Men’s – Gender Culture. Casely-Hayford SS17

June 12, 2016June 12, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

The father-and-son duo, Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford, have many reasons to call spring-summer 2016 collection one of the biggest highlights of their career up to date. What pleasantly surprised everyone during the show was the fact that the fash-fam introduced a womenswear capsule, accompanying their festival-cool menswear looks. “We’ve been asked about doing it for years,” said Charlie. “Now felt right. We want to dress a woman who is a partner to the Casely-Hayford man—but she is very much independent and different to him too.” Their debut in the world of women was like the feeling of a breeze by the sea, so refreshing. Jacquard, which was used in coats production, was made with a more than 200-years old weaving mill, while the dresses with knitted details in sharp, summer-y colours, will be the right choice for warm days. Casely-Hayford is known for top-notch tailoring, but in contrast to their Savile Row friends who do strictly elegant suits, this label breaks the well-known conventions. No wonder why the women’s part was as focused on perfectly-cut blazers as men’s, and was equally edgy. The moodboard behind the collection was filled a variety of British music movements, from 70s rock and Jimi Hendrix to 00s grime and Mick Jagger. With all that diversity in mind, there was a sharp game of oriental patterns, paisley, bleach splashes and tie-dye textiles. Also, spot the richness of jewellery – tribal necklaces and pendants (which looked like great, flea-market finds) were worn nonchalantly by both genders with embroidered robe-coats and denim jackets. Looking forward to see how Joe and Charlie will continue their new, even more daring chapter in fashion!

Men’s – Milanese Guys

February 5, 2016January 4, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Photo I took on Via Manzoni in Milan last week.

When women desperately seek a way to look like a Parisian girl, who masters the messy chic of Caroline de Maigret or does the sexy au naturelle look a la Jeanne Damas, then men do their best to be like a Milanese guy. A man from Milan is not obsessed with Versace and Dolce as you might think – the contemporary one (who is usually in his 30s, 40s…) cares about the statement: a unique, fancy detail, which seems to be nearly invisible. Also, this guy rides his Vespa with grace, showing off his perfectly matched socks which are exposed by the cropped pants. Being a Milanese guy is hard – but possible, if you know his three, quite effortless yet so, so dandy tips.

Photo via The Sartorialist

Simone Marchetti is the most stylish guy in the town, and also the best guide if talking of Milan’s tourist-free restaurants on Instagram. He can pull off a chiffon, pastel pink Gucci blouse from Alessandro Michele’s autumn-winter 2015 collection, and still keep a cool, masculine effect (even if the wool sweater is pink, too). Matching his gentle style with classical Levi’s denim pants and furry mocassins, the fashion editor at La Repubblica always nails it, when wearing a piece from his favourite Italian designer or something much more casual.

Photo via A Love is Blind

Stefano Pilati is the designer who kept Saint Laurent extremely chic before Hedi Slimane’s catastrophy; also, he left Zegna just few days ago, in order to “focus on personal projects”. His collections at Zegna envisioned his Milanese style – over-sized, woollen pants and coats are his signatures – and when writing “over-sized”, I mean Stefano’s elegant play with silhouettes. Moreover, Pilati wears the symbol of every well-dressed Milan-raised man from Milan – the neck scarf, non-chalantly tied aorund the neck. The outfit above is a total favourite of mine.

Photo via The Sartorialist

Alessandro Squarzi is a Milan-based fashion entrepreneur and street-style regular, who has a carefree approach to dressing. Squarzi is a fan of Italian’s finest Neapolitan tailoring – but at the same time, he loves the comfort of Converse trainers and t-shirts. In the look above, he looks more than great in an edgy, checked blazer and vintage boots.

Men’s – Dark Nostalgia. Thom Browne AW16

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

There was an elusive, Rene Magritte mood during the Thom Browne autumn-winter 2016 presentation for men. Just like in the surreal paintings of this Belgian artist, the New York-based designer staged a nostalgic, mournful collection of meticulously detailed coats and suits. Note the chaotic stitches which jut out of the coat above – and the pants, which look tattered and old. Even the socks have little holes. But there is beauty in this type of rawness, and Browne is absolutely aware of that. The hats which dramatically obscured models’ faces were made in collaboration with a long time friend of the designer, Stephen Jones Millinery.

As for the end of a very, very good fashion month of menswear, the New Yorker’s collection felt like a delightful dessert (even though it wasn’t as colourful as you might suspect a dessert to be). Time for haute couture, and the remaining labels with their pre-fall look-books…

Men’s – Tokyo Diaries. Umit Benan AW16

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

It seems that Paris-based designers feel a strong sentiment to Japan. We know Julien David’s love to Japan, as all of his clothes are made there; for SS16, Olympia Le-Tan created a feminine collection which took its references from Nobuyoshi Araki’s bondage photography and Hotel Okura’s famous architecture legacy. The Japanese story is continued by Umit Benan with his “Tokyo Diaries” collection for men. When the guests arrived to the show, a group of eight men were about to start the “nyotaimori“, a practice known in Japan which is about eating sushi off a naked woman’s body. Benan’s inspirations came from Japan – but don’t expect kimonos or anything as predictable as that. The designer had yakuza gangs on his mind – and you don’t want to mess up with these guys. The street-cast models and Umit’s friends walked the show in athletic tank-tops, judo jackets and corduroy coats with obi belts, while some had the typical, Japan-fashioned braids. The footwear changed dramatically, from sneakers to white tube socks with the toes cut out. The designer, known for his diverse collections, successfully withdrew the clichés of the Land of the Rising Sun and staged a wearable, badass collection.

Men’s – Flower Power. Comme des Garcons AW16

January 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

We all got used to the breath-taking and avant-garde garments for woman, which are envisioned by Rei Kawakubo‘s always surprising imagination. In case of menswear, however, the woman behind Comme des Garcons bases her ideas around classical, quintessential clothes, like for example a well-tailored suit or a leather biker jacket. In the effect, these usual pieces appear to be one-of-a-kind. For autumn-winter 2016, Rei explored the blurry borders of masculinity, and humanity, by representing an ethereal, yet dark performance of warrior-like models, who wore beautiful, floral head-pieces created by Julien D’Ys. The whole outing, which sensed like a “war and peace” manifesto, felt very emotional – there was pure sadness in models’ eyes, but supreme happiness in the bold, flower colours. Surely, the show’s meaning was deeper than a “flower-power” cliché. But flowers do cheer up our lifes. Even, when the world is becoming a very dynamic and dangerous place.