Alexander McQueen‘s menswear collections get more and more interesting by the season. This latest show was a clear departure in mood from his last show, ‘The Queensberry Rules’.
There was still a menacing undercurrent, with vibes of tortured artist coming through, but the overall atmosphere was that of a more feminine creativity. McQueen’s traditional rustic tailoring the look reminded me of some of the Italian workmen that the Sartorialist sometimes snaps.
Onto the gushing, the patchwork shirt and jacket are utterly gorgeous, and regardless of being a woman I want! Similarly the paint effect items moves the digital print trend forwards and the paint-spattered pieces deserve to become a fully-fledged DIY blogger trend.
Best worn: When (pretending) to paint the front room of your Milan apartment.
You can rely on Alber Elbaz and Lucas Ossendrijver to deliver a great collection and they did. This collection for Lanvin was typically elegant affair, with the très chic suits and kimono-style jackets. Irreverent touches like trousers and suits made from tie silk reinforce Elbaz’s gentle sense of humour and sandals worn with socks gave a geeky twist to the look.
As tributes for Michael Jackson continue to pour in, Sir Paul Smith made the ultimate gesture to the late King of Pop during his closing menswear show in Paris yesterday. The British designer danced his way down the catwalk to Jackson’s iconic “Thriller,” together with his light-footed models. It was a happy and celebratory moment as the audience clapped and bopped along. Catch sight of grey-haired Paul getting down to MJ by clicking play on the video above – fun!
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.
This isn’t the first catwalk show where we’ve seen sheer tailoring, it looks like SS10 will see lots of sharp, sheer menswear pieces on the high street.
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.
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.
Best worn: on a blustery northern French beach in Spring.
Chances are if you’re a Brandish reader then you’re already well aware of the importance of menswear, but today Jean Schneides in WWD did some catwalk investigating and concluded that you need to keep one on the menswear collections at all times, if you want a preview of what the womenswear collections will look like a few weeks or months later.
We’ve already discussed that womenswear trends like ombré filter through onto the menswear catwalks a season or two later, but take a look at the gallery to see which designers have been looking to their menswear collections for inspiration.
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. Offering up a vision of the male as strong, wholesome with a slight geeky side is always going to go down a treat, and his mastery with fabrics and colours stops this medley from becoming a jumble sale.
As we move to New York with our menswear coverage, the entire Brandish team has begun searching the shows for particular looks, gossip and moments that have caught our attention. And if there is one designer who has so far got people talking, it would have to be Duckie Brown. This label, designed by Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, has been trend-setting in previous seasons and over the last eight years it has definitely become one to watch for editors and writers alike.
So, with that said, what do you think of the label’s latest headwear designs. Loud, outrageous and not just a bit odd, would you be willing to rock this monumental millinery?
News just in from the Topman design team about the direction they will be taking the Topman Design show:
‘A transition from introverted Gordonstoun student to independent Arctic Explorer. Topman Design A/W 09.10 combines the refinement of classic public school clothing and vintage mountaineering wear. ‘
Part one of our Paris Menswear show round up, and both Hermés and Raf Simons wowed but for different reasons, check after the jump to see a short clip of the Raf Simons vid complete with rotating mirrors and you’ll see why the fash pack went mad for this one. Also after the jump is the Dries Van Noten show, a timelessy retro affair with ’40s influenced tailoring which managed to look fresh rather than museum-y. the green baize-y background added to the Hitchcock glacial feel.
Part two in our Milan menswear rundown, this time Versace, Prada and Marni get the Isabelle patented Photoshop Mad Skillz® treatment, click to enlarge.
Let us know who your favourite was, or if you’re waiting for Paris before you make any decisions. Speaking of which, the Paris shows kicked off yesterday so stay tuned for more catwalk news from Brandish.
The standout show at Pitti Uomo was, in my mind, Alexander McQueen’s “The McQueensberry Rules”. Where most Milan designers literally translated the gloom of the economic crisis McQueen added a murderous glint to the proceedings with aristocratic eleagance and a glossy nostalgia for a pre-Thatcherite Britain.
Sending models down the catwalk with fingerless gloves, silver-topped canes and darkened, bloodshot eyes it seemed that McQueen had gone the safe route of pairing outlandish styling with conventional clothing, but on closer inspection everything about this collection gave off a menacing whiff.
Referencing some of the most aggressive or manic male archetypes everyone from the majestic to the deranged got a look in. Skinheads’ oxblood 10 hole DMs, teddy boys’ draped jackets combined with Jack the Ripper menace and Clockwork Orange swagger for a collection that was admittedly theatrical but anchored by impeccable tailoring. Trousers were tight, and a strong upper half was emphasised with sharp suit jackets, thick coats and beefy woollens. Chainmail vests, butcher’s aprons and boxing gloves alluded to traditional facets of men in the workplace in a proudly aggressive and vital assertion of masculinity.
Jump through to watch an impressive video of the show, with thunderous music and songs by the Specials and the Stranglers, you can watch part two here.
Givenchy chose to give a presentation of their clothes at Pitti Uomo in Milan yesterday, take a look at the video to see the clothes, which consisted largely of avant-garde style traditional menswear. The collection gave off slightly post-apocalyptic vibes with fur coats and military tailoring. Trousers had oversized waistbands cinched in with rope or woven leather belts, thick soled shoes made an appearance and patterns consisted of stripes and plaid check.
From a writer’s point of view presentations are great because you can see fabrics and details up close, but I feel that they sometimes lack the impact of a catwalk show? What do you think?
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This outfit is based around an Argyle jumper from Gap and with argyle being one of the key trends of this season (it was featured on the catwalks of Dolce & Gabbana as well as Thom Browne,) the jumper is a perfect foundation for a great Christmas look. Take Levis Skinny 511™ jeans and add in a pair of gold shoes by Common Projects for some Christmas cheer!
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