Note on a Natter.

With a memory as perforated as Prada SS10 it's easy, if not expected, to forget things once in a while. A few weeks ago Frédérik of The Fashionoclast requested to have a natter and natter we did. Check it out here.

Wang-ed Wangsters Rejoice.

Although I don't make a habit of it, I sometimes find I have to bow to a certain conservative/traditional belief regarding menswear. That men look at their best (I suppose I mean "most attractive" here...) in a simple tee/shirt and jeans/pants (unadorned, save for some v. banal embellishment like a necktie) is an opinion I've always sought to challenge since it seems so staid, backward, even, considering the ongoing evolution of menswear and shifts (not seismic but shifts nonetheless) in the general perception of what men's style encompasses. That said, it's difficult to deny that (this is purely how I see it...) pared-back simplicity can be at once wholesome and undeniably attractive. Proof? Alexander Wang's new men's pieces for his T basics line.

Anyway, whether representative of masculinity in its prime or not, it's without doubt the definition of NY downtown cool. Get it next Spring.

Images from Men's Style (still there, love it while it lasts...)

Petrou MAN: Disco-knees and cropped-sleeves.

Is it just me or does anyone else find limitations/restrictions regarding subject choices in college infuriating? Yes, Film/German was my first choice but, let's not lie, had Art History been available for teaming with Film I'd have been in there like swimwear.

Hélas, I'm now bound to lead an undergrad-life abounding with people exclaiming "Oh! You must do Fassbinder all the time!" or uttering in a thoroughly derogatory fashion "So...you can be a german-film director...". Anywhat, I'm still able to enjoy the 'artistic' juxtapositions that form the background to the lookbook images of Nicolas Petrou's SS10 menswear collection regardless of whether or not I can dissect them critically. Cypriot Petrou is a CSM alumnus who's been occupying his time in NYC by offering his talents to an array of other design companies. Were I to ask if his decision to concentrate more fiercely on his eponymous line was worth it I don't doubt the response would be a unanimous and resounding, yes.





Granted it could be the lookbook art-bordering-on-alchemy that's got me enamoured of his work, but I'd dare say I'd wear any of this with-or-without a collage-backdrop (though somehow I'm thinking 'with' could be a potential logistical disaster...? Don't fancy attaching door-sized backdrops in an attempt to accessorise just yet.). Cropped-sleeve suits, disco-knees, lapels and pocket-panels as well as surprisingly successful fabric/pattern contrasts (that check bib on an otherwise sober grey shirt) make up the memorable aspects of Petrou's SS10 offering. And, of course, a witty take on the ubiquitous "Enjoy Coke" logo. Go figure.

Q+A: Richard Kilroy.

Fashion illustration, once the central method of conveying designs of designers, hasn't exactly been in high demand following the introduction - in the 30s - of photography as the means of communicating sartorial subjects. Leeds-based Richard Kilroy is at the forefront of what could be another turning of the tables. At least I'd like to think so. I mean, who else's lines are as strong yet fluid, sparse yet impressive and undoubtedly directional. I had a bit of a natter with the man himself.

1. Your website brands deems you an illustrator, and much of the work you've done reinforces this definition (interpretations of runway looks for Ponystep) but your work also seems to tread beyond the mere call of duty. In other words, your aesthetic is distinctly artistic. So, do you call yourself an artist or an illustrator or both?

I guess I just like to currently define myself as a fashion illustrator, it's the work I feel most passionate about and where I feel I can develop my style most in. I see so many fashion illustrations that restrict themselves to being diagramatic and they become really chained down by this. I really want to explore the shapes within the clothes and mold them into a new but still relative form, so the illustrations have their own distinct presence, rather than just defining the clothes. I have so many ideas that i still need to explore with regards to illustration, but that's not to say i'm going to limit myself to this though.

2. Your illustrations can seem at once spare and refined and yet jubilantly colourful at the same time, a really eclectic appearance. How do you, yourself, define your aesthetic?

Haha, that's the hard part, trying to define my work! I've always been a very monochromatic person, I hated using colours in school and college, HATED it. However i think all that time steering clear of it made me take a back seat, and really notice what colours work better in short explosive doses. Most of my work will only have one key colour within an illustration, there is nothing worse than accidentally overworking a colour use, it can deaden the impact of an image, especially when you are attempting to create something stark and immediate. I usually make sure the colour is highly saturated too to add to this.



Gareth Pugh Aw09 (for Ponystep)

3. V. generic but necessary all the same - What inspires you?

One of the biggest inspirations has always been the line techniques of Alphonse Mucha. He created the most amazing lines and compositions from things like billowing fabric and organic shapes, and without trying to sound cliché, there is so much you can suggest and do with just simple lines, it's something i've really taken on board.
Jean Paul Goude has also been a big inspiration for years now too, his various cut ups and polygonal shapes were so revolutionary in terms of fashion imagery and abstracting the human form. I've got too many to list, but countless fashion photographers and designers all play a part too. The Face magazine opened me up to so many amazing creatives who know how to create such striking imagery, i wouldn't be doing any of the work i do without its influence.



Raf Simons AW09 (for Ponystep)

4. Having dipped your toes in photography, do you reckon it's something you could develop further? Or is illustration your sole vocation?

Again it's something i'm exploring still, i'd like to experiment on a combination of both, but successfully. I usually roll my eyes when i see illustrations that incorporate photography as it's just so uninspiring and old to me. I do really enjoy photography, but with fashion photography it's never a solo effort. You have constraints like models, studio time, make up etc that can really hinder the process, and i can be a bit impatient with it. At the moment i'd rather sit with an A3 sketchpad and be in my own little world!

5. Much of your work seems to be influenced/informed by menswear. Do you have a favourite menswear designer?

Yeah over the last few years menswear has definitely inspired me more, there's genuinely just so much more development with it at the moment, with regards to body shapes and proportions. Designers like Romain Kremer, Hedi Slimane, Ricardo Tisci and Raf Simons have breathed so much freshness into the mix. Also i'm just really enjoying experimenting with male figures and their shapes within my drawings, trying to find a way to combine with them with extended and suggestive lines etc

6. A recent post on your blog hinted a plot to become an illustrational fashion blogger, is this your next move or have you got other plans/projects in the pipeline?

Yeah it's very much just at the idea stage at the moment, i don't know if it would be the right direction for my work, but it's something that hasn't really been tapped into and the idea does interest me a lot. I've been looking into zines a lot at the moment too, i really like the idea of a small fanzine built up of just illustrations, produced to go along with each fashion season. Who knows!

Lynx, Lovefoxxx and a 'Short Dick Man'.

Not entirely menswear-related but necessary nonetheless. I think I'm still recovering from what was rather a delectable night at the Lynx Fever Beach party. A whirlwind of half-naked models (female...sigh...but v. impressive regardless. I don't think I was the only fag to be a touch mesmerised - much to my genuine surprise - by all the beauty on show), icy-cool caipirinhas, photo-booths and general Brazilian-themed debauchery. Oh, and Lovefoxxx.

Which was, for those of you who know me well, more than a pleasure. Post-free caipirinhas she popped on stage spritelike to rapturous applause and proceeded to dish out some of the best tracks of the night including (can't recall exactly if some of these were remixes/altered versions or originals...blame the Cachaça) Gwen Stefani's 'What You Waiting For?', Hole's 'Celebrity Skin', Pixies' 'Tame' and a newfound personal favourite, 20 Fingers feat. Gillette's 'Short Dick Man'.



The set did lack a certain expected something though (namely Let's Make Love...or even Alala) and when I got the chance to ask just why (much thanks to Colin of Trendspot and the rest of the Thinkhousers for the introduction!) the pint-sized princess of CSS-fame replied that she simply forgot. Needless to say I didn't hold it against her, but instead continued to have my fanboy moment and compliment her new bitchin' bob while she showed a polite appreciation for my shoddily crafted homage to both herself and 'I <3' shirts...



The cotton, leather and masking-tape abomination itself.



What I wore on the night - jeans by Gap, deck shoes by Topman.

Much thanks to Lynx, Thinkhouse and Lovefoxxx for a more than memorable night.

Men's Style No More.

Another day, another major magazine move. What with our being in the midst of fiscal catastrophe print media seems to be suffering more than ever before. Just a few months back Arena was suddenly shuttered and prior to that we had the not-so-lametable demotion of Men's Vogue to a biannual supplement. Now, we bid farewell to Men's Style.



No, I'm not on the cusp of launching into a reverent homage to the online publication in the vein of Nigel's adoration of Runway from The Devil Wears Prada, but I am going to ask why the hell Condé Nast insists on creating online versions of its print magazines when it could just mesh them together to form a formidable fashion resource? I know GQ.com posts coverage of collections and the usual news titbits but what of the often uproarious, often questionable but always inspiring "The Week in Style" features? What of those swell "So-and-so's 10 essentials"?

I know it's currently paramount that companies cost-cut to save their arses but seriously, could the Condé Nast capitalists please consider their audience before their advertising clients for once? K, going to stop here before I breach Nigel-esque "shining beacon of hope" territory...

Image from Men's Style

Button Up or No?

Call me obsessive/barmy/downright crazed/just a tad...sad/what you will but I think this is an issue worth a post and a natter. I expect you'll agree that shirts constitute a staple section of any self-respecting man's wardrobe, and that said section is most probably comprised of the traditional oxford-collar long-sleeved shirt. But it's not the sleeves I'm deliberating over here, more the bloody collar.



Topman Lens (left to right): Dexter Wong, Carolyn Massey

Granted this all may seem a little vacuous and could well lead you to believe I've nothing more productive to do of a day but ponder an array of inane topics including the one at hand but do please hear me out, as I don't think I'm alone in this dilemma. Do you wear your collar buttoned-up entirely or just to the base of the neck (and I'm talking sans neck/bowtie here) ? The reason I ask is that it strikes me as being the 'done thing' amongst vaguely style-conscious men the world over. Ever since the indie-influence and the onset of world-domination instigated by Topman I've not a button left undone. Anyway, the question I really wanted to pose was not if you do it or not but rather do you think it suits you? As I've tried on numerous occasions only to find that, on enacting the compulsory (and fleeting...please don't think me tiresomly vain) pre-departure glance in the mirror, it all appears as though I volunteered to be the subject of the world's first head-shrinking experiment.

So, button-up to the max, as it were, or just, well, don't go there?

Image from Brandish

Something from the Circus for Your Arms Only.

I'll not lie, this Summer's seen me receive more than the occasional accusation that I'm a good-for-nothing slacker. Yes, I'm without job and steady income but surely being (f)unemployed trumps the 9-5 grind, especially when it frees up time to lend a hand at your favourite concept boutique in the city. Circus, at which I spent a few days back in June shoddily trying a hand at trade, have just revamped their online store which now boasts sartorial splendour from April 77 to Poltock & Walsh. Oh, and the ever-enchanting, La Roux-like Sarah McCall playing clothes-horse to perfection to boot.



A new label that's just come on board the Circus van is the rather enigmatic (Google's not yielding much...) Made For You By Arms. A self-professed purveyor of clothes for hands-on people, the label is minimalist but not in that so stark and aloof manner. Rather, one envisages that post-putting-on there's a general feeling of wholesomeness and comfort. Casual staples form the framework of the AW09 collection: crew-neck sweats and tees, and button-ups with pin-pricks of colour, all in a palette that's totally laid-back while still being interesting enough to catch the eye.

Earlier today I answered a few questions from the Fashionoclast on menswear. Unlike the nature of womenswear, not much has changed in a matter of hours and my opinion remains the same - menswear is founded upon subtle flourishes which combine to define a man's style. Surely this is it in action.

Screencaps from MFYBA.com

Nab Hamilton at up to 60% off.

Because I'm an avid fan. Because I've lauded his 80s-referencing, handsome neo-noir style on too many occasions to recall. Because he's winner of the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear for 2009. Because it's a thoroughly sick 60% off. New Yorkers, this is a case of do-or-die, for your sake don't miss out on the Tim Hamilton sample sale starting today (Sat 18th) and ending Monday 20th. Drop in between 11am and 6pm at 195 Chrystie St (second floor), and if feeling at all generous, one of those luxe trenches will do fine, thanks.

René Gurskov SS10: The Dane and Donatella.

You know, it never ceases to amaze me the number of designers sans websites that bloggers unearth. Excepting my trawling through pages for something on Six Lee (I found the site, it was down and one made do with the Dazed coverage. Up now, though, and most definitely worth a look-see) I've never really found it all that difficult to enlighten myself regarding designers' professional backgrounds/inspirations for collections etc. thanks to a standard Googling and gander.

René Gurskov has bucked the trend. Despite several prominent online publications featuring his work, the AW08 collection in particular, there's no eponymous online destination to be found. The press release for his latest collection didn't exactly succeed in clarifying anything either. Not-so-perfect English and cryptic statements don't represent the worth of his work. Having scanned the release to find citations of inspiration: Donatella Versace, leopard print and the bling of a European prince, I reckoned it was to be a routine affair (quick scan, in the trash can) since it didn't sound, as one might say, to my personal taste.







Wrong. The SS10 lookbook proves exactly why this Dane is worthy of note (and his own site too...). Yes, his style icon is Boy George but no disco references are overt, the OTT glamour and decadence mentioned in the press release is manifest in a somewhat sober fusion of detail and tailoring.

Remember the aforementioned leopard print? Well, it's given an outing in a bulky cuffed sweat/tee, sculpted shorts (and also a panel on satiny-looking gym-shorts) and a neat bowtie, not, thankfully, in the form of a bodycon tank or thong as you might imagine. The real strength of the collection, though, is its mixing of tailored classics (pinstripe and gingham shirts) with sportswear staples (those football socks you may have seen club-hopping around some cities...).





Donatella would be proud.

Not Velvet, still a collective Goldmine: Martin Margiela's Waxed Pants.

Few moments in film are as memorable as Ewan McGregor's visceral and drug-addled bounding around a stage in Velvet Goldmine. Clad in mercilessly tight leather pants Curt Wild (McGregor) delivers a performance of Wylde Ratttz's 'T.V. Eye' inspired by the v. feral Iggy Pop while rather enthusiastically fondling and baring himself, all in the name of garage-rock.

Now, I'm not saying I'll be going to such lengths to entertain but were I to do so, I can't possibly think of any other jeans that'd fit the bill better than these Margiela wax-coated pants. I mean, they ooze wreckless abandon and general uninhibitedness. Not quite so tight as Wild's in the film but despite fit/material differences we're in the same vein, here. The coral are also rather Brian Slade, don't you think?

Oh, and they "age and disintegrate" (oki-ni's words) over time to give a distinctly vintage air. Not unlike the somewhat weathered Iggy himself, then.



Note: If you're slightly perplexed as to where all these Velvet Goldmine references stemmed from, then know that Todd Haynes makes great films for rainy days. Next is Far From Heaven.

Images from oki-ni

Ist Brüno More Chic Than You Think?

At the de la Prada show

I don't know about you but, while I was rather impressed by Sacha Baron Cohen's previous endeavour "Borat", it didn't quite measure up to the expectation I had constructed prior to seeing actually viewing it. Yes, it provided outrageous lampooning and subsequent hilarious results but ultimately exposing America's latent (or perhaps more often open...) bigotry has a very temporary effect, I found. Rather idiotically, I've succumbed to mass-media hype once again and am itching to finally witness the camp fierceness of Brüno. I mean, who else can work a velcro suit engulfed by disparate garments like he? Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada never looked so good.

But the point of this post was not to commend Baron Cohen's comic efforts but rather to kind of (and the link may be v. tenuous) draw a similarity between the unabashed fabulousness of Brüno's wardrobe and current men's fashion. Agreed it does sound entirely laughable when first heard but is it really all that unlikely? Often we're presented with some seriously 'out-there' costumery on the runway but just as often we seem to recognise zany designer looks as perfectly acceptable purely because they're presented in the hallowed halls of a show venue, and on the flawless limbs of a lightly-muscled model.

Indeed, the man behind the glittering Eurotrash/high-fashion juxtaposition that is Brüno's wardrobe has stated that he researched current collections (from the unsurprising inspiration: DSquared, Gucci, to designers of equal weight and renown that might not be immediately associated with the pseudo-Austrian fashion reporter: Romain Kremer, Martin Margiela and Raf Simons) as well as scoured eBay.

Take the below looks for example. Marni is surely apparent in the schoolboy ensemble. Granted the whole thing's a very literal interpretation I still think it's hard to deny the likeness here.

Marni SS07 (left) and SS08 (right)

As for his choice of underwear. As The Moment observed, it'll be tough to look at Galliano's work with the same degree of serious consideration after witnessing what might be Brüno's rendition of his SS10 speedos...



John Galliano SS10



So, before you go thinking "Mein looks are all that!", consider how it's acceptable, and indeed expected, that we deride Brüno's style when ze men's fashion is often not much different.



Watch out Thom Browne. Brüno does cropped too, if somewhat moreso.

Images from Men's Style, Telegraph.co.uk, TVguide and Hitfix

A Statement on Skinnies.

Having received the almightiest of burns from a seemingly non-existent sun yesterday, the very thought of attempting to squeeze into garments leads me to shudder uncontrollably. Fortunately, my legs were spared from the reddening but still I cringe slightly when reading this topical article in WSJ by Ray A. Smith, in which he recounts an everyman's experience of the now ubiquitous skinny-jeans. After all, sunburn or no, this wardrobe-staple is often the good friend that just doesn't quite understand you (read: fit you).

Once the cornerstone of any rock-and-roll/punk wardrobe worth its salt, the peg-legs have become one of the signifiers of a modern male's style. But is the streamlined silhouette really worth it? Just like Doug Black, quoted in the aforementioned article, skinny-jeans can prove somewhat antagonistic, constantly preventing basic movements and an absolute bitch to throw-off and back on again while trying on other clothing. And despite any little innovations from season to season - slight adjustment of thigh-to-waist ratio, introduction of spandex for a sleeker, snugger fit etc. I invariably find that my thighs threaten to split seams while the last notch on the belt is called for in order for some kind of a decent fit to be achieved at the waist. I mean, I run sporadically for general wellness (full disclosure: v. sporadically) but I'm no casual athlete so I'm wondering what any of the fashionable fitness folk do to remedy this? Also, remember the resounding declarations from a few seasons ago that skinny-jeans were entirely dead? Notice they're really really not? Yeah, me too.



And isn't it bloody time we had a pair of even mildly interesting skinnies? An assortment of sweetshop reds, greens and yellows will not suffice, thank you Topman. Aren't there more imaginative details we could be sporting when dipping into skinny-jeans? Do please correct me if you know someone crafting something vaguely different...

Since I've not really got the genes for these jeans (ho ho!), I reckon I'll be sticking to straight-leg for the time being. You? I conclude with the sage advice of my mother, who once worriedly informed me, "You could become infertile, you know?".

Image from The Sart

Men's Fashion on Film - A 'Brave New World'.

What with an increasing number of industry heavyweights choosing film as the medium to convey their menswear creations and innovations (see YSL and Alexander McQueen for SS10) it seems only natural that fashion editorial has moved in the same direction, with online menswear mag Buckstyle forging the path. The two fields have a deep and almost intrinsic affinity for each other, anyway. Both mediums are inherently visual and the environments surrounding the production and distribution of the product often overlap with actors of renown developing strong relationships with fashion houses of equal renown and the abundance of fashion-related plots featuring in contemporary cinema (speaking of...when's The September Issue arriving in UK/Ireland?).

Buckstyle's first foray into film has led to Brave New World, a high-octane short featuring AW09 styles from ready-to-wear majors Prada, YSL, Alexander McQueen and Raf Simons to the high-street's best: Topman, American Apparel, H&M and River Island. Not to get too film-scribe about the whole thing, but it must be said that the film's mise-en-scène beautifully illustrates the themes those involved wished to highlight: survival, security and protection, with male protagonist and model Alex Jermy appearing first in just a pair of jeans and then gradually equipping himself with extra layers of sartorial safety - an ashen poloneck and hoods galore.

Rotten Tomatoes this blog is not, but if it were I'm sure the aggregate would deem this first filmic editorial a good thing indeed.


Directed by James Yeomans, Styling and Creative Direction by Celia-Jane Ukwenya, Models Alex Jermy and Holly Dormon.

Mulling over the Mlutch.

Prada SS10

Fortunately (and at long last), in this post-metrosexual era, it's entirely acceptable for men to lug around bags of equal extents of chic to their counterparts intended for the fairer sex. A recent development, though, perhaps due to the pioneering and flamboyant experimentation of the Boys with Birkins - Yu Masui, Jean Paul Paula and the infamous Bryan Boy, has been the - what I refer to as - the murse, perhaps more correctly deemed the 'mlutch' or the clutch for men.

Admittedly, this whole concept is a littled dated what with the term most likely having been coined a couple of seasons ago following numerous designers' embracing the idea of an elegant evening pochette for men. Still, it's taken me this time to mull over the mlutch and stumble off the fence. I've come to the conclusion that despite its inherent connotations of femininity the clutch is most definitely workable in the everyman's wardrobe provided it's of a certain masculine leaning.

Do please note that I'm not in the habit of preaching what's wearable and what's not (especially considering I'm no bona fide authority on menswear), and that, for the most part, I strongly disapprove of fashion dictates but in this case I feel it necessary to just put it out there that mlutches are not going to work for everyone. Were I to try, I'd keep it black, streamlined (not in a sleek, feline and feminine way but a more masculine, straightforwardness of design way) and unadorned for maximum (yet subtle) impact.



Marni SS09



Salvatore Ferragamo SS10



Dolce & Gabbana SS10

Also, size does matter in this case. Not in the sense that the bigger your accessory-endowment the better, rather the neater and more compact the greater degree of edited, refined sophistication you'll achieve, and that's sort of what we're going for here, right?

Images from Men's Style

Born of the Street: Paris and Milan.

Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the biannual showcasing of menswear designers' work in Milan and Paris but aren't some of the best looks born on the street rather than the runway? Since I've previously highlighted some of The Sart's streetstyle snaps during previous fashion weeks I thought it unacceptable not to natter a bit on the cream of the SS10 crop of showgoers.

Yes he's slim of limb and handsome which helps immeasurably but pulling an all-over tone is no mean feat. I love the softness of this maroon and the subtly individual styling - the tucked-in tee.



Surely one of the season's most eye-catching endeavours. The lace is the perfect fit, not too fitted, and so signifies a distinctly masculine sensuality. Also, the juxtaposition of the harsh and steely with the bright gem that is his neckpiece is rather fetching.



Precisely how shorts should be worn. Cargo-sporters take note. Further, blue-and-black - despite its connotations of the consequences of violence - surely one of the most appealing colour combos?



Perhaps a result of Ms. Bubble's raving about the garment-cage? This alluring lattice-jacket is definitely the best menswear rendition.

More skin-baring, this time more Balmain-esque. I love that, despite the get-up's body-con fit the wearer doesn't render it as camp as might be expected.

Note: I - surprisingly enough - don't condone cigarettes as accessories. Just in case a tirade was coming my way.

Images from The Sartorialist and Jak and Jil