Olivier Borde SS09: Quiet Reinvention.

With the slew of SS10 shows and presentations past us and numerous new aesthetic-leanings to digest (was it me or did there seem to be a mound more shows this seasons due to increased coverage? Thanks, incidentally, to WWD, Men's Style and Dazed) I thought some tangential blogging (read: not a SS10 show review) was in order.

So, I guess this is an address of reader sentiment of sorts (and also a collection review actually...what? I don't think I know anything else after all that amateur critiquing over the past while...). When I posted this interview with recent Antwerp-grad Six Lee Anonymous commented that his work was uncannily similar to that of a designer (heretofore unknown to me) - Olivier Borde. Yet another Anonymous retaliated by declaring that Lee's designs bore no significant similarity to Olivier Borde and I'd probably be inclined to agree. Damn though, he is a fine designer and if it weren't for this Comment-section disagreement I'd still most likely be in the dark. Thanks, then, to Anonymous!







Just like GFW the International Festival d'Hyeres is an event which invariably intrigues and excites me endlessly but also one which I frequently forget to investigate in-depth. It was at this, fashion's biannual fair of tremendous talent, that Olivier Borde showed his first collection, for AW08 (and lest ye forget, that year the panel included Riccardo Tisci and Haider Ackermann so this his being selected was no mean feat...)



Borde was lauded for his reinvention of menswear classicism and the SS09 collection is more than sufficient proof of his success. Casual staples like the denim jacket are adjusted, endowed with a certain sensuality achieved with the curving of a collar or pocket, standard sportswear pieces like the polo are noticeably altered with a geometric, pannelled print, and derby shoes are boldly bright yellow - I don't think I need say more.

Images from Olivier Borde

Givenchy SS10: Verging on Thriller.

Since the news of MJ's death has spread everywhere, undoubtedly including Outer Mongolia at this stage (is there any real basis to this old phrase...?), I'll spare another reiteration of the details. That said, it's impossible to give somewhat of a review on Givenchy's SS10 without referring, at least in passing to the glittering, stud-sporting pop-icon.

Considering Jackson's fondness for Givenchy womenswear it was only natural that Riccardo Tisci be appointed the equivalent of head of costumery for MJ's comeback performances at the O2 in London. The first consultation was to take place today. Alas.

But Wacko Jacko's signature slick-showman aesthetic was still evident in Tisci's latest menswear endeavour. From the trademark black-and-white colour combination to the gilded-looking details it all seemed to salute the sartorial splendour of the departed entertainer. 

Then there was the sporty/latino/Moroccan (what a hybrid...) dynamic to the entire affair (another typically Tisci flourish) not so much MJ but desirable none the less.

Images from Men's Style

Henrik Vibskov SS10: Tasselled Topsy-turviness.

Employment, albeit for store credit not hard cash. Who'd have thought it? Yes, I've managed to wangle a few days work in Dublin's Circus Store, the delightful emporium featured here a while back, and seeing as it's sale season the v. generous Aisling, Damien and Fiona are offering 40% off deliciously zany Henrik Vibskov stock. Nice one re: the store credit, then.





So having spent hours gazing at Africa pants I was reminded of Vibskov's SS10 show which took place last night in Paris. It seems this financial meltdown has been on Vibskov's mind too, the collection was decidedly safe with no outstanding deviation from previous seasons. Considering the economic climate, though, it's surely a sound decision not to engage in a search for the next short-lived trend but rather to innovate within one's own aesthetic boundaries.





Vibskov did it brilliantly. More of the loopy prints and loose shapes but the collection, for me, was a much more wearable rendition of his previous work. Shorts galore, samurai-inspired outerwear and a healthy dose of polka-dots. Headwear was as outré as ever, just watch you don't poke eyes out.

PS. Those tasselled all-in-ones. Phwoar.

Images from A Shaded View

Marni SS10: A Mixed Reaction.

Considering I'm a film student it probably would be most appropriate for the next 'shotgun' show review (I would write pithier analyses if time allowed...hélas) to examine Alexander McQueen's SS10 collection. But I've seen the film, it's nothing to write home about (simulated self-harming anyone? Honestly, the creative process couldn't be that difficult...) and the collection's only mildly more noteworthy so on to Marni, which seemed to consolidate its position as one of the Milanese menswear-heavyweights this season.





It was less geometric shape and spare palette, more audacious prints and warm hues. The signature schoolboy-prep was still apparent but this season's was a much more unruly sort in contrast to the ever-so-slightly dull swot of SS09.





Still, mine is a mixed reaction to a somewhat schizo collection. If Consuela was so keen on reintroducing the fun of fashion into Marni (her attempt was more than succesful...that all-over print shorts-suit) then why ever didn't she go the whole hog instead of including boring, brown basics with no shape? Must be the heat.

Images from Men's Style

Prada SS10: More than black and white.

You know that feeling you get when you're reminded of your love for a particular someone/something (love that's not constant and immune to lapsing but is generally lasting) ? I reckon that's the feeling Miuccia inspired in me this season.



Prada has - in the past - brought about reactions both abhorrent and admiring from me, sometimes it's not sufficiently wearable, other times her conceptual impetus is pure BS and leads to frustration when one makes any attempt at comprehending and then, on a rare occasion, I find myself absolutely enamoured of her innovation. Since SS10 drew inspiration from black-and-white film (quotes from films of the ilk dressed the show's set) I was sold from the start. (Note, too, that Tim Blanks' divulging that the backstage drink was my alcoholic BFF - the Black Russian - was surely instrumental in my having such a positive response.)



Enough of filmic inspiration. It is, after all, the actual clothing that leaves the spectator with the (hopefully) indelible impression, not the highfaluting talking-up. And what an impression this selection of altered and undone suits made. Since a significant number of men spend quite a considerable amount of time in them, Miuccia addressed the issue in the only way she knows, her trademark deconstruction and idiosyncratic embellishment. So, no standard office-fare here then. Suits were perforated or sleeveless and traditional shirting made no appearance. In its place was an abundance of deep v-necked vests and cardigans, all in not-so-dull shades of grey.





And while skirts weren't centre-stage this season, ragged-hemmed short-shorts and all that mesh certainly went some way in furthering the proposition of Miuccia's new definition of masculinity - "sexier, more beautiful, more sensitive [...] vulnerable".

Images and quote from Men's Style

Neil Barrett SS10: Beige and Blackest-of-Black.

I don't think we've ever seen such a season so heavily reliant on beige and related shades of beige. How and ever, it is Milan and outré innovation wasn't at the top of my checklist. Rather, I've enjoyed what's to be seen so far for its inherent wearability. Unsurprisingly, then, the highlight of the past couple of days was, for me, Neil Barrett.

For a designer so enamoured of the slick rock aesthetic - think his almost liquid-looking black leathers and fondness for the skinny leg - SS10 marked a departure from the usual. The collection conformed in the sense that Barrett always seems to draw inspiration from an imagined hybrid of styles like 'Amish Punk' and last season's 'Abstract Eccentric' and SS10 was undoubtedly the product of the fusion of two disparate elements, termed 'Artisan Bonding'.

Structural trenches with double-lapels in various shades from desert beige to sandstone or in three shades, geometrically juxtaposed. As Tim Blanks has noted in his reviews the 'exotic' is certainly close to many a designer's heart this season and Barrett's no exception having created garments in a vaguely Indian wallpaper print.





But the Barrett fixation with black re-emerged and rightly so. I mean, does anyone do it better?



Images from Men's Style

Hogeschool Antwerpen-Grad Six Lee on Supermenswear.

Following the superb Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen showing I mentioned I hadn't quite finished my full appreciation of innovative designer Six Lee and I do my darndest to keep promises. Thus, please find below a discussion on film, Hedi Slimane and other bringers of happiness for your perusal. Nothing on goats, though, unfortunately.

1. How did you get into designing menswear/What is your design experience?

I remember when I was in the first year in school, we had to design a skirt, dress and jacket, and some other project which allowed us to choose to design menswear or womenswear, I got really stuck with womenswear. So I just continued to design menswear until now. The thing is I really can't handle womenswear well.

2. How do you define your design aesthetic?

Um... I would say cute, playful, innocent but sophisticated at the same time. My aim is really to go for elegant haha! I don't know why every time when I make something, the first reaction from people is "Oh it looks cute, it's sweet!" and I was thinking "Oops, this time I'm going for elegant?!".



3. What inspired your latest collection which fused musical instruments with garments?

My collection is inspired by two movies. The first is called A Man Who Was Superman. The movie tells the story of a man who accidentally received a bullet in the head when he was young, but didn't die because of it. This made him think he was a superman with super powers, who of course wouldn’t get killed by a bullet. Living in a world of his own, he still saw it as his mission to save or help other people even if, because of the bullet, he lost his super powers. So to me he's someone with a good heart. In the end however, he dies in an accident while saving other people.

The second movie is called The Legend of 1900. The protagonist in this movie is a man who was born in a boat and never left it in his entire life. He found that the most interesting thing in the boat is the piano. He learnt that by himself, in that time, the boat was for the people who want to go to America to start their new life. He played the piano not only in the high society room, but also for lower class people. He carried a good heart and used music to bring the people a new hope for new life and a new beginning.

My collection started from this point - I created a group of boys who have their own world and their own imagination. They were crazy, lonely but carried good hearts and helped the other people, brought peace and joy to the stranger. They enjoyed being alone, but at the same time they're not isolated. The way to bring joy and peace to the other people is through making music.
I believe sounds, musical instruments, supermen, interaction and transformation are the main elements of my collection and I used all these elements to inspire my collection. I put classical musical instuments with the classical jacket. According to 'superman theory' I created the nerdy feeling for the boys when they wear the jacket - they can make some sounds with the jacket. The jackets are simple classic, made of wool and classical men's suiting fabrics.




4. Do you have a favourite menswear designer? If yes, who?

Personally, I'm still attached to Hedi Slimane.

5. What's next for Six Lee? Any projects in the near future?

I am trying to find a job, for sure, but still don't know exactly where I'm heading. And at the same time, I just want to take some time to relax a bit and enjoy life.

Surface2Air Accessories: Armed to the Teeth.

It seems there's no escaping my newfound fondness for jewellry, not that I'm complaining and certainly don't have reason to considering the recently-launched first phase of Surface2Air Accessories. Yes, you heard right, the multidisciplinary collective born back in NY's Union Square in 1996 has now added accessories to its ever-expanding list of fields which includes design, graphics, fashion, photography and film.

The AW09 collection is the steely brainchild of Daniel Jackson, co-founder of Surface2Air and creative director of Bblessing. Composed of pendants and rings, the collection explores the tension between safety and danger in the contemporary environment which is literally rendered through the numerous items of weaponry (danger perhaps?) hung upon the slim chains (safety, I reckon). I 'fessed up regarding a secret longing for an earring yesterday but I did fail to mention a certain fascination with the dog-tag, and many of these pieces seem more edgy (er...quite literally), updated versions of the original - it appears another lifelong accoessry-related ambition could be fulfilled, albeit in a much less tacky fashion.

Coveting 'Dinner Setting', 'Fox Trap' and gun-metal ring, myself.



Fox Trap



Dinner Setting



Gun-metal Ring

Check the suitably striking site for browsing/purchasing and stockists, oh, and a rather dashing picture of the Hoff.

Gilded/Lacquered/Textured.

It really does pain me to an intolerable extent to admit it but in the interest of full-disclosure I must reveal I once yearned to have an earring à la every skanger circa 2000. Since this unforgivably deviant desire I've not given jewellry a thought at all really regarding my own style. I've always felt it was both overly expensive, and never quite suited to my countenance, preferring to accessorise with neck- and bowties or boldly-coloured footwear.

Not so now, though. The sista (a LSAD grad herself) has recently taken to crafting a selection of random accoutrements consisting chiefly of headpieces and brooches and yours truly became the recipient of this dandy piece below.

I'll admit its floral shape is of a certain feminine-leaning but the brash gold and the lacquered-black conical stud provide some balance and a slightly edgier feel. Also, it must be said I'm a bit of a geometric-pattern-whore and anything remotely zig-zag will invariably enrapture me.

All Hail Hamilton.

Having been nominated a grand total of three times for the Swarovski Award for Menswear it was only just (considering his extensive and best-yet work this year) that Tim Hamilton finally secured his clutch on the award at the CFDAs last night.

Thus, a designer profile of sorts seems fitting. Or rather, a fan-boy appreciation of his aesthetic that's drawn together the disparate, oscillated considerably (but always with ace results) and undoubtedly revoutionised menswear over the course of a few fleeting seasons in fashion.

Hamilton was born in Iowa (perhap fellow Iowa-native Halston set the trend for success) to a Lebanese-mother and an American-English father, and with such a background of diversity it's easily understandable that his design sensibility is just as varied. Interestingly his father worked in construction which is what, perhaps, chiefly informed his AW07 collection, a fusion of rugged workwear with preppy detailing: robust lace-up boots and shoes in rich, dark brown or black, industrial grey knits and an assortment of rumpled pants in muted shades, all offset (or is it complimented?) by Oxford button-ups and a covetable array of neck- and bow-ties.







Aw 07

As part of his career Hamilton held stints at both J. Crew and Ralph Lauren, the bourgeois prep of the latter emerging in his SS08 collection - a veritable playground for a crayon-colours-obsessed white-collar kid. The collection embodied Hamilton's shifting from workwear seriousness to the edgy joie de vivre he's become synonymous with: bright and positively bursting royal-blue and cartoon-ketchup red incorporated into looks quite straight-laced, yet still with potential for playfulness.





SS 08

And he's not been slacking in recent years. 2009 saw Hamilton make his most extensive progression so far with the production of two stellar collections of menswear and his womenswear debut for AW09. With his SS09 embodiment of quirky minimalism Hamilton single-handedly rekindled my love for metallics and shirt bib-detailing (not to mention the quiff), oh and the cropped longjohns of AW09 - you so would.





SS09



AW 09

Here's to many more years of Tim.

Images from Men's Style

Givenchy's LBS.

I may have had an epiphany. Since the Irish warm spells suitable for shorts-wearing are never quite that, well, warm, I reckon adopting Riccardo Tisci's interpretation for shorts (LBS - leather black shorts) for SS09 (his first foray into menswear with Givenchy) - leather (worn over leggings? - optional) shorts - is one's safest bet. Cool enough, what with their loose fit, to fend off overheating and warm enough in their leatheriness to prevent the onset of pneumonia!



However, any opportunity to emulate the style (which is certainly my only option) seems potentially catastrophic. Try a pair just a hair-width tighter/shorter and one ventures towards the land of Lederhosen, which aren't so much repugnant for their S&M connotations, more for their inherent tacky kitsch. You have been warned.

Images from Men's Style