John Galliano Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
What happens when you take the living soul out of a designer-collection is that the format becomes visible in every detail. And that’s what’s going on at the house of John Galliano right now. It’s courageous of Bill Gayten to take the bow after the show, but it all looked forced. Gone are the theatrics, but the artsy types in military jackets, David Hockney clones and rakish rockers stayed since the Swinging Sixties and Pop Art were the sources of inspiration.
All the ingredients of a Galliano-collection were there. The long jackets, funny accessories, slim suits in gray silk or crinkled white linen. The message was at the end of the show, when two mustachioed Galliano- doppelgangers took their turns. They surely do miss him.
Comme des Garcons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
Comme des Garcons again played the game of female and male dressing, Lace, pink, shiny fabrics, polka dots, crystal studs, frills – you really have to be a daredevil to wear this clothes with an attitude. But it stays interesting how Rei Kawakubo keeps on pushing the boundaries of men’s clothing, the codes etcetera.
The plot seemed to be an English boy who dreams of being a dandy prince. Well, that explains something. What’s left after you leave all the decoration out, are nice long coats, good trenches and simple pants. But it’s the eccentricity that makes it worth looking at….
Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012
Again Riccardo Tisci was inro prints. After the dogs, the pin-ups and black panthers of this winter, he presented a new view on the Hawaian print in his ss2012 collection for Givenchy. And in a season where the Versace-esque print is making a come back it didn’t look weird at all. Actually, it looked beautiful in a streetwise way. His kaleidoscopic arrangements of bird-of-paradise flowers reminded us of eighties Miami as did the sweet colors with a contrasting role for green.
It certainly will find his way to the copycats, since the print appeared on everything from suits to sweatshirts, basketball jerseys and Bermudas. He also continued to push his favorite mix of XL sportswear with kilts, mostly in all white.
Kris van Assche Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
Kris van Assche’s spring summer collection for 2012 is build around the new suit, with wider pants and jackets. They all came with heavy-soled boots, mirrored shades and hats, adding a punkish touch to the uniformity. Van Assche kept his favorite color palette: white, black, beige and shades of gray, with flashes of red in printed shirts.
Yves St. Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
Stefano Pilati kept it clean and classic for YSL ss2012. He started with impeccable tailored suits in navy where the message was in the details of lapels, cut and fabrics. Then he switched to sportswear inspired items all in white followed by a selection of experimental safari-inspired outfits in khaki.
It all resulted in military-style jackets, double-breasted coats and funnel-necked shirts. Large cargo pockets were placed on pants, and curved all the way around the back of blazers. Safari jackets are all over the runways, and of course Pilati did not miss a chance to use an iconic YSL style.
Junya Watanabe Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
June 24, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Junya Watanabe presented a very simple collection focused at dungarees. They came in all kinds of fabrics and prints, from tough denim tot cotton checks or tartan fabrics. And they were often worn with rugged boots or rubber boots. The result was a country-inspired collection, which also explained the setting in a garden in Paris.
It was another, different way of exploring workwear, a theme Watanabe likes to work at and which still gives him new inspiration after all that time. This time the looks echoed both the American and European outdoors, but it were the tailored jackets and shirts that gave it a certain edge.
Walter van Beirendonck Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
It was a very sweet and tailored collection Walter van Beirendonck presented today. The jackets, shirts and pants had all a suburban dad-twist and tribal touches – though there is always a message underneath the clothes. On shredded T-shirts it said “Dream the World. Awake. Well, he surely got our attention!
And he will after the summer, when his first large scale retrospective will open at the Antwerp Fashion Museum in september.
Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
June 24, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Jean Paul Gaultier kept it simple during his ss2012 presentation, the showroom was the dressing-room was the stage. So the audience, sitting at the tables where normally buyers write their orders, witnessed the models getting dressed and send off to the catwalk. It was a nice setting to underline the commercial purpose of JPG’s collection. Because it’s all about selling, no.
And commercial it was, from the Hawaiian prints to the sailor-sweaters. There were tailored jackets, fluid silk pants and natty shorts, but also the biker jackets and sporty blouson jackets with tailored pants. It was low key, but effective. Nothing new, all salable.
Dries van Noten Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
June 24, 2011 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
The overall theme of Dries van Noten’s ss2012 collection seemed water. Not only because the clothes referred to rain and protection from water (coats, jackets, pants) also because almost everything was waterproof.
What the designer really had in mind were the clothes men wear for outdoor pursuits like fishing, riding, and hunting. Following his elegant, decadent fall-collection, Van Noten chose once more for the dark side: midnight blue and burgundy with shots of brights. That contrast came also back in other ways: structure vs softness, real vs synthetic, tradition vs technology.
The clothes had a shiny surface, thanks to the nylon, silk and wool-polyester which all have a different way of gleaming. It gave the collection a modern yet rich touch.
Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012
Expectations were high, now Kim Jones has taken over at Louis Vuitton menswear. But until now the shift didn’t bring any news. Where Paul Helbers tried to bring something new, edgy and different into the collection, Jones brought his vision on classics with a twist. But we’ve seen that before. The result was handsome, sure-handed and vivid, but also played safe. A bit seventies and sixties, Ivy League and preppy sportswear and that meant crisp college looks, ranger and safari clothes, massai checks and midnight blue dinner suits. For the hyper luxury clientele Kim Jones offers varsity jackets fronted with waxed alligator, and neckties shot with 24-karat gold thread.
But the bags were the message. And the shoes… well the shoes. Let’s not spend a word on those.
