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.
Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley, since last season, are the girls behind MBMJ (Marc by Marc Jacobs). And they are really doing a REVOLUTION (see AW14) at this brand! For summer, the designers brought a new strong sign- The New World System. With this, written on the cool tomboy shirts, we all really felt something new and refreshing. For example the round, sculptural plexi handbag (it’s FAB). Plastic-like polka dots tops. Latex looking blouses and leggings. And very polished Dr. Martens boots…the collection was really colourful, and it felt super cute and kawaii! What else felt lovely was the fact, that the collection is totally bold, youthful, fun… and these things are a bit missed in present fashion world. Katie and Luella, keep on doing what you are doing- it’s MEGA ULTRA great.
Bouchra Jarrar is called by many the quintessence of Parisian chic. And also, it’s said that her Perfecto trousers are the most comfortable ever. In fact she does couture, which in reality is ready-to-wear, but still, everybody call it haute couture. Well. For Fall, Jarrar presented Nicolas Ghesquiere like tailored jackets, trousers made out of four layers, sporty vests with hand-crafted detailings and oxford shoes made in collaboration with Christian Louboutin. The collection is seriously chic and sexy and classy- but I am afraid it’s not really couture, even if a lot of work was used to do this collection.
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.
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.
Design & Culture by Ed 