Men’s – Badass. Haider Ackermann AW15

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

I usually don’t use the word “badass”, but this time is an exception. Haider Ackermann seriously made his dark presentation not give a damn. Dandy-ish, decadent. “The idea was to be able to smell the clothes”. The models where staged on a platform in Musee Galliera, wearing slim trousers, military coats, velvet blazers, accompanied with two girls (Mica Arganaraz, I see you!). I enjoyed most the richness of fabrics, colours. It’s so typical for Haider. Also, this rock’n’roll attitude made all that gentlemen-ish mood feel lighter and more chaotic!

Men’s – Russia / China. Gosha Rubchinskiy AW15

January 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

After Walter Van Beirendock, Gosh Rubchinskiy is the second designer of the day which brings politics to fashion. This time, we leave Paris and we go to Putin’s Russia, where everything’s strongly connected with Chinese market. Presented in an old Orthodox church, the models wore SPORT sweatshirts, “ugly” white socks and soviet-Russia inspired fur varsity jackets.This entertaining collection saw street-cast models—some as young as 13—transformed into brand-hungry Russian youths of the immediate post-glasnost years, as seen through a Rubchinskiy prism. That’s amazing how Gosha found a way to critisize Putin’s political influenece in today’s Russia. Definitely, if Rubchinskiy presented his collection in Moscow, the next day he would sit in jail – the parody and sense of the whole thing seems to be very visible.

Men’s – Steady. Lemaire AW15

January 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christophe Lemaire changed the name of his own, eponymous label, into LEMAIRE. What does it mean? He wants it to be even more descreet and less personalized. “We thought it was time to clarify and reboot, to give it a family name which reflects that we are very much a design duo,” he said. Sarah Tran, his partner, added: “It’s also to say that what we do is about teamwork—people working for a name, yes, but a less personified one than before.” In his AW15 collection, the men, as usually, looked steady and ready for daily life. Comfortable parkas, loosely tailored trousers and over-sized capes were mixed with a slight body exposure. Mostly, the models didn’t wear shirts under their casual blazers. “It is always about the idea of showing a man who is steady,” he said. Fall 2015’s articulation of that Mr. Reliable was based on Alexandre, the amorous protagonist played by Jean-Pierre Léaud in La Maman et la Putain.

Innovative. Acne Pre-Fall’15

January 15, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

For pre-fall, Acne thought about experimenting with texture – lace mixed with knittwear, lurex combines with leather, patch-work – all of that brought an interesting fuse. The first look was all about “wild” knitted sweater which totally confused the proportions of the model. Also, there was the cute knitted hat in lilac – a must-have. The signtaure vests and coats are here, too, but in new colours. The only thing that disturbs me are the shoes…

Never Gonna Love Again. Lanvin Pre-Fall’15

January 8, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Lanvin’s pre-fall is so into Lykke Li’s I Never Learn album for me. The song Never Gonna Love Again matches perfectly Mica Arganaraz and Jamie Bochert in this gorgeous look-book. So dramatic, so chic, so elusive… over-sized suits, loafers, fluffy furs, maxi dresses and beautiful floral embroidery – and everything fulfilled with a dose of mysterious fog. Alber Elbaz just keeps his style. Non-chalant, but utterly dandy with a feminine twist. Baby can you hear the rain fall on me, never gonna love again, baby can you hear my heart cry tonight, I can’t keep running away, this time I can’t keep running away ’cause I’m never gonna love again.