Menswear

Men’s – Malibu. Saint Laurent SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Like other fashion shows presented in far flung destinations this month, Saint Laurent‘s spring-summer 2020 collection for the boys (and resort 2020 for the girls) had its ups and downs. Ups: the runway’s spectacular venue, which was an ebonized boardwalk runway atop a Malibu beach, against a stormy horizon. Keanu Reeves sat front row. Anthony Vaccarello‘s ideology behind the collection, which well related to Yves Saint Laurent. The starting point for the collection was Marrakech in the ’70s (Yves’ ultimate favourite place to visit) reimagined as 21st-century Los Angeles, a city that resides on Vaccarello’s own emotional landscape. While that’s some geographical leap, it’s not an unimaginable one; both locations have that certain bohemian, free-spirited, almost mystical escape. “You come to L.A. for vacation,” Vaccarello said. “You can disconnect from the rest of the world.” And finally, Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones musician gave Vaccarello access to his vintage Saint Laurent, for inspiration. Yes, it all sounds dreamy. But again, the problem of clothes hits – they seem to lose their priority in such events. Except for the abrupt comeback of super-wide, super-fluid pants (in gauzy knit or a crushed pleated silk), billowing and flowing from a high and often belted waist, there was barely anything exciting about this rock & roll-ish wardrobe. It all was a remake of Hedi Slimane-era YSL. And I guess you really need that Malibu heat to grasp the essence of this collection, and not only the imagery.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Pastels, Shorts, Youth. Prada SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

After Chloé’s resort 2020, Prada was another brand presenting its new collection in Shanghai – spring-summer for men, specifically. Over a blue-lit runway at the Minsheng Art Wharf, a parade of short shorts, nylon jackets in pastel pink, tank-tops that could pull off as baby doll dresses and printed jackets took place. This wasn’t a demanding Prada collection. Quite the opposite – this rather felt like the most commercial, menswear outing from Miuccia Prada for years, with a young client as the main target. Other than the khaki shorts that are much in need right now due to the summer heat, the only strong point of the collection was the black & white tailoring.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Always On The Go. Givenchy Resort 2020

| Design & Culture by Ed

For Givenchy‘s resort 2020, Clare Waight Keller digged into the idea of a wardrobe that’s suited for travelling – from daily commuting to long distance voyages. Or, for people like Clare, who travel from London to Paris on a weekly basis, occasionally do shows in Florence (Pitti Uomo is approaching and Givenchy is this year’s guests), dress celebrities for the Met Gala in New York and check on the brand’s ambassadors in Cannes. That’s a busy schedule, and the wardrobe should be ready for anything. “What I’ve seen so much around me, and with my colleagues and friends, are the challenges of dress today when people travel so much,” she says, then laughs, pointing to one of her Resort images of a girl who has a lanyard phone pouch around her neck and a tote in one hand. “The two-bag situation. That is exactly how my life is!” For women, Waight Keller did faux-fur coats in pink and leopard print, as well as masculine coats with military buttons and sharp shape, a beige jumpsuit perfect for entire week and some really, really gorgeous eveningwear which included intriguing lace work. I somehow missed consistency in all that, but still, it’s a wardrobe of staples, ready for very different occasions. Menswear was stronger in this collection, maybe due to the model casting (that blond hair makes anything look good), maybe because of the Givenchy motorcycle helmet which stole the spotlight. Or, it was all because of this fluidity between sportiness and tailoring. A motocross sweatshirt over a shirt and tie, a green 70s suit styled with sneakers, major outerwear put together with over-sized denim pants. There’s something very Riccardo-Tisci-era Givenchy about it, but done without overhyped prints.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Beautiful Consistence. APC AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

This was a classic A.P.C. presentation, with a few plot twists. Jean Toitou invited two collaborators for autumn-winter 2019 collection: Brain Dead, an Los Angeles–based streetwear brand, and Suzanne Koller, the house’s longtime stylist and Parisian friend. The first created graphic hoodies based on the 1972 documentary, Future Shock, in which Orson Welles, playing narrator, discusses how technology is moving too fast for humans to keep up. Koller, the fashion director of M Le Monde and Self Service, designed the collection’s black wool dress (worn by her currently favourite blond, Maggie Mauer) and an oversize parka that she teamed with a monochrome look in gray: chunky sweater, turtleneck, wool trousers, and leather boots. During his speech, Touitou joked, “Maybe you can guess which pieces are hers.” Knowing her style and work, you could think of Koller right away, even not knowing about A.P.C.’s collab.  A.P.C. values consistence, which seems like the best advise for any brand doing shows in Paris. And their eventual ‘surprises’ make this consistence even more beautiful.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Handsome. Haider Ackermann AW19

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s no way you can go wrong with Haider Ackermann. “They’re handsome people—handsome girls and handsome boys,” the designer said after his show. The new collection is  the designer’s second attempt at combining women’s and men’s on one runway, and he succeeded with a smooth, beautifully synchronised line-up. “It’s not unisex; it’s about borrowing” – Ackermann summed up. He used the same materials for women and men, which gives the clothes a sense of fluidity. But also, while the models walked in pairs – girl and boy, boy and boy, girl and girl – you just couldn’t stop thinking about how good a couple would look wearing matching Ackermann bomber jackets, kimono coats, super slim pants and hot or studded leather boots. And when you note that the soundtrack was Jane and Serge’s “Je T’aime . . . Moi Non Plus”… it all made sense right away. Not only clothes were important in this show. There was love in the air. As pretty much always, I’m giving high marks to Haider.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.