Sun, June 23 2019 » Fashion Blog
LOUIS VUITTON SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
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.
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
Y/PROJECT SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
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.
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
OFF-WHITE C/O VIRGIL ABLOH SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – PARIS FASHION WEEK
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.
Sat, June 22 2019 » Fashion Blog
GIORGIO ARMANI SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
Recalling that summer is a liberating season, Giorgio Armani captures its spirit, proposing a new wardrobe in which everything blends together with spontaneity and elegance. Visual references to worlds, atmospheres and cultures overlap, and a new harmony emerges from what appears, on the surface, to be accidental.
The freedom to choose becomes everything: a fluid and unmistakable aesthetic holds everything together, in perfect balance, harmonizing the world of formal attire with the more sporty one, and from here, the luminous effects of materials, dynamism and lightness are gleaned.
The garment that sums up this spirit is the waistcoat, worn either together with the jacket, or instead of t-shirts and shirts.
The jackets have re-imagined proportions, both long and short, single- and double- breasted, with newly-designed lapels. The trousers are so fluid that they appear to be a size bigger; they are paired with coats that give a form-fitting effect of ‘prés du corp’. The shirts are oversized, and caress the body in liquid movements.
The range of colors, always dense, dusty and velvety, goes from coffee to grey to the classic Armani blue, and then lights up in bright but lived-in notes. The artisanal craftsmanship, the result of an unremitting search for new effects and treatments, imparts personality, character and luxury.
Fri, June 21 2019 » Fashion Blog
MARNI SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
MARNI SPRING/SUMMER 2020 | ACT I
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce myself first. I am here, but I am also there. Today I am woman, tomorrow I don’t know. I live by the words “Everything was forever until it was no more”*. I am MC Magma, the vocal spirit of transformation, and I am very happy to have you all here, standing up on this field of dots, oblivious of the cloud of waste that hoovers over our heads – it won’t escape transformation, too, so there is no need to fear – to celebrate the marriage between our beloved friends Truman Capote and Ernesto Che Guevara.
Truman embarked in such a long trip to charm Ernesto, leaving his world of swans and lost beauties behind to embrace the jungle of radicalism. We have to admire and celebrate his endurance and suaveness, just as we have to rejoice for Ernesto’s urge to give it all up in the name of mutation.
The rite we are celebrating is a union between two souls, and the respective liveries of course, but it is also a way for us, each one of us, to reconsider our presence in this world, what we stand for, what we strive for. Let’s act up, dear friends. Let’s rebel. Let’s be vocal about are beliefs, or lets’s just wear them. Lets’s ignite a tropical guerrilla, suited or camouflaged, like fauves in the favela, jazzing in the garage and madly hatted. Let’s do it, pleasurably. Rebellion is beautiful and beauty is rebellious. Let the rite commence, and never end.
A study in clashes, and the uneven harmony that ensues by mixing opposite worlds, jumbling it all together. The extreme graphic properness and formality of suits. The radical rebelliousness of field jackets and militaria, with a tropical slant. The immediacy of landscapes – lyrical views of mother nature, complete with the waste that thrashes it nowadays – painted onto shirts, turned into a jacquard.
Little objects of beauty, to front a tropical expedition: stripy polos, little shirts, compact knits. Camouflage is everywhere, never proper and hardly literal: slashed onto jackets and fatigues, turned into a chiné motif, getting a little fauve. Blazers and trousers as sum of fabrics.
Ritual hats, made of garbage, by the artist Shalva Nikvashvili. A bestiary of bizarre animals, on charms and jewelry. Silver brooches by the artist Kazuma Nagai. Slippers assembled from remnants and cut offs, plimsolls dipped in oil, bags that are harvest big.
Thu, June 20 2019 » Fashion Blog
EMPORIO ARMANI SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
Visions & Dreams
Bringing dreams into everyday life, painting the urban reality with new colours, suggesting new attitudes and emotions, and an unexpected lightness of spirit. Unconventional by definition, and always open to individual interpretation, Emporio Armani defines a repertoire of possibilities through which each and every one can tell their story in complete freedom.
The collection vibrates; it is energetic. Warm, dense tones, brightened by glossy and shiny surfaces like mirrors, pervade the whole collection, underlining its extreme lightness: bronze, intense tobacco, beige, brown mixed with green, green turning to blue, intense and muted blue, black and dark grey.
The silhouette is spontaneous and dynamic: unstructured single- or double-breasted jackets are paired with wide palazzo or parachute pants, with organza surfaces that accentuate the absolute weightlessness. Linen and jute fabrics, silks and cold-dyed viscose add a delicate, ethereal touch.
Shapes are created through a dialogue between the world of sport and the more formal one. Sportswear is interpreted in classic patterns; shirts have drawstrings running at the hem, like sweatshirts; the washed suede track suits are soft, and feel almost fluid against the skin.
The story is dreamy and visionary, yet tangible. It is punctuated by accessories: multi-material sneakers with solid soles, large half-moon bags, spacious backpacks and small pouches, braces with functional snap-hooks.
Thu, June 20 2019 » Fashion Blog
FENDI SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
#FendiSS20
A stroll in the garden, reconnecting with nature as we follow gardeners in their path along a pond, under luxuriant trees. For the Men’s Spring/Summer 2020 Collection, Silvia Venturini Fendi brings the FENDI man en plein air, out of the virtual space and of the overwhelming immateriality that is so pervasive in the life of today. In a bucolic yet manual, practical dialogue between man and “the great outdoors” in which the two entities connect, the Collection conveys a breezy pragmatism through an emphasis on functionality and utility, done in the FENDI way.
The start is an earthy, muted palette of greens, beiges and browns combined with natural materials – silks, cottons, wools, cashmere, leathers, suede and denim. Sartorial workwear pieces with a uniform feel meet a certain lightness and air that makes everything weightless and fresher through strategically-placed slits and openings on roomy volumes and perforated garments. Spacious removable pockets are zippered onto place, adding another functional element. Shapes are archetypal: overalls, coats, cargo pants, long polo shirts, vests and suits of course.
Silk pipings, pervasive treillage-effect grids and nets are a celebration of the exquisite FENDI savoir-faire, including a special cut-out FENDI pattern in leather. “Botanics for FENDI” prints devised by director Luca Guadagnino, guest artist of the season, and geometric ones with a vague Kimono flavour add a painterly, gentle touch on waterproof organza. The signature FENDI FF logo and striped Pequin pattern highlight the accessories of the Collection, resulting in a skillful play of logos and textures.
The bags follow the capacious and airy feeling with big totes – in net or cut-out leather – incorporating a removable pouch bag. The Maison icons Baguette and Peekaboo appear in a wide array of variants – from the Essential to the X-Lite – and materials attentively combined together, from precious exotics to woven raffia and classic Selleria leather. The Pequin logo-non-logo also peppers a watering can and a gardening basket for an additional open-air feel.
Echoing the overall gardening mood, high-tops and trainers in canvas and rubber have been developed in collaboration with Moonstar, a Japanese authority in the field. Croco-printed loafers, sandals, boots and Mary Janes for men complete the shoes offer. Under the sun in the garden, finally, a straw hat and a Pequin wool picnic blanket are mandatory. Bottle-opener charms in the shape of gardening tools too.
Wed, June 19 2019 » Fashion Blog
LES HOMMES SPRING SUMMER 2020 MEN’S COLLECTION – MILAN FASHION WEEK
This season Les Hommes is about a very personal and emotional collection. An intimate journey far closer to home, to their homeland Belgium and more specific, to their home-city of Antwerp. A collection full of references to their experiences. The creative duo categorized three pillars that identify their country and city. The national sport cycling, with cuts, shapes, patterns and colours of vintage cyclists knit.
The Academy OF Antwerp experience: constructing and deconstructing that leads to the creations of unique hybrids. Music, the techno scene of the ’90 that was very influential throughout Europe. All these iconic elements are infused in a collection that talks about “contemporary elegant ravers” with an “ACID” touch.
The gentleman’s tailored jacket meets the bomber jacket, creating a unique piece. Pinstripes and the structure of a kway, lined in silver. Intimate Techno Tailoring: design for techno music lovers. Oversized jackets and trench coats. Laid-back tailoring. Classic fabrics, such as mohair and cool wool, as well as nylon and plastic fibres.
Organza and leather made to look like crumpled paper in reflective gold. Acid magenta, acid yellow, acid green, shocking pink and International Klein Blue. All combined with the more traditional colours in tailoring: blue, navy and black. Laced Derby shoes with contrasting or discrete tone-on-tone rubber trim. The Dominator, the trainer. A must.
Wed, June 19 2019 » Fashion Blog
