Walker's Wizardry

Christopher Kane's voluminous and rapid rise to fame led the fashion limelight to the somewhat unlikely Scotland and the design talent therein. It must be proclaimed a pity though that Kane has overshadowed, in a sense, the rest of that burgeoning talent. A prime example of the Scots' style ingenuity is Deryck Walker.





Walker's website archives reach back to AW 05. From delving into the cleanly presented imagery one is afforded the opportunity to appreciate Walker's directional designs for men whilst also enjoying some top photography. Proof here.



What I like most about Walker is his inherent versatility and sheer fearlessness to develop new ideas and concepts. Walker reinvents each season - from Wizards to Dandies, presenting fresh looks radically different from the previous season's but also featuring welcome trademarks eg. his penchant for folding and appealing structure.





Walker's courage is not limited to risks taken in the realms of menswear but also regards the fairer sex as he plans to unveil his second collection incorporating womenswear this upcoming FW 0809 season. Stay tuned, this Robert Cary Williams and Boudicca alum is sure to set London, and beyond, alight.

Images from GQstyle

Conscience-wrestling.....or lack thereof

Having returned to the comp after a leisurely Christmas Eve shower I was astounded to discover an email from Topman proclaiming the beginning of their, January[?] sale. My - rather minuscule - conscience buried somewhere amid mounds of materialistic lust discouraged even the opening of the email, denouncing the earliness of the retail extravaganza as unquestionably repulsive. Alas, it is Christmas 2007 and what would Christmas nowadays be, without obligatory splurging? I succumbed...

Highlights include...

And yes, that red trench from a while back has appeared. I haven't chosen anything just yet but this will be first for wishlisting...



Images from Topman

Subfusco

Subfusco - Latin for deviated colour, also the namesake of an Australian menswear label I've just stumbled upon. Although, I must expressly declare, the apparel does not fit my usual choice, I have managed to find a few hidden gems among what is more a collection that embodies the casual, surf culture of Australia.



Drainpipe jeans, a quirky jacket in my top colour combination and a sheer shirt, especially for SS 08.

The metallic trainers and chunky accessory are the highlights of the this look.

Store interior

Images from Subfusco

Paris Menswear FW 08/09

January 17th

GASPARD YURKIEVICH 12h30 Lieu en attente

ROMAIN KREMER 13h30 Lieu en attente

LOUIS VUITTON 14h30 Voir invitation

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 16h00 325 rue Saint-Martin - Paris 3e

NUMBER (N)INE 17h00 Garage Génie de la Bastille - 45 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine - Paris 11e

YOHJI YAMAMOTO 18h00 155 rue Saint-Martin - Paris 3e

DRIES VAN NOTEN - Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e

GIVENCHY 20h30 Hôtel Choiseul-Praslin - 54 rue de Sèvres - Paris 6e

January 18th

JUNYA WATANABE MAN 10h00 Voir invitation

BLAAK 11h00 Lieu en attente

DAMIR DOMA 12h00 Lieu en attente

KRIS VAN ASSCHE 13h00 BETC EURO RSCG - Paris 10e

KIMINORI MORI****A 14h00 Atelier Richelieu - 60 rue de Richelieu - Paris 2e

RYKIEL HOMME 15h00 Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts - Salle Melpomène - 13 quai Malaquais - Paris 6e

COMME DES GARCONS HOMME PLUS 16h00 Voir invitation

KENZO 17h00 Lieu en attente

UTE PLOIER 18h00 Lieu en attente

BRUNO PIETERS 19h00 Lieu en attente

JOHN GALLIANO 20h00 Paris 8e

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK 21h00 Paris 10e

January 19th

JEROEN VAN TUYL 10h00 Lieu en attente

MIHARAYASUHIRO 11h00 Studio Gabriel - 9 avenue Gabriel - Paris 9e

JUUN J 12h00 Palais Brongniart - Place de la Bourse - Paris 2e

HENRIK VIBSKOV 13h00 Lieu en attente

ANN DEMEULEMEESTER 14h00 Couvent des Cordeliers - 15 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine - Paris 6e

ATTACHMENT 15h00 Garage Génie de la Bastille - 45 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine - Paris 11e

ERIC LEBON 16h00 Lieu en attente

WOODS & WOODS 17h00 Lieu en attente

EMANUEL UNGARO 18h00 Hôtel Westin - 3 rue de Castiglione - Paris 1er

PETAR PETROV 19h00 Lieu en attente

HERMÈS 20h00 Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais - Entrée Clémenceau - Place Clémenceau - Paris 8e

RAF SIMONS 21h00 Lieu en attente

Januray 20th

U-NI-TY 10h00 Palais Brongniart - Place de la Bourse - Paris 2e

LANVIN 11h00 Voir invitation

AGNÈS B. 12h00 17 rue Dieu - Paris 10e

ARMAND BASI 13h00 Lieu en attente

WINTLE 14h00 Lieu en attente

MASATOMO 15h00 Hôtel Meurice - 228 rue de Rivoli - Paris 1er

BERNHARD WILLHELM 16h00 Lieu en attente

PAUL SMITH 17h00 Carrousel du Louvre - salle Lenôtre - 99 rue de Rivoli - Paris 1er

WOOYOUNGMI 18h00 Lieu en attente

DIOR 19h00 Voir invitation

FRANCESCO SMALTO 20h00 Lieu en attente

DAVID KURTIS 21h00 Lieu en attente

Just a provisional, anticipating great things this season, then again, don't we all every season?

Info from TFS

No festive cheer for SCB

The very lovely, Jennifer, of SCB Marketing[who's responsible for plugging the new Diesel fragrance via commenting on this, and many other, blogs] sent me yet another email today...

Hi Cillian,

I hope you've had the chance to check out the new limited-edition Diesel Fuel For Life gifts I e-mailed you about the other day. If not, I could certainly re-send information and/or jepgs. They're so unusual and interesting--and totally worth a look.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Jennifer Hoppe
Manager of SCB Partners USA
jennifer@scbpartners.com
646.408.0048

My response?

Dearest Jennifer,

I'm sure they're unusual, interesting and then some. But to be quite frank I'll never feature this particular product on my blog. Thanks for your interest but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't harass me henceforth.

Best,

Cillian.

Yes, I know it's somewhat immature but honestly, I'd just like to ensure Diesel get the message. This blog's not here for whoring and Diesel aren't exactly a priority when it comes to my personal taste.

Just in case you're absolutely befuddled regarding the subject at hand, see Thom's post over at The Sunday Best.

Impending doom...

Apologies for the touch-too-dramatic title. Due to the impending doom that is examination time I have no choice but to absent the blogging-realm for the rest of this week.

Plenty more posting on the way this weekend though!

Meanwhile, enjoy this recently unearthed spectacle featuring the quintessentially handsome Sean O, ...and Nick of course.



Image from TFS via Jdvision

VMan 10 Preview

Some shots from the upcoming 10th issue of the outstanding VMan.





A largely hooded and breathtakingly surreal affair. I especially love the eye-catching(or torturing?) flares and the use of sky shades in the styling palette. Suitably Summer.





Images from Vman

A hankering

Perhaps I'm just a little late with my top gifts but I do prefer to delay any Christmas-related matters as much as possible. I despair when I hear of people venturing into the bustling streets of illuminated cities scouring the streets in hunter-gatherer fashion to retrieve pressies...in October. Anyhow, late or not, I've just prepared a Christmas gift list, a wish list, a hit list of sublime presents, call it what you will...

Bigarade concentrée by Jean-Claude Ellena[yes, THE nose behind Hermès' scents]


An overwhelmingly citrus scent, I mean this in the most positive way.

100% Leather Ankle Boots from Jil Sander


Robust and simultaneously alluringly sensual. Delicious.

Bernhard Willhelm SS 08


This look has me hankering after another bomber to add to a burgeoning collection...

Lanvin by Dean L. Merceron


A history of, arguably, the most influential house of all time.

Images from Totem Fashion, Yoox, Amazon and Editions Des Parfums

Seoul Style the Boyhood Way

'enjoy life, everything is cool'

The simple and evidently[see pix] practiced mantra of lauded street-style documenter Your Boyhood.

I must confess I haven't frequented this blog as much as I would like. I found it, some months ago, through much clicking of links and quite stupidly forgot to bookmark, you know how it is. But when I eventually, and quite literally, stumbled upon this treasure-trove of individualism and creative styling once again, I made sure not to make the same mistake twice.





Based in Seoul 24 year old Hong Sukwoo, other wise known as Your Boyhood-who, incidentally also contributes to Hint Mag as far as I can gather-roams the eclectic streets of the city and its surroundings snapping all the exuberant sartorial feats of the young, old and everyone in between. Photographs of traditionally-attired 'grandfathers' in suits and smoky grey trilbies are found next to those of Seoul's hottest new design talents, many of whom are male.



Not only does this blogger capture Carri Mundane[of Cassette Playa fame] and Korea's burgeoning dancers clad in illustrious Dior Homme but also the essence of the physical places he visits. Shots of Paris walls embellished with crimson graffiti, the unorthodox industrial beauty of Seoul construction sites and neon Tokyo subway stations enhance the visual feast immensely.

Truly beautiful pictures, check this guy out.

Images from Your Boyhood

Milan Menswear FW 08/09

Saturday, 12. January

10.00 Gaetano Navarra
11.00 C.P. Company
12.00 Costume National Homme
14.00 Jil Sander
15.00 Missoni
16.00 Burberry Prorsum
17.00 Les Hommes Homme
18.00 Gianni Versace
19.00 Romeo Gigli
20.00 ROEN

Sunday, 13. January

9.30 Bottega Veneta
10.30 Antonio Marras
11.30 Frankie Morello
12.30 Gianfranco Morello
13.30 Salvatore Ferragamo
14.30 Vivienne Westwood
15.30 Emporio Armani
16.15 Neil Barrett
17.00 Byblos
17.45 M+F Girlbaud
19.00 Alexander Mcqueen
20.00 Prada

Monday, 14.January

11.30 Trussardi
12.30 Biagiotti
13.30 Roberto Cavalli
14.30 John Richmond
15.30 Moschino
16.30 Krizia Uomo
17.30 Gucci
18.30 Alessandro Dell'Aqua
19.30 Giuliano Fuijwara
20.30 Andrew Mackenzie

Tuesday, 15. January

9.30 Marni
10.30 Iceberg
11.30 Dsquared2
12.30 Fendi
13.30 Etro
15.30 Giorgio Armani
17.30 Calvin Klein
18.30 Belstaff
19.30 Haute

Wednesday, 16. January

9.30 Evisu
10.30 Enrico Cover
11.30 Gazzarini
13.30 Denis Simachev

14.30 Lilang

Hard-bastard trenches from Burberry, voluminous school-boy shirts from Marni, fur-fringed luxury from Fendi and endearing kitsch-wear from Moschino.



Jumping for joy? You're not the only one...

Image from Nymag
Info from TFS

Size Hero and the Rise of the Ripped 'Roid-fuelled...Mary

'Roid Rage

Mark Simpson's insightful feature on 'Muscle Marys and 'Roids' made for an informative morning read today. With anabolic steroid [ab]users as young as 12 years old the almost-global narcissistic obsession with image is more apparent than ever. Of course, it was only a matter of time before men buckled under pressure, before the 'skinny epidemic' and EDs weren't the only worrying issues regarding our fixation with physical perfection, before steroids weren't just rampant on the gay-party scene but, well, everywhere.

Simpson even remarks on the fact that the majority of males are indoctrinated with this idea of 'masculinity' from a very young age what with popular figures like Action Man and G.I. Joe to be found in many a child's toy-box.

The final couplet is what impacted on me most and what provoked this post[rhyming totally unintentional]...
"Steroids are the metrosexual hormone - they make men saleable and shaggable in an age that doesn’t have much idea what else to do with them."

Considering steroids can potentially wreak havoc on male members, do we place muscled-perfection above true masculinity in today's vain society? I hope not...

Image from illpumpyouup.com

Welcome to the revolution...

"Architecture for the arm... Cufflinks unrecognizable as cufflinks... Packaging unlike anything on the market... Exclusive membership to a radical new movement..."

Welcome to the ARMREVOLUTION.



Vowing to take a 'stand for innovation in men's accessories' this incredibly unique initiative was established to introduce 'radical change in men's luxury accessories, focusing on cufflink design'.

Basically, I surmise the idea is you buy a particular product which carries a specific engraved identification number, which, once registered grants you membership to exclusive gatherings. Frankly, it all seems a little ambiguous, what exactly are these mystery 'gatherings' and most importantly[well, personally anyway] are you provided with freebies at these aloof affairs? I certainly should hope so as...

I certainly wouldn't refuse a pair of any of these..



Perfectly structured, minimalist and so very forward. Cufflinks like these have endless combination possibilities-they can be teamed with practically any shirt but a nicely starched white dress-shirt would be, I reckon, the optimum match.

Don't forget your patent brogues to provide that sleek sheen so as to highlight that metallicity.

Screen Caps from Armrevolution

L'Officiel Hommes 10

Joy! Finally something to rescue me from wallowing in the depths of cover despair. Granted we're not presented with anything earth-shattering here but it does make for a respite from the so mind-numbingly boring exteriors of Men's Vogue[will I ever cease giving them a tough time? Probably not...]

Andres looks impressive to say the least and whoever was on hair managed to effectively maintain the appropriate body-hair-to-skin ratio which of course is a must for any self-respecting modern male, or so we're told.

The monochrome is perfectly offset by the apt 'luxe' of pitch black and gold and sparse lettering-an utter rarity-is always a plus.

Image from TFS