Q+A: Adrian Eric Morales: Fusing Past and Present.

Is it just me or has "vintage" become one of those fashion-related terms that inevitably induces a brief cringe? I mean, it's without doubt a good thing that we're all embracing the old as well as the new in fashion, esp. given the speed at which it progresses, but "vintage" is an adjective that's bandied about - often in the inappropriate context (e.g. "Oh that fur jacket is so vintage! Where did you get it?"..."River Island!") - a little too often for my liking.

So it's refreshing to know that one designer has every right to employ the term. Adrian Morales, more than a jack of the following trades: styling, design, photography and e-Business consultancy, has finally presented an opportunity to men to get in on the vintage jewellery love. By updating old military accoutrements with contemporary embellishments, Morales fuses past and present and the results, I can assure you, are far from cringe-worthy.

I had a brief natter with Adrian on the personal and professional...

1. Having moved from the States, you studied fashion design in AIU London. What motivated your decision to move and learn the craft?

I was working in the corporate world for 6 years and realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’d always loved fashion and decided it was time to pursue my creative side. And as we all know, when it comes to fashion, London is a very inspiring place to be.

^ The Veteran - Veteran of Foreign Wars medal customised with brass chains.

What led you to focus on jewellery design as opposed to other methods of design?

When my mother passed away after a long battle with cancer, I took some of her religious medallions and other trinkets from her jewellery box and wanted to transform them into a few wearable pieces for myself. Others seemed to like them as well and wanted special pieces made from trinkets of their own. So together with a good friend of mine, Candee Lyons, a collection was born.

^ Fort Giant - Bracelet with four mixed-metal chains, single bullet and a vintage emblem.

Tell us about your newly launched "The Origin" collection. What was the inspiration behind the collection? What techniques and materials were used in the production?

The current Origin collection is inspired by my recent journeys, medals of honour, the Boy Scouts of America, kilts worn in the Scottish Highlands during the 16th century and symbols of faith. The origin of these vintage pieces has been revisited with a modern influence.

Have you got a personal story/anecdote regarding the making of the collection?

I’ve always been fascinated by anything that is considered vintage. I feel they have a story and character. I try to incorporate at least one vintage item into each piece. Making something old new again, modern and wearable. In a way, bringing it back to life by the individual who wears it.

^ The Pill - Necklace with mixed silver metal chains, pill case, vintage key and a New Mexico 1967 Rabies tag (for those that don't know - it's a form of dog tag...)

Do you have a muse or a particular source of inspiration that drives your creativity?

I’m always thinking of my mother, who though passed away over a year ago, she is always inspiring and with me. I’m constantly looking to make each piece different and as unique as she was. Also my surroundings, the places I been, music, art and creative peoples.

What is the future for Adrian Eric Morales?

Working on the new menswear jewellery collection and accessories, collaborate with other designers, and eventually be able to develop a menswear or womenswear collection for the next season.

__________

Find Adrian's work on Not Just a Label and keep up-to-date via his blog, Snappy Life Style.

BFAs 2009: Honouring the Heritage Brand.

From Dame Viv's punk-infused garb to the many sartorial artisans of Savile Row, from invariably on-trend high-street retailer Topman to classic brogue purveyors Church's, the Britons have always more than held their own in the style stakes and the British Fashion Awards serves to remind us of the fact.

A nominee shortlist is just one of those things. It knows no other purpose than to frustrate. This year's menswear shortlist includes: Graeme Fidler for Aquascutum, Kim Jones for Dunhill and Todd Lynn. While it's not beyond comprehension why these three were chosen, I still wouldn't have considered it a particularly commendable selection. That was, of course, until I actually reminded myself of the reinvention that's been associated with two of those nominated.

I had always considered Aquascutum no more than one of those traditional, aesthetically conservative (read: boring) and generally musty British heritage brands that had just gone to seed in the twenty-first century. But, a quick scan through the sleek website has proven me very wrong. Graeme Fidler helms design and ever since his move from Ralph Lauren back to Britain the University of Northumbria-grad hasn't halted the rejuvenation. With Aquascutum Ltd. Fidler brings a lean, sharp, Slimane-esque silhouette to the fore with tailored suits and outerwear (inc. a serious-want-inducing bomber) while with Aquascutum London he foregrounds just what's made the brand famous in the first place (a simple black trench, a deep blue mac) while simultaneously heralding the return of the camel coat.

^ Aquascutum Ltd. AW09

^ Aquascutum London Aw09

Yes, Kim Jones has worked some small wonders at Dunhill but that brand's always seemed to advocate function at the price of form. Even the websites seem to underline the difference, with Dunhill photographing their - rather limited - stock purely for the purpose of online retail (commercial, aesthetically safe staples photographed against a spare, light-grey background) and Aquascutum setting itself apart by centring a host of pretty pictures to pore over. I mean, let's face it, you'd rather buy a trench off Vincent Lacrocq's back any day.

Then again, it does do the "Heritage" section quite well. However, Aquascutum seems to trump its effort, offering a timeline, a clarification of ethos and previous ad campaigns to peruse. This isn't intended as some kind of confrontational "fash-off" battle of the brands but - who would you find fit to crown?

Note: Do consider the genuine brilliance of the below before making your decision...

Images from Anatomika and Fashion Copious

Les Noeuds Papillons Laurent Desgrange.

Back at that time I imbibed several flutes of champers while talking all things Dublin with The Sartorialist, I was asked by a certain lady at the event why I wasn't wearing a bow-tie since she thought it was my "thing". Granted, when the blog was born I did have a minor obsession with them but since then they've been relegated to the fringes of my wardrobe i.e. they only appear for formal occasions, and not them all either for that matter.

French stylist and designer Laurent Desgrange is fast convincing me to reconsider my decision, however. From set design to graphic print tees (the first I've liked in an age) to probably the most dynamic collection of bowties on the market, Desgrange has a finger in each and every one of the fashion pies.

Images from Laurent Desgrange

Menswear of the Millenium: Who Gets Your Vote?

When I'm not reading (read: trying to somehow comprehend the academic parlance of) André Bazin and Laura Mulvey, watching countless films, or engaging in alcohol-fuelled antics (the only remedy for hours of studying linguistics and structuralism, I find), I write for the college newspaper's cultural supplement - tn2. The sweet and all-round-wonder-woman, Ana K of Ripped Knees does likewise, but it's the equally lovely editor Patrice who posed a question that surprisingly stopped me in my essay-writing tracks last week...

"Who is the most influential menswear designer of the last decade?". I was genuinely flummoxed at my indecisiveness. I mean, I know it's difficult to give one definitive answer to these questions but I really couldn't settle this time 'round.

Of course, I had to answer. It would have to be a name that was instantly recognisable for most, a designer that not only produced top collections but also exercised considerable influence on the evolution of fashion throughout the last decade. I was bloody clueless.

I had narrowed it down to two: Christophery Bailey of Burberry Prorsum fame, and Raf Simons (do check out his new site, pretty epic). In hindsight I might've also thrown Alexander McQueen, Hedi Slimane and Ann Demeuelmeester into the mix. In the end, it was Raf Simons. And now I'm not entirely sure why. I suppose it was something to do with his strong, angular cuts, generally futuristic formal innovation, work for Jil Sander and various collabs. But, were I to have given a more accurate answer it would have of course been Hedi Slimane whose skinny silhouettes and underground rock ambience so revolutionised menswear for the new millenium.



^ Raf Simons AW09



^ Raf Simons SS09

NBD babez, as they say, Raf is still a dab hand.

PS. Who would you have chosen? Despite writing a blog on the topic, I'm not exactly an authority on menswear (you might have gathered this...).

Images from GQ

Editorial Digest: GQ Style, Metal, i-D.

My body deceives me, it seems. The moment I reckon I've overcome yet another major buzz-killing head-cold, I feel an uncontrollable urge to catch-up on all the boozing/dancing/necessary-evil-academic-endeavour I've missed out on. Then, just hours later, it re-emerges and I'm left frog-throated for another day. If I were the type that used such expressions, FML would be the only appropriate one in this instance.

On the plus side, illness undoubtedly means film-watching. I've been prepping for next week by covering the screenings (Lone Star, The Birds, and Festen for the buffs among you) for next week. It's left me in a visuals-only (please and thanks) mood and so I've set about devouring editorials I've glanced at but haven't had the chance to pore over sufficiently. So, no more of my Lemsip-induced ramblings, on to the much more entertaining, thoroughly arresting visuals...

GQ Style Italy AW09

Twin Set: Viktor & Rolf - shot by Blommers & Schumm - prove they're not just insanely talented menswear-makers, but also pretty faces. Here, while hanging off doors and looking resplendent, they were pieces from their AW 09 Monsieur collection.

Vita Nova: Jakob Wiechmann - shot by Jonathan Frantini, and styled by Vilnius - makes the camel coat more appealing than ever.

i-D December 09

Wizards, Witches and Magic: Dan Felton is photographed by Ellen Rogers and styled by Matthew Josephs for an issue that perhaps is a touch late (considering Halloween antics took place a good month ago) but still retains its magic.

GQ Style Germany AW09

Not aware of the title of this one, but not entirely bothered either since it doesn't really need a narrative trajectory. This is probably one of the most alluring editorials I've seen in the past while. Styled by Jason Farrer and shot by Karim Sadli, it seamlessly blends stern toughness with a soft sensuality, perfectly embodied by models AJ Abualrub and Joan Pedrola.

Metal Magazine #17

Moonlight: Forget Eva Green, Michael Pitt and in Bertolucci's The Dreamers, film, fashion and photography probably form the sexiest ménage a trois. Here, photographer Rémi Lamandé and stylist Laurent Dombrowicz reference the dark ambience of German Expressionism. Who knew Murnau and Raf Simons would make for an marraige-of-aesthetics made in heaven?

Images from The Fashionisto

To Be in Berlin.

Frantically researching specifics in advance of an oral presentation is an onerous task. But, when the topic at hand is the city of Berlin, the big ask seems somewhat mitigated. Since I'm more than likely jetting off to die Freie Universitaet Berlin for the first semester of the next academic year, I thought it appropriate to familiarise myself with the University...

Result? Epic fail. I, instead, spent my time chiefly trawling through the archives of the best Berliner streetstyle blog - Stil in Berlin. I've been a fan since its conception but what with the countless salivation-provoking outfits (chunky boots, statement outerwear and the snood 09) that are cropping up of late, I'm nigh-on addicted.

Images from Stil in Berlin

Going Hell-For-Leather.

I know it may seem like this blog is re-defining itself as an online haven for fetishwear what with all the mentions and desiring of leather but it's actually just the way the wardrobe's gone these past few weeks (leather...not fetishwear, sorry to disappoint Lynn & Horst lovers...). Just recently I've extended my collection with the aid of exceedingly chic vodka purveyors, Absolut, and the homme section of Zara.

Me and gloves haven't ever really hit it off. Either I'm too cheap/just not that into them, or the ones I like play hard to get by being stocked exclusively online. Whatever. This season's offering is not only better-looking but much more...er...affordable. They fit well, are 100%, and at the approx. price of €25 they're not going to leave your wallet as empty as Vlada Roslyakova's stomach.

^ Black leather gloves by Zara; Studded leather vodka jacket by Absolut.

Just in case (and granted, this is very probable) you're thinking this is all a little obsessive to be healthy, as Calvin Harris crooned, I'm not alone, since Absolut have gone all leathery (in the best possible sense) this season. To celebrate the launch of their new limited edition vodka, Absolut Rock, they v. sweetly forwarded a biker-jacket-bedecked bottle my way. Know this, as a student blogger this is without doubt the most prized freebie I've ever received. The encasing-design is by La Cambre-grad and acclaimed jewelry designer Natalia Brilli. The vodka is superb and guarantees unadulterated elation - see below...

Note: If the casing looks empty then that's because it is. Vodka's gone, bottle's gone - we had a good night overall.

Sjaak Hullekes secures Mercedez Benz Dutch Fashion Award 09.

You'd think that having a housemate who effuses spiels in Dutch every few seconds (we're talking ingredient-list-reading, back-of-book-blurb-reading, South-African-national-anthem-singing here...) such is his love for his Uni course, that I'd have had enough of anything remotely Nederlands-related, but given the country's menswear talent, you'd be so v. wrong.

Sjaak Hullekes (whom I interviewed along with his business partner, Sebastiaan Kramer of Sebastic, a while back), has finally been given the recognition I've reckoned he deserved from the moment I came across his luxe yet non-fuss line. Last week Hullekes won the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2009 (do see the coverage over at Dazed, it's much more comprehensive, this is more a fan-boy-ish congratulatory note...).

From the ornate, fit-for-aristocracy-and-their-admirers aesthetic that Sjaak advocated when I first happened upon his work to the now more relaxed with quiet eruptions of opulence, the designer's altered his look somewhat without losing his vision which is, I suppose, partly the reason he won the award. The collection abounded various interpretations of that apparent binary opposition - wearability vs. fashion-forwardness, with sheer shirting and tailored separates in soft Summer tones. Versatility and vibrance, here's to continued success.

PS. Don't damn me for superficiality but did mention he's surely the most dashing up-and-coming menswear designer out there? A ringer for Jon Kortajarena in the Tom Ford eyewear ads, only with the nakedness...

Images from Dazed and Sjaak Hullekes

Heartbreak Made Haute.

As a film student you're not really supposed to enjoy all manners of films as much as acutely observe and critique them. Lars von Trier's Europa may be a film which focuses on the question of perceiving the past from the present but I couldn't really give a shit - the melodrama and formal experimentation (not to mention Barbara Sukowa's Germanic femme fatale) is where the appeal lies and all you academics out there know it.

^ Quentin Jones (a.k.a. the girl who fashioned film for the SS10 E. Tautz presentation) produced some work for the issue. Give me something remotely feral and I'm in. Reminds me of Tourneur's Cat People.

^ Underlining Colours regular Pok U Chan has created another astounding series of this issue, each piece more visceral and simultaneously beautiful than the last.

On this note, I urge you to check out outstanding London collective Underlining Colours' new issue entitled Bruised Hearts. No prizes for guessing the what's thematised in this one. Inspired by emotions ranging from heartbreak to empowerment and attempting to visualise the tension between heaven and hell, this lot had their work cut out for them but, unsurprisingly, Pok and Nik and their collaborators, have pulled it all off with serious aplomb.

^ Niclas Heikkinen's stories for the Bruised Hearts issue. Love the seamless blending (and gender-bending) of the subtly fetishistic with the more conservative pieces. That quiet floral shirt by Jaiden rVa James (bottom right) has me reconsidering everything flower-laden and Gemma Slack's leather gorget (top left) seems to evoke a softer side of the somewhat dark and wanton.

And I suppose the message is something like don't despair, don covetable clothing instead. Yeah, works most of the time, I reckon.

For full credits see Underlining Colours

Aloha to Another Collab. : Thakoon Makes Menswear for Aloha Rag.

When plaid first invaded I didn't think it'd manage to remain on every second male's back for so long and thus, lose much of its appeal. Now, though, I find I'm engaging in a little hypocrisy. NY-based, Anna Wintour-approved designer Thakoon Panichgul is teaming up with Honolulu & NY boutique Aloha Rag in what's the first of a series of bound-to-be-stellar collabs. For his commercial foray into menswear Thakoon has fused the ubiquitous plaid shirt and the cashmere bomber cardi to create something that somehow only embodies the positives of both.

This would be no. 1 on the Christmas wishlist but the collection doesn't hit Aloha Rag stores 'til February of next year. Mastercards at the ready...

Images from WWD

6876 x Regent Belt Company = R6.

I'm going to keep apologies and excuses brief and just mention that a week of mild sickness and Uni presentations (who knew the Theatre of Cruelty would take so much bloody reading?) as well as a college soc trip to Belfast aren't entirely conducive to blogging but...

Enough of that. Your attention should really be focused on the below-pictured collab. that proffers numerous accessories, each a blend of quality craftsmanship with vibrant colour. It's entitled R6, the lovechild of menswear label 6876's and Regent Belt Company's union, if you catch my drift. I've not heard of either before but having discovered the collab. was eager to learn...unfortunately Regent Belt Company's site is down (however, I've been reliably informed it's a Northampton, UK-based purveyor of leather goods), but 6876's online abode has plenty on show.

Named after the year of several European student revolutions (1968) and the year punk broke in the UK (1976), 6876 was founded in 1995 by Kenneth MacKenzie and prides itself on being one of few truly independent labels manufacturing menswear in Britain. I can't say I'm head-over-heels for the mainline collections (a lot of function over form...), but this accessory collab. has me seriously considering swapping the naff and tattered, synthetic laptop bag for something more sophisticated like the ecru and chocolate weekender below. And while I may have secured another accessory staple yesterday (black leather gloves, more on that later...), I'm still in dire need of an array of belts, esp. ones crafted from the finest Italian and Bridal leather. Really must steady on though...else I'll actually be covered entirely in cowhide.

Find them (as well as wallets, cardholders and lanyards) in selected stores or on 6876 come Feb of next year.

PS. To the girl that complemented the blog at Blasphemy last week: cheers.

Satyenkumar Shirting AW09.

Of the nigh on ten shows I attended at last season's LFW menswear day, Satyenkumar proved itself the most enjoyable. Granted its success was in part due to my being placed in a row where I actually had a chance of deciphering what garment was what fabric etc., but it was undoubtedly because of the clothing too - a heady fusion of Swiss voile, tulle and a kaleidoscope of colour.

But the bright pastels of his SS10 collection wouldn't be my first port of call having embarked on wardrobe-enhancement since the AW09 shirts trump all else. From bib-detailing to sheerness to panels and numerous hues of blue, this is definitely the shirting range of the season.

^ Peachy beige shirts in net, and mercerized cotton.

^ Midnight blue digital peacock print shirt and bib-detail shirt.

Images from Oki-ni