Men’s: Memories. Raf Simons SS15

June 27, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons got really sentimental this season. In an industrial space, with guests standing instead of seating, the designer served a portion of unexplained things. And as he said, they are hard to analyse. But first of all, the backs of the coats and tops “Like mood boards you’d pin your favorite images to,” Raf said backstage. Friends, family, a fluffy kitty, a roller coaster, Mt. Fuji painted by Hokusai, a koi pond, a shark, a swimmer in peril, an astronaut…it seemed furiously random until Simons parsed the images. And these were all his memories and inspirations that he thought of while putting them live, on the models. Sharks- he loves Jaw movie and horrors. The astronaut was isolation. Roller coaster, the one he rode with his friends Olivier Rizzo and Willy Vanderperre decades ago. The Japanese influence was his thank-you to the first retailers who ever supported him. That was a truly psychological idea, too. In other words, Raf Simons made us all a bit shaky after the show. And the clothes were very him! The sneakers, the sophisticated suits, colourful tops and sharp tailored trousers. The AW14 collaboration with artist Sterling Ruby was a sweet surrender that Simons said, “I could only go deep into myself to find another challenge.” He’s a supremely organized individual, but maybe Ruby left him with an appetite for chaos. “It’s interesting to let go,” he agreed.

Men’s: Boheme. Haider Ackermann SS15

June 26, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Pleasingly, Haider Ackermann didn’t dissapoint us with his recent men collection. The male boheme continues and for good! Knowing well Andalusian-gypsy style Haider gives us each season in his presentation, the SS15 is just the cherry on the top of a cake. A rich yet dusty, jewel-hued color palette of pieces layered together in a nonchalant way that must have taken hours to get just right. All the velvet varsity jackets, jacquard drop crotch pants, fitted vests over loose shirting, chinoiserie silk dressing gown coats, and long looping scarves closely echoed the personal style of the designer himself. Although, the easy inclusion of Saskia de Brauw and Liya Kebede into the mix of male models proved that the pieces had real cross over potential.

Men’s: Voyage. Christophe Lemaire SS15

June 26, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Voyage au bout de la nuit from Charlotte Gainsbourg’s song Voyage is the perfect song that matches the mood of Christophe Lemaire’s SS15 collection which was one of the best ones. Discreet millionaire, chic traveler, man who knows what’s luxury to him: these are the three ways I would describe this beautiful collection. The simple pajamas, beige tracksuits and safari suits with these rectangular pockets are my favourite. Christophe Lemaire simply got me on his eponymous and elusive way of being in fashion.

Men’s. Romantic. No.21 SS15

June 24, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Dell’Acqua of No.21 brought his womenswear classics to men, making the boys for summer romantic and sweet. Lace was worked for slim pants and shirts, tops and short pants in lightweight gingham fabrics were cut in fluid silhouettes and suits came in sorbet colors. These contrasted with the contemporary, skater-inspired feel of printed T-shirts and Neoprene color-blocked sweatshirts embossed with the No. 21 logo. This is the modern Milanese guy.

Men’s: Jokes on Classic. Prada SS15

June 23, 2014June 23, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

So, what did Prada serve us this time for her men’s SS15 and women’s Resort’15? Something you would probably not think of: a pool. In the middle of the show venue, we had a 90 deegree rectangular swimming pool filled with water. A pretty perfect mood for summer, isn’t it? But all the spark was in the fashion that was presented. “I interpreted the classics. It means everything and nothing. It means what looks good for me” said Miuccia Prada backstage, meaning that for menswear, she always can do what she likes most, while for womenswear, “we always have to push, push, push.” I totally agree with her in that fact – the men’s clothes were a fresh, updated version of her 70’s ugly-chic uniforms and the sandals had this Prada mood written all over it. “It’s kind of conservative. Conservative looks more new” Miuccia added. Utah boys visiting the concrete jungle, embroidered top-stitched everything, brown leather-detailed denim and cashmere versions of charity shop knits… it all felt old, but new in a way it was a bit forgotten by people. But as it sounds typically, nothing is really normal at Prada. The exagarated stitches are just the prove! You see them everyday on your denim, but here, Prada made them in the spotlight. If coming back to the pool, there was also an irony about it. Surrounded on all sides by bleachers covered in dodgy golden-brown carpet (only Miuccia would pair that with a glittering pool) that extended to a raised runway on the water, it was a Miuccia-style take on an old summertime chestnut. “It was a joke on what’s classic,” she commented after the show. So, was that just another show? No, it was a very Prada show.

About the artist: Israeli sculptor. He adopted the name Absalon on his arrival in Paris in the late 1980s. During his short career he achieved widespread recognition for the 1:1 scale architectural models that he constructed of idealised living units. These wooden models, painted white, demonstrate an obsession with order, arrangement and containment, and have associations both of protective shelters and monastic cells.