Gucci Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Oh, that Gucci playboy! I loved every outfit that he showed this morning. From his deep blue slim fitted suit to his suede shorts with cotton knit sweater. And of course that kerchief around his neck and those bare feet in the houses signature loafers. Frida Giannini sticks to what Gucci stands for: slick menswear with a slightly dangerous touch and shaggy seventies feeling.

It was simply a very commercial collection, but there is nothing wrong with the way Giannini does it. As long as is has that luxury, playboy feeling. The suits in midnight blue were chic and fresh, for those lazy summerdays there are shorts, silk shirts with a classic scarf-print, cotton knit cardigans and sweaters and a laid back tuxedo in chocolate-brown, dark-blue or green.

And all those clothes fit easily in the new big Gucci-bag.

Moncler Gamme Bleu Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The Moncler fashion was held at Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan. This sports venue, where the Beatles performed in 1965, is mostly used for American Football events. Yet this afternoon the area was one big catwalk.

Due to the circular shape the models had to walk in circles and while the area was so big all guests were lucky to have a front row seat. The theme of the show, the Tour de France, matched perfectly with Moncler’s sportive heritage.

To the sound of Queen’s ‘I want to ride my bicycle’ the first model appeared on – surprise – a cycle. He wore a coat with a special bike print which we were going to see much more throughout the collection. As a matter of fact this print was visible in almost every look. All models wore a cycling legging with the bike print on it. They wore those leggings under their shorts and normal trousers. It didn’t really make sense, yet it gave the looks a sporty touch (as did the lines, hoods, drawstrings, pockets and the bands on the model’s arms and legs).

To finish the outfits Thom Browne added some cycling gloves and ties with a straight end. Also, every model wore a cap with the French flag on it.

The red, white and blue, pink, gray and black looked al right together, yet the way the clothes were layered was just wrong. Swim trunks over bike shorts?! Still, all individual items would have looked great when combined differently, with more basics.

So the styling was off, but the great show venue, the cycling models and the free drinks and umbrellas made the show worthwhile.

Alexander McQueen Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

I wasn’t there personally, but I just wanted to show you some pictures of the new menswear-collection of Alexander McQueen. It seemed unthinkable that the label could do without the founder, McQueen – who died four months ago -,  but his righthand Sarah Burton took over. She is the one who knew the best how he thought and worked.

It was a low key presentation of a subtle reworking of the house aestetic. Cut away jackets, a red and gold brocate coat, deconstructed redingotes, cashmere sweaters and striped pants. Burton played a subtle game between high and working class.

Prada Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The menswear summer-collection Prada sent out yesterday had a sporty marine-vibe thanks to all the blue & white, the navyblue fishermen-sweaters, the boxy bermudas, wide trousers and lots of keels. It reminded me of the sportsgear sailors wear during a storm or a windy day at the boat. It looked boyish too because of the oversized silhouettes, the multi-colored knitwear and last but not least the shoes with thick soles. You could almost hear them squeeze.

Prada played with proportions too, the slim and tight-fitted 3-buttoned suits contrasted with the boxy outfits and reminded me of early Raf Simons-collections. Not only because of the fit, also the way the models looked with their sharp faces and impeccable haircut and the Bauhaus-music.

This was the second collection that tried to bring bright colors back into menswear, orange, green, yellow, red and blue gave the collection an energetic feel.

In a review at style.com I read Miucca Prada was also inspired by simple uniforms like that of postmen and doctors and that she wanted everything as simple as possible in terms of fabrication, construction and silhouette. That’s why she used cotton (lots of denim too) and that’s why she landed on the idea of working-clothes.

Vivienne Westwood Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Today the Vivienne Westwood show area turned into a circus. There were no elephants or tigers, but we saw quite a lot of clowns. Absolutely everything appearing on the runway was screaming for attention. To start with, there was a huge pile of old TV’s on stage. Then the models came on stage. Dresses in colorful, printed, shiny outfits full of crazy details.

Vivienne presented a crazy kind of streetstyle in which we saw rolled up legs, high-waisted pants, short suit jackets, shiny disco-pants, polos, V-neck sweaters and tight swimwear. As if those items weren’t eye-catching enough, they all had different prints. The suits got a mix of checks and stripes, the tops had a more spacey print on them.

On top of the attention-screaming outfits there were some hysterical accessories, like small feminine scarves, colorful belts, striped braces, small printed ties, bright knee stockings (worn in open shoes) and canvas bags. One model had a sailing boat as a hat.

As an extra the models wore questionable wigs and had tattoos. Besides, some entered the runway on skateboards, while others carried big parasols with a text on the show’s theme – endangered species – on it. Even the model’s poses at the end of the catwalk were exaggerated.

If Vivienne Westwood was to portray any message with this collection we think it was that there are no boundaries in fashion and that you have to make your outfit into your own little party.

Emporio Armani Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

You’ll never know what to expect with Armani. But one thing you know for sure: he does his own thing being it off trend or not. Well all the tough leather he sent out today was on trend, we’ve seen it in more collections this week, but the erotic edge was new and daring for a label like Emporio Armani. The designer  probably got caught by Lady Gaga’s videoclip Alejandro, in which he dressed the police-like posse.

But if you leave all the styling behind, what is left are some good, black leather pieces. Like a skinny pant, a (sleeveless) jacket and a shirt. Perfect items to mix with a pair of jeans, a short or  loose, linen pants. And please, shall we ban the mix of shiny leggings with bermuda’s? That’s something for soccer-players who are afraid of the cold, but not for normal human beings.

Gianfranco Ferré Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Like at Versace, the soundtrack used for Gianfranco Ferre’s fashion show was a song by Talking Heads. Their hit from 1977  ‘Psycho Killer’ was on the speakers and surely had a good rhythm for the models to walk on.

For summer 2011 Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi used a soft color palette with hues of beige, light blue and gray. Light stripes and graphic zigzag prints were added to several looks.

According to the show notes Gianfranco Ferré was going oriental with this collection. This was visible through the sober sweaters with standing colors and the tops that closed diagonally. Perhaps the weird hats (that matched with not one of the outfits) belonged to that theme as well.

Most of the blouses, jackets and pants looked comfy. Yet they also resembled men’s pyjama’s and therefore won’t become a huge hit. On the contrary, some of the double breasted jackets, a few trench coats and the final look (a black & white tuxedo) were perfection.

Unfortunately the collection didn’t breath summer. There were precisely three shorts, no tees, all looks had long sleeves and the models wore too much layers for spring/summer.

Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The Bottega Veneta show was a parade of sexy, well-dressed men from the beginning till the end. Apart from making beautiful garments Tomas Maier had fun with it too. There were all sorts of playful details on the clothes he designed.

One detail that kept coming back was a thin loose-hanging collar/piece of fabric. It had absolutely no function, it was just a funny accent.

Other playful details Maier added were lots of zippers, drawstrings, pockets and rolled up sleeves and legs. Those gave the outfits a more technical and sporty look, while the double breasted suit jackets with the pointy collars appeared more formal.

Maier chose to use a few colors (blue, red, green), but managed to keep the looks very manly. The leather bags, that bring in an important part of the fashion house’s sales, matched with the hues of the clothes.

Altogether the suits, the belted trousers, the leather shorts, the parkas and the torso-revealing tops made a steady menswear collection from which any modern man would love to have one or two items…

..together with the bearded models and their hot bodies it all resulted in a wonderful fashion show.

Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Set in an old park in the hills of Florence, Raf Simons sent out an energetic menswear-collection for Jil Sander thanks to the beautiful bright colors and vibrating stripes. I watched the Web stream – but even without being there the clothes looked crispy and clean and very upbeat. Color was the message, without trying too hard. They worked best when mixed together, like orange pants with a turquoise sweater or a purple coat mixed with pink, turquoise and nightblue. The patterns were surprising too, especially the multi-colored stripes that made a psychedelic effect and will definitely be adapted in the fast fashion-collections. Softer were the flowerprints, that gave a particular touch to the vibrant color-blocking.

The collection consisted of shorts (as seen in many other collections), casual jackets, shirts, trenchcoats and belts which gave  it all a sporty touch. Nice details: the reflecting spots at the back of jackets and the colored soles of the shoes.

Let’s hope men will catch up with it, at least with a  colorful shirt or coat – it will definitely make the sun come out.

Burberry Catwalk Fashion Show ss2011

For the recent wintercollection of Burberry Christopher Bailey went back to the roots of the old British label: the trenches of World War 1 en 2. And for his recent summercollection Bailey mixed the army-wear with skintight, vintage biker-pants and cropped weathered jackets.

Once again Bailey got all the military heritage at the stage and restored all the accents, like epaulets, belts and straps. The trenches looked sharp and clean. Colors were alike moving from black tot navy-blue, khaki and green. It looked like a solid, commercial collection with lots of items to put on your wish-list. If I were a man I would definitely save money for a black biker-jacket, a thin shirt and a clean, leather trench. But as a fashion-collection it did not stand out – I’ve seen better Burberry-collections with great shirts and accessories, in new colors and interesting daring  design, combinations or fabrics.

But hey, these are the days of surviving in the fashionworld.  And I forgive the designer for being so honest and calculating. Thanks to him Burberry is still going strong. It’s simply time to invest in great classic pieces, fast fashion can wait for now.

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