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!
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.
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. ‘
The recent LCF MA show was definitely one for the guys, the womenswear was good but with over twice as many menswear designers I definitely had my ‘Brandish’ hat on that evening.
Combining sportswear with tailoring is now quite a conventional route but James Hawkes‘ collection managed to bring something new to the table. Leggings and wet look trousers were teamed with techy blousons and angular shoulder pieces.
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.
Coldplay’s latest album was released without too much fanfare confirming their status as indie stadium monoliths. They recently played the Air Canada Centre in Toronto where they sported their new military look. It’s a kind of shabby military look apparently inspired by French painter Eugène Delacroix which the band have taken to wearing as their tour uniform.
What do you think of their new look? Take our poll after the jump!
Click on the image to start gallery
Rumours abound that Henry Holland and Alexa Chung are going to present a T4 fashion show and the latest is that it will be called ‘Frock Me’… geddit?
Alexa Chung doesn’t have any formal fashion credentials but thanks to her quirky style she’s become a bit of a fashion icon for the indie crowd and topped the Guardian’s Summer Cool list. It’ll be interesting to see her pair up with Henners, hopefully they’ll hit it off and have us chuckling through our hangovers.
Can’t be any worse than watching 20-something barmen/models/whatever bicker on Shipwrecked that’s for sure.
With the hippin’ and the hoppin’ and the bippin’ and the boppin’… I love Bill Cosby, even in his awful film Ghost Dad he is endearing. So why doesn’t anyone want his jumpers?
The NY Times describes the one in the middle as ‘the Saved by the Bell theme song in knitted form’ and they’re not wrong. Cosby has donated his jumpers to raise money for the educational organisation set up after the death of his son Ennis Cosby. The jumpers represent the pinnacle of ’80s excesses in knitwear at their fit-inducing best and as such I’m quite surprised no one has bid yet.
It might have something to do with the $5,000 starting price but hey, the postage is free!
A couple of weeks ago we headed off to the Royal Academy to check out the London College of Fashion MA show. It was a star-studded event with Jane Sheperdson, Jimmy Choo and my personal favourite Jeremy Paxman. We’ve compiled our best bits from the evening’s menswear offerings in what was an impressively professional show.
Alexander McQueen is undoubtedly one of our most, if not our most, exciting designers. His love of fabric and his innate understanding of what you can do with it are always a pleasure to behold. As usual he didn’t disappoint with his new collection which hit the runways of Milan at the week-end.
The trademark sharp tailoring was of course present and the silhouette doesn’t seem to have changed much from previous seasons: still square cut shoulders, shaped waists and slim legs. But then, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Brocade, another McQueen favourite was also present. This season he has perhaps been holidaying in the Andes as the overall look had a certain Mayan/ Alpacan feel to it with its hats, fringes and shaggy furs.
All in all it had plenty of drama but more than it’s fair share of wearable pieces.
Click on pics for a closer inspection [Photos via Catwalking]
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