MEN'S FALL 2014 .. Versace, Zegna, Dolce& Gabbana

At Zegna the good news is that Stefano Pilati has found his footing or one should say this is definitely where he feels at home. The collection comes across as effortlessly designed and has all the swagger and style of a man who knows exactly what he is doing and what he is after.

The most apparent aspects of the collection are his use of muted plaids, the return to an almost “normal” proportion and of course the inherent exquisite quality of the clothes. There is very little to find fault with whether it is the layering, palette or a very distinguished grouping of outerwear that will no doubt reign as one of the best of the best season. Of special note is the outerwear which I found to be wonderfully imaginative, well-conceived and well… designed without having any of the bells and whistles that flooded London. 

Let’s say that the London collections offered up tonnage of almost silly or ridiculous possibilities while Mr. Pilati seems to have distilled the ideas and turned out a sophisticated and marvelously adult collection. To say that Milan started on the right foot is an understatement! Grazie Signor Pilati!

And from the sublime to the ridiculous! Enter Donatellamommamia with Versace! WTF is on the Signora’s mind? It may be a question for the ages as having once been a huge fan/consumer of these clothes; I would be hard pressed to even pick 2 things for myself if they were offered free of charge. Besides being heavily laden with heavily adorned and costumey jean get ups, there is a plethora of choices for one who wishes to exhibit bad taste. To say that her aim must be a consumer who craves attention is an understatement. There were brief moments of respite with instances of beautiful tailoring but alas those moments are overshadowed by cheap tricks and amateurish theatrics.

In summation we can examine the ticky tacky kitschy western motifs and themes, freakin chaps cum jeans worthy of any International Male catalog from 1980s, cod pieces, all this gay iconography mixed with bikini briefs and fur… sound inviting? Well then c’mon down!! Not to be totally negative , there was an occasional beautiful coat, blazer or suit but these were so rare as to be forgotten or let’s say that even the basic well cut blazer was offered with not just one rifle patch but two and I can only assume that is for the ambidextrous shooter amongst us. How Missy has taken all the vocabulary of a brand and ripped it to shreds is of constant amazement.

Last up for today is Dolce & Gabbana and one can certainly now say...ENOUGH with the photo centric prints and the wildly heavily influence of these themes. “We get it” …they are masters of carrying out a theme and of beating it to death but it sure gets a tedious after what seems endless seasons offering endless themes. 

So this season it was medieval and maybe Plantagenet and maybe some gothic thrown in which meant we see crowns and chain mail effects and balaclavas and furs, not to mention tunics and studs. One might say some of it is perfect attire for your next visit to a Renaissance fair. What is distressing these days, is the themes and scales of the show seem to have overtaken the intent of the show which means that the clothes have turned to costume rather than supposedly everyday apparel. Yes the signature tailoring is there and the abounding design elements and flourishes but where are the clothes? The silhouette of the tailored apparel is starting to look dated and the seemingly over thought selections of fabric are just compounding the short comings. Yes, there is a lot to see and there is even more to dissect on the runway with the combination of the collections but yikes, guys, give it a rest!

Pre-fall 2014 .. Balenciaga

For every yin there is a yang and so for every triumph there is a failure so in keeping with that theme for every Ralph Lauren there is a Balenciaga.

Alexander Wang started off propitiously enough and now he surely has shown his true colors as this collection bears as little visual reference to the master as possible and not even in some demented extrapolated way either. What we have here is some more blah blah blah and now we add techno babble about fabrics to the equation and it all adds up to same … disappointment!!

What we see is beautifully rendered clothes that are hardly worth the label they bear. No one can convince me that a blazer with toggle closures or a toggle coat, no matter how exquisitely made, and should carry the label Balenciaga. If anything, the brand looks suspiciously Ghesquiere-ish and if not that then, the Alexander Wang imprimatur has now unloaded itself onto the name. The end game here is over worked, over explained, over flanged, over imagined and over fabricated clothes for the contemporary customer and maybe a few editors. Good luck with that Monsieur Pinault!

Maybe the proper description would be the collection is generically gimmicky and esoteric as to fit with the modus operandi of designers who place verbiage ahead of product! Has the die now been cast?

We are once again reminded that it is the clothes that speak the loudest and not all the inspirations and intellectual imaginings or ramblings.

pre-fall 2014 ...RALPH LAUREN

There is a plethora of lessons to be learned here and perhaps Ralph Lauren deserves a new moniker other than the quintessential American designer. Let’s start with that he no longer designs classically or distinctively American clothes; the man designs chic, ageless, fashionable, timeless urbane and soigne apparel for women. This is a man who first believed that he could design that “wasp dream” for women as he did for men but he has gone far above that initial concept.

 

This capsule collection is Ralph at his best. The clothes are exquisitely styled and rendered in a neutral palette that elicits the same reaction as a fireworks display and chock full of the obvious and the underlying signatures of the brand. This is where one can separate the men from the boys as if you look at a very very similar palette used in THE ROW, you now see that a master takes it and makes it exciting and the pikers turn it into yawn worthy.

 

Without question, Mr. Lauren is head and shoulders above the flock of American designers and for that matter he sits alongside the few of international designers who are now his peers. This collection is about evolution and not revolution, restraint and excess, timeless over trend and most of all beautifully executed clothes that exude the very best of what is possible in the world of fashion.

 

Suffice it to say, in my opinion, the young guns can’t hold a candle to this veteran and the so called media has lost sight of why they do what they do …. Fashion is above all about selling clothes and dreams and as the very grand Mrs. Vreeland said … “Give them what they didn’t know they wanted!”

 

The message received from so  many is either the consumer is an exhibitionist, designers are  hyped up talents with no talent designing  collections of which they know nothing  or some fashion victim waiting for their next photo op and flash! It is all about perceptions and bottom lines and as far as I am concerned Ralph Lauren wins on all accounts!!!

meet a fashion legend ... Hoyt Richards

For 2014 this space will examine “legends” of fashion (past, present, future and eternal)… as part of my expanding view of the world of fashion. Today it’s all about Hoyt Richards; you say you don’t know the name, well fasten your seatbelt as he has been an enduring personality and image in the world of fashion for over 2 decades and is about to make his writing debut in a feature film.

art by Marc-Antoine Coulon

 

Hoyt started as the all American boy who went to Princeton and was a football star. As luck would have it, that was short lived due to personal injury but the result is a glorious visual diary of one of the greatest male models of the 20^th century. In brief, his resume reads Weber, Watson, Avedon, Newton and then Versace, Ralph Lauren, Gianfranco Ferre and Valentino but this is just a wildly abbreviated listing of his substantial credits.

 

As you will find out today, Hoyt Richards in indeed a rarity as he is just not another pretty face who has come and gone but has endeavored to redefine his career in the world of entertainment as actor/writer/producer. Look for him in the coming days as he offers DUMBBELLS … a term that will never be applied to this multi-talented gentleman who will long be remembered in fashion and will hopefully enjoy that same status in the world of entertainment.

 

Let’s “hear” what he has to say about a variety of topics…

1-What is the most treasured possession in your wardrobe?

Probably the eight ply cashmere sweater that I was given by a designer many years ago. It just feels amazing when I wear it and it gets better with time.

2-What is your most sterling trait and what trait do you treasure most in your friendships?

I would like to think it’s my genuineness and optimistic view of life. What you see is what you get. I don’t like to play games or put on facades. In my friendships, I look for integrity, kindness and sincerity.

3-What is your bliss?

One of my favorite quotes from Joseph Campbell is: “Follow your bliss.” For me, that means pursuing my passions and spending quality time with those whom I love.

4-What is your guilty secret?

I love ice cream. I’d eat it every day if I didn’t know it would double my waistline. haha

5-Where is your ideal home?

 I love the tropical lifestyle. My ideal home would be on a white sandy beach – maybe in the Caribbean. It has huge doors and windows so during the day the house would feel open to the sun and salt air.  

6-If you could not be a designer/retailer/etc.: what would you be?

 I think it would be interesting to be a psychotherapist.

7-What is on your bedside table right now?

A candle. A lamp. Some night time eye cream. And a  script I have to read.

8-What do you wear to bed?

 A cotton T-shirt

9-What, if any, book are you reading now or last read?

Right now I’m reading a book called, The Tools: 5 tools to help you find courage, creativity and willpower and inspire you to live life in forward motion by Phil Sturz and Barry Michels. It’s awesome.

10-What’s your advice to the “newcomer?”

The most important thing is to have fun. Show up on time, be professional but remember to not take yourself or the business too seriously. It’s fashion - we’re not curing cancer.  

11-Who or what is your inspiration/style icon?

Probably Cary Grant – he seemed like a cool cat. Elegant and never overstated.

12-What is the best advice you ever received?

To get into therapy. LOL if you don’t get to know yourself and learn how to love and accept yourself (warts and all) then how could you honestly give your heart to another? It all starts with ‘the man in the mirror.’ Once you sort that guy out, life is a lot more fun and vital.

13-In 3 words or less, describe the current state of fashion.

In transition.

14-If you were a retailer; would you wear your own designs or shop in your own store? or where would you shop?

 I would wear my own designs but that’s not all I would wear. Variety is the spice of life. The fun of fashion is having lots of different clothes from different shops or places.

15-If you won a $200,000,000 power ball (lottery), what is the first thing you would buy or do?

I think my first indulgence buy would be to purchase a silver Tesla car. My first humanitarian venture would be to establish and fund a foundation and facility for a Cult Awareness and Recovery Center. Its goal would be to educate, inform and empower all those who have endured and survived a cultic experience. This facility would foster recovery programs for cult victims and provide hope and outstanding services for families and individuals who have lost a loved one to a cult. It would be a resource for knowledge and the study of the mind in effort to expand our understanding of the mind’s susceptibility to influence – both constructive and destructive. Likewise, the center would teach and demonstrate the immense power that the subconscious mind possesses to recover and heal as well as to create the lives we truly want.

16-If you could invite up to 4 people for dinner, who would they be…dead or alive?

 Abraham Lincoln, Dalai Lama, Gandhi, and Napoleon Hill

17-What is your favorite movie /or movie star?

My favorite movie is the first Star Wars film. My favorite actor from the past would be James Stewart and from the present it would be Clint Eastwood. I really admire actor/filmmakers types like George Clooney and Ben Affleck. I think it’s great when you see people who don’t limit their skill sets. 

18-What is the one thing you would change about yourself?

My eyesight. Now that I’m older, it’s such a drag using reading glasses.

19-Whose opinion do you value most and why?

I most value my father’s opinion. He is the most honest person I have ever known.

20-What store or which designer do you most like to shop in or wear?

I think Tom Ford rocks.

21-What’s your take on magazines, books versus the internet?

 The future is the internet. But I still enjoy snuggling up with a great book in my hands.

22-Do you have a dream collaborator?

 In film, I aspire to work Chris Nolan one day. In fashion, I was beyond spoiled. I truly was fortunate to work with all the best.

23-What is your crowning achievement thus far in your career?

 In fashion, it was my issue of MONDO UOMO. I was given creative control over the editorial section and was able to shoot with my favorite photographers and create sixty pages for one issue. It was an incredible experience. In film, the newest project, DUMBBELLS, (which hits theaters in the US on Jan 10, 2014) because I was able to wear so many hats. I co-wrote the script, starred and produced the project. It’s the first time I’ve taken a film from embryo all the way to birth. Even though it’s been a cumbersome and challenging four-year journey, I don’t regret one day. 

24-What’s your music library like?

 Pretty eclectic. I listen to everything from Frank Sinatra to Eminem.

25-What and where is your favorite meal?

I’m a sucker for Italian food. The meals I’ve had in Italy over the years have been legendary. I love food that is fresh, flavorful and simple

pre-fall 2014 .. THE ROW

There is not much that one can say about a stark collection like this other than it looks very comfortable and it is made from the most luxurious and costly fabrics. To say it is simple is a vast understatement much like the clothes themselves; even minimalist might be a misnomer.

There might be an argument made for the simplicity and the comfort factor but what is so puzzling is why the twins seem to get so much play when there are other collections that might be considered kissing cousins to The ROW. Two that come to mind are Eileen Fischer which would make the girls curdle at the thought and the other is Zoran who took those simple easy shapes and translated them into sheer comfort and ease. As far as the latter goes, The Row looks like Christian Lacroix by comparison if you catch my drift and if you don’t...your loss!

What can be gleaned here is this, if these clothes really retail, in other words sell, which I know is being a kill joy, this tells me that there is a severe shortage of clothes that can be worn by real women of means or just that aspirational customer who wants a slice of luxury without all the bells and whistles. There are only so many 20 and 30 something to go around and only so many boomers who can wear party dresses and stilettos all day, every day. This last thought is surely seen in who was chosen to “model” the new collection. These are ladies who are exhibited are what might be perceived as suburban or city women who have raised their kids and now are no longer mothers on a full time basis. 

If you really want to stretch this to the limit, you can simply say that these clothes are the J CREW collection for the very very rich and upwardly mobile and maybe... just maybe... the aspiring wasp princess! And in further thought, Maybe somewhat perverse ... the clothes for some tight assed suburban matron with a tainted past!