Versace men’s fall 2019

Think of it this way … Tom of Finland meets Hermès meets Jeremy Scott meets Donatellamamamia, meets Walter Van Beirendonck meets Gianni Versace and they all crowd onto a bus and throw piles of clothes in the aisle and tell the models to pick what they want, pile it on and to  be as outrageous as possible!

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Comic book colors, feathers, smoked see thru vinyl, printed harnesses, Medusa prints and still with trainers and knit hats ... la signora proclaimed in past days “yes Versace will remain a luxury label” and so my question is... what collection was she speaking about?  The feathers peeking out of herringbone coats and neon colored sunglasses, bottle cap printed jackets and leathers with car logos just about sealed the deal that she needs to get a grip or she will be depending on theft to get rid of this stuff. Who in hell wants to spend this kind of money to look like a fool? 

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Let’s also speak of the homeboy/homie/hip hop drooping waists to expose the underwear and the cargo pants and jogging suits and Frankenstein shoes. What happened to Gianni's dangerously close to overtly sexual razor sharp menswear? It was slick, precise and teetering on the edge of acceptability and now we have a riot of color and a circus worth of costumes for a crowd I didn’t exists or maybe it’s a clientele that doesn’t exist yet. Whichever it is, you can be sure that coming from someone who ONLY wore Versace starting in the  70s through the 80’s, I would be ashamed and embarrassed to even be caught dead in this shit.

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Good luck Capri Holdings!

Ermenegildo Zegna fall 2019

Berluti’s loss is Zegna’s gain.

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Keep in mind that Zegna will always be classic clothing brand as in suitings but in the past decade or so they have expanded their reach by expanding their vision of how their clientele might dress when not in a suit. Yes, there is Z Zegna but that tends to skew younger than the eponymous brand

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Alessandro Sartori comprehends what it means to massage a trend ... meaning it still is more stylistically forward than the norm but it does not push the envelope to the point of absurdity. Sartori understands nuance and details as well as that massaging of newness can still be achieved while retaining the DNA of the brand… whether it’s the 1/4 top pockets on a blazer or suit jacket or  its asymmetrical closure. You might even notice an inch and a half or two inch cuff on printed pants where it’s barely noticeable, the outerwear and knits are outstanding in their diversity and design even though there may not be all that much that’s new here but it is how the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. 

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Sartori's skillset allows him to offer chic mendwear, he understands sprezzatura and he gets the concept of turned out and while Zegna may not be a monetarily accessible to most, the collection possesses “looks” of distinction. He tweaks the proportions, the layering, the prints, the colors and silhouettes. The clothes are modern and yet classically rooted offering an appeal to some who might never have dared to buy pieces such as these.

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I tip my hat to the powers that be and to Signor Sartori for giving us well designed fresh and appealing clothes that span age categories and will for the most part withstand the test of time

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Berluti spring 2019

Alessandro Sartori, Haider Ackermann and now Kris Van Assche holds the reins for Berluti. So now you can see the demise of what was once a wildly sophisticated and soigné collection leaning on the classics to a more trendy mood when Haider came upon the scene and now you see what happens when trend and slick fly out the window when a designer thinks his client is 20 something and not 30, 40 or 50 something or more.

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High water pants, buttock clinging tailoring, logo tee shirts, bombers, track suits and leather jeans suddenly come under the awning of one of the more expensive collections once known as a go to resource for some of the most wildly expensive and innovative footwear. In place of that you have Frankenstein leaden shoes or Adidas knock offs and shoes aimed mainly at the trendoid crowd. Since price tags don’t hang off the clothes or shoes why bother? 

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There is nothing boastful or new about any of it except of course that they are impeccably made so you can carry a sign that says these shoes cost 1200 or maybe 2200 dollars because they are Berluti even though they look like they came from Footlocker or Payless and the same goes for the clothes except the stores would be H&M or Zara. **please take note of the absurd range of accessories such as the ombré croco briefcase that atches a sweater to the Peter Berlin cap ( google it) or the droopy deep vee tunic.

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Apparently gentlemen of taste and substance are getting their menu for tastefully slick and well-tailored apparel trimmed down to a scant few resources. Dior men's is head and shoulders above this and will no doubt be gaining an audience because of this cavalcade of no taste.

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Yes, the world of fashion is changing but it hasn’t changed that much that there is a clown bus on every corner and some fool willing to pay 1000s to be stared at like a circus freak rather than being ogled at for being well groomed and impeccably turned out.

Moschino men's fall 2019

If you want to see/do Satyricon then go to the movies ... Fellini did it better and with far more flair and imagination than this ringmaster with his circus of horrors…  why try to best what was the best and is still is the best of its kind since 1969 when it was an ORIGINAL! If you cannot possibly improve on the best than why bother to make a mockery of yourself.

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Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery but cartoonish interpretation is almost insulting … I can only assume when one is talent deprived and with limited imagination you go for the spectacle mixed with shock and awe...PUHLEEEZE with this shit.

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These are not even close to clothes worn my anyone other than victims of fashion and stand for all that is wrong with the fashion system as it exists today 

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As for the women’s who cares... it goes from one cartoonish creation to the next………………. The wigmakers must have been thrilled but even those are nothing but copies from Fellini’s groundbreaking fantasies!

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