Men’s – The Tourist. Loewe AW15

January 27, 2015August 21, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

“I want people to come here and like something – if you like one thing that’s great,” said Jonathan Anderson. “Nothing has to make sense together. I want people to just hone in on specific pieces. You have to let people have the freedom to do what they want.” This is why he doesn’t see this men’s collection for Loewe as a show presentation, but rather a place where people can come and see, feel and touch – like the Paris showroom. The Spanish heritage label, Loewe, went great revolution under Anderson’s androgynous wings. But for Loewe, opposite to his own namesake label, he thinks in a bit different way. “I’m obsessed with this idea of doing something and letting it go,” he explained. “You don’t own it anymore. It doesn’t matter anyway, as fashion eats into itself. When you inherit an archive, you start to realise that.” The collection itself, having that dramatic modern, felt not modern, but nostalgic. Those pants, jackets from 40’s… and these heroic wool ponchos and lambskin totes. I can’t really see anything in my personal taste, but the total outcome & concept feels enjoyably fresh and different.

Men’s – Weary Warriors. Yohji Yamamoto AW15

January 25, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Violent Darkness. The make-up faux scars on the faces. The winter guys from Yohji Yamamoto are not the ones you want to mess up with. That was a very classical collection courtesy of Yamamoto – “black says it all: don’t bother me, I don’t bother you” is the most famous quote and motto the designer cultivates each year. Black blazers, black pants, black shirts. Poetic, mysterious. And aggressive thanks to the imprint of fighting on model’s faces. Except the darkness, Yohji showed gleaming velvet suits with marble prints to make all more philosophical.

Men’s – Gender Fuse. Raf Simons AW15

January 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raf Simons is one of those Belgian designers, that always surprise. And, again, I must admit – Raf is much better at his own label than at Dior. Here he can really experiment, have fun. “Youth on a pedestal.” That was Simons explanation of the staging of his show tonight, with its catwalk raised high above the crowd. The models wore almost-floor-length coats, gilets, that could be really analised by the editors.”I wish there could be 10,000 people here tonight,” Simons said of the warehouse on the outskirts of Paris where he staged his show. “A gathering of people, the way it was in the beginning.” After seeing this collection, I thought of first Helmut Lang collections, and Raf Simons archives. This collection, thanks to it’s gender fusing silhouettes, wild doodles placed on the coats, yellow golfs and crotchets, felt so different. Nostalgic. Youthful. Definitely that’s what Raf wanted to produce this season.

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 – Thought Provoking. Prada AW15

January 20, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Back to 90’s? Back to ugliness and uniforms? Prada says so in her recent AW15 collection for men and pre-fall 2015 for women. Kept in black, grey and beige colour palette only, Miuccia Prada made it a bit dull and very melancholic. Every men’s piece seems to be same. Suits, shirts, shoes, bags. The hair also seems to be super common for office-guys who do paper work and this type of stuff. While the girls seem to be as boring as their dates. The only thing that caught the eye was the hair – “A bow wraps a present,” Miuccia mused. “Am I presenting woman as object?” Well, hopefully not. And if talking of the shoes – that’s a horror, in my opinion. A comeback to Aqua World? They seem to be so anti-attractive. As I usually find something amusing and beautiful in Prada’s collections, this time I just can’t.

But one thing’s sure: the shared aesthetic this time was simple. “Uniform, severe, elegant: This is the fashion I like at this moment.” Miuccia seems to be down with her mood. Well, who wouldn’t after this what happened lately in Paris? Now it’s your turn to interpret this collection.