Men’s – Detournement. Gucci SS16

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Detournement is the art of taking some parts of the past and using them in the present with a contemporary approach and away from their original contest” is what Alessandro Michele of Gucci said before his SS16 show for men. “I love to work with the past to translate the future,” explained Michele, and although his designs are certainly rooted in Gucci’s heritage (those horse-bit loafers, the green and red equestrian stripes, bee motifs and famous GG logos) they update the house’s codes in a way that’s unrecognisable, thanks to his desire of not wanting “to stay a prisoner inside of the brand.” There are many retro references, with suede jackets and wide collars adapted from classic silhouettes of the 70s, but there is, as Michele puts it, no room for nostalgia – his focus is on youth. “They really are the future – when someone asks me what the future is? The future is now, between us, between young people,” he says. Also, the dynamic, new creative director of Gucci has a truly amazing point of view on beauty for men fashion. “My idea of masculinity is beauty,” Michele said after the show. “If you want to be beauty you can be beauty how you want; it doesn’t mean that you are not a man or woman.” That is strongly visible in this collection – hand-made embroideries, royal looking textiles, tudoresque jewellery and that Italian “dolce vita” attitude towards life is felt all over these clothes.

As it is in Michele’s philosophy to have female models in his menswear collection, the mesmerizing robes and silk scarves were jaw-dropping for both genders. And even though, many of these clothes feel like out of this era, they are all looking far into the future. It is a great pleasure to have a peek at all that artisanal beauty and reflect on it in the same, poetic way. Maybe because Michele himself is a great poet?

Men’s – Masculine Chic. Bally SS16

June 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

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.

Men’s – Naive Years. Prada SS16

June 23, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Youth and naive were the main keywords behind the recent Prada collection for men (and women). Miuccia Prada made everybody confused this time, bringing on the wardrobe of messy, skinny boys, which wear over-sized socks, “poor looking” sweatshirts and turlenecks-under-shirts. I am not just uncertain about what it all means (the rabbits and rockets on knitwears, the post-Soviet attitude kept all around these clothes), but whether I actually like or dislike the collection, as Prada bases her ideas on the power of ‘ugly’, transforming it into something strangely desirable. By that, I mean the clothes from SS16 are not beautiful at all – they are definitely ugly. The way the models wore the jackets; the perverse short shorts; even the creepy colour palette made it all look like a wardrobe of a crusty. It felt like seeing a Gosha Rubchinkiy show, but sponsored by a major luxury house.

As usually, Miuccia did not forget about girls. In this collection, almost 50% of the models were girls. And their outfits did not really differ from the boys. Slouchy, over-sized rain coats; mini python skirts; same, pixellated prints on knits, which told a story of naive childhood, where the boy dreams of being an astronaut while the girl is pretending to be a bunny. However, the collection definitely told a more “parental advisory” kind of story – one of the main inspirations behind the women’s collection was the famous film, Female Trouble by John Waters. The cat-eye makeup and kitten heels with socks instantly transported us back to Chicklette and Concetta, the symbols of bad-girl defiance from Water’s 1974 work of genius. These troublemakers have made their presence in Miuccia’s world more than once (Miu Miu SS15, for instance). As you see, there is always a kind of pleasure while interpreting Miuccia Prada’s collection – even though some are definitely not in my taste. This collection represented a mingle of many topics and ideas – childhood, femininity, fake modesty and of course, ugliness. All of those often appear at Prada, but they are always presented in a new, reflection-causing way.

Men’s – The Boys. No21 SS16

June 22, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

“I took a big risk, breaking the mold I have created myself,” Alessandro Dell’Acqua of No21 said. “It was time, I think. Freedom was high on my agenda. I’d like to convey a clear message of fashion as an amusing expression of personality. We can do that in Milano, too.” Indeed, the new collection for men was totally different than all the others up to date. Totally new silhouettes – shorts which reminded skirts; over-sized knitwears (which, basically, land on my wish-list); great varsity jackets and elegant peacoats. The textures here became more tactile and softer. And the ultra-long t-shirts and tank-tops gave us a chilled out vibe, just like the boots, which had their laces tied in a messy way.

In reality, every piece of this collection is totally wearable – I already see a lot of outfits that would personally match my wardrobe. Also, through this collection, Alessanro proved again, that he is a styling genius. You can simply take notes for your next summer look, guys!

Massimo’s House. Emilio Pucci Resort’16

June 19, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s been a while since I have written anything about Emilio Pucci. I won’t hide it, the Peter Dundas era always not significant for me. His super sleek Pucci women felt so unexciting, that there is no wonder why he left the house to move to Roberto Cavalli (burp). But the first collection by the new creative director, Massimo Giorgetti, has something that caught my eye. The designer of ultra-trendy MSGM, brought some eccentric vibe into the heritage house of kaleidoscopic prints and luxury goods – amazing fringe coats, youthful florals and eye-killer colour combinations. Giorgetti’s side-buttoned blouses – a nod to the Pucci printed silk scarf—sat strangely on the body, while his one-shoulder deconstructed button-downs featured peculiar, exaggerated sleeves. Giorgetti has a sense of measure about eclecticism: his women didn’t look odd, but rather like the Clueless characters which suddenly appeared in Milan.