As winter approaches, we see the return of the patterned sweater to keep us warm and fashionable. But there is no room for subtle: this season it’s all about the statement knit. We suggest you have a little fun during the cold months, we certainly did while choosing our favorite pieces.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
A man wearing heels and a colorful “skort” was, during the 1700s, the norm in fashionable countries. How come today’s male fashion icons are wearing more somber colors and not even Jean Paul Gaultier has been able to put “the skort” back on the map?
The answer can be found in what fashion theorist J.C Flügel has named The Great Male Renunciation, a historical event that took place around 1800. This event meant men renouncing their interest in fashion and consumption claiming this to be “a woman thing”, a thought that until recent generations seemed to have been a heritage.
The departing of fashion within the gentleman’s wardrobe still found a way during the 1800s, but instead, this was made in a more stylish way through somber colours and simple silhouettes such as the one of the suit. Some argue that these changes occurred due to men stepping out into everyday work-life and the practicality of high heels and expensive light fabrics were minimal, so instead a dimmed style was invented. Adornment was however still connected with status. And therefore, quality and purchasing things from the finest tailor were essential for a gentleman.
Even though subcultures such as dandies and other extravagant dressers made stylistic changes to the male apparel, the streets of Savile Row and the influence of clean and simplistic lines and colors were/are still dominating men’s wardrobe. But has, in doing so, created a gateway between style and fashion, so that the tolerance for men having an interest in fashion have grown during the past decades and are today a normal assumption, at least for younger generations.
Today society has evolved. We are no longer a one celled organism at dawn of time, but we have evolved into a multi-organism where individualistic style can be found for both women and men and is more and more incorporated into the changing ways of fashion.
Few days ago a fashion exhibition was inaugurated, dedicated to the Enfant Terrible of fashion, the French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk takes place at the Brooklyn Museum, displaying almost 140 of the designer’s haute couture and prêt-à-porter ensembles from the beginning until the latest collections. The show has been organized around seven different themes, which feature the most important influences that have had an impact on Gaultier. From Parisian street life to the world of cinema, the path starts with The Odyssey, continues with Punk Cancan, The Boudoir, Urban Jungle, Skin Deep and finishes with Metropolis. The exhibition is not only about garments, but also sketches, stage costumes, documentation of runway shows, concerts – how to forget the friendship with Madonna? – as well as images taken by both fashion photographers and contemporary artists.
To better recreate a striking atmosphere, interactive faces customize all the mannequins and make them look quite realistic. Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with Maison Jean Paul Gaultier and curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot of the MMFA, the exhibit will last until the 23rd February, tracing the poetic yet transformative approach of one of the most avant-garde designers of our times.
Short but rhythmic, visually compelling, emotionally engaging: the recipe for a good runway is all about returning a memorable, breath-taking show. Thus, fashion catwalks have always been entrusted to visionary event managers – Etienne Russo, Alexandre de Betak, Thierry Mugler, just to mention few of the most revered fashion producers – committed to combine an out-of-the-box creativity with a flawless direction of a complex ensemble choreography.
However, a subtle but significant shift has recently revisited these implicit laws. That’s what has silently been changing: on tiptoe, industrial designers have been called to rethink the scenic space as a new architecture of objects and volumes. Today, their role in the overall fashion biz is that of back actors. Tomorrow, they could be transformed into main characters engaged to redefine the way we represent meanings and metaphors in the fashion world.
The first to burst on the runways scene was Studio Job, called to support the iconoclast genius of Viktor & Rolf for the launch of their 2009 “Cutting Edge Couture” collection. Thanks to a creative affinity that ties the two couples as a result of their long-lasting friendship, Nynke Tynagel and Job Smeets were set free to design a huge Swarovski crystal-covered globe, a mean to establish a new sense of proportions between clothes and items on stage and thus subverting the giant allure that models usually personify in this context.
Their collaboration hasn’t slowed down in the following years: in 2011, “Rebellious Sophistication” associated the issue of youth intolerance to a black and white backdrop showing withered flowers. Then, their latest exploit was Viktor & Rolf SS14 collection: openly inspired by Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, Studio Job recalled the issue of rebellion transforming it into a tiled, iconic scenario whose insurrectionary message is meant to be aggressive up to an metaphorical point break.
However, the conceptual affinity between fashion and design is not necessarily a matter of compatriots. In the last couple of years, Miuccia Prada committed to her trusted cultural think tank, Rem Koolhaas’ OMA/AMO, to set up an intriguing runway concept for her collection. First, an inedited exhibition offered a premise for this new collaboration: “Ex Limbo”, commissioned in 2011 by Prada/Koolhaas to the Belgian collective Rotor, redefined the space and the paths of Fondazione Prada in Milan through the use of dismissed catwalk platforms. Later on, in 2012, OMA got rid of the idea of catwalk reconfiguring it into an unstable, enlarged volume. Up to an apotheosis: the inclusion in Prada’s AW13 runway of the new OMA’s prototypes designed for Knoll and named “La Casa Ideale”: a true short circuit between fashion and design, calling into question priorities and mutual expectations from these two worlds.
The collaborations between designers and the fashion world are not limited to long lasting, conspirational friendships. Recently, the Japaneese cult fashion designer Issey Miyake chose an unexpected partner, Sir James Dyson, to set up a wind machine to inflate the catwalk of his “The Wind” collection. More underground, but highly spectacular, the suspended, looping catwalk designed by Gartnerfuglen-Arkitekter transformed a no-profit event celebrating emerging Norwegian fashion talents into a worldwide viral phenomenon.
Could design for fashion soon unveil its full potential? For sure, let’s expect it to gain a bigger role in transforming fashion events into an unforgettable – and brandable – opportunity.
As the chilling Autumn wind becomes colder, the question of outerwear becomes increasingly crucial. Since this season’s coats paraded on the catwalks some time ago, we decided to refreshen our memories and list some key trends for AW1314: a review on coats that can help the undecided narrow down their search on which piece to invest in.
Think pink – This year pastels have lingered from Spring to Fall. The by far most popular color for coats is pink. As if viewed in the dimming winter light, a dusty rose pink is a beloved color choice amongst many designers. The pink color is preferably tailored in a long yet classic silhouette as seen at the runways of both Mulberry and Blumarine. Cashmere or wool are the materials at hand constructing a simplistic grace to each piece.
Me Tartan – Moving on from previous seasons’ “checkmate”, the square was given a bigger influence in the Autumn attire through the tartan print. The tartan, having a relation with the punk trend that is sweeping nations, was during the AW13 fashion shows represented on everything from pants and scarves to coats of all shapes, as seen at Saint Laurent and Céline. Used as an accent to black, or layer on layer, the tartan coat is more than a family matter this season.
All maxed out – the biggest thing trending in coats at the moment is the maxi coat. The floor length silhouette was spotted on the AW13 runways of 3.1 Phillip Lim, Max Mara and Rochas, just to name a few. This key item comes in all colors, but is kept simplistic without unnecessary detailing, letting the length bring both mystery and drama keeping up perfectly with the classical cinematic vibe of many Fall collections.
In short, sheltering oneself from the cold Fall wind, which can this season be nothing but a breeze, can be simple with a classic neutral silhouette, that one can update with something unexpected such as a tartan print, pop of color or dramatic length.
Focusing on comfortable fabrics and ethnic patterns, designers such as Valentino and Marc Jacobs sent a slew of folk-inspired pieces down the S/S runways during the recently passed fashion weeks.
Folk is often associated with a certain type of traditional music from the 19th century, which often encompassed a crowd of people playing their own instruments outdoors and just enjoying the moment and atmosphere with those around them. When talking about fashion, you can though forget all that; the folk trend now takes inspiration from the ancient traditions and cultures. It’s romantic, exotic and ethnic; with embroideries, patterns and beadworks. To bring the cultural history to the wardrobes of the 21st century women, all the details need to be perfectly balanced with the form and function, with contemporary construction.
From the catwalks to the streetstyle, the world all over is featuring the rise of folk-inspired vintage prints and silhouettes arising from different cultural influences.
When comes fall, comes rain. City life or country weekends, we’ve all been at the crossroads of aesthetics and function. This season we’re charging our wardrobes with the pieces that leave the struggle behind and head out, dancing in the rain.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
Fashion weeks have just finished and along with the many trends for next season, one could see a lot of references to art on the catwalks – from Prada‘s murales to Cèline‘s Brassaï, up to Louis Vuitton – and there would not probably be a better timing to present Art/Fashion in the 21st Century, a book that investigates on how fashion and art have been closer and closer during the new millennium. Written by Mitchell Oakley Smith, Alison Kubler and Daphne Guinness, the tome offers a perspective through 238 illustrations on the relationship between artists and designers and how they open and share their own field to the other.
The five thematic chapters the book feature several designer profiles, avant-garde projects and special interviews with leading figures in the art-fashion crossover. Acne Studios, Balenciaga, Chanel, Hussein Chayalan, Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Issey Miyake, Prada and Juergen Teller are just few of the names in the book. Leafing through the book is like taking a trip inside the two most creative areas to understand how they can inspire each other and where is the limit between one and another.
With the Autumn breeze blowing through, let your wardrobe be inspired by the colour palette surrounding you.
Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro
Whether it’s your every day attire or you only wear it for special occasions, a suit needs to be well-tailored. Quality and fit should be on the priority list. A suit in itself is a statement and once we make a statement, it should be a strong one. President’s, one of the brands on The Blogazine‘s to-watch-list, is a brand that takes the art of suits seriously.
With knowledge passed down through the generations, President’s crafts their full collections in the heart of Tuscany, a few kilometres outside of Florence. Even though entirely crafted in Tuscany, the brand is in constant search for quality and travels the world to find what they search. For the Autumn/Winter 2013-14 collection, President’s went to one of our sartorialist friends, Loro Piana. From the exquisite fabric, a blue 100% wool Super 120, to the genuine horn buttons as a last fine detail, the suit is constructed with care and the hours of work put into the tailoring of it can be seen through the slightly transparent rib stop in 100% Japanese nylon.
It’s already understood that the projects of President’s are fueled with a passion for authenticity and excellence and even though Italy lies near to heart, President’s seem to have a fondness of the British gentleman as well. After a collaboration with UK masters of shoes, Solovair, the brand went English also for a wool suit with fabrics by Dugdale & Bros. The English company is historic when it comes to producing fabric for high-end clothes. The suit, also this one produced for the A/W13-14, combines elegance with a raw feel and perfectly fitted jacket. The pants are detailed with a welt pocket – a detail for the eye, or for the loose change money you’re carrying around.
The wardrobe of President’s remains on the edge between streetwear and the classical pieces for any contemporary man. From a standard pair of denims, cotton shirt and cashmere sweaters to suits for a guy with taste, this young brand succeeds to propose pieces that work season after season.
