Let The Show Begin

"EcceHomo"
And Men Magazine
(Vol. 11, 2008)
Photography by Kah Poon
Models: Adam Lundberg, Drew J and Dylan

As a whole concept in the contemporary fashion industry, I often feel that menswear is still developing to find its own unique character and voice besides womenswear. One is often presented with a far more creative artistic expression during fashion week from the womenswear side, and indeed this case is no more so evident than during the Haute Couture shows.

Whilst menswear collections may have been all ready-to-wear in the past, I do feel that designers are now more comfortable in creating visions for the menswear shows that were previously only really applied to the womens' side. I suppose one can not help but feel that if Couture for menswear existed, it would allow for more adventurous visions of mens' fashion. Although that being said, Ozwald Boateng recently speaking in the BBC documentary Why Style Matters, shared that he believed "creative tailoring" was the menswear answer to Haute Couture. I am indeed fascinated by this idea, although only a few designers at present showcase only suits for their collections.

Although many may brush aside the more theatric menswear collections as not being practical and merely for show, the same logic as to the more creative womenswear can be applied - the looks can be filtered down from their raw state to something more akin to your daily outfit. For example, I was rather taken by the drapey cardigans and metallic highlighting at the latest Gareth Pugh show, the expressive silhouettes at Galliano, and the beautifully designed brocade jackets at Number (N)ine. Indeed as menswear develops more as an artform I feel that we may be seeing more of collections like these alongside the wonderful shows of the moment.


Currently playing: Listen - Fingerbangerz

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Vanilla.

Currently playing: Say You Will ft. Trey Songz - Kanye West

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The Traveller

Since the debut of the Spring/Summer '09 collections last year, I have silently been in anticipation of trying looks inspired by the prevailing French and Italian trends. In Paris, one noted the important concept of the traveller, whilst in Milan the idea of nightwear inspired clothing seemed to dominate. Oddly enough however, both source inspirations provided looks that were similar in a number of ways.

In France, Junya Watanabe would provide his vision of the French road trip with traces of the colonial adventures. His laid back and comfortable summer looks evoked imagery of worry free travels and casual exploration. I have always had a rather romantic view of the traveller, so his interpretation of that character had a definite appeal to me. The light blue cotton jackets paired with khakis, brown shoes and acessorised with oversized travel trunks provided a look that I was rather enamoured by. There is something nostalgic yet fresh about his collection that I feel will work well for this season.

In Milan, the menswear collections saw rise to nightwear inspired pieces - comfortable and airy looks, reminiscent of pyjamas with the employment of fine stripes and lighter density fabrics. The prevailing hues of light blue fascinated me, especially that of the suits and jackets. As seen in the Watanabe collection, Milan also saw the pairing of blues and varying hues of pink. Indeed, I was especially drawn to the vivid pinks of the Louis Vuitton and Gucci collections and their combination alongside the lighter blues.

As such, when I was invited to have lunch with my cousin this weekend I was keen to put into realisation one of my own interpretations of the Spring collections. Over a buttoned white shirt I decided to wear a bright pink, fine cashmere sweater, not too thick that I would feel overly warm, however comfortable enough for the remaining cooler weather. On top of this I wore a finely striped, blue and white cotton jacket with a simply placed white pocket square. I also decided to wear my pocket watch in order to provide a somewhat more traditional touch to the look.

I feel that I may actually replace the dark blue buttons of the jacket with either brass or wooden alternatives in the near future, so the contrast is not quite as stark as it is at present. Although I feel that as the warmer weather begins to feel at home, I shall be pairing the jacket with light blue or khaki trousers, given the still somewhat cooler weather, I felt that I would use light denim for the look. I finished the look with pink socks and my brown brogue boots for a somewhat smarter feel as opposed to plimsoles or other alternative casual footwear.

(it seems as if the top break of the jacket is rather tight, however it was simply not sitting on my shoulders correctly for these photographs - sorry!)

Currently playing: Sky Might Fall - Kid Cudi

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"So I know this vest stops knives...but I don't remember anything about cars?!"

Currently playing: Knock You Down ft. Kanye West & Neyo - Keri Hilson

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in somnis veritas

All pieces available via LuisaViaRoma.

Currently playing: The Time Is Now - Moloko

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"I see the bridge, but where's the troll?"

Currently playing: Gladiator - Common

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Painting Fashions

On Picasso's Trail
Glamour Magazine (Romania)
May 2008 issue
Photography by Patel Tesh
Modeling by Cristina Georgescu

Apologies for the delay in replying to all of your wonderful comments, I shall try and get around to it as soon as possible. It seems that in spite of the warmer weather knocking politely at our doors, I have unfortunately managed to develop a cold.

Currently playing: Pistolero - Juno Reactor

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Red meets Blue.

A very special thanks to the lovely Diane of Darling Darling and wonderful Emz of Cuz I'm Crazy for passing the Your Blog Is Fabulous and Proximidade awards my way :) Be sure to go and check out their fantastic blogs.

Currently playing: Power Of Love - Luther Vandross

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"The day I see a leaf, is a marvel of a day"

Fiber & Fellow, as their name may suggest, approach fashion as being inherently based upon a certain relationship. As one may have guessed by one of my recent posts (click here), I have myself been pondering the different dynamics behind the forms of expression and semiotics that constitute fashion.

F&F design their clothing from the standpoint of the cloth being only half of what makes the look, with the other half in the relationship being that of the man wearing the cloth. Although this may sound to many as a rather trivial difference, one can not deny that designing from the standard of how clothing will look in use is vastly different from designing clothing on a mere static visual level.

The images above are from F&F's Fall '09 lookbook, modelled by Thom Gastelum and shot by photographer Alan Gastelum. The collection draws from the strong traditional aesthetic of the early twentieth century, reapplied to make it relevant to the modern man. The clean and simple looks, which can often be hard to design without looking overdone, manage to strike a well measured balance in their styling. What I was particularly interested in was the setting of the lookbook, which ostensibly puts both man and clothing in their natural environment of out in the elements.

In a passing moment I wondered to myself whether man's displacement from the natural world, makes this setting look foreign to our eyes, when compared to, say, a city setting for a lookbook. I suppose one is almost automatically drawn to making comments on the rugged simplicity and functionality of the clothing in regards to the harsh wilderness that surrounds it. Yet for me, there is a charm and a sense of comfortable belonging behind the shoot.

Although it may be daunting to many, man is often at peace when surrounded by nature, as opposed to the almost overpowering sense of utility and rigid order of the urban landscape. Are we so far removed from the original state of the fabrics and nature itself, that this seems in a way, unnatural to us?

Currently playing: Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2 (performed by Lang Lang) - Chopin

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