Accessories are deceptive. At first glance, they don't seem entirely necessary but then when you're pondering your proposed wear for the day it can often lack a certain something . Today, I craved a watch and kerchief to somehow lift the somewhat bland pairing of off-white and navy I'd wrapped myself in. But Javier Dominguez, winner of the Orient Watch giveaway, shouldn't ever have this problem thanks to Orient Watch.
Congratulations, Javier. Your prize is on its way.
So. All I'm saying is old Edwardian-esque houses may be swell to look at but living in them sans internet connection is most definitely not. Eircom has guaranteed a technician's on the way (this is, as many Irish readers will be aware, most probably an empty promise...) but in the meantime I've availed of Uni net to bring what is the latest EVER LFW coverage. Fear not, since I've penned something deets-oriented rather than full-on reviews.
This day last week, having pulled self together in a matter of minutes, I legged it (sista in tow) from Manor House to Shoreditch for Omar Kashoura's SS10 presentation at the endearing little boutique Jeanette's where plastic collars, and even shirts crafted entirely from the same stuff, abounded. I was fortunate enough to have a gawk at the latest fruits of the v. happy marriage of Jarah Stoop's luxe accessories and Kashoura's dandy sensibility. Following a snoop around the shop I had a natter with the dashing Alex (introduced myself thinking he was Omar...champagne obv. had more of an effect than desired...) and Omar himself who was more than merry that all the effort had not been in vain.
Then, a brief stint was spent at Digitaria on Soho's Berwick St. where crowds of dolled-up boys and girls boogied, guzzled pear Magners and decorated the basement walls with their v. own improvised artworks to celebrate the launch of the new season collection. Props to the dreadlock-ed fellow who pointed out the seriously covetable gold-green pleated pants. Had I had more sterling...
After a decent kip on the sista's couch I rifled through the case in an attempt to retrieve something that would coordinate at least vaguely (more on my LFW looks soon, though I wouldn't get too excited, Ryanair baggage restrictions and minor jetlag do not a good look make) and settled on some newly plucked stock from Circus and an ol' faithful - the charcoal Junk de Luxe blazer.
First up was the NEWGEN Men offering, which provided a much needed to jolt to the beginning of events, courtesy of James Long's metallic, militaristic vision. Black leather, acid green and gold so bright it was eye-pain-inducing made up the majority of the palette. Camo - no matter how inventive the reinterpretation - I'm not too hot on, but Long's cropped leather trews with diamond notching about the knees had me fixated (as well as the black canvas goody bag which has proved more than useful for carriage of Uni paraphernalia...)
^ James Long SS10
Carolyn Massey followed with what seemed an easy fusion of gentleman's attire and outdoors-appropriate clothing for the intrepid adventurer. Camping staples (e.g. a nylon raincoat) were paired with the understatedly luxe (e.g. navy chinos with roll-up cuffs). The undoubted personal fave was a look consisting of a navy blue trench over a camel blazer complete with kerchief. Daring dandy at its finest.
Thankfully I can declare that the relentless show-hopping, lengthy queues, constant state of dehydration, hunger and being called the incorrect name by PRs (it's Cillian, not Caroline, ladies...) was all worth it for a day. LFW Menswear Day exceeded all expectations, and as many have tweeted already, has impressed fashion folk worldwide.
In addition to viewing some stellar shows (NEWGEN Men, MAN and many more...), I had the privilege of acquainting myself with fellow bloggers and menswear aficionados Steve of Style Salvage (he sported the much oo-ed and ahh-ed over Orwell Stingrays by Mr. Hare) and Joe of 00o00 fame (his deck shoes made me want to reinvigorate my wardrobe with colour and he rather kindly permitted me to browse his shots from the previous night's Burberry Prorsum show which included several of shades-sporting Anna Wintour) as well as the ever dapper and endearing Elliott and Steve of Buckstyle.
A spot of shopping was incorporated too but more on everything later. Strangely, I arrived in good time for each and every show but am now running late for the flight back home. Fashion-induced foolishness.
^ A shot from the inimitable Carolyn Massey's SS10 collection which combined a gung-ho outdoorsiness with the distinguished style of a gentleman.
It's been well documented - both on this blog and elsewhere (read: my relentless "Neeeeed these boots...", "Omg boots 09. WANT!" tweets) - that I'm in search of a good pair of boots for the harsher season ahead. While I've come across a vast number of prospective purchases I've not contemplated how I'd actually wear them should I decide to make such a large dent to my bank account. Prince Pelayo (Pelayo Diaz Zapico), renowned boy-blogger, Kate Moss-devotee and CSM fashion student, works a look that easily inspires.
Granted his bone structure and impeccably coiffed hair helps, but it's his eclectic approach to style that impresses most. No one fuses sophistication with street ease as well (at least when he's actually clothed...)
^ In a Givenchy-esque ensemble of black and blue, which is surely one of the best colour combos ever. It seems customisation with safety-pins has come a long way from attaching tattered punk band patches to backpacks (see blogger Augustine Wong's gold pin-covered bow-tie that I lauded a while back).According to the blog, the tee has been DIY-ed and Pelayo sells them to those who have a hankering.
^ Sporting the signature look of shorts and Docs. Shirt, tie and shorts are by NY-based Davidelfin, who Pelayo raves about on Kate Loves Me. Not that difficult to see why - detailed basics in mint green. Want.
Note: This is cut short somewhat since work and packing have usurped an inordinate amount of time. Do check back soon for what's bound to be somewhat sketchy but hopefully somewhat interesting LFW menswear coverage...
What with the abundance of online fashion magazines (Fashion156, Mykro Mag, WWIT etc.) publishing content just as good, if not better, than what's to be found in the pages of the "established" print publications, it feels like an eon since I last felt compelled to purchase a magazine. By compelled I mean so captivated by an editorial or enthralled by a report/story that I felt it would be downright criminal to actually leave the magazine on the stand. Still, there's a good chance that's due to the dearth of frequently published (monthly, bimonthly) men's magazines rather than a lack of appeal in print.
But we're on the brink of another season and with so many stellar collections (voluminous knits, belted trenches, and fur galore) to be styled I'm optimistic something will beckon from the bookshelf. Fantastic Man and Vogue Hommes International are, for me, the last bastion of the smart and seductive men's fashion magazine. Both mags strike the balance, more often than not, between accurate and original reportage/collection reviews, fashion photography and lifestyle features. But I've not got my hands on the AW09 issue of either yet so I've decided to feature a select few, random snippets from random AW09 mags. Totally incoherent but absolutely brilliant...
^ Fantastic Man #10 AW09 - Mr. McGregor making Miuccia's leather-panelled mohair confection for AW09 look as wearable as a H&M tee. This mag never ceases to offer up an eye-catching portrait of some of the most idiosyncratic personalities out there.(Vogue US fans rejoice, Hamish Bowles also makes an appearance in this issue...).
Of all the GQ Style editions it's the editorials of GQ Style Russia that I find the most intriguing to pore over on TFS. I quite like the below, which features Noah Mills bellowing and gesturing exaggeratedly while sporting the latest in AW accoutrement...
I tend to cringe when mags try to merge members of the public and a fashion editorial as it doesn't often yield more than a group of shots of not-quite-relaxed, average-looking people making clothes you'd previously drooled over look decidedly civilian (that sounds snooty but isn't intended to be so...). The second issue of Love has managed to buck the trend with a moving editorial of Britain's best boxers in some of the season's finest Prada and Comme Des Garcons...
Don't forget there's still time (just another week!) to bag this minimalist and versatile staple courtesy of Orient Watch. NOTE: Those who've entered already, it would help majorly if you'd be kind enough to follow the newly-updated instructions, below...
TO WIN THE WATCH: Simply leave a comment on this post, in which you give a statement regarding the Orient Watch range. Anything at all. I'm not the fussy type.EDIT:Please send an email including your full name to cillian[at]male-mode.com with Orient Watch as the subject.
Note: Competition closes September 26th!Winner will be selected using Random.org
I know I should really be packing for the haul back to the capital for Uni, and for LFW (still haven't decided on what's to be packed, partially due to the fact that the now-residing-in-London sista vows never to speak to me again if I don't cart a load of her gear over at the same time, this just screams Ryanair extra-baggage charges...), but instead I'm nigh-on drooling over the keyboard whilst browsing through the FW09 looks from newfound label, Fingers Crossed.
^ 'Black Star Spangles' FW09
A rifle through Google search results yields little more than, you guessed it, images of crossed digits and etymological explanations of the idiom itself, but the lookbook for FW09 has done the blogging rounds (I found it on Coute Que Coute but it's also been featured on The Fashionisto). Still, am lacking anything concrete regarding the brand itself since their own site doesn't feature the usual "About" page. So - taking a wild guess, here - I reckon it's a Japanese label as the original source seems to be Jamool and the photographer's name, Yoshiaki Sekine, is also Japanese butfeel free to correct any errors...
Not that it's of crucial importance since this collection speaks for itself. Entitled 'Black Star Spangles', it's a largely midnight blue affair with some grey, white and black accents. Fingers Crossed cite American-Italian art duo, Lovett/Codagnone, as the primary source of inspiration. The artists aim to represent the complex power dynamics of human relationships through mixed media, often referencing S&M and gay subculture.
^ Our Rendezvous Ended in Sorrow by Lovett/Codagnone, 2008.
^ Stripped by Lovett/Codagnone, 2006.
Thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on what floats that boat of yours...), there aren't any overt references in the 'Black Star Spangles' collection so (no ball-gags guys!). It's more a distillation of the themes present in the artists' work e.g. the collective identity is present in the uniform colour while the power dynamic is brought to life through the juxtaposition of fingerless leather gloves against satin pants, or a structured leather jacket against a bow-collar shirt. Accessories, predominantly in the form of keychains, form an homage to the leather/glass/metal paraphernalia that's often present in Lovett/Codagnone's body of work.
In typical fashion, the collection I most want this season is only available 3,000 miles across the sea at Bblessing, NY. Generous New Yorkers, if ever there was a time to make yourself known, this is it...
So, while a few blogger verdicts on NYFW have deemed this season's collections more lacklustre than leading-edge, I myself was pleasantly surprised by an overall shift in the production of purely commercial, saleable items to the creation of clothing that was, first and foremost, wearable but also interest-arousing with regard to subtle, but potent, detailing (e.g. Duckie Brown's bow-shorts...which, in actuality, I loved contrary to what some thought an ambiguous account).
Anywhat, I've already rambled sufficiently on the runway shows themselves. Equally intriguing were this season's array of street-style looks that fused somewhat of a European sensibility (draped, fluid pieces) with that NYC relaxed inscouciance. And just to say that this really isn't intended as a lazy rehashing of other prime bloggers' content, but rather just a way of showing appreciation for some of the city's best-dressed street-stompers.
^ Street Pepper - He works the Comme des Garcons x H&M drop-crotch pants well by exercising restraint on everything else. Also, how ingenius is that grey shirt? Gimme stirrups.
^ Street Pepper - Sonny Groo of Mykro Mag fame manages to gender-bend with the same skill as his often heel-clad colleague, Jean Paul Paula.
^ The Sartorialist - KateLovesMe's Prince Pelayo works a customised tee. Someone needs to tell me where in Dublin I can find safety-pins that size? I feel a v. rare DIY-urge coming on...Also love the juxtaposition of the formal tailoring with the punk/skin aesthetic of the Docs and shorts.
^ The Sartorialist - Simple but simultaneously colour-popping too. Love the asymmetric pants-rolling (whether intentional or not...)
^ The Sartorialist - Not sure whether they're socks or tights under there but regardless, this is surely the best blend of sportswear and rough-and-tumble luxe. Can anyone ID these boots? Another pair to add to the list of prospective purchases...
^ Street Etiquette - JKISSI (left), with well turned-out partner in style, Trav (right). Statement accessories and cropped proportions (the navy Thom Brown-esque pants and the rolled-up shirt and mac) impress, here.
It must be said, I'm a total fashion week newb. The main attraction (LFW's Menswear Day) doesn't kick off for another week and yet I find I'm already predicting which shirts will crease to the point of resembling bad crow's feet when packed, which shoes can be worn sans socks without marring my feet and how I'm going to go about of-the-moment blogging (don't expect much, that way if I get anything you might be remotely interested!)...
Luckily, I've not got to worry about the fragrance I'm tucking away for fashion-week usage (well, honestly, it's a toss up between the following and Tom Ford Extreme - devilishly good). Granted this probably shouldn't be one of the most pressing matters at hand but I'm thinking smelling good will help when I'm looking knackered, perplexed and schoolboy-excited. Anyway, the fragrant saviour comes by way of Byredo Parfums, the Swedish house of scents that collaborated with menswear style bible, Fantastic Man, a while back.
But, while I ordered a sample of Fantastic Man, it wasn't the one which had the olfactory area fixated. Rather it wasGreen. Like nothing I've sniffed before, it's kind of heady (must be the musk) and yet light (orange petigrain perhaps?) at the same time, with an undeniable air of Spring/Summer about it - appropriate for the showing season, probably not so appropriate considering the reports of current London weather... For those who understand such things, these are the notes: Orange Petigrain, Sage, Jasmine, Rose, Honeysuckle, Violet, Tonka Almond and Musk.
^ Green by Byredo Parfums €115 for 100ml
Equally interesting is the designer Ben Gorham's story. A former star basketball player and now a fragrance/home amenities designer, he's pictured above alongside a Diane Pernet parasol. Oh, and for those with a thing for tats-covered perfume designers, get ye to Diane's post on Ben's inked artworks, here. Images from Byredo and ASVOF
...because this season's NYFW proffered too much talent to be encapsulated by just one.
If Spurr aimed for Bowie and fell slightly short of the mark, then Phillip Lim cited beatniks when Bowie seems to be the genuine deserver of credit. In his review at Men's Style, Josh Peskowitz observed the distinctly 80s bent, (the abundance of liquid-looking black leather, shimmer metallic accents and cropped, lean pants) suggesting, perhaps, that this SS10 collection was more vibrant glam-rock than smooth jazz. Either way, you needn't give a toss since it's all both wearable and want-able.
Oh, and you're right, by the way, it IS Spring/Summer...just not as we know it. Navy and black are back (not that they ever left for me, being the monochromatic-fanatic that I am...). Do be good to yourself and say no to the sandals, though.
^ 3.1 Phillip Lim SS10
Unlike some of the haute critics out there, I'm not really that bothered if a particular collection's coherent or not or maintains its thread of inspiration/vision/whatever throughout each look. SO, I'm going to exclude approx. half (the wishy-washy-hued sportswear component) of Richard Chai's collection and laud the remainder without limit. Interestingly, I've - yet again - selected looks composed of black and shades of blue, which hints at a serious lack of objectivity in the fair presentation of collections on my part but I mean, come on, these are the diamonds among the rough.
Now, the noteworthy deets of some other designers' endeavours so far...
^ What I like to call Patrik Ervell's hundreds-and-thousands-topped ice-cream collection. A delicous range of pastel shades accompanied by a smattering of all-over print - perfect for Summer sabbatical at the seaside.
^ Canvas classics reworked in mesh at Lacoste. Almost like sporting a tennis-net on your feet...anyone else getting that?
^ Bow-shorts at Duckie Brown. Yes, Duckie Brown...really, I had trouble believing it too. No bother with wanting them, though. PS. for a good LOL check out the v. fetching nappies.
Being frank, I don't reckon anyone expects to see anything ostensibly unconventional in the runway looks of NYC's menswear-makers. The ostentatious is usually best left to London, and the more dapper, daren't-dress-down looks are often to be found in Paris. New York, a city whose apparent style could be epitomised by "laid-back casual cool", isn't usually the most provocative of the fashion capitals but the latest from NYFW begs to differ. With more colour-popping and dandy-esque detailing than ever before, it seems a new NY man is born.
Influenced by the late 60s and early 70s (and the hedonistic icons associated - Bowie, Hendrix etc.) Simon Spurr produced a collection of decidedly luxe suits and denim separates that weren't - as Tim Blanks noted - so much reminiscent of the icons cited above but rather the other artiste he mentioned, Helmut Newton, the photographer who popularised the simultaneously lewd and sophisticated look. No, these aren't bind-my-feet-and-gag-me lewd but there's a louch suaveness that simmers in the corsages and rich, bright shades.
^ Spurr SS10
Robert Geller, he of the grungy and seductively dark aesthetic, seemed to lighten-up somewhat for SS10. Inspired by the spirit of Germans vacationing by the North Sea with a sense of post-war calm, he fashioned a collection of sheer cottons, bright-hued nylons and denim that ran the colour-gamut from blues to mustard. The signature poetic sombreness made an appearance too, however, in dark leathers and some seriously covetable black tulle pins/brooches.
^ Robert Geller SS10
Is there another designer helming the NY menswear revolution to such an extent as the unabashed and somewhat subversive showman, Thom Browne? I don't reckon so. From spacey sportswear to almost clownish collegiate pieces (see those gargantuan-polka-dot blazers) this man is full-on menswear magic. Save for the painted lips, the too-short skorts and a few other theatrical enhancements added purely for runway purposes, I'd wear any piece in a heartbeat.
