincoats in compact cotton serge, facing in calfskin.
Straight blousons, parkas with removable hood and sleeveless vests in technical cotton serge with leather detail. Blousons with ribbing, sweatshirts with removable lining and straight blousons with knit collar embroidered with Fleurs graffiti in technical water-repellent cotton serge with leather detail. Three-button suits and trousers bottoms with tightening straps, in padded wool flannel with pinstripe stitching. Straight and double-breasted suits with double contrasted front in wool flannel or in wool and mohair canvas.
Pullovers with zipped high neck and mock turtle neck in Fragments de couleur laine 180’s wool. Turtle neck pullovers in 180’s wool, Rêve hypnotique detail. Pullovers with zipped neck in Fleurs graffiti cashmere. Oversize pullover with high neck in wool and cashmere with maxi herringbone. Oversize Mix & patch turtle neck pullovers and cardigans in cashmere with lambskin details. Turtle neck pullovers in wool, cashmere and alpaca with shearling effect.
Large shirts with knotted, high or supple collars, in cotton and cashmere with herringbone, or plain cotton poplin or cotton poplin printed with Rêve hypnotique or embroidered with Fleurs graffiti motif. Wide-legged trousers with pleats or with patch pockets and bottoms with tightening strap in compact cotton serge or cotton drill.
Sun, February 2 2020 » Fashion Blog
BALMAIN FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
It’s the last few hours before the runway. In a chaotic-yet-scheduled rush, the final stitches, castings, mixes, seating everything is all coming together, as it somehow always manages to do, in a jumble before each show. As I sit in the Balmain showroom, I watch the many different teams buyers, marketers, PRs and partners flip through the racks. And, I keep hearing repeated references to classic bourgeois French styles.
It’s true, you can definitely spot riffs on those signature codes of the upper class including rich silk scarf patterns, soft cashmeres and the classic navy pea coats. That’s inevitable. This is France, after all, and these are looks that Paris fashion houses, in general, and Balmain in particular, have always known how to expertly play with for the perfect aspiration-meets-fashion collections.
Those showroom comments push me to reflect on themes and questions that have long obsessed me, ever since my childhood, in perhaps what is the most bourgeois city in all of France, Bordeaux. As a child “né sous X” an orphan who did not know his origins—naturally, I grew up fascinated by questions regarding heritage, race, belonging, fitting in and, yes, the bourgeoisie. That didn’t make it easy for me. Certain classes, clubs and cliques were very clearly closed off to someone who looked like me which only made me obsess more about how I could cross over, open doors and be accepted.
Those who know me and those that have seen the film ‘Wonder Boy’ know that today I do know my origins. And, today most of us can celebrate the modern, more open society that we now live in. So, while I do continue to love to play with the beauty and style of France’s classic signatures (always adding the necessary modern touch, of course), I do so knowing that as a 1/2 Ethiopian, 1/2 Somalian and 100% Frenchman there’s an incredible beauty to be explored in the wider world beyond those classics.
Paradoxically, this collection often riffs on classic bourgeois signatures, (which are often symbols of limited access), as it focuses on the beauty of a wider, border-free world one where the doors and minds are open a bit wider. We start with one basic truth: this is a tiny and beautiful planet, belonging to all. Here, we all share the same origin, needs and desires and any borders, (both figurative and literal), only serve to wall us off and limit us. That’s why this collection celebrates, at its heart, the beauty of the earth and sky. The runway will be filled with modern-day nomads, who are navigating seas, plains and dunes, while awed by the dazzling magnificence of the galaxies above and the earth’s tones below.
As I worked on the final looks over the holidays, the clear need for all of us to focus on that natural beauty was made even more evident to me. Watching wildfires burn and hearing about glaciers continuing to melt makes it clear that we are perhaps too focused on the small issues, while ignoring the very real danger of losing the beauty that’s right there, just in front of all of us.
Olivier Rousteing
Sun, February 2 2020 » Fashion Blog
Sun, February 2 2020 » Fashion Blog
Sun, February 2 2020 » Fashion Blog
Y/PROJECT FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
GLENN MARTENS DELIVERS A PLAYFUL STATEMENT ON FASHION
Inviting guests to take a dive into joyful childhood memories, Y/PROJECT hosted its HOMME AW20 show in a giant ballon-filled playground. Glenn Martens creates this season a show with an immersive atmosphere that conveys the brand’s tongue-in-cheek wit.
As soon as the show begins, the scenography immediately comes together with the collection in a celebration of individuality, to the pace of a fanfare march. The first looks, men’s suiting turned inside out with exaggerated seams and panels of colorful satin wrapped in tulle, set the tone of a joyful and prolific collection.
This visual impact is instantly amplified by another: a plunging bodysuit over high waisted pants with a sharp V cut at the front. Instead of the usual snap fastener, this bodysuit is prolonged by long straps tied around the waist. The tying concept is developed on shirts and tank tops but also with skirts and pants, translating classic pieces in a more playful language. Each piece is an experience and a mean of personal expression.
The accessory line features mind-bending pieces, always exploring the limits of construction. Glenn Martens proposes this season a new sailor knot-shaped bag, as well as a reversible, folding logo tote bag with a cashmere print that can be used as scarf too. The now iconic accordion bag is now developed as a more everyday tote version as well. Bold earrings made of chiseled and curved metallic pieces are reminiscent of Art Déco sculptures.
The brand’s creative vocabulary is continued this season in new variations: the coats’ lapels split in two create a pop-up effect, a shoulder clip blurs the structure of classic pieces, sweaters are doubled and mohair knit pieces are slashed. 3D seams on the front panel of pants are a reinterpretation of pieces seen years ago on the Y/PROJECT runway.
The last segment of the show reveals an exclusive collaboration with Canada Goose. The Parisian label is partnering with the Toronto outerwear expert on a six piece capsule collection, including asymmetric parkas, sweaters and reversible beanies. Re-imagining Canada Goose’s most iconic styles, this collaboration mixes playful proportions with functional outerwear to deliver the pinnacle of performance luxury.
In a new iteration of Y/PROJECT’s twisted couture, Glenn Martens offers an effusion of deconstructed shapes, colors, and textures. In a pure Y/PROJECT fashion, this collection delivers a masterful statement on versatility and individuality.
Sun, February 2 2020 » Fashion Blog
Sat, February 1 2020 » Fashion Blog
DRIES VAN NOTEN FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
The street is His stage, Blithe to rules, He takes pride and joy in dressing. All style – no conscious styling. Visceral, louche, feral, fly. A rogue with no received boundaries. “Flips the bird” to convention. Natural sexual power. Enjoys that his decadence dazzles, confronts and brings hither. The raunch of the early 80s underground Punk rock scene – New York Dolls. Stooges, Ramones, Male Magpie. An evolution of our Summer collection.
Urs Lüthi, Karlheinz Weinberger
FORM:
No rules .. from puffed-up to lithe. Accentuated waists emphasise shoulders. Variations on the trench coat. Punk Perfecto, Ruching and pleating of garments held in place by diamante clasps and brooches. Layering.
COLOUR:
Vivid with Dark, Rustic with urbane, Brown, Ochre, Green. Red, Metallic, Khaki. Pastels – from muted to acid. Lilac, peach, orange.
PRINTS:
A dark abstraction of perceived Hawaiian floral themes. Animal prints and pictorial prints of Tigers.
FABRICS:
Velvet, languid, From dry to luxuriant, Leather, Vinyl, Faux Fox, rustic T\tweeds and worsteds, silk, satin, chiffon, raw denim. Heathered and tweedy knits of varying gauges.
ACCESSORIES:
Bright white diamante studding on many garments. Platform boots in tones of leather & gold, High boxing boots, Silk squares knotted as kneckerchiefs. Man-bags, bling brooches and rope belts, ornate belts worn as pendants, Faux fox stoles, faux fur belts.
Sat, February 1 2020 » Fashion Blog
VALENTINO FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
The meaning of romanticism, today, is different. It is in particular for men who have evolved out of enduring templates on how they should feel and how they should look like.
New contexts create new meanings. New meanings define new attitudes. In this flow, the sartorial appears to be again of pivotal value. The spirit has changed. For too long, a tailored suit has been considered a uniform, something in which to hide, something to adopt blindly and probably impersonally.
For Pierpaolo Piccioli it is the thoughtful precision of the construction, the attention to detail and ultimately the sense of intimacy of tailoring that matter. Intimacy as a serene dialogue between the individual, with what he wears, and what he wants to express with it.
Tailored jackets, coats, suits, but also sartorially inclined sportswear, are mixed in ways that do not obey to a standard rulebook. An idea of tailoring that is sensitive and romantic emerges, as a structured, lean and fluid silhouette materializes, grounded in commando-soled shoes.
The urge to express feelings is palpable in the ever personal sums of white, ivory, burgundy, lead, blue, black; visible in the romanticism of the Inez and Vinoodh’s flower images that are patched onto pieces; readable in the Melanie Matranga sentimental words magnified all over the surfaces until they become signs and abstractions.
Tailoring, ultimately, offers a vocabulary, not a way of conforming. It is about having the proper words to express oneself, following sensitivity and spontaneity.
Thu, January 30 2020 » Fashion Blog
GUCCI FALL WINTER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
MASCULINE, PLURAL
In a patriarchal society, masculine gender identity is often moulded by violently toxic stereotypes. A dominant, winning, oppressive masculinity model is imposed on babies at birth. Attitudes, languages and actions end up progressively conforming to a macho virility ideal that removes vulnerability and dependence. Any possible reference to femininity is aggressively banned, as it is considered a threat against the complete affirmation of a masculine prototype that allows no divergencies.
There is nothing natural in this drift. The model is socially and culturally built to reject anything that doesn’t comply with it. And this has very serious implications. Toxic masculinity, in fact, nourishes abuse, violence and sexism. And not only that. It condemns men themselves to conform to an imposed phallocratic virility in order to be socially accepted. In other words, toxic masculinity produces oppressors and victims at the same time.
Therefore, it seems necessary to suggest a desertion, away from patriarchal plans and uniforms. Deconstructing the idea of masculinity as it has been historically established. Opening a cage. Throwing a chant. It’s time to celebrate a man who is free to practice self-determination, without social constraints, without authoritarian sanctions, without suffocating stereotypes. A man who is able to reconnect with his core of fragility, with his trembling and his tenderness.
A man on his knees in front of surrender, who honors fear and its thorns. A man full of kindness and care. A man who leans on others, who burns up the myth of self-sufficiency. A man who is also sister, mother, bride. A man swollen with disorder, who names blood’s ignition and nostalgia’s dismay. A man who complicates the weaving of his own affectivities, opening himself to non hierarchical relations. A baby man, able to do bold and playful somersaults, who wonders in amazement when the world becomes new. A man pregnant with broken chains.
It’s not about suggesting a new normative model, rather to release what was constrained. Breaking a symbolic order, which is nowadays useless. Nourishing a space of possibility where masculine can shake its toxicity off, to freely regain what was taken away. And, in doing this, turning back time, learning to unlearn.
Thu, January 23 2020 » Fashion Blog
