Men’s – That’s Youth. Haider Ackermann SS17

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

If you’re reading my blog for a while, then you know that I’m in eternal love relationship with Haider Ackermann‘s style and clothes. Loving Ackermann means loving his fashion – it’s not about an one-season affair. His collections reflect his mood, and the surrounding attitude that fascinates him. “I have this gang of young kids around me. And they are full-on. And I wanted to capture their energy. They are just kids who want to dance and party and be happy. They don’t have the heaviness of the world.” With this statement in mind, it’s visible that youthful spirit oozes in these over-sized pyjama shirts, leather tight pants and electrically colourful bombers. Youth presented by Haider isn’t fake – it’s distinctly Parisian, slightly bourgeoisie, but inexplicably beautiful. Well-travelled, boys’ wardrobe borders with orient (supposedly, inspired with Bhutan, a place he travelled to with his close friends, Tilda Swinton and Waris Ahluwalia), taking tips from monks’ robe silhouettes. But what truly made this collection a highlight, was the colour palette. It reminds me of Ackermann’s spring-summer 2016 outing for women, in a way, with shades of acidic yellow and pastel pink. This season, the designer also welcomed a spectrum of blue – from aquamarine to indigo, it’s a true pleasure for the eye to observe how these clothes “radiate”. Although there aren’t many looks for women here, it’s impossible not to mention Mica Arganaraz’ appearance in a pleated, black maxi dress, crossed with a belt. Simple, but still, many designers dream to pull off such a dress as masterfully as Haider. You need to be born with it, right?

Men’s – Pope and Cristobal. Balenciaga SS17

June 23, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Demna Gvasalia‘s appointment at Balenciaga is groundbreaking from the very first collection for women’s autumn-winter 2016, which we all experienced at the beginning of March. New silhouettes, new youthful concept, the underground, Vetements attitude already storms the editorials and modifies the way we see fashion in 2016 – but nobody expected that the biggest shock would have come within Gvasalia’s first men’s collection for the house.

Firstly, it’s not just another menswear collection. It’s the first runway collection by Balenciaga which presents menswear; secondly, it was a tribute to Cristobal Balenciaga, his life and his creative legacy. In his first months at the brand, Demna was a tourist in Balenciaga historical archives, and one specific piece became the main reference for the entire, spring-summer 2017 collection. A coat. Or rather, the coat, which was Cristobal’s own, made by his own hand. In fact, he never finished it. And surely, he would be surprised to hear that after many decades, his Georgian successor is about to make his forgotten coat an object of desire. The first look defined the silhouette of this particular coat – tailored, yet strongly exaggerated in the shoulders. And a fitting card put in breast pocket (an unexpected, small gesture which nodded to the past of bespoke, couture tailoring for men). A fitting card used to hold the information of old clients’ measurements – and dimension is something that’s absolutely revisited by Gvasalia. While the coats were colossal in volume, extremely slim suit pants were cut on the knee, distorting any proportions left. The look got even more peculiar with python leather shoes or orthopaedic white boots. That was the “formal” part of the collection, if you can say that Uncle Fester’s look will fit your business lunch.

The mid-looks of the collection were more about Vetements, I would say, with varsity jackets (of course, the shoulder were big, too) and baseball caps. The over-sized pants were styled with ribbed knits, and one of the all-black outfits felt like Gvasalia’s friends (Lotta Volkova and Paul Hameline) choice for a stroll to the market, with a huge, bold yellow “shopping” tote. Parisian cool with post-Soviet vibe. Yes.

Demna Gvasalia’s take on Balenciaga is profound, taking under consideration all aspects that were important for Cristobal. For women’s autumn, the creative director delivered flamenco dresses in florals, mentioning Balenciaga’s Spanish origins. This instantly brings on the idea of Catholicism, which was moved this season for the boys. Cristobal was a passionate Catholic, and it was his everyday habit to go to a church on Avenue George V, a stone throw from his atelier. That’s why the last looks were ornamented with Vatican lace, liturgical red and purple silks. As for a menswear debut, Gvasalia nailed it, even though one could be skeptical whether the up-to-now male clients of Balenciaga, used to basic white shirts and sneakers, will devote themselves to this new style religion.

Men’s – Voyager. Gucci SS17

June 22, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Shocking green carpet with a huge red snake – that was the first thing Gucci’s guests saw, minutes before the spring-summer 2017 show started. But they didn’t have a long break from Gucci extravaganza, though. Just a few weeks after the spectacular anglomania splendour in London, Alessandro Michele, brand’s creative director, presented a show for men which was into this season’s motif, so travelling. Like Prada, Michele challenged himself to make his collection not a literal rip-off of oriental kimonos, but something more eclectic and meaningful. In fact, his “travel” is something totally different. “I hate to travel,” he said backstage, confusing everyone. Still, he loves travelling from aesthetics to aesthetic, mentally, not physically. “You can travel in different ways,” mused Michele. “With a book, you can travel. If I change the tapestry of my chair, I sit and I travel.” To an extend, it’s true – with a whole lot of tapestry, embroidery and embellishment, his menswear collection was a diversified version of a voyager’s wardrobe. Leather bombers with colourful dragon heads, rich, velvet coats, satin kimono jacket, Asian patterns featuring Donald Duck – like a treasure chest of cheesy souvenirs from around the world. Essentials, like biker jackets or turtlenecks, were pimped up with florals and marine stripes, while the classical horse-bit loafers were styled with fish-net tights (nothing surprises me anymore during men’s fashion month, honestly). As eclectic as it could be – that’s Alessandro’s world.

Men’s – Pack Your Backpack. Prada SS17

June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Last season, Miuccia Prada presented a disturbingly beautiful ode to sea odyssey and distressed sailors, a collection filled with sailor hats and over-sized, sloppy shirts. Naturally, it had a lot to do with the current, migrant situation, which paralyses European countries. But also, there was an idea of travelling (likely to unknown places), not necessarily to luxurious resorts and hotels. This season, Prada continues her travel motif, but back on a slightly safer land. Rather than sailor equipment, models wore durable, weather coats, boldly coloured nylon pouches with Prada torches inside and formal high-heels attached to classic, leather bags. “In case you want to have a beautiful evening,” Mrs Prada mused backstage. Ironically, because all the models were rather into ugly chic (introduced by Miuccia at the turn of 90s and 00s), all in sport sandals and woollen socks. Sleeveless vests had Velcro hoodies, just like at Marni, matching the straps which crossed the waists in slouchy way. Olivier Rizzo, Prada’s stylist, is indeed a master of styling – the outfits were so reliable that you wouldn’t distinguish a Prada model among real camping fanatics and members of an all-American Morgan family from Minnesota. But it wasn’t only about functional, yet pricey essentials for your next field trip to the forest or mountains. If you’re observant, you would have immediately spotted buddhas, palm trees and mariachi band prints on skirts and jackets for the women’s resort 2017 part. Mexico, India, maybe Scandinavian countries – somehow, all these different places on Earth were united in one collection, in one piece of clothing, without being to literal. “The core goal is to share with other people,” Prada continued. “Other cultures, other mentalities.”

Moreover, this collection ispressing hard on Prada’s heritage, so the famous backpack, which revives in new textiles and colours. According to history, in 1984 the first nylon backpack was presented to Prada clients in their oldest store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, leaving behind the dusty, ‘luxury-luggage brand’ past forever. A backpack is the symbol of Prada becoming a major fashion player, breaking the convention of elegance and giving other brands a sign – it’s the new chapter for accessories business. That was the first time when the fashion world heard a very down-to-earth, close-to-masses word: “utility”. And surely, spring-summer 2017 collection is the one which can be called utilitarian from the first look to the last one.

It’s intriguing to see how Miuccia conveys messages in her clothes. This summer outing for boys (and for girls, of course) might just seem ugly to people, who say a loud NO to any form of socks and sandals (get over it, people!). But to others, it will appeal aesthetically, matching this current “rave” trend present on wild, off-beat parties and streets filled with Tumblr teenagers. However, I’m rather obsessed with the way these clothes are layered and matched in the most off-kilter way, and the attitude behind the whole story. Disparity and travelling from one to idea to another – that’s elusive and very, very exciting.

Men’s – Robert Mapplethorpe. Raf Simons SS17

June 18, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s the first time in a while, when Pitti Uomo feels exciting. This season, the fashion editors and buyers have seen Gosha Rubchinskiy take on Italian culture; the same day, Raf Simons presented one of his most defining collections in his career. The standing fashion show for spring-summer 2017 was a special occasion – it was a nod to Robert Mapplethorpe, a controvertial American, who was known for his unconventional black-and-white photography. During his lifetime, the photographer shot such extraordinary characters as Patti Smith or Andy Warhol, but also, he was famous for his highly BDSM polaroids, flower still-lives (often compared to erect phallus) and nudes of female wrestlers.

The photographer, who began the cult of erotic photography in the 70s, was the main, well-visible and fully acknowledged reference point for Raf this season. Rather than simply putting famous Mapplethorpe photographs as prints on tops, Simons challenged himself to make his inspiration something much more profound. “Every boy is a representation of a piece of work” – this is how the designer described the models, with dark, curly hair and skinny black pants. Some looked like the original characters taken out of Mapplethorpe’s polaroids, wearing leather biker caps and voluminous, white shirts. Oh yes, the shirts. The over-sized silhouettes reassembled white walls of a gallery, perfectly exposing these defiant and somewhat deviant visuals. Debbie Harry, with a stern face, looked at you from under a cropped V-neck sweater; a penis photo on a striped t-shirt wasn’t a surprise, keeping in mind Robert’s late obsessions. Wherever you turned, you could sense respect for the photographer, coming from Raf’s heart. The focus was on the clothes – the images weren’t shouting, leaving space for the pieces to speak for themselves. It’s not a one-season-only type of collaboration between an artist (specifically, Mapplethorpe Foundation) and a fashion designer. It’s a collection, where everything is about the rebellious attitude, with a very clear, labelled reference. Other designers should take a note from Simons on how to name their inspirations, in order not to become accidental copycats.