Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Before the YSL show started today, guests got a peek at the latest short film No Way Back. It’s a short documentary about tattoo artist Mark Mahoney. It didn’t have anything to do with the YSL fashion house, but it showed yet another form of art.

Stefano Pilati gave his models a very clean look today. Their hair was tidy, their skin looked good and their eyes were focussed. The clothes also had a clean cut and all the fuss was left behind. What we saw, were well-tailored designs. Those weren’t necessarily very trendy, yet gave the men a sophisticated look.

Pleated pants and fully buttoned blouses were combined with suit jackets. Over those jackets wide bands were placed, around the waist in some looks. In other outfits the male models wore small waist-belts.

Their were multiple shorts, which amazed us at first sight, while they were high-waisted, wide and short. They had small classic prints on them and were worn with sandals.

Overall there were no unnecessary accessories, prints or extra layers. Also, colors were absent; instead Pilati used natural shades like beige, grey, dark brown and black.

Less is more.

Junya Watanabe Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Breton stripes are Watanabe’s main trend for next year. He used them throughout his whole collection. At first they popped up from under some suit jackets, later we saw them in combination with some toggle coats. Towards the end the models wore striped sweaters (with big front pockets) on white shorts.

Although Breton stripes are already a hit right now and therefore are not renewing at all, they did gave the collection it’s extra sailor’s twist. The sailor hats, the rolled up legs and the toggle coats matched with that perfectly.

By the way, the models looked like a bunch of sweaty sailors. Though they wore some high quality clothing, they were a mess. Their hair was all wet and their faces looked red and tired.

Watanabe’s coats and jackets were the highlight of the show; well made and with a proper fit. Especially the multiple variations of the toggle coat were a strong part of the collection. The white and blue jeans will also do well in stores next spring. Yet the Breton striped sweaters were kind of corny, since we are getting tired of this trend already.

Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Today Jean Paul Gaultier presented the future. His runway show was 3D! All guests attending the show (including singer Kelly Rowland) got special 3D glasses to watch the special effects JPG had added to his show.

JPG’s models were as diverse as they could be: pale, bronzed, bearded, shaved, blond hair, brown hair. A few had glasses on and some had afros. Some were young, others looked older. Even a blond haired girl popped up twice at the show.

The clothes for spring were like the models: a little bit of everything. They seemed to be Moroccan inspired so we saw some see-through fabrics and a few caftan-like blouses. The set of the show was a steamy hammam.

At first JPG showed some transparent black. Two tops were closed with laces at the front. Then some beige looks came buy; jackets with lots of pockets and big scarves (for a cold summer night?). Some printed creations followed. Those prints looked as if they were made out of paint splatters. The models wore a strange kind of bonnet to go with the printed outfits.

To stick with the Moroccan feeling JPG had added some embroideries to his blouses matched with pants that were tight at the bottom and loose around the crotch. We then saw an overall, a suit jacket matched with shorts, a skirt, one black caftan that reached the floor and a see-through black one-piece outfit.

Though JPG mostly used brown, black, beige and white in this collection, he did add some cobalt blue towards the end. Not to speak of the finale, when models entered the runway in bright, shiny, printed designs that came to live with 3D glasses.

The collection maybe was a bit messy, but there were some good items in it. And the fact that JPG was the first designer to use 3D in his collection is worth some extra credits too.

Yohji Yamamoto Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Classic is the perfect term to describe Yamamoto’s new collection. The designer seemed to have taken his inspiration from the eighteenth century when men wore puff pants, knee stockings, large bows, hats and buckled shoes.

Yamamoto also designed a few classic floral prints in beautiful warm colors. He used those for a few loose-fitting suits with pants that showed just a little bit of leg.

Like many other big shows we’ve seen this past week, Yamamoto clothes looked way to hot to wear on a sunny day too. There were a lot of suits; printed and striped, black & white. Long shirts – almost dresses – were worn underneath them.

In between the mix ‘n match outfits there suddenly were four outfits in one color. One model was dressed in white from head to toe. Three other models wore only green, orange or blue, which formed a big contrast to their pale faces.

Some nice details in this collection were the playful emblems on several jackets, a ruffled shirt and all kinds of classic hats. On top of that the models wearing fake moustaches, beards and powdered English wigs added an extra special feeling to the show.

Overall Yamamoto showed some great classic style with this collection and we sure enjoyed travelling back in time with him.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The Louis Vuitton-collection hit all the commercial notes. Washed denim bags, printed scarves and shirts with chinese tattoo prints and clothes with a sense of travel and adventure. The prints were designed by tattoo-artist Scott Campbell and they even appeared on the models skin the LV-monogram included.

The clothes should make every man eager, since he lost his appetite in a great suit.  Constructions of jackets were functional, fabrics were kept lightweight – inspired by parachutes – and some jackets came in pebbled leather or colored python. There even was a camouflage-like leopard-print.

It all had a sporty, outdoor vibe, not only because of the fabrics (nylon, silk), but also because of the construction and looks: bermuda’s, shorts, quilted short jackets. Shirts looked inspired by the middle-east, especially those thin, semi-transparent shirts with tattoo-prints and T-shirts. Colors were kept modest, lots of (dark)blue, black, beige, white and gray.

Viktor & Rolf Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The overall message this season is redefining contemporary dressing. And Viktor & Rolf  practice this message since they started designing menswear. Their hero for the summercollection 2011 was a 1940’s moviestar on vacation at Biarritz. In his suitcase he got a streamlined suit with elongated jackets and wider lapels – sometimes in contrasting colors, piped or with sequins -,  short sleeved sweaters, a bermuda and leather sandals.

Viktor & Rolf chose typical summer fabrics like seersucker and a madras-check. Colors were kept light, as in white, chocolate-brown, blue and gray. Patent-leather shoes in blue, black and white contrasted with the beige and black/blue.

Singer/performer La Roux (aka Elly Jackson) appeared as their special guest at the Monsieur -show. Viktor & Rolf: “When we first saw La Roux on TV, we were immediately drawn to her.  We were intrigued by the way she plays with expectations about gender and we love her authentic way of dressing.  Her boyish attitude mixed with her high-pitched voice creates a great contradiction.  We had this vision to dress her in our Monsieur line, but made to measure for her and that’s what we’ve done: a blue silk jacket with a black top and black tuxedo pants.  We consider it menswear, adapted to a woman.”

La Roux said “I was thrilled to be asked to play at Viktor & Rolf’s Paris show. I’m a very big fan of theirs and for me it’s a natural fit, my music and their style. I look forward to future collaborations with them.” La Roux performed an exclusive acoustic set for the designers and their audience.

Rick Owens Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Right before the show Rick Owens was quietly drinking his espresso and watched everybody getting ready. Yet once the show started calm and quiet weren’t words that came to mind anymore. The music was extremely loud and the models seemed to be almost running on the catwalk as if the end of the world was near…

Like the hair of the male models, the silhouette of this collection was long. Jackets, blouses and tops all often reached the models’ knees (how summery!). Besides the boys wore long leather boots and some of them worked a long headband.

For this collection Owens again used his favourite shades: black & white, with one or two brown items. It matched to show area (a big black room) and the special effect of the show (white smoke was blown in the air).

Apart from the long autumn-like jackets Owens introduced a few sleeveless versions. Several of those were made out of leather. And while this season many brands opted for the double breasted jackets, Owens made his with zippers at the front.

Some of the tank tops and black over-the-knee shorts looked more like summer. Let’s just hope nobody will actually dare to wear one of the asymmetrical, one-shouldered tops outside of the house…

Francisco van Benthum Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

This spring Francisco van Benthum announced he was going to start two extra clothing lines, one casual ‘FVB’ and one chic ‘Van Benthum’. Of course his main line ‘Francisco van Benthum’ stays. In fact this week he showed his latest spring/summer collection of that line in Paris.

The collection started with some completely white outfits. Loose pants with fully buttoned blouses and sleeveless tops that felt kind of sporty. Then some grey coats were added, all with a different shape, but still with a sporty touch.

The models walked on sandals, colored white, grey and yellow. And though it’s a fashion no-go, they did wear socks in them.

The second half of the show the yellow, grey and white were replaced by some beige, green and black. Francisco took some risks by combining sleeveless tops with small waistbelts and ties. He also introduced a red striped (beach-chair?!) print.

Altogether the collection was a modern mix of sporty/casual outfits. And as always it was clear Francisco had been experimenting a lot with volume and proportions. We’re not so sure if the men-waistbelt will become such a huge hit, but everything else looked quite wearable. Plus, our men don’t have to hit the gym for next summer. ‘Cause with all those loose-fitting designs you’ll hardly see that extra five kilos.

DSquared Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

This time twin-brothers Dean and Dan Caten took the movie American Gigolo as their inspiration for the spring summer 2011 collection. It’s an ambitious choice, since the suits Richard Gere wore in the move were designed by Giorgio Armani. But the collection wasn’t about the look of Gere, it was about the luxurious lifestyle these guys lead and their attitude.

So the model looked tanned, handsome, in great shape and were dressed in tight trousers and unbuttoned shirts. The once ultra ultra low DSquared-jeans appeared with high waist and a flare – so that means you will have to get rid of that belly, boys. Jeans were mixed with (shiny) shirts, blue was the main color besides bright colors like red and green.

The overall look was rather dressed with a casual feel like we’ve seen before this week in Milan.

Streetfashion Milan Menswear SS2011 Day 4

What are you wearing during the coming fashionweeks? Your Givenchy-slippers, your latest Comme des Garcons-bermuda or that vintage Prada? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: menswear fashionweek in Milan.

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