Berluti spring 2014

In a season where “men are the new women,” Berluti arrives with a refreshing sigh of relief and a respite from the absurdity that has been populating the men’s shows for the past few weeks.

This nascent collection dares to show without a pair shorts in sight, with normal footwear and models that look like men of all ages, with nary a nipple in sight… imagine the novelty of it!  It is not to say that the collection will bowl you over or astound you in any way at all, but it makes a distinctive mark this season by being realistically fashionable …. OMG!!! The dreaded “R” word!!!!

The essence of the collection is that this is fashion that has been massaged and contains nuance rather than slapping you in the face with drama or off the hook trend.  Yes, the suits are more abbreviated and the pant a bit slimmer and shorter but the workmanship is incredible, the styling chic yet trendy and the overall look is very Lapo Elkann.  If you don’t know who that is … just shut the computer down now and walk away.

Words that come to mind after seeing the collection are rakish, dandy, dishabille, slim, natty, monochromatic, haberdashery and stylishly appropriate.  Somehow you would be hard pressed to find 6 more collections that befit those words or overall sentiment. Here is another interesting concept that shows up in Berluti in that the collection doesn’t really require explanation, seeing is believing and no blah blah blah needed! … What a concept! … And wearable, to boot... Oooh, the dreaded “W” word!

If this reviewer could have a wish list it would include a bit more color, a bit more than the hinted fashionable more forward underpinnings, a bit more variety of silhouettes, a dash more of slick and an overall feeling of perfectly turned out as in a sharper edge to the clothes.  This is much more of a personal preference and am very sure that most opinions will not be colored by these observations or detractions.

Please feel free to pipe in on this !!

Givenchy men's spring 2014

Just when you think the high water of mark of absurdity has been reached….

Yes. So we all know that “Ricky” likes to tie jackets around a models waist and then it becomes part of the whole look!  Well, Looky, Looky… the circus has come to town complete with new wardrobes for all the clowns to wear in Spring 2014.

In a collection best suited for the cast of Big Bang Theory who really might consider it a bit too gimmicky, Mr. Tisci reaches a new nadir or what might be more commonly referred to as the bottom of the barrel.  WTF is he thinking?  My guess is that EVERY fashion victim in the world is breathless to own another $1000 tee shirt to be worn with super hero tights and some graphic super hero shorts over the tights and jeez……. Kapow! ….NOT!  Nothing more than gratuitous shock value….

What a sad day it is to know that Monsieur Givenchy is still alive and cognizant enough to be witness to and aware of what has happened to this fabled and legendary brand. I am sure that the powers that be at KERING are deliriously happy with it all but soon the end will come and Ricky one note will be out on his ass designing post maternity clothes for the KK clan of klassless...oops I can’t finish the aliteration!

No doubt, the collection will be lauded as genius and beyond “fierce” but this reviewer would rather be executed and silenced than follow the flock on this one.  This is an affront to anyone who has a fashion history as well as anyone who has an iota of common sense when it comes to appeal, sales and...Well... fashion!

Judge for yourself as more verbiage would certainly be beating the dead horse that died ages ago!

PS..  Zara, H&M and Forever 21 must be dancing in the streets this season

Kaufmanfranco resort 2014

Many may not have heard of the designers but they have been on my radar since they were assistants at Bob Mackie in the 80s.  These guys do their fair share of red carpet, albeit without much fanfare, and have been a retail staple for years but the collections have never really coalesced for me, that is until now.

Kaufmanfranco offered up a clean, refined, chic, classy and relatively unembellished collection that screams American designer collection.  A great deal of the collection apparently in n a 4 ply silk type fabric which is always appealing and the collection might be renamed as a no frills, no gimmicks and no games kind display.  Refreshingly simply in ways that brink you back to when clothes were for real women and not some idealized 20 something with a trust fund and no taste.

With minor missteps these 2 have delivered some of the best evening pieces of the season and some very HOT daytime suedes that rank with the best of them!  Please don’t think that their past collections have ever been distasteful or unattractive; it is more that this collection spoke to me in a way that the past collections haven’t … simple as that.  The color palette is divinely restrained and they are one of the few brands to ever have me regard green a beautiful and flattering … just a personal thing of mine.

What is upsetting to me is that the collection will not garner much ink but in my opinion it deserves headline status for standing out from the “trying too hard to be trendy” crowd and exemplifying the best aspects of American/New York collections.  Too bad the media only rewards those who talk and talk and talk about their ugly collection as if the words will make the clothes beautiful.  Here there are no words necessary … only the visual!  Kudos to you guys!

Balenciaga & Walter Van Beirendonck ...spring men's 2014

This all about contrasts, what happens when designers design, what happens when being low key turns into a disadvantage rather than advantage and lastly we see what happens when a  brand wants to be uber trendoidal and shots itself in the foot!

On any given day, the untrained and maybe even the trained fashion eye would not detect that Balenciaga men’s Spring 2014 really had a designer.  There is a price you pay in trying to be too cool. A bigger price is paid when your color palette and clothes obliterate whatever message you are trying to deliver.  In essence, the clothes are far too simple or intrinsically simple to make any sort of impression other than … so what!  Just another pile of too slick, too unassuming and supposedly too trendy clothes is what was shown.  By the way, be under 40 and less than a size 40 and maybe you can find something that draws no attention to you and but you can say “oh! It’s Balenciaga!” … as if!

On the flip side is Walter Van Beirendonck who is certainly an acquired taste, but in my opinion a far more exciting designer/brand.  Actually the clothes are dynamic and exciting and okay, not for everyone.  The fact is that these are clothes for the dyed in the wool; fashion is my life type of client.  Nonetheless, the clothes are beautiful, the palette is exciting and most of all they are a signature that belongs to the designer. WVB is not one to follow the flock and when he seizes a trend, he gives it the Van Beirendonck treatment.  He is a designer’s designer who has a sense of humor and a sense of fashion that few possess.  The colors, the prints, the shapes, all are modern and distinctively WVB and how many can speak to that assessment?

Raf Simons spring men's 2014

Spin it any way you want but the end result is the same, Raf Simons sent out what might equate to one long drag show or what I wore when I want to be operationally short of being a woman.

The fact that the jumpers/tank dresses/ onesies had a 1 inch inseam does not exactly qualify them as menswear and that goes for the skirts/shorts and the rest of this ill-conceived collection.  Maybe Raf believes that a one inch inseam will prevent one’s junk from falling out when seated!  Similar looks have been done before with greater skill by many other designers.

The printed tunic/t-shirts/ tops are one step away from being product endorsement tee shirts but I am sure that fashion victims from around the world will be clamoring to own pieces from this collection.  For me, a collection like this doesn’t not speak to the supposedly god like stature of this designer.  If there is anything that can be gleaned from these clothes it is that he is either trying too hard or WTF are you thinking here?

The take away here is that Zara, H&M and Forever 21 must be overjoyed that they can use this collection with such inspirational ease!  As for the other retailers, good luck finding enough fashion freaks to wear and afford the clothes that designers seem to think are missing from a man’s closet this season.

Well, if nothing else, maybe, Marc Jacobs will start to wear Raf’s clothes as he is a coworker/colleague and maybe he gets a friends and family discount from the mother ship LVMH!