Men’s / Haute. Raf Simons SS19

June 21, 2018June 21, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

Yes! Finally somebody said that out loud: “We need a new outline. I know I was part of it myself, but too many hoodies with prints! You know, something needs to shift”. Raf Simons is equally frustrated with that boring, and on-going, splash of athleisure that’s happening in fashion right now. As a response, he did a collection that’s far from sportiness, but closer to the Parisian haute couture ateliers. Satin! Believe it or not, everything except the jersey and a couple of menswear suits was made from duchesse satin – a fabric that one must understand well in order to use skillfully. Definitely, Simons mastered that during his tenure at Dior. Still, the collection was far from saccharine and posh. There was punk (safety pins, studs, black leather and even a vest made of plastic six-pack holders, beer friendly). There was a certain kind of cosmic futurism (note those cumbersome, chunky boots). And, of course, the runway’s venue wasn’t a Rothschild mansion, but some sort of underground club – no seats, just standing. As Instagram reports, a hot after party took place afterwards the show.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s / Trailblazing. Y/Project SS19

June 21, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s complicated. With Y/Project, you have this certain feeling when you look at the label’s clothes. Take denim pants or a shirt. They do reminiscent pants and a shirt, but then… not exactly. This season, Glenn Martens surprised with a wrapping technique featuring nylon and lycra stretched atop any garment, which can be effortlessly taken off or put on at any moment. Depends on to what extent you want to sophisticate your outfit. It wouldn’t be Martens’ work if the collection didn’t mess with proportions: deliberately too much of fabric near the crotch, not enough near the torso. Those aren’t easy clothes – but who said they should be? Y/Project intrigues with colour combinations, as well. From wine burgundy and baby pink to soft lilac and rusty yellow, there’s not much in common, nothing really works together. And again – it somehow does! The women’s capsule is equally confusing, but appealing as well. Those denim high-rise shorts over pink tights made a stir in the social media yesterday. Glenn Martens is not a guy that desperately seeks controversy, but his clothes nearly always provoke. Love it. At least, not everyone considers menswear a shallow sport trend outlet.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Briefly: Men’s MFW SS19

June 20, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

This season, I had a dilemma whether to skip the menswear season, or not. I honestly felt exhausted at one point with all the collections, lookbooks and shows coming up, and getting grip of what’s winter and what’s summer. And in case of menswear, I was especially appalled with the fact that every designer considers spring-summer 2019 to be a full-on sport trend. And everyone has a pair of ‘some’ sneakers, just to be like Balenciaga with their top-selling Triple S (which, by the way, is everywhere, and I can no longer look at)! But when I was quite sure I won’t write anything about men’s this time (plus the 69% of voters on my Instagram poll said ‘skip the season and chill!’, partially consolidating my decision), I couldn’t ignore those two collections coming from Milan. Marni and Prada, you’re very good to boys this season I must say.

What I love about Francesco Risso‘s Marni is his haphazard, yet appealing ‘collage’ way of doing things. The designer was thinking of vintage sportswear. Staged in an old carpark, guests sat on bouncy exercise balls, while the models’ (plus-size guys, elderly men and the designer’s friends) outfits were reminiscent of a football fan 70’s style, with retro polo shirts, check trousers and deconstructed varsity jackets made of different textiles. From yellow tank-tops to striped, knitted culottes, there’s lot to love in Risso’s latest collection. Note the prints – Florian Hetz’s photos of naked bodies and Betsy Podlach’s paintings of human beings were used on the back of the shirts and many other pieces.

Miuccia Prada also had something to do with sportiness, but not that much. Here, her intelligence and profoundness emanates in every piece of clothing. For the fashion show, inflatable, pink stools by Verner Panton – an exclusive re-edition of the 1960s piece, produced by VERPAN for Prada – were used as the guest seats. If talking of the clothes, Prada constructed a dialogue between male sensuality (ruffled shirts, very short shorts, florals) and utility-wear (lots of nylon and padded trappers we’ve seen in Miuccia’s resort show in New York). All that mixed with boldly printed sweatshirts and zipped jumpers. I definitely like this certain dynamism that was perceivable throughout the collection.

But the rest of menwear… well. Let’s see if Paris will be better. Quite exicited for Jacquemus’ first menswear collection ever, and Kim Jones’ debut at Dior Homme.

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Sé do Porto

June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

I have such a beautiful memory from this major destination in Porto. Originally built in the 12th century, Porto Cathedral (or Sé do Porto) still has the original merlons and twin towers, although the towers are now topped by 18th century additions. It has undergone various alterations over the centuries, the most important additions being the Gothic rose window, the cloisters, the 18th century altar and the rococo doorway. But you don’t notice details like this when in a crowd of tourist. Really, by co-incidence, we had a chance to visit the Cathedral all by ourselves: we came a few minutes before the closing, but the lovely cashier let us go in. Walking around the cloisters as if it was your summer mansion, ahh, what a feeling! You can look at the tiled walls with no haste and see every single tiny fragment (and believe me, the Portuguese loved tile story-telling). And all that in total silence.