Lee Douros is the menswear buyer for my-wardrobe and at the last press day we had a great chat with him about men’s clothing and the online side of things. Lee definitely knows his stuff, so we were thrilled when he agreed to present his top summer picks for us. If you’re still stuck for high-summer chic then this is like the holy grail. Stay tuned for pt2!
Milan Prada Men’s SS10 Catwalk Show
Working within the confines of the grey suit Miuccia Prada played around with masculine conventions. Slashed shorts and sleeves nodded to a violent outburst against formalwear. Shoulders are very much the focus, even without jackets they were shown off in tank tops and sleeveless cardigans. Textured tops and greyscale prints conveyed the feel of newsprint.
Missoni Men’s SS10 Catwalk Show
A retro silhouette dominated the Missoni collection, it was all cuffed trousers and shirts teamed with trenches and faded denims.
Patchwork knits and David Byrne-esque tailoring carried on the throwback theme. Hints of safariwear came through in the muted palette of washed-out neutrals hinted and sherbet accents provided a delicate burst of colour.
Best worn: while being a foreign correspondent in the Sahara.
Menswear: Jill Sander catwalk show SS10
Clean, clean, clean. The Jil Sander show featured neat boys with bowl cuts in pale summer colours and dark, sharp suits.
Shoulders are wide, fabrics are sheer and there is only the merest hint of print in a few drawn-on pieces. Raf Simons focused on details, but they were never bitty, things like pockets visible through shirts, short shorts and racer back singlets all added definition to this simple collection.
Brandish’s too good for Father’s Day gallery
We’re all for giving, but how many times have you been out shopping for someone and bought something for yours truly? Our Father’s Day gift guide is great if you want to give your dad a push in the right style direction, there’s nothing too out there or kooky, just a few pieces that will give a little panache to …
Gallery: Summer Shorts
Summer is most definitely here, at least for today and if you’re sweltering under the heat of some office trousers we feel your pain. Actually we’ve got our legs out, sorry.
Take a look at our guide to this summer’s shorts, we’ve trawled the internet for the best in short trousers to keep your legs cool and your outfit stylish without a toggle, cargo pocket or zip in sight. There’s something for everyone from denim to tailored and also floral pair you’ll love, honest!
Brandish Watch: ‘California Teens’ by Hedi Slimane and Nicola Formichetti
Nicola Formichetti’s blog is a haven for fashion-friendlies worldwide. From Japanese karaoke to Lady Gaga in the dressing room via iD and plenty of Hedi Slimane, this blog is always full of intimate shots and fashion-star exclusives. Nicola recently featured images from his latest shoot with Slimane for Hedi Slimane.com. The shoot, entitled ‘California Teens,’ includes only two models but shows a huge variety of sets and looks including dog heads with Swarovski eyes and Rodarte worn as a balaclava.
See the shoot in this gallery below!
River Island Menswear Press Day AW09
Knitwear and accessories are the shining stars of the River Island Menswear collection, they’ve got a great range of chunky cardigans, arran-style jumpers and we love the rocket cardie below!
Matthew Williamson launches menswear range for H&M
Following on from the high profile launch of Matthew Williamson’s H&M range for women comes his men’s collection.
As you can tell the collection takes inspiration from Williamson’s mix of traditional Brit and colourful hedonism, with brights, seersucker (a brilliant summer fabric) and tie dye.
The 2009 BAFTA Television Awards
We’ve featured Alexa Chung, Mischa Barton and Hannah Murray all looking gorgeous in our CQ galleries but stylistically, award ceremonies are always less of a big deal for the men.
Agyness Deyn, Chloe Sevigny, Paul McCartney & Morrissey at Coachella 2009
Celebs already make us jealous with their post-Christmas holidays in the Carribean, the Bold and the Beautiful have been out at Coachella, the first festival of the summer.
From David Hasslehoff to Jared Leto the US stars were out in full force, having a lovely time but we also had some Uk slebs representing, with Agyness Deyn and Henry Holland putting in an appearance.
Press days: Ermenegildo Zegna, Bally and Yohji Yamamoto and Stussy for Doc Marten
We gave you a sneak peek of the Doc Martens collaborations on Thursday, and as promised, here is a full press day round up. With some images from Ermenegildo Zegna, Bally and more Doc Marten collabs there’s enough stuff to keep the Autumn Winter excitement ticking over for a few weeks. More to come soon!
Topman’s White Tee project with Philip Lim, JW Anderson and Henry Holland
With a roster of designers which includes big names Henry Holland, Philip Lim, as well as Richard Chai, Juun J Topman are really keeping on their toes as far as getting new design talent in is concerned. They’ve also got LFW MAN designers JW Anderson and Christopher Shannon in on the act as well as the Topman Design team so we’re looking forward to seeing it instore on May 28th.
Burkina Fashion: Street Style in Mali and Burkina Faso
You might have noticed my absence from Brandish for a couple of weeks, I made a trip round the West African countries of Burkina Faso and Mali.
Having never been to Africa before it was a memorable trip, and I felt it was my duty to snap some of the well-dressed men that I saw out and about for you Brandish readers. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, but people are turned out in brilliant clothes, and the Touareg men in Mali are a vision! This is only a tiny percentage of the amazing outfits I spotted, because snapping away at people felt a lot ruder than it might in Japan or the UK for example, but hopefully it gives you a taste for African fashion.
Brandish Inspiration: ‘Landed Gent’ in the NY Times T Style Magazine
Week on week, the NY Times T Style Magazine delivers a fabulous fashion spread. Sometimes the editorial is womenswear-based and on occasion, we are provided with incredible style spark. This week’s magazine features the ‘Landed Gent’ editorial and with its vintage, Grey Gardens feel and stunning photography, I felt I had to share it!
New York Fashion Week: Tim Hamilton A/W 2008-9
Effortlessly cool is not really a phrase you want to bandy about recklessly but Tim Hamilton’s show had cool in spades.
Featuring everything a man could want from a wardrobe, neat tailoring teamed up with quirks like harem jogging bottoms (better than they sound!), jackets with layered panels and zip up ankle boots resulting in a collection that was by no means unadventurous but eminently wearable.
New York Fashion Week: Marc by Marc Jacobs menswear
Piece by piece Marc by Marc Jacobs‘ menswear was nothing spectacularly new but the way he put it together gave it a fresh feel.
The cobbled together chic was reminiscent of his standout womenswear show last season, proving Will’s point that women’s trends often trickle down into menswear a season or two later.
Gallery: Topman’s Spring Break Collection
Topman’s Spring Break collection is about to hit the stores and it’s a poetically downbeat affair. Set against a backdrop of blustery coastline and caravans there’s more than a touch of ’80s era Morrissey going on here.
A.PC’s Spring Summer collection online now
Another inspiring gallery of new season clothing, this time from uber chic French label A.P.C. The made news recently with their Nike collaboration on the All Court tennis shoe and I’m sure we’ll be seeing lots more of the label thanks to our mutual love for all things madras.
Fast forward into next season: COS’ summer collection
Although it might not seem like it, spring is on its way. Take a leap into next season’s trends by clicking through the summer collection by stellar H&M offshoot COS.
The collection is made up of up-to-the-minute pieces in a palette of soft shades with COS’ characteristic timeless touch.