Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Jacquemus men’s spring 2019


Introducing the newest inductee to the Emperor’s New Clothes Hall of Fame! For once cant someone call it what it is ??
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Media fawners on your mark ... get set ....  go…………….. Oooh   aaah ….    Astounding… breathtaking … incredible … brilliant... NOT for a second!
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If ever there was a collection that looks as if it was harvested from old LANDS End and J Crew catalogues then this is it.

I mean so what!! LVMH gave him a prize and now they get behind the brand and finance an offsite show that isn’t worth the trip to the beach no matter who pays.
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Generic, boring, unimportant, pedestrian clothes… just clothes …yawn inducing … not fashion... clothes 
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Rant over ……….. always remember that clothes that require an explanation are just clothes when hanging on a rail.. the words are unimportant 
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Monday, June 25, 2018

Balmain spring 2019 men's


So the immediate 50s Joe college vibe ( so I thought)  that started off the show with a much needed change of  mood rapidly morphed from cool college to the ghost of Michael Jackson then to rote Rousteing. 
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I was liking the rolled cuff jeans, the white socks (which was really an allusion to Michael Jackson),  the loafers  and even the letter sweaters and varsity jackets but before you  knew it the theme was worn out and the overkill began with classic Rousteing, band uniform jackets, graffiti prints, second skin pants and de rigeur hoodies, tired shredded denim and trainers. So now we know Rousteing can do Chanel jackets for men which as we know is an essential of every man’s wardrobe as well as anther beaded sweat shirt, oversized sweater and another beaded jacket. It’s too bad he can’t or won’t bust out of the shell and see that these clothes are appealing only to the most fashion obsessed and that they render themselves as barely a blip on the screen because of their singular appeal. You wanna play with the big boys then you need to act like one.
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The reason that “no one cares about him” is that he has yet to show that he is more than just a Johnny one note. To date the brand under his tutelage has yet to explode past the first seasons. It is a sad concept when a designer believes their own press, plays himself as a victim and is deluded in thinking that they can become a huge mega brand without an inkling of business savvy.
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 The collection would be perfect fodder for H&M as that seems to really be who his customer base is since the clothes in the eponymous collection are stratospherically expensive making them prohibitive to that segment of his aspiring client. Most, if not 99%, are aimed at the man who can afford a $10k jacket as an amusement and those men/victims will not be busting down the door chez Balmain any time soon.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Dior Homme spring 2019


I can’t say that Kim Jones rescued Dior since Kris Van Assche surely didn’t do a bad job with Dior Homme but what I can categorically say is that Kim Jones breathed new life into the brand.
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 There is this sort of chicness, slickness to the collection that shows off the brand far better than Van Assche or Mamamiameatball in women’s. Yes, the logos are there but they are far more discreet and far more tastefully integrated than slapping the name on tee shirts or on just about anything and anywhere that can hold a signature. Jones is certainly fluent in logo!
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The pale color palette is so refreshingly spring and without question even just the tailored pieces can justify calling the collection modern yet classic and not bending to the so called trends we have seen for the past month or year for that matter. Yes, there are the fashion pieces but the jackets and suitings are divinely appealing as well as the trench and simple “motoring” coats.  If there was a misstep it was the last sequence of black ground pieces which seemed at odds with the rest of the collection as well as looking far more H&M than the rest. 
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I’m in love with the single button double breasted and with the seersucker, even the transparency, the shorts, the casting and the trainers can be over looked because the clothes look beautiful not just in style but beautifully executed. I was able to actually imagine real gown ups wearing these clothes albeit of the more fashionable variety. Hell it’s a lot better than seeing street fashion or the urban population/wannabe rappers as your pinpointed clients; nary a sweat shirt in sight, a pair of track pants or oversized jacket, pant or shirt. Instead fabrications that looked as thin as parchment and prints including a toile de jouy. OH!! And fabulous Stephen Jones take on a baseball cap!
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Kim Jones is more than capable of delivering menswear for all ages... it was how he started at Vuitton doing slick handsome sexy menswear... again albeit for the very rich  but they were beautiful. His skill set is especially is shown off here as mentioned with his seamless integration of house signatures and logos. It is so head and shoulders above his counterpart in women’s as well as his colleague at Valentino. This is fashion. 
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This is a fashion lesson. This was a rare fashion moment when a new designer of a heritage brand can justifiably take a bow at the end of the show.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Alexander McQueen spring 2019 men's


It’s classic, sartorially splendid, it’s outrageous, BOLD,  
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 It's conservative, ORIGINAL, it’s razor sharp,  it is precise, STAND ALONE, laser focused, playful, ballsy
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it's innovative, bespoke appearing, mad as a hatter, designed, pure McQueen,statement making, elegant, as serious as a heart attack, audacious
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it's imaginative, colorful, fantastical, Savile row, it’s off the rails, astounding and what makes fashion exciting!
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Sarah Burton triumphs in a sea of me too fashion and mediocrity where collections have become interchangeable and barely designed. BRAVO!
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The images speak for themselves……………..