Bally‘s SS16 felt like a nice comeback to menswear reality. Great trousers, desirable jackets, super cool pajama suits – and all of that styled in a chic, modern way. With always chillded-out Clement Chabernaud as the face of the brand, the Swiss house instantly became a hot spot for guys which search for comfortable clothes with stylish twist. Pablo Coppola, the new creative director behind Bally, knows what men want.
Youth and naive were the main keywords behind the recent Prada collection for men (and women). Miuccia Prada made everybody confused this time, bringing on the wardrobe of messy, skinny boys, which wear over-sized socks, “poor looking” sweatshirts and turlenecks-under-shirts. I am not just uncertain about what it all means (the rabbits and rockets on knitwears, the post-Soviet attitude kept all around these clothes), but whether I actually like or dislike the collection, as Prada bases her ideas on the power of ‘ugly’, transforming it into something strangely desirable. By that, I mean the clothes from SS16 are not beautiful at all – they are definitely ugly. The way the models wore the jackets; the perverse short shorts; even the creepy colour palette made it all look like a wardrobe of a crusty. It felt like seeing a Gosha Rubchinkiy show, but sponsored by a major luxury house.
As usually, Miuccia did not forget about girls. In this collection, almost 50% of the models were girls. And their outfits did not really differ from the boys. Slouchy, over-sized rain coats; mini python skirts; same, pixellated prints on knits, which told a story of naive childhood, where the boy dreams of being an astronaut while the girl is pretending to be a bunny. However, the collection definitely told a more “parental advisory” kind of story – one of the main inspirations behind the women’s collection was the famous film, Female Trouble by John Waters. The cat-eye makeup and kitten heels with socks instantly transported us back to Chicklette and Concetta, the symbols of bad-girl defiance from Water’s 1974 work of genius. These troublemakers have made their presence in Miuccia’s world more than once (Miu Miu SS15, for instance). As you see, there is always a kind of pleasure while interpreting Miuccia Prada’s collection – even though some are definitely not in my taste. This collection represented a mingle of many topics and ideas – childhood, femininity, fake modesty and of course, ugliness. All of those often appear at Prada, but they are always presented in a new, reflection-causing way.
“I took a big risk, breaking the mold I have created myself,” Alessandro Dell’Acqua of No21 said. “It was time, I think. Freedom was high on my agenda. I’d like to convey a clear message of fashion as an amusing expression of personality. We can do that in Milano, too.” Indeed, the new collection for men was totally different than all the others up to date. Totally new silhouettes – shorts which reminded skirts; over-sized knitwears (which, basically, land on my wish-list); great varsity jackets and elegant peacoats. The textures here became more tactile and softer. And the ultra-long t-shirts and tank-tops gave us a chilled out vibe, just like the boots, which had their laces tied in a messy way.
In reality, every piece of this collection is totally wearable – I already see a lot of outfits that would personally match my wardrobe. Also, through this collection, Alessanro proved again, that he is a styling genius. You can simply take notes for your next summer look, guys!
It’s been a while since I have written anything about Emilio Pucci. I won’t hide it, the Peter Dundas era always not significant for me. His super sleek Pucci women felt so unexciting, that there is no wonder why he left the house to move to Roberto Cavalli (burp). But the first collection by the new creative director, Massimo Giorgetti, has something that caught my eye. The designer of ultra-trendy MSGM, brought some eccentric vibe into the heritage house of kaleidoscopic prints and luxury goods – amazing fringe coats, youthful florals and eye-killer colour combinations. Giorgetti’s side-buttoned blouses – a nod to the Pucci printed silk scarf—sat strangely on the body, while his one-shoulder deconstructed button-downs featured peculiar, exaggerated sleeves. Giorgetti has a sense of measure about eclecticism: his women didn’t look odd, but rather like the Clueless characters which suddenly appeared in Milan.
Alessandro Dell’Acqua is the rising star of Milan and there no wonder why – his collections for No21 are always fresh and cool, but in Itlalian way. For Resort 2016, Alessandro fused many themes at a time – the marine chic which involved stripes; ethnic prints; oriental textiles (look at the canvas shoes!). All of that brought on the idea of perfect “tropical escape” wardrobe. The midi skirt with a sexy cut looked truly gorgeous with that over-sized chunky sweater while the warm colour of curcuma gave a laid-back mood. In overall, Dell’Acqua is known for his talent of mixing feminine silhouttes with masculine forms – the sailor jacket is the must-have of the collection, combined with one of these crispe checked skirts. This collection is an essential highlight of Alessandro’s fashion career becuase it smartly shows No21’s signatures in a very refreshing order.
Design & Culture by Ed 