Anti-Social. Vetements AW19

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Vetements‘ spring-summer 2019 collection was violent. But Vetements’ autumn-winter 2019 outing felt even more aggressive. Somehow, I’m not surprised. Demna Gvasalia (and his collective) isn’t afraid of speaking what’s on their mind, whether it’s confronting the difficult past, hard present or uncertain future. The label found inspiration in the dark web, where drugs, guns and other illegal, even more frightening things are available and sold worldwide. Hacker style? Geek chic? Yes, but cross out the latter, ‘fashion’ word. The collection was called “Anti-Social” and opened with a twisted homage to Steve Jobs. The distinctive, black turtleneck worn with a pair of jeans read: “Warning: what you are about to see will disturb you. There is a dark side of humanity the censors won’t let you see, but we will. View it your own risk.” An item that will sell out within a moment, but has a meaning that’s not as frivolous as it may seem. Other than the Vetements classics – XXL hoodies, floral tea-dresses, distorted puffer jackets – this offering had something you would never consider a fashion statement: anonymous-wear. Black fleece masks inside hoods and jackets with flaps covering the face with a peep-hole for looking out (and, occasionally, for taking photos through). “I realize there is no privacy. When I’m on public transport, doing work on my phone, I often see people overlooking it, or taking photographs of me,” Demna said after the show. An avalanche of contemporary problems appears in your mind, when you think of it: surveillance society, facial recognition technology, the fear of revealing our true selves without the social media filter. But then, the balaclavas make you think of terrorists and fierce protests that move like a tsunami through such countries as France. Gvasalia and Vetements sense danger and crisis that spread across our world. They know fashion won’t help it out, but at least, might inform the ones who want to be informed. To some extent, at least.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – How To Be. Dries Van Noten AW19

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s one of those sober, darker Dries Van Noten collections, that still has a lot to say. It seems that the Belgian designer asked himself: at time when world politics is in its sad state, how should a civilised, well-cultured adult comport himself? The autumn-winter 2019 collection has the clear answer: dress well, think clearly, keep a sense of what’s important when all around are loosing their heads. You might say its just a bunch of (what seems to be perfectly tailored) blazers, coats and suits, but this outing was a wardrobe of a level-headed man who knows what’s really right. It’s refined, but unpretentious. Wise and mature. Loosely fitted, cropped, pinstriped pants, duvet shawls in monochromatic tie-dye and an elegant, belted cardigan in beige are the items I’m drooling over. It’s not a buzzy Van Noten show, and it never intended to be one. With all the men’s shows getting bigger and more entertaining, Dries kept it rather quiet. But silence is a statement as well, sometimes even more meaningful and deep than thousands of euros thrown into a showy, Insta-worthy venue.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Global. Louis Vuitton AW19

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Virgil Abloh‘s second season at men’s Louis Vuitton. I’m not a fan of Abloh’s aesthetic in general, and I never really got the point of Off-White’s hype. But, his work at Vuitton is somewhat ‘profound’. It’s global. But not solely in the sense of more store openings, more celebrities wearing LV (even though those boxes are all checked, of course). The designer looks at the term ‘cultural diversity’ and bravely nods to it in his work. And, while Louis Vuitton is a huge platform, talking about important matters through clothes and events is more than respectful. For autumn-winter 2019, Virgil looked to the late Michael Jackson, setting the scene on a replica of New York street seen in the ‘Billie Jean’ video. Music is always the key for Virgil (who you surely know is also a free-lance DJ). Dev Hynes (!) and Ian Isiah performed new songs. Other than that, there was a live graffiti installation. This wasn’t a stiff fashion show, but a vibrant performance. Models weaved through the ‘street’ wearing flag print, intarsia fur coats and collars, tour-merch-style t-shirts, embellished jumpers and monogram embossed duvet jackets (their super-inflated effect looked impressive in leather). Jackson-inspired beaded, white gloves and jackets appeared as well. There are pieces that will disappear from the shelves immediately (like the over-sized jackets and bold bags) and garments that need more fashion courage (like the multi-layered blazers and pleated skirt-pants). I won’t say it’s a favourite for me, but you definitely can’t ignore this outing.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Bourgeoisie. Ami AW19

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Haven’t written about Alexandre Mattiussi‘s Ami for a while. But when I saw the brand’s womenswear, now getting bigger and better than ever, I kind of fell in love with this brand again. The Ami man and woman walk together, shoulder-to-shoulder, very, very well. Mattiussi called the collection “an homage to the bourgeoisie” and said he imagined his men and women as the sons and daughters of old Parisian money who were going for tea with their grandmothers, but planned big nights ahead. The many shades of beige, from coffee noisette to ecru, looked quintessentially Parisian, and the pink-ish and green-ish colour drops well added up to the palette. The boys wore shearling jackets and hoodies with Eiffel tower prints, while the girls had masculine coats, blazers and floor-sweeping shirt-dresses on. CHIC.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – A Different Travel. Undercover AW19

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Although Jun Takahashi‘s autumn-winter 2019 Undecover collection was built around Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange‘ (the protagonist’s face appeared few times on duvet jackets, knits and socks, while some of the models carried matching canes), there was much, much more to the outing. Beethoven and Edgar Allan Poe appeared in the season’s main graphic, abstractly mixed with an UFO spaceship. This brings us to Jun’s friendship with Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, who used the same prints in his latest menswear offering (which was presented the same day) and labelled most of the pieces as ‘Valentino Undecover’. But wait. There was also the invitation that featured Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus. Some of the pieces were labelled with words (in phonetic Russian), like sabog (boot) and prestoopnik (criminal). Criminal? The feathered masks could have been some sort of dramatic, yet very chic, robber look. But the hats with a single, coloured feather? More of a muskeeter. And no, you don’t have to really comprehend all that or truly understand what’s the connection. The Japanese designer, who is known for balancing authentic streetwear with avant-garde, took us on a travel that’s above time and dimensions. The garments and accessories, from cable-knitted epaulets and sweatshirt-jumpsuits to heavy trekking boots and corduroy total looks, are heaven. And the finale, featuring only all-red looks, might have been a metaphor of hell, but the one with very good-looking demons and devils.